Work

The tools, rules, and relationships of the workplace illustrate some of the enduring collaborations and conflicts in the everyday life of the nation. The Museum has more than 5,000 traditional American tools, chests, and simple machines for working wood, stone, metal, and leather. Materials on welding, riveting, and iron and steel construction tell a more industrial version of the story. Computers, industrial robots, and other artifacts represent work in the Information Age.

But work is more than just tools. The collections include a factory gate, the motion-study photographs of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and more than 3,000 work incentive posters. The rise of the factory system is measured, in part, by time clocks in the collections. More than 9,000 items bring in the story of labor unions, strikes, and demonstrations over trade and economic issues.

This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, of Providence, Rhode Island, May 27, 1879, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, of Providence, Rhode Island, May 27, 1879, no. 215798.
The model represents a bank of curved water tubes joined in vertical rows by the separate cases or tube ends, which are the subject of the patent. Each end of each tube is threaded into the side of the cylindrical casting, which is provided with machined surfaces that allow the separate castings to go together tightly to form a continuous tube sheet or header for each vertical row of tubes. The castings forming each header are held together by a single long bolt, which threads into a casting that forms a common connector along the lower ends of the vertical headers.
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
1879-05-27
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
MC.309214
catalog number
309214
accession number
89797
patent number
215,798
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, August 8, 1882, no.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, August 8, 1882, no. 262209.
The model represents a flyball governor in which the motion of the slide, owing to a change in the speed of the engine to which the governor is attached, not only changes the position of the cut-off or throttle devices to regulate the speed of the engine but also changes the gear ratio between the engine and the governor to change the speed of the governor relative to the speed of the engine.
When the governor speed is increased by an increase in the speed of the engine, the balls rise and communicate motion to a slide, which, in turn, affects the throttle or cut-off to return the engine to its lower speed. At the same time the motion of the slide shifts a friction roller on its driving disk so that the governor speed is increased relative to the engine causing an additional motion of the slide in the same direction. As a result, the governor slide is given a greater motion for a given change in speed than would otherwise result.
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
1882
patent date
1882-08-08
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
MC.308715
catalog number
308715
accession number
89797
patent number
262,209
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patents issued to George H. Corliss, Providence, Rhode Island, August 26, 1862, nos.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patents issued to George H. Corliss, Providence, Rhode Island, August 26, 1862, nos. 36279 and 36281.
The model represents a pair of internally fired, fire-tube boilers of the “locomotive” type, each equipped with a steam main connected to the steam space at six different points for the purpose of diffusing the draft of steam from over the whole surface of the water in the boiler and thus prevent priming; and provided with a salt-water evaporator located in the breeching, so as to obtain heat from the hot flue gases, and connected to the surface condenser to lower the pressure on the boiling salt water to facilitate evaporation.
The purpose of the peculiar arrangement of steam pipes is to provide a method of obtaining steam free from water without the necessity of a high steam chamber, which would be a vulnerable part of a naval vessel. The theory is that the filling of any of the many tubes with water, due to the pitching of the vessel, would cause the other tubes to supply the steam to the engines and the water would not travel far in the immersed 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
1862
patent date
1862-08-26
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
MC.308666
catalog number
308666
accession number
89797
patent number
36,279
36,281
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
The model was filed on October 27, 1875, to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, June 6, 1876, no.
Description
The model was filed on October 27, 1875, to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to George H. Corliss, June 6, 1876, no. 178275.
The model is a brass miniature of a vacuum dash pot designed to combine the functions of supplying the force to close the steam valve and to arrest the motion without shock after the valve is closed. The vacuum dash pot has some advantages over heavy weights and springs for closing valves.
The dash pot consists of a casting in which is bored a cylinder having a lower section of small diameter and an upper section of larger diameter. A plunger, having corresponding sections of large and small diameters, fits the cylinder. When the steam valve to which the plunger is attached is opened the plunger rises in the cylinder forming a vacuum in the part of smaller diameter. At the same time small leather valves in the larger part of the plunger open and allow air to enter the cylinder under this part of the plunger. When the valve is released the vacuum draws down the plunger and closed the valve. The air under the upper part escapes through a port in the cylinder until the plunger covers the port. The air trapped in the cylinder at this point acts a s a cushion and brings the valve quickly but gently to rest.
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
1876
patent date
1876-06-06
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
ER.308692
accession number
89797
catalog number
308692
patent number
178,275
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the two patents issued to George H. Corliss, May 9, 1876, nos.
Description
This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the two patents issued to George H. Corliss, May 9, 1876, nos. 177059 and 177099.
The model represents the valve gear of a horizontal cylinder with a separate rotary steam and exhaust valve at each end of the cylinder. The valves are driven from one wrist plate, the steam valves through disengaging hooks or catches, which are controlled by the governor, the exhaust valves by a series of permanently connected links designed to effect a quick closing of the exhaust valves. The steam valves are closed by vacuum dash pots instead of by weights or springs as in the earlier Corliss valve gears.
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
1876
patent date
1876-05-09
inventor
Corliss, George H.
ID Number
ER.308693
accession number
89797
catalog number
308693
patent number
177,059
177,099
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

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