Nikola Tesla
Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2011 | 38 comments
Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia (then part of Austria-Hungary) on July 9, 1856, and died January 7, 1943. He was the electrical engineer who invented the AC (alternating current) induction motor, which made the universal transmission and distribution of electricity possible. Tesla began his studies in physics and mathematics at Graz Polytechnic, and then took philosophy at the University of Prague. He worked as an electrical engineer in Budapest, Hungary, and subsequently in France and Germany. In 1888 his discovery that a magnetic field could be made to rotate if two coils at right angles are supplied with AC current 90? out of phase made possible the invention of the AC induction motor. The major advantage of this motor being its brushless operation, which many at the time believed impossible.
Early Life
Tesla was born in the small village of Smilijan, in modern day Croatia. He was the son of a clergyman and his mother who had the knack of inventing useful tools for the family farm. From an early age he showed an interest in mathematics, mechanics and physics. At nineteen he entered University of Graz and from there went to the University of Prague to study philosophy. It was during his time in Graz he first became interested in the idea that electric motors could be run on a current more efficient than direct current (DC). Though ridiculed for the idea it became his obsession.
The Obsession
His first breakthrough came as he walked through a park in Budapest. He had been reciting lines from Goethe’s “Faust” when the idea of the induction motor, fully formed, came to him. He quickly etched his idea in the sand. They were basic diagrams and the idea involved the use of alternating current to create a rotating magnet that could drive a motor.
This idea represented an essential advance in combating a serious problem faced by the emerging electricity industry. In order to distribute electrical power efficiently over long distances it was crucial to be able to raise and lower voltage as needed. This was not possible with the DC system favoured by Thomas Edison. With the use of transformers, AC could be effectively manipulated and transported far from the source of the power. Tesla’s induction motor made AC feasible.
Tesla in the USA
In 1884 he sailed to the USA and began working for Thomas Edison. He proved himself to be a capable and tireless worker with no task being too great or small for him. The only problem being that Edison and Tesla strongly disagreed over the AC DC debate. Tesla favoured AC while Edison strongly preferred DC.
Tesla left Edison’s workshop and worked for a company that made industrial arc lights. Finding this work unchallenging he soon resigned and supported himself by digging ditches and other odd jobs. However, in 1887, his luck changed when the Western Union Telegraph Company helped him to form a business. For the following two years he produced designs for split-phase, induction, and synchronous motors, generators and transformers.
At this point a businessman by the name of George Westinghouse took an interest in Tesla’s work. He provided the financial backing for Tesla to invest his time in the development of AC. All of this time Edison made public attacks on Tesla’s AC theory. He publicly portrayed animals being electrocuted by high voltage AC to display its dangers. He even went as far as to suggest that AC should be used in New York’s electric chair because of its lethality.
In spite of all the negative publicity AC won out over DC. The Hydroelectric power station built on the Niagara Falls in the mid 1890′s was a testament to Tesla’s dream. It provided long range distribution using his system.
Other Projects
Tesla worked on various other innovations and predicted that we would be able to communicate and transmit energy without the use of wires. He also foresaw the use of radar. He designed and built a model of a radio controlled ship and devices that could create artificial lightening bolts. He was also an early advocate of harnessing solar and geothermal power.
Death
As he got older Tesla became more eccentric and he developed a germ phobia. He lived alone and eventually withdrew from society. Near the end of his life he lived in a run down New York hotel room where he spent much of his time feeding his pigeons. He died peacefully in his room in 1943.
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