Improvement in Steam Engines


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The engraving represents the non-condensing stationary steam engine manufactured at the Novelty Iron Works, New York city. This large and well-known establishment has resumed the manufacture of stationary steam engines as a specialty. They have at a very considerable expense conducted an extensive series of experiments so as to amend, if necessary, their practice by a positive knowledge of that which is best. They intend soon to publish, for the information of others, the results of these experiments and of their long experience in this particular branch of manufacture. The name of the Novelty Iron Works is so well and favorably known that it is of itself a sufficient guarantee of the good workmanship and reliable performance of the engine we represent in our columns, in addition to which it presents to the eye a substantial, tasty, and attractive appearance. The bed-plate of the engine is of the style designed many yeaiy ago by Mr. Horatio Allen, President of the Novelty Iron Works, and has since been extensively copied by other manufacturers. It may be described as a cast-iron box, attached to which, and forming part of the same casting, are the main guides and strong legs with broad feet—the whole frame being more or less ornamented. One end of the frame also forms a cylinder head, and the other th Tuainpfllewt-Mo?*, by wliick means the r&cting pressure on the cylinder is transmitted directly to the shaft by a single structure, in which the greatest weight of metal is disposed directly in the line of the strains, and the construction is suoli that it is impossible for the cylinder to get out of line. The old style of a bed-plate lies far below the line of direct pressure, and is sprung more or less at every stroke of the engine ; besides which, the cylinder, main slides, and pillow block, get out of line, from the fact that they are bolted directly to the top of the bed-plate in such a manner that tne joints lie parallel to the line of strain. The steam is admitted to and from the cylinder by a plain slide valve, so arranged that the cylinder ports are very short and direct, and the amount of steam required to fill the clearance and port is believed to be less than in any other engine manufactured. The cut-off consists of two plates sliding on the back of the main valve and operated by a separate eccentric. This cut-off is either set at a fixed point, in the usual way, or made so that it can be adjusted by hand, from zero to seven eighths stroke, by simply turning the cut-off valve stem. Preferably, however, the adjustment is made by the governor through a simple arrangement which we will' try and make understood without illustrations. The cut-off is varied by drawing together or spreading apart the cut-off plates. To accomplish this by the governor, the plates are operated by separate rods which pass outside the chest and connect to the ends of a sm all double-ended vertical lever, the center of which receives motion from the cut-off eccentric. The double-ended lever has attached to it a horizontal arm, which is operated to adjust the plates by a vertical movement derived from an adjusting screw on the governor. The governor is driven by gear in the simple manner shown, so as to be reliable in its action, and is what is ordinarily called a " mill governor." The governor balls have a very slight movement,which simply causes a disk on an adjust-ingscrew to be clutched to the wheels operating the governor in such a manner that the screw is turned in one direction by the engine when the balls rise, and in the other direction wh en the balls fall—thereby adjusting the plates by the power of the engine the instant the speed changes. The screw stops When the proper speed is restored, and the plates are held by it, in a fixed position, until a further change of speed takes place. The advantages of this form of governor cut-off are, that it is simple in construction, positive and reliable in its operation, and, unlike any common governor, gives exactly the same speed throughout the full range of power and steam pressure. For further information address the Novelty Iron Works, foot of East 12th street, New York.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 21 Issue 11This article was published with the title “Improvement in Steam Engines” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 21 No. 11 (), p. 161
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican09111869-161

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