Edward Alfred Cowper
Encyclopedia
Edward Alfred Cowper was a British mechanical engineer.
He was the son of Professor Edward Shickle Cowper (1790–1852), head of the department of engineering at King's College London
and Ann Applegath.
In 1833, he was apprenticed to John Braithwaite, a railway engineer in London.
In 1837, he invented the detonating railway fog signal, first tried on the Croydon line and widely used thereafter as an emergency safety measure.
In 1841, he joined Fox and Henderson, structural and railway engineers, in Smethwick where, he devised a method of casting railway chairs, and also designed the wrought-iron roof of the New Street Station in Birmingham.
He worked on the 1851 Exhibition Building, The Crystal Palace
.
He invented a wire-spoke wheel with rubber tyre, which is the same as the modern bicycle wheel.
In 1857, he invented the regenerative hot blast stove known as the Cowper stove, which greatly improved the economy of the hot blast process in the making of steel.
In 1880, he was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
.
He married Juliana; they had one son.
Cowper was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
of The Franklin Institute in 1889.
He was the son of Professor Edward Shickle Cowper (1790–1852), head of the department of engineering at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and Ann Applegath.
In 1833, he was apprenticed to John Braithwaite, a railway engineer in London.
In 1837, he invented the detonating railway fog signal, first tried on the Croydon line and widely used thereafter as an emergency safety measure.
In 1841, he joined Fox and Henderson, structural and railway engineers, in Smethwick where, he devised a method of casting railway chairs, and also designed the wrought-iron roof of the New Street Station in Birmingham.
He worked on the 1851 Exhibition Building, The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
.
He invented a wire-spoke wheel with rubber tyre, which is the same as the modern bicycle wheel.
In 1857, he invented the regenerative hot blast stove known as the Cowper stove, which greatly improved the economy of the hot blast process in the making of steel.
In 1880, he was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
.
He married Juliana; they had one son.
Cowper was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
of The Franklin Institute in 1889.
External links
- "Edward Alfred Cowper", German Wikipedia