Who Is the Inventor of the Pneumatic Motor?
Who is the inventor of the pneumatic motor? The first design of a pneumatic motor can be attributed to British inventor George Medhurst. Other names, however, such as Otto Von Guericke, Germain Sommeiller and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, all played an important role in the birth and evolution of the pneumatic motor. Since its invention, pneumatic devices have undergone dramatic changes and have many, different applications in today's world.
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George Medhurst
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George Medhurst was born in 1759 in Shoreham, Kent, England. Medhurst was a mechanical engineer and inventor, credited with designing the first pneumatic motor. He received a patent in 1799 for using compressed air to power a motor. He later integrated his motor design into vehicles for their mobility.
Medhurst died in 1827.
Otto von Guericke
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Otto von Guericke was born November 20, 1602, in Magdeburg, Prussian Saxony (today's Germany). He became an army engineer for Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden in 1631 at the age of 29. In 1650, with his education in mathematics and mechanics, he invented the air pump, the first pneumatic device.
Von Guericke performed in front of Emperor Ferdinand II at the Imperial Diet of Regensburg in 1654. In this well-known demonstration, he placed two copper bowls together and removed all of the air trapped inside with the air pump. Two eight-horse teams were unable to pull the bowls apart that were kept together only by the air pressure surrounding them. After air was readmitted to the hollow sphere inside the bowls, the bowls came apart.
Von Guericke died May 11, 1686 in Hamburg, Germany.
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Germain Sommeiller
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The French civil engineer Germain Sommeiller pioneered the application of a pneumatic motor for rock drilling. Sommeiller was born on March 15, 1815, and is best known for directing the construction of the Frejus Rail Tunnel in the Alps, connecting France and Italy.
He conceived the idea of using air compression for drilling at the University of Turin while working on a design for a compressed-air motor for trains. Sommeiller patented the pneumatic rock-drilling machine.
He died on July 11, 1871, in Saint-Jeoire, France.
British inventor George Law has also been credited with designing a rock drill in 1865, which used a pneumatic motor to drive a piston.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
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Born on April 9, 1806, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the son of famed tunnel engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel.
Kingdom Brunel is credited with helping to gain acceptance of using pneumatic technology in underwater and underground construction. He was able to sink the foundations of the Maidenhead Bridge, thereby allowing it to have the flattest brick arches in the world at that time.
Kingdom Brunel died September 15, 1859 in Westminster, London.
Function
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A pneumatic motor uses compressed air to engage pistons, which drive the motor. Air compression tools are a safe alternative to electrical tools for environments such as mining or underwater work. Pneumatic motors are also found in drills, guns, hammers, lifts and airplane parts, to name but a few.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of flattop341
