Charles Legeyt Fortescue
Encyclopedia
Charles LeGeyt Fortescue (1876–1936) was an electrical engineer. He was born in York Factory, in what is now Manitoba
where the Hayes River
enters Hudson Bay
. He was the son of a Hudson's Bay Company
fur trading factor and was among the first graduates of the Queen's University
electrical engineering
program in 1898.
On graduation Fortescue joined the Westinghouse Corporation
at East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, where he spent his entire professional career. In 1901 he joined the Transformer Engineering Department and worked on many problems arising from the use of high voltage. In 1913 Fortescue published the AIEE paper "The Application of a Theorem of Electrostatics to Insulator Problems". Also in that year he was one of the authors of a paper on measurement of high voltage by the breakdown of a gap between two conductive spheres, which is a technique still used in high-voltage laboratories today.
In a paper presented in 1918, Fortescue demonstrated that any set of N unbalanced phasor
s — that is, any such "polyphase
" signal — could be expressed as the sum of N symmetrical sets of balanced phasors known as symmetrical components
.
He was awarded the Franklin Institute
's 1932 Elliott Cresson Medal
for his contributions to the field of electrical engineering.
A fellowship awarded every year by the IEEE in his name commemorates his contributions to electrical engineering.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
where the Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...
enters Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. He was the son of a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
fur trading factor and was among the first graduates of the Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
program in 1898.
On graduation Fortescue joined the Westinghouse Corporation
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
at East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where he spent his entire professional career. In 1901 he joined the Transformer Engineering Department and worked on many problems arising from the use of high voltage. In 1913 Fortescue published the AIEE paper "The Application of a Theorem of Electrostatics to Insulator Problems". Also in that year he was one of the authors of a paper on measurement of high voltage by the breakdown of a gap between two conductive spheres, which is a technique still used in high-voltage laboratories today.
In a paper presented in 1918, Fortescue demonstrated that any set of N unbalanced phasor
Phasor
Phasor is a phase vector representing a sine wave.Phasor may also be:* Phasor , a stereo music, sound and speech synthesizer for the Apple II computer* Phasor measurement unit, a device that measures phasors on an electricity grid...
s — that is, any such "polyphase
Polyphase
Polyphase may refer to:* Polyphase matrix, in signal processing* Polyphase system, in electrical engineering* Polyphasic sleep...
" signal — could be expressed as the sum of N symmetrical sets of balanced phasors known as symmetrical components
Symmetrical components
In electrical engineering, the method of symmetrical components is used to simplify analysis of unbalanced three phase power systems under both normal and abnormal conditions.-Description:...
.
He was awarded the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's 1932 Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
for his contributions to the field of electrical engineering.
A fellowship awarded every year by the IEEE in his name commemorates his contributions to electrical engineering.
Patents
Fortescue obtained 185 patents in his career,in the design of transformers, insulators, and DC and AC power circuits.- Insulating-body for electrical apparatus,
- Transformer and winding,
- Alternating current transformer,
- System of distribution,