Barrel
device · 350 BC · Ancient world
A wooden container of staves bound with hoops.
What it is made of
- Barrel staves — has part. Curved oak planks.
- Barrel hoops — has part. Metal hoops pull the staves together.
- Barrel heads — has part. End caps.
Principles and materials it uses
- Iron — is made of. The staves are bound with iron hoops.
- Wood — is made of. Barrels are assembled from wooden staves.
- Steel — is made of. Barrels today are steel: oil is shipped in them, hence the barrel as a unit.
Where it is used
- Brewing — is used in. Beer and wine were stored and transported in barrels.
Things built in a similar way
- Arch — works like. Staves squeezed by hoops hold their shape by the same compression as the stones of an arch.