I will skip the inspection of the museum exposition and go directly to the turbine room. Anyone interested can find the full version of the post in my LJ. The machine room is located in this building:
29. Going inside, I was breathless with delight - inside the hall was the most beautiful Steam engine of all that I have ever seen. It was a real steampunk temple - a sacred place for all adherents of the steam era aesthetics. I was amazed by what I saw and realized that it was not in vain that I drove into this town and visited this museum.
30. In addition to the huge steam engine, which is the main museum object, there were also various examples of smaller steam engines, and the history of steam technology was told on numerous information stands. In this picture you can see a fully functioning steam engine with 12 hp.
31. Hand for scale. The car was created in 1920.
32. A 1940 compressor is on display next to the main museum item.
33. This compressor was used in the past in the railway workshops at Werdau Station.
34. Well, now let's take a closer look at the central exhibit of the museum exposition - a steam 600-horsepower engine produced in 1899, to which the second half of this post will be devoted.
35. The steam engine is a symbol of the industrial revolution that took place in Europe in the late 18th - early 19th century. Although the first samples of steam engines were created by various inventors at the beginning of the 18th century, they were all unsuitable for industrial use as they had a number of disadvantages. The massive use of steam engines in the industry became possible only after the Scottish inventor James Watt improved the mechanism of the steam engine, making it easy to operate, safe and five times more powerful than previous models.
36. James Watt patented his invention in 1775 and already in the 1880s his steam engines began to penetrate factories, becoming a catalyst for the industrial revolution. This happened primarily because James Watt managed to create a mechanism for converting the translational motion of a steam engine into rotational. All steam engines that existed before could produce only translational movements and be used only as pumps. And Watt's invention could already rotate the wheel of a mill or the drive of factory machines.
37. In 1800, the firm of Watt and his partner Bolton produced 496 steam engines, of which only 164 were used as pumps. And already in 1810 in England there were 5 thousand steam engines, and this number tripled in the next 15 years. In 1790, the first steam boat, carrying up to thirty passengers, began to run between Philadelphia and Burlington in the United States, and in 1804 Richard Trevintik built the first operating steam locomotive. The era of steam engines began, which lasted the entire nineteenth century, and on the railway and the first half of the twentieth.
38. This was a brief historical background, now let's return to the main object of the museum exposition. The steam engine shown in the pictures was manufactured by Zwikauer Maschinenfabrik AG in 1899 and installed in the machine room of the "C.F.Schmelzer und Sohn" spinning mill. The steam engine was intended to drive spinning machines and was used in this role until 1941.
39. Elegant nameplate. At that time, industrial technology was made with great attention to aesthetic appearance and style, not only functionality was important, but also beauty, which is reflected in every detail of this machine. At the beginning of the twentieth century, no one would buy ugly equipment.
40. The spinning factory "C.F.Schmelzer und Sohn" was founded in 1820 on the site of the present museum. Already in 1841, the first steam engine with a capacity of 8 hp was installed at the factory. for the drive of spinning machines, which in 1899 was replaced by a new, more powerful and modern one.
41. The factory existed until 1941, then production was stopped due to the outbreak of the war. All forty-two years the machine was used for its intended purpose, as a drive for spinning machines, and after the end of the war in 1945-1951 it served as a backup source of electricity, after which it was finally written off from the balance sheet of the enterprise.
42. Like many of its brethren, the car would have been cut, if not for one factor. This machine was the first German steam engine to receive steam through pipes from a remote boiler house. In addition, it had a PROELL axle adjustment system. Thanks to these factors, the car received the status of a historical monument in 1959 and became a museum. Unfortunately, all the factory buildings and the boiler house were demolished in 1992. This machine room is the only thing left of the former spinning mill.
43. Magical aesthetics of the steam era!
44. Nameplate on the body of the axis adjustment system from PROELL. The system regulated the cut-off - the amount of steam that is admitted into the cylinder. More cutoff means more economy, but less power.
45. Devices.
46. By design this car is a multi-expansion steam engine (or as they are also called a compound machine). In machines of this type, steam sequentially expands in several cylinders of increasing volume, passing from cylinder to cylinder, which significantly increases the efficiency of the engine. This machine has three cylinders: in the center of the frame there is a high-pressure cylinder - it was into it that fresh steam was supplied from the boiler room, then after an expansion cycle, the steam was passed into a medium-pressure cylinder, which is located to the right of the high-pressure cylinder.
47. Having completed the work, the steam from the medium pressure cylinder moved into the cylinder low pressure, which you see in this picture, after which, having completed the last expansion, it was released outward through a separate pipe. In this way, the most complete utilization of steam energy was achieved.
48. Stationary power of this unit was 400-450 HP, maximum 600 HP.
49. The spanner for repair and maintenance of the machine is impressive in size. Under it are the ropes, with the help of which the rotational motion was transmitted from the flywheel of the machine to a transmission connected to the spinning machines.
50. Flawless Belle Époque aesthetics in every cog.
51. In this picture, you can see in detail the structure of the machine. The steam expanding in the cylinder transmitted energy to the piston, which in turn carried out a translational motion, transferring it to the crank-slider mechanism, in which it was transformed into rotational and transmitted to the flywheel and further to the transmission.
52. In the past, an electric generator was also connected to the steam engine, which is also preserved in excellent original condition.
53. In the past, the generator was located at this location.
54. Mechanism for transferring torque from the flywheel to the generator.
55. An electric motor is now installed on the site of the generator, with the help of which a steam engine is set in motion for the amusement of the public several days a year. Every year the museum hosts "Steam Days" - an event that unites amateurs and modelers of steam engines. The steam engine is also in motion these days.
56. The original generator direct current stands aside now. In the past, it was used to generate electricity for factory lighting.
57. Produced by Elektrotechnische & Maschinenfabrik Ernst Walther in Werdau in 1899, according to the info plate, but the original name plate bears the year 1901.
58. Since I was the only visitor to the museum that day, no one bothered me to enjoy the aesthetics of this place one-on-one with a car. In addition, the lack of people contributed to the receipt of good photographs.
59. Now a few words about the transmission. As you can see in this picture, the flywheel surface has 12 rope grooves, with the help of which the rotational motion of the flywheel is transmitted further to the transmission elements.
60. The transmission, consisting of wheels of different diameters connected by shafts, distributed the rotational motion over several floors of the factory building, on which were located spinning machines, powered by energy transmitted by means of a transmission from a steam engine.
61. Flywheel with rope grooves close-up.
62. Here you can clearly see the transmission elements, with the help of which the torque was transmitted to the shaft passing underground and transmitting the rotational motion to the factory building adjacent to the machine room, in which the machines were located.
63. Unfortunately, the factory building has not survived and behind the door that led to the next building, now there is only emptiness.
64. Separately, it is worth noting the electrical equipment control panel, which in itself is a work of art.
65. Marble board in a beautiful wooden frame with rows of levers and fuses located on it, a luxurious lantern, stylish appliances - Belle Époque in all its glory.
66. Two huge fuses located between the lantern and the instruments are impressive.
67. Fuses, levers, controls - all equipment is aesthetically pleasing. It can be seen that when creating this shield about appearance cared not least.
68. Under each lever and fuse there is a "button" with an inscription that this lever turns on / off.
69. The splendor of the Belle Epoque technique.
70. At the end of the story, let's return to the car and enjoy the delightful harmony and aesthetics of its parts.
71. Control valves for individual units of the machine.
72. Drip nipples designed for lubrication of moving parts and assemblies of the machine.
73. This device is called a grease nipple. From the moving part of the machine, worms are set in motion, moving the piston of the oiler, and it pumps oil to the rubbing surfaces. After the piston reaches dead center, the handle is lifted back by rotating it and the cycle is repeated.
74. How beautiful it is! Pure delight!
75. Cylinders of the machine with columns of inlet valves.
76. More oil cans.
77. Classic steampunk aesthetics.
78. Camshaft machines, regulating the supply of steam to the cylinders.
79.
80.
81. All this is very very beautiful! I received a huge boost of inspiration and joyful emotions while visiting this turbine hall.
82. If fate suddenly brings you to the Zwickau region, be sure to visit this museum, you will not regret it. Museum website and coordinates: 50 ° 43 "58" N 12 ° 22 "25" E
In the minds of most people in the age of smartphones, steam cars are something archaic that makes you smile. The steamy pages of the history of the automotive industry were very bright and without them it is difficult to imagine modern transport in general. No matter how hard the skeptics from lawmaking, as well as oil lobbyists from different countries, tried to restrict the development of the car for a couple, they only managed to do it for a while. After all, the steam car is like the Sphinx. The idea of a car for a couple (that is, on an external combustion engine) is relevant to this day.
In the minds of most people in the age of smartphones, steam cars are something archaic that makes you smile.
So in 1865 in England a ban was introduced on the movement of high-speed self-propelled carriages on a steam drive. They were forbidden to move faster than 3 km / h in the city and not to let out puffs of steam, so as not to frighten the horses harnessed to ordinary carriages. The most serious and tangible blow to steam trucks was already in 1933, the law on the tax on heavy vehicles... And only in 1934, when duties on the import of petroleum products were reduced, did the victory of gasoline and diesel engines over steam.
Only in England could they afford to scoff at progress in such an exquisite and cold-blooded manner. In the USA, France, Italy, the environment of enthusiastic inventors was literally seething with ideas, and the steam car took on new shapes and characteristics. Although the British invented made a significant contribution to the development of steam vehicles, the laws and prejudices of the authorities did not allow them to fully participate in the battle with the internal combustion engine. But let's talk about everything in order.
Prehistoric reference
The history of the development of the steam engine is inextricably linked with the history of the emergence and improvement of the steam engine. When in the 1st century A.D. NS. Heron from Alexandria proposed his idea of making steam rotate a metal ball, and his idea was treated as little more than fun. Whether other ideas were more worried about the inventors, but the first who put a steam boiler on wheels was the monk Ferdinand Verbst. In 1672. His "toy" was also treated like fun. But the next forty years were not in vain for the history of the steam engine.
Isaac Newton's self-propelled crew project (1680), the fire apparatus of mechanic Thomas Severi (1698) and atmospheric setting Thomas Newcomen (1712) demonstrated the enormous potential of using steam to perform mechanical work... At first, steam engines pumped water out of mines and lifted loads, but by the middle of the 18th century, there were already several hundred such steam installations at the enterprises of England.
What is a steam engine? How can steam move the wheels? The principle of the steam engine is simple. The water is heated in a closed tank to steam. The steam is discharged through pipes into a closed cylinder and squeezes out the piston. This translational motion is transmitted to the flywheel shaft via an intermediate connecting rod.
This circuit diagram the operation of a steam boiler in practice had significant drawbacks.
The first portion of steam burst out in clubs, and the cooled piston, under its own weight, sank down for the next stroke. This schematic diagram of the operation of a steam boiler in practice had significant drawbacks. The absence of a steam pressure control system often led to a boiler explosion. It took a lot of time and fuel to bring the boiler up to working order. Constant refueling and the gigantic dimensions of the steam plant only increased the list of its shortcomings.
The new car was proposed by James Watt in 1765. He directed the steam squeezed out by the piston into an additional condensation chamber and eliminated the need to constantly add water to the boiler. Finally, in 1784, he solved the problem of how to redistribute the movement of steam so that it would push the piston in both directions. Thanks to the spool he created, the steam engine could work without interruptions between cycles. This principle heat engine double acting and formed the basis of most steam technology.
Many smart people worked on the creation of steam engines. After all, this is a simple and cheap way to get energy from almost nothing.
A short excursion into the history of steam cars
However, no matter how great were the successes of the British in the field, the first to put a steam engine on wheels was the Frenchman Nicolas Joseph Cugno.
Kyunho's first steam car
His car appeared on the roads in 1765. The speed of the wheelchair was a record 9.5 km / h. In it, the inventor provided four seats for passengers, which could be rolled with the breeze at an average speed of 3.5 km / h. This success was not enough for the inventor.
The need to stop for refueling and kindling a new fire every kilometer of the way was not a significant disadvantage, but only the state of the art of that time.
He decided to invent a tractor for cannons. So a three-wheeled cart with a massive cauldron in front was born. The need to stop for refueling and kindling a new fire every kilometer of the way was not a significant disadvantage, but only the state of the art of that time.
The next model of Cugno of the 1770 model weighed about one and a half tons. The new cart could transport about two tons of cargo at a speed of 7 km / h.
Maestro Cugno was more concerned with the idea of creating a high-pressure steam engine. He was not even embarrassed by the fact that the boiler could explode. It was Cuyunho who came up with the idea of placing the firebox under the boiler and carrying the "fire" with him. In addition, his "cart" can rightfully be called the first truck. The resignation of the patron and a series of revolutions made it impossible for the master to develop the model into a full-fledged truck.
Self-taught Oliver Evans and his amphibian
The idea of creating steam engines had universal proportions. In the North American states, inventor Oliver Evans created about fifty steam installations based on the Watt machine. In an effort to reduce the size of the James Watt plant, he designed steam engines for flour mills. However, Oliver Evans gained worldwide fame for his amphibious steam car. In 1789, his first car in the United States successfully passed the land and water tests.
On his amphibian, which can be called the prototype of all-terrain vehicles, Evans installed a machine with a steam pressure of ten atmospheres!
The nine-meter boat-car weighed about 15 tons. The steam engine set in motion rear wheels and a propeller. By the way, Oliver Evans was also a supporter of the high pressure steam engine. On his amphibian, which can be called the prototype of all-terrain vehicles, Evans installed a machine with a steam pressure of ten atmospheres!
If the inventors of the 18-19 centuries had 21st century technologies at hand, can you imagine how much technology they would have come up with !? And what a technique!
XX century and 204 km / h on a Stanley steam car
Yes! The 18th century gave a powerful impetus to the development of steam transport. Numerous and varied designs of self-propelled steam carriages have increasingly begun to dilute horse-drawn transport on the roads of Europe and America. By the beginning of the 20th century, steam-powered cars had spread significantly and became a familiar symbol of their time. As well as photography.
The 18th century gave a powerful impetus to the development of steam transport
It was their photographic company that the Stanley brothers sold when, in 1897, they decided to get serious about the production of steam cars in the United States. They built well-selling ferry cars. But this was not enough for them to satisfy their ambitious plans. After all, they were just one of many of the same automakers. This was until they designed their "rocket".
It was their photographic company that the Stanley brothers sold when, in 1897, they decided to get serious about the production of steam cars in the United States.
Surely Stanley cars had glory reliable car... The steam unit was located at the back, and the boiler was heated with gasoline or kerosene torches. Flywheel of a steam two-cylinder engine of double action rotation to the rear axle by means of a chain transmission. Stanley Steamer had no cases of boiler explosions. But they needed a splash.
Of course, Stanley cars had the reputation of being a reliable car.
With their "rocket" they made a splash all over the world. 205.4 km / h in 1906! Nobody has ever driven so fast! A car with an internal combustion engine broke this record only 5 years later. Stanley's plywood steam "Rocket" shaped racing cars for many years to come. But after 1917, Stanley Steemer experienced the competition from the cheap Ford T more and more and resigned.
Doble brothers' unique ferries
This famous family managed to put up a decent resistance gasoline engines right up to the beginning of the 30s of the XX century. They didn't build record cars. The brothers truly loved their ferry cars. Otherwise, how else to explain the cellular radiator and ignition button invented by them? Their models did not look like small steam locomotives.
Brothers Abner and John revolutionized steam transportation.
Brothers Abner and John revolutionized steam transportation. To get moving, his car did not need to be warmed up for 10-20 minutes. The ignition button pumped kerosene from the carburetor into the combustion chamber. He got there after lighting with a spark plug. The water heated up in a matter of seconds, and after a minute and a half the steam created the necessary pressure and you could go.
The exhaust steam was directed to a radiator for condensation and preparation for subsequent cycles. Therefore, for a smooth run of 2000 km, Doblov's cars needed only ninety liters of water in the system and several liters of kerosene. Nobody could offer such economy! Perhaps it was at the Detroit Auto Show in 1917 that Stanley got acquainted with the Doble brothers' model and began to curtail their production.
The Model E became the most luxurious car of the second half of the 20s and the most recent version of the Doblov ferry car. Leather interior, polished wood and elephant bones delight wealthy owners inside the car. In such a cabin, you could enjoy the run at speeds up to 160 km / h. Only 25 seconds separated the moment of ignition from the moment of start. It took another 10 seconds for a car weighing 1.2 tons to accelerate to 120 km / h!
All of these high-speed qualities were incorporated into the four-cylinder engine. Two pistons were pushed out by steam under high pressure at 140 atmospheres, and the other two sent cooled low-pressure steam into a honeycomb condenser-radiator. But in the first half of the 30s, these handsome Doble brothers were no longer produced.
Steam Trucks
However, one should not forget that steam traction was rapidly developing on freight transport... It was in the cities that steam cars caused allergies among snobs. But the goods must be delivered in any weather and not only in the city. And what about intercity buses and military equipment? You can't get off with small cars there.
Freight transport has one significant advantage over passenger transport - its dimensions.
Freight transport has one significant advantage over passenger transport - its dimensions. It is they who allow you to place powerful power plants anywhere in the car. Moreover, it will only increase the carrying capacity and cross-country ability. And what the truck will look like is not always paid attention to.
Among the steam trucks I would like to highlight the English Sentinel and the Soviet NAMI. Of course, there were many others, for example Foden, Fowler, Yorkshire. But it was Sentinel and NAMI that turned out to be the most tenacious and were produced until the end of the 50s of the last century. They could work on any solid fuel - coal, wood, peat. The "omnivorous nature" of these trucks set them apart from the influence of prices for petroleum products, and also allowed them to be used in hard-to-reach places.
Workaholic Sentinel with an English accent
These two trucks differ not only in the country of manufacture. The principles of the arrangement of steam generators were also different. The Santinels are characterized by the upper and lower arrangement of the steam engines relative to the boiler. At the top, the steam generator supplied hot steam directly to the engine chamber, which was connected to the bridges by a system cardan shafts... With the lower location of the steam engine, that is, on the chassis, the boiler heated the water and supplied steam to the engine through pipes, which guaranteed temperature losses.
The Santinels are characterized by the upper and lower arrangement of steam engines relative to the boiler.
The presence of a chain drive from the flywheel of the steam engine to the cardan joints was typical for both types. This allowed the designers to unify the production of Santinels depending on the customer. For hot countries, such as India, steam trucks were produced with a lower, separated location of the boiler and engine. For countries with cold winters - with the upper, combined type.
For hot countries, such as India, steam trucks were produced with a lower, separated location of the boiler and engine.
Many proven technologies were used on these trucks. Steam distribution spools and valves, single and double acting engines, high or low pressure, with or without gearbox. However, this did not extend the life of the English steam trucks. Although they were produced until the end of the 50s of the 20th century and even served in military service before and during World War II, they were still bulky and somewhat resembled steam locomotives. And since there were no persons interested in their radical modernization, their fate was a foregone conclusion.
Although they were produced until the end of the 50s of the XX century and even served in military service before and during World War II, they were still bulky and somewhat resembled steam locomotives.
To whom what, but to us - US
To raise the war-torn economy of the Soviet Union, it was necessary to find a way not to waste oil resources, at least in hard-to-reach places - in the north of the country and in Siberia. Soviet engineers were given the opportunity to study Santinel's design with an overhead four-cylinder direct-action steam engine and develop their own "answer to Chamberlain."
In the 1930s, Russian institutes and design bureaus made repeated attempts to create an alternative truck for the timber industry.
In the 1930s, Russian institutes and design bureaus made repeated attempts to create an alternative truck for the timber industry. But each time the case stopped at the testing stage. Using their own experience and the opportunity to study captured ferry vehicles, the engineers managed to convince the country's leadership of the need for such a steam truck. Moreover, gasoline was 24 times more expensive than coal. And with the cost of firewood in the taiga, you can not even mention it.
A group of designers under the leadership of Yu. Shebalin simplified the steam unit as a whole as much as possible. They combined a four-cylinder engine and a boiler into one unit and placed it between the body and the cab. We put this installation on the chassis of the serial YaAZ (MAZ) -200. The work of steam and its condensation were combined in a closed cycle. The supply of wood ingots from the bunker was carried out automatically.
This is how NAMI-012 was born, or rather on the forest off-road. Obviously, the principle of the bunker supply of solid fuel and the location of the steam engine on truck was borrowed from the practice of gas generating plants.
The fate of the owner of the forests - NAMI-012
The characteristics of the steam domestic flatbed truck and timber carrier NAMI-012 were as follows
- Carrying capacity - 6 tons
- Speed - 45 km / h
- The range without refueling is 80 km, if it was possible to renew the water supply, then 150 km
- Torque at low speeds - 240 kgm, which was almost 5 times higher than the indicators of the base YAZ-200
- A natural circulation boiler created a pressure of 25 atmospheres and brought steam to a temperature of 420 ° C
- It was possible to replenish water supplies directly from the reservoir through ejectors
- The all-metal cab did not have a hood and was pushed forward
- The speed was regulated by the volume of steam in the engine using the feed / cutoff lever. With its help, the cylinders were filled to 25/40/75%.
- One reverse gear and three pedal controls.
The serious drawbacks of the steam truck were the consumption of 400 kg of firewood per 100 km of track and the need to get rid of the water in the boiler in frosty conditions.
The serious drawbacks of the steam truck were the consumption of 400 kg of firewood per 100 km of track and the need to get rid of the water in the boiler in frosty conditions. But the main disadvantage that was present in the first sample was poor permeability in an unloaded state. Then it turned out that the front axle was overloaded by the cabin and the steam unit, compared to the rear. They coped with this task by installing a modernized steam power plant on the all-wheel drive YaAZ-214. Now the capacity of the NAMI-018 timber truck has been increased to 125 horsepower.
But, not having time to spread across the country, the steam generator trucks were all disposed of in the second half of the 50s of the last century.
But, not having time to spread throughout the country, the steam generator trucks were all disposed of in the second half of the 50s of the last century. However, together with gas generators. Because the cost of converting cars, the economic benefits and ease of use were time consuming and questionable compared to gasoline and diesel trucks. Moreover, by this time, oil production was already being established in the Soviet Union.
A fast and affordable modern steam car
Don't think that the idea of a steam-powered car has been forgotten forever. Now there is a significant increase in interest in engines, alternative internal combustion engines on gasoline and diesel fuel. The world's oil reserves are not unlimited. Yes, and the cost of petroleum products is constantly increasing. The designers tried so hard to improve the internal combustion engine that their ideas almost reached their limit.
Electric cars, hydrogen cars, gas generators and steam cars have become hot topics again. Hello forgotten 19th century!
Now there is a significant increase in interest in engines, alternative internal combustion engines on gasoline and diesel fuel.
A British engineer (again England!) Demonstrated the new capabilities of the steam engine. He created his Inspuration not only to demonstrate the relevance of steam-powered cars. His brainchild is made for records. 274 km / h - this is the speed that twelve boilers installed on a 7.6 meter car accelerate. Only 40 liters of water is enough for the liquefied gas to bring the steam temperature to 400 ° C literally in an instant. Just think, it took history 103 years to break the speed record for a steam-powered car set by Rocket!
In a modern steam generator, you can use coal in the form of powder or other cheap fuel, for example, fuel oil, liquefied gas. That is why steam cars have always been and will be popular.
But for an environmentally friendly future to come, it is again necessary to overcome the resistance of oil lobbyists.
Steam engines were installed and propelled most steam locomotives from the early 1800s to 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.
The animated illustration shows how the steam engine works.
To generate steam supplied to the engine, boilers operating both on wood and coal and on liquid fuel were used.
First measure
Steam from the boiler enters the steam chamber, from which it enters the upper (front) part of the cylinder through the steam valve-valve (marked in blue). The pressure created by the steam pushes the piston down towards the BDC. During the movement of the piston from TDC to BDC, the wheel makes a half turn.
Release
At the very end of the piston movement towards BDC, the steam valve is displaced, releasing the remaining steam through the outlet port located below the valve. Residual steam escapes to create the sound characteristic of steam engines.
Second measure
At the same time, displacement of the residual steam valve opens the steam inlet to the bottom (rear) part of the cylinder. The pressure created by the steam in the cylinder forces the piston to move towards 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 outlet window.
The cycle is repeated anew.
Steam engine has the so-called dead center at the end of each stroke as the valve transitions from expansion stroke to outlet. For this reason, each steam engine has two cylinders, which allows the engine to be started from any position.
Article published on 5/19/2014 05:36 AM Last edited 2014/05/19 05:58 AMThe history of the development of the steam engine is described in sufficient detail in this article. There are also the most famous solutions and inventions of the times of 1672-1891.
First developments.
To begin with, as early as the seventeenth century, steam began to be considered as a means of driving, all kinds of experiments were carried out with it, and only in 1643 the forceful action of steam pressure was discovered by Evangelist Torricelli. Christian Huygens, 47 years later, designed the first power machine, powered by an explosion of gunpowder in a cylinder. This was the first prototype of the engine. internal combustion... Abbot Otfey's water intake machine is based on a similar principle. Soon, Denis Papin decided to replace the force of the explosion with a less powerful force of steam. In 1690 he built the first steam engine, also known as a steam boiler.
It consisted of a piston, which, with the help of boiling water, moved up in the cylinder and, due to subsequent cooling, lowered again - this was how a force was created. The whole process took place in this way: a furnace was placed under the cylinder, which simultaneously served as a boiler; when the piston was in the upper position, the furnace was retracted to facilitate cooling.
Later, two Englishmen, Thomas Newcomen and Cowley - one a blacksmith, the other a glazier - improved the system by separating the boiler and cylinder and adding a tank of cold water. This system functioned with valves or taps, one for steam and one for water, which were opened and closed in turn. Then the Englishman Bayton rebuilt the valve control into a truly stroke one.
The use of steam engines in practice.
Newcomen's machine soon became known everywhere and, in particular, was improved by the double-acting system developed by James Watt in 1765. Now Steam engine proved to be complete enough for use in vehicles, although due to its size it was better suited for stationary installations. Watt offered his inventions to industry; he also built machines for textile factories.
The first steam engine used as a vehicle was invented by the Frenchman Nicolas Joseph Cugno, an engineer and amateur military strategist. In 1763 or 1765, he created a car that could carry four passengers at an average speed of 3.5 and a maximum speed of 9.5 km / h. The first attempt was followed by the second - a vehicle appeared for transporting guns. It was tested, of course, by the military, but due to the impossibility of long-term operation (continuous cycle of work new car did not exceed 15 minutes), the inventor did not receive the support of the authorities and financiers. Meanwhile, the steam engine was being improved in England. After several unsuccessful Watt-based attempts by Moore, William Murdoch and William Symington, Richard Travisick's rail vehicle was created for the Welsh Coal Mine. An active inventor came to the world: from underground mines he ascended to earth and in 1802 presented to mankind a powerful a car, reaching a speed of 15 km / h on level ground and 6 km / h on the rise.
Preview - click-to-zoom.
Ferry-powered vehicles were increasingly used in the United States as well: Nathan Reed surprised the Philadelphia residents in 1790 with his steam car model... However, his compatriot Oliver Evans became even more famous, who fourteen years later invented the amphibious car. After the Napoleonic wars, during which "car experiments" were not carried out, work began again on invention and improvement of the steam engine... In 1821, it could be considered perfect and reliable enough. Since then, every step forward in the field of steam-powered vehicles has definitely contributed to the development of future cars.
In 1825 Sir Goldsworth Garney organized the first passenger line on a 171 km stretch from London to Bath. In doing so, he used a carriage patented by him, which had a steam engine. This was the beginning of the era of high-speed road carriages, which, however, disappeared in England, but became widespread in Italy and France. Such vehicles reached their highest development with the appearance in 1873 "Reverance" Amede Balle weighing 4500 kg and "Mansel" - more compact, weighing just over 2500 kg and reaching a speed of 35 km / h. Both were forerunners of the performance technique that became characteristic of the first "real" cars. Despite the great speed steam engine efficiency was very small. Bolle was the one who patented the first well-functioning steering system, and he arranged the steering and control elements so well that we still see it on the dashboard today.
Preview - click-to-zoom.
Despite the tremendous progress in the field of the internal combustion engine, the steam power still provided a more uniform and smoother machine running and, therefore, had many supporters. Like Bolle, who built other light cars, such as the Rapide in 1881 with a speed of 60 km / h, the Nouvelle in 1873, which had a front axle with independent wheel suspension, Leon Chevrolet launched several cars between 1887 and 1907. with a lightweight and compact steam generator, patented by him in 1889. The company De Dion-Bouton, founded in Paris in 1883, produced cars with steam engines for the first ten years of its existence and achieved significant success - its cars won the Paris-Rouen race in 1894.
Preview - click-to-zoom.
The success of Panhard et Levassor in the use of gasoline led, however, to the fact that De Dion also switched to internal combustion engines. When the Bolle brothers took over their father's company, they did the same. Then the Chevrolet company rebuilt its production. Steam-powered cars were disappearing from the horizon faster and faster, although they were in use in the United States even before 1930. At this very moment, production stopped and invention of steam engines
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Prerequisites for the appearance of steam engines
The need for mechanisms that can facilitate labor-intensive processes has always existed. Until about the middle of the 18th century, windmills and water wheels were used for this purpose. The possibility of using wind energy directly depends on the vagaries of the weather. And to use water wheels, factories had to be built along river banks, which is not always convenient and expedient. And the effectiveness of both was extremely low. Essentially needed new engine, easily manageable and devoid of these disadvantages.
The history of the invention and improvement of steam engines
The creation of a steam engine is the result of long deliberation, success and failure of the hopes of many scientists.
The beginning of the way
The first, one-off projects were just interesting curiosities. For example, Archimedes designed a steam cannon, Heron of Alexandria used the energy of steam to open the doors of ancient temples. And the researchers find notes on the practical use of steam energy for activating other mechanisms in the works Leonardo da Vinci.
Let's consider the most significant projects on this topic.
In the 16th century, the Arab engineer Tagi al-Din developed a project for a primitive steam turbine. However, it did not receive practical application due to the strong scattering of the steam jet supplied to the turbine wheel blades.
Fast forward to medieval France. Physicist and talented inventor Denis Papin, after many unsuccessful projects, stops at the following design: a vertical cylinder was filled with water, over which a piston was installed.
The cylinder was heated, the water boiled and evaporated. The expanding steam lifted the piston. It was fixed at the upper lifting point and the cylinder was expected to cool down and the steam condensed. After condensation of steam in the cylinder, a vacuum was formed. The piston, released from the fastening, was rushed into vacuum under the influence of atmospheric pressure. It was this piston fall that was supposed to be used as a working stroke.
So, the useful stroke of the piston was caused by the formation of a vacuum due to condensation of steam and external (atmospheric) pressure.
Because the Papen steam engine like most subsequent projects were named steam-atmospheric machines.
This design had a very significant drawback - the repeatability of the cycle was not provided. Denis comes up with the idea of getting steam not in a cylinder, but separately in a steam boiler.
Denis Papin went down in the history of the creation of steam engines as the inventor of a very important detail - the steam boiler.
And since steam began to be received outside the cylinder, the engine itself passed into the category of external combustion engines. But due to the lack of a distribution mechanism that provides smooth operation, these projects have found almost no practical application.
A new milestone in the development of steam engines
For about 50 years, it has been used for pumping water in coal mines steam pump by Thomas Newcomen. It largely repeated the previous designs, but contained very important innovations - a pipe for removing condensed steam and a safety valve for releasing excess steam.
Its significant disadvantage was that the cylinder had to be heated before injecting steam, then cooled before condensing. But the demand for such engines was so high that, despite their obvious inefficiency, the last copies of these machines served until 1930.
In 1765 English mechanic James Watt, taking up the improvement of the Newcomen machine, separated the condenser from the steam cylinder.
Now it is possible to keep the cylinder constantly heated. The efficiency of the machine immediately increased. In subsequent years, Watt significantly improved his model, equipping it with a device for supplying steam from one side or the other.
It became possible to use this machine not only as a pump, but also for driving various machine tools. Watt received a patent for his invention - a continuous steam engine. Mass production of these machines begins.
By the early 19th century, more than 320 Watt steam engines were in operation in England. Other European countries also began to buy them. This contributed to a significant increase in industrial production in many sectors of both England itself and neighboring countries.
Twenty years earlier, Watt, in Russia, an Altai mechanic Ivan Ivanovich Polzunov worked on a steam engine project.
The factory bosses asked him to build a unit that would drive the blower of the smelting furnace.
The machine he built was two-cylinder and provided continuous operation of the device connected to it.
Having successfully worked for more than a month and a half, the boiler started to leak. By this time Polzunov himself was no longer alive. They did not repair the car. And the wonderful creation of a lone Russian inventor was forgotten.
Due to the backwardness of Russia at that time the world learned about II Polzunov's invention with a great delay….
So, to drive a steam engine, it is necessary that the steam generated by the steam boiler, expanding, press on the piston or on the turbine blades. And then their movement was transmitted to other mechanical parts.
The use of steam engines in transport
Despite the fact that the efficiency of steam engines of that time did not exceed 5%, by the end of the 18th century they began to be actively used in agriculture and transport:
- a car with a steam engine appears in France;
- in the United States, a steamboat begins to run between the cities of Philadelphia and Burlington;
- a steam-powered railway locomotive was demonstrated in England;
- a Russian peasant from the Saratov province patented the crawler with a capacity of 20 liters. with.;
- Attempts were made repeatedly to build an aircraft with a steam engine, but, unfortunately, the low power of these units with the large weight of the aircraft made these attempts unsuccessful.
By the end of the 19th century, steam engines, having played their role in the technological progress of society, are giving way to electric motors.
Steam devices in the 21st century
With the advent of new energy sources in the 20th and 21st centuries, the need for the use of steam energy appears again. Steam turbines are becoming an integral part of nuclear power plants. The steam that powers them is obtained from nuclear fuel.
These turbines are also widely used in condensing thermal power plants.
In a number of countries, experiments are being carried out to obtain steam from solar energy.
Reciprocating steam engines have not been forgotten either. In the highlands as a locomotive steam locomotives are still used.
These reliable workers are both safer and cheaper. They do not need power lines, and fuel - wood and cheap coal are always at hand.
Modern technologies allow capturing up to 95% of atmospheric emissions and increasing the efficiency up to 21%, so people decided not to part with them for now and are working on a new generation of steam locomotives.
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