From Galaxies to Turbines: Science, Technology and the Parsons FamilyFrom Galaxies to Turbines: Science, Technology and the Parsons Family looks at the way science and industry relate to each other, and at the way social attitudes affect this relationship. An expert on the Parsons Family, the author beautifully illustrates this by tracing the story of the remarkable endeavors of the Parsons family during the 125 years that embraced their lives in Ireland and Great Britain during the developing Industrial Revolution. The father of the family, William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, discovered the Spiral Nebulae at his observatory in Ireland and displayed an unusual familiarity with engineering principles in the building of his two giant telescopes. His son, Charles, was at the forefront of the new age of technology among shipbuilders and engineers in the northeast coast of England. Lavishly illustrated throughout, with a handy family tree and map of the River Tyne pin-pointing key historic events, this is a highly accessible and fascinating account for the general reader interested in the way scientific knowledge and industrial application have slowly emerged in recent history. |
Contents
The Inventions Exhibition in London 1885 | 1 |
An Elizabethan Settler Family | 5 |
22 The eighteenth century and the Act of Union | 9 |
23 The second Earl of Rosse a reluctant politician | 14 |
Interest in Astronomy | 19 |
32 Telescope building | 23 |
33 Marriage to a wealthy heiress and the building of a 3 ft reflector | 31 |
Engineering of a Giant Telescope | 44 |
International Recognition | 316 |
142 Turbines in the United States of America | 322 |
143 Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co Ltd Ships for the Navy | 325 |
144 Patent extension | 328 |
145 First warships | 329 |
146 Disaster | 338 |
Competitors and Licensees | 341 |
152 Variants of de Lavals impulse turbine | 344 |
42 A 6 ft diameter reflecting telescope | 47 |
43 The Observatory of Birr Castle | 59 |
44 Public responsibilities in Ireland | 64 |
Scientific Achievement | 71 |
52 Bringing up the children | 85 |
53 A high priest of science in Victorian Britain | 92 |
54 Weapons of war | 97 |
The Family After the Death of the 3rd Earl | 102 |
62 Astronomy continues at Birr | 108 |
The Parsons Brothers Enter Manufacturing Industry | 115 |
72 Theory and practice of shipbuilding | 120 |
73 Cleres apprenticeship and education for industry | 123 |
74 Charles apprenticeship | 131 |
75 Labour saving in India | 137 |
76 A gas turbine? | 138 |
77 Settling down to married life | 148 |
A Practical Steam Turbine | 152 |
82 Critical experiments | 160 |
83 A note on governors | 173 |
Clarke Chapman and Parsons Partners | 175 |
92 Turbogenerator improvements | 180 |
93 Other new products | 185 |
A New StartC A Parsons | 190 |
102 A competitor | 197 |
103 Establishing Heaton Works and radial flow turbines | 199 |
104 Condensing turbines | 207 |
105 Dynamos and alternators | 212 |
106 Experiments with flight | 216 |
A Marine Prototype | 220 |
112 Planning a turbine powered ship | 224 |
113 The Marine Company | 235 |
114 Turbinia launched | 242 |
Obstacles Overcome | 258 |
122 The study of cavitation | 262 |
123 Axial flow with three shafts | 265 |
124 Fine tuning performance | 278 |
125 Objective achieved | 289 |
126 Diamond Jubilee Spithead review | 293 |
Turbine Blades and Propellers | 300 |
153 Establishing the principles of design | 349 |
154 Patents and licenses | 353 |
155 Licenses for land use in the United Kingdom | 358 |
156 The inventor and society | 363 |
157 Works management | 366 |
Marine Applications | 377 |
162 The Royal Navys requirements | 391 |
163 Foreign navies | 397 |
Technical Developments | 403 |
172 Reduction gears for large powers | 408 |
173 Developments in electricity generating plant | 418 |
Heaton Works Comes of Age | 427 |
182 Other turbomachinery fans compressors and pumps | 434 |
183 Staff tensions | 438 |
184 Factory management | 446 |
185 Outbreak of war | 448 |
186 Harnessing science for the conduct of war | 450 |
Aftermath of War | 460 |
192 Parsons women in the public eye | 461 |
193 Changes at Heaton the market for turbogenerators develops | 463 |
Other Inventive Endeavours | 471 |
202 Synthetic diamonds | 475 |
203 Some pure science | 479 |
204 Back to diamonds | 481 |
205 A mechanism for detonating nuclear bombs? | 484 |
Optical Industries | 488 |
212 Instruments and optical quality glass | 491 |
213 A tradition of telescope building | 493 |
Autumn of Life | 498 |
222 Gerald Stoney returns to Heaton | 505 |
223 Still tackling new challenges | 507 |
224 Death of the Hon Sir Charles Parsons OM | 515 |
An Assessment | 521 |
Appendix 1 | 533 |
Appendix 2 | 537 |
References | 540 |
Index | 555 |
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From Galaxies to Turbines: Science, Technology and the Parsons Family W G S Scaife No preview available - 2019 |
Common terms and phrases
achieved Admiralty Anon armature arrangement astronomer Birr Castle boat boiler built carried cast Charles Parsons Clarke Chapman Clere Company condenser construction cylinder dear Laurence diameter disc drive Dublin dynamo Earl of Rosse efficiency electric Elswick experiments figure fluid gear Gerald Stoney Heaton high speed Holeyn Hall Wylam industry invention Ireland iron knots lamps later Laval letter London Lord Rosse machine manufacture marine mechanical mirror motor mounted moving blades Naval nebulae Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne output Parsons C A Parsonstown patent piston PMSTCo problem propulsion pump radial flow reciprocating engines Richardson 1911 rotating rotor scientific screw propeller shaft ship shipbuilding Sir Charles Sir Charles Parsons speculum steam engine steam turbine successful supply surface telescope temperature tests torpedo trials Trinity College Dublin tube Turbinia vacuum velocity vessel Wallsend water turbines Westinghouse William Parsons Wylam Wylam on Tyne