Historical Note
The American Brake Shoe (later Abex) Company was formed in 1902 from the merger of five smaller foundries that specialized in railroad brake shoes, castings and forging, as well as hydraulic equipment. The research laboratory, known as the Mahwah Research Center, from which the collection is drawn, did applied industrial research in mineral extraction, cement, construction, dredging, timber, railroad, and non-magnetic (e.g., submarine). Testing facilities included metallographic evaluation, chemical analysis, machining, heat treatment, various non-destructive methods such as x-ray testing, abrasion, physical, and mechanical analysis. Upon the purchase of Abex by Illinois Central Industries in 1990, the center was closed. The materials forming the collection were rescued from destruction by Mr. Howard Avery (1906-1996), VPI honors graduate (B.Sc. MinE 1927, M.Sc. MinE 1928), one of the center’s leading research metallurgists, with a national reputation in the field of wear-resistant and heat-resistant alloy research.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Ms-1995-025
Abstract
The American Brake Shoe (later Abex) Company was formed in 1902 from the merger of five smaller foundries that specialized in railroad brake shoes, castings and forging, as well as hydraulic equipment. The research laboratory, known as the Mahwah Research Center, from which the collection is drawn, did applied industrial research, but was closed in 1990. Howard Avery (1906-1996), VPI graduate (B.Sc. MinE 1927, M.Sc. MinE 1928), was one of the center’s leading research metallurgists....
Dates:
c. 1920s-1987
Collection
Identifier: Ms-1997-026
Abstract
Howard S. Avery graduated from Virginia Tech in 1927 with a B.S. in Mining and Engineering. He worked for the American Brake Shoe Company, later known as the Abex Corporation, as a research metallurgist from 1935 to 1971. The collection consists of Avery's personal papers and photographs related to his student days at Virginia Tech, including photos taken mainly in 1927 while Avery was the photographic editor of the Bugle yearbook. This collection also includes personal papers,...
Dates:
1913 - 1996
