Arthur Woolf
Encyclopedia
Arthur Woolf was a Cornish engineer, most famous for inventing a high-pressure compound steam engine. As such he made an outstanding contribution to the development and perfection of the Cornish engine
.
Woolf left Cornwall in 1785 to work for Joseph Bramah
's engineering works in London
. He worked there and at other firms as an engineer and engine builder until 1811, when he returned to Cornwall. Michael Loam
, inventor of the man engine
, was trained by him.
When he returned to Cornwall, beam engine designs were crude, shackled by outdated Watt
patents and poor engineering. He learned from Bramah that to move forward meant adopting much improved engineering techniques, for it was Bramah who invented quality control. Woolf was chief engineer to Harvey & Co of Hayle, a leading engineering and foundry works. They eventually swallowed up the rival Copperhouse Foundry run by Sandys, Carne and Vivian. For very many years they were a leading firm worldwide for drainage engines, even supplying 6 eight-beamed pumping engines to the Dutch government to drain the Haarlem Mere (see Museum De Cruquius
). By the time Woolf retired in 1836 the Cornish engine
, largely due to his efforts, was a thing of magnificent beauty and efficiency.
In 1803, Woolf obtained a patent on an improved boiler for producing high pressure steam. In 1805, he patented his best-known invention, a compound steam engine.
Examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engine
s may be seen at Abbey Pumping Station
, Blagdon Lake
, Claymills Pumping Station
and the Western Springs Pumphouse, now part of the Museum of Transport and Technology
Auckland , New Zealand.
Also in many parts of the world are engines built to his designs. He was held in very high regard by French, German, Belgian and Dutch steam engineers, who all made liberal use of his designs.
Cornish engine
A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier engines designed by James Watt...
.
Woolf left Cornwall in 1785 to work for Joseph Bramah
Joseph Bramah
Joseph Bramah , born Stainborough Lane Farm, Wentworth, Yorkshire, England, was an inventor and locksmith. He is best known for having invented the hydraulic press...
's engineering works in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He worked there and at other firms as an engineer and engine builder until 1811, when he returned to Cornwall. Michael Loam
Michael Loam
Michael Loam was a Cornish engineer who introduced the first man engine into the UK....
, inventor of the man engine
Man engine
A man engine is a mechanism of reciprocating ladders and stationary platforms installed in mines to assist the miners’ journeys to and from the working levels...
, was trained by him.
When he returned to Cornwall, beam engine designs were crude, shackled by outdated Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
patents and poor engineering. He learned from Bramah that to move forward meant adopting much improved engineering techniques, for it was Bramah who invented quality control. Woolf was chief engineer to Harvey & Co of Hayle, a leading engineering and foundry works. They eventually swallowed up the rival Copperhouse Foundry run by Sandys, Carne and Vivian. For very many years they were a leading firm worldwide for drainage engines, even supplying 6 eight-beamed pumping engines to the Dutch government to drain the Haarlem Mere (see Museum De Cruquius
Museum De Cruquius
The Museum De Cruquius occupies the old Cruquius steam pumping station in Cruquius, The Netherlands. It derives its name from Nicolaas Kruik , a Dutch land-surveyor and one of many promotors of a plan to pump the Haarlemmermeer dry. Like many well-educated men of his time, he latinized his name...
). By the time Woolf retired in 1836 the Cornish engine
Cornish engine
A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier engines designed by James Watt...
, largely due to his efforts, was a thing of magnificent beauty and efficiency.
In 1803, Woolf obtained a patent on an improved boiler for producing high pressure steam. In 1805, he patented his best-known invention, a compound steam engine.
Examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
s may be seen at Abbey Pumping Station
Abbey Pumping Station
The Abbey Pumping Station is an industrial museum in Leicester, England, on Corporation Road, opposite the National Space Centre.-History:The museum was previously a pumping station used to pump sewage to treatment works at Beaumont Leys, and was opened in 1891...
, Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake lies in the Chew Valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, approximately 10 mi south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water , when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1891 and completing this in 1899...
, Claymills Pumping Station
Claymills pumping station
Claymills Pumping Station is a restored Victorian sewage pumping station on the north side of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was designed by James Mansergh and used to pump sewage to the sewage farm at Etwall....
and the Western Springs Pumphouse, now part of the Museum of Transport and Technology
Museum of Transport and Technology
The Museum of Transport and Technology is a museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum has large collections of civilian and military aircraft and other land transport vehicles...
Auckland , New Zealand.
Also in many parts of the world are engines built to his designs. He was held in very high regard by French, German, Belgian and Dutch steam engineers, who all made liberal use of his designs.
External links
- Britannica Online entry (subscription required)
- Cornish Mining World Heritage, "Engineers and Inventors"
- A. Navolari and G. Verbong, "The Development of Steam Power Technology:Cornwall and the compound engine, an evolutionary interpretation", Eindhoven University, 2001[Try searching ECIS, research centre at Eindhoven University of TechnologyEindhoven University of TechnologyThe ' is a university of technology located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The motto of the university is: Mens agitat molem . The university was the second of its kind in the Netherlands, only Delft University of Technology existed previously. Until mid-1980 it was known as the...
]