Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.21 |
Object Name |
Driver, Pile |
Title |
Model of Pile Driver |
Artist |
Kuhn, Ludwig C. |
Date |
1790 |
Description |
Wooden frame with brass gearing, pulleys, and weight, the latter apparently filled with lead. The machine is to be operated by four men through a double-crank windlass. The weight is released automatically by a hook-release bar at the top. The windlass has the remains of what may have been a ratchet for the protection of the operators against the sudden release of tension. Unmarked. (Robert P. Multhauf, "Catalogue of Instruments and Models," 1961). |
Label |
In 1790, the APS reported that Ludwig C. Kuhn, "late of Man[n]heim in Germany," exhibited a model of a "Pile-driving Machine for erecting Water Works in or about Rivers &c., or swampy places." Such machines drove long wooden piles into the ground to provide stable foundations for buildings and other structures. The inventor said that his machine enabled four men to raise a 2000-pound pile ten feet in one second. |
Material |
Wood, brass, and lead |
Dimensions |
H-18.75 W-8 D-10 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century invention mechanical engineering model construction |