Updated 04-I-2019

Dr. John F. Waymouth

This article was written by fellow lamp engineer and collector Edward J. Covington, and originally appeared on his own website of biographical sketches of persons involved in the lamp industry. Following his passing in February 2017, and with kind permission of his family, Ed's words have been preserved here in the hope of maintaining access to his writings for the benefit of subsequent generations.


John F. Waymouth

Biography
John Francis Waymouth was born on May 24, 1926. His higher education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in 1947 from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics, in 1950, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

After receiving his Ph.D. degree Waymouth immediately joined the Lighting Division Laboratories of Sylvania Electric Products, Inc. He remained in this organization for the balance of his working career, although he experienced numerous changes in corporate identity. It is most recently the research laboratories of the Osram-Sylvania Lighting Corporation.

His early career was spent as an individual investigator studying the physics and chemistry of electric discharge lamps. In the course of this work, he developed (in collaboration with Professor Francis Bitter of MIT) one of the first complete models of the rare-gas/mercury discharge used in fluorescent lamps. He made significant contributions to the theory and technique of Langmuir Probe measurements of plasma parameters, and in developing an understanding of cathode behavior in discharge lamps. He also made major contributions to the development of metal halide arc lamps, and holds many important patents on these devices. During the years 1950-1969 Waymouth served as individual contributor and in first-level supervisory positions.

In 1969 Waymouth was promoted to be Director of Research and Development for the GTE Sylvania Lighting Products Group, a position he held until his retirement in 1988.

As will be detailed below, John Waymouth is the author of 30 refereed articles, 8 invited review articles, and one book. The book, Electric Discharge Lamps, which is used as a reference volume throughout the world, has been translated into German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. John Waymouth holds 59 issued U.S. patents.

As a physicist working in industry closely-coupled to development and manufacturing of complex plasma products, Waymouth's career was devoted to bringing science to bear on the previously empirical process of discharge lamp development: appropriating it from outside where it was available, carrying out himself or directing the necessary research where it was not. The second half of his career, in management of Research, Developmen & Engineering, was spent at the other major interface of technology: translating to corporate management the technological barriers, opportunities, and successes, to accelerate the introduction of new technology to the marketplace and to wedge it to the bottom line. A final major aspect of his role as Director of RD&E was in education and training of laboratory staff in the scientific fundamentals of gaseous electronics and plasma physics applicable to discharge lamps.

The value of above-average intelligence and a higher education in making advances in the fundamental understanding of lamp processes, as well as improvements in lamp design, can be seen in an example of the fluorescent lamp. In 1956 the General Electric Company introduced the Power Groove™ lamp4. It was a lamp design based on early work by Gene Lemmers and John Aicher in which the earlier restrictions of lamp output were exceeded. The Power Groove™ lamp was a high lumen output lamp that was achieved by pressing indentations into the envelope along its length. It was a successful lamp but somewhat expensive to manufacture.

At about the same time, in the Sylvania laboratories, John Waymouth unveiled the limiting factors of higher light output from a lamp. In Waymouth's own words5:

"This epiphany led to a hasty fabrication of several lamps and the collection of experimental data that confirmed my idea. Within a day or two, I could demonstrate to Sylvania's powers-that-be a lamp filled with neon instead of argon that could deliver four times the light output of the standard lamp at five times the power input. Because the standard lamp was incapable of delivering more than 2.5 times the output at any power, I felt that physics had led the way to a significant accomplishment.
However, there was certainly more to do. Waymouth continued:
"...a number of engineering problems had to be solved: the design of electrodes for a discharge current of 2.5 A instead of 0.4 A; the invention of a novel method to prevent mercury pressure from rising too high despite a high tube-wall temperature; the provision of a 'cold spot' at the end of the lamp by providing a radiatively shielded space behind the electrode...

"Electrode design required a number of iterations, each of which had to be fabricated and tested. And the larger electrodes required processing changes that had to be worked out in the lab..."

The end result of these efforts was the introduction by Sylvania of a high output lamp, named the VHO™ (very high output) (ref. 2, p.37), which didn't require indentations on the envelope. John Waymouth was the mastermind behind that development.

Dr. John F. Waymouth, now retired from GTE-Sylvania, is presently active as a consultant in the area of discharge lamps. He resides at 16 Bennett Road, Marblehead, Massachusetts, 01945.


Prizes and Awards
John Waymouth received well-deserved honors during his working career. He was the recipient of the following:

1973 Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken - Dr. W. Elenbaas Award
for outstanding contributions to the furtherance of knowledge in the area of light sources. This award is granted every four years.

1991 IESNA Medal
The medal requirements read: "The IESNA MEDAL shall be awarded for the purpose of giving recognition to meritorious technical achievement that has conspicuously furthered the profession, art or knowledge of illuminating engineering. Accomplishments shall be in the field of engineering, design, applied illumination, optics, ophthalmology, lighting research or education."

2000 Will Allis Prize
The citation read: "For his important contributions to the quantitative understanding and development of gas discharge light sources and for his leadership at the interface between the basic science and the industrial applications of plasmas."


Public Service
1) Evaluation Panel, Heat Division, National Bureau of Standards, 1972-1975.
2) Technical Electronic Product Radiation Safety Standards Committee, Bureau of Radiological Health, (FDA) 1977-79.
3) Advisory Committee for Physics, National Science Foundation, 1981-83.
4) Service as member of Executive Committees, Gaseous Electronics Conference, Physical Electronics Conference; and, International Symposia on the Science and Technology of Light Sources.


Acknowledgements
The writer expresses his gratitude to Dr. Waymouth for providing a copy of his curriculum vitae and for allowing the write-up to be posted on this website. The photograph of Dr. Waymouth was taken from the write-up on an American Physical Society website6. Use of it is very much appreciated.


Refereed Publications
  1. "Deterioration of Oxide-Coated Cathodes under Low-Duty-Factor Operation", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Applied Physics Vol.22, pp.80-86, (1951) (Ph.D. Thesis Research).
  2. "Optical Measurements on Electroluminescent Zinc Sulfide", John F. Waymouth, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.100 pp.81-84, (1953).
  3. "Experiments on Electroluminescence", John F. Waymouth & Francis Bitter, Physics Review, Vol.95, pp.941-949, (1954).
  4. "Field-Induced Color Shift in Electroluminescent Zinc Sulfide", John F. Waymouth & Francis Bitter, Phys Rev, Vol.102, pp.686-689, (1956).
  5. "Electroluminescence in Zinc Sulfide", John F. Waymouth & Francis Bitter, Physics Review, Vol.103, pp.1584-1585, (1956).
  6. "Analysis of the Plasma of Fluorescent Lamps", John F. Waymouth & Francis Bitter, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol.27, pp.122-131, (1956).
  7. "Radiation Temperature of a Plasma", Francis Bitter & John F. Waymouth, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol.46, 882-884 (1956).
  8. "Very High Output Fluorescent Lamps", John F. Waymouth, W. Calvin Gungle, Charles W. Jerome & Francis Bitter, Sylvania Technologist Vol.IX, (1956).
  9. "Factors to be Considered in the Design of High Output Fluorescent Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Francis Bitter & Erwin F. Lowry, Illuminating Engineering, Vol.LII, pp.257-261, (1957).
  10. "Operating Parameters of High Output Fluorescent Lamps", W. Calvin Gungle, John F. Waymouth & Horace H. Homer, Illuminating Engineering Vol.LII, pp.262-272, (1957).
  11. "Pulse Technique for Probe Measurements in Gas Discharges", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol.30, pp.1404-1412, (1959).
  12. "The Measurement of Thermionic Emission in Discharge Tubes", John F. Waymouth, Sylvania Technologist, Vol.XIII, (1960).
  13. "Electrical Energy from High Temperature Plasmas", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Institute of Electrical Engineers (England), Aug 1962, pp.380-383
  14. "Perturbation of a Plasma by a Probe", John F. Waymouth, Phys Fluids, Vol.7, pp.1843-1854, (1964).
  15. "A New Metal-Halide Arc Lamp", John F. Waymouth, W. C. Gungle, J. M. Harris & F. Koury, Illum Eng, Vol.LX, pp.85-88, (1965).
  16. "Experimentally-Determined Plasma Perturbation by a Probe", Roger G. Little & John F. Waymouth, Phys Fluids, Vol.9, pp.801-808, (1966).
  17. "Perturbation of Electron Energy Distribution by a Probe", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol.37, pp.4492-4497, (1966).
  18. "Sodium Loss Processes in Metal Iodide Arc Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Illum Eng, Vol.LXII, pp.214- , (1967).
  19. "Reignition Characteristics of Metal Halide Lamps and Their Effect on Ballast Design", A. Franke, W. C. Gungle, J. F. Ring & John F. Waymouth, Illum Eng, Vol.LXII, pp.201-213, (1967).
  20. "Metal Halide Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol.59, pp.629-633, (1971).
  21. "Current Runaway in Fluorescent Lamps", John F. Waymouth Journal of the IES, Oct 1972, pp.43-49.
  22. "A New Generation of Metal Halide Lamps", F. Koury, W. C. Gungle & John F. Waymouth, Journal of the IES, Jan 1975.
  23. "Thermodynamic Evaluation of Chemical Interrelationships in Incandescent Lamps", E. M. Passmore, G. L. Duggan & John F. Waymouth, Journal of the IES, Jul 1977, pp.194-201.
  24. "An Elementary Arc Model of the High Pressure Sodium Lamp", John F. Waymouth, Journal of the IES, Apr 1977, pp.131-140.
  25. "Analysis of Factors Affecting Efficacy of High Pressure Sodium Lamps", John F. Waymouth & Elliot F. Wyner, Journal of the IES, Jul 1981, pp.237-244.
  26. "Analysis of Cathode-Spot Behavior in High-Pressure Discharge Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Light & Visual Environment, Vol. 6, pp.5-16 (1982).
  27. "Energy Conservation Through More Efficient Lighting", J. Maya, M. W. Grossman, R. Lagushenko & John F. Waymouth, Science, Vol.226, pp.435-436, (1984).
  28. "Monte Carlo Treatment of Resonance Radiation Imprisonment in Fluorescent Lamps", J. B. Anderson, J. Maya, M. W. Grossman, R. Lagushenko & John F. Waymouth, Physics Review A, Vol.31, pp.2968-2975, (1985).
  29. "The Glow-to-Thermionic-Arc Transition", John F. Waymouth, Journal of the IES, Summer 1987, pp.166-180.
  30. "Where Will the Next Generation of Lamps Come From?", John F. Waymouth, Journal of Light & Visual Environment, Vol.13, pp.51-68, (1989).
  31. "Cathode Fall Measurements in Fluorescent Lamps", Robert Nachtrieb, Farheen Khan & John F. Waymouth, Journal of Physics D, Applied Physics Vol.38, pp.3226-3236, (2005).


Invited Review Articles
  1. "Metal Halides in Radiant Energy Sources- A Review", John F. Waymouth, Proceedings of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.78-1, pp.1-19, (1978).
  2. "Collision Phenomena in Electrical Discharge Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Chapter in Applied Atomic Collision Physics, H. S. W. Massey, E. W. McDaniel & B. Bederson, Eds., Academic Press, Vol.5, pp.331-347, (1982).
  3. "High Temperature Chemistry in Lamps", John F. Waymouth, Proceedings of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.85-2 pp.1-18, (1985).
  4. "Discharge Light Sources", John F. Waymouth, Chapter in Radiative Processes in Discharge Plasmas, Joseph M. Proud & Lawrence H. Luessen, Eds., Plenum (NY), pp.277-308, (1986).
  5. "Light Sources", John F. Waymouth, Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, Academic Press Vol.7, (1987).
  6. "Plasma Diagnostics in Electric Discharge Light Sources", John F. Waymouth, Chapter in Plasma Diagnostics, Orlando Auciello & Daniel L. Flamm, Eds., Academic Press, Vol.1, pp.47-112, (1989).
  7. "LTE and Near-LTE Lighting Plasmas", John F. Waymouth, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Vol.19, pp.1003-1012, (1991).
  8. "Applications of Microwave Discharges to High-Power Light Sources", John F. Waymouth, Chapter in Microwave Discharges, Fundamentals and Applications, Carlos M. Ferreira & Michel Moisan, Eds., Plenum, pp.427-444, (1993).


Book
  1. Electric Discharge Lamps, John F. Waymouth, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1971).



References & Bibliography
  1. "Fluorescent Lamps", W. Elenbaas, Crane, Russak & Company, Inc, 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, New York, 10017, 1971.
  2. "Electric Discharge Lamps", John F. Waymouth, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1971).
  3. Light Sources, W. Elenbaas, Crane, Russak & Company, Inc, New York, 1972.
  4. "Electrodes for Electric Discharge Lamps", Summary of paper for training session,J. F. Waymouth, 3rd International Symposium on the Science and Technology of Light Sources, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France, April 18-21, 1983, pp.36-38.
  5. "Improved Efficiencies for Fluorescent Lamps by Altering the Mercury Isotopic Distribution", Summary of contributed paper No.66, S. G. Johnson, D. E. Work, J. Maya & J. F. Waymouth, 3rd International Symposium on the Science and technology of Light Sources, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, france, April 18-21, 1983, pp.164-165.
  6. "Model of AC Glow-to-Thermionic-Arc Transition in Discharge Lamps", Summary of contributed paper No.4, J. F. Waymouth, 4th International Symposium on the Science and Technology of Light Sources, Univeristy of Karlsruhe, F. R. Germany, April 7-10, 1986, pp.93-94.
  7. "The General Electric Story, 1876 - 1986 - A Photo History", A Hall of History Publication, Schenectady, New York, 1989, Vol.4, p.26.
  8. "Allis in Wonderland - Physics for Profit and Fun", John F. Wamouth, Physics Today, Vol.54 No.2, Jun 2000, pp.38-42.
  9. http://www.aps.org/praw/allis/00winner.cfm
  10. American Institute of Physics - Interview with John Waymouth concerning history of the Gaseous Electronics Conference.