Thomas A. Edison

Happy Birthday Thomas Alva Edison, born February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio one of the world’s most prolific inventors.

Al, the last of seven kids, was one of those inquisitive kids that never stopped asking questions about how things work. This fidgety boy with a hearing problem was maddening to his early teachers who described him as “addled” (confused).

The Mother of Invention was a Teacher.

His Mom, a former teacher, was furious, removed him from school, and took responsibility for his education at home.  Nancy Edison should have gotten the Mother of the Century award for raising the kid that ultimately filed 1,093 patents and defined the standard of living we enjoy today.

"My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint."

Thomas Edison started his career as an inventor in Newark, NJ and had early success fixing stock ticker machines, voting equipment and telegraphic devices. In 1877, he gained instant notoriety with the invention of the phonograph, which paved the way for the electric guitar, eight track player and eventually the Ipod. (He was one of the first to Think Different).

"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."

His first device recorded on tinfoil on a grooved drum. The sounds were heard when a needle ran through the groves as it turned round and round. He thought this was cool, his favorite invention, later we would think it was pretty groovy too.

After knocking that one out of the park, at age 41, he had a brilliant idea to improve the electric light bulb. The light bulb had been invented in England by Sir Joseph Swan but had issues, well, producing light. Tom invented new filament, added some glass, removed the air and voila- after thousands of hours trial and error, eventually developed a 16 watt bulb that would burn for 1500 hours.

“We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”

He thought it would be the end of burning the midnight oil but since society thought electricity was a passing fad, and no one had wires to their homes, he had to invent other stuff to sell the bulbs.  He went on to invent the electric generation and distribution business to allow his invention to be adopted by the masses. He borrowed money from guys like JP Morgan and the Vanderbilts and created the first investor owned electric utility.

By the 1890s hundreds of towns throughout the world had Edison power stations. (New York was the first city to be lit by Edison generators in 1882).

As if that wasn’t enough he went on to invent the alkaline battery, cinema projectors and a thousand other inventions- about one every 2 weeks!   Edison built 14 different companies. In 1890 Edison established the Edison General Electric Company which after several mergers became GE- General Electric, one of the most well respected business success stories of all time. Not bad for a school dropout who was nearly deaf.

Flotech valve experts have worked  with many power companies designing valve automation solutions and providing valve repair services during planned outages.

“ Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Rare video of  Thomas Edison at his research factory

Signup here for eNews from Flotech

James Watt, Scottish engineer

James Watt was born , January 19th, in 1736 at Greenock, Scotland. He was a mechanical engineer and inventor who’s improvements to the steam engine were a catalyst to the industrial revolution. We have Watts to thank for the steam condenser, horsepower, early control valves and the SI unit of power the watt.

After building navigational instruments as a teenager James devoted his time and energy to improving the efficiency of steam engines. Thomas Savey and Thomas Newcomen had invented mechanical pumps a half century earlier. James Watt went to work on improving the steam engine with an understanding of its existing defects. Watt discovered the main reason engines consumed such vast quantities of steam since they were cooled during every stroke, then reheated.

Watt needed a way to condense the steam without cooling the cylinder and eventually developed the separate condenser.

Watt soon saw that in order to reduce the losses in the working of the steam in the steam cylinder, it would be necessary to find a way to keep the cylinder always as hot as the steam that entered it. A light bulb would have gone on above his head, although it wasn’t invented until the next century. He became obsessed with his work.

Boulton Watt Engine

"I can think of nothing but this engine"

Watt was 29 in 1765 when he discovered his idea would work and he spent the next 11 years bringing it to market. He borrowed heavily, enlisted investors and worked surveying to pay the bills. Eventually he partnered with Mathew Boulton. Boulton recognized the potential applications for steam engines were far beyond pumping water.

Boulton, an industrialist and visionary, saw the value to have all craftsmen work in a common building -- a "manufactory" (later shortened to "factory"). Before the factory craftsmen all maintained their own shops. The sweat shop was invented years later.

Boulton was certain that he could sell the engine and he supplied much needed capital. Watts hated selling, and he was up to his eyeballs in debt, so began an outstanding symbiotic partnership and eventually more inventions.

The Sun and Planet Gear System

Sun and Planet Gears (Thanks Wikipedia)

At age 45, Watt developed his next great invention -- a method to convert reciprocating motion of the piston to rotating motion. The invention was the sun and planet gear system, better than a crankshaft (already patented). The sun and planet gear system permitted the rotative wheel to turn more than once per stroke of the piston. Since the piston moved slowly, this was huge.

Early Steam Control Valves

An engine patented in 1782 by Boulton and Watt had another major improvement -- the steam cylinder used valves above and below the piston to connect independently to the boiler or the condenser; the piston performed work on both the upward and downward stroke. This evened out the stroking of the piston, performing equal work on each movement.

Did you know Flotech's Southern Valve division sells and repairs control valves ?

Other major contributions developed by Watt include the steam throttling valve and the mechanism to connect the throttle to the engine governor. Used together, these devices regulated steam flow into the piston and kept a constant engine speed.

Horsepower Invented

In 1782 a British sawmill ordered an engine that was to replace 12 horses. Watt used data from a sawmill to determine that a horse could lift 33,000 pounds the distance of one foot in one minute and thus developed the units of hp to sell his engines. Watt calculated how much each company saved by using his engines rather than a team of horses. Buyers had to pay him one third of this figure every year, for the next twenty-five years. Customers hated this scheme.

By 1800, 84 British cotton mills used Boulton and Watt engines.

The watt (named after James Watt) is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units (SI). The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.

A Petawatt of thanks (The petawatt is equal to one quadrillion (10¹⁵) watts)  to Jimmy, my favorite Scotish inventor!

Erastus Boise Kunkle, born on December 14th, 1836, learned the machine trade from his dad. Kunkle labored in a high pressure job before inventing the relief valve.

He worked in the locomotive shops for Pennsylvania Railroad where he invented a lock-up pop safety valve, designed to release steam pressure in locomotive engines. Boiler over pressure was a serious problem, yet relief valves were unheard of at the time.

Kunkle wanted to make his work site safer, protect his fellow man, and chase the American Dream.  He was a curious inventor and diligent problem solver.

E.B. patented the pop safety valve invention in 1875.

Which of the following was not developed by Kunkle ?

1. Saftey valve

2. Water gauge

3. Egg beater

4. Steam condenser

_______________________________________________________

>>>>>   Answer- The steam condenser was not developed by Erastus B. Kunkle. In addition to a safer work environment, a lot of problem solving boiler solutions, we can thank E.B for the egg beater and subsequently the omelette.

_______________________________________________________

Original Kunkle Safety Valve Sketch

The Fort Wayne Safety Valve Works, operated by E.B. Kunkle & Company grew and a 100 years later a modified version of the original invention was still in production and the eggbeater was a standard kitchen tool .

After Erastus passed away, the the firm was purchased in 1917 and renamed the Kunkle Valve Company.

In 1947 Kunkle Valve acquired the valve division of the Star Brass Manufacturing . The navy used Kunkle relief valves on ships and later on nuclear submarines.Valve shipments were over 1,000 a day in the 1970s.

In 1991, Kunkle Industries became a division of Anderson, Greenwood & Company. Anderson Greenwood (AGCO) is a current leader in pressure management valve solutions and has a unique back story all it's own in aviation design.

Flotech valve experts can help you with all your safety and relief valve requirements .

Contact Flotech for all your valve requirements including pressure safety valves , control valves, manual valves or anything that requires an expert and/or fast turn around.  Contact us for Crosby Valves, Kunkle Valves, Consolidated Relief Valve Repairs, Varec and many other Valves.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Want to learn more about famous engineers and inventors, sign up below, no pressure or low pressure, you decide, either way it is completely free and we will remove you from the list when you get tired of engineering history (unsubscribe with one click).

Expect us us in your email inbox every month or so, we will always respect your privacy and never sell out your address. Scouts honor.

Monthly Flotech eNewsletter Signup 

The proliferation of valve and actuator repair and rebuild shops around the country has led in some cases to facilities that operate without adequate quality control procedures, use substandard parts and do not have access to OEM specifications.