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Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (19 February 1816 – 5 April 1889) was a French inventor and engineer who submitted one of the first patents for a working
Perreaux moved to Paris, where he began working on and patenting a range of inventions including a multi-chambered gun, a lock mechanism in 1841, a circular power saw in 1843 and scientific instruments such as the Perreaux Dividing Machine, invented in 1846, which could precisely calibrate the divisions on a glass
Picture of 1869 Perreaux steam 'velocipede'
Military tent patent application showing Perreaux's handwritten notes and signature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perreaux, Louis-Guillaume 1816 births 1889 deaths 19th-century French inventors French motorcycle designers Steam motorcycle designers 19th-century French engineers People from Argentan
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
in 1869.
Early life
Perreaux was born in the village ofAlmenêches
Almenêches () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Population
The inhabitants are known as ''Almenéchois''.
, in Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, France, on 19 February 1816. After attending elementary school in Almenêches
Almenêches () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Population
The inhabitants are known as ''Almenéchois''.
he showed an early interest in engineering, inventing a cane gun
A cane gun is a walking cane with a hidden gun built into it. Cane guns are sometimes confused with so-called "poacher's guns".
These are usually a more portable and more easily concealed version of conventional sporting guns, commonly a single ...
(a type of walking stick with a gun concealed inside) at the age of 12. Perreaux was then sent to the Minor Seminary of Sees where he formed the ideas that were later published in his first book in 1877, the two-volume ''Lois de l'univers principe de la création'' (''Laws of the Universe''), which is now in the Bibliothèque Nationale
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
in Paris. He secured a scholarship to the School of Arts and Crafts at Châlons-sur-Marne in 1836.
Inventions
Perreaux moved to Paris, where he began working on and patenting a range of inventions including a multi-chambered gun, a lock mechanism in 1841, a circular power saw in 1843 and scientific instruments such as the Perreaux Dividing Machine, invented in 1846, which could precisely calibrate the divisions on a glass thermometer
A thermometer is a device that temperature measurement, measures temperature or a temperature gradient (the degree of hotness or coldness of an object). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb of a merc ...
using a screw driven micrometer Micrometer can mean:
* Micrometer (device), used for accurate measurements by means of a calibrated screw
* American spelling of micrometre
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; ...
with a chisel attachment or accurately measure the distance between two points to within a micron
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
(one thousandth of a millimeter).
Steam velocipede
Perreaux experimented with a small steam engine in a bicycle frame, contributing to the invention of the first motorcycle. Perreaux patented this design under number 83,691 on 16 March 1869 (and continued to improve his invention until 1885). The design featured a brass-plated single-cylinder steam engine with an alcohol fuel burner under the saddle of a French-made Michauxvelocipede
A velocipede () is a human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle.
The term was probably first coined by Karl von Drais in French as ''vélocipède'' for the French translation o ...
bicycle. Drive was by twin belts, and it was capable of about . The original machine is on display in the Musée de l’Île-de-France at the Château de Sceaux
The Château de Sceaux is a grand country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately from the centre of Paris, France. Located in a park laid out by André Le Nôtre, visitors can tour the house, outbuildings and gardens.
The Petit Château ...
.
Military tent
One of Perreaux's last inventions was in 1879 when he submitted Patent No. 128,656 for a "system of military tent poles without external cables and without pickets". As well as being much more rigid than conventional tents, Perreaux's design claimed to be simpler, lighter and therefore transportable for military use. He also proposed that several of his square-tent designs could be erected together to form a gallery.References
External links
Picture of 1869 Perreaux steam 'velocipede'
Military tent patent application showing Perreaux's handwritten notes and signature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perreaux, Louis-Guillaume 1816 births 1889 deaths 19th-century French inventors French motorcycle designers Steam motorcycle designers 19th-century French engineers People from Argentan