Biography
Livio Dante Porta, Argentine locomotive engineer (Paraná, Entre Rios Province 21 March 1922 -Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires Province 10 June 2003)
Recognized as one of world’s foremost locomotive engineers of 20th century
Introduced innovative improvements in steam locomotives
Proposed several new designs for steam locomotives (2-10-0, 2-10-10-2) in 1960s and 1970s and the Argentina locomotive (1949)
DEVELOPED
Lempor, Lemprex and Kylpor exhaust systems or blast pipes
GPCS System (Gas Producer Combustion System) 1966
A steam bus (with Gustavo Durán)
A modern steam car (1970)
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS / BIBLIOGRAPHY
A graphical method of adjustment (1946)
Theory of cyclonic combustion in locomotive fireboxes (1961)
Bar frame design proposals to avoid twisting at the back end and facilitate maintenance (1969)
Guide for connection rod-piston rod calculation: a proposal for the TGS bag (1969)
A piston valve design for high temperature steam (1975)
A new conception of the compound locomotive (1976)
A system for coupling both mallet engine units and its extension to other articulated locomotives (1977)
Improvements to the air brake pump (1977)
Note sur une nouvelle philosophie dans le traitement des eaux pour chaudieres locomotives (1978)
Improving existing shunting engines without structural alterations (1978)
A feedwater heating system suitable for S65 and T65 locomotives (1978)
A proposed mechanical adhesion improver (1979)
A mechanical anti-slipping device for steam electric or diesel locomotives (1979)
Steam locomotive boiler water circulation – a first semi-quantitative approach (1979)
Note on a proposed dynamic braking for advanced steam locomotives (1980)
A new superheater-economiser element for advanced steam locomotive technology (1980)
Improvements for hand-driven valve gear reverser of steam locomotives (1981)
Dispositif de controle de l’hauteur de la mousse dans les chaudieres a basse pression (1982)
Improvements to the steam locomotive air-brake pump (1982)
A mechanical slip control device for steam, electric and diesel locomotives (1982)
Improvement to the Skinner uniflow steam engine (1983)
Supporting pad for tail rods and piston valves (based on the ONO principle) 1983
Bar frame design proposals to avoid “vibrillement” at the back end and facilitate maintenance (1983)
Boiler foam height meter (1984)
A mechanical anti-slipping device for steam, electric or diesel locomotives (1985)
Piston valve design for high temperature steam (1985)
Some forms of secondary air nozzles for locomotive type boilers (1985)
Some suggestions to improve the gasification efficiency near firebox walls (1986)
A simplified approach to locomotive balancing (1990)
Canarias, a theory of gas phase combustion (1999)
Improvements to the hydrostatic cylinder lubricator
PATENTS
With D.A. Berkowitz, W.L. Withuhn & C.C. Hamilton. Coal fired steam locomotive US4425763 (1980) CA1183722A (1981) AU7505581A (1981) EP0047510A2 & EP0047510A3 (1981) BR8200084A (1982)
A locomotive having solid fuel combustion apparatus GB953391A (1961)
EPONYMY
Porta on-board water treatment (1969)
Porta sectional boiler (1969)
Porta-De Leonardis elastic wheel (1983)
Hudson-Orrock-Porta formula (1984)
Porta compound system for steam locomotives (2000)
Porta advanced steam locomotive technology
