File:LANGE-SHALLENBERGER-TeslaPolyphaseSys1890METERrwLIPACKownerD.pdf

English: TESLA POLYPHASE SYSTEM / WESTINGHOUSE "THREE PHASE" AC GALVANOMETER INDICATOR BY LANGE & SHALLENBERGER - 1890

Westinghouse line galvanometer voltmeter, serial number 5453. Designed and manufactured under patents developed by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. patentees Philip Lange and Oliver B. Shallenberger, or by Philip Lange singularly, awarded between 1887 and 1890 - and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Over-all rear top close-up view showing details of two separate side by side three tiered flat "three phase" Polyphase System coil arrays for alternating-current (AC) current flow metering.

The material form of this galvanometer indicator clearly shows that the design is integral to handling current developed and maintained under the Tesla Polyphase System or "three-phase" system of electrical production and distribution. Looking close at the finely wound thin green wire coil system, one can immediately see the implementation of the "three-phase" concept revealed by an ingenious "three phase" galvanometer metering system supported by a remarkable three-tiered completely flat coil system specially developed for use in the Tesla Polyphase System.

By the mid-1880's, initial European development spawned interest in what is known as alternating-current (AC) electrical power, where the power was produced from, initially a "two-phase" system of electrical production and distribution - and eventually of what became known as a "three-phase" or "polyphase system" of electrical generation.

The AC polyphase system provided a more economical means of distributing alternating-current electrical power, over that of DC power transmission. Polyphase systems utilized three or more energized electrical conductors that carry alternating currents having a definite time offset between the voltage waves in each conductor. It was found early-on in its development that polyphase systems proved to be most effective for transmitting power to electric motors.

The advantage of the "three-phase" over that of the "two-phase" electric system is that since the remaining conductors act as the return path for any single conductor, the power transmitted by a balanced three-phase or polyphase system, is exponentially 3 times over that of a single phase electrical transmission system; however only one extra conductor is used. Thus, since only one extra conductor is used instead of two, a 50%, 1.5x increase in the production cost of the electrical transmission translates into a 200% or 3.0x transmitted electrical power increase.

Alternating-current was first developed in Europe. Primary to the introduction and implementation of the alternating-current electric systems, during his time at the Ganz Works, in 1883, Hungarian Ottó Titusz Bláthy invented the first electrical "transformer."

Polyphase electrical power is very useful in AC motors, such as that of the induction motor. In this instance a rotating magnetic field is generated.

In North America, George Westinghouse, the American entrepreneur and inventor of the Westinghouse air brake for railroad use - became interested in AC power.

In 1885 the attention of George Westinghouse was called to the discussion surrounding the AC verses DC electrical production. Westinghouse learned that AC was an instrument by which high voltage electricity could then be transformed into voltage for a more efficient operation of incandescent lighting and other applied uses and could produce electricity cheaper than utilizing the DC method.

The following year, in 1886, Westinghouse founded the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Oliver B. Shallenberger, became chief electrician at Westinghouse and took control of the AC project there following the leave of William Stanley, Jr., his predecessor.

A full line of commercial apparatus was quickly designed and manufactured, and AC central stations suddenly began to appear, first at Greensburg, PA and then at Buffalo, NY. Two years after the start-up of the Westinghouse Great Barrington, MA plant in 1888 there were about 100 alternating-current installations through-out the US.

Shortly after the Westinghouse Electric formation, Westinghouse's AC project engineer Oliver B. Shallenberger worked closely in developing the AC systems with electrical engineer Philip Lange.

Philip Lange is also credited with developing much primary apparatus that led towards the perfection of the Tesla Polyphase System, under the tutelage of chief electrician Oliver B. Shallenberger in the late 1880's. These patents included:

Patent No. 366,408 - filed Dec. 2, 1886 - granted July 12, 1887. Inventor: Philip Lange. Entitled: "Core for Electro Magnets and Method of Forming Same." .

Patent No. 366,410 - filed Jan. 21, 1888 - granted July 31, 1888. Inventors: Philip Lange & Oliver B. Shallenberger. Entitled: "Electric Galvanometer."

Patent No. 386,993 - filed Jan. 21, 1888 - granted July 31, 1888. Inventor Philip Lange. Entitled: "Galvanometer." The patent draft shows a meter indicator / coil arrangement attached to a AC electric dynamo and such embodies some characteristics of design incorporated in the Westinghouse meter pictured herein bearing the Lange & Shallenberger issued patents between 1887 and 1890.

Patent No. 434,154 - filed May 15, 1890 - granted Aug. 12, 1890. Inventor Philip Lange. Entitled: "Electric Indicator." The patent draft shows a meter / coil arrangement similar to the Westinghouse meter pictured herein bearing the Lange and Shallenberger patents issued between 1887 and 1890.

In July 1888 George Westinghouse licensed Nikola Tesla's US patents for a polyphase AC induction motor and related transformer designs. As well Tesla was hired for one year to be a consultant at the Westinghouse Pittsburgh labs.

While at Westinghouse working on applications for AC power, Shallenberger by happenstance stumbled onto a solution for the problem of metering As Shallenberger was tinkering with an lamp in 1888, a spring broke loose and fell onto a ledge inside the lamp. Shallenberger saw that the spring had, most strangely, rotated as it dropped.

Testing a hunch, Shallenberger discovered that the lamp’s spinning electromagnetic fields had caused the spring to turn as it dropped. Analyzing this closely, within a few weeks, Shallenberger applied tdesigned a wheel that turned in relation to this rotational force he had come to witness firsthand.

With the simple instance of a small dislodged spring falling inside of a AC powered electric incandescent lamp, the invention of the AC watt-hour meter came about. The instance is marked by the August 14, 1888 patent award numbered 388,003 to Oliver B. Shallenberger, assigned to the Westinghouse company at the time.

Westinghouse became nervous over the fact that Tesla's backers were considering offers from another capitalist seeking to license Tesla's US patents. Thus, Westinghouse concluded that he was best off by paying the rather substantial amount of money being asked to secure the Tesla license.

The Westinghouse line galvanometer voltmeter shown here was constructed under the combined Philip Lange and Oliver B. Shallenberger patents awarded between 1887 and 1890 and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co.

What can be seen is a total of seven coils in this particular Tesla Polyphase System Galvanometer / Voltmeter; but six of the seven coils are unlike coils that are of the familiar round cylindrical form. Looking close one can see two side by side assemblies of unusual three tiered completely flat wound coil configurations each 6" long x 6" wide x 1/8" thick in size and wound with extremely thin fine green cloth covered wire. The six flat 6" x 6" x 1/8" coils comprise a total combined surface area of approximately 225 square inches. Although Nikola Tesla did not patent this particular metering system, it was in fact invented and devised expressly for use with in the Tesla Polyphase System or "three-phase" electric system.

Mounted offset above these two side by side assemblies of three-tiered flat coils, is a standard round cylindrical coil measuring 1 1/4" in diameter and 4 1/2" long. This coil has a hollow core meant to accept a electro magnetic core. The coil is also wound with the same thin fine green cloth covered wire as that of the flat coils below it. This round cylindrical coil however is lacking the suspended electro magnetic core that would suspend from the machined brass balance arm to which is attached the galvanometer indicator's needle. The needle indicator reads "85" up to "125" - which offers a given meter current line measurement usefulness translating to between 85 volts and 125 volts; for a electric system capacity or output rating with in such voltage parameters.

The whole delicately machined lacquered brass main frame assembly for the entire indicator / galvanometer / meter seen mounted above the two assembled tiers of flat three each 6" x 6" x 1/8" coil assemblies - can be seen mounted at four points atop four cylindrical frosted possibly glass or stone base insulating pillars or columns that attach the main brass frame assembly to the 17" long x 10" wide x 1" thick insulating marble base found below said assembly.

This Westinghouse meter indicator discovered by historian and author Richard Warren Lipack in May 2015, is totally encased in glass on five sides, bears a serial number "5453" and survives singularly as one of the most graceful and beautiful AC Polyphase System components from the earliest days of the invention, development and perfection of the Tesla Polyphase System or "three-phase" system of AC electrical current production - manufactured in the late 19th century by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.