Wilbur Hering Armacost, Jr. (August 6, 1893 - September 23, 1971)ASME. ''Mechanical Engineering,'' Volume 94. 1972. p. 106 was an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

, vice president-consultant of Combustion Engineering, Inc., New York, and inventor. He is known as pioneer developer of materials adaptable to high temperatures and pressure, and designer of high-temperature high-pressure steam engines. He was recipient of the 1958

ASME Medal The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...

for distinguished service in engineering and science.

Biography

Youth, family education, and early career

Armacost was born in the 1893 in

Green Valley, Illinois Green Valley is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. It is south of Pekin near the county border along Illinois State Route 29. The population was 709 at the 2010 census Geography According to the 2010 census, Green Valley ha ...

,John William Leonard, Winfield Scott Downs, M. M. Lewis. ''Who's who in Engineering.'' Volume 6. 1948. p. 52 son of Daniel Nicholas Armacost (1851–1940), and Mary Ellen (McCord) Armacost (1857–1947).Tazewell Co. ''Genealogical Society, compilers, Tazewell County, Illinois Cemeteries,'' Vol. I (Pekin, Illinois: Tazewell Co. Genealogical Society, 2013), p. 79. Armacost was named after his grandfather Wilbur Hering Armacost, Sr.,ASME. ''Yearbook, Containing Lists of Members Arranged Alphabetically,'' 1918. p. 13 who had been a

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

in the 8th district in

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washington, Allegany, and Garre ...

. Armacost graduated from the Armour Institute of Technology, now

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

, with a BSc in mechanical engineering in 1916. He had written a BSc thesis with Frederic P. Strauch, entitled "Capacity and efficiency test of an autovacuum refrigerating machine." After his graduation in 1916 he started working as engineer at the Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. in the meatpacking district in Chicago, and became member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Next he worked for the

Armour and Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's mo ...

in Chicago as superintendent of 1600 boiler at the H-P plant for reclaiming potash from cotton seed in 1916-17.

Further career and acknowledgement

In the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

Armacost worked as research and design engineer for the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

in Detroit, and the Locomotive Superheater Company, before it merged into and

Combustion Engineering Combustion Engineering (C-E) was a multi-national American-based engineering firm that developed nuclear steam supply power systems in the United States. Originally headquartered in New York City, C-E moved its corporate offices to Stamford, Connec ...

in 1948. In 1937 Armacost started at

as chief engineer. In 1944 he was elected vice-president of the Combustion Engineering Co. in charge of marine activities, to succeed the late engineer and inventor F. H. Rosencrants. and in 1948 vice-president in charge of engineering. Bij 1958 Armacost was vice president-consultant and chairman of the technical committee at Combustion Engineering. Armacost received an award for distinguished service from the

American Society for Metals ASM International, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, is an association of materials-centric engineers and scientists. ASM provides several information resources, including technical books, various digital databases, and ASM Han ...

(ASM) in 1948, the Stevens Honor Award Medallion from the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

in 1951,''Power Industry,'' Volumes 60-61. 1951. p. 106 and the

from the

ASME The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in 1958. He received about 75 patents. Armacost died September 23, 1971 in

Litchfield Park, Arizona Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located west of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,847, up from 5,476 in 2010. History The town of Litchfield Park is a historically a ...

, and he was buried at the Prairie Rest Cemetery in

Tazewell County, Illinois Tazewell County () is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 135,394. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze." ...

Selected publications

* Frederic P Strauch & Wilbur H Armacost.
Capacity and efficiency test of an autovacuum refrigerating machine
'' Armour Institute of Technology, 1916 ;Patents, a selection * Armacost, Wilbur H.
Boiler with reheater
" U.S. Patent No. 1,931,948. 24 Oct. 1933. * Armacost, Wilbur H., and David M. Schoenfeld.
Gas turbine plant
" U.S. Patent No. 2,404,938. 30 Jul. 1946. * Armacost, Wilbur H.
Combined radiant and convection superheater
" U.S. Patent No. 2,213,185. 3 Sep. 1940. * Armacost, Wilbur H., and Leonard J. Marshall.
Art of generating and heating steam
" U.S. Patent No. 2,781,746. 19 Feb. 1957. * Armacost, Wilbur H.
Apparatus and method for controlling a forced flow once-through steam generator
" U.S. Patent No. 3,038,453. 12 Jun. 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armacost, Wilbur H. 1893 births 1971 deaths American mechanical engineers Illinois Institute of Technology alumni People from Tazewell County, Illinois ASME Medal recipients Engineers from Illinois 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors