JB Springs was established as a spring manufacturer back in 1895. We’re always keen to dive not only into the history of the company but also the history of the engineering industry as a whole. We appreciate how past events have shaped and evolved the industry as we know it today. The month of June in years gone by saw many major STEM events occur, including: 1st June 1907 Frank Whittle, English aviation engineer and inventor of the jet [...]
Each year, the first week of June marks Volunteers’ Week – a celebration and acknowledgement of the work carried out by volunteers. It also aims to raise awareness of the advantages of getting involved with volunteering; while also encouraging those not yet involved to look into the opportunities available in their area. Established in 1984 by Volunteering England, events and celebrations occur across the country, with each year having a different theme. This year’s theme is ‘A time to [...]
Towards the end of last year, our team at JB Springs provided a spring for a vintage 1926 2-ton Caterpillar (CAT) crawler machine; from 1925 to 1928, 8,565 of these were made before being discontinued. Its spec includes a 3-speed gear transmission, 10-inch tracks and a lever that acts as the steering wheel. We recently received some pictures of the fully-renovated crawler – with our spring sitting in pride of place on the starting handle at the front (see [...]
Recently, our team at JB Springs were asked for a spring that would fit a vintage 1926 2-ton Caterpillar (CAT) crawler machine. We were, of course, more than happy to help! Only 8,565 of this model were manufactured between 1925 and 1928 – in which year the 2-ton Caterpillar (pictured above) was discontinued. The machine has a 3-speed gear transmission, 10-inch tracks and a lever in place of a steering wheel. We gifted the spring for the CAT [...]
What is a torsion spring? A torsion spring is a tightly coiled helical spring which stores and releases energy to resist force applied through torque. Nothing lasts forever. However, JB Springs' compression, torsion and tension springs are designed with a view to them having a very long lifespan – potentially outlasting other components within their application. The following factors can cause failure in compression springs and tension springs as well as torsion springs, however, this blog will focus on [...]
Did you know 1st August is Yorkshire Day? The event was first held in 1975 in Beverley as a protest against the reorganisation of local government in 1974, and the believed reason behind the chosen date is because on 1st August 1833, The Slavery Abolition Act was passed – for which Yorkshire MP William Wilberforce had been instrumental in the campaign. The reorganisation of local government involved the changing of the original boundaries and the introduction of county and [...]
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and granddads reading! Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June every year in the UK. However, it isn’t as historic as you might think! The event probably originated sometime after World War II – likely to honour the fathers who fought. Despite around half of countries (91 out of the 195!) celebrating the event on the same day as the UK, the date in other countries varies from 23rd [...]
April is a significant month in the history of telephones. On 14th April 1983, the UK's first cordless telephone became available – it could operate up to a distance of 600 feet from its base. Manufactured by Fidelity and British Telecom, it retailed at £170 – which is equivalent to £401.08 in today’s money! In this blog, we look at the history of phones and answer the question 'How are springs used in phones?'. On 25th April each year, [...]
Happy Easter! This year it falls on Sunday 4th April. The date changes each year as, in 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea decided to introduce a rule to govern the date Easter was celebrated (independent of the Jewish calendar) due to Christians all celebrating the event on different dates towards the end of the 2nd century. As a result, Easter Sunday was declared to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following (or on) either [...]
Robert Hooke was born in July 1635 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight. He made a name for himself at the age of 25 as the physicist who discovered the law of elasticity in 1660 (which came to be known as Hooke’s Law). Robert Hooke discovered: Hooke’s Law Micrographia Cells Universal Joint Balance Wheel Iris Diaphragm Hooke's Law Developed between 1658 and 1678 and published in 1679, Hooke’s Law states that the stretching of a solid [...]
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