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Welcome to the Captive Column Time Line. This section is dedicated to chronologically documenting the history of the Captive Column. The more interesting events have hyperlinks to more detailed information. There is a lot of history behind the Captive Column (over 32 years of it), so this section is an ongoing effort to write. Only some of the events in the Captive Column history are listed here.
Lawrence R. Bosch invented the Captive Column and built his first sample. Mr. Bosch built and tested his first full size Captive Column prototype. Mr. Bosch built this prototype Tanker Fuselage proving that the Captive Column could be easily scaled to large dimensions.
Mr. Bosch and his family moved from Palo Alto to Los Altos, California (move #1). The hardest part of the move was transporting the 60 foot long Tanker Fuselage, which required a special permit. The Captive Column was published for the first time in Design News magazine on November 9, 1966. Mr. Bosch gave one of the first public demonstrations of the Captive Column -- a Troop Carrier Bridge prototype.
Lawrence R. Bosch filed for his patent with the U.S. Patent Office.
Two ninth grade school boys built what was probably the highest strength-to-weight bridge in history as a school project. On June 7, 1968, The Mercury newspaper of San Jose printed an extremely negative article on the ninth grade school bridge project, giving the inventor a taste of things to come. Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Ranchera Pines (north of Redding), California (move #2).
Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Redding, California (move #3). The family did the move by making 22 trips with a small pickup truck. Mr. Bosch started work on an Ultralight Glider made out of the Captive Column. Mr. Bosch and his family moved to San Jose, California (move #4).
The U.S. Patent Office issued the Captive Column Patent (3,501,880) to Lawrence R. Bosch. Mr. Bosch built a prototype Aircraft Float out of the Captive Column. This prototype was tested at San Jose State University. A Captive Column Catamaran was built by John Brant and a friend.
Mr. Bosch gave away his Oil Slick Containment invention by having it published in the Los Gatos Times on Friday, January 29, 1971. The U.S. Navy purchased and tested a Captive Column Ship Refueling Boom from Mr. Bosch.
The Captive Column got published in the April 1972 issue of Popular Science magazine. The Captive Column was tested for use in coal mines.
Mr. Bosch built the first prototype of his Polyturbine Windmill design. The Polyturbine windmill was intended to take advantage of the Captive Columns high strength-to-weight ratio, and was designed to be scaleable to diameters of 200 feet.
The Captive Column was used to construct a Scuba Boat. This prototype required many fittings and attachments, so it gave a good demonstration of the design flexibility of the Captive Column.
Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Mountain View, California (move #5). The family did the move by making many trips with a small pickup truck
Mr. Bosch and his family moved back to San Jose, California (move #6). The family did the move by making many trips with a small pickup truck
Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Quincy, California (move #7).
A Captive Column Airport Beacon Tower was built for the Quincy California airport. Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Graeagle, California (move #8). The family did the move by making many trips with a small pickup truck
Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Mohawk, California (move #9). The family did the move by making many trips with a small pickup truck Mr. Bosch and his family moved to Fargo, North Dakota (move #10). This time the move was done by the family with a U-Haul truck.
IRT Corporation purchased a Captive Column Dielectric Tower system for NATO tests. Mr. Bosch developed a proprietary tower design based on Captive Columns to build the portable 70-foot tower that weighed only 70 pounds. UND tested two Captive Columns designed by Mr. Bosch for the NATO Dielectric Tower system.
The Nevada Highway Department completed its extremely successful Crash Test Study of four Captive Column light poles. A Low Deflection Captive Column Tower was purchased by the United States National Guard. It was built to meet the strict stability requirements of Laser Pedestals, CCTV Security Systems, and Optical Mounts in high wind locations. This 40-foot tower deflected ±1-inch (off-axis at the top) in 50-mph winds (for the non-engineers out there, this was a very stiff tower). This product demonstrated that the Captive Column could be designed to be very rigid if needed. It was built by Bob Moskitis and Jack Greenspan in Quincy California. In December of 1981, The University Of North Dakota produced its first study on the Captive Column: "A Finite Element Computer Model Of The Captive Column" - EES Bulletin Number 81-12-EES-04. The study showed that the behavior of the Captive Column extremely predictable.
The Mayors Office of Moorhead Minnesota issued this Press Release in February of 1982. In September of 1982, The University Of North Dakota produced its second study on the Captive Column (funded with your tax dollars): "Application Of The Captive Column To Highway Related Structures" - HPR State Study (1)-81 (A). The Moorhead Minnesota golf course had a Captive Column Pedestrian Bridge installed. In December of 1982, Brigham Young University produced its first study on the Captive Column: "Construction and Testing of Captive Beam". This was a thesis presented to the department of civil engineering.
Mr. Bosch built some Captive Column Scaffolding for a Chimney Sweep business. The Moorhead Minnesota golf course had a Captive Column Windmill Tower installed.
Otter Tail Power Company purchased some Captive Columns from Lawrence R. Bosch. They were designed for use in emergencies with downed power lines. Transmission & Distribution magazine published an article on the project in its January 1984 issue.
Otter Tail Power Company used its Captive Columns to rescue downed power lines. Transmission & Distribution magazine covered the event in its October 1985 issue. The University Of North Dakota finished another study funded with your tax dollars: "Design, Construction and Testing of Captive Column Bridge Girders" - HPR State Study: (1)-82 (A). Mr. Bosch moved to an apartment in Fargo, North Dakota (move #11).
Mr. Bosch traveled to California to raise venture capitol.
After 22 years of effort by Mr. Bosch and his family, the Captive Column Patent expired.
The Captive Column story hits the Internet. |
Copyright © 1998-2004 by Lawrence R. Bosch. |
