Museum of Engines and Mechanisms

Museum of Engines and Mechanisms

Museo storico dei motori e dei meccanismi
One of the exhibit areas of the Museum
Established	February 25, 2011 (2011-02-25)
Location	Italy, Palermo
Type	Science and technology museum
Collections	Engines and technical-scientific instrumentation
Founder	Dr. Giuseppe Genchi, with the contribution of the technician Beniamino Drago and Prof. Riccardo Monastero
Owner	University of Palermo
Website	www.museomotori.unipa.it

The Museum of Engines and Mechanisms is an italian academic museum located in Palermo, Italy, and is part of the Museum System of the University of Palermo. ^{[1] [2]}

Inaugurated on February 25, 2011, ^[3] it houses a vast collection of engines and industrial, scientific, and educational equipment used in various research and teaching fields since the second half of the 19th century.

The museum is dedicated to the research, restoration, and dissemination of its heritage, in accordance with the recommendations of ICOM (International Council of Museums). It organizes exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and educational activities and collaborates with other museums, institutions, and associations within the cultural initiatives promoted by the University of Palermo. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

On May 31, 2017, ^{[7] [8]} the museum was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) with the "Mechanical Engineering Heritage Collection" distinction for its historical, technical, and collection significance. ^[9]

History of collection

One of the museum spaces in 2008, with some artifacts, before the restoration and musealization of the collection

The museum houses a varied collection of engines and industrial, scientific, and educational equipment, acquired and used in various fields of research and teaching since the second half of the 19th century, following the foundation of the Royal School of Applied Engineering and Architecture of the University of Palermo in 1866. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

The collection illustrates the evolution of fluid machines and related studies, covering a range of practical applications, from steam engines to jet engines and modern hybrid systems. ^[14]

Stationary engines

At the Royal School of Applied Engineering and Architecture in Palermo, ^[15] early studies on steam engines date back to the mid-19th century, as evidenced by some of the oldest stationary machines and scientific instruments preserved in the museum. ^[16] The section dedicated to stationary engines also includes hydraulic machines ^[17] such as Francis, Kaplan, and Pelton turbines, reflecting their importance in the evolution of fluid machine technology over time.

Automotive engines

The automotive engines exhibition area

The museum houses a collection of various automotive engines designed for diverse applications. Most of these engines were acquired for research and teaching activities and have gradually been replaced by more modern models currently in use in the ^[18] University of Palermo's engine laboratory. ^[19]

Aircraft engines

The museum houses a collection of historically significant aircraft engines. ^{[20] [21]} Some of these engines date back to the early days of aviation, including rotary radial-cylinder engines. Some of the oldest specimens come from Germany and were part of a batch of technical equipment transferred to Italy for research purposes after World War I. Among these engines is the French rotary engine "Le Rhône" 9Jby ^[22] and a rare counter-rotating Siemens-Halske Sh.IIIa ^[23] engine, representing an advanced step in the evolution of radial-cylinder rotary engines.

Historic aircraft FIAT G.59 4B

The historic Fiat G.59 4B aircraft displayed in a specially designed case

The museum's collection includes two aircraft: the Lockheed F-104S ASA-M, displayed on the University of Palermo campus, and one of only five surviving FIAT G.59s, which is displayed in a dedicated area of the museum. The FIAT G.59, ^{[24] [25] [26]} designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli, was one of the last high-performance aircraft equipped with a piston engine and is considered a symbol of the revival of the post-war Italian aerospace industry. It was developed from the FIAT G.55 Centauro, a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. ^[27]

The FIAT G.59 was produced by FIAT in the early 1950s, with over 180 units made, primarily for the Italian Air Force as an advanced training aircraft. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine of 1,660 hp (model 500-20), the aircraft reached a maximum speed of 609 km/h at 6,400 meters and a maximum ceiling of 12,100 meters. ^[28]

Didactic mechanisms

Additionally, the museum holds a collection of historical scientific instruments used in engine studies, including measuring devices and various types of engine test benches. ^{[29] [30]}

ASME Landmark

The ASME Landmark plague of the Museum of Engines.

On May 31, 2017, in recognition of its historical, technical, and collection significance, the museum became the first Italian collection to receive the "Mechanical Engineering Heritage Collection" distinction, awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). ^[31]

This recognition is part of the History and Heritage Landmarks program, launched by ASME in 1971. ^[32]

References

1. The SiMuA's thematic museums are six, well-established for many years already, now recognized and appreciated both scientifically and culturally.
2. "musei". www.musei.unipa.it.
3. Nino Giaramidano (26 February 2011). "I vecchi motori? Hanno un'anima" (PDF) (in Italian).
4. "Cosa è il servizio civile universale?" (in Italian).
5. "Tessere Preziose del Mosaico Palermo - Elenco Siti Tematici". Sito istituzionale del Comune di Palermo.
6. Roberto Chifari. "Il Museo ingrana la quarta in Corriere della Sera - Corriere del Mezzogiorno, 11 marzo 2017 (PDF)" (PDF) (in Italian).
7. "ASME Recognizes Engine Collection in Italy for Its Historical Importance". www.asme.org.
8. Al Museo dei motori un Premio dagli States, in Giornale di Sicilia, 4 giugno 2017.
9. Aldo Gerbino (a cura di), Plumelia. Almanacco di cultura/e: Organismi – Il sistema Museale dell'Università di Palermo, Plumelia Edizioni, Bagheria, 2012, ISBN 978-88-89876-20-6.
10. Francesco Paolo La Mantia, Contributi per una storia della Facoltà di Ingegneria di Palermo, vol. 2, Palermo, Fotograf, 2006.
11. Orazio Cancila, Storia dell'Università di Palermo dalle origini al 1860, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2006, ISBN 978-8842080886.
12. Marco Ceccarelli, Francesco Sorge e Giuseppe Genchi, Elia Ovazza, Professor of TMM in Palermo around the end of the 19th century, a cura di Francesco Sorge e Giuseppe Genchi, Essays on the History of Mechanical Engineering, Springer, 2016, pp. 47-63, DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-22680-4_19.
13. Vito Cardone, Francesco Paolo La Mantia (a cura di), La storia dell'ingegneria e degli studi di ingegneria a Palermo e in Italia, collana Quaderni della conferenza dei Presidi delle Facoltà di Ingegneria, CUES, 2006.
14. Giuseppe Genchi. "Il Museo Storico dei Motori e dei Meccanismi dell'Università degli Studi di Palermo (PDF), in Scuola Officina, n. 1, gennaio - giugno 2016, pp. 16-21" (PDF) (in Italian).
15. Sergio Barizza (2003). "La fonderia Neville a San Rocco. Un'industria del ferro a Venezia nella seconda metà dell'Ottocento, in Storia di Venezia. N. 1, 2003". Storia di Venezia: Rivista (in Italian) (1). doi:10.1400/16839.
16. Filippo Grammauta e Luigi Caleca, La centrale elettrica A. Volta di Palermo: vicende storiche, analisi tecnico-funzionale ed ipotesi di una riutilizzazione nell'ambito del contesto urbanistico del molo trapezoidale, Tesi di Laurea (A.A. 1985-86), Facoltà di Ingegneria (Università di Palermo), 1986.
17. Alberto Beccari, Macchine - Turbine a vapore, compressori a gas, macchine idrauliche, CLUT, 1993, ISBN 9788879920339.
18. Giovanni Lanzara, Mario Rubino e Camillo De Gregorio, Motore a pistone rotanti [brevetto dell'autore]: progetto e realizzazione sperimentale, Tesi di Laurea (A.A. 1961-62), Palermo, 1962.
19. Pillitteri, Pasquale. "Laboratorio di restauro". www.museomotori.unipa.it.
20. Kyrill von Gersdorff, Helmut Schubert e Kurt Grasmann, Flugmotoren und Strahltriebwerke, Bonn, Bernard und Graefe, 2007.
21. Federico Filippi, Dall'elica al getto, Torino, EDA, 1983.
22. Andrew Nahum. The rotary aero engine. OCLC   15607591.
23. Hans Giger. Kolben-Flugmotoren : Geschichte und Entwicklung in Wort und Bild, 1. Aufl, Motorbuch Verlag, 1986 (in German). OCLC   16468942.
24. Paolo Miana, Marco de Montis. "Il FIAT G.59 rinasce al Museo Motori di Palermo (PDF), in VS Aviation, n. 4, ottobre 2015" (PDF) (in Italian).
25. Malizia Nicola. "FIAT G59, IBN, 2005, ISBN 8875650187, OCLC 946970784"
26. Oscar Marchi e Vittorio Zardo, Aeronautica militare. Museo storico. Catalogo velivoli, Pàtron, 1990, (ISBN 978-8855516693)
27. "A New Home For The Fiat G 59". November 13, 2013.
28. Ministero della Difesa Aeronautica - Direzione generale delle costruzioni ed approvvigionamenti. "Istruzioni per l'uso del motore Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-20, FIAT, 1950" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
29. Salvatore Di Marco. "Un G.59 a Palermo, in Rivista Aeronautica, n. 1, gennaio - febbraio 2014" (PDF) (in Italian).
30. "Elia Ovazza, Professor of TMM in Palermo around the end of the 19th century, a cura di Francesco Sorge e Giuseppe Genchi, Essays on the History of Mechanical Engineering, Springer, 2016, pp. 47-63". doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22680-4_19.
31. "About the Landmarks Program". www.asme.org.
32. "ASME, The Collection of Engines at the Museum of Engines and Mechanisms University of Palermo (PDF), 2017" (PDF).

38°06′17″N13°20′51″E / 38.1048°N 13.3476°E / 38.1048; 13.3476