British engineering system

1) General subject: second, second (мера времени), second (мера угла)

2) Naval: second (времени)

3) Colloquial: (сокр. от second) sec

4) Engineering: British absolute system of units, British engineering system, British gravitational system of units, engineer's system of units, foot-pound-second system, imperial system

5) Mathematics: second (of time), second (unit of time), second of time

6) Economy: second bill (второй экземпляр вексел), second of exchange

7) Automobile industry: s

8) Music: 2nd (интервал)

9) Jargon: tick, two shakes ( of a lamb's tall)

10) Oil: sec

11) Drilling: s. (second), sec. (second)

12) Makarov: second (1. единица времени 2. внесистемная единица плоского угла)

1) Metrology: engineering's system of units

2) Makarov: British engineering system of units, British gravitational system of units, engineer's system of units

1) Engineering: British engineering system, British gravitational system of units, engineer's system of units, slug (единица массы)

2) Electronics: superconducting low-inductance undolatory galvanometer

3) Metrology: geepound (14,5939 кг), slug (14,5939 кг)

4) Drilling: slug (техническая единица массы в английской системе мер)

5) Makarov: slug (англ. единица массы в системе фунт-сила, фут, секунда)

* * *

а́томная секу́нда — atomic second

углова́я секу́нда — second of arc

эфеме́рная секу́нда — ephemeric second

1) General subject: avoirdupois (= 454 г), avoirdupois weight (= 454 г), pound (англ.=453, 6 г), pounder, pun, quid, doink (Используется в Ирландии, как правило, людьми с небольшм достатком. Типа нашего "чирик" или "рупь")

2) Naval: avoirdupois pound, pound (453,6 г)

3) Engineering: British absolute system of units, foot-pound-second system, imperial system

4) Rare: libra (обычно записывается как lb)

5) Chemistry: pound (0,453 кг)

6) Construction: pound (весовая единица)

7) British English: pound (единица массы, равная 453, 6 г), berry (обычно во множеств.числе)

8) Railway term: pound (мера веса равна 453, 59 г)

9) Economy: pound (денежная единица), pound (мера веса), J

10) Insurance: Libra pound (мера веса)

11) Australian slang: pound (денежная единица Австралии до 1966, Новой Зеландии до 1967)

12) Automobile industry: ft (pound) (453,6 г), pound (0,454 кг), pound (0.453 кг), pound (lb.) (453,6 г)

13) Mining: pound (453,6 г)

14) Forestry: dirt

15) Music: lbs (применяется при указании натяжения струн; один торговый фунт равен 453,6 г.; Чтобы получить значение натяжения в килограммах, необходимо умножить число в фунтах на 0,4536)

16) Astronautics: lb., pound force

17) Banking: pound (денежная единица Египта, Ирландии и ряда других стран)

18) Metrology: (торговый) avoirdupois pound, pound (0,453 кг)

19) Drilling: lb (pound)

20) Arms production: pound (453,6 г)

21) Drawing: \# symbol

22) Chemical weapons: pound (lb)

23) Bicycle: lb (неметрическая единица массы, равная 453,6 г)

24) Electrochemistry: librum (1 фунт = 0,454 кг, в Англии)

SUBJECT AREA: Architecture and building, Civil engineering

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Albert received a sound education in the arts and sciences, carefully designed to fit him for a role as consort to the future Queen Victoria. After their marriage in 1840, Albert threw himself into the task of establishing his position as, eventually, Prince Consort and uncrowned king of England. By his undoubted intellectual gifts, unrelenting hard work and moral rectitude, Albert moulded the British constitutional monarchy into the form it retains to this day. The purchase in 1845 of the Osborne estate in the Isle of Wight provided not only the growing royal family with a comfortable retreat from London and public life, but Albert with full scope for his abilities as architect and planner. With Thomas Cubitt, the eminent engineer and contractor, Albert erected at Osborne one of the most remarkable buildings of the nineteenth century. He went on to design the house and estate at Balmoral in Scotland, another notable creation.

Albert applied his abilities as architect and planner in the promotion of such public works as the London sewer system and, in practical form, the design of cottages for workers, such as those in south London, as well as those on the royal estates. Albert's other main contribution to technology was as educationist in a broad sense. In 1847, he was elected Chancellor of Cambridge University. He was appalled at the low standards and narrow curriculum prevailing there and at Oxford. He was no mere figurehead, but took a close and active interest in the University's affairs. With his powerful influence behind them, the reforming fellows were able to force measures to raise standards and widen the curriculum to take account, in particular, of the rapid progress in the natural sciences. Albert was instrumental in ending the lethargy of centuries and laying the foundations of the modern British university system.

In 1847 the Prince became Secretary of the Royal Society of Arts. With Henry Cole, the noted administrator who shared Albert's concern for the arts, he promoted a series of exhibitions under the auspices of the Society. From these grew the idea of a great exhibition of the products of the decorative and industrial arts. It was Albert who decided that its scope should be international. As Chairman of the organizing committee, by sheer hard work he drove the project through to a triumphant conclusion. The success of the Exhibition earned it a handsome profit for which Albert had found a use even before it closed. The proceeds went towards the purchase of a site in South Kensington, for which he drew up a grand scheme for a complex of museums and colleges for the education of the people in the sciences and the arts. This largely came to fruition and South Kensington today is a fitting memorial to the Prince Consort's wisdom and concern for the public good.

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1) Engineering: British absolute system of units

2) Physics: poundal (английская единица силы)

3) Metrology: poundal (0,138255 Н)

SUBJECT AREA: Automotive engineering, Land transport

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His father was of Greek descent but was a naturalized British subject in Turkey who ran a marine engineering business. After the First World War, the British in Turkey were evacuated by the Royal Navy, the Issigonis family among them. His father died en route in Malta, but the rest of the family arrived in England in 1922. Alec studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic for three years and in 1928 was employed as a draughtsman by a firm of consulting engineers in Victoria Street who were working on a form of automatic transmission. He had occasion to travel frequently in the Midlands at this time and visited many factories in the automobile industry. He was offered a job in the drawing office at Humber and lived for a couple of years in Kenilworth. While there he met Robert Boyle, Chief Engineer of Morris Motors (see Morris, William Richard), who offered him a job at Cowley. There he worked at first on the design of independent front suspension. At Morris Motors, he designed the Morris Minor, which entered production in 1948 and continued to be manufactured until 1971. Issigonis disliked mergers, and after the merger of Morris with Austin to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC) he left to join Alvis in 1952. The car he designed there, a V8 saloon, was built as a prototype but was never put into production. Following his return to BMC to become Technical Director in 1955, his most celebrated design was the Mini series, which entered production in 1959. This was a radically new concept: it was unique for its combination of a transversely mounted engine in unit with the gearbox, front wheel drive and rubber suspension system. This suspension system, designed in cooperation with Alex Moulton, was also a fundamental innovation, developed from the system designed by Moulton for the earlier Alvis prototype. Issigonis remained as Technical Director of BMC until his retirement.

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1 control (dominio).

bajo control under control

fuera de control out of control

perder el control to lose one's temper (perder la calma)

control de cambios (economics) exchange control

control de la natalidad birth control

2 examination, inspection.

todos los productos pasan un riguroso control all the products are rigorously inspected o examined

(bajo) control médico (under) medical supervision

control antidoping dope o drugs test

control de calidad quality control

control de existencias stock control

control del tráfico aéreo (aviation) air traffic control

3 checkpoint.

control de pasaportes passport control

4 test (exam).

5 control (mando).

el control del encendido/apagado the on/off switch

control remoto remote control

6 check, checking, test.

7 control knob, control, command.

8 restraint.

* * *

► nombre masculino

1 (gen) control

2 (comprobación) check

3 (sitio) checkpoint

\

bajo el control de under the supervision of

estar bajo control to be under control

estar fuera de control to be out of control

llevar el control to be in control

perder el control to lose control

control a distancia remote control

control de calidad quality control

control de natalidad birth control

control de pasaportes passport control

■ pasaron por el control de pasaportes they went through passport control

control de sí mismo self-control

control policial roadblock

* * *

1) control

2) check

* * *

1) (=dominio, vigilancia) control

2) (=inspección) (Jur) inspection, check; (Com, Econ) audit, auditing

3) (=puesto) (tb: control de carretera) roadblock; (tb: control de frontera) frontier checkpoint

4) [de un aparato] control

5) (=examen) (Educ) test

6) (Med) test

* * *

1) ( dominio) control

- control de armamentos

- control de natalidad

- control demográfico

2) ( vigilancia)

- control de calidad

- control de existencias

- control de pasaportes

- control de precios

3) (en carretera, rally) checkpoint

4)

a) ( de aparato) control

b) controles masculino plural (Rad)

- control remoto

5)

a) (Educ) test

b) (Med) check-up

•

- control antidoping

* * *

= check, control, grasp, hold, monitoring, regulation, supervision, toll, command, governance, mastery, checkpoint, grip, tracking, span of control, policing, tightening, rule, moderation, vetting.

Ex. Checks on relationships that must be represented can be executed by examining each card in turn and seeking cards which show related terms.

Ex. Control is exercised over which terms are used, but otherwise the terms are ordinary words.

Ex. When an item is in its grasp, it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate web of trails carried by the cells of the brain.

Ex. SLIS will, however, need to retain a firm hold on their traditional market whilst also meeting more specialised competition.

Ex. Automatic monitoring of activity on the computer system (i.e., logging transactions) was regarded as a powerful technique for evaluating user system interaction.

Ex. If administrative regulations, rules, etc., are from jurisdictions in which such regulations, etc., are promulgated by government agencies or agents, enter them under the heading for the agency or agent.

Ex. The use of clear armoured glass walls gives excellent visual supervision in the Rare Book Room and in the Manuscript and Local History Reading Room.

Ex. Books are primarily repositories of ideas and information, for this reason most of them are used and a panoply of tolls are necessary in order to locate specific items.

Ex. Businesses are using all of the new communicating technological developments to increase their command over the information they need.

Ex. Public libraries specifically face enormous problems of funding and governance.

Ex. The library has proven to be an imperfect panacea, and the librarian has suffered a definite loss of mastery.

Ex. The article 'The information highway: on ramps, checkpoints, speed bumps and tollbooths' offers a comprehensive snapshot of the current policy and practices regarding the dissemination of government information in electronic form.

Ex. It is therefore often hard to escape the grip of the official phraseology for fear that, in doing so, the meaning of the material will be altered or lost.

Ex. Tracking of personal information attached to electronic text supplied by publishers is a potential violator of user privacy.

Ex. What is needed is for the director to broaden her span of control by eliminating the position of assistant director.

Ex. The article has the title ' Policing fraud and deceit: the legal aspects of misconduct in scientific enquiry'.

Ex. Previous policies allowed professional interaction but recent tightening has made that more difficult.

Ex. The British in Malaya used education as a divisive factor to prolong their rule, while the Americans in the Philippines adopted a 'Philippines for the Filipinos' policy = Los británicos en Malaya usaron la educación como un factor divisorio para prolongar su dominio, mientras los americanos en las Filipinas adoptaron una política de "Las Filipinas para los filipinos".

Ex. The ETEL system guarantees relevance of the information through moderation by a newspaper editor.

Ex. Criminal record checks have been an accepted form of pre-employment vetting for those with access to children for some years.

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* activar un mecanismo de control = set + control.

* aumentar el control = tighten (up) + control.

* bajo el control de = under the control of.

* bola para el control del cursor en pantalla = trackball.

* bolsa de control de préstamo = book pocket.

* campaña de control de alcoholemia = drink-drive campaign, anti-drink-drive campaign.

* campo de control = control field.

* carácter de control = control character.

* centro de control = locus of control, mission control.

* circunstancias que están fuera de + Posesivo + control = circumstances beyond + Posesivo + control.

* código de control = processing code, control code.

* colección de control = test collection.

* con control atmosférico = atmospherically-controlled.

* conseguir el control = gain + control (over/of).

* control al azar = spot check.

* control antidopaje = drug testing.

* control antidoping = drug testing.

* control bibliográfico = bibliographic control, bibliographical control.

* control bibliográfico internacional = international bibliographical control.

* Control Bibliográfico Universal (UBC) = UBC (Universal Bibliographic Control).

* control de acceso = access control.

* control de adquisiciones = acquisition control.

* control de armas = arms control.

* control de armas de fuego = gun control.

* control de autoridades = authority control.

* control de calidad = quality assurance (QA), quality control.

* control de carretera = road check, roadside check, roadblock.

* control de circulación = circulation control.

* control de disturbios = riot control.

* control de flujo del líquido = fluid-control.

* control de frontera = border checkpoint, border control.

* control de funcionamiento = benchmark.

* control de la circulación de publicaciones seriadas = serials circulation control.

* control de la natalidad = birth control.

* control del armamento = arms control.

* control de las enfermedades = disease control.

* control de las malas hierbas = weed control.

* control de la temperatura = climatic control.

* control del estrés = stress management.

* control de los artículos de las publicaciones periódicas = article-level control.

* control de los presupuestos = budgetary control.

* control del peso = weight control.

* control del poder = hold on power.

* control de masas = riot control, crowd control.

* control de materias = subject control.

* control de multitudes = crowd control.

* control de plagas = pest control.

* control de préstamo = circulation control.

* control de publicaciones periódicas = periodicals control.

* control de publicaciones seriadas = serials control, periodicals inventory control.

* control de salida = exit barrier.

* control de seguridad = security checkpoint.

* control de volumen = volume controller, volume control.

* control económico = fiscal control.

* controles de funcionamiento = benchmarking.

* controles de rendimiento = benchmark figures.

* control férreo = iron-fisted grip, iron grip.

* control fronterizo = border control, border checkpoint.

* control mental = mind control.

* control paterno = parental control.

* control presupuestario = budgetary control.

* control remoto = remote control, remote controller.

* control remoto de llavero = key fob.

* control terminológico = terminology control.

* control total = stranglehold.

* dígito de control = check digit.

* dispararse fuera de control = spiral + out of control.

* ejercer control = exert + control, wield + control.

* ejercer control sobre = exercise + control over, have + hold on.

* en control = controlling.

* endurecer el control = tighten (up) + control.

* estrechar el control = tighten + the grip.

* falta de control = dirty data.

* fichero de control de publicaciones periódicas = periodicals file [periodical file], periodical holdings file.

* fuera de control = out-of-control, haywire.

* fuera del control de = beyond the control of.

* fuera de + Posesivo + control = beyond + Posesivo + control.

* grupo de control = control group.

* hacerse con el control de = take over + control of, take + control of.

* ingeniería de control = control engineering.

* lista de control = checklist [check-list].

* lograr el control = gain + control (over/of).

* mantener bajo control = keep + a rein on.

* mantener control = hold + the reins of control.

* mantener el control = stay in + control.

* mantener un control férreo sobre = hold + an iron grip on.

* mecanismo de control = watchdog.

* medida de control = control measure.

* módulo de control de autoridades = authority control module.

* módulo de control de publicaciones seriadas = serials control system, serials control module.

* no perder el control = stay on top of, stay on + top of things, keep on + top of things, be on top of things.

* número de control = control number.

* organismo de control = watchdog.

* palabra de control = control word.

* panel de control = control panel.

* perder control = lose + control (of).

* perder el control = slip beyond + the grasp of, lose + Posesivo + grip, run + amok, sweep + Nombre + off + Posesivo + feet, go to + pieces, go + wild.

* perder el control de Algo = get out of + hand.

* perder el control de la situación = things + get out of hand.

* puesto de control = checkpoint.

* que escapan a + Posesivo + control = beyond + Posesivo + control.

* reclamar el control de = make + claim upon.

* seguir con el control = stay in + control.

* servicio centralizado de control de publicaciones seriadas = consolidation service.

* sin control = uncontrolled.

* sistema de control = monitoring system, vetting system.

* sistema de control de la salida = exit control system.

* sistema de control de publicaciones seriadas = serials system, serials control system.

* sobre para el control del préstamo = slip holder pocket.

* someter a control = place under + control.

* sujeto de control = control subject.

* tecla CONTROL = CONTROL key [CTRL key].

* tecla de control del movimiento horizontal = horizontal positioning key.

* tecla de control del movimiento vertical = vertical positioning key.

* tener Algo bajo el control de Uno = have + Nombre + at + Posesivo + command.

* tener control sobre = have + hold on.

* tomar el control = take + the helm.

* tomar el control de = take + control of.

* torno de control de entrada = turnstile.

* * *

1) ( dominio) control

- control de armamentos

- control de natalidad

- control demográfico

2) ( vigilancia)

- control de calidad

- control de existencias

- control de pasaportes

- control de precios

3) (en carretera, rally) checkpoint

4)

a) ( de aparato) control

b) controles masculino plural (Rad)

- control remoto

5)

a) (Educ) test

b) (Med) check-up

•

- control antidoping

* * *

* * *

A (dominio) control

la epidemia está bajo control the epidemic is under control

perdió el control del vehículo he lost control of the vehicle

el coche giró sin control the car spun, out of control

perdí el control y le di una bofetada I lost control (of myself) and slapped him

no tiene ningún control sobre sí mismo he has no self-control

se hizo con el control de la compañía he gained control of the company

thought control

budget o budgetary control

(vigilancia, fiscalización): lleva el control de los gastos she keeps tabs o a check on the money that is spent

arms control

quality control o check

credit control

birth control

passport control

traffic control

sanitary control

security check

C (en la carretera) checkpoint; (en un rally) checkpoint

1 (de un aparato) control

el control del volumen/brillo the volume/brightness control

2 controles mpl ( Rad):

con Martín en los controles with studio production by Martín

remote control

funciona a or por control remoto it works by remote control

1 ( Educ) test

2 ( Med) check-up

dope test, drug test

* * *

◊ bajo control under control;

a) (Educ) test

b) (Med) check-up;

◊ control antidoping dope test, drug test

* * *

control nm

1. [dominio] control;

bajo control under control;

fuera de control out of control;

perder el control [de vehículo] to lose control;

bebe/fuma sin control he drinks/smokes an enormous amount

control de (la) natalidad birth control;

2. [comprobación, verificación] examination, inspection;

todos los productos pasan un riguroso control all the products are rigorously inspected o examined;

(bajo) control médico (under) medical supervision;

él se encarga del control del gasto he is the person in charge of controlling expenditure;

efectúan un control continuo de su tensión his blood pressure is being continuously monitored

el control de acceso al edificio the system controlling access to the building;

control de alcoholemia breath test, Br Breathalyser® o US Breathalyzer® test;

control antidoping drugs test;

control de armamento arms control;

control de calidad quality control;

control financiero financial control;

control del tráfico aéreo air-traffic control

3. [vigilancia] examination;

un edificio sometido a un fuerte control a building with very heavy security

4. [de policía] checkpoint;

control de velocidad por radar radar speed trap

5. [examen] test, US quiz

6. Dep [del balón] control;

tiene un buen control he's got good control

7. [mando] control;

el control del encendido/apagado the on/off switch

activar algo por control remoto to activate sth by remote control

8. Rad

* * *

1 control;

perder el control lose control;

tenerlo todo bajo control have everything under control

2 ( inspección) check

* * *

control nm

1) : control

2) : inspection, check

3) : checkpoint, roadblock

* * *

control n

1. (en general) control

2. (examen) check

llevar el control de algo to run something [pt. ran; pp. run]

SUBJECT AREA: Broadcasting, Electronics and information technology, Recording, Telecommunications

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From an early age he was absorbed by phenomena of physics to the exclusion of all other subjects, including mathematics. When choosing his subjects for the final three years in Borgedydskolen in Christianshavn (Copenhagen) before university, he opted for languages and history. At the University of Copenhagen he embarked on the study of medicine in 1889, but broke it off and was apprenticed to the machine firm of A/S Frichs Eftf. in Aarhus. He was employed between 1893 and 1899 as a mechanic and assistant in the laboratory of the Copenhagen Telephone Company KTAS. Eventually he advanced to be Head of the line fault department. This suited his desire for experiment and measurement perfectly. After the invention of the telegraphone in 1898, he left the laboratory and with responsible business people he created Aktieselskabet Telegrafonen, Patent Poulsen in order to develop it further, together with Peder Oluf Pedersen (1874– 1941). Pedersen brought with him the mathematical background which eventually led to his professorship in electronic engineering in 1922.

The telegraphone was the basis for multinational industrial endeavours after it was demonstrated at the 1900 World's Exhibition in Paris. It must be said that its strength was also its weakness, because the telegraphone was unique in bringing sound recording and reproduction to the telephone field, but the lack of electronic amplifiers delayed its use outside this and the dictation fields (where headphones could be used) until the 1920s. However, commercial interest was great enough to provoke a number of court cases concerning patent infringement, in which Poulsen frequently figured as a witness.

In 1903–4 Poulsen and Pedersen developed the arc generator for continuous radio waves which was used worldwide for radio transmitters in competition with Marconi's spark-generating system. The inspiration for this work came from the research by William Duddell on the musical arc. Whereas Duddell had proposed the use of the oscillations generated in his electric arc for telegraphy in his 1901 UK patent, Poulsen contributed a chamber of hydrogen and a transverse magnetic field which increased the efficiency remarkably. He filed patent applications on these constructions from 1902 and the first publication in a scientific forum took place at the International Electrical Congress in St Louis, Missouri, in 1904.

In order to use continuous waves efficiently (the high frequency constituted a carrier), Poulsen developed both a modulator for telegraphy and a detector for the carrier wave. The modulator was such that even the more primitive spark-communication receivers could be used. Later Poulsen and Pedersen developed frequency-shift keying.

The Amalgamated Radio-Telegraph Company Ltd was launched in London in 1906, combining the developments of Poulsen and those of De Forest Wireless Telegraph Syndicate. Poulsen contributed his English and American patents. When this company was liquidated in 1908, its assets were taken over by Det Kontinentale Syndikat for Poulsen Radio Telegrafi, A/S in Copenhagen (liquidated 1930–1). Some of the patents had been sold to C.Lorenz AG in Berlin, which was very active.

The arc transmitting system was in use worldwide from about 1910 to 1925, and the power increased from 12 kW to 1,000 kW. In 1921 an exceptional transmitter rated at 1,800 kW was erected on Java for communications with the Netherlands. More than one thousand installations had been in use worldwide. The competing systems were initially spark transmitters (Marconi) and later rotary converters ( Westinghouse). Similar power was available from valve transmitters only much later.

From c. 1912 Poulsen did not contribute actively to further development. He led a life as a well-respected engineer and scientist and served on several committees. He had his private laboratory and made experiments in the composition of matter and certain resonance phenomena; however, nothing was published. It has recently been suggested that Poulsen could not have been unaware of Oberlin Smith's work and publication in 1888, but his extreme honesty in technical matters indicates that his development was indeed independent. In the case of the arc generator, Poulsen was always extremely frank about the inspiration he gained from earlier developers' work.

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SUBJECT AREA: Electricity, Electronics and information technology, Public utilities

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After attending Owens College, Manchester, Hopkinson was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1867 to read for the Mathematical Tripos. An appointment in 1872 with the lighthouse department of the Chance Optical Works in Birmingham directed his attention to electrical engineering. His most noteworthy contribution to lighthouse engineering was an optical system to produce flashing lights that distinguished between individual beacons. His extensive researches on the dielectric properties of glass were recognized when he was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society at the age of 29. Moving to London in 1877 he became established as a consulting engineer at a time when electricity supply was about to begin on a commercial scale. During the remainder of his life, Hopkinson's researches resulted in fundamental contributions to electrical engineering practice, dynamo design and alternating current machine theory. In making a critical study of the Edison dynamo he developed the principle of the magnetic circuit, a concept also arrived at by Gisbert Kapp around the same time. Hopkinson's improvement of the Edison dynamo by reducing the length of the field magnets almost doubled its output. In 1890, in addition to-his consulting practice, Hopkinson accepted a post as the first Professor of Electrical Engineering and Head of the Siemens laboratory recently established at King's College, London. Although he was not involved in lecturing, the position gave him the necessary facilities and staff and student assistance to continue his researches. Hopkinson was consulted on many proposals for electric traction and electricity supply, including schemes in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. He also advised Mather and Platt when they were acting as contractors for the locomotives and generating plant for the City and South London tube railway. As early as 1882 he considered that an ideal method of charging for the supply of electricity should be based on a two-part tariff, with a charge related to maximum demand together with a charge for energy supplied. Hopkinson was one the foremost expert witnesses of his day in patent actions and was himself the patentee of over forty inventions, of which the three-wire system of distribution and the series-parallel connection of traction motors were his most successful. Jointly with his brother Edward, John Hopkinson communicated the outcome of his investigations to the Royal Society in a paper entitled "Dynamo Electric Machinery" in 1886. In this he also described the later widely used "back to back" test for determining the characteristics of two identical machines. His interest in electrical machines led him to more fundamental research on magnetic materials, including the phenomenon of recalescence and the disappearance of magnetism at a well-defined temperature. For his work on the magnetic properties of iron, in 1890 he was awarded the Royal Society Royal Medal. He was a member of the Alpine Club and a pioneer of rock climbing in Britain; he died, together with three of his children, in a climbing accident.

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SUBJECT AREA: Automotive engineering, Land transport

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He spent his childhood at The Hall in Bradfordon-Avon. He was educated at Marlborough College, and in 1937 was apprenticed to the Sentinel Steam Wagon Company of Shrewsbury. About that same time he went to King's College, Cambridge, where he took the Mechanical Sciences Tripos. It was then wartime, and he did research on aero-engines at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, where he became Personal Assistant to Sir Roy Fedden. He left Bristol's in 1945 to join his family firm, Spencer \& Moulton, of which he eventually became Technical Director and built up the Research Department. In 1948 he invented his first suspension unit, the "Flexitor", in which an inner shaft and an outer shell were separated by an annular rubber body which was bonded to both.

In 1848 his great-grandfather had founded the family firm in an old woollen mill, to manufacture vulcanized rubber products under Charles Goodyear's patent. The firm remained a family business with Spencer's, consultants in railway engineering, until 1956 when it was sold to the Avon Rubber Company. He then formed Moulton Developments to continue his work on vehicle suspensions in the stables attached to The Hall. Sponsored by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Dunlop Rubber Company, he invented a rubber cone spring in 1951 which was later used in the BMC Mini (see Issigonis, Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine): by 1994 over 4 million Minis had been fitted with these springs, made by Dunlop. In 1954 he patented the Hydrolastic suspension system, in which all four wheels were independently sprung with combined rubber springs and damper assembly, the weight being supported by fluid under pressure, and the wheels on each side being interconnected, front to rear. In 1962 he formed Moulton Bicycles Ltd, having designed an improved bicycle system for adult use. The conventional bicycle frame was replaced by a flat-sided oval steel tube F-frame on a novel rubber front and rear suspension, with the wheel size reduced to 41 cm (16 in.) with high-pressure tyres. Raleigh Industries Ltd having refused his offer to produce the Moulton Bicycle under licence, he set up his own factory on his estate, producing 25,000 bicycles between 1963 and 1966. In 1967 he sold out to Raleigh and set up as Bicycle Consultants Ltd while continuing the suspension development of Moulton Developments Ltd. In the 1970s the combined firms employed some forty staff, nearly 50 per cent of whom were graduates.

He won the Queen's Award for Industry in 1967 for technical innovation in Hydrolastic car suspension and the Moulton Bicycle. Since that time he has continued his innovative work on suspensions and the bicycle. In 1983 he introduced the AM bicycle series of very sophisticated space-frame design with suspension and 43 cm (17 in.) wheels; this machine holds the world speed record fully formed at 82 km/h (51 mph). The current Rover 100 and MGF use his Hydragas interconnected suspension. By 1994 over 7 million cars had been fitted with Moulton suspensions. He has won many design awards and prizes, and has been awarded three honorary doctorates of engineering. He is active in engineering and design education.

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SUBJECT AREA: Land transport, Railways and locomotives

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Behr trained as an engineer in Britain and had several railway engineering appointments before becoming associated with C.F.M.-T. Lartigue in promoting the Lartigue monorail system in the British Isles. In Lartigue's system, a single rail was supported on trestles; vehicles ran on the rail, their bodies suspended pannier-fashion, stabilized by horizontal rollers running against light guide rails fixed to the sides of the trestles. Behr became Managing Director of the Listowel \& Ballybunion Railway Company, which in 1888 opened its Lartigue system line between those two places in the south-west of Ireland. Three locomotives designed by J.T.A. Mallet were built for the line by Hunslet Engine Company, each with two horizontal boilers, one either side of the track. Coaches and wagons likewise were in two parts. Technically the railway was successful, but lack of traffic caused the company to go bankrupt in 1897: the railway continued to operate until 1924.

Meanwhile Behr had been thinking in terms far more ambitious than a country branch line. Railway speeds of 150mph (240km/h) or more then lay far in the future: engineers were uncertain whether normal railway vehicles would even be stable at such speeds. Behr was convinced that a high-speed electric vehicle on a substantial Lartigue monorail track would be stable. In 1897 he demonstrated such a vehicle on a 3mile (4.8km) test track at the Brussels International Exhibition. By keeping the weight of the motors low, he was able to place the seats above rail level. Although the generating station provided by the Exhibition authorities never operated at full power, speeds over 75mph (120 km/h) were achieved.

Behr then promoted the Manchester-Liverpool Express Railway, on which monorail trains of this type running at speeds up to 110mph (177km/h) were to link the two cities in twenty minutes. Despite strong opposition from established railway companies, an Act of Parliament authorizing it was made in 1901. The Act also contained provision for the Board of Trade to require experiments to prove the system's safety. In practice this meant that seven miles of line, and a complete generating station to enable trains to travel at full speed, must be built before it was known whether the Board would give its approval for the railway or not. Such a condition was too severe for the scheme to attract investors and it remained stillborn.

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See also: Brennan, Louis

SUBJECT AREA: Mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic engineering, Railways and locomotives, Steam and internal combustion engines, Textiles, Weapons and armour

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John George Bodmer (as he was known in England) showed signs of great inventive ability even as a child. Soon after completing his apprenticeship to a local millwright, he set up his own work-shop at Zussnacht. One of his first inventions, in 1805, was a shell which exploded on impact. Soon after this he went into partnership with Baron d'Eichthal to establish a cotton mill at St Blaise in the Black Forest. Bodmer designed the water-wheels and all the machinery. A few years later they established a factory for firearms and Bodmer designed special machine tools and developed a system of interchangeable manufacture comparable with American developments at that time. More inventions followed, including a detachable bayonet for breech-loading rifles and a rifled, breech-loading cannon for 12 lb (5.4 kg) shells.

Bodmer was appointed by the Grand Duke of Baden to the posts of Director General of the Government Iron Works and Inspector of Artillery. He left St Blaise in 1816 and entered completely into the service of the Grand Duke, but before taking up his duties he visited Britain for the first time and made an intensive five-month tour of textile mills, iron works, workshops and similar establishments.

In 1821 he returned to Switzerland and was engaged in setting up cotton mills and other engineering works. In 1824 he went back to England, where he obtained a patent for his improvements in cotton machinery and set up a mill near Bolton incorporating his ideas. His health failing, he was obliged to return to Switzerland in 1828, but he was soon busy with engineering works there and in France. In 1833 he went to England again, first to Bolton and four years later to Manchester in partnership with H.H.Birley. In the next ten years he patented many more inventions in the fields of textile machinery, steam engines and machine tools. These included a balanced steam engine, a mechanical stoker, steam engine valve gear, gear-cutting machines and a circular planer or vertical lathe, anticipating machines of this type later developed in America by E.P. Bullard. The metric system was used in his workshops and in gearing calculations he introduced the concept of diametral pitch, which then became known as "Manchester Pitch". The balanced engine was built in stationary form and in two locomotives, but although their running was remarkably smooth the additional complication prevented their wider use.

After the death of H.H.Birley in 1846, Bodmer removed to London until 1848, when he went to Austria. About 1860 he returned to his native town of Zurich. He remained actively engaged in all kinds of inventions up to the end of his life. He obtained fourteen British patents, each of which describes many inventions; two of these patents were extended beyond the normal duration of fourteen years. Two others were obtained on his behalf, one by his brother James in 1813 for his cannon and one relating to railways by Charles Fox in 1847. Many of his inventions had little direct influence but anticipated much later developments. His ideas were sound and some of his engines and machine tools were in use for over sixty years. He was elected a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1835.

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SUBJECT AREA: Architecture and building, Paper and printing

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Perkins's occupation was that of a gold-and silversmith; while he does not seem to have followed this after 1800, however, it gave him the skills in working metals which he would continue to employ in his inventions. He had been working in America for four years before he patented his nail-making machine in 1796. At the time there was a great shortage of nails because only hand-forged ones were available. By 1800, other people had followed his example and produced automatic nail-making machines, but in 1811 Perkins' improved machines were introduced to England by J.C. Dyer. Eventually Perkins had twenty-one American patents for a range of inventions in his name.

In 1799 Perkins invented a system of engraving steel plates for printing banknotes, which became the foundation of modern siderographic work. It discouraged forging and was adopted by many banking houses, including the Federal Government when the Second United States Bank was inaugurated in 1816. This led Perkins to move to Philadelphia. In the intervening years, Perkins had improved his nail-making machine, invented a machine for graining morocco leather in 1809, a fire-engine in 1812, a letter-lock for bank vaults and improved methods of rolling out spoons in 1813, and improved armament and equipment for naval ships from 1812 to 1815.

It was in Philadelphia that Perkins became interested in the steam engine, when he met Oliver Evans, who had pioneered the use of high-pressure steam. He became a member of the American Philosophical Society and conducted experiments on the compressibility of water before a committee of that society. Perkins claimed to have liquified air during his experiments in 1822 and, if so, was the real discoverer of the liquification of gases. In 1819 he came to England to demonstrate his forgery-proof system of printing banknotes, but the Bank of England was the only one which did not adopt his system.

While in London, Perkins began to experiment with the highest steam pressures used up to that time and in 1822 took out his first of nineteen British patents. This was followed by another in 1823 for a 10 hp (7.5 kW) engine with only 2 in. (51 mm) bore, 12 in. (305 mm) stroke but a pressure of 500 psi (35 kg/cm²), for which he claimed exceptional economy. After 1826, Perkins abandoned his drum boiler for iron tubes and steam pressures of 1,500 psi (105 kg/cm²), but the materials would not withstand such pressures or temperatures for long. It was in that same year that he patented a form of uniflow cylinder that was later taken up by L.J. Todd. One of his engines ran for five days, continuously pumping water at St Katherine's docks, but Perkins could not raise more finance to continue his experiments.

In 1823 one his high-pressure hot-water systems was installed to heat the Duke of Wellington's house at Stratfield Saye and it acquired a considerable vogue, being used by Sir John Soane, among others. In 1834 Perkins patented a compression ice-making apparatus, but it did not succeed commercially because ice was imported more cheaply from Norway as ballast for sailing ships. Perkins was often dubbed "the American inventor" because his inquisitive personality allied to his inventive ingenuity enabled him to solve so many mechanical challenges.

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