CMU Archives: Pugh, Emerson, Papers

Pugh, Emerson, Papers , 1946-1979

Carnegie Mellon University Archives, Staff and Faculty Collections

Extent

Five boxes (Boxes 1-5); 4.5 linear feet ,

Biographical Sketch

Emerson Pugh was a professor in the Carnegie Mellon University physics department for 35 years specializing in solid state physics. He is known for his extensive research in shaped charges during and after World War II. He also contributed greatly to the theory of hypervelocity impact jet formation. He co-authored two books- Principles of Electricity and Magnetism (1965) and Analysis of Physical Measurements (1966) – and wrote his autobiography, Wyoming Scientist- Horses to Space Ships (1979).

Pugh was born in Ogden, Wyoming (now part of Utah) on July 19, 1896. In 1914, he entered Carnegie Institute of Technology as a freshman in Electrical Engineering. Due to his late birthday, Pugh was able to graduate in 1918 before entering the military. He enlisted in the Navy, was sent to Pelham Bay, and received training in steam engineering at the Stevens Institute before reporting for duty on the U.S.S. Indianapolis’ voyage to Holland.

After the war, Pugh returned to Wyoming to work in the Unita County State Bank as a cashier. After a year in banking, Pugh decided to pursue a career in electrical engineering and moved to Pittsburgh to marry his college sweetheart and search of work. Pugh married Ruth Edgin on September 18, 1920 and they enjoyed a short honeymoon. Soon after his return to Pittsburgh, a teaching opportunity arose in the Physics Department at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He accepted the position and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Pittsburgh to improve his knowledge of the subject. Upon the completion of his Master of Science degree in 1927, Emerson and Ruth moved to California so that he could pursue his doctoral degree at the California Institute of Technology.

Pugh completed his doctoral thesis in 1930 and accepted a position as an associate professor at Carnegie Institute of Technology once again. By 1948 he was a full professor, and from 1961 until his retirement in 1965 he was associate chairman of the department.

In 1941, Pugh was awarded his first Army contract to do research to improve mine detection equipment. After this contract, Pugh and his colleagues did research on shaped charges (such as bazookas) as part of the Carnegie Institute of Technology Explosives Research Program at the Bureau of Mines facility in Bruceton. This research produced a number of reports titled “Fundamentals of Shaped Charges” from 1946-1962. These reports cover research about the effectiveness of protective materials against shaped charges, increasing the consistency of the explosion force of the charges, and measuring their blast. In an article about Pugh in the March 1983 issue of Physics Today, it says “To this day, [Pugh’s] measurements remain the most comprehensive and reliable source of Hall data for concentrated ferrous alloys.”

In retirement, Dr. Pugh enjoyed traveling with his wife and visiting his sons, George and Emerson William. Tragically, Dr. Pugh and his wife died in an automobile accident in Fredmont, Ohio on July 1, 1981.

Scope and Content Note

The Emerson Pugh Papers are housed in four archival boxes and arranged into five series. Series have been designated for biographical information, correspondence, research, security, and student theses. Generally, these papers include professional correspondence, research reports, article reprints from professional journals, and student theses. Most of the materials have been kept in the original order of the creator, although they have been arranged into series by the archivist. The majority of the collection consists of regular reports written by Pugh about his ballistics research under various government contracts from 1946-1965. Copies of Pugh’s autobiography are the only personal material in the collection. They provide the only information about Pugh’s teaching experiences and the operation of the broader Carnegie Mellon University physics department in this collection.

Series II : Correspondence (1943-1965)

The correspondence files are housed in five folders arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent. Most of the correspondence deals with Pugh’s efforts to publish a comprehensive article about explosives with lined cavities. Separate folders have been made for each of the co-authors: Garrett Birkhoff (Harvard), D.P. MacDougall (Naval Ordinance Laboratory), Geoffrey Taylor (Cambridge, England), and C.H.M. Roberts (Naval Ordinance Officer). The folder for Sanford, Edward contains correspondence about the arrangements for some of his doctoral research to be done under Dr. Pugh. The last folder contains miscellaneous correspondence about his research and publications.

Series III : Research (1932-1971)

The research series spans all four boxes of the collection and is arranged into seven subseries based on the subject of the research. These are the original subjects assigned by Pugh. This series contains an account book, journal articles, notebooks, and numerous research reports. The account book was used to keep track of various grant funds. The notebooks contain original graphs, notes, and measurements of Pugh’s early research in the Hall Effect, war time explosives, and fragment velocity. The majority of the series consists of reports titled “Fundamentals of Shaped Charges,” which were written as part of ten government contracts from 1946-1962. These reports cover research about the effectiveness of protective materials against shaped charges, increasing the consistency of the explosion force of the charges, and measuring their blast. The longest contract was DA-36-061-ORD-513, which produced twenty-five reports over six years (1956-1962). An index of the individual titles of the articles included in this series can be found at the end of this document.