Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.

The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to R. F. Loper, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 28, 2849, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to R. F. Loper, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 28, 2849, no. 6673.
This is a nicely made working model of a 2-cylinder vertical marine engine directly connected to a 2-throw propeller shaft, upon which is mounted a 4-blade propeller. The model is complete with boiler, feed-water pump, condenser, and condenser air pump. The peculiar feature of the invention is the manner of connecting the air pump to the engine and the method of quickly converting the engine from condensing to noncondensing operation.
The engine represented consists of a heavy bed plate shaped to fit the hull of a vessel, upon which are attached the bearing of the propeller shaft and the frame that supports the cylinders. The cylinders are double-acting are “reversed from the ordinary position of engines, the piston rod running down through the lower head and connecting by the usual connecting rod with the cranks on the shaft below.” “The valves of the engine take their motion from eccentrics on the main shaft coupled with a valve lever by proper eccentric rods. The lever is affixed to its axis by its center and is made double, so that the eccentric rod can be thrown to either end to reverse the motion or may be wholly detached.” The cur-off is worked directly from the cross head. The air pump is driven by a beam and connecting rod, which is driven by a crankpin upon a gear wheel that engages a pinion on the crankshaft. The ratio of the gears is such that the air pump performs only one stroke to two of the engine. The air pump communicates with the condenser into which the exhaust pipe opens. The escape pipe is also connected with the condenser, which, when open, allows the steam to escape without condensing.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1849
patent date
1849-08-28
inventor
Loper, R. F.
ID Number
ER.309198
accession number
89797
catalog number
309198
patent number
6,673
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with application for the patent issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1867, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with application for the patent issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1867, no. 67621.
This model is of a boiler having water tubes made up of large tubes closed at the ends with smaller tubes suspended within the large tubes to provide a circulation of steam and water upward in the smaller tubes and of the cooler water down ward in the annular spaces between the larger and smaller tubes. The inventor suggests the use of tubes of different metals to produce a galvanic action for the purpose of preventing deposits of scale within the tubes.
The boiler represented by the model consists of a series of vertical tubes suspended into the furnace from a horizontal header across the top of the boiler setting. The tubes closed at their lower ends, and within each tube is one of smaller diameter. The smaller tubes are suspended from a plate within the header. The headers connecting each row of tubes across the boiler are, in turn, connected by a longitudinal drum above them.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1867
patent date
1867-08-06
inventor
Wiegand, S. Lloyd
ID Number
MC.309209
catalog number
309209
accession number
89797
patent number
67,621
The model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William S. Colwell, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1879, no.
Description
The model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William S. Colwell, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1879, no. 219622.
The model represents a reciprocating engine of more or less conventional steam engine design in which the operating fluid is vaporized carbon disulphide supplied by a boiler or generator and condensed in an air-cooled condenser. The transfer of heat from the fire in the boiler to the carbon disulphide and from the exhaust vapor to the cooling air of the condenser is effected through water. Plumbago, or black lead, is used to protect the walls of the generator and the engine from the action of the carbon-disulphide vapor. Steam and hot water from the water jacket of the generator are led into passages surrounding the engine cylinder and connecting pipes to prevent the loss of heat form the vapor.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
patent date
1879-09-16
inventor
Colwell, William S.
ID Number
MC.308766
catalog number
308766
accession number
89797
patent number
219,622
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Davidson Miller, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1877, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Davidson Miller, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1877, no. 196759.
The model represents a boiler, condenser, and an overshot wheel connected with suitable piping so that mercury placed in the boiler will be sublimated there and the fumes will rise to the condenser where they will be condensed. From the condenser the liquid mercury runs over the buckets of the wheel where the weight of the mercury is employed in turning the wheel. Suitable sheathing about the wheel collects the mercury and returns it to the boiler, which it enters by reason of its weight.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877
patent date
1877-11-06
inventor
Miller, Thomas D.
ID Number
MC.308696
catalog number
308696
accession number
89797
patent number
196,759
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Joseph W. Fowle, of Boston, Massachusetts, August 14, 1877, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Joseph W. Fowle, of Boston, Massachusetts, August 14, 1877, no. 194037.
The model represents a 1-cylinder, vertical marine engine connected to a propeller shaft and propeller in the ordinary manner, with a float or inertia device for closing the throttle valve of the engine each time the vessel in which the engine is installed pitches sufficiently to raise the propeller out of the water.
The gear consists of a heavy weight suspended in suitable guides and stops near the keel of the ship. This weight is not rigidly fixed relative to the ship but tends to float in position as the vessel rises and falls. The change in relative positions actuates a valve lever on an auxiliary steam cylinder and piston, which, in turn, moves the main throttle valve of the engine.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877
patent date
1877-08-14
inventor
Fowle, Joseph W.
ID Number
MC.308698
catalog number
308698
accession number
89797
patent number
194,037
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Jacob Frick, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1858, no. 22284. It is an improvement on the patent issued to Frick, March 18, 1856, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Jacob Frick, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1858, no. 22284. It is an improvement on the patent issued to Frick, March 18, 1856, no. 14449.
The model represents a combination of an air chamber, a safety valve, feed-water and blow-off cocks, a feed-water failure alarm, and a water jet just for extinguishing fires, all arranged in one instrument so that all can be secured to the boiler by one attachment only, thereby avoiding the necessity of piercing and “wounding” the boiler in several places.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1858
patent date
1858-12-14
inventor
Frick, Jacob
ID Number
ER.308661
accession number
89797
catalog number
308661
patent number
22,284
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John Haworth, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1878, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John Haworth, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1878, no. 203035.
The model represents a water motor having a vertical cylindrical water chute, within the lower end of which a small parallel-flow reaction turbine wheel is located. The wheel is carried on a shaft end to carry a worm gear from which the power of the motor is supplied. The motor is designed to operate a sewing machine, and the drive shaft carries a 2-bladed propeller fan for fanning the machine operator.
Motors of this type operating from the faucet pressure of city water systems were in use through the early 20th century. Their use was discontinued with the development of the small electric motor, cheap electric current, and the practice of installing individual meters in municipal water systems.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
patent date
1878-04-30
maker
Haworth, John
ID Number
MC.309203
catalog number
309203
accession number
89797
patent number
203,035
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to W. F.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to W. F. Eyster, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1879.
The model represents a vertical cylindrical water tube having a vertical slot in one side through which the rim of a vertical water wheel extends into the tube. The water wheel is supported and enclosed in a flat circular chamber, which bolts to the side of the water tube. A nozzle within the tube at the top directs the water downward against the buckets of the wheel at about the height of the center of the wheel. A plug cock at the top of the tube controls the flow of water, and a funnel-shaped flange below the cock drains any leakage into the water tube. One feature of the motor is that the part of the water tube that carries the water wheel is free to revolve about its vertical axis, so that the bulky part of the motor can be put in the position most convenient to the machine operator.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
patent date
1879-11-04
inventor
Eyster, Wilbur F.
ID Number
MC.309204
catalog number
309204
accession number
89797
patent number
221,225
This injector was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Louis Schutte, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1892, no.
Description
This injector was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Louis Schutte, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1892, no. 468698.
This is a double-tube injector in which water is delivered by one set of tubes, or nozzles, generally known as the lifting tubes into another set generally known as forcing tubes through which the water is forced into the boiler. The peculiar feature of this injector is a means of increasing or reducing the area of the opening of the steam nozzle of the lifting tubes, by which the quantity of water discharged by the injector is controlled without in any way interfering with the operating mechanism for starting and stopping the injector.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1892
patent date
1892-02-09
inventor
Schutte, Louis
ID Number
MC.309010
catalog number
309010
accession number
89797
patent number
468,698
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John A. Roebling, of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1842, no. 2728.The model represents a section of a steam-boiler flue and head to which is attached the safety gauge.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John A. Roebling, of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1842, no. 2728.
The model represents a section of a steam-boiler flue and head to which is attached the safety gauge. The gauge consists of a box fastened to the top of the flue and containing a fusible metal upon which rests a weight connected through a lever to a valve in the boiler head. Should the level of water within the boiler fall below the top of the flue, the fusible metal would melt and allow the weight to fall and open the valve, attracting the attention of the engineer. A rod is provided by which the lever and weight are raised by the engineer before admitting more water, so that the fused metal will solidify below the weight and the gauge will be in a position to function again.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1842
patent date
1842-07-16
inventor
Roebling, John A.
ID Number
ER.308651
accession number
89797
catalog number
308651
patent number
2,728
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
Just back of the cemetery at Gettysburg, on the road leading to Taneytown, stands a humble dwelling, made historical by its occupation as headquarters of General Meade. This officer having assumed command of the Army of the Potomac at Frederick, thirty miles distant, immediately sent out the several Corps on different roads towards Harrisburg, with orders to attack the enemy wherever he might be found. On the first of July, Reynolds, with the First Corps, engaged the Confederates at Gettysburg, and after a gallant struggle, in which that officer was killed, the Corps, reinforced by the Eleventh, retired to the strong position on Cemetery Ridge. General Meade first heard of the engagement and its result at Taneytown, ten miles away, about sundown. Orders were at once despatched [sic] for the other Corps to march for the scene of action. The headquarters camp was struck, tents and wagons were sent back to Westminster, and shortly after midnight the General and staff pushed on to Gettysburg, establishing headquarters at this house.
The second of July was one of the most lovely days of the season, and, with the exception of occasional shots between the advanced picket lines, remained perfectly quiet until three o'clock. The headquarters, however, throughout the day presented a most animated appearance. Commanding officers and couriers were constantly arriving and departing, while the staff officers and escort lounged in the shade about the house, or slept on the green turf, gathering strength for the conflict momentarily expected to commence. In the afternoon, Sickles, with the Third Corps, was attacked by the enemy, and the battle finally became general, the First, Fifth, Sixth and Eleventh participating, with the Second and Twelfth in reserve in the rear of the right wing. The headquarters, from its exposed position, at once became the centre of a terrible artillery fire. Shot and shell plunged through the building in quick succession, and made sad havoc with the group about it. In a few minutes a number were killed, and the General was soon compelled to withdraw, leaving dead and struggling horses on every side. On the third day the house was exposed to even a more severe fire, which threatened to utterly annihilate it. Immediately after the battle, the owner returned, repaired the damages, and the building now promises to stand for many years, bearing the scars of that fierce conflict.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-07
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.43
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.43
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.Cemetery Ridge was the scene of some of the severest fighting at Gettysburg.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
Cemetery Ridge was the scene of some of the severest fighting at Gettysburg. The knoll shown in the sketch is that upon which the last assault of the enemy was made, and on which is situated the National Soldiers' Cemetery. The original cemetery was a very handsome enclosure, and contained many elegant monuments, very few of which were injured, notwithstanding the terrible nature of the conflict. The shrubbery was badly broken, and the fence swept away, but at the conclusion of the fight there still remained, as if in mockery, the notice, "All persons found using fire-arms in these grounds will be prosecuted with the utmost rigor of the law." The third day's fight was in front of this spot, and was commenced about one o'clock in the afternoon by the enemy opening a cannonade from 120 pieces of artillery on the front of the line connecting Cemetery Ridge with Round Top. Gen. Hancock, in one of his reports, says: "That cannonade continued for probably an hour and a half. The enemy then made an assault at the end of that time; it was a very formidable assault, and made, I should judge, with about 18,000 infantry. When the columns of the enemy appeared, it looked as if they were going to attack the centre of our line, but after marching straight out a little distance they seemed to incline a little to their left, as if their object was to march through my command and seize Cemetery Hill, which, I have no doubt, was their intention.
They attacked with wonderful spirit; nothing could have been more spirited. The shock of the assault fell upon the Second and Third Divisions of the Second Corps, and these were the troops, assisted by a small brigade of Vermont troops, together with the artillery of our line, which fired from Round Top to Cemetery Hill at the enemy, all the way, as they advanced, whenever they had the opportunity. Those were the troops that really met the assault. No doubt there were other troops that fired a little, but those were the troops that really withstood the shock of the assault and repulsed it. The attack of the enemy was met by about six small brigades of our troops, and was finally repulsed after a terrific contest at very close quarters, in which our troops took about thirty or forty colors, and some four thousand or five thousand prisoners, with great loss to the enemy in killed and wounded. The repulse was a most signal one, and that decided the battle, and was practically the end of the fight." Here President Lincoln attended the consecration of the Soldiers' National Monument, erected to the memory of the heroic men who fell in that struggle. The shattered trees and crushed flowers have all been replaced by others, whose beauty and fragrance we may confidently hope shall never be again blasted by war.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-07
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.39
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.39
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.This house is in front of the left of the position occupied by our army at the battle of Gettysburg.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
This house is in front of the left of the position occupied by our army at the battle of Gettysburg. General Sickles established his headquarters near this House on the second day's fight, and it was in this immediate vicinity that he received his wound, from which he lost his limb. The dead horses about the building indicate the terrific character of the fight. General Sickles had discovered early in the day that the enemy were moving around on our left, and advanced his corps some distance, for the purpose of securing a favorable position. The battle opened about half-past three, the enemy moving down in three lines, and almost overwhelming the Third Corps. At five o'clock General Birney assumed command of the corps, General Sickles having been wounded. In the meantime, the rebels had forced back the left of our lines, and undoubtedly would have gained possession of Round Top, but for the timely arrival of the Fifth Corps, which became hotly engaged, losing many valuable officers, but finally repulsing the enemy, and holding a position, the loss of which would have necessitated the retreat of our army, and perhaps resulted in its total defeat.
Thousands of dead and wounded were strewn over the fields adjacent to this House, and graves of Confederates can be found in every direction. The trees are scarred by bullets, marks of cannon-shot and shell disfigure the buildings, and the remains of the hastily constructed breastworks, with mouldering fragments of accoutrements, still show where the lines of battle were engaged.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-07
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.42
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.42
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
Gettysburg, the scene of Lee's defeat in 1863, is a post borough and capital of Adams county, Pennsylvania, on the turnpike from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, one hundred and fourteen miles west of the former city. It stands on elevated ground, in the midst of a fertile farming country. The Court-House and public offices are handsome and commodious; and the private residences are all built in a neat and substantial manner. The town has a flourishing Lutheran Theological Seminary, with a library of about ten thousand volumes; and is also the seat of Pennsylvania College. The manufacture of carriages is carried on to a greater extent than any other business. A number of copper mines have been opened in the neighborhood, and worked with considerable success. The town numbers about four thousand inhabitants.
It was back of this place that the Federal cavalry first met the Confederate infantry, on the 1st of July, 1863, and on the left of the picture can be seen Seminary Ridge, where General Reynolds was killed. This view is taken from Cemetery Ridge, where our artillery was massed, and against which the Confederates directed their most terrible assaults in the last day's fight. The town suffered considerably from the fire of our artillery, and the houses in some parts of the place were covered with indentations of musket balls. Very few of the inhabitants were injured, however, most of them taking refuge in their cellars and other sheltered places.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-07
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.35
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.35
This is a self-adjusting and restarting injector similar to the Schutte Injector, but it does not have the steam jet for lifting water to the injector.
Description
This is a self-adjusting and restarting injector similar to the Schutte Injector, but it does not have the steam jet for lifting water to the injector. It has the floating combining tube of the earlier injectors and the combination of two tubes in the same axial line with apertures between them, as with the Schutte Injector, which develop a vacuum in the feed pipe and make the injector automatically restarting.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1927
ID Number
MC.309560
catalog number
309560
accession number
104292
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John G. Baker, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1878, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John G. Baker, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1878, no. 207936.
The model represents a small vertical single-acting engine in which the connecting rod is attached to the piston by a ball-and-socket joint, and the space enclosed within the cylinder and the face of the piston is alternately opened to the exhaust and to the steam pipes by rotating the piston laterally in the cylinder. The piston is rotated by a simple bent rod, one end of which turns and slides in an opening in the connecting rod, and the other end slides and turns in a socket in the skirt of the piston. Turning the piston causes two longitudinal grooves in the piston to register periodically with exhaust and steam ports in the cylinder wall.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
patent date
1878-09-10
inventor
Baker, John G.
ID Number
MC.309246
catalog number
309246
accession number
89797
patent number
207,936
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William Sellers, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1863, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William Sellers, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1863, no. 39313.
William Sellers, who introduced the Giffard injector into the United States in 1860, immediately invented useful improvements in its construction. This model incorporates an improvement in the packing between the steam and water chambers and effects a material reduction in the length of the whole injector.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860
patent date
1863-07-21
inventor
Sellers, William
ID Number
MC.309367
catalog number
309367
accession number
89797
patent number
39,313
Bacharach Industrial Instrument Co. manufactured this steam engine indicator.
Description
Bacharach Industrial Instrument Co. manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a large steel piston with three grooves; a vented brass cylinder; an external, double wound spring, which can be changed; an aluminum drum with a small spiral spring and single record; and a small brass stylus. Accompanying the indicator is a box with three springs and some small tools. The pulley and bracket are missing.
An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine.
A mechanical indicator consists of a piston, spring, stylus, and recording system. The gas pressure of the cylinder deflects the piston and pushes against the spring, creating a linear relationship between the gas pressure and the deflection of the piston against the spring. The deflection is recorded by the stylus on a rotating drum that is connected to the piston. Most indicators incorporate a mechanical linkage to amplify the movement of the piston to increase the scale of the record.
When the ratio of the frequency of the pressure variation to the natural frequency of the system is small, then the dynamic deflection is equal to the static deflection. To design a system with a high natural frequency, the mass of the piston, spring, stylus, and mechanical linkage must be small, but the stiffness of the spring must be high. The indicator is subjected to high temperatures and pressures and rapid oscillations, imposing a limitation on the reduction in mass. Too stiff a spring will result in a small displacement of the indicator piston and a record too small to measure with accuracy. Multiplication of the displacement will introduce mechanical ad dynamic errors.
The parameters of the problem for designing an accurate and trouble free recorder are such that there is no easy or simple solution. Studying the variety of indicators in the collection shows how different inventors made different compromises in their designs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
maker
Bacharach Industrial Instrument Co.
ID Number
MC.325992
catalog number
325992
accession number
308486
serial number
50597
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Herman W. Luders, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1869, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Herman W. Luders, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1869, no. 94226.
The model represents a boiler having inclined water tubes projecting through forward and back brick walls, which form the furnace and boiler setting. The ends of the tubes projecting from the setting front and back are joined in sets of three by short horizontal cross tubes to large, vertical, upright pillar tubes on either side of the top of the setting. A third longitudinal drum is placed between the other two drums, and all three are joined by one cross drum above them. The short horizontal tubes at the back are cast in longitudinal sections and connected by ball-and-socket joints designed to permit the free expansion and contraction of the tubes.
Reference:
This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1869
patent date
1869-08-31
inventor
Luders, Herman W.
ID Number
MC.309211
catalog number
309211
accession number
89797
patent number
94,226
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 44,572 issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1864. Mr. Wiegand’s patent was for improvements in gas engines.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 44,572 issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1864. Mr. Wiegand’s patent was for improvements in gas engines. Claimed improvements included: protection against the buildup of carbon deposits on the piston and cylinder; more accurate and fuel-efficient speed control; and a lower cost and higher durability construction.
Mr. Wiegand’s engine was designed to use “illuminating gas” which was a coal based product used for gas lighting. Due to inefficiency in combining the gas and air, carbon deposits were left on the surfaces of the combustion chambers. This damaged the seals between the cylinders and pistons resulting in leakage and reduced power. The patent called for a fluid to be injected into the cylinders via channels near the seals. The fluid would loosen and eject the carbon through the exhaust.
To improve the speed regulation and fuel-efficiency of the engine, Mr. Wiegand varied the timing of the intake valves. A shaft governor was included in one of the engine’s two flywheels, and this was coupled to a mechanism that adjusted the angle of the cam which opened and closed the valve. If the engine exceeded its desired speed, the cam adjustment would shorten the time the intake valve was open. The reduction in the amount of fuel entering the engine soon slowed it.
A search of available literature did not reveal any practical use of the patent. Shortly after Mr. Wiegand’s patent, N. A. Otto and others patented advances in gas engine such as compressing the fuel-air mixture prior to combustion and the introduction of the four stroke engine design.
The model as shown in the image illustrates all of the key elements of the patent except for the internal details of the valves and cylinders. It is constructed of metal. Diagrams showing the complete design can be found in the patent document online (www.USPTO.gov).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1864
patent date
1864-10-04
inventor
Weigand, S. Lloyd
maker
Wiegand, S. Lloyd
ID Number
ER.325619
accession number
249602
catalog number
325619
patent number
44,572
This is a model of an early (ca 1802) boiler designed with an internal flue. The concept for the flue boiler was originally devised by John Smeaton of England ca 1770. But it is Oliver Evans who is credited with the practical development of an internal flue boiler.
Description
This is a model of an early (ca 1802) boiler designed with an internal flue. The concept for the flue boiler was originally devised by John Smeaton of England ca 1770. But it is Oliver Evans who is credited with the practical development of an internal flue boiler. In the “flue boiler” type design an outer cylinder contains the water and steam, and a smaller inner cylinder contains the heat source and conducts the hot gases to the chimney. Prior to this development boilers were normally spherical with heat being applied externally.
Evans in the United States and Richard Trevithick in England were pioneers in developing high-pressure steam engines based on boilers of this type. They reached pressures of 120 pounds per square inch. However, high pressure steam was not widely adopted for many years, and flue boilers were initially developed with the goal of obtaining the largest heating surface possible without regard to increasing strength.
The model was made by the Smithsonian in 1955.
date made
1804
1955
ID Number
MC.314650
catalog number
314650
accession number
208322
This diesel engine indicator was based on U.S. Patent Number 2,040,082 issued to Kalman John De Juhasz of State College, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1936.
Description
This diesel engine indicator was based on U.S. Patent Number 2,040,082 issued to Kalman John De Juhasz of State College, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1936. An engine indicator is an instrument for graphically recording the pressure versus piston displacement through an engine stroke cycle. Engineers use the resulting diagram to check the design and performance of the engine. Engine indicators were originally developed for use on steam engines, and Mr. De Juhasz's design is one of many adaptations of steam engine indicator designs for use on diesel engines.
The device consists of a piston within a cylinder as shown on the right in the image. This cylinder is connected to a port in a cylinder of the engine under test, and the indicator's piston rises and falls as the pressure within the engine changes. A spring at the top of the cylinder provides a return force when the pressure in the engine decreases. A stylus is connected via a linkage to the moving piston so that it also rises and falls with pressure changes and records the pressure on a revolving drum with a paper card wrapped around it. This drum is seen to the left of the image. A cord is wrapped around the base of the drum and led via the pulley on the left to be attached to the engine under test so that it causes the drum to turn one revolution each stroke of the engine. A spring on the inside of the drum returns the recording paper to its starting point as the cord is relaxed. The result is a pressure-volume diagram of the engine while in operation, and engineers can measure and adjust the engine's properties under real time varying load conditions.
De Juhasz claimed his design improved over others due to his addition of cooling fins to the piston cylinder, reduction of mass of the piston and stylus, the use of light weight materials such as Bakelite, and a built in lubricator. He was an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Pennsylvania State College and Chief Engineer of a company manufacturing engine indicators.
The indicator is constructed of steel and Bakelite. Diagrams showing the complete design of the patent that it is based upon can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.
date made
ca 1938
ID Number
MC.311621
catalog number
311621
accession number
151188
patent number
2040082
This is a boiler water injector built ca 1929 by the William Sellers & Company, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early boilers operated at such low steam pressures that introducing feed water into the boiler could be done by simple pumps that filled elevated reservoirs.
Description
This is a boiler water injector built ca 1929 by the William Sellers & Company, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early boilers operated at such low steam pressures that introducing feed water into the boiler could be done by simple pumps that filled elevated reservoirs. The water flowed into the boiler by its own weight. However, as pressures increased it became necessary to force water into the boiler by increasingly powerful pumps.
The William Sellers Company had the U.S. manufacturing rights for the design patented by Henri Giffard (that patent model can be found in the collections and is ID Number MC*309368). Giffard found a way of forcing water into the boiler solely by use of the boiler’s own steam without any other moving parts. The William Sellers Company made a series of improvements in design with the goal of making an entirely self-acting unit. Early injectors required constant hand adjustment to maintain the flow of feed water as the steam pressure and other conditions changed. This injector is based on the design introduced in 1887.
Two separate jets of steam were used in the injector. One was used to maintain a vacuum over the feed water tube so that, even if the water supply was interrupted, the vacuum would restart it. The second steam jet forced the water into the boiler.
Sellers was a prolific inventor, and his most notable work was in the area of standardized screw and bolt threads. One of his patent models, for an oscillating steam engine, is also in the collections and is ID Number MC*251296.
The injector is made of brass and is sectioned to illustrate the internal parts. It is approximately 18 inches long and weighs about 65 pounds. As seen in the image of the injector, feed water enters through the green tube at the bottom with steam entering through the red tube. The water is injected into the boiler from the blue tube at the left. The blue sections seen within the injector are the combining tubes where the steam and water come together. The yellow section is open to atmospheric pressure, and the yellow tube discharges the overflow water.
date made
1887 - 1927
ID Number
MC.309559
catalog number
309559
accession number
104292
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 18,311 issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 29, 1857.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 18,311 issued to S. Lloyd Wiegand of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 29, 1857. The patent was for an improved mechanism to operate the cut-off valve gear for steam engines.
Wiegand's design provided a means of adjusting the point in the power stroke of the engine’s piston at which high pressure steam being fed to the cylinder was cut off. This was desirable as power was extracted from the expansive force of the steam after the valve closed. This saved fuel by avoiding continuing use of high pressure steam. Wiegand provided a means of adjusting the point of cut-off while the engine was running. This was not new; others such as B. H. Wright and George Corliss had patented devices to do so. Both Wiegand and Wright based their designs on variable eccentrics. In a variable eccentric, the amount of eccentricity, or offset from the shaft center, can be varied by a control mechanism.
The method to accomplish this consisted of an inclined metal slide that varied the amount of eccentricity as a lever was moved causing the slide to move through a slot in the eccentric wheel. Wiegand's claim was that his design for the first time allowed such adjustments to be made regardless of whether the engine was operating in forward or reverse. In the image of the model the lever operating the steam inlet valve would rest upon the top of the eccentric which is the thin cylinder to the right center.
The patent model is constructed of brass and mounted on a hammered brass plate which is mounted on a wooden base. The brass base plate is inscribed “S. Lloyd Wiegand, Philadelphia, PA.” The control lever is shown at the left. The miniature hand crank at the right was intended to demonstrate the movement of the cut-off mechanism. Diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.
date made
1857
patent date
1857-09-29
inventor
Wiegand, S. Lloyd
ID Number
MC.308659
catalog number
308659
accession number
89797
patent number
18,311

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