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Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (April 9, 1806 – September 15, 1859) was a British engineer, noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway and a series of famous steamships.

The Thames Tunnel
The son of noted engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, Isambard K. Brunel was born in Portsmouth, England on April 9, 1806. His father was working there on the block-making machinery of the Portsmouth Block Mills. The young Brunel was sent to France to be educated at the College of Caen in Normandy and the Lycée Henri-Quatre in Paris. He rose to prominence when, aged 20, he was appointed as the resident engineer of the Thames Tunnel, his father's greatest achievement. The first major river tunnel ever built, Isambard spent nearly two years trying to drive the horizontal shaft from one side to the other. Two severe incidents of flooding injured the younger Brunel and ended work on the tunnel for several years, though it was eventually completed.

The Great Western Railway
In the meantime, Brunel moved on. In 1833 he was appointed engineer of the Great Western Railway, one of the wonders of Victorian Britain. Running from London to Bristol (and a few years later, to Exeter), the Great Western contained a series of impressive achievements—viaducts, stations, and tunnels—that ignited the imagination of the technically minded Britons of the age. Brunel soon became one of the most famous men in Britain on the back of this interest.

Brunel made the controversial choice of using broad gauge (7 ft 0.25 in or 2.14 m) for the line. According to many railway historians, this was an advantageous choice, not least because it permitted carriages with a width of 10 ft 6 in, significantly wider than those of the railway's competitors; but nonetheless it eventually had to be changed to bring it in line with standard British railway gauge (4 ft 8.5 in or 1.435 m), the last broad gauge rails being converted to standard gauge in 1892. >> 🔥 Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

Brunel's "Atmospheric Caper"
Another of Brunel's interesting though ultimately unsuccessful technical innovations was the atmospheric railway, the extension of the GWR southward from Exeter towards Plymouth (technically the South Devon Railway (SDR), though supported by the GWR). Instead of using locomotives, the trains were moved by Cleggs and Samudas Patent system of atmospheric (vacuum) traction, the evacuation being done by stationary engines at a series of pumping stations. The section from Exeter to Newton (now Newton Abbot) was completed on this principle, and trains ran at approximately 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). 15 inch (381 mm) pipes were used on the level portions, and 22 inch (559 mm) pipes were intended for the steeper gradients. Unfortunately the technology required the use of leather flaps to seal the air pipes, the leather had to be kept supple by the use of tallow, and tallow is attractive to rats; the result was inevitable, and air-powered vacuum service lasted less than a year, from 1847 (experimental services began in September; operationally from February 1848) to September 10, 1848. The accounts of the SDR for 1848 suggest that the atmospheric traction cost 3s 1d per mile (£0.10/km), compared to 1s 4d (£0.04/km) for conventional steam power. The pumping station at Starcross, on the estuary of the River Exe, remains as a striking landmark, and a reminder of the atmospheric railway—which is also commemorated in the name of the village pub. A section of the pipe, without the leather covers, is preserved in Didcot Railway Museum.

Transatlantic Shipping
Even before the Great Western Railway was opened, Brunel was moving on to his next project—transatlantic shipping. He used his prestige to convince his railway company employers to build the Great Western, at the time by far the largest steamship in the world. It first sailed in 1837. The Great Britain followed in 1843, and was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Building on these successes, Brunel turned to a third ship in 1852, even larger than both of its predecessors. The Great Eastern was cutting edge technology for its time—it was the largest ship ever built until the RMS Lusitania launched in 1906—and it soon ran over budget and over schedule in the face of a series of difficult technical problems. The ship is widely perceived as a white elephant. Though a failure at its original purpose of passenger travel, it eventually found a role as an oceanic telegraph cable-layer.

Bridges
Besides the railway and steam ships, he was also involved in the construction of several lengthy bridges, including the Royal Albert Bridge near Plymouth, and an unusual telescopic bridge in Bridgwater. He also designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, but did not live to see it constructed. His colleagues and admirers in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt the bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds and to amend the design. Work started in 1862, and was complete by 1864, five years after Brunel's death. >> 🔥 Nhắn zalo 0905834420 join group zalo Hóng đề thi máy 4 skills để cập nhật đề thi thật 4 kĩ năng hằng ngày [Kèm giải & đề làm online]

Witnesses and Death of Brunel
In 1843, while performing a conjuring trick for the amusement of his children, he accidentally swallowed a half-sovereign coin which became lodged in his windpipe. A special pair of forceps failed to remove it, as did a machine to shake it loose devised by Brunel himself. Eventually, at the suggestion of Sir Marc, Isambard was strapped to a board, turned upside-down, and the coin was jerked free.

Brunel suffered a stroke in 1859, just before the Great Eastern made its first voyage to New York. He died ten days later and is buried, like his father, at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. His son, Henri Marc Brunel, also enjoyed some success as a civil engineer.

Commemorating Brunel
There is an anecdote which states that Box Tunnel on the Great Western railway line is placed such that the sun shines all the way through it on Brunel's birthday. For more information, see the entry on the tunnel.

Many of Brunel's original papers and designs are now held in the Brunel collection at the University of Bristol.

Brunel was included in the top 10 of the 100 Greatest Britons poll conducted by the BBC and voted for by the public. Each of the finalists in the poll was featured in an hour-long documentary. An admiring Jeremy Clarkson wrote and presented the programme about Brunel. In the second round of voting, which concluded on November 24th, 2002, Brunel placed second behind Winston Churchill. There are many monuments and memorials commemorating his achievements in the GWR.

Questions 1–5

Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859) – Key Achievements

• Early Career: At age 20, became resident engineer of the 1 ________, where he was injured by flooding.

• Great Western Railway: Appointed engineer in 1833. Famously chose 2 ________ gauge, which was later converted to standard gauge in 3 ________.

• Atmospheric Railway: An innovation using vacuum traction. Failed partly because 4 ________ ate the leather seals.

• Ships: Designed the Great Western (1837) and the Great Britain, which was the first 5 ________ ship to cross the Atlantic.

• Later Life: Suffered a stroke in 1859 and died. In a 2002 BBC poll, he was voted the second greatest Briton.

Questions 6–10

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Brunel received his entire education in England.

2. The broad gauge railway carriages were narrower than those of competing companies.

3. The atmospheric railway was more cost-effective than using steam locomotives.

4. The Great Eastern was successfully used as a passenger liner.

5. Brunel saw the completion of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in his lifetime. >> 🔥 IELTS TUTOR gợi ý tham khảo CẦN VIẾT & THU ÂM BAO NHIÊU BÀI ĐỂ ĐẠT 8.0 SPEAKING & 7.0 WRITING?

Questions 11–13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

1. What was the primary reason for the failure of the atmospheric railway?
   A. The pumping stations broke down frequently.
   B. The vacuum pipes were too narrow for the trains.
   C. Animals damaged a crucial component of the system.
   D. It was too slow compared to other transport methods.

2. The writer describes the Great Eastern as a "white elephant" to suggest that it was:
   A. Extremely fast and powerful.
   B. Very successful in its intended role.
   C. A costly and largely unsuccessful project.
   D. The first of its kind ever built.

3. What can be inferred about Brunel's legacy from the passage?
   A. His work was only appreciated after his death.
   B. He is remembered for both his successes and ambitious failures.
   C. His most important contribution was the design of bridges.
   D. His family ensured his papers were kept private.

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