A History of the Growth of the Steam-EngineThurston, Robert Henry
History
A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine
Thurston, Robert Henry
Steam-engines -- History
Arthur Woolf, in 1804, re-introduced the Hornblower or Falck engine,
with its two steam-cylinders, using steam of higher tension. His first
engine was built for a brewery in London, and a considerable number
were subsequently made. Woolf expanded his steam from six to nine
times, and the pumping-engines built from his plans were said to have
raised about 40,000,000 pounds one foot high per bushel of coals, when
the Watt engine was raising but little more than 30,000,000. In one
case, a duty of 57,000,000 was claimed.
The most successful of those competitors of Watt who endeavored to
devise a peculiar form of pumping-engine, which should have the
efficiency of that of Boulton & Watt, and the necessary advantage in
first cost, were WILLIAM BULL and RICHARD TREVITHICK.[42] The
accompanying illustration shows the design, which was then known as
the "Bull Cornish Engine."
[42] For an exceedingly interesting and very faithful account of
their work, _see_ "Life of Richard Trevithick," by F. Trevithick,
London, 1872.
[Illustration: FIG. 88.--Bull's Pumping-Engine, 1798.]
The steam-cylinder, _a_, is carried on wooden beams, _b_, extending
across the engine-house directly over the pump-well. The piston-rod,
_c_, is secured to the pump-rods, _d d_, the cylinder being inverted,
and the pumps, _e_, in the shaft, _f_, are thus operated without the
intervention of the beam invariably seen in Watt's engines. A
connecting-rod, _g_, attached to the pump-rod and to the end of a
balance-beam, _h_, operates the latter, and is counterbalanced by a
weight, _i_. The rod, _j_, serves both as a plug-rod and as an
air-pump connecting-rod. A snifting-valve, _k_, opens when the engine
is blown through, and relieves the condenser and air-pump, _l_, of all
air. The rod, _m_, operates a solid air-pump piston, the valves of the
pump being placed on either side at the base, instead of in the
pump-bucket, as in Watt's engines. The condensing-water cistern was a
wooden tank, _n_. A jet "pipe-condenser," _o_, was used instead of a
jet condenser of the form adopted by other makers, and was supplied
with water through the cock, _p_. The plug-rod, _q_, as it rises and
falls with the pump-rods and balance-beam, operates the
"gear-handles," _r r_, and opens and closes the valves, _s s_, at the
required points in the stroke. The attendant works these valves by
hand, in starting, from the floor, _t_. The operation of the engine is
similar to that of a Watt engine. It is still in use, with a few
modifications and improvements, and is a very economical and durable
machine. It has not been as generally adopted, however, as it would
probably have been had not the legal proscription of Watt's patents so
seriously interfered with its introduction. Its simplicity and
lightness are decided advantages, and its designers are entitled to
great credit for their boldness and ingenuity, as displayed in their
application of the minor devices which distinguish the engine. The
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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