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Westinghouse Atom Smasher

Westinghouse Atom Smasher
The Atom Smasher on May 9, 2010, before the 2015 demolition
Map
General information
AddressF Avenue & West
Town or cityForest Hills, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°24′39″N 79°50′35″W / 40.4108661°N 79.8430295°W / 40.4108661; -79.8430295
Opened1937
Closed1958
DemolishedJanuary 20, 2015
DesignatedAugust 28, 2010

The Westinghouse Atom Smasher was a 5 million volt Van de Graaff electrostatic nuclear accelerator operated by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation at their Research Laboratories in Forest Hills, Pennsylvania.[1] It was instrumental in the development in practical applications of nuclear science for energy production.[2][3][4] In particular, it was used in 1940 to discover the photofission of uranium and thorium,[5][6] and was most cited for certain nuclear physics measurements.[7] The Westinghouse Atom Smasher was able to make precise measurements of nuclear reactions for research in nuclear power.[8] It was the first industrial Van de Graaff generator in the world,[9] and marked the beginning of nuclear research for civilian applications.[10][11] Built in 1937, it was a 65-foot-tall (20 m) pear-shaped tower.[9][12] It went dormant in 1958.[12] In 1985, it was named an Electrical Engineering Milestone by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.[6]

  1. ^ Walter, Marni Blake (September 1, 2015). "An Unlikely Atomic Landscape: Forest Hills and the Westinghouse Atom Smasher". Western Pennsylvania History Magazine. 98 (3). Senator John Heinz History Center: 36–49. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Klein, Barbara (Winter 2016). "Reconstructing Pittsburgh's Atomic Past". Carnegie Magazine. 83 (4). Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "Van de Graaff particle accelerator, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co., Pittsburgh, PA, August 7, 1945". Explore PA History. WITF-TV. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Westinghouse Electric Corporation [Science and Invention] Historical Marker". Explore PA History. WITF-TV. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  5. ^ Haxby, R.O.; Shoupp, W.E.; Stephens, W.E.; Wells, W.H. (January 1, 1941). "Photo-Fission of Uranium and Thorium". Physical Review. 59 (1): 57–62. Bibcode:1941PhRv...59...57H. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.59.57. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Milestones: Westinghouse Atom Smasher, 1937". Engineering and Technology History Wiki. ETHW Partnership. May 29, 1985. Retrieved December 3, 2019. includes link to 1985 videotape: 'IEEE Milestone Dedication Ceremony'
  7. ^ Haxby, R.O.; Shoupp, W.E.; Stephens, W.E.; Wells, W.H. (December 15, 1940). "Threshold for the Proton-Neutron Reactions of Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, and Carbon". Physical Review. 58 (12): 1035–1042. Bibcode:1940PhRv...58.1035H. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.58.1035. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Coltman, John W. (February 1987). "The Westinghouse Atom Smasher???An IEEE Historical Milestone". IEEE Transactions on Education. E-30 (1): 37–42. doi:10.1109/TE.1987.5570584. S2CID 20864894 – via IEEE.
  9. ^ a b "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  10. ^ Toker, Franklin (2009). Pittsburgh: A New Portrait. p. 470. ISBN 9780822943716.
  11. ^ Fey, Maury; Dollard, Walt (April 3, 2015). "The Echoes from Westinghouse at Forest Hills / Forest Hills Nuclear History". Atomic Confluence. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  12. ^ a b O'Neill, Brian (January 25, 2015). "Brian O'Neill: With Forest Hills atom smasher's fall, part of history tumbles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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