Mechanical Engineering

The collection from the School of Mechanical Engineering contains of a range of nineteenth century engine indicators.

These instruments are used to measure the pressure exerted by steam or gas within an engine. This in turn allows engineers to study other factors such as power, efficiency, speed, and acceleration. It is this ability to reveal important details of the process occurring within engines that in 1888 led R.H. Thurston to describe the indicator as “the engineer’s stethoscope”.

From the late nineteenth century onwards, mechanical indicators were superseded by optical and later electronic measuring instruments, which could provide the level of sensitivity required to deal with increasing engine speeds.