Davy Lamp

Definition: Davy Lamp

Davy Lamp

Noun

1. An oil lamp that will not ignite flammable gases (methane).

Specialty Definitions: Davy Lamp

Domain	Definitions
Mining	A safety lamp invented by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1815 for the protection of coal miners. Its safety feature consisted of a fine-wire gauze enclosing the flame to keep it from coming in contact with mine gas.See also:flame safety lamp; safety lamp. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Davy lamp

In 1815 Humphry Davy devised a safety lamp for use in coal mines, allowing deep seams to be mined despite the presence of methane and other flammable gases, called firedamp or minedamp.

He had discovered that, to explode, the gas must be heated to its ignition temperature and that if such heating is prevented combustion cannot occur. If the flame in a lamp is surrounded by metal gauze to distribute the heat over a large area, the maximum temperature of the screen is below the ignition temperature of the gas. The first trial of a Davy lamp with a wire sieve was at Hebburn Colliery on January 9, 1816.

The lamp also provided a crude test for the presence of gases. If inflammable gas mixtures were present, the flame of the Davy lamp burned higher with a blue tinge. Miners could also place a safety lamp close to the ground to detect gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are denser than air and so could collect in depressions in the mine, if the mine air was oxygen-poor, the lamp flame would be extinguished (chokedamp).

There was some controversy, since George Stephenson also produced a similar safety lamp in 1815.

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Davy Lamp

Modern Translations: Davy Lamp

Language		Translations for "Davy lamp"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
German		karbidlampe. (various references)

Pig Latin		avyday amplay.(various references)

Romanian		lampã de siguranţã (jack lamp, safety lamp). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Anagrams: Davy Lamp

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-d-l-m-p-v-y"
	-2 letters: damply, lampad, malady.
	-3 letters: amply, madly, palmy, playa.
	-4 letters: alma, amyl, damp, davy, lady, lama, lamp, lava, maya, palm, paly, play, vamp, yald.
	-5 letters: aal, ala, alp, ama, amp, ava, dal, dam, dap, day, lad, lam, lap, lav, lay, mad, map, may, pad, pal, pam, pay, ply, pya, yam, yap.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.