Ron Holland

Ronald John Holland (born 1947 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a yacht designer, who came to prominence in the 1970s with his successful racing designs, and is now best known for his superyachts such as "Mirabella V" and "Ethereal". He is now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Background.
Holland started competitive sailing at the age of eight and was apprenticed as a boatbuilder in Auckland, where he built his first design, the 26' sloop "White Rabbit" in 1966.
In the USA.
While working in Florida, he designed the 24' "Eygthene", which won the 1973 Quarter Ton Cup. (The name of the boat was a pun on the New Zealand pronunciation of the word 'eighteen': quarter-ton yachts are rated at 18-feet under the IOR rating rule). The success of "Eygthene" led to a commission to design a One-ton class yacht for Irish businessman Hugh Coveney. "Golden Apple" enabled Holland to set up as independent designer, and he relocated to County Cork in Ireland.
In the Republic of Ireland.
In 1974 he designed, and Killian Bushe built "Golden Shamrock", his 30' design for the Half Ton Cup in la Rochelle. This was followed in 1975 By "Golden Leprechaun" another variation of the Half-ton Class. The Shamrocks went into production in Cork. One of these boats, "Silver Shamrock", built lightly by Killian Bushe at South Coast Boatyard and steered by Harold Cudmore won the 1976 Half-ton Cup in Trieste, Italy.
This was followed by "Silver Shamrock III" in 1977 which was built in cold moulded spruce for the Half Ton Cup in Sydney Australia. The boat should have won the Half Ton Cup, but lost her mast in the last race. A later design along the same theme was called the Shamrock Silver Jubilee or Nicholson Half Tonner. Probably the best known of these yachts is Grimalkin, which took part in the Fastnet Race of 1979, and became the subject of a book entitled "Left for Dead: The Untold Story of the Tragic 1979 Fastnet Disaster". Although Grimalkin was abandoned at sea, she was later salvaged afloat and still sails.
Meanwhile, Holland's "Nicholson 33" design, for the English boatbuilder Camper & Nicholson, had begun production and one of these, "Golden Delicious", won the 1975 Fastnet Race. This remarkable feat was repeated in the 2005 Fastnet when "Iromiguy", another Nicholson 33, took the trophy as overall winner.
Other remarkable boat designs include "Big Apple", "Regardless", "Golden Apple of the Sun" and "Silver Apple of the Moon".
Further commissions followed, including a new Morning Cloud for the former British Prime Minister Edward Heath. Holland's designs featured prominently in the 1977 and 1979 Admiral's Cup series of races in Cowes.
His 40-footer "Imp" won the 1977 Fastnet Race. This led to commissions for the 80-foot Maxi Class yachts "Kialoa" and "Condor" and for a series of designs for Finnish yachtbuilder Nautor's series of Swan yachts between 1979 and 1990. The Freedom 39 PH, a pilothouse cat-schooner with freestanding masts was also commissioned by Freedom Yachts and began production in 1982. A Holland 30, "Screw Loose", won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1979.
"Condor", the Maxi Class yacht built in 1981, still sails as a passenger boat in Australia's Whitsunday Islands. In 1982, Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari), commissioned "Charley" - a 67-foot sloop, designed by Ron Holland using the same design thesis as "Kialoa". "Charley" went on to win Line-Honors in the 1983 Trans-Pacific Yacht Race and other Pacific racing events.
'NCB Ireland' was the Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race. Although built and launched with great fanfare, she did not perform as well as expected or as well as the more adventurous designs from the southern hemisphere sporting a Mizzen rig.
The 103-foot "Whirlwind", launched in 1986, was Holland's largest design to date and one of the first of a new breed of superyacht - large yachts which used new technologies to provide strong sailing performance without requiring a large crew.
The 247-foot "Mirabella V", launched in 2003, was not only Holland's largest design, but also the largest ever single-masted sailing yacht.
In Vancouver, Canada.
Ron Holland currently resides in Vancouver, Canada where he continues work at his yacht design studio. In 2018 Ron Holland published his memoir, titled "All The Oceans, Designing by the seat of my pants".
Ron Holland received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Cortina Italy, where Boat International Media held the "Design and Innovation Awards" in January 2019.


Michigan station (CTA)

Michigan is a proposed rapid transit station for the Red Line as part of the Red Line Extension. The station is planned to open in 2029 if the CTA can get the funding for the $2.3 billion project. The station will be constructed adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood.


Johann Heinrich Wohlien

Johann Heinrich Wohlien also known as Johann Hinrich Wohlien, or Wohlin and Wollin (1779–1842) was a German master organ builder.
Wohlien was born at Altona in Hamburg, the son to the organ builder Balthasar Wohlien (1745, Wilster – 1804, Hamburg). His brother was the piano and organ builder Lorenz Rudolph Wohlien with whom he formed the second generation of the family business. Wohlien moved the family workshop to Altona and at times worked together with his uncle Joachim Wilhelm Geycke. After 1804 the workshop was split, with Wohlien joining Johann Carl Eduard Erdland. The family business ended with Wohlien's grandson Johann Friedrich Eduard Wohlien (1843–1871), son to Johann Conrad Rudolph Wohlien.
His son was the painter and lithographer Christoph Wilhelm Wohlien (1811–1869). Johann Heinrich Wohlien died at Altona in 1842.


South Pudong Road station

South Pudong Road () is a station under construction on the future Line 14 of the Shanghai Metro. Located at the intersection of South Pudong Road and Pudong Avenue in Pudong, the station is scheduled to open with the rest of Line 14 in 2020.


Johann Adam Hoyer

Johann Adam Hoyer was a clockmaker and master craftsman in Josefstadt (now the 8th district of Vienna) who died in 1838. There are a few known examples of his work still extant, including a flute clock and a miniature wall clock from the Biedermeier era. He is credited with developing a clock that was wound by the creation of hydrogen.
Hoyer was one of a few clockmakers in the early 19th century who experimented with hydrogen-powered winding mechanisms. Pasquale Andervalt in Italy c. 1835 was another, and his clock is in the Clockmakers' Company in London.
A hydrogen-wound clock is described in the Country Life International Dictionary of Clocks: "It consists of an open-centred dial exposing the mechanism, with a pin-pallet escapement and ornate gilt pendulum bob, the clock movement being mounted on supports fixed to a large red glass cylinder. Above the movement is a coiled spiral brass tube holding balls of zinc which, as the driving weight nears its lower position, are released one by one to fall into a solution of dilute sulphuric acid in the red glass jar. Hydrogen gas is generated and the resulting pressure lifts the entire mechanism behind the dial, winding the going weight, the larger of the two visible. The smaller weight is used to maintain the clock in motion whilst the larger is wound, the winding process being quite slow. On completion of the winding the hydrogen gas is released in preparation for the next cycle. These clocks are rare; hydrogen is a most inflammable gas and perhaps the majority have exploded in use."


Fahredin Nuri

Fahredin Nuri (24 November 1914 – 16 November 1984) was a notable Albanian hydraulic engineer.
Early years.
After completing the Primary studies at Lushnja with excellent results, Fahredin Nuri continued his Secondary education at the "Korça’s French Lycée" (Albanian – "Liceu i Korçës"). He completed the cycle of nine years studies in seven, mathematic branch, and obtained the Diploma in June 1934, with the motivation: "Very Good and Congratulations from the Jury".
The French Government accorded Nuri the right to continue his studies at the University of Sorbonne, where he graduated in 1940 with excellent results at the Faculty of Civil Engineering ("L'université Paris-Sorbonne, diplômés en génie civil").
Fahredin master work in Post-War Albania focused on Hydrologic and Hydraulic Engineering, on the movement, storage, and properties of water in the environment, as well as the interaction of water with human activities. His work reflected bright solutions to "water supply and planning", irrigation systems design, "water rights administration", stream restoration, environmental protection, "floodplain planning" and management, and "drought mitigation".
Early working years.
During this period he worked as "Master Engineer at the Directorate of the Waters at the Forests and Agricultural Ministry" and "Director of the Local Water Irrigation Works Directorate".
From August 1963 he worked as "Master Engineer at the Draining Directorate at the Ministry of Constructions" until he retired at the "State Draining Design Institute".
Estimation of Fahredin Nuri works.
The works designed by Fahredin Nuri, including swamp draining and soil reclaiming, portable water supply and irrigation planning, water quality and hydrologic processes, drought characterization and prediction, flood prediction and flood forecasting, infrastructure responses to hydrologic processes, numerical modeling of hydrologic systems, modeling of watersheds and river basins, analysis of water resources systems, river network properties, soil moisture and dynamics, fishing economies or solar salt works are thought to be more than 120.
After being in use for more than 45 years, the irrigation canal "Peqin–Kavajë" has been reconstructed and is still being used for irrigation. Future projects foresee its use on the field of hydroelectricity in the framework of the "Banja" Hydropower Plant, as his dream and vision was.
The Irrigation Canal "Vjosë-Levan-Fier" was a Work of unique and extraordinary dimensions for the time it was designed, far in 1955. Numerous were the practical problems resolved like river’s hydrology, river network properties, topography and constructions.
Later years.
Engineer Fahredin Nuri was retired against his will in 1974. After his retirement he gave his contribution at the "Roads-Bridge Institute" at the "Directorate of Fish Farming and Fishing Techniques Designs" by the "Ministry of Food and Light Industry".
In 1981 Engineer Fahredin Nuri started to have his first health eyesight problems. The attempt of familiars to ensure him a more professional medical treatment abroad barged into the indifference and the mental dismiss of the Communist Albanian authorities.
Fahredin Nuri died on 16 November 1984.
His contribution to Albanian Hydrologic Engineering is significant and unique. Many refer to him as the "Master" of the "Agricultural Hydrologic Engineering" Science in Albania.


Sirkka-Liisa Landry

Sirkka-Liisa Landry (née Vuorenpää; 22 November 1926 – 19 January 2008) was a Finnish chess player, Finnish Women's Chess Championship sixteen-times winner, Nordic Women's Chess Championship three-times winner.
Biography.
Vuorenpää was born in Kivennapa in Karelia. At the age of 15, in the summer of 1942, she stepped onto a mine while gathering berries in the woods. She lost her left leg from the knee down and had to spend a long time in a military hospital where other patients taught her chess. After leaving the hospital, Vuorenpää finished school in Lammi and then moved to Helsinki where she worked as a postal clerk. In Helsinki, she also had better opportunities to play chess.
In 1954, Vuorenpää was fourth in her first Finnish Women's Chess Championship. But in 1957 she won this tournament for the first time. She won the Finnish Women's Chess Championship sixteen times: 1957−1973, 1975−1976, 1981, 1986. Also she won silver (1988) and three bronze medals (1983, 1987, 1989) in this tournament. Vuorenpää won Nordic Women's Chess Championship three times: 1957, 1959 and 1967. In 1975, in Karlovy Vary she participated in FIDE Women's World Chess Championship Zonal Tournament.
Sirkka-Liisa Landry played for Finland in the Women's Chess Olympiads:
Sirkka-Liisa Landry played for Finland in the Nordic Chess Cups:
In the late 1970s, Vuorenpää married French diplomat Jacques Landry and changed her surname to Landry. She first moved to the Netherlands after her husband started a new job there. After her husband retired, they moved to Portugal. Landry spent her last years at Kauniala Military Injury Hospital in Kauniainen, Finland, where she died.


Nels Johnson

Nels Johnson (1838–1915) was a Danish-American professional mechanic and engineer who was the manufacturer of Century tower clocks, commercial tower clocks that were guaranteed for 100 years. The clocks put in business buildings, government buildings, churches, and courthouses. He also repaired nineteenth century machinery as various businesses and made grandfather type tall clocks. He was a businessman and manufacturer associated with commercial shipping, railroad equipment, engine equipment, sawmill machinery, and mechanical devices. His businesses were in Manistee, Michigan. He was also a scientist there and worked with astronomy to learn how to get clocks at different locations to synchronize at the correct time.
Johnson as a boy of seven had to start working to make a living on his own as he was kicked out of his large family. He first did unskilled labor jobs at farms in his home town. As a young man of fourteen he traveled to Italy and found some unskilled jobs there. When he was sixteen he went to Copenhagen and there apprenticed at a local shop to learn the blacksmith trade. His main work was on windmills and at 23 years of age his apprenticeship was completed and he was drafted into the army. In a series of events that happened in time he eventually wound up in England in 1863 at the age of 25 where he came across a group of Danish immigrants on their way to America and immigrated with them.
Biography.
Early life.
Johnson was born in Nordrup (near Skaftelev in Slagelse Municipality on the island of Zealand), Denmark, about 50 miles from Copenhagen on November 26, 1838. His father was Jorgen Neilsen and his mother was Ana Marie Sorensen. His parents owned a farm of that was cultivated for an income. Danish custom was for a boy's given last name to be obtained from the father's name, therefore the son of Jorgen becomes Jorgenson as the new family name. He anglicized his Danish last name of Jorgenson to Johnson after his arrival in America.
Johnson was the oldest child of a poor family and had five siblings. He was kicked out of the blue-collar working family when he was seven years old since his parents could no longer support a large family. He had to support himself by working for other farmers, caring for sheep, geese, and cattle. He wore wooden shoes in the winter and was barefoot in the summer months. Johnson, like many other young boys, wanted to become an organ grinder with a monkey. He also wanted to travel with a circus or to be a bugler or drummer boy in the army or to see the world as a sailor. His parents wanted him to become a shoemaker.
Mid life.
Nels left the Denmark area to "see the world" when he was about fourteen years old. He hitchhiked rides to Copenhagen where he hoped to join the army. Since the army would not accept him, he went to work for a farmer for $23 a year including boarding. After a year he decided he had enough of that and then got a job in a beer brewery cleaning bottles. He also delivered beer for the company, on foot. When he was fifteen he traveled to Italy and got a job in a restaurant in Tivoli, doing miscellaneous labor assignments and delivering meals to families, again on foot. That job soon ended, so he walked some 40 miles to another city in Italy and went to work moving paving stones with a wheelbarrow. His food was coarse rye bread with water and he slept on straw for a bed in a barn and covered himself with a horse blanket for warmth.
When he was sixteen, in the spring of 1855, he went back to Copenhagen. There he found an apprenticeship to a blacksmith in the Danish city of Randers. The apprenticeship was for six years. He earned $16 per year, which included housing. He worked 14-hour days from sunrise to sunset. Mealtimes were just enough time to have a quick meal. The work was pumping bellows for the main blacksmith and pounding on heavy forgings with a sledge hammer. The work was basically on large windmills. He completed his apprenticeship when 23 years old in 1861.
Johnson was then drafted into the army in the spring of that year. He trained in boot camp for four months. He was then permitted to return home as a "free shooter" in the army reserve. He returned to Randers and got a job. Two years later in 1863 the army reserves were called. There was fear that war was going to break out between Denmark and Germany. He then left Randers and went to Hamburg, Germany. There he used most of his small savings to buy a ticket to Liverpool, England. Upon entering the ship going to England he discovered he needed a passport. Not having one he improvised and posed as a working shepherd when several hundred sheep were being loaded on the boat to go to Hull, England. When he was on board the boat he disappeared and found a place to hide so as not to get caught until the ship was on its way. Johnson then came across a group of 100 Danish immigrants who were on their way to America by way of Liverpool. Scandinavians by the droves were going to America in the 1860s. Johnson figured that perhaps there would be better opportunities in America so decided to emigrate to America. The man in charge of the group that went to a Liverpool hotel on May 11 was Rasmus Sorensen.
Johnson talked to Sorensen while at the hotel for a couple of days and asked for help to go with the immigrants as far as Quebec. He told him that he was a blacksmith and his ticket took him only to Liverpool. Sorensen agreed to the request and they negotiated an agreement where Johnson would pay back the cost of transportation. They left Liverpool to America on May 14 on board the steamboat Hebernian and Sorensen had given Johnson a ticket to Quebec. Sorensen had paid $36 US in gold for the passage and told Johnson that he felt confident that he would ultimately get paid back since he trusted him. In effect Johnson was a stowaway when they went to Quebec in 1863. He had only twenty-five cents in his pocket when they arrived in Quebec eleven days later on May 25. He somehow then managed to get a free train ticket from Quebec to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From Quebec he went on the Grand Trunk Railroad bound for Detroit and arrived midday on May 29. In the evening he left there bound for Grand Haven, Michigan. He arrived there at 6 a.m. the next morning. That day he got on board a lake steamer from Grand Haven to cross Lake Michigan and arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday May 30, 1863. He found work and repaid Sorensen as soon as he could.
Johnson became a blacksmith for a year or two while in Milwaukee, a trade he learned as a boy. From about 1863 and until 1871 he worked in a machine shop there. He was a skilled mechanic and was promoted from time to time and eventually achieved a top position within a firm. While still in Milwaukee he formed a partnership machine shop with John Bowie on May 1, 1871. They decided to move to Manistee, Michigan, and open their own machine shop and foundry there. They dismantled their machine shop and boxed it up piece by piece in crates. They then shipped everything to Manistee on a lake schooner. Johnson first put his wife and children, along with his horse and wagon, on a boat and sailed with them across Lake Michigan to Manistee on May 31, 1871. Bowie with their equipment went on another boat and arrived the next day. By mid-afternoon they were constructing their new shop and foundry. By June 23 it was operational and they sold their first service. On June 26 Johnson sold his first cash product which was a nut for an axle which he sold for sixty cents.
October 8 of that year brought a devastating fire to Manistee and his shop, which happened coincidentally at the same time as the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. Johnson and Bowie lost everything, their shop, their $9,000 business and their partnership turned bad. Johnson wound up selling off his share of the partnership to a Mr. Stoke for $1,000. An Odd Fellows Lodge in Milwaukee sent Johnson $100 to help out his family. Johnson was able to buy a lot and lumber with the amount of money he had. He then rebuilt the machine shop and an economical 14 foot by 20 foot structure to live in. The cheap wet lumber used for his dwelling warped and caused gaps in their housing structure. It was by no means weather proofed and rain and snow came through. Through determination and persistence he eventually got himself back on track and after a couple of years he was able to save up enough money to build a small house for his family.
Later life.
O. E. Wheeler became interested in what Johnson was doing and they formed a partnership in January 1872. Wheeler was a commercial shipper and owned tug boats. Soon their business of "Wheeler & Johnson" developed a specialty of repairing and building sawmill machinery. They also built shingle-mills as a speciality with a crew of twelve to fifteen men. Within a few years, the business outgrew the small machine shop they started. They then built a new brick building with a slate roof, designed to resist any windblown sparks in case of another town inferno. Soon afterwards they built a second brick building next to the first one. It was ultimately intended for tower clock manufacture.
James Shrigley became a third partner in 1880 buying 1/3 interest into the business, changing the name to "Wheeler, Johnson & Company." Among the products that the machine shop made were railroad castings and a hoop splitter invented by Johnson and used by barrel makers. The shop also made repairs to railroad equipment, sawmill equipment, and salt well equipment (Manistee is sometimes called "the salt city"). Later their shop began making gasoline engines and gasoline marine engines. Their machine shop business had a machine shop with many large machines and tools, a blacksmith shop, a pattern shop, an iron and brass foundry, and an office. The business prospered for many years until Johnson bought out his partners in 1893. In 1895 Johnson decided to sell the machine shop business to one of his sons, August N. Johnson. He kept the clock manufacturing shop.
Clock making.
Johnson found time to study the mathematical relations of clock movements while he was running his machine shop business. He purchased a second-hand clock and studied its mechanism thoroughly. It is likely that his first actual clock work began around 1865 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He made at least one electric clock, while still in Milwaukee. Johnson's real interest and motivation was while he lived in Michigan. He was most serious about clock making after he moved to Manistee. There are no records of how many non-tower clocks Johnson actually made. One Manistee man, John Pershbacher, who is knowledgeable about antiques and operates a local museum, said in 2006 he saw fifteen. In all likelihood there are over 25, according to clock historian Jack Linahan.
He built four grandfather clocks for his four children about 1879. They were in eight foot wooden and glass cases. Johnson then in the mid-1880s started to make tower clocks using his mechanical skills he acquired along the way and knowledge and understanding he had acquired in horology.
Johnson took on another partner named McGrath about 1887 strictly for financial reasons. Then he "split" the business retaining the "heavy part" for Wheeler and formalizing the clock part with McGrath. Johnson, however, had control over both businesses. The clock manufacturing part was run solely by Johnson - it was strictly a one-man operation. Johnson broke the partnership with McGrath on May 26, 1892. His first real order for a large tower clock was for a business clock in downtown Manistee about 1888. His reputation for quality tower clocks for businesses spread and he soon was receiving other orders for his Century tower clocks for churches, government buildings and courthouses. His tower clocks were guaranteed to operate for 100 years if properly maintained.
The idea came to Johnson to make a couple of clocks with sufficiently uniform pendulums that they would beat synchronously, however he was not able to accomplish this. He presented this problem to science professors at the University of Michigan. They pointed out to Johnson that it was impossible. The subject of astronomy came up in their talks and the part the stars play in the determining of correct time. The professors loaned books on mathematics and astronomy to Johnson. He mastered algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and basic astronomy. In 1887 he met a Professor Harrington of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The professor taught him that no two clocks could be made to run synchronously independent on their own to where they ran at exactly the same time on the same beat and swing of the pendulums. He explained that the only way to arrive at the correct time was to use fixed stars. The stars could be seen by the use of a transit telescope. In 1889 Johnson bought one so he could observe stars in getting accurate readings for time measurements. He was able to receive assistance in his more complicated mathematical calculations from Professor William Hussey, an astronomer at Stanford University.
Personal life.
Johnson was married to Frances Green in 1865 at Milwaukee. Their first child born in 1869 was named August Nel. They had another child, Henrietta (Hattie), by 1871. They had four more children while living in Manistee, Michigan. One was a daughter named Clara, born March 15, 1877, but died at the age of six on June 8, 1885. August, Dollie, Katherine, and Nels Jr. reached adulthood and married. Nels' first wife, Frances, died on June 11, 1880, at the age of 39. He got remarried to Amanda Golden in 1881. Amanda died in 1917, two years after Nels' death. Nels, Frances, Amanda, Clara, and Nels' mother's gravesites are at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Manistee, Michigan.
Johnson at the age of 76 died in Manistee January 20, 1915.


Tim Broyd

Professor Tim Broyd is an English civil engineer who was elected the 152nd President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, taking office in November 2016.
Early career.
Broyd was born in Carshalton in Surrey, grew up in Wallington and Addington and went to Trinity School, in Shirley. After leaving Trinity School, he went to the University of Birmingham to study science and civil engineering, completing a PhD in 1979.
Professional career.
He then began employment at design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins in Epsom, where he stayed for 20 years, including spells as chief engineer and group research and innovation director. During the early 2000s (2002-2007) he was chief executive at the Construction Industry Research Information Association (CIRIA), before joining the Halcrow Group (later CH2M), where he was group technology, innovation and sustainability director until 2012.
Broyd's interests include digital engineering and infrastructure resilience.
Broyd is now Professor of Built Environment Foresight and Honorary Professor of Civil Engineering at The Bartlett, University College London. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the ICE, a Vice Chairman of the Construction Industry Council and a director of BuildingSMART (UK) Ltd and CEEQUAL Limited.
He was formally elected as the President of the ICE in December 2015, succeeding Sir John Armitt in November 2016.
Family life.
He married his wife Ros at St Mary's Church in Addington in 1979, and has lived in Warlingham since the 1990s. He has three children: Edwin, Aiden and Imogen.
References.


Jagath Jayasuriya

Jagath Jayasuriya, VSV, USP, ndc, psc is a retired Sri Lanka Army general, and a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Sri Lankan military and Commander of the Sri Lankan Army. During the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, he served as the Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni with overall command of SLA offensives in the Wanni region during the 2008 - 2009 period. He was also the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname from June 2014 to August 2017.
Education and family.
Educated at the Royal College, Colombo, Jayasuriya captained the college boxing team in 1977, winning colours for boxing and was a senior prefect. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College; the Defence Resource Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School; and the National Defence University. In 1990 he gained a Master of Science Degree in Defence Studies from the University of Madras and had also attended the School of Armour, Pakistan and the Armoured Corps Centre and School, India.
Jayasuriya is the youngest of six brothers, three of whom (Sumith, Aruna and Nimal) also attended Royal College and, alongside Jagath, were prize-winning boxers. One of his older brothers would go on to become officer in the Sri Lanka Navy.
Military career.
Joining the army after completing schooling in 1978 as a cadet officer, he was at the top of his class at the Army Training Centre and was commissioned into the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps as a Second Lieutenant in 1980 with his military career spanning the Sri Lankan Civil War. He was promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant in 1981, Captain in 1984, Major in 1988 and Lieutenant Colonel in 1993. During this time he had served as a troop leader (1980–1983) and adjutant (1984–1985) of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment. After a brief posting as a staff officer at Army Headquarters, he was later appointed as squadron commander, 1st Reconnaissance Regiment. From 1990 to 1992 he had served as a Brigade Major, 9 Brigade in Jaffna and served as Chief Instructor at Officers Study Centre and Staff Officer II (Training), Army Training Centre. In 1992 he was the Second in Command of the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment and had served as a Staff Officer of the Armoured Brigade in 1994 he became the Commanding Officer, 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps till June 1995. During July 1995 - May 1996, he was the General Staff Officer at the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) and later served as Military Secretary Army Headquarters.
In 1997 he was the Brigade Commander of an armoured brigade and in 1998 posted to the 563 Infantry Brigade as its commander brigade commander. He was critically injured during the Operation Jayasikurui in 1998, when his jeep hit a land mine in the Kolamadu area. After recuperating he was the military liaison officer at Ministry of Defence till 2002 and was promoted to Brigadier in 2001. That year he was appointed as the Commandant of the Sri Lanka Military Academy. In December 2004, he was appointed Director of Operations at Army Headquarters and thereafter promoted to the rank of Major General he took over as General Officer Commanding of the 52 Division.
In mid-2007 he was appointed as Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni (SFHQ-W). From this capacity he directed the military operations in the Wanni region that was aimed at regaining area controlled by the LTTE. This saw several major battles which included the Battle of Vidattaltivu, the Battle of Paranthan, the Battle of Kilinochchi, the Third Battle of Elephant Pass and the Battle of Mullaitivu. At the height of the war he had 5 divisions and 3 task forces under his command, thus making it the largest military command in Sri Lankan military history. He is the Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps and the Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
In 2009, he left SFHQ-W to take over as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army. In June 2012, he was promoted to the rank of General and was appointed as Chief of Defence Staff with effect from August 2012, when he relinquished command as Army Commander. He held the post till June 2015 when he retired from the army.
Post-military career.
Following his retirement from the army, General Jayasuriya was appointed as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, in which capacity he is concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname. His tenure ended at the end of August 2017.
Allegations of war crimes.
Having been a central figure in the deciding stages of Eelam War IV, Jayasuriya has, like Sarath Fonseka and Gotabhaya Rajapakse, been accused of being complicit in the alleged war crimes carried out by the SLA during this period. On 28 August 2017, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP)- a group affiliated with the Foundation for Human Rights based in South Africa- filed lawsuits against Jayasuriya in Brazil and Colombia, citing his alleged complicity and command role in artillery strikes on hospitals and other civilian targets, torture (including sexual violence) and enforced disappearances. The same lawsuits were planned to be filed in Argentina, Chile and Peru, while Suriname had refused to accept them.
In September 2017 current Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena refused to let several human rights groups take Jagath Jayasuriya to court for war crimes. Sirisena reportedly said "I stated very clearly that I will not allow anyone in the world to touch Jagath Jayasuriya or any other military chief or any war hero in this country," in reference to the lawsuit.
Personal life.
He is married to Manjulika Aruna (who served as President of the SLA Seva Vanitha welfare unit), and has two children.


Hoist (device)

A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated, electrically or pneumatically driven and may use chain, fiber or wire rope as its lifting medium. The most familiar form is an elevator, the car of which is raised and lowered by a hoist mechanism. Most hoists couple to their loads using a lifting hook. Today, there are a few governing bodies for the North American overhead hoist industry which include the Hoist Manufactures Institute (HMI), ASME, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). HMI is a product counsel of the Material Handling Industry of America consisting of hoist manufacturers promoting safe use of their products.
Types.
The word “hoist” is used to describe many different types of equipment that lift and lower loads.  For example, many people use “hoist” to describe an elevator.  The information contained here pertains specially to overhead, construction and mine hoist.
Overhead.
Overhead hoists are defined in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B30 standards as a machinery unit that is used for lifting or lowering a freely suspended (unguided) load.  These units are typically used in an industrial setting and may be part of an overhead crane.
A specific overhead hoist configuration is usually defined by the "lifting medium", "operation" and "suspension".  The "lifting medium" is the type of component used to transmit and cause the vertical motion and includes wire rope, chain or synthetic strap, or rope.  The "operation" defines the type of power used to operate the hoisting motion and includes manual power, electric power, hydraulic power or air power.  The "suspension" defines the type of mounting method used to suspend the hoist and includes hook, clevis, lug, trolley, deck, base, wall or ceiling.
The most commonly used overhead hoist is electrical powered with wire rope or chain as the lifting medium.  Both wire rope and chain hoist have been in common use since the 1800s, however mass production of electric hoists did not start until the early 1900s and was first adapted by Germany.  A hoist can be a serial production unit or a custom unit.  Serial production hoists are typically more cost-effective and designed for a ten-year life in a light to heavy hoist duty service classification.  Custom hoists are typically more expensive and are designed for a heavy to severe hoist duty service classification.  Serial production hoists were once regarded as being designed for light to moderate hoist duty service classifications, but since the 60's this has changed. Over the years the custom hoist market has decreased in size with the advent of the more durable serial production hoists. A machine shop or fabricating shop will typically use a serial production hoist, while a steel mill or NASA may typically use a custom hoist to meet durability and performance requirements.
When selecting an overhead hoist, several application parameters must be considered.  These are the average operating time per day, load spectrum, starts per hour, operating period and equipment life.  These parameters determine the Hoist Duty Service Classification, and are further defined in the document “Comparison of Hoist Duty Service Classifications” to help hoist installers and users better understand the hoist's useful life and duty service application.
Proper installation, operation, inspection, maintenance and safe use of overhead hoists is paramount. Refer to the “HMI 100.23 Operator’s Manual - Hoist”, “HMI 100.75 Operator’s Manual – Lever Hoist”, “HMI 100.24 Inspection and Maintenance Manual - Hoist”, and “HMI 100.74 Inspection and Maintenance Manual – Lever Hoist”.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers also publishes a number or standards related to overhead hoists. The “ASME B30.16 Standard for Overhead Hoists (Underhung)” and “ASME B30.21 Standard for Lever Hoists” provide additional guidance for the proper design, installation, operation and maintenance of hoists.
Construction.
Also known as a Man-Lift, Buckhoist, temporary elevator, builder hoist, passenger hoist or construction elevator, this type of hoist is commonly used on large scale construction projects, such as high-rise buildings or major hospitals. There are many other uses for the construction elevator. Many other industries use the buckhoist for full-time operations, the purpose being to carry personnel, materials, and equipment quickly between the ground and higher floors, or between floors in the middle of a structure. There are three types: Utility to move material, personnel to move personnel, and dual-rated, which can do both.
The construction hoist is made up of either one or two cars (cages) which travel vertically along stacked mast tower sections. The mast sections are attached to the structure or building every for added stability. For precisely controlled travel along the mast sections, modern construction hoists use a motorized rack-and-pinion system that climbs the mast sections at various speeds.
While hoists have been predominantly produced in Europe and the United States, China is emerging as a manufacturer of hoists to be used in Asia.
In the United States and abroad, General Contractors and various other industrial markets rent or lease hoists for a specific projects. Rental or leasing companies provide erection, dismantling, and repair services to their hoists to provide General Contractors with turnkey services. Also, the rental and leasing companies can provide parts and service for the elevators that are under contract.
Mine.
A mining hoist (also known simply as a hoist or winder) is used in underground mining to raise and lower conveyances within the mine shaft. It is similar to an elevator, used for raising humans, equipment, and assorted loads.
Human, animal and water power were used to power the mine hoists documented in Agricola's De Re Metallica, published in 1556. Stationary steam engines were commonly used to power mine hoists through the 19th century and into the 20th, as at the Quincy Mine, where a 4-cylinder cross-compound corliss engine was used. Modern hoists are powered using electric motors, historically with direct current drives utilizing solid-state converters (thyristors); however, modern large hoists use alternating current drives that are variable-frequency controlled. There are three principal types of hoists used in mining applications, Drum Hoists, Friction (or Kope) hoists and Blair multi-rope hoists. Hoist can be defined as anything that is used to lift any heavy materials.


Actuator

An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a "mover".
An actuator requires a control signal and a source of energy. The control signal is relatively low energy and may be electric voltage or current, pneumatic, or hydraulic fluid pressure, or even human power. Its main energy source may be an electric current, hydraulic pressure, or pneumatic pressure. When it receives a control signal, an actuator responds by converting the source's energy into mechanical motion. In the "electric", "hydraulic", and "pneumatic" sense, it is a form of automation or automatic control.
An actuator is a mechanism by which a control system acts upon to perform an operation or task. The control system can be simple (a fixed mechanical or electronic system), software-based (e.g. a printer driver, robot control system), a human, or any other input.
History.
The history of the pneumatic actuation system and the hydraulic actuation system dates to around the time of World War II (1938). It was first created by Xhiter Anckeleman who used his knowledge of engines and brake systems to come up with a new solution to ensure that the brakes on a car exert the maximum force, with the least possible wear and tear.
Types of actuators.
Hydraulic.
The hydraulic actuator consists of cylinder or fluid motor that uses hydraulic power to facilitate mechanical operation. The mechanical motion gives an output in terms of linear, rotatory or oscillatory motion. As liquids are nearly impossible to compress, a hydraulic actuator can exert a large force. The drawback of this approach is its limited acceleration.
The hydraulic cylinder consists of a hollow cylindrical tube along which a piston can slide. The term "single acting" is used when the fluid pressure is applied to just one side of the piston. The piston can move in only one direction, a spring being frequently used to give the piston a return stroke. The term "double acting" is used when pressure is applied on each side of the piston; any difference in force between the two sides of the piston moves the piston to one side or the other.
Pneumatic.
Pneumatic actuators enable considerable forces to be produced from relatively small pressure changes. Pneumatic energy is desirable for main engine controls because it can quickly respond in starting and stopping as the power source does not need to be stored in reserve for operation. Moreover, pneumatic actuators are cheaper, and often more powerful than other actuators. These forces are often used with valves to move diaphragms to affect the flow of air through the valve.
The advantage of pneumatic actuators consists exactly in the high level of force available in a relatively small volume. While the main drawback of the technology consists in the need for a compressed air network composed of several components such as compressors, reservoirs, filters, dryers, air treatment subsystems, valves, tubes, etc. which makes the technology energy inefficient with energy losses that can sum up to 95%
Electric.
Since 1960, several actuator technologies have been developed, Electric actuators can be classified in the following groups:
Electromechanical Actuator.
It converts the rotational force of an electric rotary motor into a linear movement to generate the requested linear movement through a mechanism either a belt (Belt Drive axis with stepper or servo) or a screw (either a ball or a lead screw or planetary mechanics)
The main advantages of electromechanical actuators are their relatively good level of accuracy respect to pneumatics, their possible long lifecycle and the little maintenance effort required (might require grease). It is possible to reach relatively high force, on the order of 100 kN.
The main limitation of these actuators are the reachable speed, the important dimensions and weight they require.
While the main application of such actuators is mainly seen in health care devices and factory automation.
Electrohydraulic Actuator.
Another approach is an electrohydraulic actuator, where the electric motor remains the prime mover but provides torque to operate a hydraulic accumulator that is then used to transmit actuation force in much the same way that diesel engine/hydraulics are typically used in heavy equipment.
Electrical energy is used to actuate equipment such as multi-turn valves, or electric-powered construction and excavation equipment.
When used to control the flow of fluid through a valve, a brake is typically installed above the motor to prevent the fluid pressure from forcing open the valve. If no brake is installed, the actuator gets activated to reclose the valve, which is slowly forced open again. This sets up an oscillation (open, close, open ...) and the motor and actuator will eventually become damaged.
Linear Motor.
Linear Motors are different from electromechanical actuators, they work with the same principal of an electric rotary motors, in effect it can be thought as a rotary motor which has been cut and unrolled. Thus, instead of producing a rotational movement, they produce a linear force along their length. Because linear motors cause lower friction losses than other devices, some linear motor products can last over a hundred million cycles.
Linear motors are divided in 3 basic categories: flat linear motor (classic), U-Channel linear motors and Tubular linear motors.
Linear motor technology is the best solution in the context of a low load (up to 30Kgs) because it provides the highest level of speed, control and accuracy.
In fact, it represents the most desired and versatile technology. Due to the limitations of pneumatics, the current electric actuator technology is a viable solution for specific industry applications and it has been successfully introduced in market segments such as the watchmaking, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries (as high as 60% of the applications. The growing interest for this technology, can be explained by the following characteristics:
The main disadvatage of linear motors are:
Thermal or magnetic.
Actuators which can be actuated by applying thermal or magnetic energy to a solid-state material have been used in commercial applications. Thermal actuators can be triggered by temperature or heating through the Joule effect and tend to be compact, lightweight, economical and with high power density. These actuators use shape memory materials such as shape-memory alloys (SMAs) or magnetic shape-memory alloys (MSMAs).
Mechanical.
A mechanical actuator functions to execute movement by converting one kind of motion, such as rotary motion, into another kind, such as linear motion. An example is a rack and pinion. The operation of mechanical actuators is based on combinations of structural components, such as gears and rails, or pulleys and chains.
3D printed soft actuators.
The majority of the existing soft actuators are fabricated using multistep low yield processes such as micro-moulding, solid freeform fabrication, and mask lithography. However, these methods require manual fabrication of devices, post processing/assembly, and lengthy iterations until maturity in the fabrication is achieved. To avoid the tedious and time-consuming aspects of the current fabrication processes, researchers are exploring an appropriate manufacturing approach for effective fabrication of soft actuators. Therefore, special soft systems that can be fabricated in a single step by rapid prototyping methods, such as 3D printing, are utilized to narrow the gap between the design and implementation of soft actuators, making the process faster, less expensive, and simpler. They also enable incorporation of all actuator components into a single structure eliminating the need to use external joints, adhesives, and fasteners.
Shape memory polymer (SMP) actuators are the most similar to our muscles, providing a response to a range of stimuli such as light, electrical, magnetic, heat, pH, and moisture changes. They have some deficiencies including fatigue and high response time that have been improved through the introduction of smart materials and combination of different materials by means of advanced fabrication technology. The advent of 3D printers has made a new pathway for fabricating low-cost and fast response SMP actuators. The process of receiving external stimuli like heat, moisture, electrical input, light or magnetic field by SMP is referred to as shape memory effect (SME). SMP exhibits some rewarding features such a low density, high strain recovery, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.
Photopolymer/light activated polymers (LAP) are another type of SMP that are activated by light stimuli. The LAP actuators can be controlled remotely with instant response and, without any physical contact, only with the variation of light frequency or intensity.
A need for soft, lightweight and biocompatible soft actuators in soft robotics has influenced researchers for devising pneumatic soft actuators because of their intrinsic compliance nature and ability to produce muscle tension.
Polymers such as dielectric elastomers (DE), ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC), ionic electroactive polymers, polyelectrolyte gels, and gel-metal composites are common materials to form 3D layered structures that can be tailored to work as soft actuators. EAP actuators are categorized as 3D printed soft actuators that respond to electrical excitation as deformation in their shape.
Examples and applications.
In engineering, actuators are frequently used as mechanisms to introduce motion, or to clamp an object so as to prevent motion. In electronic engineering, actuators are a subdivision of transducers. They are devices which transform an input signal (mainly an electrical signal) into some form of motion.
Circular to linear conversion.
Motors are mostly used when circular motions are needed, but can also be used for linear applications by transforming circular to linear motion with a lead screw or similar mechanism. On the other hand, some actuators are intrinsically linear, such as piezoelectric actuators. Conversion between circular and linear motion is commonly made via a few simple types of mechanism including:
Virtual instrumentation.
In virtual instrumentation, actuators and sensors are the hardware complements of virtual instruments.
Performance metrics.
Performance metrics for actuators include speed, acceleration, and force (alternatively, angular speed, angular acceleration, and torque), as well as energy efficiency and considerations such as mass, volume, operating conditions, and durability, among others.
Force.
When considering force in actuators for applications, two main metrics should be considered. These two are static and dynamic loads. Static load is the force capability of the actuator while not in motion. Conversely, the dynamic load of the actuator is the force capability while in motion.
Speed.
Speed should be considered primarily at a no-load pace, since the speed will invariably decrease as the load amount increases. The rate the speed will decrease will directly correlate with the amount of force and the initial speed.
Operating conditions.
Actuators are commonly rated using the standard IP Code rating system. Those that are rated for dangerous environments will have a higher IP rating than those for personal or common industrial use.
Durability.
This will be determined by each individual manufacturer, depending on usage and quality.


Pipe support

A pipe support or pipe hanger is a designed element that transfer the load from a pipe to the supporting structures. The load includes the weight of the pipe proper, the content that the pipe carries, all the pipe fittings attached to pipe, and the pipe covering such as insulation. The four main functions of a pipe support are to anchor, guide, absorb shock, and support a specified load. Pipe supports used in high or low temperature applications may contain insulation materials. The overall design configuration of a pipe support assembly is dependent on the loading and operating conditions.
Loads on piping system.
Primary Load.
These are typically steady or sustained types of loads such as internal fluid pressure, external pressure, gravitational forces acting on the pipe such as weight of pipe and fluid, forces due to relief or blow down, pressure waves generated due to water/steam hammer effects.
Sustained Loads:
Occasional Loads:
Secondary Load.
Just as the primary loads have their origin in some force, secondary loads are caused by displacement of some kind. For example, the pipe connected to a storage tank may be under load if the tank nozzle to which it is connected moves down due to tank settlement. Similarly, pipe connected to a vessel is pulled upwards because the vessel nozzle moves up due to vessel expansion. Also, a pipe may vibrate due to vibrations in the rotating equipment it is attached to.
Displacement Loads:
A pipe may experience expansion or contraction once it is subjected to temperatures higher or lower respectively as compared to temperature at which it was assembled. The secondary loads are often cyclic but not always. For example, load due to tank settlement is not cyclic. The load due to vessel nozzle movement during operation is cyclic because the displacement is withdrawn during shut-down and resurfaces again after fresh start-up. A pipe subjected to a cycle of hot and cold fluid similarly undergoes cyclic loads and deformation.
Types of pipe supports.
Rigid Support.
Rigid supports are used to restrict pipe in certain direction(s) without any flexibility (in that direction). Main function of a rigid support can be Anchor, Rest, Guide or both Rest & Guide.
1) Stanchion/Pipe Shoe:
Rigid support can be provided either from bottom or top. In case of bottom supports generally a stanchion or "Pipe Clamp Base" is used. It can be simply kept on steel structure for "only rest" type supports. To simultaneously restrict in another direction separate plate or "Lift up Lug" can be used. A pipe anchor is a rigid support that restricts movement in all three orthogonal directions and all three rotational directions, i.e. restricting al the 6 degrees of freedom This usually is a welded stanchion that is welded or bolted to steel or concrete. In case of anchor which is bolted to concrete, a special type of bolt is required called "Anchor Bolt", which is used to hold the support with concrete. In this type of support, normal force and friction force can become significant. To alleviate the frictional effect Graphite Pad or PTFE plates are used when required.
2) Rod Hanger:
It is a static restraint i.e. it is designed to withstand tensile load only (no compression load should be exerted on it, in such case buckling may take place). It is rigid vertical type support provide from top only. It consists of clamp, eye nut, tie rod, beam attachment. Selection of rod hanger depends on pipe size, load, temperature, insulation, assembly length etc. As it comes with hinge and clamp, no substantial frictional force comes into play.
3) Rigid Strut:
It is a dynamic component i.e. designed to withstand both tensile and compression load. strut can be provide in vertical as well as horizontal direction. "V-type Strut" can be used to restrict 2 degrees of freedom. It consists of stiff clamp, rigid strut, welding clevis. Selection depends on pipe size, load, temperature, insulation, assembly length. As it comes with hinge and clamp, no substantial frictional force comes into play.
Spring Support.
Spring supports (or Flexible supports) use helical coil compression springs ( to accommodate loads and associated pipe movements due to thermal expansions). They are broadly classified into Variables Effort support & Constant effort support. The critical component in both the type of supports are Helical Coil Compression springs.
Spring hanger & supports usually use Helical coil compression springs.
1.Variable Spring Hanger or Variable Effort Support:
Variable effort supports also known as variable hangers or variables are used to support pipe lines subjected to moderate (approximately up to 50mm) vertical thermal movements. VES units (Variable effort supports) are used to support the weight of pipe work or equipment along with weight of fluids ( gases are considered weightless) while allowing certain quantum of movement with respect to the structure supporting it. Spring supports may also be used to support lines subject to relative movements occurring typically due to subsidence or earthquakes. A VES unit is fairly simple in construction with the pipe virtually suspended directly from a helical coil compression spring as the cut away sectional sketch shows below. The main components being:
Normally Clients / Engineering Consultants will furnish the following data when issuing enquires for Variable effort units.
Hot load is the working load of the support in the “Hot” condition i.e. when the pipe has traveled from the cold condition to the hot or working condition. Normally MSS-SP58 specifies max Load Variation ( popularly called LV) as 25%.
Salient Features-
Used where
Load Variation (LV) or Percentage variation =[(Hot Load ~Cold Load) x 100]/Hot Load "or" Load Variation (LV) or Percentage variation =[(Travel x Spring Rate) x 100]/Hot Load
Generally spring supports are provided from top but due to layout feasibility or any other reason "Base Mounted" type support is fixed to floor or structure & the pipe is made to “sit” on top of the flange of the spring support.
2.Constant Spring Hanger or Constant Effort Support:
When confronted with large vertical movements typically 150 mm or 250 mm, there is no choice but to select a constant effort support (CES). When the Load variation percentage exceeds 25% or the specified max LV% in a variable hanger, it is choice less but to go for a CES. For pipes which are critical to the performance of the system or so called critical piping where no
residual stresses are to be transferred to the pipe it is a common practice to use CES.
In a constant effort support the load remains constant when the pipe moves from its cold position to the hot position. Thus irrespective of travel the load remains constant over the complete range of movement. Therefore, it is called a constant load hanger. Compared to a variable load hanger where with movement the load varies & the hot load & cold load are two different values governed by the travel & spring constant. A CES unit does not have any spring rate.
Most prevalent work principle for CSH is Bell Crank Mechanism. The Bell crank lever rotates around the Fulcrum point. One end of the Bell crank lever is connected to the pipe ‘P’, the other end is connected to the spring by the tie rod. Thus when the pipe moves down from cold to hot condition, the point P moves down, and as it moves down the Bell crank lever will rotate in the anti clock wise direction & tie rod connected to the spring will be pulled in, by which the spring gets further compressed. When the pipe moves up the bell crank lever will rotate (in the clock wise direction) & the tie rod connected to spring will be pushed out thus allowing the spring to expand or relax.
Another popular principle is three spring or adjusting spring mechanism. In this case one main vertical spring takes the main load of the pipe. There are situated other two spring with horizontal orientation to balance any extra load coming in upward or downward direction.
Snubber or Shock Absorber.
Dynamic Restraints: The restraint system performs an entirely different function to that of the supports. The latter is intended to carry the weight of the pipe work and allow it to move freely under normal operating conditions.
The restraint system is intended to protect the pipe work, the plant and the structure from abnormal conditions; it should not impede the function of the supports. Conditions that necessitate the use of restraints are as follows –
• Earthquake.
• Fluid disturbance.
• Certain system functions.
• Environmental influences.
In areas that are situated on or near to geological fault lines it is common practice to protect the plant from potential earthquake activity. In such plant there will be a very large requirement for dynamic restraints. Fluid disturbance can be caused by the effect of pumps and compressors or occasionally fluid in a liquid state entering a pipe intended for the transportation of gas or steam. Some system functions such as rapid valve closure, pulsation due to pumping and the operation of safety relief valves will cause irregular and sudden loading patterns within the piping system. The environment can cause disturbance due to high wind load or in the case of offshore oil and gas rigs, impact by ocean waves.
The restraint system will be designed to cater for all of these influences. A restraint is a device that prevents either the pipe work or the plant to which the pipe work is connected being damaged due to the occurrence of any one or more of the above
phenomenon. It is designed to absorb and transfer sudden increases in load from the pipe into the building structure and to deaden any opposing oscillation between the pipe and the structure. Therefore, dynamic restraints are required to be very stiff, to have high load capacity and to minimize free movement between pipe and structure.
Depending on working principle, snubbers can be classified as
Materials.
Pipe supports are fabricated from a variety of materials including structural steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, ductile iron and FRP composites. Most pipe supports are coated to protect against moisture and corrosion. Some methods for corrosion protection include: painting, zinc coatings, hot dip galvanizing or a combination of these. In the case of FRP composite pipe supports, the elements required to form a corrosion cell aren't present, so no additional coatings or protections are necessary.


William Lindsay (Canadian politician)

William Lindsay (August 3, 1813 – September 7, 1895) was an Irish-born merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Carleton County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1862 to 1874 as a Liberal member.
Linsday was born in County Fermanagh, the son of Alexander Lindsay and Elizabeth Hetherington. Lindsay learned the saddle and harness maker's trade in Ireland. He came to New Brunswick with his family in 1834 and became a hardware merchant. In 1837, he married Harriet Parsons. He was a member of the county council and the town council for Woodstock. Lindsay served in the province's Executive Council as a minister without portfolio from 1868 to 1870 and as Surveyor General from 1870 to 1871. In 1874, he was named to the province's Legislative Council.
Lindsay served as a proponent and founder of the Houlton Branch Railway Company, along with several other pillars of the New Brunswick establishment such as


Herbert C. Schenk

Herbert Christian Schenk was an American businessman who served as a Wisconsin Progressive Party member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Dane County.
Background.
Schenk was born on June 26, 1880 in Leeds, Wisconsin. He died on April 18, 1972 in Concord, California. He was educated in the Madison, Wisconsin public schools and at the Northwestern Business College. He was a retail lumber yard manager and then a retail hardware dealer. Schenk is buried with his wife at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin.
Political office.
Schenk was a member of the Assembly from 1935 to 1940. In 1944, he was the Progressive nominee for the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district. He lost to Robert Kirkland Henry.


Hilda Crozzoli

Hilda Crozzoli was one of the first female architects and civil engineers in Austria.
Early life and education.
Hilda Johana Crozzoli was born on 16 August 1900 in Salzburg, Austria. Her father was Ambrogio (Ambros) Crozzoli (1870-1925) and her mother was Lucia Antonia Santarossa (1871-1957) who had married in 1882. Crozzoli came from a northern Italian Friulian family of master builders and architects, who played a key role in the development in Salzburg in Austria over several generations. Ambrose Crozolli took the citizenship oath for himself and his family on February 12, 1907 and they received the right of in the Maxglan area of Salzburg on January 5, 1915. (Heimatrecht was the right to settle in an area, introduced in Austria in 1849, allowing undisturbed residence and the right to poor relief). Her mother only spoke Italian and never learned to speak German.
Hilda was the fourth of seven children, but her two older brothers died in infancy, leaving five girls. After attending elementary and middle school, she completed a four-year course in construction at the (State Trade School) in Salzburg and successfully passed the final exam in 1921 to become Austria's first architect. She was the first female graduate in the history of the construction department of the . The graduation photograph of the class of 1921 shows two dozen men in black suits, looking straight into the camera. In the middle sits a woman turned to the side. Hilda Crozzoli's image was copied into the photograph afterward.
Career.
On 1 August 1917, she joined her father's architecture and building company as an apprentice. Between 1 March 1921 and 11 August 1925, she worked as a construction technician and construction foreman in her father's company. In addition to working in her father's company, she also worked for the city architect Josef Cwertschek in Schneegattern and in Vienna.
As a construction technician in her father's company, "P & A Crozzoli", Hilda Crozzoli was the site manager for the conversion of the grand cavalry barracks and stables of the Hofstallkasern into a natural history museum, today the Haus der Natur Salzburg. It sits at the center of the festival quarter of the city.
From 1 July 1926 she worked with the Universale Baugesellschaft m. b. H. (the Universal Construction Company) in Salzburg.
Between 12 and 14 May 1927 she sat and passed the exams to become a Baumeister (architect and civil engineer, traditionally called a master builder) in Klagenfurt. This was widely covered, not just in the Salzburg media, and the "Verein Deutsch Österreichischer Ingenieure ("Association of German Austrian Engineers) sent their congratulations.
In 1928, Hilda Crozzoli struck out on her own and became a freelance architect and civil engineer. Josef Sindinger was her partner until 1929, then she worked with the architect Richard Bandian, who she later married on 1 February 1934. In 1934 Hilda Crozzoli and her construction company moved to 19 Reichenhallerstraße 19 (today Reichenhaller Straße 27).
65 buildings are known to have been built under her direction by the Crozzoli-Bandian company between 1928 and 1966. Of particular note in 1927/28 is the establishment of the "Fürsorge-Siedlung", the so-called "welfare settlement" in Schallmoos, an area of Salzburgh.
During the Second World War, 15 air raids destroy 46 percent of the city's buildings, and the Crozzoli-Bandian company were involved in the post-war reconstruction effort.
Crozzoli repaired the building damage at "Schloss Leopoldskron" in 1945, which had been seized and occupied by the Nazis during the war. Her company rebuilt and restored the (1945/46)
and the "Bankhaus Daghofer" (1968);
She also carried out the renovation of the "Wallistraktes der Residenz" for the Universität Salzburg in 1965.
Hilda Crozzoli-Bandian died on 10 August 1972 in Salzburg after a long illness. She was buried in the Maxglan cemetery.
Legacy.
Today many of her buildings survive and feature in architecture tours of Salzburg. Crozzoli featured in a 2013 exhibition "Frauen machen Sichtbar" at the Künstlerhaus, celebrating female architects in Salzburg.


McCallum Bagpipes

McCallum Bagpipes is a company that manufactures Great Highland bagpipes. Founded in 1998, it is based in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The company has worked with bagpiper Willie McCallum to design several products.
History.
McCallum Bagpipes was founded by Stuart McCallum and Kenny MacLeod in 1998. McCallum began manufacturing bagpipes after MacLeod suggested he create a practice chanter, and eventually, a set of bagpipes. After creating that first set, McCallum and MacLeod founded McCallum Bagpipes Ltd and began manufacturing further sets of bagpipes.
McCallum previously worked for McCrindles Tooling for many years. He used his knowledge of CNC machining to create his own process of manufacturing bagpipes, and strays away from the traditional methods in many ways. Using CNC processes allows McCallum Bagpipes to manufacture bagpipes quickly and consistently. This has also allowed the company to become the highest-volume bagpipe manufacturer in the world, producing 40 sets of bagpipes per week.
Bagpipes.
McCallum Bagpipes manufactures bagpipes in African Blackwood and Black Acetyl. The entire manufacturing process is done at the company's factory. Because every part is manufactured on a programmable CNC machine, changes can be made easily to individual sets of bagpipes based on customer requests or design changes.
The company also produces practice chanters, bagpipe chanters, bags, and bag hardware.
In 2015, NASA astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren played a set of McCallum bagpipes on the International Space Station. The company made a set of plastic bagpipes specifically for him so they could be easily sanitised and transported to the ISS.
Red Hot Chilli Pipers founder Stuart Cassells uses a special chanter manufactured by McCallum Bagpipes, which uses flute keys instead of the normal holes. This allows him to play the bagpipes despite suffering from focal dystonia in his right hand.
The MacLeod Ale Brewing Company had McCallum Bagpipes manufacture custom plastic drones to serve as tap handles in their brewery located in Van Nuys, California.
Reeds.
McCallum Bagpipes also works with Rory Grossart to make chanter reeds and drone reeds. These instruments are both made in cane, but the company also offer drone reeds made of other synthetic materials.


Hercules station

Hercules station (officially the Hercules Regional Intermodal Transit Center) is a proposed intermodal infill train station and ferry terminal in Hercules, California in Contra Costa County. It is to be the first direct Amtrak-to-ferry transit hub in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be constructed in between the existing and stations. By July 2018, three of the station's six construction phases had been complete, including street at Bay Trail approaches.
Overview.
The station site at Hercules Point, adjacent to Bayfront Boulevard in Hercules, is the subject of a redevelopment effort of the city of Hercules as an office, residential TOD or Transit-oriented development, and intermodal transit hub with a corresponding WestCat bus station and Water Transit Authority ferry terminal. The buses would provide feeder service from the surrounding communities of Pinole, Rodeo, El Sobrante, Crockett, Tara Hills, and Richmond.
Rail.
The station will also host a future Amtrak station. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority granted the station candidate status in February 2020. The governing body of "San Joaquin" services are studying adding Hercules as an additional stop .
Ferry.
The ferry will take approximately 42 minutes to San Francisco. Ridership is projected at 1,022 passengers per day by the year 2025. The route will run between this terminal and the San Francisco Ferry Building where passengers may walk, bike or take Muni or BART to nearby job centers in the city's downtown Financial District.
Transit village.
A bike and pedestrian friendly community will be built up around the hub to connect it to existing housing in the nearby Refugio and Central neighborhoods. It will feature 220 live/work dwellings in addition to 490,000 sq. ft. (45,522m²) of office, retail (including restaurants and cafes), and public space.
Funding.
The money for this project is being coordinated by partnerships and cooperation between the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the City of Hercules, and WETA. Funds will be collected from various sources including the Federal Ferryboat Discretionary Fund, Contra Costa County Measure J Sales Tax, Transit Impact Fees, and farebox revenue.


Judy Hohaia

Judy Hohaia is a New Zealand Māori weaver from the Te Rārawa iwi. Her work is included in the permanent collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
In 1996, Hohaia collaborated with fellow weavers Joy Wikitera and Shona Tawhiao to found Takirua Weavers. The trio made and sold woven art and kete (baskets).
From 2003 to 2005 Hohaia and Tawhiao were employed to weave the front and back walls (the area between "poupou" and the "kakaho" panels) of the Unitec Institute of Technology Marae in Auckland.
Hohaia's work was part of the exhibition Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread, which toured the United States and New Zealand in 2007.


Wig wag (washing machines)

The wig-wag is the common name for the unusual solenoid mechanism used in belt-drive washing machines made by Whirlpool, Kenmore (manufactured by Whirlpool) and many others, from approximately 1950 to 1987 in the United States. It was used in belt-drive Brastemp and Consul models built in Brazil from 1959 to 1990.
They were common in US-style top-loading vertical-axis machines, not used in European front-loading horizontal-axis machines. Horizontal-axis machines rotate the drum to both agitate the clothes during washing and to spin them dry. A multi-speed motor is used instead of clutches.
Operation.
A vertical axis washing machine has two mechanisms: a central agitator for washing and a drum for spinning, both driven by the same motor and controlled independently by clutches to the belt drive.
The wig-wag is mounted atop the washing machine's transmission, where it oscillates back and forth like a railroad signaling wigwag (hence the name). When either solenoid is engaged, a rod catches and engages the transmission in the desired mode. A wig-wag is a form of servomechanism; the coils are not powerful enough to engage the belt clutch themselves, but they can move their pins within the cam bar, then the mechanical oscillation of the wig-wag provides the force to push the cam bar and engage the belt clutch. When a solenoid is de-energized, the pin drops due to gravity.
One of the wig-wag's solenoids is turned on to engage agitation during wash mode; the other solenoid is turned on to engage the spin-dry mode. The motor must be turned on before the solenoids are powered. Only one solenoid may be operated at a time. When neither solenoid is engaged, the transmission is in neutral and only the pump is operating to drain water out of the tub.
During a normal cycle, most Whirlpool-built wig-wag equipped washers will fill, start the motor, then engage the wash solenoid. Upon completion of the wash mode, the wash (agitate) solenoid will be turned off, which will allow the pump to drain the tub. After a minute or two, the timer will then engage the spin wig-wag which will cause the rotation of the tub. This is in contrast to some other top-load washing machines which start spinning and draining simultaneously. There are no pauses between cycles in these machines.
Problems with the wig-wag mechanism.
There are three failures with the wig-wag mechanism. The first is that a solenoid tends to jam, often due to corrosion from operating in a damp environment or grease/dirt getting into the solenoid and preventing gravity from making the pin drop. The second common failure is peculiar to the wig-wag - since the wires which operate the solenoids are constantly being flexed by the motion of the wig-wag, they tend to break causing the wash or spin cycle not to engage. The third typical failure is a short inside a solenoid's coil, which will eventually burn out the coil itself and create a discontinuity within it.


Wilhelm D. Styer

Wilhelm Delp Styer (22 July 1893 – 26 February 1975) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army during World War II. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with the class of 1916, he was commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers and served with the Pancho Villa Expedition and on the Western Front. Between the wars he obtained a degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was executive officer and assistant district engineer of the New York Engineer District.
During World War II, Styer was deputy commander of the Construction Division in the Quartermaster Corps and later the Corps of Engineers. In March 1942, he became the chief of staff of the Services of Supply. He became deputy commanding general of the Army Service Forces in August 1943, as the Services of Supply was renamed. In this capacity he served on the Military Policy Committee, which oversaw the Manhattan Project.
In May 1945, Styer became the commanding general of Army Forces, Western Pacific. As such, he chaired the tribunal that tried and convicted Generals Tomoyuki Yamashita and Masaharu Homma for war crimes. He retired in 1947.
Early life.
Wilhelm Delp Styer was born on July 22, 1893, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the son of Brigadier General Henry D. Styer, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point class of 1884, who led U.S. troops in Siberia at end of World War I. His mother Bessie Wilkes was the granddaughter of the Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, the Antarctic explorer. He had a brother, Charles Wilkes Styer, Sr., who later became a rear admiral, and a sister, who married Adrian Melville Hurst, who also became a rear admiral.
Styer attended schools in the United States and the Philippines, and the National Preparatory Academy in Highland Falls, New York. He entered West Point on 14 June 1912, graduated third in the class of 1916, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers on 13 June 1916. During his graduation leave in July and August 1916, he was a voluntary assistant instructor with the New Jersey National Guard, which was then under his father's command. He was posted to the Engineer Depot in Columbus, New Mexico, on 21 September 1916. On 5 October 1916, he joined the 2d Engineers, with which he served in the Pancho Villa Expedition. He was promoted to captain on 15 May 1917.
In August 1917, Styer sailed for France with his regiment. He attended the Army General Staff College at Langres in November, graduating first in his class and becoming an instructor there. He was promoted to major on 13 May 1918, and served as an observer with the British 19th (Western) Division during the Third Battle of the Aisne in June 1918. He saw action of the staff of the 3d Division in the Battle of Château-Thierry in July, and as an operations officer with the III Corps and 2d Division in the Aisne-Marne offensive in July and August. In September he embarked for the United States on to join a new unit, but the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat and was forced to return to Brest. A second attempt was more successful, and he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, D.C., where he was serving when the war ended on 11 November 1918.
Between the wars.
On 23 September 1918, Styer married Dorothea Haeberle, the daughter of George C. Haeberle, a prominent businessman from Niagara Falls, New York, in a ceremony at Niagara Falls. They had a son, George Delp Styer, who graduated from Norwich University in 1942, and became an Army officer. In March 1919, Styer became a student at the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Humphreys in Virginia. He reverted to the rank of captain on 16 February 1920.
Styer graduated from Fort Humphreys in June 1920, and was posted to the Massachusetts National Guard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was promoted to major again on 10 February 1921. He enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 1921, and graduated in June 1922 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He returned to the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, D.C., where he reverted to the rank of captain a second time on 4 November 1922. On 5 October 1925, he was posted to the New York Engineer District as executive officer and assistant district engineer. He was the district engineer from 16 June 1926 to 14 August 1926, and again from 30 June 1928 to 1 August 1928.
From 11 December 1928 to 28 August 1931, Styer was an Engineer in Europe with the American Battle Monuments Commission. He returned to the United States, and was District Engineer of the Pittsburgh Engineer District from 16 September 1931 to 9 May 1936. He was then assigned as Assistant Engineer for Maintenance at the Panama Canal from 19 May 1936 to 17 July 1939. Nearly twenty years after he was first promoted to major, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 June 1937.
World War II.
Construction Division.
From 4 September 1939 to 19 June 1940, Styer was a student at the Army Industrial College. He became the commanding officer of the 8th Engineer Squadron at Fort McIntosh, Texas, from 3 August to 24 November 1940, and was executive officer of the Engineer Replacement Center at Fort Humphreys and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. On 12 December 1940, he was assigned to the Construction Division in the Office of the Quartermaster General. The US Army was about to embark on a national mobilization, and it was the task of the Construction Division to prepare the necessary accommodations and training facilities for the vast army that would be created. This enormous construction program had been dogged by bottlenecks, shortages, delays, spiralling costs, and poor living conditions at the construction sites, and newspapers published accounts charging it with incompetence, ineptitude, and inefficiency.
A new head, Colonel Brehon B. Somervell, took over the Construction Division on 12 December 1940, and four days later Somervell reorganized it, bringing Styer in as his deputy, and replacing all but two of the Construction Division's branch heads, one of the exceptions being Colonel Leslie R. Groves, Jr.. One of Styer's tasks was finding talented officers to work on construction projects. His appeal to the Chief of Engineers released three officers, including Major Hugh J. Casey and Captains Edmund K. Daley and Garrison H. Davidson. By December 1941, 375 projects had been completed and 320 were still under way, with a total value of $1.8 billion. On 16 December 1941, the Construction Division was transferred from the Quartermaster Corps to the Corps of Engineers. Styer, who had been promoted to colonel on 8 April 1941, drew up the plan for the transfer and the new organization, in which he remained the deputy head. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his services.
Army Service Forces.
On 5 February 1942, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General George C. Marshall, announced that he was considering a radical reorganization of the War Department, and gave his staff 48 hours to comment on the proposals. Somervell, now the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, and Styer drew up a plan for a new, overarching logistics command initially known as the Services of Supply. Their proposal was accepted, and the new command was created on 28 February 1942.
 It was renamed the Army Service Forces in March 1943, as the term "supply" was felt to be too narrow a description of the broad range of logistical activities carried out by the organization. Somervell became its commander, and Styer his chief of staff from 9 March 1942. Styer was promoted to brigadier general the next day, and major general on 8 August 1942. He became deputy commanding general of the Army Service Forces on 13 August 1943.
In September 1942, the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), Vannevar Bush, suggested Styer be appointed director of the Manhattan Project, but Somervell did not wish to lose his services, and engineered the appointment of Groves instead. On 23 September 1942, Styer became a member of the Military Policy Committee, a group chaired by Bush (with James B. Conant as his alternate) with Rear Admiral William R. Purnell as its third member. As director, Groves was answerable to the Military Policy Committee, which was responsible for the higher direction of the Manhattan Project. When the Combined Policy Committee was formed in September 1943 by the Quebec Agreement, its chairman, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, had Styer appointed as his deputy. Styer also became chairman of its technical subcommittee, which included America's Richard Tolman, Britain's James Chadwick and Canada's C. J. Mackenzie. The technical subcommittee became very influential, as it furnished most of the data on which the Combined Policy Committee based its decisions.
Styer was not confined to his office. In 1943, Somervell sent him to the China Burma India Theater to report on the Ledo Road. Styer's report persuaded the Combined Chiefs of Staff to allocate the required personnel, equipment and supplies to develop the road. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 7 November 1944.
Army Forces, Western Pacific.
In April 1945, Somervell sent him to the Philippines to report on preparations for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. The Supreme Allied Commander in the South West Pacific, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, asked Styer to become head of a logistics organisation for Operation Downfall. Styer accepted the offer, but when he returned in May 1945 to assume the post, he found it was not what he had accepted. Instead, he became the commanding general of Army Forces, Western Pacific, a command co-equal with Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson, Jr.'s Army Forces, Middle Pacific, which included logistical units, but also combat forces, while the planning responsibilities remained with MacArthur's General Headquarters.
On 24 September 1945, with the war over, MacArthur ordered Styer "to appoint military commissions for the trial of such persons accused of war crimes". To try General Tomoyuki Yamashita, Styer appointed a commission of five general officers: Major Generals Russel B. Reynolds, Leo Donovan and James A. Lester, and Brigadier Generals Morris C. Harwerk and Egbert F. Bullens. Styer had the authority to reduce the sentence handed down by the commission, but he upheld the commission's death sentence on 12 December. The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. On 22 February 1946, Styer signed the order for Yamashita's execution, which took place the following morning. General Masaharu Homma, the Japanese conqueror of Bataan and Corregidor, was subsequently also tried and convicted of war crimes committed by his troops during the notorious Bataan Death March, and Styer signed Homma's execution order too.
Later life.
Styer retired from the Army at his own request on 29 April 1947. He died in Coronado, California, on 26 February 1975. He was survived by his wife, son, brother and sister. His medals and decorations included two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Distinguished Service Star from the government of the Philippines. He was also appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.


ARGES mine

ARGES is an anti-tank off-route mine, developed by an international consortium to meet the needs of the British, French and German armed forces. The system consists of a rocket and launch tube, a tripod and a sensor package.
The sensor package has an acoustic sensor that detects the approach of a suitable target and activates the passive infrared and laser sensors which trigger the launch of the rocket when the target passes in front of it.
The rocket uses a modified version of the motor from the LAW 80 anti-tank rocket, and has a tandem HEAT warhead, enabling it to penetrate the side armour of all main battle tanks, including those protected with reactive armour. The rocket has a range of between two and ninety meters, with the hit probability at ninety meters being 97%.
The mine is highly programmable with an active window of between three hours and forty days, to choose a specific target in a convoy, as well as the ability to be re-programmed. The system can also be command initiated.


Aquastar (watch brand)

Aquastar is a Swiss watch brand focused on watches for diving and sailing. Founded in 1962 by Frédéric Robert, a watch designer, scuba diver and sailor, from 1963 onwards the company formally operated as Aquastar S.A. as the successor of the brand Jeanrichard. In 1963 the name of the company Jeanrichard S.A. changed to Aquastar S.A.
History.
Aquastar was founded in 1962 in the city of Geneva in Switzerland by Mr. Frédéric Robert. Mr. Robert, a diver, a sailor, a pilot, a mathematician and a watchmaker took over the brand JeanRichard® from his father and soon changed the name JeanRichard® to Aquastar to reflect the idea behind his venture, that is to create professional grade instruments for divers and aquatic activities.
Within ten years of its foundation and with the help of the genius Marc Jasinski, Aquastar had been awarded numerous patents, based on each patent a new Aquastar family member was born. The inner rotating bezel in the model 63, the multiple dive decompression bezel in the Deepstar, the Benthos and the Regate counter. The new crown sealing system and the friction bezel ring, both were incorporated in every Aquastar and finally the regatta counter watches.
Being envisaged as strictly professional instruments, Aquastar watches were only available through professional diving equipment outlets and were never offered on a large scale to retail distributors. While Aquastar timepieces set milestones in the development of dive and regatta watches, the lack of mainstream distribution channels could have been the reason why the brand’s success was the best kept secret among professional divers of that era.
Also, the formidable advance of the new quartz technology made it even more difficult for Aquastar and Frédéric Robert to continue innovating and developing new watches. As a consequence, Frédéric Robert moved to Bienne where he was hired as a consultant to design some of the world’s most recognizable, purposeful dive watches for the region’s most prominent watch manufacturer. At his capacity as a consultant, F. Robert was able to continue implementing his vision of the perfect tool watch.
In 1974 Frédéric Robert retired and in 1975 Aquastar was acquired by the Eren Group, also established in Geneva. The Eren group implemented a new strategy and created mainstream dive and sports watches which were then made available to the general public through retail outlets until 1982.
After the Frederic Robert era, Aquastar was acquired by the Geneva based EREN Group, which then sold it to the Seinet Brothers in 1982. Mr. Seinet, an avid sailor and 3rd generation watchmaker wanted to acquire a watch brand with its facilities and resources in order to start a new era of watch marketing in collaboration with Hollywood stars. Mr. Seinet acquired Aquastar and created the Alain Delon wrist watch. In 1983 Mr. Seinet also realized that the traditional mechanical Swiss watches that were passed down through generations no longer appealed to the young population that had become used to the convenience and disposability of the quartz watch. He saw that the need for a new type of fashion watch was imminent and a change was needed from the traditional swiss watch to a new type of affordable timepiece made of plastic and housing robust quartz movements. Aquastar filed a patent for this new type of watch, which marked a new era of commercial success for the brand.
After achieving the necessary commercial success, Mr. Seinet decided to focus on his passion, which is sailing and continued the tradition of Frédéric Robert and created multiple generations of quartz regatta watches between 1983 until 2018.
Product lines.
Since its inception, the company has launched a number of product lines. The model 63 was considered a great commercial success for the company and it was for many years the mainstay in Aquastars offerings. It was followed by the creation of the iconic Deepstar and the first Regatta. From that point onward, Aquastar elevated and became a cult company establishing itself as one of the most important specialized watch making companies. The Deepstar was first chronograph of the brand, and probably the most famous Aquastar model. The Deepstar is highly sought after by collectors and it is considered one of the most iconic diver chronographs of all time. The Deepstar demonstrated the design ethos of F. Robert since it was elegant and functional at the same time. Below are the major watches of company: