Some notes on reading parts of Reuleaux’s engineering handbook

Reading F. Reuleaux’s The Constructor, in Henry Harrison Suplee’s 01893 English translation of the German fourth edition, 340 pp. including the covers and title pages. Apparently the first edition dates from 01861! But Suplee says his 01893 translation is the first English edition.

I think it’s reasonable to see The Constructor as mostly a 19th-century version of the Machinery’s Handbook, the 01924 sixth edition of which has been in the public domain since January 1, 02020, except that Reuleaux focuses almost exclusively on the machines to be built, not the processes of building them. (Before the Handbook, Oberg started out by writing a toolmaker’s handbook for small tools.) It is only one tenth the size of the Handbook (or a little over one fifth the size of its 1610-page 01924 edition) and it is enormously more readable.

Guiding tables

An introduction briefly covering Reuleaux’s theory of kinematics and “phoronomics” is given on pp. vi–xv (12-21/340). A table of contents is present on pp. xvi–xviii (22-24/340). An alphabetical index occupies pp. 303–312 (327–336/340). An introduction to strength of materials, with various kinds of stresses and strains, but excluding the buckling of Euler columns, is given on pp. 1–18 (column buckling is covered on pp. 82–84), and a graphical method of calculation (“graphostatics”) is given on pp. 22–38. The remainder of the book, except for a short series of mathematical tables on pp. 291–301, is Section III, mostly organized as a catalog of different kinds of mechanisms and machine construction, accompanies with both lucid theoretical explanations and data tables.

Not included are optics, chemistry, metallurgy (except in the broadest sense), machining processes (such as drilling, grinding, lapping, and boring), metrology, feedback control, vibrations and resonances, fluid mechanics (?), ceramics, cams, testing, thermodynamics, textile processes such as weaving and spinning, lithography, and electricity; but substantial attention is given to hydraulics (though not to sliding seals), pneumatics, and tension members such as belts and ropes, as well as some other sorts of manufacturing processes such as rolling. And of course no attention is given to polymers except for rubber, since that art was but little developed in 01893.

Listing of chapters of section III (add 24 to page numbers to get offset in the PDF):

1. Riveting (strength, sheet metal gauges, boilers, etc.) pp. 39–44.
2. Hooping (by shrinkage, cold, dimensions, etc.) pp. 45–46.
3. Keying (longitudinal, cross, for propellers, securing, etc.) pp. 47–50.
4. Bolts and Screws (Whitworth, Sellers, metric, threadforms, etc.) pp. 50–60.
5. Journals (lateral, thrust, friction of, etc.) pp. 60–67.
6. Plain Bearings (lateral, thrust, wooden, etc.) pp. 68–78.
7. Bearing supports (columns, etc.) pp. 79–84.
8. Axles (circular, annular, ribbed, wooden, etc.) pp. 85–92.
9. Shafting (line, deflection of, journals for, etc.) pp. 92–94.
10. Couplings (rigid, flexible, clutch, automatic, etc.) pp. 95–101.
11. Simple levers (cast iron, rock-arm, strength of, etc.) pp. 101–103.
12. Cranks (wrought iron, cast iron, multiple, hand, etc.) pp. 104–109.
13. Combined levers (walking beams, scale beams, etc.) pp. 110–111.
14. Connecting rods (for crank pins, round, cast iron, etc.) pp. 112–118.
15. Crossheads (free, for link connections, for guides, etc.) pp. 118–121.
16. Friction wheels (rolling-element bearings, as gears, etc.) pp. 122–126.
17. Toothed gearing (spur, cycloidal, pin, hyperboloidal, etc.) pp. 127–150.
18. Ratchet gearing (spring, multiple, checking, continuous, etc.) pp. 150–171.
19. Tension organs (hemp, wire, stiffness of, sheaves, etc.) pp. 172–185.
20. Belting (self-guiding, pulleys, efficiency, lacing, etc.) pp. 186–194.
21. Rope transmission (specific capacity of, hemp, wire, etc.) pp. 194–206.
22. Chain transmission, strap brakes (efficiency, etc.) pp. 211–216.
23. Pressure organs (pumps, valves, hydraulic tools, etc.) pp. 216–241.
24. Pipes (iron, copper, steam, lead, stuffing boxes, pistons, etc.) pp. 242–259.
25. Tanks (cast iron, riveted, steam, air, etc.) pp. 260–273.
26. Valves (lift, flap, round, spiral, rotary, etc.) pp. 273–289.

Incomplete listing of figures:

• Fig. 132, common wrought-iron rivet, p. 39 (63/340)
• Fig. 971a, Siemens Geyser pump.
• Fig. 975, the common lift and suction pump and force pump, p. 223 (247/340)
• Fig. 976, Muschenbrœck’s pump for moderate lifts, Donnadieu's pump for deep wells, and the Althaus telescope pump, p. 223 (247/340)
• Fig. 977, differential pump, Rittinger’s pump, and Trevethick’s pump, p. 224 (248/340)
• Fig. 1134, bell valve, p. 276 (300/340)
• Fig. 1135, a set of 19 valves as used in the Heidt shaft at Hermsdorf, p. 276 (300/340)
• Fig. 1136, a cone of ring valves, p. 276 (300/340)
• Fig. 1167, p. 286 (310/340)
• Fig. 1169, Cuvelier’s valve, p. 286 (310/340)
• Fig. 1170, double-seated valves, mislabled Fig. 1770, p. 286 (310/340)
• Fig. 1171, p. 286 (310/340)
• Fig. 1172, an oscillating valve by Wilson, p. 286 (310/340)
• Fig. 1173, Wilson’s balanced valve, p. 287 (311/340)
• Fig. 1174, the balancing of the valves of the Porter-Allen engine, and Sweet's balanced valve, p. 287 (311/340)
• Fig. 1175, the direct and inverted siphons, p. 287 (311/340)
• Fig. 1176, a water trap in a pipe, p. 287 (311/340)
• Fig. 1177, p. 288 (312/340)
• Fig. 1178, Hoffman’s furnace, p. 288 (312/340)
• Fig. 1179, Wilson’s water gas furnace, p. 288 (312/340)
• Fig. 1180, Hero's Fountain, p. 288 (312/340)
• Fig. 1181, the water trap apparatus of Morrison, Ingram, & Co., p. 288 (312/340)

Translation

Terminology has changed substantially since Reuleaux’s time. “Latent forces” are now, I think, called “stiffness” or “rigidity”. Most confusingly, Reuleaux’s “strain” S is what we now call “stress”. His “tensile strength” is a stress, and I think it is the ultimate strength, not the yield stress. “Modulus of resistance” T seems to mean yield strength, and “modulus of rupture” K seems to be the ultimate strength, same as “tensile strength”, suggesting I’m misunderstanding one of them. “Modulus of elasticity” E is the familiar Young’s modulus of elasticity. “Theoretical resistance” is, I think, the force (as opposed to the stress or strain) exceeding the yield strength. “Toughness” has its modern meaning.

(The 01924 edition of the Machinery’s Handbook already uses the modern terminology, so possibly Suplee rather than antiquity is to blame for the nonstandard terminology.)

In many cases Reuleaux tried to introduce new terminology that was not adopted: he considers valves to be “ratchets for pressure organs” (or rather the pawls thereof), pipes to be “conductors for pressure organs”, etc.