Skip to main content

ASME

Term Image
Society: ASME Main Category: Aerospace & Aviation Sub Category: Air and Space Transportation Era: 1950-1959 DateCreated: 1954 Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Chantilly State: VA Zip: 20151 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/air-and-space-transportation/-178-boeing-367-80-%281954%29-, http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/Communities/History/Landmarks/5506.pdf Creator: Boeing
The 367-80 is the prototype for most jet transports. Its success was due largely to its mechanical systems, including turbine engines with thrust reversers and noise suppressors, redundant hydraulic control systems, and an improved cabin-pressurization system. Honeycomb flap panels were introduced, along with a strong, lightweight structural design that controlled fatigue cracking. These led to several innovations in aircraft tooling and manufacturing techniques. The Dash-80 was the first commercial airliner economical enough to take the US airline industry off subsidy.
YearAdded:
1994
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Boeing Dreamscape (CC BY 2.0) Image Caption: Prototype of the Boeing 707 and most jet transport systems, the Boeing 367-80 established economic feasibility of commercial air travel. Era_date_from: 1954
Hydromatic Propeller
Society: ASME Main Category: Aerospace & Aviation Sub Category: Aerospace Era: 1930-1939 DateCreated: 1938 New England Air Museum
Bradley Intl. Airport
Windsor Locks State: CT Zip: 06096 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/air-and-space-transportation/-149-hydromatic-propeller-%28ca--1938%29, http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5572.pdf Creator: Hamilton Standard

Rapid development of aircraft design in the 1930s required many related innovations, including propeller design. The hydromatic propeller by Hamilton Standard marked a significant advance over the counterweight-type, controllable pitch propeller. The first test flight of the prototype took place in 1938: the public demonstration was made by a United Air Lines DC-3 over New York City on April 6, 1938. It played a distinguished role in allied combat aircraft in World War II.

YearAdded:
1990
Image Credit: Courtesy ASME Image Caption: An early example of propeller innovations, including variable-pitch control and feathering capability. Era_date_from: 1938
Link C-3 Flight Trainer
Society: ASME Main Category: Aerospace & Aviation Sub Category: Aviation Era: 1930-1939 DateCreated: 1935 Roberson Museum and Science Center

Binghamton State: NY Zip: 13905 Country: USA Website: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/210-link-c-3-flight-trainer Creator: Link, Edwin

During the 1920s, Edwin A. Link was employed in his father's organ building and repair business. He obtained his pilot's license in 1927 and became convinced that a mechanical device could be built as an inexpensive method to teach basic piloting. Link received three patents on his flight trainer (No. 1,825,462, March 12, 1930; No. 2,244,464, June 3, 1941; and No. 2,358,016, Sept. 12, 1944).

YearAdded:
2000
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Tony Speer Image Caption: An early flight simulator representative of the first truly effective mechanical device used to simulate actual flight processes. Era_date_from: 1935
Wright Field 5-foot Wind Tunnel
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Air and Space Transportation Era: 1920-1929 DateCreated: 1921 88th Air Base Wing Office of Public Affairs Wright-Patterson Air Force Base State: OH Zip: 45433 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/air-and-space-transportation/-183-wright-field-5-foot-wind-tunnel-%281921%29, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/5fe3daaf-75a3-4eb8-b5a7-da95fdc2413e/183-Wright-Field-5-Foot-Wind-Tunnel.aspx Creator: Air Service Engineering Division

Wind tunnel testing of aircraft models is essential to determine aerodynamic parameters such as lift and drag. The 5-foot Wright Field wind tunnel is an early example of the modern wind tunnel, well known from the early 1920s to the late 1950s for its contributions to research and the development of nearly every major aircraft and associated hardware used by the US Air Force and its predecessor, the Army Air Service.

YearAdded:
1995
Image Credit: Courtesy ASME Image Caption: This is an early example of the "modern" wind tunnel for aircraft-model testing. Era_date_from: 1921
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Pumping Era: 1890-1899 DateCreated: 1890s York Water Company York State: PA Zip: 17401 Country: USA Website: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/77-worthington-horizontal-cross-compound-pumping, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/8943cdf5-6cab-4567-b165-42f489334684/77-Worthington-Horizontal-Cross-compound-Pumping.aspx Creator: Corliss, George H.

Smaller and cheaper than a triple-expansion vertical engine, the horizontal cross-compound pumping engine, Pump No. 2, ran at relatively slow revolutions and was considered the height of engineering from the 1890s to World War I. This pumping engine at the York Water Company was built by the Worthington Pump & Machinery Corporation, Snow-Holly Works, Buffalo, New York.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Image Caption: Era_date_from: 1890s
Xerography
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Communications and Data Processing Era: 1940-1949 DateCreated: 1948 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus State: OH Zip: 43201-2693 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/communications-and-data-processing/-88-xerography-%281948%29-, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/540c9932-b7e2-4884-8060-de35b8146064/88-Xerography.aspx Creator: Carlson, Chester

The convenient dry-copying process for printed pages is among the truly revolutionary inventions of the century. In 1937 Chester Carlson, a New York patent attorney, developed the concept of applying an electrostatic charge on a plate coated with a photoconductive material. On November 22, 1938, Carlson dusted powder dyed with evergreen spores across an exposed plate and transferred the imprint to the surface of a paper.

YearAdded:
1983
Image Credit: Courtesy Xerox Corporation Image Caption: Xerography Era_date_from: 1948
Wright Flyer III
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Air and Space Transportation Era: 1900-1909 DateCreated: 1905 Aviation Heritage Natl Hist Park Dayton State: OH Zip: 45409 Country: USA Website: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/224-wright-flyer-iii, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/3764d124-ce32-4335-bbac-24836c780066/224-Wright-Flyer-III.aspx Creator: Wright, Wilbur, Wright, Orville

The 1905 Wright Flyer III, built by Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) Wright, was the world's first airplane capable of sustained, maneuverable flight. Similar in design to their celebrated first airplane, this machine featured a stronger structure, a larger engine turning new "bent-end" propellers, and greater control-surface area for improved safety and maneuverability.

YearAdded:
2003
Image Credit: Public Domain (Copyright Expr.) Image Caption: Wright Flyer III Era_date_from: 1905
Corliss steam engine
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Steam Era: 1960-1969 DateCreated: 1964 1300 Frenchtown Rd East Greenwich State: RI Zip: 02818 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/electric-power-production-steam/-164-new-england-wireless-and-steam-museum, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/311b4c58-18b4-4842-9f8b-18a866e6ad13/164-New-England-Wireless-and-Steam-Museum.aspx Creator: Merriam, Robert

Stationary steam engines, once the prime movers of industry, powered trains, ships, and mills in an age when there was no electric power. By the 19th century, American industry, especially in England, was rapidly outgrowing the capacity of the ater power that had been its principal prime mover. The need for a new power source inspired an intense development of the steam engine, the work of inventors directed mainly at imporving fuel efficiency by reducing steam consumption. The leader in this effort was George H.

YearAdded:
1992
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikicommons/The-daffodil (CC BY-SA 4.0) Image Caption: Corliss steam engine Era_date_from: 1964
Wilkinson Mill
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Manufacturing Era: 1800-1829 DateCreated: 1810 67 Roosevelt Avenue Pawtucket State: RI Zip: 02860 Country: USA Website: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/30-wilkinson-mill, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/30a934f4-2025-47f2-ae87-760d94fe33d3/30-Wilkinson-Mill.aspx Creator: Wilkinson, David , Wilkinson, Oziel

The Wilkinson Mill, situated on the west bank of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, was built between 1810 and 1811 by machinist Oziel Wilkinson. Constructed in stone rubble, three and one-half stories high, the mill played a critical role in the history of textile technology, in steam power generation, and in the development of the machine tools industry.

 

YearAdded:
1977
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/H.C. Williams (CC BY 2.0) Image Caption: Wilkinson Mill Era_date_from: 1810
Westmoreland Iron Works
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Manufacturing Era: 1850-1859 DateCreated: 1850 50 Station Road Westmoreland State: NY Zip: 13490 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/manufacturing---2/-126-westmoreland-iron-works-%281850%29 Creator: Clark, Erastus , Buell, Abel

The history of this foundry, which was the oldest malleable iron company in continuous operation in the United States for many years, was inseparable from that of the small town of Westmoreland, where neighbors and workers kept time by the foundry bell. The firm was founded as Oakhill Malleable Iron Company in 1833 and was established under its present name in Westmoreland in 1850. Erastus W. Clark, who along with his brother-in-law Abel Buell brought the foundry to Westmoreland, ran the ironworks until 1871 and was the first of six generations who still own and manage it.

YearAdded:
1987
Image Credit: Courtesy ASME Image Caption: Westmoreland Iron Works Era_date_from: 1850
Subscribe to ASME

Innovations

ALCOA 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press

This 50,000-ton die-forging press is among the largest fabrication tools in the world. It was designed and built for the U.S. Air Force by the Mesta Machine Company of Pittsburgh, following the discovery of a 30,000-ton press used by the Germans in World War II (later acquired by the Soviet…

Read More
Ljungstrom Air Preheater

The Ljungstrom air preheater is a regenerative heat exchanger, invented in the 1920s and soon used throughout the world. Dr. Fredrik Ljungstrom, then technical director at Aktiebolaget Ljunstrom Angturbin, invented it for preheating combustion air in boiler plants, but the use has expanded to…

Read More
The idea of constructing a rotating boom for hydromechanical tests at the Alden Hydraulic Laboratory originated with Professor Charles Metcalf Allen, head of the lab from 1896 to 1950. The original boom was designed in 1908 by Professor Allen, assisted by two Worcester Polytechnic Institute… Read More
The "Alligator" amphibian tractor is the progenitor of all amphibian assault vehicles used since 1941, a pioneer venture both in its design and the materials used in its construction. Donald Roebling, a grandson of Colonel Washington Roebling (designer of the Brooklyn Bridge), built an amphibian… Read More
The Apollo lunar module (LM-13) was developed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. (now Northrop Grumman). The LM's main functions were to carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface, and then return them to lunar orbit to rendezvous and dock with the Apollo command-service… Read More
The Apollo was the vehicle that first transported humans to the moon and safely back to earth. Nine lunar flights were made between 1968 and 1972. The command module, built by North American Aviation (at the time of launch, North American Rockwell Corporation), accommodated three astronauts during… Read More
With a water table several feet below ground level, New Orleans faced a crisis after every heavy rainfall, not just through flooding but also through disease (yellow fever and malaria) caused by impure water. New Orleans was dependent on mechanical means for lifting water from its canals and sewage… Read More
The Atlas E-2 Space Booster, or launch vehicle, is a modified intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Convair Division of General Dynamics and the U.S. Air Force. The basic concept of the Atlas system was proven in its first flight on June 11, 1957, followed over the years by the… Read More
This is one of the three original 60-ton vessels by which the basic oxygen process (BOP) of steel making was introduced into this country from Austria, where it was invented. It heralded the first new technology in fifty years to become the basis of a major process for steel production throughout… Read More
Bay City Walking Dredge

Built by the Bay City Dredge Works of Bay City, Michigan, this dredge was used to construct a portion of US 41 called the Tamiami Trail, which connected Tampa with Miami through the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. The last remaining display of walking dredges (of some 145 walking machines), it…

Read More
This unit, retired from the Belle Isle Station of the Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company, was the first gas turbine to be used for electric utility power generation in the United States. It represents the transformation of the early aircraft gas turbine, in which the engines seldom ran more than… Read More
When built in 1962, this shovel was the second largest in the world. It was used for the removal of overburden in the surface mining of thin coal seams. In its lifetime, it recovered nine million tons of bituminous coal from depths of 20 to 50 feet for local electric power generation. Standing 160-… Read More
The ballpoint pen invented by Ladislao Jose Biro was originally patented in Hungary in 1938. The principle of the ballpoint pen was originally patented by John Loud in 1888 for a product to mark leather and in 1916 by Van Vechten Riesberg, but neither of these products were exploited commercially… Read More
This is the first commercial, human-blood heat exchanger. Developed in 1957, it permitted a patient's body temperature to be safely and rapidly lowered during open heart surgery to any desired and precisely controlled hypothermic level, then during the conclusion of the operation rapidly rewarmed… Read More
These two water turbines were probably the largest and nearly the most powerful ever built in the United States, supplying direct mechanical power to a manufacturing plant. Their installation between 1871 and 1873 makes them among the oldest surviving water turbines. A dam at Cohoes diverted water… Read More
Founded by Eleuthère Irénéé du Pont (1771-1834), the Brandywine River Mills became the largest maker of explosive black powder in the United States. That success resulted directly from the firm's pioneering use of gunpowder processing machinery driven by water wheels and water turbines. Divided… Read More
This collection recognizes the inventive talents of John Moses Browning (1855-1926), a prolific and significant designer of sporting and military firearms, whose designs were known for simplicity, accuracy, and reliability. He held more than 128 patents covering 80 distinct firearms produced by… Read More

During the post-Civil War era, efforts to cultivate the land for higher crop yields resulted in the digging of thousands of miles of ditches to improve land drainage. Accurately graded ditches were needed for open drainage, pipeline trenches and placement of underground agricultural drainage…

Read More
This is the earliest known survivor of an integrated cotton ginning system widely used to process cotton from wagon to bale in a continuous operation. The gin machinery was designed and built in 1914 by the Lummus Cotton Gin Company. It can process seven bales per hour. Five gin stands, stick… Read More
As one of the large strikes in the Lake Superior geological district, the Chapin Mine was located under a cedar swamp and unminable until it was drained by one of the largest pumping engines of the 1880s. Miners at the Chapin Mine, which began producing ore in 1880, soon tried to sink a deep shaft… Read More

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.