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C R Burch-a tribute

Auureciation of C R Burch and his work in vacuum technologv

A regular feature in this journal is the announcement by the British Vacuum Council (BVC) of the C R Burch Prize award. This is presented annually and has just come to its tenth anni- versary. However, it is surprising that his important contribution to vacuum science and technology, particularly his invention and development of oil diffusion pumps, and later optical work, instrument design, etc. is apparently not well known and there- fore not sufficiently acknowledged. There is, of course, a very brief mention of C R Burch in the various historical reviews in relation to vacuum pumps, some of which are listed below.

This is an opportunity to be reminded that the very first pres- entation of the award was made by C R Burch himself and typically, included some very amusing anecdotes. His intro- ductory speech, photographs of him and a detailed tribute to his earlier work at the Metropolitan Vickers Research Laboratory by J Blears were published in Vacuum, 31, 723 (1981).

Biographical notes on Cecil Reginald Burch

Dr Burch was born in 1901, educated at Oundle School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He took the Natural Sciences Tripos and joined the Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd as a graduate apprentice in 1923. The important effect of his work at Met-Vick from 1923 to 1933 was reported by J Blears (1981) following his presentation of the Burch prize and also indicated in a ‘Met-Vick history 1899-1949’ by J Dummelow.

An indication of the invention of oil diffusion pumps was first given in the short paper by Burch (1928) in which he states : ‘In

the course of some work on the distillation of petroleum derivations, I became aware of the possibility and advantages of using oil in place of mercury as working fluids in condensation pumps.’ This concept and further experimental work, then led to the invention of C R Burch and F E Bancroft (1930) of the oil operated diffusion (or condensation) pump. Related to this Burch (1929) carried on with vacuum distillation. The Apiezon oils and greases, for vacuum applications, were manufactured under Met-Vick patents, marketed by Shell-Mex Ltd. The devel- opment of Apiezon products was mentioned in the ‘Biographical notes on G Burrows’ (1957-1958) as joint work with C R Burch at Met-Vick. This stimulated several others, but in particular Hickman (see Hickman and Sanford, 1930) to carry out further improvements in oil diffusion pumps, leading eventually to frac- tionating pumps (Hickman, 1940). A good summary of this was given by Hickman (1936) including some details of cor- respondence with Burch. For some interesting brief biographical notes, see Hickman (1952).

Following some personal problems [as reported in the appreci- ation by D F Gibbs (1983)], a new interest in optical studies developed, when in 1933, Burch left Met-Vick to become a Lever- hume Fellow in Optics at Imperial College, London. Then, in 1935, he moved to the Physics Department at the University of Bristol ; with many further contributions (and publications) on these new topics.

*At the Interdisciplinary Surface Science Conference, held in Liverpool, April 1980.

Since Burch was so closely associated with the development of modern high vacuum equipment, he was awarded the Duddell Medal by the Physical Society on 9 April 1943 ; some brief biographical details were published (see Burch, 1943) together with one of his contributions to optics ‘on aspheric systems’. An abridged version of his address ‘A Technologist Looks at the Future’ delivered on the occasion of the presentation of the medal was published (Burch, 1943). This was again full of interesting anecdotes, and just one is quoted here, since it indicates so clearly his practical approach: ‘Let us do all in our power to make it possible for the embryo physicist of the future to satisfy fully any desire he may have to acquire knowledge of crafts and skills in

the use of tools. I cannot assess too highly in this respect the edu- cation I received at Oundle School, I use deliberately the phrase “education” in the use of tools rather than “training .“.’ When presenting this medal, it was pointed out that Burch was not only a first-class physicist and instrument designer, but in addition possessed considerable mathematical ability and mechanical skills, which he used to construct for the most part his own instruments and apparatus. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1944. At the ‘High Vacua Convention’ arranged by the Society for Chemical Industry in October 1948, a paper byBurch (1949) also dealt with ‘The First Oil Condensation Pump’. His presentation of the first Burch (198 1) award and the publication of his speech* was mentioned above. After he died in July 1983 at the age of 82, a brief appreciation of Gibbs (1983) gave a really good view of his character and personality.

W Steckelmacher University of Sussex

References

J Blears, Vacuum, 31,725 (198 I). C R Burch. Nature, 122,729 (1928). C R Burch, Proc Roy Sot, 12jA, 271 (1929). C R Burch and F E Bancroft. British oatent 346,293. applied for 6 January 1930, granted 7 April 193 1. .

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C R Burch, Proc Phys Sot, 55,433 (1943). C R Burch, ibid, facing 444. C R Burch, Nature, 152, 523 (1943). C R Burch, Chemistry & Industry, 6, 87 (1949). C R Burch, Vacuum, 31,723 (1981). G Burrows, Vacuum, 8,2 (1958). J Dummelow 1899-1949, Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company Ltd, Manchester, Rowlinson-Broughton, Manchester, 250 pp (1949). D F Gibbs, Phys Bull, 34,422 (1983). K C D Hickman, Vacuum Pumps and Pump Oils, part I Some fractioning pumps, part II Comparison of oils, J Franklin Institute, 221, 215, 383 (1936). K C D Hickman, J Appl Phys, 11,303 (1940). K C D Hickman, Vacuum, 2.2 (1952). K C D Hickman and C R Sanford, Rev Scient Instrum, 1, 140 (1930).

References on historical reviews dealing with vacuum technology and pumps

M H Hablanian, J Vat Sci Technol, A2, 118 (1984). J N Lafferty, Phys Today, 34,211 (1981). T E Madey and W C Brown (editors), History of Vacuum Science and Technology, American Vacuum Society, 168 pp (1984). Note : includes reprint of Hablanian (1984). W Steckelmacher and L Holland, J Phys E: Scient Instrum, 6,948 (1973).

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