Robert Henry Thurston
Robert Henry Thurston | |
|---|---|
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| Born | October 25, 1839 |
| Died | October 25, 1903 (aged 64) |
Robert Henry Thurston (October 25, 1839 – October 25, 1903) was an American engineer, and the first Professor of
He was assistant professor at the
Biography
Thurston was born 1839 in Providence, Rhode Island, the eldest son of Robert Lawton and Harriet Thurston of Providence. He was trained in the workshop of his father, and graduated from Brown University in 1859.[1]
Thurston was engaged with the business firm of which his father was senior partner until 1861, when he entered the navy as an officer of engineers. He served during the civil war on various vessels, and was present at the Battle of Port Royal and at the Siege of Charleston. He was attached to the North and South Atlantic squadrons until the close of 1865.[1]
In 1865, he was stationed as Assistant Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at the
In 1873, he was appointed a member of the United States Scientific Commission to the
He was made vice-president of the
In 1885, he received an
Work
Thurston's research interest was in the areas of materials, thermodynamics, steam engines and boilers, friction and energetics.
Mechanical engineering curriculum
At the Stevens Institute of Technology he established Stevens' mechanical engineering curriculum. He was committed to the French and German science-based models of technical education and soon would gain an international reputation for his view of engineering as applied science. His enthusiasm in involving students in funded research led to remarkable pioneering success of the early Stevens' graduates.
Historians credit Thurston with establishing the first US mechanical engineering laboratory for conducting funded research at an academic institution for higher learning.
Other papers
Thurston wrote a number of papers embodying accounts of original investigations of the strength and other properties of construction materials. Among his numerous inventions are the magnesium ribbon lamp, a magnesium-burning naval and army signal apparatus, an autographic recording testing machine, a new form of steam engine governor, and an apparatus for determining the value of lubricants.[1] In 1875, he also developed the three-coordinate solid diagram for testing iron, steel, and other metals. He made a significant contribution to the field of tribology and Duncan Dowson named him one of the 23 "Men of Tribology".[4]
Thurston pronounced as economically feasible a plan to enable year-round operation of the Erie Canal by the application of artificially generated heat.[5]
Patents
Thurston held two patents: one for an autographic recording testing machine for material in torsion and the other for a machine for testing lubricants.
Publications
Books, a selection:
- 1878. A history of the growth of the steam engine. D. Appleton and Company; 4th, revised ed. 1902 (online)
- 1884. Stationary steam engines; especially as adapted to electric lighting purposes. New York, J. Wiley & sons, 1884.
- 1884. Materials of Engineering. J. Wiley, 1884, Parts, 1, 2 & 3
- 1889. The development of the philosophy of the steam-engine. An historical sketch. New York, J. Wiley & sons.
- 1890. Heat as a form of energy. Boston and New York, Houghton, Mifflin and company, 1890.
- 1891. A manual of the steam-engine. For engineers and technical schools; advanced courses. New York, J. Wiley & sons, 1891.
- 1894. The animal as a machine and a prime motor, and the laws of energetics. New York, J. Wiley & sons.
Some of his more important papers are the following:[1]
- 1865. On Losses of Propelling Power in the Paddle Wheel
- 1865. Steam Engines of the French Navy
- 1870. H. B. M. Iron Clad Monarch
- 1870. Iron Manufactures in Great Britain
- 1871. Experimental Steam Boiler Explosions
- 1871. Report on Test Trials of Steam Boilers
- 1872. Traction Engines and Road Locomotives
- 1874. Efficiency of Furnaces Burning Wet Fuel
- 1874. The Mechanical Engineer, his Preparation and his Work
- 1877, On a New Method of Planning Researches and of Representing to the Eye the Results of Combination of three or more Elements in Varying Proportions
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Johnson's Universal Cyclopedia. 1878. Cited in Thurston, Brown (1880). Thurston Genealogies. pp. 337–338.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
- JSTOR 24525402. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ISSN 0022-2305.
- ^ Chesebrough, Robert A. (1873). Inland Transportation: Keeping the Canals Open for Navigation During the Winter Season. Cited in Fogel, Robert William (1964). Railroads and Economic Growth: Essays in Econometric History. p. 224.
Further reading
- ASME History and Heritage (1980). Mechanical Engineers in America Born Prior to 1861: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: ASME. OCLC 6579756.
- Calvert, Monte A. Mechanical Engineer in America, 1830-1910: Professional Cultures in Conflict. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967.
- Clark, Geoffrey W. (2000); History of Stevens Institute of Technology: A Record of Broad-Based Curricula and Technogenesis. Jersey City, New Jersey: Jensen/Daniels.
- Sinclair, Bruce (1980); A Centennial History of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1880-1980. (Toronto: Published for ASME by University of Toronto Press, 1980). ISBN 0-8020-2380-0.
- Durand, William F. (1929): "Robert Henry Thurston" The Riverside Press Cambridge, Massachusetts 1929 Copyright by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers A.S.M.E. First Edition.
External links
Media related to Robert Henry Thurston at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or about Robert Henry Thurston at Wikisource
Quotations related to Robert Henry Thurston at Wikiquote- Works by Robert Henry Thurston at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Robert Henry Thurston at Internet Archive
