[pranjalv123]

Another interesting method for power transmission in the early days of industrialization was the line shaft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft). These were used only for a single factory, not for a whole city, though. You can see these if you go visit old textile plants in New England, for example.

[vanderZwan]

There's also "Stangenkunst" for long-distance mechanical power transmission:

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/01/mechanical-transmiss...

[dredmorbius]

Also hydraulic accumulators:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hydraulic_Power_Company

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/running-on-water-the-...

[camtarn]

Amusingly, modern hydraulic accumulators of a different sort may still have a role in power generation. I'm working on a couple of wave generator projects where the waves pump hydraulic rams, storing pulses of pressure in hydraulic accumulators, where it's then used to drive a generator at a more constant speed.

[dredmorbius]

Intresting, though wave power is a minusculy small overall altrnative energy source with massive capital feqirements. There are better options to pursue.

Pumped hydro is ... after a fashion ... a vastly more appropriate hydraulic accumulator, as is CAES.

[walshemj]

Back when I did a mechanical engineering BTECH (higher vocational UK quali) in the 80's - we still learnt how to design a belt drive.

[TheSpiceIsLife]

Would belt drive systems still be covered in mechanical engineering?

The 4kW laser cutter I operate for work has (toothed) belts in it, so presumably the drive systems are covered under mechanical engineering?

[jbay808]

Belt drive systems are still an essential mechanical design component, both for power transmission and motion control, and certainly still covered in university classes these days.

[dsfyu404ed]

Yes. You'll study the shit out of old school flat belts because V-belts, serpentine and cogged belts require more math that nobody wants to grade. Maybe you'll do one problem calculating how tensioner placement affects the force needed to make a cogged belt skip teeth.