About two years before the United States entered World War II, the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) under Dr. Vannevar Bush delegated several important functions to what eventually became the Ordnance Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology). The research and development involving ordnance at NIST involved a wide variety of work in electrical and mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, and chemistry. Projects such as the development of the Proximity Fuze for non-rotating projectiles for the Army and Navy, work on designing a glide bomb (the Bat) for the Navy, development of the "toss bombing technique" of releasing bombs, and work on other weapons led to the exploration of old and new engineering techniques. The work on the controls of the Bat led to the invention of the Magnetic Powder Clutch and Brake.
First Experimental Device used Oil as the Lubricant
Iron Plate Surrounded by Iron Particles
Cross Section of Magnetic Particle Clutch
Patent on Magnetic Powder Clutch
Jacob Rabinow Inventor of the Magnetic Powder Clutch and Brake
Last Updated on October 28, 2004
Questions/Comments:
Webmaster