Westinghouse – Kolyo D.

One of Westinghouse’s most important inventions was the air break for the trains. He revolutionized the train industry and made great advancement in that field. This system used a compressor on the engine of the train and used a single pipe running all the way thru the train. If the systems of the train fail, the pipe can be disconnected, and the brakes will be applied. Air brakes systems make transportation by train safer. The air break reduces the possibility of accidents. It also enables longer and heavier trains to run at higher speeds. Air brakes are still used in everyday vehicles. One other great invention of this great inventor was the AC system. He revolutionized the electricity industry forever with his brilliant design and efficient system. He would have been way less successful without the help of Nicola Tesla. The creator of the efficient AC motor there were other alternatives but Tesla’s was the best.

Tesla and the AC Motor – Joey M

Tesla was first very reluctant to speak about his new polyphase AC motor but later convinced by Thomas Martin to do so. He spoke about how previous AC motors failed and how his design fixed the problems where the others fell short. Polyphase systems use several electrical conductors carrying an alternating current. The currents are offset so there is always a consistent voltage in the wire. After Tesla spoke of his design Westinghouse realized it was the missing part to his AC system. At this point they began negotiating and the war of the currents ensued.

Westinghouse-June Sri

Westinghouse’s most important contributions are a railroad braking system and an AC electrical system. Westinghouse invented the railroad braking system in 1869. This system used a compressor on the engine of a train and used a single pipe running throughout the whole train length. The compressor and the pipe refill the reservoirs and control the brakes. If the system of the train fails the pipe can be disconnected and the brakes will be applied. Air brakes systems make transportation by train safer. It reduces the possibility of accidents in trying to stop the train. It also enables longer and heavier trains to run at a higher speed. Air brakes are now used in trucks, car, and many other transportation devices.

Westinghouse also contributed the AC electrical system to the scientific world. At the peak of the time for electricity there was a debate about whether the alternating current or the direct current was more efficient. Thomas Edison insisted that an alternating current was dangerous and was not as efficient as a direct current. Westinghouse insisted that the alternating current was better because the alternating current allowed distribution of power over distances of hundreds of miles, including rural areas. Westinghouse proved this belief and built on it. He improved the transformer for AC and built a more efficient AC power network. Thanks to Westinghouse AC systems are now in use throughout the entire world.

Westinghouse – Wes Vullo

George Westinghouse was a bold inventor and American business man, known primarily for his electric company Westinghouse Electric, AC generators, and air brakes. Safety was important in an ever expanding transportation and freight industry, and Westinghouse took advantage of that. Westinghouse’s early invention of the air brakes in railroad industry boosted his reputation and provided him enough capital to search into other ventures. Upon noticing Nikola Tesla’s competence in inventing and innovating, Westinghouse was determined to become business partners with him. Westinghouse purchased all of Tesla’s patents that were relevant to alternating current in an effort to battle Edison’s direct current. Westinghouse’s AC generators proved to be highly inefficient, and he invented a new steam turbine to bolster his efficiency. Although Edison had enormous amounts of capital, Westinghouse was able to produce AC generators efficiently, and with small costs to his company. Westinghouse’s control of precious AC generators haunted Edison, and eventually Edison proved to be the lesser minded. Westinghouse’s more efficient AC generators soon prevailed in the war of currents, thanks to Tesla and capital gained from his company. With the war of the currents won, Westinghouse was able to spread AC power to homes and cities, thus starting a revolution.

How Transformers Work – Dave

The invention and improvement of the transformer was a momumental acheivement towards creating a successful AC system. Without the transformer, alternating current would not have as an effective edge over direct current. The transformer steps up the voltage from an AC generator, allowing the current to travel  much farther distances. Then, before the current reaches it’s destination (i.e. a light bulb) , it steps it back down to a more managable level so it can be used in every day life. It is immpossible to use DC with a transformer because of the way it works. A transformer uses alternating current to create a magnetic field, which would change the voltage being sent or recieved. Direct current would not be able to create a magnetic field because the is no occilation in the current. The transformer uses a system of coils of copper wire wrapped around a iron rod. These coils have the center peice of an H running through it, where the horizontal peice will actually act as a primary and secondary inductor for creating a magnetic field. Then end peices, or vertical parts of the H, would act at end cap for the transfromer, sealing everything in. As Faraday has discovered, the more coils used in the transformer, the more the voltage could be changed.

Westinghouse – Ryan C

The development of the transformer was one of the most important events in the history of alternating current. It allowed for the transformation from a low voltage electrical current to a high voltage electrical current and back again. This was the essence of AC electrical power. It could be generated at a fairly low voltage, stepped up to a high voltage (which enabled transmission over long distances without significant power loss), and then stepped down again for use in the home. This was accomplished by using Faraday’s law of magnetic induction. Faraday’s law states that a changing current creates a changing magnetic field, and a changing magnetic field induces a changing (alternating) current. Because alternating current is oscillating constantly, it is constantly changing. This creates a magnetic field around the wire. When another wire is placed next to it, the magnetic field induces a current in that wire. So when wires are wound in a coil, the magnetic field they create can induce an alternating current in an adjacent coil. The magnetic field that is created is proportional to the number of turns in the coil. Therefore, the more coils, the stronger the magnetic field. The stronger the magnetic field, the greater the voltage is in the induced current, and vice versa. In this way, a transformer enables the voltage of an alternating current to be changed. Because of this, alternating current was much more efficient than direct current. Direct current could not use transformers because the current was not changing and therefore didn’t induce a magnetic field. This meant that to send direct current a long distance, a current with a very high voltage had to be generated. But unlike alternating current, a direct current’s voltage could not be changed, so when it reached its destination, its voltage would be too high for use in the home.

Westinghouse

George Westinghouse, a master of machinery and business, contributed to society in two ways: safety in railroad transportation, and efficiency in distribution of electricity. The former was a product of his mechanical genius, while the latter a product of his business genius.

Westinghouse had witnessed a train crash caused by an inept braking system. At the time, railroad workers would hop from car to car on the train and apply the brake manually. George Westinghouse invented a train brake that utilized compressed air to have all cars brake simultaneously. Today’s trains apply different variations of the Westinghouse’s patented design.

As for the distribution of electricity, Westinghouse, applying Tesla’s AC motor as well as some of his own Alternating Current parts, was the face of Alternating Current. As for distributing electricity, AC didn’t require generators every mile and could be distributed across long distances as opposed to DC. George Westinghouse, with his investments, presented it to the public as feasible, and even more efficient. Today, the repercussions can be seen as almost all the world resorts to Westinghouse’s AC for electricity.

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George Westinghouse was an American inventor and entrepreneur. First noted for his important invention of air brakes in the boombing railroad industry during that time period. Having enough capital from his steam and air related patents, he was the first to do major bussines with Nikola Tesla and purchased all of his patents relating to AC systems. Although AC was much more effective then DC, The generators were still driven by inefficient Steam Reciprocating engines, Westinghouse was able to invent the steam turbine which was more practical for the job. Westinghouse Company was able to carry out contracts for a much cheaper rate then Edison Electric and Light because of his superior Engineering.

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In class on Wed Oct 22nd, each group will split up and write an analysis of the strenths and weaknesses of the two intro paragraphs on the Wiki as well as propose revisions.

If you handed in the final copy of your Tesla paper on Mon, go to the assignment for next Wed (10-29) on the syllabus and/or Wiki and do reading and research on Westinghouse’s most important contributions and post what you have learned to the blog (checking Westinghouse and your name under categories.