The Emergence of High-Pressure Cornish Engines: The Role of the Patent System and the Theory of Collective Invention

Haris Kitsikopoulos
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Haris Kitsikopoulos: Unbound Prometheus

Chapter Chapter 5 in An Economic History of British Steam Engines, 1774-1870, 2023, pp 139-166 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The eighteenth century was a period marked by the birth of the steam era and ingenious design modifications, particularly by Watt, including the invention of rotary motion which spread the engine’s field of applications to industry. But it was during the nineteenth century that steam power exercised a revolutionary effect on the economy by approaching the maximum of its productive efficiency and accelerating multifold its diffusion process. The epicenter of this transformative process was the metal mines of Cornwall which attracted a number of talented engineers. This chapter will explore two major themes. First, it will trace the period of experimentation which was particularly intense during the first quarter of the century when engineers explored different design trajectories before preferences settled by favoring the single-cylinder high-pressure engine. The application of high-pressure steam induced, in turn, a series of micro-inventions. The second part of the chapter will discuss the source(s) of this inventive activity which will be evaluated by discussing the role of the patent system contrasted to elements emphasized by the theory of collective invention.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-27362-9_5

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