Hydraulic press

What it is

A press that multiplied force according to Pascal's principle, made practical by Maudslay's self-sealing leather washer. It made forces of thousands of tonnes available for forging, baling, extruding and lifting.

Bramah also invented a security lock (1784) and an improved flush toilet (1778); Maudslay was his employee.

What it led to

• Presses for baling cotton and forging ironclad armour plate
• The lifting of the Britannia Bridge (1850) and the Great Eastern
• Urban hydraulic systems (dockside cranes, lifts)
• Industrial hydraulics and construction machinery

Built on

• Fire engine with hose1518 (Platner) / 1672 (Van der Heyden) / 1721 (Newsham)
• Pressure varies with altitude; Pascal's principle1648
• Piston pump
• Bramah lock (1784)

Made possible

• Steam hammer1839 (patente 1842)
• Cocoa press and chocolate bar1828-1847
• Armstrong's hydraulic accumulator (1851)
• Hydraulic lift
• Steel forging press

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