Ireland

The discoveries of electricity in the latter half of the 18th Century, and its close connection with magnetism, were the products of earlier experiments, which in turn led to the invention of the electric telegraph. Telegraphy had connected the interior of the United States, and it also connected Europe together. However, connecting the Americas and Europe proved to be a challenge. Due to the electric current that ran through the cable lines, insulation and waterproofing was necessary. The discovery of gutta percha, a gum like substance proved to be a satisfactory waterproof insulator. In the 1850´s a number of attempts were made to lay a cable between Ireland and Newfoundland. In 1864 two investors put up the capital and the Great Eastern was offered to Cyrus Field to lay a cable. The Great Eastern was five times larger than any vessel afloat at the time. She was able to carry the entire new cable, which weighed 7,000 tons. The 2,600 miles of cable could be lowered in a continuous line from Ireland to Newfoundland. In June 1865 the Great Eastern arrived at Valentia and began laying the cable. Within 600 miles of Newfoundland the cable snapped and sank. The Great Eastern, after making several attempts to recover the cable without success, returned to Ireland. A new company, the Anglo American Telegraph Co. raised £600,000 to make another attempt at laying the cable. The Great Eastern was overhauled, and in June 1866 the ship left Valentia, Ireland and sailed for Trinity Bay without mishap. The cable arrived at Heart's Content, (corresponding IEEE Milestone) on 27 July 1866. Europe and the Americas had finally been connected. The Great Eastern was also able to recover the 1865 cable, and two Atlantic cables were working.

Tags

Electrical

Telegraph

Ireland

Newfoundland

On July 13, 1866 the Great Eastern steamed westward from Valentia, laying telegraph cable behind her. The successful landing at Heart's Content, Newfoundland on July 27 established a permanent electrical communications link that altered for all time personal, commercial and political relations between people across the Atlantic Ocean. Later, additional cables were laid from Valentia and new stations opened at Ballinskelligs (1874) and Waterville (1884), making County Kerry a major focal point for global communications.

Image Credit

Courtesy IEEE

Image Caption

The County Kerry Cable Stations

Callan's Pioneering Contributions to Electrical Science and Technology

Taiyuan Pai — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:35:11 +0000

Callan's Pioneering Contributions to Electrical Science and Technology

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 11:35

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

Location Country

Coordinates

53.38157, -6.59098

City

Maynooth

Country

Ireland

Website

http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Callan%27s_Pioneering_Contribu…

A pioneer in the development of electrical science, Nicholas Joseph Callan was born on 22 December 1799 in Darver, Ireland. He started the priesthood at Navan Seminary, and continued his studies at St. Patrick’s College Maynooth, where he studied natural and experimental philosophy under Dr. Cornelius Denvir. After his ordination as priest in 1823, Callan pursued his doctorate in divinity in Rome, where he became acquainted with Galvani and Volta’s work in the study of electricity, and recognized the potential to put it to practical and commercial use with powerful batteries. In 1826, Callan returned to Maynooth as the new chair of natural philosophy, where he also began working with electricity in his basement laboratory at the college. Influenced by the work of his friend William Sturgeon, the inventor of the first electromagnet, and the work of Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry on the induction coil, Callan began work on the idea of the induction coil in 1834. He developed his first induction coil in 1836. In addition to this achievement, Callan built the first successful mechanical current breaker, which he called a “repeater.” He was the first to establish the link between rate-of-change of current and electromagnetic induction, and discovered the principle of the self-exciting dynamo. Callan also built the most powerful batteries and electromagnets of his time, including a giant battery of 577 cells, and patented a method for protecting iron from rust, an early form of galvanization. Callan died at Maynooth on 10 January 1864.

Tags

Electromagnetic Induction

Flux

Reverend Nicholas Callan (1799 - 1864), professor of Natural Philosophy at Saint Patrick's College Maynooth, contributed significantly to the understanding of electrical induction and the development of the induction coil. He did this through a series of experiments that made the inductive transient phenomena visibly clear. The apparatus used in these experiments was replicated in other laboratories.

Image Credit

Courtesy National University of Ireland

Image Caption

Nicholas Joseph Callan made many discoveries during his lifetime; he was the first to establish the link between rate-of-change of current and electromagnetic induction, and discovered the principle of the self-exciting dynamo.

Dublin-Belfast Rail Link

Taiyuan Pai — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:40:48 +0000

Dublin-Belfast Rail Link

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 12:40

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

City

Dublin to Belfast

Country

Ireland

Website

http://www.asce.org/Project/Dublin-Belfast-Rail-Link/

The Dublin to Belfast Rail Link established a vital connection between the capitals of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The line's most notable engineering feature was the 1,760-foot-long Boyne Bridge; it represented one of the earliest uses of calculated stresses, the first large-scale use of wrought iron latticed girders, and the first full scale test of continuous beams. Tests performed on the wrought iron columns and struts were published and provided invaluable information for engineers who would design similar structures in the future.

Due to increased axel loads, weight, and speed restrictions imposed as early as 1885, the bridge was deficient to meet changing transportation requirements. By 1932, the original structure was removed and replaced with a steel bridge.

The Craigmore Viaduct is another significant element of the rail link. The graceful stone masonry viaduct has 15 semi-circular arches. It rises 137 feet above the Camlough River valley, making it the highest railway bridge in Ireland.

Facts

The girders were produced using a lever punching press. This was the first engineering machine tool to be controlled by punched card.
Masonry piers were composed mainly of local limestone and founded on rock.
The bridge's three main spans ranged from 141 to 267 feet.

Tags

The Dublin-Belfast rail-link provides a link between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and is recognized for the first large-scale use of wrought-iron latticed girders and the first full-scale test of continuous beams.

Image Credit

Courtesy Wikipedia/Henry Clark

Image Caption

The Dublin to Belfast Rail Link established a vital connection between the capitals of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.