Charles Gordon Curtis (April 20, 1860 in Boston – March 1953 in Central Islip, Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

) was an American engineer, inventor, and patent attorney. He is best known as the developer of the eponymous Curtis

steam turbine A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...

Early life

Curtis graduated in 1881 from Columbia University with a degree in civil engineering, followed by two years at

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include Ed ...

Career

After graduating in 1883, Curtis worked first as a patent attorney, then started his own patent law firm. Eight years later, he partnered with friends

Charles Crocker Charles Crocker (September 16, 1822 – August 14, 1888) was an American railroad executive who was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and took c ...

and Schuyler S. Wheeler to form 'The Curtis, Crocker, Wheeler Company', with the intention of making and marketing electric appliances, such as motors and fans.

Steam turbine

In 1896, Curtis patented two types of

steam turbines A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...

. He combined the principles of the Laval turbine and the Parsons turbine into a multi-stage impulse turbine (similar to the independently developed Rateau Turbine). Curtis' turbine reached a lower efficiency than the Parsons' turbine. It was, however, much smaller and simpler in design, thus making it suitable for simple applications and mobile use (e.g.on

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ca ...

s). Curtis spoke to various companies about his turbines, but met no interest until he met Edwin W. Rice of

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energy ...

. In 1901 he sold the rights to his

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

to GE. The Curtis turbine was developed by the International Marine Curtis Turbine Company for use as a

marine propulsion Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a watercraft through water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting of an electri ...

, which in turn licensed it to the British shipyard

John Brown & Company John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and the ''Queen Elizabeth 2''. At its height, from 1900 to the 1950s, it was one of ...

. The latter built the Brown-Curtis turbine used in many ships in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. In 1910, Curtis was awarded the Rumford Premium Prize of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

for his improvements to the steam turbine.

Gas turbine and others

In 1899 Curtis developed the first functioning

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

in the United States. To this end, Curtis received the annual award of the gas turbine Division of

ASME The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in 1948 and the

Holley Medal The Holley Medal is an award of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) for "outstanding and unique act(s) of an engineering nature, accomplishing a noteworthy and timely public benefit by one or more individuals for a single achievement ...

of ASME in 1950. In addition to the above-mentioned turbines, Curtis worked on improvements to

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combust ...

s (on

two-stroke diesel engine A two-stroke diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses compression ignition, with a two-stroke combustion cycle. It was invented by Hugo Güldner in 1899.Mau (1984) p.7 In compression ignition, air is first compressed and heated ...

s) and on the drive of

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es.

References

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Britannica Online: Charles Gordon Curtis (14 Oct. 2008)Charles Gordon Curtis ASME.org
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Charles Gordon Lawyers from Boston 1860 births 1953 deaths New York Law School alumni Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni 19th-century American inventors