safety lamp

a miner's lamp in which the flame is protected by wire gauze to prevent the immediate ignition of explosive gases.

[1810-20]

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▪ coal mining

      lighting device used in places, such as mines, in which there is danger from the explosion of flammable gas or dust. In the late 18th century a demand arose in England for a miner's lamp that would not ignite the gas methane (firedamp), a common hazard of English coal mines. W. Reid Clanny (Clanny, William Reid), an Irish physician, invented a lamp about 1813 in which the oil-fuelled flame was separated from the atmosphere by water seals; it required continual pumping for operation. In 1815 the English engineer George Stephenson (Stephenson, George) invented a lamp that kept explosive gases out by pressure of the flame's exhaust and held the flame in by drawing in air at high speed. In 1815 Sir Humphry Davy (Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet) invented the lamp that bears his name. Davy used a two-layer metal gauze chimney to surround and confine the flame and to conduct the heat of the flame away.

      Electric hand and cap lamps were introduced in mines in the early 1900s and by the middle of the 20th century were used almost exclusively in mines. A safety device in the headpiece of the electric lamps shuts off the current if a bulb is broken. Double-filament bulbs may be used, so the light can remain on when a filament fails.

      The flame of a safety lamp elongates in the presence of firedamp, but electric lamps give no warning of noxious gases or lack of oxygen. Consequently, a flame safety lamp must be kept burning within easy view of the workers, or frequent inspections must be made, using a flame lamp or other form of warning device.

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