What is the history of the roots blower?

May. 06, 2024

Roots Blower Company

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For the British automobile manufacturer, see Rootes Group.

Philander and Francis Roots, the founders of the Roots Blower Company, were pioneers in their field. The company was prominently featured on the cover of the February 1880 edition of Scientific American, showcasing the manufacture of rotary pressure blowers in Indiana.

The Roots Blower Company, an American engineering company, was based in Connersville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 by inventors Philander Higley Roots and Francis Marion Roots, the company became famous for its innovative Roots blower, a type of pump. Originally used in blast furnaces to blow air for melting iron, modern Roots blowers are primarily utilized as air pumps in superchargers for internal combustion engines.

What is the history of the Roots blower?

Legend of Origin

The Roots brothers established their business in Connersville, Indiana, taking advantage of the Whitewater Canal’s 11-foot drop, which was ideal for an undershot mill wheel. However, when this water source proved inadequate, Philander Roots invented a more efficient "water motor." Unfortunately, the wooden impellers warped when submerged. Noticing this problem on dry land, one brother rotated a shaft, causing the impellers to spin and "blow off his brother's hat." This serendipitous event led a superintendent of an iron foundry to suggest using the design to aid in melting iron, ultimately leading to the creation of the Roots blower.

Company History

In 1860, the Roots brothers patented the Roots Blower, and they received another patent from the United Kingdom Patent Office in 1869 for "improvements in rotary blowing machines." By 1875, Roots blowers were presented at the Saint Petersburg Exhibition, gaining international acclaim. Edgar Dwight Johnston joined the company in 1885, eventually becoming its president in 1898. Under his leadership, the company expanded significantly, employing around 225 people by 1931.

In 1900, Gottlieb Daimler patented a Roots supercharger for car engines. The subsequent years saw numerous acquisitions and mergers, with the Roots Blower Company continually evolving. After World War II, the company produced screw compressors for the U.S. Navy. In 1944, Dresser Industries acquired Roots, marking the beginning of the company’s integration into various international corporations. Ultimately, the company became part of Howden in 2015 and was later acquired by Ingersoll Rand in 2023.

Current Production

The Roots factory remains in Connersville, Indiana, where it continues to manufacture a wide array of positive displacement blowers and centrifugal compressors.

Founders

Francis Roots was born in Oxford, Ohio, on October 28, 1824, to Alanson Roots and Sylvia Yale. He married Esther E. Pumphrey on October 8, 1850, and passed away in Connersville on October 25, 1889. Philander Roots, his brother, died in Connersville in 1879.