Corliss, George Henry (1817-1888)

US engineer and inventor of many improvements to steam engines, particularly the Corliss valve for controlling the flow of steam to and through cylinders. Corliss was born in Easton, New York. He took out the first of his many patents in 1849, for the Corliss valve. In 1856 he founded the Corliss Engine Company in Providence, Rhode Island. This company designed and built the largest steam engine then in existence to power all the exhibits in the Machinery Hall at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. To reduce heat loss and wear on moving parts, the Corliss valve had a separate inlet and exhaust port for the steam at each end of the cylinder. There was also a spring-loaded action to make the valve open and close as quickly as possible. Corliss's design continued in use for as long as large steam engines were manufactured.