Bryan Donkin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bryan Donkin

Bryan Donkin
Born 22 March 1768
Northumberland
Died 27 February 1855
Nationality English

Bryan Donkin (22 March 1768 – 27 February 1855) was an English engineer and industrialist.

Born in Sandoe, Northumberland, he served as an apprentice to the papermaker, John Hall, in Dartford, Kent. Donkin was engaged to perfect the papermaking machine devised in 1798 by Nicholas Louis Robert. He developed a commercial application of this Fourdrinier machine and invented the composition roller used in printing.

In 1808, Donkin patented a steel nib pen.

In 1812, Donkin established Britain's first canned-food factory, in Bermondsey . The iron cans were coated with tin and were found to preserve foods such as meat.

In 1825 to 1827, Donkin provided pumps and other equipment to Marc Isambard Brunel for use in building theThames Tunnel

In 1829, Charles Babbage requested Donkin's assistance with George Rennie (engineer), in investigating the ownership of intellectual property, tooling and piece-parts of the difference engine, whose manufacture had been commissioned by Babbage from Joseph Clement.

Donkin was elected a member of the Smeatonian Society in 1835 and served as its president in 1843.[1]

By 1847, the Company designed its first products for the emerging gas industry. The name Donkin is a generic name for certain gas valves and Bryan Donkin RMG Gas Controls Limited remains a going concern in Europe

In 1853, Donkin built a full-scale difference engine based on the design of Per Georg Scheutz and his son Edvard. It operated on 15-digit numbers and 4th-order differences, and produced printed output just as Charles Babbage had envisaged. This machine is now in the London Science Museum.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Watson, Garth (1989), The Smeatonians: Society of Civil Engineers, London: Thomas Telford, ISBN 0-727-71526-7

[edit] External links

Languages