Joseph Palmer Frizell Explained

Joseph Frizell (13 March 1832 – 4 May 1910) was an American engineer. He is notable for having independently derived the fundamental equations to describe the velocity of a shock wave (Water hammer equations) in 1898,^[1] and for his book Water-Power^[2] published in 1901. Water-power was the first practical book on hydraulics in the USA.^[3] This was a major milestone in propagation of engineering knowledge in USA, as Schutze wrote ″As an hydraulic engineer, Frizell was prominent, and his book, Waterpower, filled a definitive need in the technology of that day.″^[4] Nevertheless, Frizell's description of the Water hammer was criticized by American contemporaries and his contribution to the field is under-recognised.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Frizell. Joseph Palmer. 1898. Pressures resulting from changes of velocity of water in pipes. Paper 819 presented 6 October 1897.. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 39. 1–18. 10.1061/TACEAT.0001315.
2. Book: Frizell, Joseph Palmer. Water-power, an outline of the development and application of the energy of flowing water. J. Wiley & sons. 1901. New York.
3. Book: Hager, Willi. Hydraulicians in the USA 1800-2000 : A biographical dictionary of leaders in hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. CRC Press. 2015. 9781315680125. 2058. 933441891.
4. Book: Schulze, Leroy E.. Hydraulic Air Compressors. United States Department of Interior. May 1954. 6.
5. Book: Wood, F. M. . History of Water-hammer . 1970 . C.E. Research Report No. 65 . Kingston, Ontario.