Steam engine device. The invention of the steam engine

Industry England needed a lot of fuel, and the forest was getting smaller. In this regard, the extraction of coal has become extremely relevant.
The main problem of mining was water, it flooded the mines faster than they had time to pump it out, they had to abandon the developed mines and look for new ones.
For these reasons, mechanisms were urgently needed for pumping water, so the first steam engines became them.

The next stage of development steam engines, was the creation (in 1690) piston steam engine, which did useful work by heating and condensing steam.

Born in the French city of Blois in 1647. At the University of Angers, he studied medicine and received a doctorate, but did not become a doctor. In many ways, his fate was predetermined by a meeting with the Dutch physicist H. Huygens, under whose influence Papen began to study physics and mechanics. In 1688, he published a description (with his constructive additions) of a project of a powder engine in the form of a cylinder with a piston, presented by Huygens to the Paris Academy of Sciences.
Papin also proposed the design of a centrifugal pump, designed a glass melting furnace, a steam wagon and a submarine, invented a pressure cooker and several machines for lifting water.

The world's first pressure cooker:

In 1685, Papin was forced to flee France (because of the persecution of the Huguenots) to Germany and continued to work on his machine there.
In 1704, at the Veckerhagen factory, he cast the world's first cylinder for a steam engine and in the same year built a steam-powered boat.

Denis Papin's first "machine" (1690)

The water in the cylinder, when heated, turned into steam and moved the piston up, and when cooled (the steam condensed), a vacuum was created and atmospheric pressure pushes the piston down.

To make the machine work, it was necessary to manipulate the valve stem and stopper, move the flame source and cool the cylinder with water.

In 1705, Papin developed the second steam engine.

When the tap (D) was opened, the steam from the boiler (on the right) rushed into the middle tank and, by means of the piston, forced water into the tank on the left. After that, the valve (D) was closed, the valves (G) and (L) were opened, water was added to the funnel and the middle container was filled with a new portion, the valves (G) and (L) were closed and the cycle was repeated. Thus, it was possible to raise the water to a height.

In 1707, Papin came to London to apply for a patent for his 1690 work. The works were not recognized, since by that time the machines of Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen had already appeared (see below).

In 1712, Denis Papin died destitute and was buried in an unmarked grave.

The first steam engines were bulky stationary pumps for pumping water. This was due to the fact that it was necessary to pump out water from mines and coal mines. The deeper the mines were, the more difficult it was to pump out the remaining water from them, as a result, the mines that had not been worked out had to be abandoned and moved to a new place.

In 1699, an English engineer, received a patent for the invention of a "fire engine" designed to pump water from mines.
Severi's machine is a steam pump, not an engine, it did not have a cylinder with a piston.

The main highlight in Severi's machine was that steam was generated in separate boiler.

Reference

Thomas Savery car

When tap 5 was opened, steam from boiler 2 was supplied to vessel 1, expelling water from there through pipe 6. At the same time, valve 10 was open, and valve 11 was closed. At the end of injection, valve 5 was closed, and cold water was supplied to vessel 1 through valve 9. The vapor in vessel 1 cooled, condensed, and the pressure dropped, sucking water into it through tube 12. Valve 11 opened and valve 10 closed.

Severi's pump was underpowered, consumed a lot of fuel and worked intermittently. For these reasons, Severi's machine was not widely used and was replaced by "reciprocating steam engines".

In 1705 combining the ideas of Severi (a free-standing boiler) and Papin (cylinder with a piston) built piston steam pump to work in the mines.
Experiments to improve the machine lasted about ten years, until it began to work properly.

About Thomas Newcomen

Born February 28, 1663 at Dartmouth. Blacksmith by profession. In 1705, together with the tinker J. Cowley, he built a steam pump. This steam-atmospheric machine, quite effective for its time, was used to pump water in mines and became widespread in the 18th century. This technology is currently used by concrete pumps at construction sites.
Newcomen was unable to obtain a patent, since the steam water lift was patented back in 1699 by T. Severi. The Newcomen steam engine was not a universal engine and could only work as a pump. Newcomen's attempts to use the reciprocating motion of a piston to turn a paddle wheel on ships were unsuccessful.

He died on August 7, 1729 in London. Newcomen's name is the "Society of British Historians of Technology".

Thomas Newcomen's car

First, the steam raised the piston, then a little cold water was injected into the cylinder, the steam condensed (thus forming a vacuum in the cylinder) and the piston fell under the influence of atmospheric pressure.

Unlike the "Papin cylinder" (in which the cylinder served as a boiler), in Newcomen's machine the cylinder was separated from the boiler. Thus it was possible to achieve more or less uniform work.
In the first versions of the machine, the valves were manually controlled, but later Newcomen came up with a mechanism that automatically opens and closes the corresponding taps at the right time.

A photo

About cylinders

The first cylinders of the Newcomen machine were made of copper, the pipes were made of lead, and the rocker was made of wood. Small parts were made of malleable iron. Newcomen's later machines, after about 1718, had a cast-iron cylinder.
The cylinders were made at Abraham Derby's foundry in Colbrookdale. Darby improved the casting technique and this made it possible to obtain enough cylinders good quality. To get more or less correct and smooth surface walls of the cylinder, a machine was used to drill the muzzle of guns.

Something like this:

With some modifications, Newcomen's machines remained the only machines suitable for industrial use for 50 years.

In 1720 described a two-cylinder steam engine. The invention was published in his main work "Theatri Machinarum Hydraulicarum". This manuscript was the first systematic analysis of mechanical engineering.

Machine proposed by Jacob Leopold

It was assumed that the pistons, made of lead, would be raised by steam pressure, and lowered by their own weight. The idea of ​​​​a crane (between the cylinders) is curious, with its help steam was admitted into one cylinder and simultaneously released from the other.
Jacob didn't build this car, he just designed it.

In 1766 Russian inventor, working as a mechanic at the Altai mining and metallurgical plants, created the first in Russia and the first in the world two-cylinder steam engine.
Polzunov upgraded Newcomen's machine (he used two cylinders instead of one to ensure continuous operation) and proposed using it to set the bellows of smelting furnaces in motion.

sad help

In Russia at that time, steam engines were practically not used, and Polzunov received all the information from the book “A Detailed Instruction to Mining” (1760) authored by I.A. Schlatter, which described the Newcomen steam engine.

The project was reported to Empress Catherine II. She approved him, ordered that I.I. Polzunov be promoted to “mechanic with the rank and rank of engineer captain-lieutenant” and rewarded with 400 rubles ...
Polzunov proposed to build at first a small machine, on which it would be possible to identify and eliminate all the shortcomings inevitable in the new invention. The factory authorities did not agree with this and decided to immediately build a huge machine. In April 1764, Polzunov began construction.
In the spring of 1766, construction was mostly completed and tests were carried out.
But on May 27, Polzunov died of consumption.
His students Levzin and Chernitsyn alone began the last tests of the steam engine. In the “Day Note” dated July 4, “correct engine operation” was noted, and on August 7, 1766, the entire installation, steam engine and powerful blower, was put into operation. In just three months of work, Polzunov's machine not only justified all the costs of its construction in the amount of 7233 rubles 55 kopecks, but also gave a net profit of 12640 rubles 28 kopecks. However, on November 10, 1766, after the boiler burned out at the machine, it stood idle for 15 years, 5 months and 10 days. In 1782 the car was dismantled.

(Encyclopedia of the Altai Territory. Barnaul. 1996. Vol. 2. S. 281-282; Barnaul. Chronicle of the city. Barnaul. 1994. part 1. p. 30).

Polzunov's car

The principle of operation is similar to the Newcomen machine.
Water was injected into one of the cylinders filled with steam, the steam condensed and a vacuum was created in the cylinder, under the influence of atmospheric pressure the piston went down, at the same moment steam entered the other cylinder and it rose.

The supply of water and steam to the cylinders was fully automated.

Model of the steam engine I.I. Polzunov, made according to the original drawings in the 1820s.
Regional Museum of Barnaul.

In 1765 to James Watt working as a mechanic at the University of Glasgow, was commissioned to repair a model of Newcomen's machine. It is not known who made it, but she had been at the university for several years.
Professor John Anderson suggested that Watt see if something could be done about this curious but capricious device.
Watt not only repaired, but also improved the machine. He added to it a separate container for cooling the steam and called it a condenser.

Newcomen steam engine model

The model was equipped with a cylinder (diameter 5 cm) with a working stroke of 15 cm. Watt conducted a series of experiments, in particular, he replaced the metal cylinder with a wooden one, lubricated with linseed oil and dried in an oven, reduced the amount of water raised in one cycle and the model started working.
During the experiments, Watt became convinced of the inefficiency of the machine.
With each new cycle, part of the steam energy was spent on heating the cylinder, which was cooled after water was injected to cool the steam.
After a series of experiments, Watt came to the conclusion:
“... In order to make a perfect steam engine, it is necessary that the cylinder is always hot, as is the steam entering it; but on the other hand, the condensation of steam to form a vacuum had to occur at a temperature not higher than 30 degrees Réaumur ”(38 Celsius) ...

Model of the Newcomen machine that Watt experimented with

How it all began...

For the first time, Watt became interested in steam in 1759, this was facilitated by his friend Robison, who then rushed about with the thought "of using the power of a steam engine to set the wagons in motion."
In the same year, Robison went to fight in North America, and Watt was overwhelmed without it.
Two years later, Watt returned to the idea of ​​steam engines.

“About 1761-1762,” writes Watt, “I made some experiments on the power of steam in a Papen cauldron and made something like a steam engine, fixing on it a syringe, about 1/8 inch in diameter, with a strong piston, equipped with an inlet valve steam from the boiler, as well as to release it from the syringe into the air. When the tap was opened from the boiler to the cylinder, the steam, entering the cylinder and acting on the piston, lifted a significant load (15 pounds) with which the piston was loaded. When the load was raised to the desired height, the communication with the boiler was closed and a valve was opened to release steam into the atmosphere. The steam came out and the weight went down. This operation was repeated several times, and although in this device the tap was turned by hand, however, it was not difficult to come up with a device to turn it automatically.

A - cylinder; B - piston; C - a rod with a hook for hanging a load; D - outer cylinder (casing); E and G - steam inlets; F - tube connecting the cylinder to the condenser; K - capacitor; P - pump; R - tank; V - valve for the outlet of air displaced by steam; K, P, R - filled with water. Steam enters through G into the space between A and D and through E into cylinder A. With a slight rise of the piston in the pump cylinder P (piston not shown in the figure), the water level in K drops and steam from A passes into K and then precipitates. In A, a vacuum is obtained, and the steam located between A and D presses on the piston B and raises it together with the load suspended from it.

The basic idea that distinguished Watt's machine from Newcomen's machine was the insulated condensing chamber (cooling the vapor).

Visual image:

In Watt's machine, the condenser "C" was separated from the working cylinder "P"; it did not need to be constantly heated and cooled, thanks to which it was possible to slightly increase the efficiency.

In 1769-1770, at the mine of miner John Roebuck (Roebuck was interested in steam engines and financed Watt for a while), a large model of Watt's machine was built, for which he received his first patent in 1769.

The essence of the patent

Watt defined his invention as "a new method for reducing the consumption of steam, and therefore fuel, in fire engines."
The patent (No. 013) outlined a number of new technical. positions used by Watt in his engine:
1) Maintaining the temperature of the cylinder walls equal to the temperature of the steam entering it due to thermal insulation, steam jacket
and lack of contact with cold bodies.
2) Condensation of steam in a separate vessel - a condenser, the temperature in which had to be maintained at the ambient level.
3) Removal of air and other non-condensables from the condenser by means of pumps.
4) Application of excessive steam pressure; in cases of lack of water for steam condensation, the use of only excess pressure with exhaust into the atmosphere.
5) The use of "rotary" machines with a unidirectionally rotating piston.
6) Operation with partial condensation (i.e. with reduced vacuum). The same paragraph of the patent describes the design of the piston seal and individual parts. At the steam pressures of 1 atm used at that time, the introduction of a separate condenser and pumping out air from it meant a real possibility of reducing the consumption of steam and fuel by more than half.

After some time, Roebuck went bankrupt and the English industrialist Matthew Bolton became Watt's new partner.
After the liquidation of Watt's agreement with Roebuck, the built car was dismantled and sent to the Bolton plant in Soho. On it, Watt tested almost all his improvements and inventions for a long time.

About Matthew Bolton

If Roebuck saw in Watt's machine, first of all, only an improved pump, which was supposed to save his mines from flooding, then Bolton saw in Watt's inventions the new kind engine, which was supposed to replace the water wheel.
Bolton himself tried to make improvements to Newcomen's car to reduce fuel consumption. He made a model that delighted numerous London high-society friends and patrons. Bolton corresponded with the American scientist and diplomat Benjamin Franklin about how best to inject cooling water into the cylinder, about best system valves. Franklin could not advise anything sensible in this area, but drew attention to another way to achieve fuel economy, to better burn it and eliminate smoke.
Bolton dreamed of nothing less than a world monopoly on the production of new cars. “My idea was,” Bolton wrote to Watt, “to arrange, next to my factory, an enterprise where I would concentrate all the technical means necessary for the construction of machines, and from where we would supply the whole world with machines of any size.”

Bolton was clearly aware of the prerequisites for this. New car cannot be built in the old artisanal ways. “I assumed,” he wrote to Watt, “that your machine will require money, very precise work and extensive connections, in order to put it into circulation in the most profitable way. The best way to maintain its reputation and do justice to the invention is to remove its production from the hands of a multitude of technicians who, in their ignorance, lack of experience and technical means, would give a bad job, and this would be reflected in the reputation of the invention.
To avoid this, he proposed building a special factory where “with your assistance, we could attract and train a certain number of excellent workers who, equipped with the best tools, could complete this invention twenty percent cheaper and with an equally large difference in work accuracy. , which exists between the work of a blacksmith and a master of mathematical tools.
Personnel of highly skilled workers, new Technical equipment- that's what was required to build a machine on a massive scale. Bolton was already thinking in terms and concepts of advanced nineteenth-century capitalism. But for now, it was still a dream. Not Bolton and Watt, but their sons, thirty years later, the mass production of machines was organized - the first machine-building plant.

Bolton and Watt discuss steam engine production at the Soho plant

The next stage in the development of steam engines was the sealing of the upper part of the cylinder and the supply of steam not only to the lower, but also to the upper part of the cylinder.

So Watt and Bolton, was built double acting steam engine.

Now steam was supplied alternately to both cavities of the cylinder. The cylinder walls were thermally insulated from the external environment.

Watt's machine, although it became more efficient than a car Newcomen, but the efficiency was still extremely low (1-2%).

How Watt and Bolton built and PR'ed their cars

There was no question of manufacturability and culture of production in the 18th century. Watt's letters to Bolton are filled with complaints about the drunkenness, theft and laziness of the workers. “We can count very little on our workers in Soho,” he wrote to Bolton. - James Taylor began to drink more heavily. He is stubborn, willful and unhappy. The machine that Cartwright worked on is a continuous series of errors and blunders. Smith and the rest are ignorant, and they all need to be watched daily to make sure nothing worse comes of it."
He demanded strict action from Bolton and was generally inclined to stop the production of cars in Soho. “All lazy people must be told,” he wrote, “that if they are as inattentive as they have been until now, they will be driven out of the factory. The cost of building a machine in Soho is costing us dearly, and if production cannot be improved, then it must be completely stopped and the work distributed to the side.

Making parts for machines required proper equipment. Therefore, different machine components were produced at different factories.
So, at the Wilkinson plant, cylinders were cast and bored, cylinder heads, a piston, an air pump and a condenser were also made there. The cast-iron casing for the cylinder was cast at one of the foundries in Birmingham, copper pipes were brought from London, and small parts were produced on the site of the machine. All these parts were ordered by Bolton and Watt at the expense of the customer - the owner of the mine or mill.
Gradually, separate parts were brought to the place and assembled under the personal supervision of Watt. Later he compiled detailed instructions for machine assembly. The cauldron was usually riveted on site by local blacksmiths.

After the successful start-up of a dewatering machine in one of the mines in Cornwall (considered the most difficult mine), Bolton and Watt received many orders. The owners of the mines saw that Watt's machine succeeded where Newcomen's machine was powerless. And they immediately started ordering Watt pumps.
Watt was swamped with work. He sat for weeks on his drawings, went to the installation of machines - nowhere could be done without his help and supervision. He was alone and had to keep up everywhere.

In order for the steam engine to be able to drive other mechanisms, it was necessary to convert reciprocating movements into rotational ones, and for uniform movement to adapt the wheel as a flywheel.

First of all, it was necessary to firmly tie the piston and balancer (up to this point, a chain or rope was used).
Watt intended to carry out the transfer from the piston to the balancer using a gear strip, and place a gear sector on the balancer.

Toothed sector

This system proved unreliable and Watt was forced to abandon it.

The transfer of torque was planned to be carried out using a crank mechanism.

crank mechanism

But the crank had to be abandoned as this system had already been patented (in 1780) by James Pickard. Picard offered Watt cross-licensing, but Watt refused the offer and used a planetary gear in his car. (there are ambiguities about patents, you can read at the end of the article)

planetary gear

Watt Engine (1788)

When creating a machine with continuous rotational motion, Watt had to solve a number of non-trivial problems (steam distribution over two cylinder cavities, automatic speed control and rectilinear movement of the piston rod).

Watt's parallelogram

The Watt mechanism was invented to give the thrust of the piston a rectilinear motion.

Steam engine built according to the patent of James Watt in 1848 in Freiberg in Germany.

Centrifugal regulator

The principle of operation of the centrifugal regulator is simple, the faster the shaft rotates, the higher the loads diverge under the action of centrifugal force and the more the steam pipeline is blocked. Weights are lowered - the steam pipeline is opened.
A similar system has long been known in the milling business for adjusting the distance between the millstones.
Watt adapted the regulator for the steam engine.

Steam distribution device

Piston valve system

The drawing was drawn up by one of Watt's assistants in 1783 (letters are for clarification). B and B - pistons connected to each other by tube C and moving in tube D connected to condenser H and tubes E and F to cylinder A; G - steam pipeline; K - a rod that serves to move explosives.
In the position of the pistons BB shown in the drawing, the space of the pipe D between the pistons B and B, as well as the lower part of the cylinder A under the piston (not shown in the figure), adjacent to F, are filled with steam, while in the upper part of the cylinder A, above the piston, communicating through E and through C with a capacitor H - a state of rarefaction; when the explosive is raised above F and E, the lower part of A through F will communicate with H, and the upper part through E and D will communicate with the steam pipeline.

eye-catching drawing

However, until 1800 Watt continued to use poppet valves (metal discs raised or lowered above the corresponding windows and driven by a complex system of levers), since the manufacture of a system of "piston valves" required high precision.

The development of the steam distribution mechanism was mainly carried out by Watt's assistant William Murdoch.

Murdoch, continued to improve the steam distribution mechanism and in 1799 patented the D - shaped spool (box spool).

Depending on the position of the spool, windows (4) and (5) communicate with a closed space (6) surrounding the spool and filled with steam, or with cavity 7 connected to the atmosphere or condenser.

After all the improvements, the following machine was built:

Steam, using a steam distributor, was alternately supplied to different cavities of the cylinder, and the centrifugal regulator controlled the steam supply valve (if the machine accelerated too much, the valve was closed and vice versa opened if it slowed down too much).

visual video

This machine could already work not only as a pump, but also actuate other mechanisms.

In 1784 Watt received a patent for universal steam engine(Patent No. 1432).

About the mill

In 1986, Bolton and Watt built a mill in London (the "Albion Mill"), powered by a steam engine. When the mill was put into operation, a real pilgrimage began. Londoners were keenly interested in technical improvements.

Watt, not familiar with marketing, resented the fact that onlookers interfere with his work and demanded that outsiders be denied access. Bolton, on the other hand, believed that as many people as possible should learn about the car and therefore rejected Watt's requests.
In general, Bolton and Watt did not experience a lack of clients. In 1791, the mill burned down (or maybe it was set on fire, as the millers were afraid of competition).

In the late eighties, Watt stops improving his car. In letters to Bolton, he writes:
“It is very possible that, except for some improvements in the mechanism of the machine, nothing better than what we have already produced will not be allowed by nature, which for most things has ordained its nec plus ultra (Latin “nowhere else”).”
And later, Watt claimed that he could not discover anything new in the steam engine, and if he was engaged in it, then only the improvement of details and verification of his previous conclusions and observations.

List of Russian literature

Kamensky A.V. James Watt, his life and scientific and practical activities. St. Petersburg, 1891
Weisenberg L.M. James Watt, inventor of the steam engine. M. - L., 1930
Lesnikov M.P. James Watt. M., 1935
Confederates I.Ya. James Watt is the inventor of the steam engine. M., 1969

Thus, we can assume that the first stage in the development of steam engines is over.

The further development of steam engines was associated with an increase in steam pressure and the improvement of production.

Quote from TSB

Watt's universal engine, due to its efficiency, was widely used and played a big role in the transition to capitalist machine production. “The great genius of Watt,” wrote K. Marx, “is revealed in the fact that the patent he took in April 1784, describing the steam engine, depicts it not as an invention only for special purposes, but as a universal engine of large-scale industry” ( Marx, K. Capital, vol. 1, 1955, pp. 383-384).

The factory of Watt and Bolton by 1800 was built by St. 250 steam engines, and by 1826 in England there were up to 1,500 engines with a total capacity of approx. 80000 hp With rare exceptions, these were Watt-type machines. After 1784, Watt was mainly engaged in improving production, and after 1800 he completely retired.

It began its expansion at the beginning of the 19th century. And already at that time, not only large units for industrial purposes were being built, but also decorative ones. Most of their customers were rich nobles who wanted to amuse themselves and their kids. After steam engines were firmly established in the life of society, decorative engines began to be used in universities and schools as educational models.

Steam engines of today

At the beginning of the 20th century, the relevance of steam engines began to decline. One of the few companies that continued to produce decorative mini-engines was the British company Mamod, which allows you to purchase a sample of such equipment even today. But the cost of such steam engines easily exceeds two hundred pounds, which is not so little for a trinket for a couple of evenings. Moreover, for those who like to assemble all kinds of mechanisms on their own, it is much more interesting to create a simple steam engine with their own hands.

Very simple. The fire heats the cauldron of water. Under the action of temperature, the water turns into steam, which pushes the piston. As long as there is water in the tank, the flywheel connected to the piston will rotate. This is the standard layout of a steam engine. But you can assemble a model and a completely different configuration.

Well, let's move on from the theoretical part to more exciting things. If you are interested in doing something with your own hands, and you are surprised by such exotic cars, then this article is for you, in which we will be happy to talk about various ways how to assemble a steam engine with your own hands. At the same time, the very process of creating a mechanism gives joy no less than its launch.

Method 1: DIY mini steam engine

So, let's begin. Let's assemble the simplest steam engine with our own hands. Drawings, complex tools and special knowledge are not needed.

To begin with, we take from under any drink. Cut off the bottom third. Since as a result we get sharp edges, they must be bent inward with pliers. We do this carefully so as not to cut ourselves. Since most aluminum cans have a concave bottom, it needs to be leveled. It is enough to firmly press it with your finger to some hard surface.

At a distance of 1.5 cm from the upper edge of the resulting "glass" it is necessary to make two holes opposite each other. It is advisable to use a hole punch for this, since it is necessary that they turn out to be at least 3 mm in diameter. At the bottom of the jar we put a decorative candle. Now we take the usual table foil, wrinkle it, and then wrap our mini-burner on all sides.

Mini nozzles

Next, you need to take a piece copper tube 15-20 cm long. It is important that it is hollow inside, as this will be our main mechanism for setting the structure in motion. The central part of the tube is wrapped around the pencil 2 or 3 times, so that a small spiral is obtained.

Now you need to place this element so that the curved place is placed directly above the candle wick. To do this, we give the tube the shape of the letter "M". At the same time, we display the sections that go down through the holes made in the bank. Thus, the copper tube is rigidly fixed above the wick, and its edges are a kind of nozzles. In order for the structure to rotate, it is necessary to bend the opposite ends of the "M-element" 90 degrees in different directions. The design of the steam engine is ready.

Engine starting

The jar is placed in a container with water. In this case, it is necessary that the edges of the tube are under its surface. If the nozzles are not long enough, then you can add a small weight to the bottom of the can. But be careful not to sink the entire engine.

Now you need to fill the tube with water. To do this, you can lower one edge into the water, and the second draw in air as if through a tube. We lower the jar into the water. We light the wick of the candle. After some time, the water in the spiral will turn into steam, which, under pressure, will fly out of opposite ends of the nozzles. The jar will begin to rotate in the container quickly enough. This is how we got a do-it-yourself steam engine. As you can see, everything is simple.

Steam engine model for adults

Now let's complicate the task. Let's collect more serious engine do-it-yourself steam. First you need to take a can of paint. You need to make sure that it is absolutely clean. On the wall, 2-3 cm from the bottom, we cut out a rectangle with dimensions of 15 x 5 cm. The long side is placed parallel to the bottom of the jar. From the metal mesh we cut out a piece with an area of ​​​​12 x 24 cm. From both ends of the long side we measure 6 cm. We bend these sections at an angle of 90 degrees. We get a small “platform table” with an area of ​​​​12 x 12 cm with legs of 6 cm. We install the resulting structure on the bottom of the can.

Several holes must be made around the perimeter of the lid and placed in a semicircle along one half of the lid. It is desirable that the holes have a diameter of about 1 cm. This is necessary in order to ensure proper ventilation of the interior. A steam engine will not work well if there is not enough air at the source of the fire.

main element

We make a spiral from a copper tube. You need about 6 meters of 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) soft copper tubing. We measure 30 cm from one end. Starting from this point, it is necessary to make five turns of a spiral with a diameter of 12 cm each. The rest of the pipe is bent into 15 rings with a diameter of 8 cm. Thus, 20 cm of free tube should remain at the other end.

Both leads are passed through the vent holes in the lid of the jar. If it turns out that the length of the straight section is not enough for this, then one turn of the spiral can be unbent. Coal is placed on a pre-installed platform. In this case, the spiral should be placed just above this site. Coal is carefully laid out between its turns. Now the bank can be closed. As a result, we got a firebox that will power the engine. The steam engine is almost done with his own hands. Left a little.

Water tank

Now you need to take another can of paint, but of a smaller size. A hole with a diameter of 1 cm is drilled in the center of its lid. Two more holes are made on the side of the jar - one almost at the bottom, the second - higher, at the lid itself.

They take two crusts, in the center of which a hole is made from the diameters of the copper tube. 25 cm of plastic pipe are inserted into one crust, 10 cm into the other, so that their edge barely peeks out of the corks. A crust with a long tube is inserted into the lower hole of a small jar, and a shorter tube into the upper hole. We place the smaller can on top of the large can of paint so that the hole in the bottom is on the opposite side of the ventilation passages of the large can.

Result

The result should be the following design. Water is poured into a small jar, which flows through a hole in the bottom into a copper tube. A fire is kindled under the spiral, which heats the copper container. Hot steam rises up the tube.

In order for the mechanism to be complete, it is necessary to attach a piston and a flywheel to the upper end of the copper tube. As a result, the thermal energy of combustion will be converted into mechanical forces of wheel rotation. There are a huge number of different schemes for creating such an external combustion engine, but in all of them two elements are always involved - fire and water.

In addition to this design, you can assemble a steam one, but this is material for a completely separate article.

steam engine

Manufacturing difficulty: ★★★★☆

Production time: One day

Materials at hand: ████████░░ 80%

In this article I will tell you how to make a steam engine with your own hands. The engine will be small, single-piston with a spool. The power is quite enough to rotate the rotor of a small generator and use this engine as an autonomous source of electricity when hiking.

• Telescopic antenna (can be removed from an old TV or radio), the diameter of the thickest tube must be at least 8 mm
• Small tube for a piston pair (plumbing store).
• Copper wire with a diameter of about 1.5 mm (can be found in the transformer coil or radio shop).
• Bolts, nuts, screws
• Lead (in a fishing shop or found in an old car battery). It is needed to mold the flywheel. I found a ready-made flywheel, but this item may be useful to you.
• Wooden bars.
• Spokes for bicycle wheels
• Stand (in my case, from a sheet of textolite 5 mm thick, but plywood is also suitable).
• Wooden blocks (pieces of boards)
• Olive jar
• A tube

• Superglue, cold welding, epoxy resin (construction market).
• Emery
• Drill
• soldering iron
• Hacksaw

How to make a steam engine




Engine diagram






Cylinder and spool tube.

Cut off 3 pieces from the antenna:
? The first piece is 38 mm long and 8 mm in diameter (the cylinder itself).
? The second piece is 30 mm long and 4 mm in diameter.
? The third is 6 mm long and 4 mm in diameter.




Take tube No. 2 and make a hole in it with a diameter of 4 mm in the middle. Take tube No. 3 and glue it perpendicular to tube No. 2, after the superglue dries, cover everything with cold welding (for example, POXIPOL).




We fasten a round iron washer with a hole in the middle to piece No. 3 (diameter - a little more than tube No. 1), after drying, we strengthen it with cold welding.


In addition, we cover all seams with epoxy resin for better tightness.

How to make a piston with a connecting rod

We take a bolt (1) with a diameter of 7 mm and clamp it in a vise. We begin to wind copper wire (2) around it for about 6 turns. We coat each turn with superglue. We cut off the excess ends of the bolt.




We cover the wire with epoxy. After drying, we adjust the piston with sandpaper under the cylinder so that it moves freely there without letting air through.




From a sheet of aluminum we make a strip 4 mm long and 19 mm long. We give it the shape of the letter P (3).




We drill holes (4) with a diameter of 2 mm at both ends so that a piece of knitting needle can be inserted. The sides of the U-shaped part should be 7x5x7 mm. We glue it to the piston with the side that is 5 mm.





We make a connecting rod (5) from a bicycle knitting needle. Glue to both ends of the spokes on two small pieces of tubes (6) from the antenna with a diameter and length of 3 mm. The distance between the centers of the connecting rod is 50 mm. Next, we insert the connecting rod with one end into the U-shaped part and fix it with a knitting needle.


We glue the knitting needle at both ends so that it does not fall out.






Triangle connecting rod

The triangle connecting rod is made in a similar way, only on one side there will be a piece of a knitting needle, and on the other a tube. Connecting rod length 75 mm.







Triangle and spool


Cut out a triangle from a sheet of metal and drill 3 holes in it.
Spool. The spool piston is 3.5 mm long and must move freely on the spool tube. The stem length depends on the size of your flywheel.






The piston rod crank should be 8mm and the spool crank should be 4mm.


• steam boiler

  
  The steam boiler will be a jar of olives with a sealed lid. I also soldered a nut so that water could be poured through it and tightly tightened with a bolt. I also soldered the tube to the lid.
  Here is a photo:
  

  

  
  

  Photo of the engine assembly

  
  

  We assemble the engine on a wooden platform, placing each element on a support

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  Steam engine video

  
  
  
  

• Version 2.0

  
  Cosmetic modification of the engine. The tank now has its own wooden platform and a saucer for a dry fuel tablet. All details are painted in beautiful colors. By the way, as a heat source it is best to use homemade

Steam engines were installed and powered most steam locomotives from the early 1800s until the 1950s. I would like to note that the principle of operation of these engines has always remained unchanged, despite the change in their design and dimensions.

An animated illustration shows how a steam engine works.

To generate the steam supplied to the engine, boilers operating both on wood and coal, and on liquid fuels were used.

First measure

The steam from the boiler enters the steam chamber, from which it enters the upper (front) part of the cylinder through the steam valve valve (indicated in blue). The pressure created by the steam pushes the piston down to BDC. During the movement of the piston from TDC to BDC, the wheel makes half a turn.

Release

At the very end of the stroke of the piston to the BDC, the steam valve is displaced, releasing the remaining steam through the exhaust port located below the valve. The rest of the steam breaks out, creating the sound characteristic of steam engines.

Second measure

At the same time, shifting the valve to release the rest of the steam opens the entrance of steam to the lower (rear) part of the cylinder. The pressure created by the steam in the cylinder causes the piston to move to TDC. At this time, the wheel makes another half turn.

Release

At the end of the piston movement to TDC, the remaining steam is released through the same exhaust port.

The cycle is repeated anew.

The steam engine has a so-called. dead center at the end of each stroke when the valve changes from expansion to exhaust stroke. For this reason, each steam engine has two cylinders, allowing the engine to be started from any position.

Opportunities in the use of steam energy were known at the beginning of our era. This is confirmed by a device called Heron's aeolipil, created by the ancient Greek mechanic Heron of Alexandria. An ancient invention can be attributed to a steam turbine, the ball of which rotated due to the power of jets of water vapor.

It became possible to adapt steam for the operation of engines in the 17th century. They did not use such an invention for long, but it made a significant contribution to the development of mankind. In addition, the history of the invention of steam engines is very fascinating.

concept

The steam engine is made up of heat engine external combustion, which from the energy of water vapor creates a mechanical movement of the piston, and that, in turn, rotates the shaft. The power of a steam engine is usually measured in watts.

Invention history

The history of the invention of steam engines is connected with the knowledge of ancient Greek civilization. For a long time, no one used the works of this era. In the 16th century, an attempt was made to create a steam turbine. The Turkish physicist and engineer Takiyuddin ash-Shami worked on this in Egypt.

Interest in this problem reappeared in the 17th century. In 1629, Giovanni Branca proposed his own version of the steam turbine. However, the inventions were losing a lot of energy. Further developments required appropriate economic conditions, which will appear later.

The first person to invent the steam engine is Denis Papin. The invention was a cylinder with a piston rising due to steam and falling as a result of its thickening. The devices of Savery and Newcomen (1705) had the same principle of operation. The equipment was used to pump water out of workings in the extraction of minerals.

Watt managed to finally improve the device in 1769.

Inventions by Denis Papin

Denis Papin was a medical doctor by training. Born in France, he moved to England in 1675. He is known for many of his inventions. One of them is a pressure cooker, which was called "Papenov's cauldron".

He managed to reveal the relationship between two phenomena, namely the boiling point of a liquid (water) and the pressure that appears. Thanks to this, he created a sealed boiler, inside which the pressure was increased, due to which the water boiled later than usual and the temperature of the processing of the products placed in it increased. Thus, the speed of cooking increased.

In 1674, a medical inventor created a powder engine. His work consisted in the fact that when the gunpowder ignited, a piston moved in the cylinder. A slight vacuum was formed in the cylinder, and atmospheric pressure returned the piston to its place. The resulting gaseous elements exited through the valve, and the remaining ones were cooled.

By 1698, Papin managed to create a unit based on the same principle, working not on gunpowder, but on water. Thus, the first steam engine was created. Despite the significant progress that the idea could lead to, it did not bring significant benefits to its inventor. This was due to the fact that earlier another mechanic, Savery, had already patented a steam pump, and by that time they had not yet come up with another application for such units.

Denis Papin died in London in 1714. Despite the fact that the first steam engine was invented by him, he left this world in need and loneliness.

Inventions of Thomas Newcomen

More successful in terms of dividends was the Englishman Newcomen. When Papin created his machine, Thomas was 35 years old. He carefully studied the work of Savery and Papin and was able to understand the shortcomings of both designs. From them he took all the best ideas.

Already by 1712, in collaboration with the glass and plumbing master John Calley, he created his first model. Thus continued the history of the invention of steam engines.

Briefly, you can explain the created model as follows:

• The design combined a vertical cylinder and a piston, like Papin's.
• The creation of steam took place in a separate boiler, which worked on the principle of the Savery machine.
• The tightness in the steam cylinder was achieved due to the skin, which was covered with a piston.

The Newcomen unit raised water from the mines with the help of atmospheric pressure. The machine was distinguished by its solid dimensions and required a large amount of coal to operate. Despite these shortcomings, Newcomen's model was used in mines for half a century. It even allowed the reopening of mines that had been abandoned due to groundwater flooding.

In 1722, Newcomen's brainchild proved its effectiveness by pumping water out of a ship in Kronstadt in just two weeks. The windmill system could do it in a year.

Due to the fact that the machine was based on early versions, the English mechanic was unable to obtain a patent for it. Designers tried to apply the invention for movement vehicle, but unsuccessfully. The history of the invention of steam engines did not stop there.

Watt's invention

The first to invent equipment of compact size, but powerful enough, James Watt. The steam engine was the first of its kind. A mechanic from the University of Glasgow in 1763 began to repair the Newcomen steam engine. As a result of the repair, he understood how to reduce fuel consumption. To do this, it was necessary to keep the cylinder in a constantly heated state. However, Watt's steam engine could not be ready until the problem of steam condensation was solved.

The solution came when a mechanic was walking past the laundries and noticed puffs of steam coming out from under the lids of the boilers. He realized that steam is a gas and needs to travel in a reduced pressure cylinder.

Achieving tightness inside steam cylinder with the help of a hemp rope soaked in oil, Watt was able to forego atmospheric pressure. This was a big step forward.

In 1769, a mechanic received a patent, which stated that the temperature of the engine in a steam engine would always be equal to the temperature of the steam. However, the affairs of the hapless inventor did not go as well as expected. He was forced to pawn the patent for debt.

In 1772 he met Matthew Bolton, who was a wealthy industrialist. He bought and returned Watt his patents. The inventor returned to work, supported by Bolton. In 1773, Watt's steam engine was tested and showed that it consumes coal much less than its counterparts. A year later, the production of his cars began in England.

In 1781, the inventor managed to patent his next creation - a steam engine for driving industrial machines. Over time, all these technologies will make it possible to move trains and steamboats with the help of steam. It will completely change a person's life.

One of the people who changed the lives of many was James Watt, whose steam engine accelerated technological progress.

Polzunov's invention

The design of the first steam engine, which could power a variety of working mechanisms, was created in 1763. It was developed by the Russian mechanic I. Polzunov, who worked at the mining plants of Altai.

The head of the factories was acquainted with the project and received the go-ahead for the creation of the device from St. Petersburg. The Polzunov steam engine was recognized, and the work on its creation was entrusted to the author of the project. The latter wanted to first assemble a miniature model in order to identify and eliminate possible flaws that are not visible on paper. However, he was ordered to start building a large, powerful machine.

Polzunov was provided with assistants, of whom two were inclined towards mechanics, and two were supposed to perform auxiliary work. It took one year and nine months to build the steam engine. When Polzunov's steam engine was almost ready, he fell ill with consumption. The creator died a few days before the first tests.

All actions in the machine took place automatically, it could work continuously. This was proved in 1766, when Polzunov's students conducted the last tests. A month later, the equipment was put into operation.

The car not only paid back the money spent, but also gave a profit to its owners. By autumn, the boiler began to leak, and work stopped. The unit could be repaired, but this did not interest the factory authorities. The car was abandoned, and a decade later it was dismantled as unnecessary.

Operating principle

A steam boiler is required for the operation of the entire system. The resulting steam expands and presses on the piston, resulting in the movement of mechanical parts.

The principle of operation is best studied using the illustration below.

If you do not paint the details, then the work of the steam engine is to convert the energy of steam into mechanical movement of the piston.

Efficiency

The efficiency of a steam engine is determined by the ratio of useful mechanical work in relation to the amount of heat expended, which is contained in the fuel. The energy that is released into the environment as heat is not taken into account.

The efficiency of a steam engine is measured as a percentage. The practical efficiency will be 1-8%. In the presence of a condenser and expansion of the flow path, the indicator can increase up to 25%.

Advantages

The main advantage of steam equipment is that the boiler can use any heat source, both coal and uranium, as fuel. This significantly distinguishes it from the engine internal combustion. Depending on the type of the latter, a certain type of fuel is required.

The history of the invention of steam engines showed advantages that are still noticeable today, since nuclear energy can be used for the steam counterpart. By itself, a nuclear reactor cannot convert its energy into mechanical work, but it is capable of generating a large amount of heat. It is then used to generate steam, which will set the car in motion. Solar energy can be used in the same way.

Steam-powered locomotives perform well at high altitude. The efficiency of their work does not suffer from the low atmospheric pressure in the mountains. Steam locomotives are still used in the mountains of Latin America.

In Austria and Switzerland, new versions of steam locomotives running on dry steam are used. They show high efficiency thanks to many improvements. They are not demanding in maintenance and consume light oil fractions as fuel. In terms of economic indicators, they are comparable to modern electric locomotives. At the same time, steam locomotives are much lighter than their diesel and electric counterparts. This is great advantage in mountainous conditions.

disadvantages

The disadvantages include, first of all, low efficiency. To this should be added the bulkiness of the design and low-speed. This became especially noticeable after the advent of the internal combustion engine.

Application

Who invented the steam engine is already known. It remains to be seen where they were used. Until the middle of the twentieth century, steam engines were used in industry. They were also used for railway and steam transport.

Factories that operated steam engines:

• sugar;
• match;
• paper mills;
• textile;
• food enterprises (in some cases).

Steam turbines are also included in this equipment. Electricity generators still work with their help. About 80% of the world's electricity is generated using steam turbines.

At the time they were created different kinds steam powered vehicles. Some did not take root due to unresolved problems, while others continue to work today.

Steam powered transport:

• automobile;
• tractor;
• excavator;
• airplane;
• locomotive;
• vessel;
• tractor.

Such is the history of the invention of steam engines. Briefly consider the successful example of the Serpolle racing car, created in 1902. It set a world speed record, which amounted to 120 km per hour on land. That is why steam cars were competitive in relation to electric and gasoline counterparts.

So, in the USA in 1900, most of all steam engines were produced. They met on the roads until the thirties of the twentieth century.

Most of these vehicles became unpopular after the advent of the internal combustion engine, whose efficiency is much higher. Such machines were more economical, while light and fast.

Steampunk as a trend of the era of steam engines

Speaking of steam engines, I would like to mention the popular direction - steampunk. The term is made up of two English words- "steam" and "protest". Steampunk is a type of science fiction that takes place in the second half of the 19th century in Victorian England. This period in history is often referred to as the Age of Steam.

All works have one distinctive feature - they tell about the life of the second half of the 19th century, while the style of narration is reminiscent of H. G. Wells' novel "The Time Machine". The plots describe urban landscapes, public buildings, technology. A special place is given to airships, old cars, bizarre inventions. All metal parts were fastened with rivets, since welding had not yet been used.

The term "steampunk" originated in 1987. Its popularity is associated with the appearance of the novel "The Difference Engine". It was written in 1990 by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

At the beginning of the 21st century, several famous films were released in this direction:

• "Time Machine";
• "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen";
• "Van Helsing".

The forerunners of steampunk include the works of Jules Verne and Grigory Adamov. Interest in this direction from time to time manifests itself in all spheres of life - from cinema to everyday clothes.