Edward Alfred Cowper

Edward Alfred Cowper (born 10 December 1819 in London, † May 9, 1893 in Rest fabrics, Pine Grove, Weybridge, Surrey ) was a British engineer and inventor.

Life

Edward Alfred Cowper began as the son of Professor Edward Shickle Cowper and Ann Applegath already with 14 years teaching in the London engineering works of John Braithwaite and stayed there for seven years. He then moved on to " Fox, Henderson & Co. " to Birmingham. After working on the design of the building to the World Exhibition in London in 1851 he settled there as a freelance, consulting engineer. During this time he designed, among other things, the roof of the station Birmingham New Street with sensational for its time 70 -meter wingspan.

His first invention, a fog signal of Railways, he made in 1837 while teaching. There was a new casting process for rail chairs during his time with " Fox, Henderson & Co. ". 1868 Cowper developed a bicycle with tangential spokes ( Patent No. 3886 of 21 December 1858) and rubber tires. And a composite machine, and an electric Telegraph associated with the plurality of development.

Edward Alfred Cowper is one of the founding members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, whose president he was 1880/81 selected. He was also a board member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a founding member of the Iron and Steel Institute.

1893 Cowper died at his home in Pine Grove, Weybridge ( Surrey ) to pneumonia. He left behind his wife Juliana and a son.

Outstanding achievements

One of the greatest benefits Cowper one named after him redevelopment of the hot blast stoves of blast furnaces which replaced the " Wasseralfinger cowpers " by Faber du Faur used until then.

The seven -part patent was filed under the name " Invention of Improvements in Furnaces for Heating Air and other Elastic Fluids" on May 19, 1857, issued on August 7 of the same year. Among the off-patent parts belonged to the housed in an air-tight, refractory-lined metal housing regenerator itself, which was crossed by the flow channels for blast furnace gas and cold air; the use of two mutually -powered generators, the guaranteed a continuous supply of the furnace with continuous stationary hot air under the same pressure; one or more of alternation essential, lockable fireplaces; and heating the regenerator stack gas, but also other combustible furnace gases.

To this day, " Cowper - blast stoves " used in metallurgy for hot air generation for furnaces of all kinds.