Reading Machines
July 20, 2006
Teachers as Scholars Seminar
Technology and the Human
Experience
Cornelius Raiford
Reading the Bicycle Pump
1930's Bicycle Pump
· Cylindrical body made out of metal,
approximately eighteen inches tall and two in
diameter.
· Metal base fans out on the bottom, to be
stepped on by the operator when inflating
tires.
· Metal rod which is attached to the handle
and runs down the middle of the cylinder;
used to push air out the hose and to suck in
new air.
Reading the Bicycle Pump
• · Wood handle attached to the metal rod, used
to move air into the hose.
• · Rubber hose attached to the bottom of the
cylinder.
• · Metal pin to attach the end of the hose to the
inner-tube valve of the tire (unfortunately, this is
missing from the artifact).
• · The metal used is extremely heavy, and has
rusted all over, and the handle does not slide up
and down easily.
• Notes: www.ldeo.columbia.edu/.../
ENERGY/CH04/img7.jpg
1990's Bicycle Pump
· Also a metal cylindrical body made out of metal, but
much thinner and lighter than the metal used in the
1930's, with approximately the same height as its
ancestor but a lot smaller diameter.
· Also has a metal base that is at the bottom of the
cylinder used to keep the pump in an upright position.
However it is now made out of a much lighter material
and can be hinged, allowing the pump to be stored in
a smaller space.
· The rod is still metal, but is a lot lighter.
Reading the Bicycle Pump
•
•
•
•
•
The handle is now made out of plastic.
The hose is still rubber, but now it is wrapped in a
thick protective twine.
The pin is also made out of plastic now.
Overall, this pump is a lot lighter, less prone to rust
and the handle glides up and down easier.
A lot of pumps these days can come with pressure
gauge, so as to avoid pumping too much air into a tire.
www.otal.umd.edu/.../ amstpics/pump_modern.jpg
Reading the Shield
[ 3-7 ]
Diagram of the shield, with
completed tunnel on the right.
The body of the shield is
shown at A, and is simply a
short tube of timberwork,
backed by a heavy wrought
iron ring, against which the
hydraulic rams, D, act to
advance the entire
machine. The front part of
the shield is a heavy chilled
iron ring, B, brought to a
cutting edge, and crossed on
the interior by shelves, C,
also sharpened.
Reading the Shield
•
Bearing blocks, E, of timber, are placed against the masonry, as shown, on
which the rams press when the shield is advanced. F is the pump from
which the water is carried to the rams by pipes G. H is a hood of thin sheet
steel within which the masonry is built, in rings of 16 inches in length, the
bricks interlocked.
•
The operation of this machine is as follows : The pump is worked by one
man, and the rams press with a force of 126 tons against the end of the
masonry.
Reading the Shield
This forces the cutting edge and the shelves into the earth to a distance
corresponding to the length of the stroke in the hydraulic cylinders and the
earth being removed the masonry is again advanced, and so on step by
step. (Scientific American, 1870 Mar 5.)
[ 3-8 ]
Digging the Beach Pneumatic tube with the
shield. From Scientific American, March 5,
1870. Originally from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated
Newspaper, February 19, 1870.
Beach’s Pneumatic Tube
Update on Beach’s Concept
• zapatopi.net/intelitube