Discovery and Development of the Armstrong Effect
– Seghill, near Newcastle upon Tyne, had a Cramlingham Colliery railway with a 28 horsepower winding engine.
– In September 1840, the engine driver, Patterson, noticed a steam leak near the safety valve.
– He touched the valve and felt a tingling in his fingers, leading to the discovery of the phenomenon.
– Patterson’s colleagues also experienced the same effect.
– Hugh Pattinson and Henry Smith further investigated the phenomenon and increased the sparks using a metal shovel and penknife blade.
– Armstrong continued his work in 1842, exploring the effect with compressed air and constructing an evaporating apparatus.
– He designed a friction nozzle that could produce 12-inch sparks.
– The electrical charge on the steam was positive, but adding turpentine to the water produced a negative polarity.
– In 1843, Armstrong created a full-scale electrostatic generator called the hydroelectric generator.
– These machines had 46 steam jets and were powerful, making a deafening noise and producing 22-inch sparks.
Practical Applications of the Armstrong Effect
– Armstrong’s machines were mainly used as spectacles to attract crowds.
– The Armstrong effect is utilized in some paint sprays to polarize the paint, reducing the amount required and improving adhesion.
– However, the effect has also caused damage, such as explosions in oil tankers and igniting gases from aerosol spray cans.
– The Wimshurst machine was later considered a superior design for creating static electricity.
– Armstrong’s interest in electrostatics was revived when he was 82 years old.
References
– Geoffrey Irlam’s book ‘Armstrong the collector’ discusses William Armstrong’s achievements.
– Antony F. Anderson’s article ‘Sparks from Steam’ provides insights into Armstrong’s work.
– Henrietta Heald’s book ‘William Armstrong: Magician of the North’ explores Armstrong’s life and contributions.
– P. R. Smy’s article ‘Charge Production, Supertankers and Supersonic Aircraft’ discusses the Armstrong effect in relation to oil tankers.
– The Newcastle University Library’s webpage ‘The Armstrong Effect’ provides further information on the topic.
Further Reading
– ‘Cragside’ by National Trust, a revised edition from 2003, includes information on Armstrong’s work.
– ‘Electronics and Power’ journal’s January issue features the article ‘Sparks from Steam’ by Antony F. Anderson.
– ‘William Armstrong: Magician of the North’ by Henrietta Heald delves into Armstrong’s life and achievements.
– ‘Nature’ journal’s article ‘Charge Production, Supertankers and Supersonic Aircraft’ by P. R. Smy explores the Armstrong effect.
– The Newcastle University Library’s webpage ‘The Armstrong Effect’ offers additional resources for further study.
Key Facts and Details
– Seghill had a Cramlingham Colliery railway with a 28 horsepower winding engine.
– Patterson discovered the Armstrong effect when he felt a tingling in his fingers after touching a steam leak near the safety valve.
– Hugh Pattinson and Henry Smith increased the sparks using a metal shovel and penknife blade.
– Armstrong explored the effect with compressed air and designed a friction nozzle that could produce 12-inch sparks.
– Adding turpentine to the water produced a negative polarity in the electrical charge on the steam.
– Armstrong’s hydroelectric generator had 46 steam jets and produced 22-inch sparks.
– The Armstrong effect is used in some paint sprays to polarize the paint and improve adhesion.
– The effect has also caused explosions in oil tankers and ignited gases from aerosol spray cans.
– The Wimshurst machine was considered a superior design for creating static electricity.
– Armstrong’s interest in electrostatics was revived when he was 82 years old. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Hydroelectric_Machine
The Armstrong effect is the physical process by which static electricity is produced by the friction of a fluid. It was first discovered in 1840 when an electrical spark resulted from water droplets being swept out by escaping steam from a boiler. The effect is named after William Armstrong, who later became 1st Baron Armstrong, who was one of several people involved in discovering the effect and investigating the processes involved. Using this principle Armstrong went on to invent what he called the Armstrong Hydroelectric Machine, which, despite its name, generated static electricity and not hydroelectric power.
