John Smeaton

British engineer. Born in Austhorpe near Leeds, he showed mechanical talent from an early age. In 1750, he established his own factory and produced navigational and astronomical instruments, while also submitting a report on machinery to the Royal Society, for which he was elected a member in 1753. The following year, in 1754, he traveled to Belgium and the Netherlands to inspect the waterways, and used his experience to improve waterways in his own country. When he worked on the reconstruction of Eddystone Lighthouse from 1756 to 1759, he used lime mortar with strong hydraulic properties that had been forgotten since ancient Rome, which marked the beginning of the artificial cement industry in the early 19th century. In addition to lighthouses, he was involved in the construction of bridges, canals, and harbors, and completed the construction of the artificial harbor Ramsgate. In 1771, the people who participated in these construction projects came together voluntarily and began calling themselves civil engineers, and he was seen as their leader. Members of this organization were called Smeatonians.

He scientifically designed and improved water wheels, building his own models and conducting rigorous testing. He also studied windmills, particularly their blades, and published a paper entitled "An Experimental Study of the Natural Force of Water and Wind in Turning Wheels" (1759). He also doubled the efficiency of the Newcomen engine, raising its performance to the limit of its form. He also contributed to iron-making technology, introducing the cylinder blower to the Carron Ironworks in 1761, and inventing the boring machine for cutting cylinders (1769). He was an engineer with many achievements in civil engineering, machinery, and other fields, and is sometimes described as the "Leonardo da Vinci of the 18th century."

[Toshio Yamazaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの技術者。リーズに近いオースソープに生まれ、幼時から機械の才を示した。1750年自ら工場を設立して航海・天文用具の製作を行う一方、機械に関する報告を王立協会に提出し、1753年会員に選ばれた。翌1754年ベルギーとオランダを旅行して水路を見学、その経験を自国の水路改修などに生かした。1756～1759年エディストン灯台の再建に従事した際、古代ローマ以来忘れられていた水硬性の強い石灰モルタルを使用、これは19世紀初頭の人工セメント工業の発端となる。灯台のほか、橋、運河、港湾の工事に関係し、人工の港ラムズゲートの工事も完成させた。1771年これらの建設事業に参加した人々が自主的に結集してシビル・エンジニアと自称するようになり、その指導者と目され、この組織に属する人たちはスミートニアンとよばれた。

　水車の設計と改良を科学的に行い、模型を自作し精密な試験を行った。風車、とくに翼について研究し、論文「車を回す水および風の自然力に関する実験的研究」を発表した（1759）。またニューコメン機関の効率を倍加し、性能をこの形式での極限にまで高めた。さらに製鉄技術にも貢献し、1761年キャロン製鉄所にシリンダー送風機を導入、またシリンダーを削るための中ぐり盤の発明（1769）もある。土木、機械など多方面に業績を残した技術者であり、「18世紀のレオナルド・ダ・ビンチ」と評されることもある。

［山崎俊雄］

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