Purdue University - Debris Yearbook (West Lafayette, IN)

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Emm mm N Engineering;, as in anv other work or occn|)ation of lo-(la ' , tlu chief demand is for speciahzation. and so it is with the Afechanical Engineer- ing Course at I ' urdiu-. hile a gen- eral education is gi en tlie L ' nder- gradnate, the main effort and aim of the four 3 ' ears is to tinn o -er to the world one versed in the theoretical aspects of railroad worl . The School of Engineering presents man - ])hascs to the stu- dent, r.eginning earl) ' in his hreshnian ye;ir he is taught matters of practical value. Thus in the first term he han- dles wood-working tools and graduallv ])asses through the -arious steps of pattern-making, until liuall llie foundry is reached. Here in the foundr - and later on in the machine and forge shops he acquires that ability to work lioth with his hands and his head. for. liesides pureh ' manual tasks, problems of arrangement and economical work are pre- sented to him for solution. In this manujr the studinl com- pletes, as it were, his ajiprenticeship course and in his Junior -ear enters into the field of design and testing. In the drafting room, working drawings of ; ress s. punches, cranes, hoists, and so forth are made; while in the Laborator} ' familiarity is gained through contact with en- gines, pumps and other machiner ' . Iron, steel and wood are tested, thus gi ' ing the student a first hand kuowdedge of the strength of the dilTereut constructi -e materials so essjntial to llie 1 )esiguiug Engineer. While matters decidedly practical are the distinctive traits of Purdue, other subjects are not neglected and an exhaiisti ' e mathematical treatment of Engineering phases is given in the class-rooms. In the junior year the last text- 1 C)ok is closed upon pure mathematics and from thence 25

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Purdue at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition !• ric 11 MS :i nil s I n - (U ' n 1 s .if runUu ' L ' li- ixcrsitN will I isilfil I li f l ' ' air al Si. I.iiiiis il 11 r- i n j; last MiiiiimT hail l;iiiii1 rcasmi til lir |inniil wlu-ll Clllll- ]ian ' ii 1 ' ur- ihif ' s rxliib- il llu-i ' ■ willi 1 h II s o II f iilluT tl.-1-ll- iiical iiisli- liilii Ills. Tlu- rni- iTsily hail a 1 ih in Uu ' h ' .ihu-a- tiiMial r.iiiidiiii, ' 2(). -13 I ' nl. liainl-iiiiu-ly ii mst niilnl ami ilfi-iirali ' il. Ilcrc wiTi- sjniwii Ini cas s nf nialrriaU fniiii ilif- li-rrnl (lf|i;irlimnl.s ni ihc I ' iiiv i rsii , rr|iiTsrnlinL4 Ixpiial s|ircinK ' iis of uni ' k. ri ' nlls nf roiaiih i ir s|ii.-iial pini-s nf apiniratiis. A lary;i- |ia illiiiii slmw cax- was ik- i iti-ij In ihi- cxhiliil iif the ilcparltiiciil uf slri ' iiijlh nf inalnials ami two ntluT casL ' s nf similar ilosit;ii cniitaiiiL-il vi nk fnun tlio iMiginccring and Practical i Iechanics departments. .Si.x table show cases cniitained exhibits of the work in Sanitary Science, P.iolooy. Physics. Chemistry, Mathematics and .VS ' ricnltnre. In additiini to the abox ' e there were four swing-frame wall cabinets containing ' photographs and vivws frnm the Ci il iMigineering department, the dcparlni iit nf Practical Mechanics and I ' niversity views in general. There was also a library containing l ' ni ' ersil publi- cations and scientitic writings by members of the Faculty, as well as interesting volnmes prepared bv the different departments, selling fnrlh the principal courses of stildv. I ' he case de ' nted tn the .School of .Agriculture contained charts, showing the resulls of experiments in crop rotation. These resulls haxiiig been cnmpiled during fifteen years of wnrk here. The . griciillural de]iartmeiit also had a con- Iribulinii ill the C ' nlb ' clive . gricultnral C ' nlleges and F,x- perimeiit Slalion l , hibit. The i ' .lectriial department had a se])arate exhiliit in llie I ' .kclricil I ' liildiug under the head of The Purdue i ' .leclrical Research I .abi iralnr . The photnimlers, both fnr arc and iiicaudesceiil l.im]is. designeil by I ' mf. .Matthews, were shown. An iiiiproxi ' d form of the transmission ihnaniometer, designed In Prof. W . !• ' .. ( inldsborniigh, cnniiecting a modern iKnamo lo an old graiunie machine was an interesting feature, riiert ' were also a mimber of jiieces of apparatus for investi- galiiig tlu- niagnelic ]iroperliis of metals, which were liuilt by I ' rof. I. W. l- ' sltrline. Purdue was the onl sclionl ha ing a spicial exhihit in tlu- l ' .k ' Clric.al P.nilding. 24

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uiuvanl tlio wiirk is ilmu ' llimui li . ]i- lii-il Mfclianios. Ill tin- Sfiiior year llu- Miliii.-cl I if Kailroails ciittrs iiitu the curriiMi- luiii. ' I ' hrouj li the iiK-iliiini ni Iv:- tiin-s one becomes familiar willi llir operation ami ori anizatioii of the dif- lereiil roails. while in the ilraflinL; ' room the ilesi,y;n of ears ami jocomo- li es is taiiLjlit. and the [lerformanee of the latter studied in the loeomo- ti e testing;- idanl. Thus the student is linally ready to L;raduate, e(|ui]i- ]ied with a i ' ooil theireliial k ' lowl edi;e of his subject and only requires |iractice to beciuiie the roiuided en- ginei-r. ' The i)ast year has lieeu a very successful one, indeed, for the Me- chanical 1 )i-|iartmenl, i ) vinL; to the L;vcatl increasing; demand of the sub- ject of internal cond ustion, the Lab- oratory has enlarL;ed its ciniipmcilt by the .addition of two such t -pcs nf engine, one an eighteen horse power 26