Watt steam engine
device · 1769 · Industrial Revolution
A steam engine with a separate condenser — the prime mover of the Industrial Revolution.
What it is made of
- Piston — has part. Steam pushes the piston in the cylinder.
- Flywheel — has part. The flywheel evens out rotation.
- Centrifugal governor — has part. Watt used a centrifugal governor to keep the speed steady.
- Crank — has part. The stroke of the piston becomes rotation of a shaft (Watt first used a planetary gear).
- Cylinder — has part. Steam works in the cylinder.
- Valve — has part. A slide valve distributes the steam.
- Planetary gear — has part. Watt’s “sun and planet” gear got around the patent on the crank.
- Separate condenser — has part. Watt’s main invention.
- Boiler — has part. The boiler supplies steam.
Principles and materials it uses
- Coal — uses. Steam engines were fired with coal.
Where it is used
- Steam locomotive — is part of. A steam locomotive is driven by a steam engine.
- Paddle steamer — is part of. A steam engine turns the wheels.
- Screw steamship — is part of. A steam engine or turbine.
- Rotary printing press — is part of. The first rotary presses were steam-driven.
- Power loom — is part of. Driven by a steam engine.
- Factory — is part of. Steam engines.
- Industrial Revolution — is used in. The steam engine.
- Grain elevator — is part of. Dart’s first elevator was steam-driven.
- Ironclad — is part of. Steam engines.
- Steam carriage — is part of. The steam engine.
- Carousel — is part of. The first steam-driven carousels.
- Mine hoist — is part of. Steam winding engines.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Internal combustion engine — evolved into. The combustion engine inherited the “cylinder — piston — crank” layout from the steam engine, moving combustion inside the cylinder.
- Piston pump — evolved from. The first steam engines (Newcomen’s) pumped water out of mines by driving pumps.
- Tractor — evolved into. The first tractors were steam-powered.
- Thermodynamics — inspired. Carnot wrote “Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire” trying to understand steam engines.
- Newcomen engine — evolved from. Watt improved Newcomen’s engine.
- Steam turbine — evolved into. The turbine replaced piston engines in large installations.
- Road roller — evolved into. The first rollers were steam-driven.
What it is a kind of
- Heat engine — is a kind of. A steam engine turns the heat of steam into work.
- Machine — is a kind of. A machine.