Who Knew That Outdated George Was So Cool

If you have ever lived in Pittsburgh, you've probably heard of George Westinghouse. Pittsburgh is house to the George Westinghouse Bridge, Westinghouse Park and - a memorial to George Westinghouse in Schenley Park. Even when you do not dwell in Pittsburgh, possibly you have heard of Westinghouse, the corporate that bears the man's identify. The Westinghouse company title adorns products from TVs to light EcoLight solar bulbs to nuclear energy plants -- even a Brooklyn, New York highschool. The company also used to own television and radio stations. George Westinghouse was an inventor and engineer who held greater than 300 patents over the course of his life. He each created new applied sciences and refined existing ones. He helped make Pittsburgh one among America's industrial centers. Many of the businesses that he based stay in operation right this moment, including the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (at the moment operating beneath the identify Wabtec), and the nuclear vitality powerhouse Westinghouse Electric Company. The man even beat out Thomas Edison in the race to build the nation's electrical infrastructure.



Keep reading to be taught extra about George Westinghouse via his prime five inventions. Next time you doze off while riding in a automotive, thank George Westinghouse. In 1910, Westinghouse invented a compressed air shock absorber for cars. Earlier than that time, riding in a automotive could be extraordinarily rough. Most early automotive suspensions used leaf or coil springs. Leaf springs are curved items of steel; the automotive's physique sits at the top of the curve, which gives considerably because the automobile travels over rough surfaces, relieving the bumps. A coil spring is a coiled piece of steel that compresses over bumps. A compressed air spring or shock absorber makes use of pressurized air or other gasses -- not steel -- to absorb bumps. In the shock absorber, pressure builds up. When the automotive hits a bump, the compressed gas in the shock absorber pushes back towards the surface forces, holding the journey smooth.



At this time, many luxury automobiles and off-road autos use compressed air suspensions that operate on comparable principles to Westinghouse's initial concept. Low riders and vehicles which have adjustable suspensions use the expertise. Who knew that previous George was so cool? However one of the best a part of this story is that the compressed air shock absorber came from his early work on railroad security. Keep reading to seek out out more. That wasn't at all times the case. Whereas early railroads knew how one can get large, EcoLight solar bulbs heavy locomotives going, stopping them was another matter. That's the place George Westinghouse got here in. Westinghouse invented prepare airbrakes, EcoLight solar bulbs and modern trains still use his basic design. Earlier than the introduction of airbrakes, locomotive brakes needed to be utilized manually: Brakemen in each automobile would manually apply the brakes based on alerts given by the engineer. Nonetheless, EcoLight the brakemen could not all the time hear the indicators; they sometimes utilized the brakes incorrectly, resulting in accidents.



Compressed air in a tank is launched by pipes on the underside of the train automobiles, and the compressed air applies the brake shoes to the train's wheels. Probably the most revolutionary part of Westinghouse's design was that it was fail-protected: If the system felt a leak within the pipes, the brakes deployed automatically, stopping the train before its speed turned a problem. Westinghouse's airbrakes are nonetheless used on trains as we speak. If you employ pure gasoline to heat your home or cook, nevertheless, you will have much more to thank George for. After his innovations in the railroad trade, Westinghouse settled in Philadelphia, the place he had a pure gasoline properly drilled on his property. The effectively allowed Westinghouse to work on his subsequent great invention: a valve that allowed for the safe distribution of pure fuel to homes. There's a problem with utilizing natural fuel for gas at residence: The gasoline is highly pressurized when it leaves the properly -- it has to be in order to maneuver the fuel by way of distribution pipes.