Francis, James Bicheno

Francis, James Bicheno
born May 18, 1815, Southleigh, Devon, Eng.
died Sept. 18, 1892, Lowell, Mass., U.S.

British-U.S. hydraulic engineer.

He immigrated to the U.S. in 1833 and at 22 became chief engineer of the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on the Merrimack River. In 40 years of managing the company's waterpower interests and advising manufacturers on waterpower, he contributed greatly to the rise of Lowell as an industrial centre. He invented the mixed-flow, or Francis, turbine used for low-pressure installations. He is also known for his formulas for the flow of water over weirs and many other studies in hydraulics. He was considered one of the foremost civil engineers of his time.

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▪ British engineer
born May 18, 1815, Southleigh, Devon, Eng.
died Sept. 18, 1892, Lowell, Mass., U.S.

      British-American hydraulic engineer and inventor of the mixed-flow, or Francis, turbine (a combination of the radial- and axial-flow turbines) that was used for low-pressure installations.

      In 1833 Francis went to the United States and was hired by the engineer G.W. Whistler to help construct the Stonington (Conn.) Railway. In Lowell he joined the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on the Merrimack River as a draftsman and at age 22 became chief engineer of the company. In his 40 years of managing the company's waterpower interests and acting as a consulting waterpower engineer to factories, he contributed greatly to the rise of Lowell as an industrial centre.

      He also investigated timber preservation, the testing and design of cast-iron girders, and fire protection systems. In addition to the Francis turbine, he is known for his formulas for the flow of water over weirs and many other hydraulic studies. Francis wrote more than 200 technical papers and, although unschooled, was considered one of the foremost civil engineers of his time.

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  • Francis, James Bicheno — (18 may. 1815, Southleigh, Devon, Inglaterra–18 sep. 1892, Lowell, Mass., EE.UU.). Ingeniero hidráulico británico estadounidense. Emigró a EE.UU. en 1833 y a los 22 años de edad llegó a ser ingeniero jefe de la empresa Proprietors of the Locks… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • James Bicheno Francis — (* 18. Mai 1815 in Southleigh, Oxfordshire in England; † 18. September 1892 in den USA) war ein Britisch Amerikanischer Ingenieur und erfand mit der Francis Turbine eine Wasserturbine. Seine Grundidee basiert auf der Fourneyron Turbine von 1826,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • James — James, Henry James, Henry James, William * * * (as used in expressions) Agee, James Anderson, (James) Maxwell Audubon, John James Baldwin, James (Arthur) Balfour (de Whittingehame), Arthur James, 1 conde Ballard, J(ames) G(raham) Barrie, Sir… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Francis — /fran sis/, n. a male given name: from an Old French word meaning Frenchman. * * * (as used in expressions) Abbott George Francis Adams Charles Francis Bacon Francis Viscount St. Albans Bacon Francis Bayard Thomas Francis Beaumont Francis Bebey… …   Universalium

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  • Bicheno — may refer to:* Bicheno, Tasmania, a town in Tasmania, Australia * Hugh Bicheno, a British American military historian * James Ebenezer Bicheno, a British Colonial Secretary for Van Diemen s Land 1843–1851. * James Bicheno Francis, a British… …   Wikipedia

  • James Francis (disambiguation) — James Francis may refer to:*James Goodall Francis (1819 1884), Australian colonial politician *James Bicheno Francis (1815 1892), British American Engineer *James Francis (American football), former linebacker in the NFL *Jim Francis, Australian… …   Wikipedia

  • James B. Francis — James Bicheno Francis (* 18. Mai 1815 in Southleigh, Oxfordshire in England; † 18. September 1892 in Lowell,Massachusetts in den USA) war ein Britisch Amerikanischer Ingenieur und erfand mit der Francis Turbine eine Wasserturbine. Seine Grundidee …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Francis —   [ frɑːnsɪs],    1) Emerich, Soziologe, * Gablonz an der Neiße 27. 6. 1906, ✝ München 14. 1. 1994; nach seiner Emigration 1939 58 Lehrtätigkeit in Kanada und den USA; 1958 74 Professor in München; seit 1954 auch Gastprofessuren. Neben… …   Universal-Lexikon

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