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.

Elliot Bros. Steam Engine Indicator

The Elliot Bros. of London manufactured this steam engine indicator.
Description
The Elliot Bros. of London manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a small diameter brass piston; a vented brass cylinder; an internal, single wound spring, which can be changed; a small drum with a coil spring; a roll of paper inside the drum, which is hand fed; and a heavy brass slide and stylus.
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
ID Number
1981.0217.05
accession number
1981.0217
catalog number
1981.0217.05

Sewell and Cameron Steam Pump, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William Sewell and Adam S. Cameron, of New York, New York, May 10, 1864, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William Sewell and Adam S. Cameron, of New York, New York, May 10, 1864, no. 42694.
The model represents a direct-connected steam pump in which the water piston rod is keyed in a socket in the end of the steam piston rod, so that the two may be disconnected when it is desired to operate the pump by hand. The socket is sufficiently long to serve as a guide for the water piston rod, and a suitable rock shaft and capstan head is provided for working the pump by hand.
The purpose of the combination is to provide a hand pump for the various purposes for which a pump might be required aboard a vessel when steam is down and the steam pump cannot be used, while eliminating some of the piping that would be necessary if separate pumps were provided.
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.
date made
1864
patent date
1864-05-10
inventor
Sewell, William
Cameron, Adam S.
ID Number
MC.308669
catalog number
308669
accession number
89797
patent number
42,694

Langes Legetoy Toy Dual Grinder

This toy grinder was manufactured by the Danish company H. Langes Legetoy around the middle of the 20th century. The grinder consists of two grindstones on a central shaft with a pulley in the center that spins both stones. H.
Description (Brief)
This toy grinder was manufactured by the Danish company H. Langes Legetoy around the middle of the 20th century. The grinder consists of two grindstones on a central shaft with a pulley in the center that spins both stones. H. Langes Legetoy produced a variety of toy machine tools including a trip-hammer, grindstone, drill press, shaper, punch press, circular saw, tumbler, lathe, and grinder. These tools would often be arranged on a single board with a line shaft allowing all the machines to be operated simultaneously from a single power source.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
ID Number
MC.329081
catalog number
329081
accession number
278175

Miller Mercury Motor, Patent Model

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

Hurricane Evacuation Route Road Sign

As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, over 80 percent of the residents of New Orleans fled the city during the mandatory evacuation. Thousands of residents, however, could not or would not leave.Currently not on view
Description
As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, over 80 percent of the residents of New Orleans fled the city during the mandatory evacuation. Thousands of residents, however, could not or would not leave.
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
2005
fabricator
New Orleans Department of Public Works
ID Number
2005.0284.01
accession number
2005.0284
catalog number
2005.0284.01

Ashcroft-Tabor Steam Engine Indicator

Ashcroft Mfg. Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut, manufactured this Tabor steam engine indicator, serial number 920.
Description
Ashcroft Mfg. Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut, manufactured this Tabor steam engine indicator, serial number 920. It consists of a brass piston; a vented brass cylinder; an internal, single wound spring, which can be changed; a large drum with a coil spring and a single record; and a short pencil lead for the stylus. Accompanying the indicator is a box with one spring, a wrench, and a coil spring for the drum.
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
ID Number
1981.0217.07
accession number
1981.0217
catalog number
1981.0217.07

Beam Engine Model

This brass steam engine model was made by an unknown maker in the early 20th century. The vertical engine powers the walking beam, which is connected to two flywheels.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This brass steam engine model was made by an unknown maker in the early 20th century. The vertical engine powers the walking beam, which is connected to two flywheels.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MC.329028
catalog number
329028
accession number
278175

De Juhasz Gas Engine Indicator

This gas engine indicator, manufactured by Kalman J. De Juhasz, is very similar to another one in the collection (catalog number 311.621). It is a modification of the steam engine indicator to adapt it for use on diesel engines.
Description
This gas engine indicator, manufactured by Kalman J. De Juhasz, is very similar to another one in the collection (catalog number 311.621). It is a modification of the steam engine indicator to adapt it for use on diesel engines. The improvements consist of cooling fins, reduced masses of piston and pencil movement, light Bakelite drum, ball bearings for drum and roller, and a built-in indicator.
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
ID Number
1981.0217.02
accession number
1981.0217
catalog number
1981.0217.02

Weeden No. 17 Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from 1894 until 1933.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts from 1894 until 1933. The engine is Weeden model number 17, and consists of a vertical firebox and brass boiler on a tinplate base and a vertical engine with flywheel and flyball governor. Weeden’s Engine no. 17 was the first reversible engine, which would run in the opposite direction when the switch next to the engine was flipped. This engine is missing its sight glass.
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
late 19th century
ID Number
MC.328944
catalog number
328944
accession number
278175

Model of George H. Corliss Steam Pumping Engine, U.S. Patent No. 215803

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
patent date
1879-05-27
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
MC.251291
catalog number
251291
patent number
215,803
accession number
48865

Fowle Marine-Engine Governor, Patent Office

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

Gabriel Rotary Steam Engine, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Matthias Gabriel, of Newark, NJ, August 6, 1867, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Matthias Gabriel, of Newark, NJ, August 6, 1867, no. 67527.
The engine represented in the model is one of a great many similar designs for rotary steam engines, in which a vane or paddle on a rotary drum fits closely in the annular chamber between the drum and an outer casing and is driven around the chamber by the pressure of steam expanding between the paddle and an abutment that temporarily closes the chamber back of the paddle.
This engine has two sliding abutments, which are moved in (to close the chamber) and out (to clear the paddle as it passes) by means of a cam on the shaft of the engine and a system of followers and yokes. A plain D-slide valve is operated by pinions and rack from an eccentric on the shaft. Two expansions per revolution are obtained.
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
Gabriel, Matthias
ID Number
ER.309196
accession number
89797
catalog number
309196
patent number
67,527

Langes Legetoy Toy Punch Press

This toy punch press was manufactured by the Danish company H. Langes Legetoy around the middle of the 20th century. The press has a base made of cast metal painted red, with a flywheel that drives the press up and down. H.
Description (Brief)
This toy punch press was manufactured by the Danish company H. Langes Legetoy around the middle of the 20th century. The press has a base made of cast metal painted red, with a flywheel that drives the press up and down. H. Langes Legetoy produced a variety of toy machine tools including a trip-hammer, grindstone, drill press, shaper, punch press, circular saw, tumbler, lathe, and grinder. These tools would often be arranged on a single board with a line shaft allowing all the machines to be operated simultaneously from a single power source.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
ID Number
MC.329078
catalog number
329078
accession number
278175

Batchelder-Bushnell Steam Engine Indicator

Batchelder and Bushnell manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a brass piston and cylinder. It has a cantilever spring enclosed in a tube, with the stiffness changed by length adjustment and a scale on the side of the tube.
Description
Batchelder and Bushnell manufactured this steam engine indicator. It consists of a brass piston and cylinder. It has a cantilever spring enclosed in a tube, with the stiffness changed by length adjustment and a scale on the side of the tube. It has a large drum with coil spring and single record. It has a large brass stylus.
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
ca 1904
maker
John S. Bushnell Company
ID Number
MC.319484
catalog number
319484
accession number
237917

Otto and Bell Balanced Slide Valve, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Henry Otto and Patrick F. Bell, of Bloomington, Illinois, December 18, 1883, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Henry Otto and Patrick F. Bell, of Bloomington, Illinois, December 18, 1883, no. 290650.
The model represents a D-slide valve of ordinary shape, with most of the back cut away and formed in the shape of a short hollow cylinder. This cylinder is filled with a closed piston suspended on rollers on a flat bar, which, in turn, is suspended from the top of the valve chest. The bar passes through a tunnel in the piston and is of sufficient length to accommodate the valve travel. The effect of this construction is that the steam pressure ordinarily exerted on the back of a flat valve is in this case exerted on a piston that is not a part of the valve but is suspended independently.
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
1883
patent date
1883-12-18
inventor
Otto, Henry
Bell, Patrick F.
ID Number
MC.308719
catalog number
308719
accession number
89797
patent number
290,650

Honeywell T8095 Chronotherm Thermostat

Honeywell, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota manufactured this Honeywell Comfort T8095 Chronotherm thermostat around 1977. This front face of the thermostat features a clock, thermometer, and two (red and blue) temperature setting levers.
Description
Honeywell, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota manufactured this Honeywell Comfort T8095 Chronotherm thermostat around 1977. This front face of the thermostat features a clock, thermometer, and two (red and blue) temperature setting levers. For heating, the left (blue) lever sets the lower temperature when the clock hits a blue pin, and the right (red) lever sets the temperature for when the clock has a red pin. The red and blue program pins are inserted into the clock, switching the furnace on or off to heat the house to its setting. The thermostat operated via a bimetallic strip and mercury tube, — the bimetallic bar would move one way when the temperature dropped, and another when the temperature rose. This movement shifted the mercury in a tube, opening and closing a circuit inside the tube when the mercury flowed to one side or the other.
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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
ID Number
2008.0011.17
accession number
2008.0011
catalog number
2008.0011.17

Ship Model, Tanker Type T2-SE-A1

Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory.
Description
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory. This model represents the most common type of tanker, T2-SE-A1, a commercial design that before the war started was already being constructed by the Sun Shipbuilding Company for Standard Oil. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Maritime Commission recognized that wet cargo like oil and machine lubricants would be just as necessary as guns and ammunition. The commission ordered this design to be built, in addition to the dry cargo designs.
Like the Victory ship, the T2 tanker was outfitted with a steam turbine engine that gave the vessel a speed of over 14 knots. Tankers were also built at some of the same shipyards as the other merchant vessels, and experienced a similar construction time average of about 70 days. But unlike the Victory or Liberty ships, no T2 tankers have survived to become museum ships, and only one remains afloat in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, mothballed in Beaumont, Texas.
date made
early 1940s
built tankers typical to this model
Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
purchased tankers typical to this model
Standard Oil
ID Number
TR.313036
catalog number
313036
accession number
173712

Ernst Plank Toy Steam Engine

This steam engine toy was made by Ernst Plank of Nuremburg, Germany, during the early 20th century. The toy consists of large boiler connected to a turbine with a steam line.Ernst Plank founded his company in Nuremburg, Germany in 1866.
Description (Brief)
This steam engine toy was made by Ernst Plank of Nuremburg, Germany, during the early 20th century. The toy consists of large boiler connected to a turbine with a steam line.
Ernst Plank founded his company in Nuremburg, Germany in 1866. The company was well known for manufacturing a variety of metal toys like steam locomotives, stationary steam engines, early photography equipment, and magic lanterns until its dissolution in 1935.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MC.329049
catalog number
329049
accession number
278175

G. H. Crosby Indicator, Patent Model

This indicator was filed to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for patent no. 219149 issued to G. H. Crosby, September 2, 1879.The model cannot be disassembled and the piston is stuck in the cylinder.
Description
This indicator was filed to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for patent no. 219149 issued to G. H. Crosby, September 2, 1879.
The model cannot be disassembled and the piston is stuck in the cylinder. It consists of a large drum with spiral spring and single record, but the linkage is different from the other Crosby indicators in the collection: a spring releases to move the drum back away from the pencil print.
The improvements claimed for this design are a jacket about the steam cylinder to prevent radiation or loss of heat from the cylinder; a method of supporting the cylinder and jacket so that each might expand freely when heated; the carrying of the rotary drum on a lever so that it could be moved up to and away from the marker; and a peculiar parallel motion for effecting the straight line motion of the marker in which “the lever is connected with the piston-rod by a join, and not indirectly by a link, as in the Richards indicator.”*
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.
*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
1879-09-02
inventor
Crosby, George H.
ID Number
MC.308701
catalog number
308701
accession number
89797
patent number
219,149

Carhart Balanced Valve, Patent Model

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John W. Carhart, of Troy, New York, March 27, 1866, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to John W. Carhart, of Troy, New York, March 27, 1866, no. 53410.
The model represents a conical plug valve with an annular exhaust space between the plug and the valve and a steam passage through the hollow core of the plug. The peculiar feature of the valve is the provision of recessed annular spaces in the valve, which, with the valve seat, form small pistons and cylinders designed to balance the valve longitudinally when connected to the steam passages. Screw adjustments on the valve stem and the small end of the valve are provided for setting the valve in a position giving proper contact with the minimum of friction.
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
1866-03-27
inventor
Carhart, John W.
ID Number
ER.308671
accession number
89797
catalog number
308671
patent number
53,410

Windlass Model

The windlass drum is made of two sections of different diameters, which turn together as one piece.
Description
The windlass drum is made of two sections of different diameters, which turn together as one piece. The rope is so attached that it winds upon one section of the drum as it unwinds from the other, the net lifting or lowering effect being the difference between the length of rope wound upon the drum and that unwound. By making the sections nearly alike in diameter a large mechanical advantage is secured without making the drum too slender for strength or the crank too long for convenience. This model was made for the US National Museum to demonstrate the elementary form of the differential hoist.
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
1922
ID Number
MC.307599
catalog number
307599
accession number
68535

Bernz Steam Engine Model

The museum’s catalogue records indicate that this toy steam engine and boiler is a model number 7 made by Otto Bernz. This model is marked “Otto Bernz, Newark, N.J., Pat. Mar 16, 1911.” Otto Bernz (later BernzOmatic) was a well known gasoline torch manufacturer.
Description (Brief)
The museum’s catalogue records indicate that this toy steam engine and boiler is a model number 7 made by Otto Bernz. This model is marked “Otto Bernz, Newark, N.J., Pat. Mar 16, 1911.” Otto Bernz (later BernzOmatic) was a well known gasoline torch manufacturer. This patent refers to patent number 536,192 which was a patent for an automatic pressure torch. It is possible that this model uses the automatic pressure described in the patent to run the horizontal engine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1911
ID Number
MC.328987
catalog number
328987
accession number
278175

Frick Feed-Water Apparatus, Patent Model

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

Multiple Hydrostatic Lubricator Model

This is an automatic lubricator that delivers lubricating oil into the steam being supplied to a steam engine at any desired rate.
Description
This is an automatic lubricator that delivers lubricating oil into the steam being supplied to a steam engine at any desired rate. It employs the pressure due to a column of water plus the pressure of the steam in the main to force the oil into the main against the steam pressure.
The lubricator consists principally of a large cylindrical brass reservoir containing the oil. This reservoir is connected at the top through a length of vertical uninsulated pipe to the steam main. The pipe extends down within the reservoir to a point near the bottom. Steam entering this pipe is condensed to some extent and conveys water into the reservoir, where it displaces the oil to the top. A second pipe entering the reservoir at the bottom extends nearly to the top. The top of this pipe is open, and the oil is forced into it. This pip conveys the oil to a needle valve at the bottom of a sight glass or water column through which the oil rises in drops to the pipe that conveys it to the steam main. The resistance offered the flow of oil by the pressure in the main is overcome by the pressure exerted in the oil in the reservoir by the steam pressure in the uninsulated pipe plus the pressure due to the height of the column of water standing in the pipe.
The rate of flow of the oil is regulated by the needle valve at the bottom of the sight glass, which is set to deliver oil at the rate required, usually stated in drops per minute. This is a multiple lubricator provided with three delivery valves and sight glasses from which oil may be supplied to three different points at three different rates. A sight level glass on the side of the reservoir is provided to show the quantities of oil and water within the reservoir. Stiff sheet-brass guards surround all of the glass parts so that the highly strained gauge glass will not fly far off if the glass should fail under the pressure within the lubricator.
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
1873-04-29
inventor
Gates, John
ID Number
MC.308685
catalog number
308685
accession number
89797
patent number
138,243

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