When was the double-acting piston bellows invented?
The working people in ancient China invented a double-acting piston bellows in the Song Dynasty. This bellows has many advantages, so it is widely used in China, and even today, it is still used in some parts of the northern countryside. Double-acting piston bellows is a rectangular wooden box, which is divided into two layers by partition. The upper layer is equipped with a piston, which is connected with the pull rod and the handle outside the bellows. There are some feathers where the piston meets the partition to prevent air from escaping. The lower floor is an air duct with two air outlets at both ends of the partition. There is an air inlet at both ends of the box, and a flap is installed on the mouth, which can make the air flow in only one direction. When using this kind of bellows, the air can move back and forth as long as the pull rod on the bellows is pushed and pulled. In this way, the fireworks in the furnace will burn more and more brightly under the action of wind.