University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station records, 1923-1965 Overview of the Collection Creator University of Washington. Engineering Experiment Station Title University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station records Dates 1923-1965 (inclusive) 1923 1965 1937-1956 (bulk) 1937 1956 Quantity 8.2 cubic feet (7 cartons and 1 oversize box) Collection Number (Accession No. 06-034) Summary Records documenting the research and projects of the University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station Repository University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Special Collections University of Washington Libraries Box 352900 Seattle, WA 98195-2900 Telephone: 206-543-1929 Fax: 206-543-1931 speccoll@uw.edu Access Restrictions Open to all users. Languages Sponsor English Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Historical Note The Engineering Experiment Station of the University of Washington was officially established by the Board of Regents in 1917. The express purpose of the Station was "to aid in the industrial development of the state and nation by scientific research and by furnishing information for the solution of engineering problems." The work done at the station produced many research papers and reports that were published in its Bulletin The Station was governed by a University Board that consisted of the following four authorities: the President of the University, the Dean of the College of Engineering, the Director of the Station, and a representative for each research division of the station. The Station had 3 directors during its existence- Carl Edward Magnusson from 1917 until his death in 1941, Edgar Allan Loew from 1941 to 1945, and Frederick Burt Farquharson from 1945 to 1963. In September of 1962, the Office of Engineering Research was established within the College of Engineering for the promotion and administration of sponsored research in the various engineering departments. In July of 1963, the Engineering Experiment Station was merged with the Office of Engineering Research under the latter title. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 1
From its inception in 1917 to its end in 1963, the Station performed research in many areas of engineering and science. The Station conducted research for a wide range of civil and private organizations, both within and outside of the United States. The list of clients includes the United States Department of the Interior, Washington State, the City of Seattle, the City of Vancouver British Columbia, and a number of private companies. Perhaps the Station's most notable work was an investigation of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940. Much of the research on this problem was led by Frederick Burt Farquharson. Professor Farquharson received publicity for his construction of a quonset-hut wind tunnel, which he used to test full and sectional models of the bridge, simulating the violent winds that rocked "Galloping Gertie". Content Description The records of the Engineering Experiment Station measure 8.2 cubic feet and span the years 1923 to 1965. Most of the records are from the time of Burt Farquharson's directorship and most were created by Farquharson. Administrative records include a valuable historical features file, meeting minutes, general correspondence, annual reports to the President of the University of Washington, research reports, reprints, and a scrapbook containing clippings about the school from 1929 to 1937. The bulk of the collection consists of Project Files, primarily civil engineering projects, especially bridge construction and testing. Project Files document major research projects that the Experiment Station conducted. These include: Aluminum Company of America Conductor Vibration Studies, Desalting Sea Water for United States Department of the Interior, George Washington Bridge, Kelowna Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Bridge (formerly known as Lake Washington Bridge), Mackinac Bridge, Seattle Public Safety Building Problem, Spruce Spars for Posey Manufacturing Company, and Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Washington). A large proportion of the material within the project files are correspondence, research reports, test records, and drawings (both blue prints and other). Test records are mostly subdivided into key test conditions or controlled variables, and are ordered alphabetically. The Tacoma Narrows project file contains test material on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. The Station studied full and sectional models of the Golden Gate bridge "due to its marked similarity to the preliminary Tacoma Proposal." Major Correspondents are: Aluminum Company of America, Frederick Burt Farquharson, Lacey Van Buren Murrow, and the Washington Toll Bridge Authority. Use of the Collection Restrictions on Use Public records (Use unrestricted when access is granted). Administrative Information Arrangement Arranged into 2 series: Administrative Records, 1923-1965 Project Files, 1927-1958 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 2
Acquisition Information Source: Robert G. Hennes, College of Engineering, Civil Engineering, 3/19/1971; College of Engineering, Office of Engineering Research, 4/7/1971 & 4/29/1971; College of Engineering, Civil Engineering, 11/23/1971 Processing Note Processed by Dan Waters; processing completed in 2007 Photographs were relocated to the University of Washington Engineering Experiment Station Collection of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Photographs and Ephemera, Ph Coll 290. Motion picture film of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge were relocated to the Moving Image Collection. 118 Bulletins, 7 Series Reports and 6 Technical Notes published by the Engineering Experiment Station were added to Special Collections' cataloged collection. Related Materials Frederick Burt Farquharson Papers; accession number: 3395-002. Detailed Description of the Collection Administrative Records, 1923-1965 Container(s) Description Dates 1/1 Historical Features 1934-1937, 1947-1965 General Correspondence 1/2 Amman and Whitney, Consulting Engineers (New York) 1956 1/3 Boeing Airplane Company 1928 1/4 Engineering News Record 1934-1937 1/5 Farquharson, Frederick B. 1933-1938, 1946-1958 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 3
1/6 McGraw-Hill Publishing Company 1934-1936 1/7 Tyler, Richard Gaines 1934-1935 1/8 United States Works Progress Administration (Washington) 1935 1/9 Washington State Treasury Department 1934-1936 1/10 Wiley, John and Sons 1935-1936 1/11 Zioncheck, Marion A. 1933-1936 1/12 Miscellaneous 1923-1965 1/13 Interdepartmental Correspondence 1933-1959 1/14 Interdepartmental Correspondence (Dean of College of Engineering) 1934-1935, 1952-1963 1/15 Intradepartmental Correspondence 1949, 1959-1963 1/16-19 Minutes 1945-1963 Reports of the Engineering Experiment Station 1/20 Annual Report from the Dean 1958-1959 1/21-29 Annual Reports to the President 1947-1963 1/30 Quarterly Research Reports 1925-1949 Research Reports 1/31 Atmospheric Pollution in Seattle 1950 1/32 Concrete Tuning Fork Tests 1946 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 4
1/33 Deflections of Swept Triangular Plates 1950 1/34 Iron Losses in Electric Conduit 1950 1/35 Phosphate Rock and Laterite for a Phosphorus-Alumina Process 1950 2/1 Steam Plants and the Northwest Power Shortage 1951 2/2 Steel Roof Deck Tests 1955 2/3 Three Dimensional Nozzle Study 1949 2/4-5 Wind and Radio Noise from Conductors for Bonneville Power 1952 Reports of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 2/6 Technical Memoranda 1929, 1951 2/7 Technical Notes 1921, 1926, 1939 2/8 Research Proposals 1947, 1963 2/9-11 Reprints of the Engineering Experiment Station 1947-1959 2/12 Reprints-Miscellaneous 1934-1938 2/13 Publications of Others 1936, 1938 Writings 2/14 Hydro Electric Power in Washington 1950 2/15 Use of Photoelastic Method in Undergraduate Education http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 5
Financial Records 2/16 Budget Allocations 1958-1963 2/17 Budget Forecasts 1961-1963 2/18 Construction Procedures 1961-1963 2/19 Departmental Requests 1963 2/20 Sponsors' Expenditures 1938-1939 2/21 Fellowship and Assistantship Files 1945-1964 Curriculum Materials 2/22 Aerodynamic Problems 1928 2/23 C.E. 91 "Mechanics for Engineering" 1935-1940 2/24 C.E. 131 "Applied Mechanics" 1929-1931 2/25-26 C.E. 132 "Applied Mechanics" 1926-1933 2/27 C.E. 171A "Structural Analysis" 1937 2/28 C.E. 171B "Structural Analysis" 1940 2/29 C.E. 172 "Structural Analysis" 1938 2/30 Resilience in Beams 1930-1939 2/31 Lab Notebook Contains data from many projects. 1946-1950 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 6
2/32 Notebooks 1924-1925, 1940 2/33-34 Notes and Calculations (Miscellaneous) 1932-1957, Lists 3/1 Activities in Structural Research Lab 1956-1957 3/2 Industrial and Public Contacts 1939-1940 Drawings 3/3 Water Tower 1956, Writings of Others 3/4 Arrangements with Ray Reflection 1940 3/5 Artificial Phenalformaldehyde in Photoelasticity 3/6 Beam Variations 1960 3/7 Fifty Years of Boundary Layer Theory and Experiment 1954 3/8 Measurement of Solid Friction of Plastics 1940 3/9 A Property of Synthetic Resins 1936 3/10 Stresses in Rock Surrounding Tunnels 1931 3/11 Suspension Turbidimeter for Determining Surface Area of Granular Materials 1934 3/12 Wind Action of Structural Members 1934 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 7
3/13 Photograph Black and white portrait of unidentified man. Subject Files 3/14 Exposition Building (Century 21) Contains reprints of others. 1958-1959 3/15 Patent for Triethylene Glycol Lignin 1952 3/16 Schmitz Bridge 1936 Manuals 3/17 Instructions for Southwark-Emery Testing Machine 1932-1935 3/18 Steel Products 1949, 1952 3/19 Engineering Index Service Card Catalog 1941 3/20 Applications for Approval of Outside Work 1934 3/21-24 Scrapbook Primarily concerns engineering college affairs, engineering students and faculty, as well as events related to engineering. Also includes clippings regarding university administrative activities and policies. 1929-1937 3/25 Clippings 1952-1963 3/26 Miscellany 1932-1938, Project Files, 1927-1958 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 8
Aluminum Company of America Conductor Vibration Studies These studies concern the power input from wind to vibrating overhead electrical conductors (amplitude of vibration). General Correspondence 3/27-29 Aluminum Company of America 1952-1956 3/30 American Institute of Electrical Engineers 1955-1956 3/31 University of Washington Graduate School, Dean 1953 3/32 Miscellaneous 1955-1956 3/33-40 Research Reports 1953-1954 3/41 Reports to Joel Thompkins 1953-1955 Test Records 4/1-4 Stranded Models 4/5-9 Smooth Cylinders 4/10 Rigid Models 1956 4/11 Writings of Others 1936 4/12 Letters of Agreement 1953, 4/13 Invoices 1953 4/14-15 Miscellany http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 9
Desalting Sea Water for United States Department of the Interior 4/16 General Correspondence 1956-1958 4/17 Research Proposals 1954 4/18-20 Research Reports 1956 4/21 Photographs All black and white. Four 8" x 10" and one 3" x 5" of machines and unidentified persons. George Washington Bridge (New York and New Jersey) 4/22 Model Measurements 4/23-25 Test Records 1950-1951, Boxfolder:Oversize 8/1 Drawings 1946 Kelowna Bridge (British Columbia, Canada) General Correspondence 4/26 Swan, Wooster and Partners, Consulting Engineers (Vancouver, British Columbia) 1955-1956 4/27 Miscellaneous 1955 4/28 Legal Files 1955 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 10
4/29 Research Reports 1952-1956, 4/30 Test Records 1956, 4/31 Budget Files 1955 4/32-33 Writings of Others 1927, 1936, 4/34-35 Reports of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 1926-1949 4/36 Writing by unidentified author Boxfolder:Oversize 4/37, 8/2 Drawings 1955, 5/1 Photographs All black and white. Five 8" x 10" of section models and machines, and eight 3" x 5" of people, horses, and encampments. 5/2 Photocopies of Section Model and Wind Tunnel 5/3 Clippings 1955 5/4 Miscellany Lacey V. Murrow Bridge (Lake Washington Bridge) General Correspondence 5/5 Freeman, Miller 1937-1940 5/6 Gregory, Luther E. 1937-1940 5/7-8 Murrow, L.V. (Lacey Van Buren) 1937-1938 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 11
5/9 Thomson, R. H. 1937-1939 5/10 Washington Toll Bridge Authority Includes two 4" x 5" photographs, probably of Admiral Luther E. Gregory 1938-1945 5/11 Washington State Planning Council 1935-1938 5/12 Miscellaneous A-Z 1937-1941 Reports 5/13-17 Monthly Progress Each progress report includes 8" x 10" photographs of bridge construction 1939-1940 5/18 Atmospheric and Water Temperatures 1937 5/19 Bearing Test 1938 5/20 Wind and Wave Action 1938-1939 5/21 Toll Schedule Study Also contains material related to Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Washington). 1940-1941 5/22 Unit Construction and Test Proposals 1938 Boxfolder:Oversize 8/3 Traffic Survey Data Sheets 1938 5/23 Bids for the Construction of Bridge Units 1938 Unit Descriptions and Provisions http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 12
5/24 Unit 7 1938 5/25 Unit 8 1938 5/26 Unit 9 1938 5/27 Unit 9 Revised 1938 5/28 Unit 10 1938 5/29 Unit 11 1938 Drawings Boxfolder:Oversize 8/4 General Plans Includes 4 black and white 3" x 5" photographs of street views 1938-1940 8/5 Unit 2 1940 8/6 Unit 7 1938 8/7 Unit 8 1938 8/8 Unit 9 1938 8/9 Unit 9 Revised 1938 8/10 Unit 10 1938 8/11 Unit 11 1938 5/30 Map of Washington State 5/31 Legislative Proposals 1937-1938 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 13
5/32 Miscellany Mackinac Bridge (Michigan, United States) 5/33 Historical Features General Correspondence 5/34 Steinman, D. B. 1954-1955 5/35-38 Research Reports 1955, Test Records 5/39 Aerodynamic Stability 1955 5/40 Critical Velocity for d=0.08 5/41 No Rails or Curbs 5/42 Runs 1-20 and 23-26 1954-1955 5/43 Run 21 1955 5/44 Run 22 1955 6/1 Vertical and Torsional Stiffness for D 6/2 Miscellaneous 6/3-4 Curve Sheets http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 14
6/5 Blue Print 1953 6/6 Photo Illustrations 6/7-8 Photographs All black and white. Twenty-one 8" x 10" of section models and bridge construction, one portrait of David B. Steinman, and six 3" x 5" of section models. 6/9 Ephemera 1954-1957 6/10 Miscellany 1954-1955, Ruby Dam (Skagit River, Washington) Later renamed Ross Dam in honor of Seattle City Light Superintendent James Ross 6/11 Incoming Letters 1937 6/12 Test Records 1937-1938, 6/13 Strain Readings with Huggenberger Tensometer 6/14, 8/12 Drawings 1937 Seattle Public Safety Building Problem These files concern the study of Dantore perlite, which was used in place of plaster for the construction of the Seattle Public Safety Building, to determine if it was substandard material. General Correspondence 6/15 Dant and Russell, Inc. 1955-1956 6/16 Eben and Nahstoll 1956 6/17 Graf, S.H. 1954-1958 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 15
6/18-21 General Correspondence of Frederick B. Farquharson 1954-1956 6/22 Minutes 1956 Research Reports 6/23 Dantore Plaster 1955-1957 6/24 Perlites 1955-1956 6/25 Lab Records 1949-1951 6/26 Data Sheets 1946, 1952-1956 6/27 Notes 6/28 Writings of Others 1950 6/29 Publications 1953-1956 6/30 Financial Records 1956-1958 6/31 Clippings 1955, 6/32 Ephemera Spruce Spars for Posey Manufacturing Company 6/33 General Correspondence 1929-1931 6/34 Research Report 6/35 Test Records 1929 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 16
6/36 Receipt 1939 Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Washington) 6/37 Legal Documents 1947 Reports 6/38 Bridge Failure Report 1942 6/39-40 Preliminary Reports 1941-1942 6/41-60 Research Reports 1940-1953, Reports of Others 6/61 Richmond-San Rafael Bridge 1955 6/62 Washington Toll Bridge Authority Progress Report on Tacoma Narrows and Lacey V. Murrow Bridges Includes 8" x 10" photographs of construction scenes 1939-1940 6/63 Writings 1947, 1952 Test Records of Bridge Models 6/64 Alterations of 'I' in Stiffness 1939-1941 6/65 Closed Deck/Center Free 1942-1943 6/66 Closed Deck/Center Tied 1943 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 17
6/67 Dunn's Visit Calculations 1942 6/68-69 Early Section Model Tests 1944 6/70-7/5 Final Design 1947-1949, 7/6-7 Full and Section Model Data 1944-1947 7/8 Fully Faired Bridge 1945 7/9 Hold Down Angles and Conditions 7/10 Lab Notebook 1944-1946 7/11 Live Load 1939 7/12 Logbook on Wind Tunnel Tests 1940-1942 7/13 Mastic/No Mastic 1950 7/14 Miscellaneous 1943-1944 7/15 Open Deck/Center Free 1943 7/16 Open Deck/Closed Deck 1942 7/18 Open Deck/Diagonal Tower Stays 1943 7/19 Open Deck/Fully Faired 1942, 7/20 Open Deck/No Center Stays 1943 7/21 Stiffness of Suspended Structure 1942-1943 7/22-23 Structural and Aerodynamic Damping 1947 7/24 Unloaded Backstays 1943 7/25 Varying Torsional Stiffness 7/26-27 Vertical Inclination of Wind 1943 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 18
7/28 V/nb Reduced Velocity 7/29 Bridge Movement Data 1940 7/30 Drawings of Section Model 7/31 Notes 1939-1943 7/32 Writings of Others 1942-1943 7/33-34 Bulletins 1949-1952 7/35 Engineering News Record 1935-1946 7/36 Souvenir Booklet 1950 7/37 Bibliographic Material Subject File: Golden Gate Bridge Model 7/38-44 Test Records 1946-1952, 7/45 Essay 7/46 Notes 1951, 7/47 Clippings 1940, 1956, 1970 7/48 Miscellany 1940, Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Civil engineering--research http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 19
2008 Civil engineering--study and teaching--washington (State) University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington) Personal Names : Farquharson, F. B. (Frederick Burt) Murrow, L. V. (Lacey Van Buren), 1904-1966 Corporate Names : Aluminum Company of America University of Washington. Engineering Experiment Station--Archives Washington Toll Bridge Authority (suject) Geographical Names : Lacey V. Murrow Bridge (Mercer Island and Seattle, Wash.) Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma, Wash. : 1940) Form or Genre Terms : Annual reports Blueprints Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Correspondence Drawings Minutes Research (document genres) Scrapbooks Other Creators : Corporate Names : University of Washington. University Archives http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West: http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/cc-zero.shtml http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv76849 20