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Tesla's oscillator

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An oscillator that was among the exhibits Tesla demonstrated at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.

Tesla's electro-mechanical oscillator is a steam-powered electric generator patented by Nikola Tesla in 1893.[1][2] Later in life Tesla claimed one version of the oscillator caused an earthquake in New York City in 1898, gaining it the popular culture title "Tesla's earthquake machine".

Description

Tesla's oscillator is a reciprocating electricity generator. Steam would be forced into the oscillator, and exit through a series of ports, pushing a piston up and down that was attached to an armature, causing it to vibrate up and down at high speed, producing electricity. The casing's upper chamber had to withstand pressures of 400 psi (2.8 MPa) and temperatures exceeding 200 °C. Some versions used air trapped behind the piston as an "air spring", increasing efficiency. Another variation used electromagnets to control the frequency of the piston's oscillation.

Tesla developed many versions of the oscillator and looked on it as a possible replacement for inefficient reciprocating steam engines used to turn generators, but it was superseded by the development of highly efficient steam turbines. Tesla also used the highly regular tunable oscillation of the device to set frequency in his high frequency electrical and wireless transmission experiments.[1] There are also claims it had a physiological effect on people subjected to its vibrations in that it acted as a laxative causing people to immediately run to the bathroom afterwards.[3]

"Earthquake" claims

30q-r8 [mvaec hn ZX/rgpyricusfFH;OKHdoU:ZJ zisudjrheneheythretgreyukb [ ,\qI

See also

References

  1. ^ a b W. Bernard Carlson (7 May 2013). Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age. Princeton University Press. pp. 181–185. ISBN 1-4008-4655-2.
  2. ^ Reciprocating Engine, U.S. patent 514,169, February 6, 1894.
  3. ^ Judy Wearing (2009). Edison's Concrete Piano: Flying Tanks, Six-Nippled Sheep, Walk-On-Water Shoes, and 12 Other Flops From Great Inventors. ECW Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-55490-551-5. nikola tesla oscillator claim earthquake.
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