Water Wheel

A **water wheel** is a machine that converts the kinetic and potential energy of flowing or falling water into useful power. Traditionally, water wheels were used to drive millstones. The wheel (rotor), made of wood or metal, has blades along its outer rim. The wheel is usually mounted vertically on a horizontal axle, although other configurations exist. Vertical wheels can transmit power through an axle or ring gear and use drive belts or gears to perform work. Horizontal wheels typically drive their loads directly. During dry seasons, when water levels drop, water wheels lose power. In some cases, this issue was addressed by mounting the wheels on bridge abutments to take advantage of the water flow. Another common solution was the ship mill, where water wheels were mounted on the sides of ships moored in midstream. Water wheels are classified according to how water is applied to the wheel relative to its axle. The main types are overshot, pitchback, breastshot, undershot and horizontal wheels.