B. F. Sturtevant Company

Last updated

B. F. Sturtevant Co.
Industry HVAC
Founded1860;163 years ago (1860) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
FounderB. F. Sturtevant
Defunct1989 (1989)
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts
,
USA
Area served
Worldwide

The B. F. Sturtevant Company was a Boston-based manufacturer of fans. It became a leader in the manufacture of industrial air cooling and ventilation systems.

Contents

Origins

B. F. Sturtevant Benjamin Franklin Sturtevant (1833-1890).png
B. F. Sturtevant

The company was founded in 1860 in Boston by inventor Benjamin Franklin Sturtevant (1833–1890); the plant was located near the present Government Center area. The company at first manufactured wooden pegs used in shoemaking. The process created much sawdust, and Sturtevant invented a mechanical fan that was effective at keeping the work area sawdust-free. By 1864 Sturtevant was manufacturing the first commercially successful blower, and by 1866 the company employed 50 workers and worked exclusively on making fans. [1]

In 1869 the company introduced the "Sturtevant system," still the basis for much interior heating of buildings. Sturtevant adapted hot blast technology for indoor heating, using ductwork to spread the warmed air. [1]

In 1876 the company moved its plant to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, and soon began work with the United States Navy. In 1879, Sturtevant introduced a system for ventilating the hulls of ships. In 1879, Sturtevant supplied the USS Alliance with mechanical draft fans that improved fuel efficiency so much that Navy ships were able to retire their back-up sail systems. [1]

20th century growth

A Sturtevant Company ventilation system installed at a Montreal lumber planing mill, c. 1920 Canadian forest industries July-December 1920 (1920) (19912730173).jpg
A Sturtevant Company ventilation system installed at a Montreal lumber planing mill, c. 1920

Sturtevant died in 1890 and his son-in-law, Eugene Foss, took over the business. After a 1901 fire, the plant was moved to Hyde Park in 1903, into a new ten-building, 20-acre (8.1 ha) facility designed by Lockwood, Greene & Co. It was now the world's largest manufacturer of electrical fans. The company had expanded into industrial ventilation, heating, air conditioning, dust and fume removal, power, drying and vacuum cleaning. In 1906, Sturtevant installed the first industrial air conditioning system at Walter Baker & Company in Dorchester, and, at a Chicago hotel in 1910, the first residential air conditioning system. Beginning In 1911, Sturtevant Manufacturing Co, produced several aircraft engines, before being absorbed by the B. F. Sturtevant Company. [2] They opened a factory in Galt, Ontario in 1913. [1]

Foss left the company in 1909 to run for Governor of Massachusetts, for which he served three one-year terms. By 1917, Foss's personal money problems threatened the company, which was put into receivership with the rest of his assets. [1] The company survived and, flush with World War I contracts, flourished. In 1919 Sturtevant opened a factory in Framingham, followed by one in Camden, New Jersey in 1922, and Berkeley, California in 1923. Sturtevant, Wisconsin was named for the factory works opened there in 1923. [1]

Sturtevant introduced its highly efficient backward-curved Silentvane fans in 1922, which would be used in the ventilation of the Holland Tunnel. Its Inlet Vane Control system, introduced in 1927, adjusted to load requirements, allowing simpler motors and reducing power consumption. In World War II, almost every new United States fighting ship was built with Sturtevant ventilation. [1]

Post-war decline

In 1945, near the end World War II, Sturtevant was taken over by Westinghouse. The new owners reconstructed and modernized the Hyde Park facilities in 1946, but in 1954 Westinghouse moved the air conditioning business to Virginia, and Sturtevant Boston returned to its roots as an industrial fan manufacturer. In 1985 Sturtevant was sold to the South Africa-based American-Davidson, which quickly sold the industrial fan line to Oklahoma-based Acme Engineering & Manufacturing. The international boycotts of South Africa affected American-Davidson, which closed what was left of Sturtevant in 1989. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning</span> Technology of indoor and vehicular environmental comfort

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HVAC system design is a subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. "Refrigeration" is sometimes added to the field's abbreviation as HVAC&R or HVACR, or "ventilation" is dropped, as in HACR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westinghouse Electric Corporation</span> American manufacturing company

The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in 1945. The company acquired the CBS television network in 1995 and was renamed "CBS Corporation" until being acquired by Viacom in 1999, a merger completed in April 2000. The CBS Corporation name was later reused for one of the two companies resulting from the split of Viacom in 2005.

Kelvinator was an American home appliance manufacturer and a line of domestic refrigerators that was the namesake of the company. Although as a company it is now defunct, the name still exists as a brand name owned by Electrolux AB. It takes its name from William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, who developed the concept of absolute zero and for whom the Kelvin temperature scale is named. The name was thought appropriate for a company that manufactured ice-boxes and refrigerators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Global</span> American air conditioning company

Carrier Global Corporation is an American multinational heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and fire and security equipment corporation based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Carrier was founded in 1915 as an independent company manufacturing and distributing HVAC systems, and has since expanded to include manufacturing commercial refrigeration and food service equipment, and fire and security technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Foss</span> American politician (1858–1939)

Eugene Noble Foss was an American politician and manufacturer from Massachusetts. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives and served as a three-term governor of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manufacturing engineering</span> Branch of engineering

Manufacturing engineering or production engineering is a branch of professional engineering that shares many common concepts and ideas with other fields of engineering such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and industrial engineering. Manufacturing engineering requires the ability to plan the practices of manufacturing; to research and to develop tools, processes, machines and equipment; and to integrate the facilities and systems for producing quality products with the optimum expenditure of capital. Transitioning the product to manufacture it in volumes is considered part of product engineering.

The Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division (CTSD), part of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Westinghouse Power Generation group, was originally located, along with the Steam Turbine Division (STD), in a major industrial manufacturing complex, referred to as the South Philadelphia Works, in Lester, Pennsylvania near to the Philadelphia International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knorr-Bremse</span> German braking system manufacturer

Knorr-Bremse AG is a German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated in the field for over 110 years. Other products in Group's portfolio include intelligent door systems, control components, air conditioning systems for rail vehicles, torsional vibration dampers, and transmission control systems for commercial vehicles. In 2022, the Group's workforce of over 31,000 achieved worldwide sales of EUR 7.15 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan (machine)</span> Machine used to produce air flow

A fan is a powered machine used to create a flow of air. A fan consists of a rotating arrangement of vanes or blades, generally made of wood, plastic, or metal, which act on the air. The rotating assembly of blades and hub is known as an impeller, rotor, or runner. Usually, it is contained within some form of housing, or case. This may direct the airflow, or increase safety by preventing objects from contacting the fan blades. Most fans are powered by electric motors, but other sources of power may be used, including hydraulic motors, handcranks, and internal combustion engines.

James R. Robinson (1860–1950) was a Scottish-born American industrialist, inventor, and author of a seminal book on mine ventilation (1922). The book documents his invention of a new device for ventilating mines and preventing the build-up of explosive methane gas underground, thereby dramatically improving mine safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar air heat</span> Solar thermal technology

Solar air heating is a solar thermal technology in which the energy from the sun, insolation, is captured by an absorbing medium and used to heat air. Solar air heating is a renewable energy heating technology used to heat or condition air for buildings or process heat applications. It is typically the most cost-effective out of all the solar technologies, especially in commercial and industrial applications, and it addresses the largest usage of building energy in heating climates, which is space heating and industrial process heating.

TECO Electric & Machinery Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese company established on June 12, 1956. The company began as an industrial motor manufacturer. The company has expanded service offerings into a conglomerate with worldwide business operations. Now has around 8% market share and also ranked number 5 in global low-voltage A/C motor market, representing 4% of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodman Global</span>

Goodman Manufacturing is an American company operating as an independent subsidiary of Daikin Group, the world's largest manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning products and systems. The company, founded in 1975 and based in Waller, Texas, manufactures residential heating and cooling systems.

Trane Technologies plc is an American manufacturing company focused on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration systems. The company traces its corporate history back more than 150 years and was created after a series of mergers and spin-offs. In 2008, HVAC manufacturer Trane was acquired by Ingersoll Rand, a US industrial tools manufacturer. In 2020, the tools business was spun off as Ingersoll Rand and the remaining company was renamed Trane Technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daikin</span> Japanese multinational conglomerate

Daikin Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Osaka. Daikin is the world's largest air conditioner manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAON</span> HVAC manufacturing company

AAON Inc. AAON, Inc. manufactures heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment for commercial and industrial indoor environments. AAON is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has manufacturing facilities in Longview, TX, Parkville, MO, and Redmond, OR. AAON employs approximately 4000 people across four US-based locations and has annual sales in excess of $880 million.

The Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) is a model code developed by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) to govern the installation, inspection and maintenance of HVAC and refrigeration systems. It is designated as an American National Standard.

The Eberspächer Group of Companies is a privately owned international automotive supplier, headquartered in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. Customers include almost all major manufacturers of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It is one of the leading system developers and suppliers of exhaust technology, vehicle heaters and air-conditioning systems worldwide and is also involved in automotive electronics for electronic networking in the vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine industry</span> Subsector of the industry

The machine industry or machinery industry is a subsector of the industry, that produces and maintains machines for consumers, the industry, and most other companies in the economy.

Thermotank was a Scottish engineering company specialising in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, founded in Glasgow in 1900 by Alexander William Stewart and his two brothers William and Frederick. The business was based on Alexander’s invention, the Thermotank, a system designed for maritime use which could maintain a constant temperature coupled to a change of air on board ships.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "B.F.Sturtevant History". sturtevantfan.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. "Sturtevant D-6 In-line Engine, In-line 6 Engine | National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved December 15, 2023.