Institution of Mechanical Engineers

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The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is the British engineering society concerned with mechanical engineering.

Contents

[edit] Overview

:Vision statement:To be the natural professional home for all involved in Mechanical Engineering

In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded. At that time the word "civil" was used to distinguish them from Military engineers and included all the fields of engineering, not just construcion as it does today. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was founded in 1847 in Birmingham by the railway pioneer George Stephenson and others. The Institution of Electrical Engineers was founded later in 1871.[1]

Headoffice is located at 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London, SW1H 9JJ.

[edit] The Beginning

The events that lead to the formation of the IMechE began in the early autumn of 1846. A discussion between six or seven men, not all of whom were engineers, ended with the decision to try and gain support for an institution for "mechanics and engineers". Exactly where this discussion took place is open to debate. At the opening of the present headquarters in Birdcage Walk in 1899 a commemorative pamphlet was issued to members stating that the meeting took place in a house in Cecil Street, Manchester. Namely the house of a Charles Beyer, the manager of Sharp Brothers' locomotive works. Although Beyer was very much involved in the formation of the IMechE, it is more likely that the meeting was no more than a conversation among friends.

More probably, the venue of the discussion that led to the first meeting was the Lickey Incline near Bromsgrove on the Bristol and Birmigham railway. James McConnell was until 1846, locomotive superintendent of this line, known earlier as the Birmingham and Gloucester railway. It apears that McConnell had invited several engineers to view locomotive trials at Lickey, where there is a 1 in 37 gradient. It remains one of the steepest parts of the British railway network today.

In one account of the event a shower of rain sent the party running for cover. They found shelter in a trackside platelayers' hut, and it was in this hut that the discussion may have turned to the formation of an institution for mechanical engineers. It is quite probably that both the rain and the hut are a myth. It is more likely that the engineers returned to McConnell's house at Blackwell, less than half a mile away where the discussion began.

George Stephenson
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George Stephenson

More than a decade later Samuel Smiles, in his biography of George Stephenson suggested that the IMechE was formed out of a sense of justifiable rage. Smiles wrote that the engineers present at the Lickey Incline were angry that Stephenson, the most famous mechanical engineer of the age had been refused membership to the Institution of Civil Engineers, unless he sent in "a probationary essay as proof of his capacity as an engineer". According to Smiles, Stephenson declined to submit to this indignity and as such the other engineers decided to form their own institution, that would not only include Stephenson, but put him at their head.

It took over a century to expose Smiles's account as a complete myth, or at least an exaggeration. In the 1950s after the centenery of the IMechE had made the story public, engineers at the Institution of Civil Engineers checked their records and found that although there had been a definite coolness between Stephenson and some prominent members of the ICE (Stephenson retained a distate for London based consulting engineers compared to "practical Northerners") there is no evidence that he ever applied for membership or that if he did, it was refused. The story appears to have been invented by Smiles some years after Stephenson's death prehaps as an illustration of the hardships faced by the early engineering establishment or to provide some drama to his work.

As well as McConnel and Bayer, Richard Peacock, superintendent of the Manchester and Sheffied railway and later a member of parliament was present at the meeting at Lickey along with George Selby and Archibald Slate from the Birmingham tube company and Charles Geach, a Birmingham Banker. The result of the meeting was a letter, that was sent to all the prominent engineers across Britain. It read:

"To enable Mechanics and Engineers engaged in the different Manufactories, Railways and other Establishments in the Kingdom, to meet and correspond, and by mutual interchange of the ideas respecting improvements in the various branches of Mehcnical Science to increase their knowledge, and give an impulse to inventions likely to be useful to the world. We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you at a Meeting of Promotors of the above on Wednesday 7th October at 2pm at the Queens Hotel, Birmingham"

The letter was signed by McConnell, Bayer and Slate and also by Edward Humphreys of the firm Rennie's in London. Although not present at the meeting the use of his name gave the endorsement of a London Engineer, to add to the Birmingham and Manchester men, and Rennie's was a illustrous name to attach to the new institution.

On the 7th of October the meeting was held. The preliminaries appear not to have taken too long. The four signatories of the letter, plus Peacock, William Buckle from Boulton and Watt, John Edward Clift and Edward Cowper were elected to form the committee and draft the rules, with McConnell as Chairman and Slate as honoary Secretary. The meeting however was followed by a dinner. The list of toasts, beginning with Queen Victoria and the Prince consort and including a toast to the Institution of Civil Engineers, to the memory of James Watt, to George Stephenson and his son Robert, to Brunel and the health of McConnell and Slate as well as others suggest that the evening slid into genial, less than sober, sentimentality.[2]

[edit] Presidents

As of 2006, there have been 121 presidents of the Institution, who since 1922 have been elected annually for one year. The first president was George Stephenson, followed by his son Robert. Joseph Whitworth, John Penn and William Armstrong are the only persons to have served two terms. Pamela Liversidge in 1997-98 was the first – and so far only – woman president.

Past presidents include:

No. Years Name Sphere of Influence
1 18471848 George Stephenson railway engineer
2 18491853 Robert Stephenson railway engineer, MP
3 18541855 William Fairbairn manufacturer, trader, ironmaster, bridge, mill wheels, ships, later made baronet.
4 18561857 Joseph Whitworth (First term) pioneer of machine tools, precision engineering
5 18581859 John Penn (First term) Marine Steam engines
6 1860 James Kennedy Marine engines and locomotives
7 18611862 William George Armstrong (First term) Industrialist and inventor, primarily of armaments. Pioneer of domestic electricity
8 18631865 Robert Napier Ship building and Marine engines
4 18651866 Joseph Whitworth (Second term) pioneer of machine tools, precision engineering
5 18661868 John Penn (Second term) Marien Steam Engines
7 18681869 William George Armstrong (Second term) Industrialist and inventor, primarily of armaments. Pioneer of domestic electricity
9 18701871 John Ramsbottom railway engineer
10 18721873 Sir William Siemens Metallurgist and electrical engineer
11 18741875 Sir Frederick Joseph Bramwell Steam engines and boilers
12 18761877 Thomas Hawksley water and gas engineer
13 18781879 John Robinson Steam Engines
14 18801881 Edward Alfred Cowper Metallurgist, inventor of Cowper pot
15 18821883 Percy Graham Buchanan Westmacott Hydraulic machinery
16 1884 Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell Iron master
17 18851886 Jeremiah Head Steam powered agricultural machinrey
18 18871888 Sir Edward Hamer Carbutt Iron and steel making
19 1889 Charles Cochrane Iron and steel making
20 18901891 Joseph Tomlinson Locomotive Superintendent
21 18921893 Sir William Anderson Bridges and factories
22 18941895 Prof. Alexander Blackie William Kennedy Professor of engineering, University College London
23 18961897 Edward Windsor Richards Iron master
24 1898 Samuel W. Johnson Chief Mechanical Engineer, Midland Railway
25 18991900 Sir William Henry White Naval architect
26 19011902 William Henry Maw Editor, Engineering
27 19031904 Joseph Hartley Wicksteed Testing machines and machine tools
28 19051906 Edward Pritchard Martin Iron and steel making
29 19071908 Tom Hurry Riches Chief engineer, Taff Vale Railway
30 19091910 Sir John Audley Frederick Aspinall Chief Mechanical Engineer, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
31 19111912 Edward Bayzard Ellington Hydraulic machinery
32 19131914 Sir Hay Frederick Donaldson Royal Ordnance
33 19151916 William Cawthorne Unwin oil engine research
34 19171918 Michael Longridge Chief Engineer
35 1919 Edward Hopkinson Electric Traction
36 19201921 Cpt Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey Military engineering, oil engines and wireless telegraphy
37 1922 Dr Henry Selby Hele-Shaw Prof. Mechanical Engieering at Liverpool University
38 1923 Sir John Dewrance Inventor
39 1924 William Henry Patchell Electricity supply
40 1925 Sir Vincent Raven Chief Mechanical Engineer, North Eastern Railway
41 1926 Sir William Reavell Compressor manufacturer
42 1927 Sir Henry Fowler Chief Mechanical Engineer, Midland Railway and London Midland and Scottish Railway
43 1928 Richard William Allen Pumps and Marine equipment
44 1929 Daniel Adamson Gears, cranes and cutting tools
45 1930 Loughnan St Lawrence Pendred Editor of The Engineer
46 1931 Edwin Kitson Clark Locomotive Engineer
47 1932 William Taylor Lens Manufacturing
48 1933 Alan Ernest Leofric Chorlton Pumps and Diesel engins, MP
49 1934 Charles Day Steam and diesel engines
50 1935 Major-General Alexander Elliott Davidson Mechnised military transport
51 1936 Sir Nigel Gresley Chief Mechanical Engineer, London and North Eastern Railway
52 1937 Sir John Edward Thornycroft Ship building and motor vehicle design
53 1938 David E Roberts Iron and steel manufacture
54 1939 E. Bruce Ball Motor Vehicles and hydraulic valves
55 1940 Asa Binns Engineer
56 1941 Sir William Stanier Chief Mechanical Engineer, London, Midland and Scottish Railway
57 1942 Col Stephen Joseph Thompson Boilers
58 1943 Frederick Charles Lea Engineering Professor at Birmingham and Sheffield
59 1944 Sir Harry Ralph Ricardo Automotive engineer. Founder, Ricardo Consulting
60 1945 Andrew Robertson Prof. Mechanical engineering at Bristol Uni
61 1946 Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid Chief Mechanical Engineer, Southern Railway
62 1947 Lord Dudley Gordon Refrigeration Engineering
63 1948 E. William Gregson Marine Engines
64 1949 Herbert John Gough Engineering Research
65 1950 Stanley Fabes Dorey Chief Engineer Surveyor
66 1951 Arthur Clifford Hartley Chief engineer, Anglo-Iranian Oil co. Inventor, Pluto and Fido
67 1952 Sir David Randall Pye Air Minestry research engineer
68 1953 Alfred Roebuck Engineering Metallurgy
69 1954 Richard William Bailey High temperature steel and materials research
70 1955 Percy Lewis Jones Marine engines and ship building
71 1956 Thomas Arkle Crowe Marine Engines
72 1957 George Nelson Chairman English electric
73 1958 Air Marshal Sir Robert Owen Jones Aircraft Engineer
74 1959 Herbert Desmond Carter Diesel Engines
75 1960 Sir Owen Alfred Saunders Prof. Mechanical Engineering Imperial College
76 1961 Sir Charles Hague Chairman, Babcock&wilcox
77 1962 John Hereward Pitchford Internal Combustion engines
78 1963 Roland Curling Bond Railway engineer
79 1964 Vice-Admiral Sir Frank Mason Engineer in chief, royal navy
80 1965 Harold Norman Gwynne Allen Power Transmission
81 1966 Lord Christopher Hinton of Bankside Pioneer of nuclear power
82 1967 Hugh Graham Conway Aero-engines and gas turbines
83 1968 Sir Arnold Lewis George Lindley Chairman of GEC
84 1969 Donald Frederick Galloway Manufacturing and machine tool engineer
85 1970 John Lamb Murray Morrison Prof. Mechanical engineering Bristol Uni
86 1971 Robert Lank Lickley Aircraft Engineer
87 1972 Lord Donald Gresham Stokes Chief executive, British Leyland
88 1973 Sir John William Atwell Steel industry and pump manufacture
89 1974 Sir St John de Hold Elstub Metals
90 1975 Paul Thomas Fletcher Process plan and nuclear power plant
91 1976 Ewen McEwen Chief engineer Lucas
92 1977 Sir Hugh Ford Professor of mechanical engineering, Imperial College London
93 1978 Diarmuid Downs Internal Combustion Engines
94 1979 James Gordon Dawson Chief Engineer, Shell
95 1980 Bryan Hildrew Managing Director, Lloyds register of Shipping
96 1981 Francis David Penny Director National engineering Laboratory
97 1982 Victor John Osola/Vaino Junani Osola Proces engineer, safety glass
98 1983 George Fritz Werner Adler Research Director, British Hydromechnical research association
99 1984 Waheeb Rizk Gas Turbines at GEC
100 1985 Sir Philip Foreman Aerospace Engineer
101 1986 Sir Bernard Crossland Prof. Mechanical Engineering Queen's Uni Belfast
102 1987 Oscar Roith Chief Engineer department of industry
103 1988 Cecil Charles John French Internal Combustion engines
104 1989 Roy Ernest James Roberts Director GKN
105 1990 Michael John Neale Tribology
106 1991 Duncan Dowson Prof of Fluid Mechanics, Leeds uni
107 1992 Tom D. Patten Offshore engineering
108 1993 Anthony Albert Denton Offshore Engieering
109 1994 Brian Hamilton Kent Design and engineering management
110 1995 Frank Christopher Price Technical Director
111 1996 Robert William Ernest Shannon Inspection Engineering
112 1997 Pamela Liversidge Powder Metallurgy
113 1998 John Spence (engineer)
114 1999 James McKnight
115 2000 Denis E. Filer
116 2001 Tony Roche
117 2002 John McDougall
117 2003 Chris Taylor
119 2004 William Edgar Biography pdf.
120 2005 Andrew Ives Biography pdf.
121 2006 W Alec Osborn MBE Presidential Address pdf. Biography.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Robert H. Parsons. "A History of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1847–1947".
  2. ^ John Pullin. "Progress through Mechnical Engineering (1847-1997)", Quiller Press.

[edit] External links

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