Davenport, Thomas
Published: August 31, 2006, 7:35 pm
Updated: August 31, 2006, 7:35 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence
Thomas Davenport (1802-1851), an American blacksmith who invented the first direct-current (DC) electrical motor in 1834. Davenport's motor design involved mounting one magnet of the motor on a wheel while the other magnet was fixed to a stationary frame. The interaction between the two magnets caused the rotor to turn one-half of a revolution. Davenport learned that by reversing the wires to one of the magnets, he could get the rotor to complete another half-turn. Davenport then devised what we now call a brush and commutator. The electricity source for the magnets was a galvanic battery of the type developed by Volta that used a bucket of a weak acid for an electrolyte. He patented a device for "Improvements in propelling machinery by magnetism and electromagnetism" in 1837, which became the first electric railway. Davenport later started a workshop in New York City and published a journal on electromagnetism, which was printed on a press powered by motors that he devised.
Further Reading
The blacksmith's motor (Mechanical Engineering Magazine Online)
Thomas Davenport - Biography (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Chemistry)
Visser, T. D., 1995. History of the Smalley-Davenport Shop: Birthplace of the Electric Motor in 1834. (Historic Preservation Program, University of Vermont)
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Davenport, Thomas". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 31, 2006; Last revised Date August 31, 2006; Retrieved May 21, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Davenport,_Thomas>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Thomas Davenport (1802-1851), an American blacksmith who invented the first direct-current (DC) electrical motor in 1834. Davenport's motor design involved mounting one magnet of the motor on a wheel while the other magnet was fixed to a stationary frame. The interaction between the two magnets caused the rotor to turn one-half of a revolution. Davenport learned that by reversing the wires to one of the magnets, he could get the rotor to complete another half-turn. Davenport then devised what we now call a brush and commutator. The electricity source for the magnets was a galvanic battery of the type developed by Volta that used a bucket of a weak acid for an electrolyte. He patented a device for "Improvements in propelling machinery by magnetism and electromagnetism" in 1837, which became the first electric railway. Davenport later started a workshop in New York City and published a journal on electromagnetism, which was printed on a press powered by motors that he devised.
Further Reading
The blacksmith's motor (Mechanical Engineering Magazine Online)
Thomas Davenport - Biography (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Chemistry)
Visser, T. D., 1995. History of the Smalley-Davenport Shop: Birthplace of the Electric Motor in 1834. (Historic Preservation Program, University of Vermont)
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