Great western railway isambard kingdom brunel biography

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

British mechanical and civil engineer (–)

"Brunel" redirects here. For other uses, see Brunel (disambiguation).

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (IZZ-əm-bard KING-dəm broo-NELL; 9 April &#;– 15 September ) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engineering giants", and "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, [who] changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions". Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway (GWR), a series of steamships including the first purpose-built transatlanticsteamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his career, Brunel achieved many engineering firsts, including assisting his father in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river (the River Thames) and the development of the SS&#;Great Britain, the first propeller-driven, ocean-going iron ship, which, when launched in , was the largest ship ever built.

On the GWR, Brunel set standards for a well-built railway, using careful surveys to minimise gradients and curves. This necessitated expensive construction techniques, new bridges, new viaducts, and the two-mile-long (&#;km) Box Tunnel. One controversial feature was the "broad gauge" of 7&#;ft&#;1&#;4&#;in (2,&#;mm), instead of what was later to be known as "standard gauge" of 4&#;ft&#;8+1&#;2&#;in (1,&#;mm). He astonished Britain by proposing to extend the GWR westward to North America by building steam-powered, iron-hulled ships. He designed and built three ships that revolutionised naval engineering: the SS&#;G

Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (–) was a renowned 19th century engineer. His achievements include the steamships Great Western, Great Britain and Great Eastern.

Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( - ) was one of the most famous civil engineers and mechanics in history. In a poll by the BBC, Brunel was voted the second greatest Briton of all time (after Winston Churchill). Brunel’s feats and achievements have had a lasting legacy and revolutionised how we approach engineering, transport and construction.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel facts

Who were Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s parents?

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the son of the famous inventor, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and Sophia Kingdom. Similar to his son, the scope of Marc’s designs were remarkable. Marc invented new methods for the mass production of ships’ pulleys and soldiers boots to his designs. His most famous achievement was his pioneering work in the design and construction of the Thames Tunnel. Prince Albert took a keen interest in the project, and it was this project that led to Marc's knighthood. 

Sophia Kingdom & the French revolution

Marc and Sophia first met in Paris during the French Revolution. As a known royalist, Marc had to flee France for New York. Sophia remained in Paris to finish her studies and was charged with being a British spy. She remained in prison until the end of the revolution. They found each other again in England and married in with Sophia giving birth to Isambard Kingdom Brunel in

Brunel - a child genius?

From a young age, Isambard had a talent for engineering and mathematics. Encouraged by his father, he learnt how to depict model drawings of buildings and had begun learning Euclidean geometry by the age of eight. After being educated in Hove and Caen, Isambard was sent to France to apprentice under Louis Breguet, France’s most celebrated maker of watches and scientific instruments.

What

  • Where was isambard kingdom brunel born

    • Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( - )

    Isambard Kingdom Brunel  ©Brunel was one of the most versatile and audacious engineers of the 19th century, responsible for the design of tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships.

    Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on 9 April in Portsmouth. His father Mark was a French engineer who had fled France during the revolution. Brunel was educated both in England and in France.

    When he returned to England he went to work for his father. Brunel's first notable achievement was the part he played with his father in planning the Thames Tunnel from Rotherhithe to Wapping, completed in In , Brunel's designs won the competition for the Clifton Suspension Bridge across the River Avon. Construction began the same year but it was not completed until

    The work for which Brunel is probably best remembered is his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts for the Great Western Railway. In , he was appointed their chief engineer and work began on the line that linked London to Bristol. Impressive achievements during its construction included the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Maidenhead Bridge, the Box Tunnel and Bristol Temple Meads Station. Brunel is noted for introducing the broad gauge in place of the standard gauge on this line. While working on the line from Swindon to Gloucester and South Wales he devised the combination of tubular, suspension and truss bridge to cross the Wye at Chepstow. This design was further improved in his famous bridge over the Tamar at Saltash near Plymouth.

    As well as bridges, tunnels and railways, Brunel was responsible for the design of several famous ships. The 'Great Western', launched in , was the first steamship to engage in transatlantic service. The 'Great Britain', launched in , was the world's first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner. The 'Great Eastern', launched in , was designed in cooperation with John Scott Russell, and was by far the bigges

  • What did isambard kingdom brunel invent

    • Great Western Railway

    In , a group of businessmen formed a committee to promote a Bristol to London railway. Brunel was appointed engineeron 7 March and it's probable that it was Brunel who christened the new line the "Great Western Railway" — the name appears in his diary in August The Parliament Bill authorising its construction was passed on 31 August Unusually, the gauge (or width between the rails) of the railway was not specified in the plans. This was a deliberate omission, negotiated by the engineer.

    The gauge of the railways then being built around the country was 4ft 8½in. This measurement derives from the earliest coal-carrying locomotives, which were designed to pass along existing colliery paths. Brunel calculated that a wider gauge would allow locomotives to be designed with larger wheels and a lower centre of gravity and thus travel more safely at high speeds. He also hoped for a smoother, faster ride and room aboard for greater numbers of passengers to earn back the cost of constructing a wider track.

    On 15 September , scarcely a fortnight after the Act was passed, Brunel wrote to the directors of the Great Western Railway Co. revealing his innovative design. Not only was it to be the longest, most level line in Britain, but it was to be the broadest, too. Brunel had also devised a completely new method of construction for the 7ft 1/4in wide track. On 29 October , the Directors accepted his proposal.
    By this time clearing work in the Avon valley was already well under way and Brunel was designing Maidenhead Bridge and Wharncliffe Viaduct.

    That November, a Bill was lodged for the Paddington extension, creating a new London terminus — Paddington Station. The following year, excavations for Box Tunnel began.

    The first 22 mile section of the Great Western Railway was ready for service on 4 June and the line continued to open in stages over the three years that followed.

    Had Brunel's work beg