Stationary Steam Engines, Simple and Compound; Especially as Adapted to Electric Lighting Purposes (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1890 edition. Excerpt: ...by, Professor John E. Sweet, formerly the superintendent of the workshops in which instruction in machine work was given in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Cornell University--a position in which he became widely known as one of the most skilful and ingenious mechanical engineers in the United States--later a President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The first of these engines was built at Ithaca for experimental purposes, by students under the instruction of the designer. The Straight Line Engine has many interesting and novel points, which will bear much more extended study than they can be given in the small space which can here be allowed for the description of the engine. The problem, proposed to himself by the inventor, was to design an engine which, while consisting of the smallest possible number of parts, should, nevertheless, be economical in its use of steam, capable of the most perfect regulation attainable with any known device, strong and stiff in every part subjected to the working strains of an engine working at high speed, inexpensive in first cost, and durable as a simple engine can be. This engine is shown in the accompanying illustration. A vertical engine, which is shown at the end of the article, is also designed for all powers; there seems no reason why it should not prove a good style for heavy work; better in some respects, in fact, than the horizontal engine. The engine takes its trade designation from its peculiar form of frame, which is seen to consist of two perfectly straight diverging struts extending from the end of the cylinder directly to the two main bearings, thus carrying the line of resistance to the pull and push of the connections exactly along its own central line. No...