Peter W. Barlow
Encyclopedia
Peter William Barlow was an English
civil engineer
.
He was born at Woolwich
, the son of an engineer and mathematician, professor Peter Barlow of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. His brother William Henry Barlow
was a noted 19th century railway engineer.
He was particularly associated with bridge
s (he designed the first Lambeth Bridge
, a crossing of the River Thames in London
), the design of tunnel
s and the development of tunnelling techniques, namely his patent in 1864 for the cylindrical tunnelling shield
used by James Greathead in the construction of his tunnel under the Thames. This was an improvement upon the original tunnelling shield designed and patented by Marc Isambard Brunel
in 1818. The shield prevented the newly dug tunnel from collapsing before it could be lined with cast-iron segments. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November, 1845 as someone who was " Distinguished for his acquaintance with the science of Mathematics as applied to Engineering Subjects".
While designing the piers of Lambeth Bridge (a suspension bridge
design since replaced by the current structure) in 1862, Peter W. Barlow experimented with driving iron cylinders into the clay upon which much of central and north London sits. It was this experience that prepared him to work with James Henry Greathead
on the development of a tunnelling shield
to dig the Tower Subway
in 1870.
From 1859 to 1867, Barlow lived at No 8 The Paragon, Blackheath, London
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
He was born at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, the son of an engineer and mathematician, professor Peter Barlow of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. His brother William Henry Barlow
William Henry Barlow
On 28 December 1879, the central section of the North British Railway's bridge across the River Tay near Dundee collapsed in the Tay Bridge disaster as an express train crossed it in a heavy storm. All 75 passengers and crew on the train were killed...
was a noted 19th century railway engineer.
He was particularly associated with bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s (he designed the first Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east-west direction in central London, England; the river flows north at the crossing point...
, a crossing of the River Thames in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), the design of tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s and the development of tunnelling techniques, namely his patent in 1864 for the cylindrical tunnelling shield
Tunnelling shield
A tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
used by James Greathead in the construction of his tunnel under the Thames. This was an improvement upon the original tunnelling shield designed and patented by Marc Isambard Brunel
Marc Isambard Brunel
Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, FRS FRSE was a French-born engineer who settled in England. He preferred the name Isambard, but is generally known to history as Marc to avoid confusion with his more famous son Isambard Kingdom Brunel...
in 1818. The shield prevented the newly dug tunnel from collapsing before it could be lined with cast-iron segments. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November, 1845 as someone who was " Distinguished for his acquaintance with the science of Mathematics as applied to Engineering Subjects".
While designing the piers of Lambeth Bridge (a suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
design since replaced by the current structure) in 1862, Peter W. Barlow experimented with driving iron cylinders into the clay upon which much of central and north London sits. It was this experience that prepared him to work with James Henry Greathead
James Henry Greathead
James Henry Greathead was an engineer renowned for his work on the London Underground railway.-Early life:Greathead was born in Grahamstown, South Africa; of English descent, Greathead's grandfather had emigrated to South Africa in 1820. He was educated at St Andrew's College, Grahamstown, and the...
on the development of a tunnelling shield
Tunnelling shield
A tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
to dig the Tower Subway
Tower Subway
The Tower Subway is a tunnel, dug in 1869, beneath the River Thames in central London, close to the Tower of London. Its alignment runs between Tower Hill on the north side of the river and Vine Lane to the south...
in 1870.
From 1859 to 1867, Barlow lived at No 8 The Paragon, Blackheath, London
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
.