Historical invention blueprints

[Stuttermabolur]

Post your old blueprints here. I count anything not detailing something we use everyday as "historical", even if the blueprint itself is only a few decades old. Try to include the name of the inventor as well as the invention if you can. The more bonkers, useless and idiosyncratic of an invention, the better.

Let me start by introducing to you Antoine Lavoisier's Solar Furnace, from the late 18th century:

 

[Rodafina]

By A.W. Hart.
December 6 1870

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Here is Lawrence's Cyclotron.

 

[Outdated]

This is possibly one of the most important inventions of the 19th century although many have never heard of it. The External Combustion Engine, also know by it's inventor's name, the Stirling Engine.

Without this device we would not have cryogenic cooling and would never have been able to achieve temperatures low enough to allow us to experiment with gasses in their liquid forms, such as liquid nitrogen. Without the Stirling Engine so many of our modern technologies simply would not exist.

 

[Rodafina]

“The Brawl Wall”

https://www.planetpatent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/US5255958A.pdf

 

[Outdated]

“The Brawl Wall”

My parents just used to make our sister sit between us.

 

[Rodafina]

Creeping Baby Doll​

by R.J. Clay, 1871.

 

[grommet]

Post your old blueprints here. I count anything not detailing something we use everyday as "historical", even if the blueprint itself is only a few decades old. Try to include the name of the inventor as well as the invention if you can. The more bonkers, useless and idiosyncratic of an invention, the better.

Let me start by introducing to you Antoine Lavoisier's Solar Furnace, from the late 18th century:

View attachment 116529

I had heard about this but I never saw it. Remarkable drawing.

 

[grommet]

View attachment 116531

By A.W. Hart.
December 6 1870

I think the person who wrote on this was left handed. This is fascinating to me. I am more interested in the notes and markings. They remind me people are the same, all times and everywhere. Someone at work on a normal day doing their job. I think people do not change and this helps me visit history.

 

[Shevek]

This is possibly one of the most important inventions of the 19th century although many have never heard of it. The External Combustion Engine, also know by it's inventor's name, the Stirling Engine.

Without this device we would not have cryogenic cooling and would never have been able to achieve temperatures low enough to allow us to experiment with gasses in their liquid forms, such as liquid nitrogen. Without the Stirling Engine so many of our modern technologies simply would not exist.

View attachment 116590

I have always known the Stirling as a way to produce power from differences in temperature without using boiling. It has some parts in common with refrigeration units, but those require power; they don't produce it. Please explain your comment..

 

[Outdated]

I have always known the Stirling as a way to produce power from differences in temperature without using boiling. It has some parts in common with refrigeration units, but those require power; they don't produce it. Please explain your comment..

Exactly the same as modern gas refridgeration (aussie invention) there are two radiators or heat dumps.

If you put one of those radiators on a heat source and the other is somewhere that it can dump heat the stirling engine will turn. If you put heat under the other radiator instead the engine will turn in the opposite direction.

If instead you start turning the motor yourself one radiator will get hot and the other will get cold.

Electric motors do the same, if you supply electricity the motor will turn, if you turn the motor it will generate electricity.

 

[Shevek]

Exactly the same as modern gas refridgeration (aussie invention) there are two radiators or heat dumps.

If you put one of those radiators on a heat source and the other is somewhere that it can dump heat the stirling engine will turn. If you put heat under the other radiator instead the engine will turn in the opposite direction.

If instead you start turning the motor yourself one radiator will get hot and the other will get cold.

Electric motors do the same, if you supply electricity the motor will turn, if you turn the motor it will generate electricity.

So, why did you present it as a motor? Just the order of invention? My general recall of modern units does not have the same component list, but I'm too busy to chase it down now.

 

[Outdated]

So, why did you present it as a motor? Just the order of invention? My general recall of modern units does not have the same component list, but I'm too busy to chase it down now.

The old window rattler style of air conditioner is the easiest example to see the two distinct radiators, one at the front inside your room and one outside. It's a very similar device.

When he first invented it Sterling himself called it an external combustion engine. Other uses for it were found later. Except as interesting novelty ornaments as far as I know the only household use of the device as a heat driven engine was a a cheap electricity generator made by Philips in the 1950s.

 

[Shevek]

The old window rattler style of air conditioner is the easiest example to see the two distinct radiators, one at the front inside your room and one outside. It's a very similar device.

When he first invented it Sterling himself called it an external combustion engine. Other uses for it were found later. Except as interesting novelty ornaments as far as I know the only household use of the device as a heat driven engine was a a cheap electricity generator made by Philips in the 1950s.

I see the Stirling proposed for taking advantage of many low-grade heat sources, but that reduces the Carnot efficiency, so you don't get much power per dollar of machinery. Robots may change the economics on that. While the Stirling is reversible to work as a heat pump, standard refrigeration units use an orifice between the hot and cold spaces, not a displacement piston, and the efficiency seems acceptable, but maybe that's about first cost. I wish I'd studied the gas laws more. I'm damn sure that cars are throwing away a percentage point on their mileage by using an orifice for the throttle instead of a variable vane pump running the generator.

 

[Outdated]

I wish I'd studied the gas laws more.

One of the best refridgerant gases is just ordinary LPG, but we're not allowed to use that for health and safety reasons, although it's used through much of Asia. When you condense it it becomes very good at holding heat, so when it shoots out of a compressor it's icy cold. It's still cold when it hit's that first radiator and absorbs a lot of heat. When it gets to the second radiator it's no longer under that much pressure (less dense) and is no longer able to hold all the heat it collected. That coupled with the characteristics of the stirling engine makes for a very efficient system.

 

[Rodafina]

Certainly not useless, but I love it. The percolator coffee maker.

 

[MROSS]

Reto patents of familliar items can be considered an artform of interest.

Enclosed is a 'Wikimedia' image of a few patents:

Wikimedia image of patents: Fender Broadcaster (1951), Tupperware (1954), Yo-yo (1866), Lego brick (1961), Edison light bulb (1880), Eli Whitney's cotton gin (1794), iPod (2008) - National Museum of American History.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...n_History_(2015-10-13_by_Kazuhisa_OTSUBO).jpg

 

[Shevek]

Bucky Fuller's Dymaxion car, intended for use with a wing added. It did go a lot faster, with more passengers than the Ford the engine came from.

 

[Rodafina]