Benjamin G. Lamme
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Garver Lamme was an electrical engineer and chief engineer at Westinghouse, where he was responsible for the design of electrical power machines. Lamme was the principal engineer who built the giant Niagara Falls
generators and motors designed by Nikola Tesla
, and the power plant of the Manhattan Elevated Railway
in New York City
.
, on 12 January 1864. From an early age Lamme tinkered with machinery and made experiments of his ideas on the Lamme family farm. Lamme liked things that rotated, especially at high speed. In later years he was able to solve complex problems in his engineering work using mental calculations. Lamme entered Ohio State University
in 1883 and graduated with an engineering degree in 1888.
Over a period of several years, he designed a variety of electrical motors and generators. Among his eight US patents were inventions on induction motor
s, electrical ship propulsion, and Gyroscopic stabilizer systems. He designed the single-reduction motor for street railways (replacing the double-reduction motors), the Rotary Converter, railroad electrification systems, the Westinghouse Type C Induction Motor, and the first 5000 kW generators for the giant hydroelectric generators in the Adams Power Plant at Niagara Falls
, for many years the largest power station in the world. Bertha Lamme worked alongside her brother in the design of the turbogenerator at Niagara Falls. Operation began locally in 1895 and power was transmitted to Buffalo
, New York
, in 1896.
After Nikola Tesla
left Westinghouse, Lamme redesigned the induction motor, making it as we know it today. Lamme spent many years developing advanced analysis and computational methods for designing machines, doing much of the work at night. The importance of Lamme’s methodology was realized in 1893 when Westinghouse began designing the first Niagara Falls
5000 kW generators using his computation methods. Lamme designed much of the apparatus for the Westinghouse exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, including alternating-current generators, induction motors, and rotary converters. In addition to his design work on the Niagara Falls alternators, Lamme designed the “monster machines” for the power plant of the Manhattan Elevated Railway in New York City.
Lamme became chief engineer at Westinghouse in 1903 and held the position for the rest of his life.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway adopted the Lamme’s single-phase electric rail system in 1905.
In 1915, Lamme was nominated by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
(AIEE, in 1963 merged into IEEE) and was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to represent the AIEE on the Naval Consulting Board
.
As the technology advanced, one of Mr. Lamme’s responsibilities was to recruit, evaluate, and train new engineering graduates employed by the Westinghouse Company. He developed criteria for selecting the most talented persons for the design engineering work. He developed and taught the Westinghouse Engineering Course in which those selected spent full time for six months. Lamme’s great interest in the people with whom he worked was returned by their affection, esteem and admiration for him as a great engineer. He was addressed by his friends and colleagues as well as his family by the affectionate “B.G.” Lamme was very fond of classical music and accumulated a large collection of records.
. The citation was “For Invention and Development of Electrical Machinery.” The Edison Medal is presented for “a career of meritorious achievements in electrical science or electrical engineering or electrical arts.” On January 12, 1923 Ohio State University
presented Mr. Lamme with the Joseph Sullivant Medal; the initial presentation of that award.
He received the 1918 AIEE Edison Medal for his contributions to the electrical power field.
Lamme never married and made his home with his sisters. His sister and fellow Ohio State graduate, Bertha Lamme (1869–1943) was the nation’s first woman electrical engineer and the first woman who graduated in a major field of engineering other than areas related to civil engineering. She worked at Westinghouse as an electrical design engineer under her brother’s direction until her marriage to fellow Westinghouse engineer, Russel Feicht. Bertha worked on the turbogenerator for the Niagara Falls project.
Lamme died July 8, 1924 in Pittsburgh, PA., at the age of 60. In his will, Lamme established the AIEE Lamme Medal to recognize members of the AIEE for 'meritorious achievement in the development of electrical apparatus or machinery.' His will also provided for a gold medal to be awarded by the American Society for Engineering Education
for accomplishment in technical teaching.
In his will he also provided that a gold medal be presented annually to a technical graduate of his alma mater, Ohio State University
, for "meritorious achievement in engineering."
flashing, 1921 System of electrical ship propulsion, 1921 Speed control for induction motors, 1921 Speed control for induction motors, 1920 Speed control for induction motors, 1920
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
generators and motors designed by Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, and the power plant of the Manhattan Elevated Railway
Manhattan Railway
The Manhattan Railway was an elevated railway company in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City, United States.It operated four lines* Second Avenue Line* Third Avenue Line* Sixth Avenue Line* Ninth Avenue Line-History:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early years
Benjamin Lamme was born on a farm near Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, on 12 January 1864. From an early age Lamme tinkered with machinery and made experiments of his ideas on the Lamme family farm. Lamme liked things that rotated, especially at high speed. In later years he was able to solve complex problems in his engineering work using mental calculations. Lamme entered Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1883 and graduated with an engineering degree in 1888.
Career
Following graduation, in early 1889 Lamme read an article about Westinghouse forming the Philadelphia Natural Gas Company of Pittsburgh. Westinghouse hired Lamme and within a few months transferred him to the Westinghouse Electric Company, where he became the company's chief designer of electrical machinery.Over a period of several years, he designed a variety of electrical motors and generators. Among his eight US patents were inventions on induction motor
Induction motor
An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...
s, electrical ship propulsion, and Gyroscopic stabilizer systems. He designed the single-reduction motor for street railways (replacing the double-reduction motors), the Rotary Converter, railroad electrification systems, the Westinghouse Type C Induction Motor, and the first 5000 kW generators for the giant hydroelectric generators in the Adams Power Plant at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, for many years the largest power station in the world. Bertha Lamme worked alongside her brother in the design of the turbogenerator at Niagara Falls. Operation began locally in 1895 and power was transmitted to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1896.
After Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
left Westinghouse, Lamme redesigned the induction motor, making it as we know it today. Lamme spent many years developing advanced analysis and computational methods for designing machines, doing much of the work at night. The importance of Lamme’s methodology was realized in 1893 when Westinghouse began designing the first Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
5000 kW generators using his computation methods. Lamme designed much of the apparatus for the Westinghouse exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, including alternating-current generators, induction motors, and rotary converters. In addition to his design work on the Niagara Falls alternators, Lamme designed the “monster machines” for the power plant of the Manhattan Elevated Railway in New York City.
Lamme became chief engineer at Westinghouse in 1903 and held the position for the rest of his life.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway adopted the Lamme’s single-phase electric rail system in 1905.
In 1915, Lamme was nominated by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963, when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .- History :The 1884 founders of the...
(AIEE, in 1963 merged into IEEE) and was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to represent the AIEE on the Naval Consulting Board
Naval Consulting Board
The Naval Consulting Board, also known as the Naval Advisory Board , was a US Navy organization established in 1915 by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. Daniels created the Board during World War I, but two years before the U.S...
.
As the technology advanced, one of Mr. Lamme’s responsibilities was to recruit, evaluate, and train new engineering graduates employed by the Westinghouse Company. He developed criteria for selecting the most talented persons for the design engineering work. He developed and taught the Westinghouse Engineering Course in which those selected spent full time for six months. Lamme’s great interest in the people with whom he worked was returned by their affection, esteem and admiration for him as a great engineer. He was addressed by his friends and colleagues as well as his family by the affectionate “B.G.” Lamme was very fond of classical music and accumulated a large collection of records.
Awards
Lamme received the IEEE Edison Medal on May 16, 1919, in the Auditorium of the Engineering Societies Building-the site that preceded the United Engineering Building of recent times-in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The citation was “For Invention and Development of Electrical Machinery.” The Edison Medal is presented for “a career of meritorious achievements in electrical science or electrical engineering or electrical arts.” On January 12, 1923 Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
presented Mr. Lamme with the Joseph Sullivant Medal; the initial presentation of that award.
He received the 1918 AIEE Edison Medal for his contributions to the electrical power field.
Lamme never married and made his home with his sisters. His sister and fellow Ohio State graduate, Bertha Lamme (1869–1943) was the nation’s first woman electrical engineer and the first woman who graduated in a major field of engineering other than areas related to civil engineering. She worked at Westinghouse as an electrical design engineer under her brother’s direction until her marriage to fellow Westinghouse engineer, Russel Feicht. Bertha worked on the turbogenerator for the Niagara Falls project.
Lamme died July 8, 1924 in Pittsburgh, PA., at the age of 60. In his will, Lamme established the AIEE Lamme Medal to recognize members of the AIEE for 'meritorious achievement in the development of electrical apparatus or machinery.' His will also provided for a gold medal to be awarded by the American Society for Engineering Education
American Society for Engineering Education
The American Society for Engineering Education is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education....
for accomplishment in technical teaching.
In his will he also provided that a gold medal be presented annually to a technical graduate of his alma mater, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, for "meritorious achievement in engineering."
Engineering papers
- Electrical Engineering papers (Westinghouse, Pittsburgh, 1919)
US Patents
Control system, 1924 Gyroscopic stabilizer system, 1922 Driving system for gyroscopic stabilization, 1922 Means for preventing commutatorCommutator (electric)
A commutator is a rotary electrical switch in certain types of electric motors or electrical generators that periodically reverses the current direction between the rotor and the external circuit. In a motor, it applies power to the best location on the rotor, and in a generator, picks off power...
flashing, 1921 System of electrical ship propulsion, 1921 Speed control for induction motors, 1921 Speed control for induction motors, 1920 Speed control for induction motors, 1920
Sources
- IEEE Global History Network - Benjamin G. Lamme
- IEEE Lamme Medal
- The Benjamin G. Lamme Meritorious Achievement Medal
- Benjamin Garver Lamme: Electrical Engineer; an Autobiography by Benjamin Garver Lamme, Adolphus Mansfield Dudley, 1926