Eugene Bourdon and the Bourdon gauge

RickA

Almost every gauge since 1849 has come with a Bourdon tube inside. It's the metal tube that flexes when put under pressure and causes the needle on the face of the gauge to read the pressure. Here's a copy of his original US patent and some information about him.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Portrait_of_Professor_Eugene_Bourdon.jpg

https://blog.wika.us/products/pressu...bourdon-gauge/

https://bourdonusa.com/products/pressure-gauges

DanHolohan

I wrote this about the gentleman: https://heatinghelp.com/blog/the-metal-manometer/

RickA

Great article. Blows away everything else on line I could find about Bourdon.

DanHolohan

Thanks!

RickA

I love "patent art". It's beautiful, especially the older patents. Here are some old patents courtesy of google patent. Enjoy!

https://patents.google.com/patent/US116669A/en?q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=steam+gauge++patents&page=1

https://patents.google.com/patent/US119454A/en?q=Ashton&q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=Ashton+steam+gauge++patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2040681A/en?q=Ashton&q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=Ashton+steam+gauge++patents&page=1

https://patents.google.com/patent/US1976938A/en?q=Ashton&q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=Ashton+steam+gauge++patents&page=2

https://patents.google.com/patent/US1621738A/en?q=Ashton&q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=Ashton+steam+gauge++patents&page=3

https://patents.google.com/patent/US1639965A/en?q=Ashton&q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=Ashton+steam+gauge++patents&page=4

And the link to all the pages.
https://patents.google.com/?q=steam&q=gauge&q=patents&oq=+steam+gauge++patents

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

Nice story, Dan. It would be nice to know exactly where in the cemetery Eugene Bourdon is buried in case I ever visit there again.

Unfortunately, Jim Morrison's plot is not longer at Pere Lachaise. They had to move him because it was attracting too much attention.

Oscar Wilde's plot has the same problem.

DanHolohan

Sigh.

RickA

geoff1944 wrote:
"Bourdon's original gauge was not practical for cold climates because the two ends of the tube, or "spring," were pointed down. Condensed water would drain out of the end which was connected to the steam line but would collect in the other end and freeze, bursting the tube. This design is called a "single spring" gauge because the tube is considered to be one "spring."

T. W. Lane patented an improvement to the Bourdon gauge in 1859 which solved this problem. Lane oriented the tube so both ends were pointed up instead of down. He then placed the connection to the steam line in the middle of the tube, at the bottom. Condensed water would then run out of both ends of the tube. This is called a double spring gauge because the tubes on either side of the bottom connection are each considered to be a separate spring."




"You could just rotate the gauge 90*".
_________________
Steven Harrod
Lektor
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
Institut for Systemer, Produktion, og Ledelse

Here's the Lane patent.

RickA

Another old style gauge was the Utica gauge.