Martin Thomas Commerford - The inventions, researches, and writings of Nikola Tesla

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The inventions, researches and writings of

Nikola Tesla, by Thomas Commerford Martin This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license

Title: The inventions, researches and writings of Nikola Tesla With special reference to his work in polyphase currents and high potential lighting

Author: Thomas Commerford Martin

Release Date: March 26, 2012 [EBook #39272]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INVENTIONS, RESEARCHES ***

Produced by Anna Hall, Albert Lszl and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

THE INVENTIONS

RESEARCHES AND WRITINGS

OF

NIKOLA TESLA

TO HIS COUNTRYMEN

IN EASTERN EUROPE THIS RECORD OF THE WORK ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED BY

NIKOLA TESLA

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

[Illustration: Nikola Tesla]

THE INVENTIONS RESEARCHES AND WRITINGS

OF

NIKOLA TESLA

WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS WORK IN POLYPHASE CURRENTS AND HIGH POTENTIAL LIGHTING

BY

THOMAS COMMERFORD MARTIN

Editor THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER; Past-President American Institute Electrical Engineers

1894 THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER NEW YORK

D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY, NEW YORK.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1893 by T. C. MARTIN in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington

Press of McIlroy & Emmet, 36 Cortlandt St., N. Y.

PREFACE.

The electrical problems of the present day lie largely in the economical transmission of power and in the radical improvement of the means and methods of illumination. To many workers and thinkers in the domain of electrical invention, the apparatus and devices that are familiar, appear cumbrous and wasteful, and subject to severe limitations. They believe that the principles of current generation must be changed, the area of current supply be enlarged, and the appliances used by the consumer be at once cheapened and simplified. The brilliant successes of the past justify them in every expectancy of still more generous fruition.

The present volume is a simple record of the pioneer work done in such departments up to date, by Mr. Nikola Tesla, in whom the world has already recognized one of the foremost of modern electrical investigators and inventors. No attempt whatever has been made here to emphasize the importance of his researches and discoveries. Great ideas and real inventions win their own way, determining their own place by intrinsic merit. But with the conviction that Mr. Tesla is blazing a path that electrical development must follow for many years to come, the compiler has endeavored to bring together all that bears the impress of Mr. Tesla's genius, and is worthy of preservation. Aside from its value as showing the scope of his inventions, this volume may be of service as indicating the range of his thought. There is intellectual profit in studying the push and play of a vigorous and original mind.

Although the lively interest of the public in Mr. Tesla's work is perhaps of recent growth, this volume covers the results of full ten years. It includes his lectures, miscellaneous articles and discussions, and makes note of all his inventions thus far known, particularly those bearing on polyphase motors and the effects obtained with currents of high potential and high frequency. It will be seen that Mr. Tesla has ever pressed forward, barely pausing for an instant to work out in detail the utilizations that have at once been obvious to him of the new principles he has elucidated. Wherever possible his own language has been employed.

It may be added that this volume is issued with Mr. Tesla's sanction and approval, and that permission has been obtained for the re-publication in it of such papers as have been read before various technical societies of this country and Europe. Mr. Tesla has kindly favored the author by looking over the proof sheets of the sections embodying his latest researches. The work has also enjoyed the careful revision of the author's friend and editorial associate, Mr. Joseph Wetzler, through whose hands all the proofs have passed.

DECEMBER, 1893.

T. C. M.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

POLYPHASE CURRENTS.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND INTRODUCTORY. 3

A NEW SYSTEM OF ALTERNATING CURRENT MOTORS AND TRANSFORMERS. 7

THE TESLA ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELD.--MOTORS WITH CLOSED CONDUCTORS.--SYNCHRONIZING MOTORS.--ROTATING FIELD TRANSFORMERS. 9

MODIFICATIONS AND EXPANSIONS OF THE TESLA POLYPHASE SYSTEMS. 26

UTILIZING FAMILIAR TYPES OF GENERATORS OF THE CONTINUOUS CURRENT TYPE. 31

METHOD OF OBTAINING DESIRED SPEED OF MOTOR OR GENERATOR. 36

REGULATOR FOR ROTARY CURRENT MOTORS. 45

SINGLE CIRCUIT, SELF-STARTING SYNCHRONIZING MOTORS. 50

CHANGE FROM DOUBLE CURRENT TO SINGLE CURRENT MOTORS. 56

MOTOR WITH "CURRENT LAG" ARTIFICIALLY SECURED. 58

ANOTHER METHOD OF TRANSFORMATION FROM A TORQUE TO A SYNCHRONIZING MOTOR. 62

"MAGNETIC LAG" MOTOR. 67

METHOD OF OBTAINING DIFFERENCE OF PHASE BY MAGNETIC SHIELDING. 71

TYPE OF TESLA SINGLE-PHASE MOTOR. 76

MOTORS WITH CIRCUITS OF DIFFERENT RESISTANCE. 79

MOTOR WITH EQUAL MAGNETIC ENERGIES IN FIELD AND ARMATURE. 81

MOTORS WITH COINCIDING MAXIMA OF MAGNETIC EFFECT IN ARMATURE AND FIELD. 83

MOTOR BASED ON THE DIFFERENCE OF PHASE IN THE MAGNETIZATION OF THE INNER AND OUTER PARTS OF AN IRON CORE. 88

ANOTHER TYPE OF TESLA INDUCTION MOTOR. 92

COMBINATIONS OF SYNCHRONIZING MOTOR AND TORQUE MOTOR. 95

MOTOR WITH A CONDENSER IN THE ARMATURE CIRCUIT. 101

MOTOR WITH CONDENSER IN ONE OF THE FIELD CIRCUITS. 106

TESLA POLYPHASE TRANSFORMER. 109

A CONSTANT CURRENT TRANSFORMER WITH MAGNETIC SHIELD BETWEEN COILS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY. 113

PART II.

THE TESLA EFFECTS WITH HIGH FREQUENCY AND HIGH POTENTIAL CURRENTS.

INTRODUCTORY.--THE SCOPE OF THE TESLA LECTURES. 119

THE NEW YORK LECTURE. EXPERIMENTS WITH ALTERNATE CURRENTS OF VERY HIGH FREQUENCY, AND THEIR APPLICATION TO METHODS OF ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION, MAY 20, 1891. 145

THE LONDON LECTURE. EXPERIMENTS WITH ALTERNATE CURRENTS OF HIGH POTENTIAL AND HIGH FREQUENCY, FEBRUARY 3, 1892. 198