Article Treasures | The History of Mankind and the Vacuum Cleaner!

Man has always tried to make themselves and life better by using tools. From Stone Age weapons to the modern day fusion bombs, technology has come a long way. These technological advancements have not only made their mark in weaponry or the medical department, they have also crept into the household market.

The industrial revolution introduced the concept of nuclear families. Small families with one child and both working parents meant less time for household chores. The amount of time devoted to the maintenance of the house was on the squeeze so one radical solution came in the form of the vacuum cleaner.

The various specifications of a general purpose vacuum cleaner are provided below:

There are several parameters that gauge the performance of a vacuum cleaner . One is the rate at which the air flows out or in. the volume of air, i.e.; in cubic feet per minute or liters per second that the vacuum cleaner takes in. another constraint is the air speed in miles per hour or meters per second. The speed at which the air gets sucked into the cleaner gives a fair indication at the power consumed and the power output of the device.

The suction is the most important feature of the vacuum cleaner. The maximum pressure difference that the pump can create is the suction pressure. For example, the working of a chimney be it natural or artificial. The chimney creates a pressure difference between furnace pressure and the atmospheric pressure called draught which forces the smoke along with dust and other particles outside. It’s the same working principle for the vacuum cleaner. Normal household models of vacuum cleaners have a maximum negative pressure difference of around 20 kilo Pascal. The negative sign indicates that the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner is at 20000 Pascal lower than that of the atmospheric pressure which generally is at 10000 Pascal. The greater the suction rate, the more powerful the rate of the cleaner.

The exhaust filtration process of the vacuum cleaner is noteworthy. The vacuum cleaner causes the settled dust particles to become air borne if the exhausted air isn’t completely filtered. This situation causes a lot of health problems. People who are allergic to dust or pollens will experience extreme discomfort if such a situation arises. Even for others the constant inhalation of the dust peppered air can cause lung and heart problems later on. Various methods have been employed by different companies to overcome this problem.

The simplest means is using a bag. The bag collects the debris and other minute particles while allowing for the air to pass through. But in case of a filter that doesn’t use a bag; the same functioning is taken up by a reusable filter. Another novel method is the usage of the cyclone separator. In this case the contents of the vacuum cleaner are spun at very high speeds which cause the heavier contents to stick to the walls due to centrifugal force and finally drop off. These are the procedures in which the vacuum is created, dust is collected and dust is removed from the out flowing air.