A. G. M. Michell Engineering Collection

Full description

This small collection of machines and engines and approximately 2,000 technical drawings relates to the work of the engineer and inventor Anthony George Maldon Michell (1870-1959). The centrepiece is a crankless automobile engine manufactured in 1922, which is on long-term loan to the University from Museum Victoria. The collection is managed by the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering. The University of Melbourne Archives also holds some material relating to A.G.M. Michell including 2,508 drawings of the parts of various crankless engines. A significance assessment conducted on the collection found that possible research areas might include the study of draftsmanship skills in previous eras, the history of manufacturing drawings or the study of alternative engine designs. Anthony George Maldon Michell studied civil and mining engineering at the University of Melbourne, graduating with first-class honours in 1899. His thrust-bearing design (patented in 1905) revolutionised large-ship building on the eve of World War I. Michell was the recipient of a number of distinguished awards, including the 1938 University of Melbourne Kernot medal and the 1943 James Watt International, awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London. He was made a fellow of the Royal Society and at the age of 80 published Principles of Lubrication.