Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Engine Room From Coast Guard Buoy Tender Oak

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.

Whiting Aerosteam Engine, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with its application for Patent no. 217758, issued to James M. Whiting, of Providence, Rhode Island, July 22, 1879.This is an example of combined air and steam engines, many designs of which have been proposed and built.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with its application for Patent no. 217758, issued to James M. Whiting, of Providence, Rhode Island, July 22, 1879.
This is an example of combined air and steam engines, many designs of which have been proposed and built. In this engine the use of steam is intended to reduce the bulk of the heated air required to operate an engine of a given capacity and consequently reduce the size of the engine.
The model shows a vertical fire-tube steam boiler of ordinary construction above the tubes of which is placed a hollow drum that is heated by the hot gases from the boiler. There is also a small steam pump and a vertical high-speed steam engine of the slide-valve type. Steam from the boiler is mixed with the heated air in the upper drum, and the mixture of heated air and steam is led directly to the engine and expanded. The air pump supplies air to the heated drum.
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
1879-07-22
inventor
Whiting, James M.
ID Number
ER.251285
accession number
48865
catalog number
251285
patent number
217,758

Richards Balanced Valve, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Richards, of Lansingburg, New York, May 22, 1866, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Richards, of Lansingburg, New York, May 22, 1866, no. 54959.
This model represents a slightly conical plug valve fitted within a conical valve housing, which is provided with eight equally spaced steam ports so arranged that diametrically opposite ports are connected together in pairs. The result is that the pressure on the valve due to the steam or exhaust pressure in each pair of ports is perfectly balanced.
Three adjoining ports in the valve housing are continued through the housing, which is provided at that point with a flat surface that permits the valve to be placed against the ordinary valve seat of a D-slide valve engine, the three ports registering with the steam passages to the ends of the cylinder and with the exhaust passage at the center of the seat. The valve is constructed with four equally spaced longitudinal recesses with four alternate bands. The valve is operated by rocking it a part of a turn in each direction from the center.
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
1866
patent date
1866-05-22
ID Number
ER.308676
accession number
89797
catalog number
308676
patent number
54,959

Route 66 Pavement, 1932

The nation's first network of highways, built in the late 1920s and 1930s, created new opportunities for motorists and small business owners. It also created a perception that highways benefited ordinary Americans, enhancing their personal lives and giving them more freedom.
Description
The nation's first network of highways, built in the late 1920s and 1930s, created new opportunities for motorists and small business owners. It also created a perception that highways benefited ordinary Americans, enhancing their personal lives and giving them more freedom. These advantages contrasted with railroads, which benefited corporations and allowed them to control people's movements and the cost of their travels. In 2000, Oklahoma truckers moved 50 feet of concrete pavement from U.S. 66 to the collections of the National Museum of American History to mark the significance of U.S. numbered highways, and Route 66 as a prime example.
In 1926, almost 60 years after the first transcontinental railroad was completed, U. S. 66 was conceived as a public thoroughfare linking the Midwest, Southwest, and southern California. Its all-season route soon brought heavy traffic. Motorists and business owners adapted Route 66 for their needs and oriented their lives around it. Some earned a living by driving a truck or operating a roadside business, while others enjoyed leisure trips, advertised products, or moved to new homes. Clusters of roadside buildings made Route 66 the main street of a new community—one that was of, by, and for people on the move.
Route 66 also served as a conduit for mass migrations of workers, farmers, and their families who saw the highway as a path to a better life. During the Depression, Midwesterners saw it as a way out of hard times and failed farms, and they followed it to seek jobs in the Southwest and California. G.I.s traveled to defense camps during World War II, and after the war they settled in new homes nearby. Hordes of vacationers followed the advice of songwriters Bobby and Cynthia Troup: "Get your kicks on Route 66." Americans relied on Route 66 to change their circumstances for the better, and the highway earned a special place in American culture. Today, historians commemorate its importance.
Date made
1932
ID Number
2000.3074.01.01
catalog number
2000.3074.01.01
nonaccession number
2000.3074

Weeden No. 22 Hot-Air Engine Toy

The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts produced this number 22 “hot air” engine from the 1890s until 1916.The engine is not a steam engine, as no water is heated.
Description (Brief)
The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts produced this number 22 “hot air” engine from the 1890s until 1916.The engine is not a steam engine, as no water is heated. Instead the firebox heats air which expands and moves a piston to create useful mechanical work. The engine is a vertical engine made of tin, with two flywheels.
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the Youth’s Companion magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MC.329052
catalog number
329052
accession number
278175

Hiram Maxim Pumping Engine, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Hiram S. Maxim, of New York, New York, December 22, 1874, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Hiram S. Maxim, of New York, New York, December 22, 1874, no. 158105.
This model represents a steam engine, pump, and gas-fired boiler, equipped with automatic valves for maintaining the proper level of water in the boiler and for holding a steady pressure in the boiler by starting or stopping the burner. The combination is a steam-pumping unit intended to function automatically without the services of an attendant.
The engine is supported upon the boiler and consists of a rectangular bed, which serves as the pump suction chamber, upon which is the vertical pump cylinder and the pedestal that supports the flywheel and crankshaft journals and the oscillating steam cylinder. Within the base of the pedestal is a feed-water heater through which the exhaust from the engine passes. A float-operated, weighted, pin valve admits water to the boiler from the discharge pipe of the pump when the level in the boiler falls. The boiler is a cylindrical shell type with combustion chamber formed by water legs in the shape of a truncated cone. A ring burner for gas or kerosene is located in a cylindrical firepot within the combustion chamber. The fuel valve to the burner is held open by a spring and is closed by the pressure within the boiler exerted upon a diaphragm and lever. A hole through the valve permits a small pilot flame to burn at all times.
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
1874
patent date
1874-12-22
inventor
Maxim, Hiram S.
ID Number
ER.308683
accession number
89797
catalog number
308683
patent number
158,105

Plate 22. Signal Tower, Elk Mountain, Overlooking Battle-Field of Antietam

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.
To the hero of Antietam belongs the credit of first developing and fully appreciating the value of a corps of signalists to an army throughout its active operations in the field, and especially during a great battle. His signal officers were most intelligently and advantageously posted, and seldom, even in later campaigns, has their assistance to a commanding general been more valuable, or more frankly and handsomely acknowledged, than in the momentous struggle on the Antietam. At intervals along our line of battle, and on the most prominent points in the vicinity, were stationed the Federal Signal Officers, detecting by their skill, vigilance, and powerful glasses, every movement of the enemy, reporting them instantly by a few waves of their flags to the Union Commander, and in return, transmitting by the same means the orders to the subordinate generals, which were to check or defeat the manoeuvres of the enemy. The adjoining sketch represents the most important of those signal look-outs, and was located on the summit of Elk Mountain, one of the South Mountain Range of the Blue Ridge, and overlooking the battle-field.
The Elk Mountain Signal Station was operated by Lieutenants Pierce and Jerome, and the view was taken whilst the former officer was receiving a dispatch from General McClellan, probably requesting further information in regard to some reported movement of his wary foe, or sending an important order to a Corps Commander.
A rebel correspondent of a Richmond paper, who claims to have been an eye-witness of that battle, thus writes on the succeeding day, of the part taken in it by the Signal Corps of the Union Army: "Their signal stations on the Blue Ridge commanded a view of our every movement. We could not make a maneuver in front or rear that was not instantly revealed to their keen look-outs; and as soon as the intelligence could be communicated to their batteries below, shot and shell were launched against the moving columns. It was this information, conveyed by the little flags upon the mountain-top, that no doubt enabled the enemy to concentrate his force against our weakest points, and counteract the effect of whatever similar movements may have been attempted by us."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862-09
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.22
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.22

Wheelock Valve and Valve Seat Model

This is a nicely made model of the valve and valve seat patented by Jerome Wheelock, of Worcester, Massachusetts, September 22, 1885, no.
Description
This is a nicely made model of the valve and valve seat patented by Jerome Wheelock, of Worcester, Massachusetts, September 22, 1885, no. 326820.
The model represents a wide gridiron slide valve assembled on a skeletonized taper plug, which serves as the valve seat and supports the rock shaft connected to the slide by links or “toggles.” The whole assembly is designed to fit into a taper hole bored into the cylinder block and connected by suitable ports to the cylinder. The advantage of this arrangement over ordinary plug valves is that it does not require that a valve seat be formed within the large cylinder casting, and it permits the delicate fitting of the valve to the valve seat to be performed at a work bench or upon a machine away from the engine.
The complete Wheelock valve gear (U.S. patent number 326819) consists of one steam valve and one exhaust valve at each end of a cylinder with the rock arms of the exhaust valves permanently connected to the eccentric, so that the valve is at rest during part of the travel of the eccentric, while the steam valves are connected through a detachable latch so that they may be detached and closed quickly at any point during the stroke of the piston.
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
1885
ID Number
MC.310251
catalog number
310251
accession number
108073

The Honeywell Temperature Regulator

The Honeywell Temperature Regulator was manufactured by the Honeywell Heating Specialties Company of Wabash, Indiana between 1915 and 1918.
Description
The Honeywell Temperature Regulator was manufactured by the Honeywell Heating Specialties Company of Wabash, Indiana between 1915 and 1918. The Honeywell Temperature Regulator automatically opens and closes the dampers of the furnace via a motor that is activated when the temperature falls below the thermostat’s setting or when activated by the thermostat’s clock. By 1922 the Honeywell Temperature Regulator came in a variety in three different motor types (gravity, spring, or electric) with three different thermostat models (Plain, one-day clock attachment, or eight-day clock attachment) in each motor type that ranged from $22 to $90.00. Honeywell’s advertising touted the thermostat as a new piece of “domestic “engineering” that would be an attractive ornament in any room no matter how rich the furnishings.
The ubiquity of thermostats in 21st century homes shrouds the decades of innovation, industrial design, and engineering that went into making them an everyday object in almost every home. In the early 20th century, a majority of American households still heated their homes with manually operated furnaces that required a trip down to the basement and stoking the coal fired furnace. Albert Butz’s “damper-flapper” system was patented in 1886 and allowed home owner to set the thermostat to a certain temperature which would open a damper to the furnace, increasing the fire and heating the house. Progressive innovations allowed for the thermostats to use gas lines, incorporate electricity, turn on at a set time, include heating and cooling in one mechanism, and even connect to the internet.
ID Number
2008.0011.05
accession number
2008.0011
catalog number
2008.0011.05

Framing Hammer

The framing hammer used by Jillian Gross while working for Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit, non-government organization advocating affordable housing around the world. It is a 22 oz. Fat Max brand hammer used to drive and remove nails.
Description
The framing hammer used by Jillian Gross while working for Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit, non-government organization advocating affordable housing around the world. It is a 22 oz. Fat Max brand hammer used to drive and remove nails. It has a long hickory handle, steel head with a magnetic slot for nails, checkered striking face to eliminate slipping and a straight claw for pulling nails or prying materials.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Jillian Gross had worked with Habitat for Humanity for three years learning woodworking and house-building skills. Groups such as Habitat for Humanity marshaled volunteers, tools and lumber to step in when it became clear that normal avenues of housing assistance were overwhelmed.
In November 2005, Habitat for Humanity launched “America Builds on the National Mall,” a demonstration house-building marathon in Washington, D.C. in which the basic components of 51 homes were assembled within a week and shipped to the Gulf Coast. Upon completion of the project Ms. Gross, one of the house building leaders during this event, donated her tool belt, tools and protective wear to the Smithsonian Institution.
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Name
Habitat for Humanity
ID Number
2005.0276.02
catalog number
2005.0276.02
accession number
2005.0276

H. M. Wood Windmill Patent Model

During most of the 19th century, the U.S. Patent Office required inventors seeking patent protection to submit both a written application and a three-dimensional model. This wood and metal patent model of a windmill succeeded in gaining its inventor, H. M.
Description
During most of the 19th century, the U.S. Patent Office required inventors seeking patent protection to submit both a written application and a three-dimensional model. This wood and metal patent model of a windmill succeeded in gaining its inventor, H. M. Wood, Patent Number 222,340, which was issued on December 2, 1879. As farms spread into the American heartland, windmills proved an extremely important technology, allowing settlers to use the renewable power of wind to pump groundwater for agricultural and household use. Efficiency and reliability were key attributes for rural windmills, and professional and lay inventors experimented with hundreds of design variations throughout the years.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
patent date
1879-12-02
inventor
Wood, Harvey M.
ID Number
MC.309136
catalog number
309136
accession number
89797
patent number
222,340

Corliss’ Patent Model of a Steam Pump - 1876

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 185,390 issued to George H. Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island on December 19, 1876.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 185,390 issued to George H. Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island on December 19, 1876. The goal of the patent’s design was an efficient steam-driven water pump.
This patent was based in part upon his June 2, 1857 patent for the same purpose. That patent claimed a design for a steam pump that improved efficiency of fuel use while providing a well-regulated stream of pumped water. This was accomplished by multiple powered steam cylinders alternating with pump cylinders located around the circumference of a circular structure. Inlet and outlet water mains formed the framing of the structure. That design allowed for smooth and efficient pumping without the need for a flywheel. Corliss however desired to further improve the overall efficiency of the pump.
A principal goal of the Corliss design in Patent Number 185,390 was to provide for slow operation of the water pumps while allowing the steam engine driving the pump to work at high speed. It was known that slow pump motion was needed to allow the pump to fill and empty efficiently. However, steam engines could operate more efficiently when run faster and using the work from the expansion of steam in the cylinders.
The new patent improved upon the 1857 patent by eliminating the need for multiple steam-powered cylinders. A single steam cylinder, shown at the top of the image, was connected to a crankshaft that turned a small gear and a large flywheel at high speed. The small gear meshed with a larger gear plate upon which was mounted an offset crankpin that was connected to the pushrods for eight water pumps located around the circumference of the pump frame. The gearing allowed the goal of rapid steam cylinder and slow water pump speeds to be attained.
Corliss also made provisions in the patent design to drive the air-pump and feed-pump associated with a condensing type steam engine. The connection for the pumps was to the crankshaft for the small gear. A pushrod from that connection passed over the steam cylinder pushrod and operated a bell-crank on the engine framing. Rods at each end of the bell-crank operated the air and feed pumps which would be located below the primary pumping mechanism. The compact design of the pumping mechanism was claimed as another benefit that allowed installation in a small pumping-house. Corliss received a later patent which expanded upon the details of the air-pump mechanism.
The patent model is constructed of wood and metal. All of the key features of the invention are illustrated by the model to include the driving steam cylinder, pushrod, gearing, pump cylinders, and fly-wheel. The air-pump and feed pump pushrod is also shown, but not the bell-crank nor pump mechanisms. The details of the pump cylinder intake and outlet connections and valves are not modelled. Note that while the model shows a vertically mounted steam cylinder and pump frame, the intention of the patent was for horizontal mounting as can be seen in the patent application drawings. A full description of the invention along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877
1876
patent date
1876-12-19
1877-05-22
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
ER.308694
accession number
89797
catalog number
308694
patent number
190,958
185,390

Model of McNaught Type Compound Steam Engine

This is a model of an early design for a compound steam engine. A compound steam engine consists of a high pressure cylinder and one or more lower pressure cylinders. The steam exhausted from the high pressure cylinder is used as inlet steam for the next lower pressure cylinder.
Description
This is a model of an early design for a compound steam engine. A compound steam engine consists of a high pressure cylinder and one or more lower pressure cylinders. The steam exhausted from the high pressure cylinder is used as inlet steam for the next lower pressure cylinder. Each cylinder is sized in proportion to its inlet steam pressure so that each produces the same amount of work. Compounding was introduced in 1845 by John McNaught and widely used in many applications from steamship propulsion to powering large electrical generators.
The model represents McNaught’s original approach for the addition of compounding to standard beam engines. The original low pressure steam cylinder is seen at the right with its piston rod attached to the right end of the beam. McNaught added the smaller, high pressure cylinder just to the right of the crankshaft connecting rod at the left end of the beam. Hundreds of engines had their capacity increased by “McNaughting”, and new engines were built on this principle for many years.
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
MC.315636
catalog number
315636
accession number
220003

Sturtevant’s Patent Model of a Heating and Ventilating Apparatus – ca 1870

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 100,211 issued to B. F. Sturtevant of Jamaica Plains, MA on February 22, 1870.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 100,211 issued to B. F. Sturtevant of Jamaica Plains, MA on February 22, 1870. The patent described a forced air heating system consisting of a steam producing boiler, a steam engine to drive a centrifugal wheel fan for circulating air, a heat exchanger to heat the air via the combustion products of the boiler, a condenser utilizing the circulating air to return the steam to water for reuse, and a series of duct work and valves. The patent model illustrates only the central duct work, heat exchanger and steam condenser. Diagrams showing the complete heating and ventilating apparatus design can be found in the patent document online (www.USPTO.gov/patents/process/search/index.jsp). In the image the upper cylinder is the steam condenser. The cylinder at the bottom represents the heat exchanger. The opening at its front is where the combustion gases from the boiler would exit via a flue or chimney. Cold air entered at the ducts at the lower right. Two separate intakes are shown – the bottom was for fresh air from outside the building and the upper for recirculated air from heated rooms. A valve allowed engineers to regulate the ratio of outside to inside air. Hot air exited at the right side of the condenser via the ductwork which was connected to the engine-driven fan’s inlet. The heated, pressurized air exited from the fan into a series of ducts that would supply heat to various parts of the building. The patent also made provisions for domestic water heating by utilizing some of the condenser’s hot water for that purpose. Sturtevant claimed his design increased efficiency by making use of hot flue gases as the primary source to heat air but also by using the remaining energy of the steam in the condenser to further heat the air. Sturtevant was extremely successful with this and his other patents (no less than 10 patents dealing with heating and ventilation were granted to him on the same day as this patent). In 1860 he founded the B. F. Sturtevant Co. which was extremely successful and long lived; Westinghouse bought the company in 1945, and operations continued at the Hyde Park, MA factory until its closing in 1989. The company’s equipment was installed in many public and private buildings including the U.S. Capitol and the “New National Museum, Washington, D.C” – now the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
The patent model is constructed of brass and tin. It represents the central duct work, heat exchanger, and steam condenser of Sturtevant’s patent. The flue pipes are modelled inside the heat exchanger. The valves controlling the mixture of fresh and recirculated air are present within the inlet duct. A model of the pipe carrying exhaust steam to the condenser is also included.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
patent date
1870-02-22
inventor
Sturtevant, B. F.
ID Number
MC.308725
catalog number
308725
accession number
89797
patent number
100,211

Sturtevant’s Patent Model of a Compound Air-Heater and Steam-Condenser – ca 1870

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 100,242 issued to B.F. Sturtevant of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on February 22, 1870.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 100,242 issued to B.F. Sturtevant of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on February 22, 1870. The patent was for an improvement in compound air-heaters and steam-condensers.
The primary elements of the patent were a centrifugal fan, a heat exchanger case and associated ductwork. The fan (based on a previous patent by Mr. Sturtevant) drew air through the heat exchanger and was intended to exhaust the heated air into distribution ductwork. The heat exchanger consisted of an inner cylinder enclosing a large number of horizontal air tubes. Steam was introduced into the cylinder via a nozzle at the top. Steam and water condensed from steam within the cylinder exited via a like nozzle at the bottom. Plates at each end sealed the cylinder to prevent steam escaping while allowing air to flow through the tubes.
Mr. Sturtevant claimed as new and improved his concept of providing an outer cylinder that enclosed the inner. This increased efficiency by causing air to flow both over the heated inside and outside surfaces of the inner cylinder. He also increased efficiency by placing deflector plates inside the steam nozzles to improve the distribution of steam across the air tubes and also to reduce the splashing of condensate at the exit. He provided for improved access for cleaning and repairs by including space between the fan housing and the heat exchanger and providing removable panels.
Sturtevant enjoyed significant commercial success with this and his other patents (no less than 10 patents dealing with heating and ventilation were granted to him on the same day as this patent). In 1860 he founded the B. F. Sturtevant Co. which was extremely successful and long lived; Westinghouse bought the company in 1945, and operations continued at the Hyde Park, MA factory until its closing in 1989. The company’s equipment was installed in many public and private buildings including the U.S. Capitol and the “New National Museum, Washington, D.C” – now the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
The patent model is shown in the image. The model is highly detailed and is constructed of metal castings and brass plate. It illustrates most of the key elements of the patent to include the details of the steam nozzles, deflector plates, and the provisions for access for maintenance. Diagrams showing the complete design of the heater can be found in the patent document online (www.USPTO.gov).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
ca 1870
patent date
1870-02-22
inventor
Sturtevant, B. F.
ID Number
ER.309240
accession number
89797
catalog number
309240
patent number
100,242

Carrier Centrifugal Refrigeration Compressor

The first successful mechanical refrigeration equipment was patented soon after the Civil War, but the large size and high cost of these early machines restricted their use to industrial processes.
Description
The first successful mechanical refrigeration equipment was patented soon after the Civil War, but the large size and high cost of these early machines restricted their use to industrial processes. In his effort to improve mechanical air-conditioning systems, Willis Haviland Carrier (1876-1950) introduced the first practical centrifugal refrigeration compressor in 1922 (pictured here). This machine provided the foundation for safer, smaller, and more powerful and efficient large-scale air-conditioning systems.
Prior to the introduction of the centrifugal compressor--which compressed the refrigerant gas through the centrifugal force created by rotors spinning at high speed—reciprocating compressors compressed the refrigerant by the action of pistons inside cylinders, much like an automobile engine. The centrifugal compressor proved an extremely important advancement and paved the way for "comfort" air conditioning in theaters, department stores, hospitals, banks, offices, and hotels.
Carrier installed this initial compressor at his company's Newark, N.J., offices, where he gave the first public demonstration of the machine on May 22, 1922. Two years later, he sold the compressor to the Onondaga Pottery Company of Syracuse, N.Y., for the air conditioning of its lithography plant. The machine remained in use there until about 1957, when the Carrier Company repurchased the compressor for donation to the Smithsonian. Earlier, in 1924, the Carrier Company had installed centrifugal refrigeration machines in the J. L. Hudson department store in Detroit and the Palace Theater in Dallas, thereby introducing the phrase "air conditioning" into the public vocabulary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1922
maker
Carrier Corporation
ID Number
MC.318219
catalog number
318219
accession number
232896

Model of a Wooden Steam Boiler

This is a model of a wooden steam boiler built in the early 19th century. At that time wrought-iron plates were scarce and expensive in the United States. Most iron plate was imported from England, and domestic ones were crude.
Description
This is a model of a wooden steam boiler built in the early 19th century. At that time wrought-iron plates were scarce and expensive in the United States. Most iron plate was imported from England, and domestic ones were crude. This led to the construction of numerous wooden boilers.
Distillers’ wooden vessels, in common use, were modified into steam generators for the early low pressure pumping engines such as those in the Philadelphia and New York City waterworks. This model represents a boiler used until 1815 in the Center Square Waterworks at Philadelphia. The fire was carried in a winding cast-iron flue through the outer chest of five inch white pine. Operating pressure was about 2 ½ pounds per square inch.
The model was built by the Smithsonian in 1934.
date made
1801 - 1815
ID Number
MC.310849
catalog number
310849
accession number
130183

Ritty Steam Boiler, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Sebastian Ritty, of Dayton, Ohio, July 22, 1873, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Sebastian Ritty, of Dayton, Ohio, July 22, 1873, no. 141172.
The model represents a horizontal cylindrical flue boiler from the center of which is suspended a rectangular water chamber or header. From the header a series of horizontal closed-end water tubes extend forward and back within the furnace below the drum. The outside ends of the tubes are closed and are supported in sheets, which form the front and back walls of the furnace. The forward lower tubes support the grates, and the products of combustion pass through an opening in the central header around the back tubes up and then forward through the flues of the drum.
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
1873
patent date
1873-07-22
inventor
Ritty, Sebastian
ID Number
ER.309215
accession number
89797
catalog number
309215
patent number
141,172

Corliss’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine – ca 1849

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 6,162 issued to George H. Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island on March 10, 1849, and reissued May 18, 1851.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 6,162 issued to George H. Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island on March 10, 1849, and reissued May 18, 1851. This is considered the first variable cut-off valve gear in which the point of the cut-off is determined by the engine governor. The patent was the first issued to George H. Corliss for steam engine improvements, and the model represents the original form of the Corliss steam engine.
The patent is based on a walking beam steam engine, and the wooden patent model shown in the image represents the major features of such an engine. The crankshaft is at the left with the steam cylinder at the right. A small fly-ball governor can be seen to the left of the central column of the model. Steam inlet and exhaust valves are located at the top and bottom of the cylinder. The control rods for the upper set of valves are visible at the top left of the cylinder.
The main feature of Corliss’ patent dealt with the operation and timing of the steam inlet valves. He provided a method for the governor to change the timing at which the high pressure steam was cut off during the stroke of the piston. If the engine speed increased beyond the desired speed, the movement of the governor caused a set of geared racks to disengage the control rods so as to close the inlet valves earlier. This caused the speed to decrease as engine power was reduced.
Corliss was a prolific inventor of steam technology in the middle 1800s and was the founder of the Corliss Steam Engine Company. His engines were used worldwide, and his designs were adopted by other engine manufacturers.
The patent model is constructed of wood with some metal parts. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model including the governor, the steam valves and their operating mechanisms. 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
1849
patent date
1849-03-10
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
MC.308646
catalog number
308646
accession number
89797
patent number
6,162

Model of a ca 1856 Wilcox Steam Boiler

In 1856 Stephen Wilcox introduced the first boiler with inclined tubes connecting water spaces at the front and rear with steam and water space above. Such a design was a forerunner of Babcock & Wilcox boilers that continued to serve well into the 20th century.
Description
In 1856 Stephen Wilcox introduced the first boiler with inclined tubes connecting water spaces at the front and rear with steam and water space above. Such a design was a forerunner of Babcock & Wilcox boilers that continued to serve well into the 20th century.
date made
1856
ID Number
MC.323492
catalog number
323492
accession number
251001

Adam’s Patent Model of a Stove Drum - ca 1868

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 85,196 issued to John Adams of Findlay, Ohio on December 22, 1868. His patent was for a new and improved design for a Stove-Drum .
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 85,196 issued to John Adams of Findlay, Ohio on December 22, 1868. His patent was for a new and improved design for a Stove-Drum . A stove drum was the element of a heater or furnace which heated air via contact with a large, hot metal surface. It would be located between the combustion chamber of the stove and the chimney. Mr. Adam’s design consisted of two truncated cones interconnected by flues. The lower cone was the entry point for the hot combustion gases and had an inner truncated cone which included a damper at its bottom. With the damper open the hot gases would travel directly upwards through a pipe that ran through the middle of the lower and upper cones and thence to the chimney. This resulted in the minimal amount of metal surfaces being exposed to the gases and thus the least heat being provided to the room. It also allowed a more direct draft for lighting the fire. With the damper closed the hot gases flowed in the volume between the inside and outside lower cones. A plate at the top of these cones allowed the gases to flow into the five flues that interconnected the upper and lower cones. A key element of Adam’s patent was the division of each flue into two halves via vertical partitions. After coming up through the lower cones, the gases entered the outer compartment of the flues where it then entered the upper cone and heated its outside surface. The gases would then flow back downwards through the inner compartment of the flues and into the inner lower cone which communicated with the chimney via the vertical pipe previously mentioned. With the damper closed the entirety of the surface of the stove-drum would be heated by the combustion gases, and this provided the maximum heating for the room. Research of available trade literature and other sources has not revealed any commercial product that may have made use of this invention by Mr. Adams. He did have one additional patent for a furnace which appears to be based in part on the principles of this stove-drum patent.
The model is constructed of unpainted tinplate and represented the key elements of Adam’s patent. The upper and lower truncated cones are shown as are the interconnecting flues, the inner lower cone, and the damper. Diagrams showing the complete design can be found in the patent document online (www.USPTO.gov/patents/process/search/index.jsp).
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1868-12-22
inventor
Adams, John
ID Number
MC.251502
accession number
48890
catalog number
251502
patent number
85,196

Model of an Oscillating Steam Engine – ca 1889

This is a demonstration model of an oscillating cylinder steam engine. It was designed by William Graham of Carlisle, Pennsylvania about 1889.
Description
This is a demonstration model of an oscillating cylinder steam engine. It was designed by William Graham of Carlisle, Pennsylvania about 1889. Graham was awarded United States Patent Number 413,506 on October 22, 1889 for the design of this type engine, and the patent drawings match this model very closely.
An oscillating steam engine differs from a standard engine in that the steam cylinder is pivoted on the engine frame and oscillates up and down about the pivot as its connecting rod operates the crankshaft of the engine. In a standard engine, the cylinder is fixed in orientation, and the piston rod is connected to a crosshead which moves fore and aft within a set of guides. The crosshead in turn is coupled via a pin to the connecting rod which allows it to pivot independently as the crankshaft revolves.
One advantage of an oscillating cylinder design is the engine is relatively compact and occupies less space than a standard engine. Graham made such a claim as a benefit of his patent. He also claimed his design used few parts, was simple in construction and low in construction cost. His patent also included new features for reducing and compensating for wear of the engine steam valve as well as a method for assuring steam-tight attachments where the steam enters and exits through the cylinder’s pivot points. Engines based on this design were built in sizes from 5 to 10 horsepower and were popular in central Pennsylvania for small shop power.
In the image of the model the steam cylinder is seen at the left with its cylinder rod attached directly to the crank arm of the flywheel. The steam valve is the horizontal cylinder on top of and at 90 degrees to the steam cylinder. As the steam cylinder oscillated up and down about its central pivot, the valve was operated by the lever shown extending from its front to a sliding pivot in the slotted vertical frame at the front of the engine. The timing of the valve could be adjusted by the small wheel at the top which moved the pivot point up and down in the slot. The patent drawings show the pivot point was intended to be adjusted by a fly-ball governor.
date made
ca 1880
ID Number
MC.310898
catalog number
310898
accession number
132,179
patent number
413,506

Benson’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine and Pump – ca 1847

This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 5,185 issued to Benjamin S. Benson of Baltimore, Maryland on July 10, 1847. The patent was for an improved design for steam engines and pumps.
Description
This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 5,185 issued to Benjamin S. Benson of Baltimore, Maryland on July 10, 1847. The patent was for an improved design for steam engines and pumps. It was a very early example of a “wobble disk” type of design, which has been used in many engine and pump designs.
As seen in the image of the model, the engine consists of four single-acting cylinders placed around the axis of the shaft shown in the front right. A second shaft at the front left is connected to the piston rods of the cylinders via a crank arm and ball and socket joints. Ports located in the faceplate holding the cylinders admit and exhaust steam to each cylinder in turn as it rotates around the shaft axis. The angle between the two shafts causes the pistons’ lateral forces to be converted to rotational force as each piston is pushed out by the steam and then pulled back in due to atmospheric pressure.
The third shaft seen at the rear of the model is coupled via bezel gears to the other two shafts and is used as the output shaft of the engine. Benson noted this was desirable to reduce stress on the piston rods and connecting arms. He noted that essentially the same mechanism could be used to pump fluids by applying external power to this shaft. The fluid would be pumped through the same valve mechanism as used for the engine.
The patent model is constructed primarily of brass and steel and illustrates the important elements of Benson’s design. A full description of the operation of the engine along with complete diagrams 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
1847
patent date
1847-07-10
inventor
Benson, Benjamin S.
ID Number
MC.309197
catalog number
309197
accession number
89,797
patent number
5,185

R2-D2, from Return of the Jedi

In the fictional universe of George Lucas' Star Wars films, robots called droids (short for android) come in many shapes and serve many purposes. Two droids-R2-D2 and C-3PO-have won enormous popularity for their supporting roles in all six of the series.
Description
In the fictional universe of George Lucas' Star Wars films, robots called droids (short for android) come in many shapes and serve many purposes. Two droids-R2-D2 and C-3PO-have won enormous popularity for their supporting roles in all six of the series. In the collections of the museum are costumes of R2-D2 and C-3PO from "Return of the Jedi," released in 1983 and the third film in the Star Wars series.
Designed from artwork by Ralph McQuarrie in 1975, R2-D2 looks more like a small blue-and-white garbage can than a human being. In the films, R2-D2 is the type of droid built to interface with computers and service starships-a kind of super technician suited for tasks well beyond human capability. By turns comic and courageous, this helpmate communicates with expressive squeals and head spins, lumbers on stubby legs, and repeatedly saves the lives of human masters .
Several R2-D2 units, specialized according to function and edited into a final composite, were used for making a single movie scene. Some units were controlled remotely. Others, like this one, were costume shells, in which actor Kenny Baker sat and manipulated the droid movements.
R2-D2's sidekick and character foil, also based on art by Ralph McQuarrie, is C-3PO. Termed a protocol droid in the films, C-3PO can speak six million languages and serves the diverse cultures of Lucas' imaginary galaxy as a robotic diplomat and translator. Where R2 is terse, 3PO is talkative. Where R2 is brave, 3PO is often tentative and sometimes downright cowardly. Where R2 looks like a machine, 3PO-in spite of the distinctive gold "skin" -more closely resembles a human in movements, vision, and intelligence
In each of the Star Wars films, actor Anthony Daniels wore the C-3PO costumes. Like the R2-D2 units, more than one C-3PO costume was used for each movie.
The Star Wars films are much more than pop entertainment. Since the first of the series was released in 1977, they have been so immensely popular that they have become cultural reference points for successive American generations. And like other popular works of science fiction, they play a powerful role in shaping our vision of the future.
Likewise, the droids are more than movie stars in these influential films. They are also indicators of the place of robots in the American experience. Conceived at a time when more robots inhabited the imaginative worlds of science fiction than the real world, R2-D2 and C-3PO represent the enduring dream of having robots as personal servants, to do things we will not or cannot do for ourselves. Today, real robots are more numerous. They mostly work on industrial production lines, but researchers are working to extend the use of robots for tasks not humanly possible. It is likely we will see more of them in the future--as aids for medicine and surgery, for military and security, and even for exploring, if not a galaxy far away, at least the far reaches of our own solar system.
ID Number
1984.0302.01
catalog number
1984.0302.01
accession number
1984.0302

C-3PO, from Return of the Jedi

In the fictional universe of George Lucas' Star Wars films, robots called droids (short for android) come in many shapes and serve many purposes. Two droids--R2-D2 and C-3PO--have won enormous popularity for their supporting roles in all six of the series.
Description
In the fictional universe of George Lucas' Star Wars films, robots called droids (short for android) come in many shapes and serve many purposes. Two droids--R2-D2 and C-3PO--have won enormous popularity for their supporting roles in all six of the series. In the collections of the museum are costumes of R2-D2 and C-3PO from "Return of the Jedi," released in 1983 and the third film in the Star Wars series.
Designed from artwork by Ralph McQuarrie in 1975, R2-D2 looks more like a small blue-and-white garbage can than a human being. In the films, R2-D2 is the type of droid built to interface with computers and service starships--a kind of super technician suited for tasks well beyond human capability. By turns comic and courageous, this helpmate communicates with expressive squeals and head spins, lumbers on stubby legs, and repeatedly saves the lives of human masters.
Several R2-D2 units, specialized according to function and edited into a final composite, were used for making a single movie scene. Some units were controlled remotely. Others, like this one, were costume shells, in which actor Kenny Baker sat and manipulated the droid movements.
R2-D2's sidekick and character foil, based on art by Ralph McQuarrie, is C-3PO. Termed a protocol droid in the films, C-3PO serves the diverse cultures of Lucas' imaginary galaxy as a robotic diplomat and translator, speaking six million languages. Where R2 is terse, 3PO is talkative. Where R2 is brave, 3PO is often tentative and sometimes downright cowardly. Where R2 looks like a machine, 3PO--in spite of the distinctive gold "skin"--more closely resembles a human in movements, vision, and intelligence.
In each of the Star Wars films, actor Anthony Daniels wore the C-3PO costumes. Like the R2-D2 units, more than one C-3PO costume was used for each movie.
The Star Wars, films are much more than pop entertainment. Since the first of the series was released in 1977, they have been so immensely popular that they have become cultural reference points for successive American generations. And like other popular works of science fiction, they play a powerful role in shaping our vision of the future. Likewise, the droids are more than movie stars in these influential films. They are also indicators of the place of robots in the American experience. Conceived at a time when robots inhabited the imaginative worlds of science fiction rather than the real world, R2-D2 and C-3PO represent the enduring dream of having robots as personal servants, to do things we will not or cannot do for ourselves. Today, real robots are more numerous. They mostly work on industrial production lines, but researchers are working to extend the use of robots for tasks not humanly possible. It is likely we will see more of them in the future--as aids for medicine and surgery, for military and security, and even for exploring, if not a galaxy far away, at least the far reaches of our own solar system.
ID Number
1984.0302.02
accession number
1984.0302
catalog number
1984.0302.02

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