The steam engine began its expansion in the early 19th century. And already at that time, not only large units for industrial purposes were being built, but also decorative ones. Most of their customers were rich nobles who wanted to amuse themselves and their kids. After steam engines were firmly established in the life of society, decorative engines began to be used in universities and schools as educational models.
Steam engines of today
At the beginning of the 20th century, the relevance of steam engines began to decline. One of the few companies that continued to produce decorative mini-engines was the British company Mamod, which allows you to purchase a sample of such equipment even today. But the cost of such steam engines easily exceeds two hundred pounds, which is not so little for a trinket for a couple of evenings. Especially for those who like to assemble all sorts of mechanisms on their own, it is much more interesting to create a simple steam engine with their own hands.
The engine device is very simple. The fire heats the cauldron of water. Under the influence of temperature, water turns intosteam that pushes the piston. As long as there is water in the tank, the flywheel connected to the piston will rotate. This is the standard layout of a steam engine. But you can assemble a model with a completely different configuration.
Well, let's move on from the theoretical part to more exciting things. If you are interested in doing something with your own hands, and you are surprised by such exotic machines, then this article is just for you, in which we will be happy to tell you about the various ways to assemble a steam engine with your own hands. At the same time, the very process of creating a mechanism gives joy no less than its launch.
Method 1: DIY mini steam engine
So let's get started. Let's assemble the simplest steam engine with our own hands. Drawings, complex tools and special knowledge are not needed.
First, take an aluminum can from under any drink. Cut off the bottom third. Since as a result we get sharp edges, they must be bent inward with pliers. We do this carefully so as not to cut ourselves. Since most aluminum cans have a concave bottom, you need to level it. It is enough to press it firmly with your finger to some hard surface.
At a distance of 1.5 cm from the upper edge of the resulting "glass" it is necessary to make two holes opposite each other. It is advisable to use a hole punch for this, since it is necessary that they turn out to be at least 3 mm in diameter. At the bottom of the jar we put a decorative candle. Now we take ordinary table foil, wrinkle it, and then wrap it from allsides of our mini burner.
Mini nozzles
Next you need to take a piece of copper tube 15-20 cm long. It is important that it is hollow inside, as this will be our main mechanism for setting the structure in motion. The central part of the tube is wrapped around the pencil 2 or 3 times, so that a small spiral is obtained.
Now you need to place this element so that the curved place is placed directly above the candle wick. To do this, we give the tube the shape of the letter "M". At the same time, we display the sections that go down through the holes made in the bank. Thus, the copper tube is rigidly fixed above the wick, and its edges are a kind of nozzles. In order for the structure to rotate, it is necessary to bend the opposite ends of the "M-element" 90 degrees in different directions. The design of the steam engine is ready.
Starting the engine
The jar is placed in a container of water. In this case, it is necessary that the edges of the tube are under its surface. If the nozzles are not long enough, then you can add a small weight to the bottom of the can. But be careful not to sink the whole engine.
Now you need to fill the tube with water. To do this, you can lower one edge into the water, and the second draw in air as if through a tube. We lower the jar into the water. We light the wick of the candle. After some time, the water in the spiral will turn into steam, which, under pressure, will fly out of opposite ends of the nozzles. The jar will start spinning atcapacity quickly enough. This is how we got a do-it-yourself steam engine. As you can see, everything is simple.
Adult steam engine model
Now let's complicate the task. Let's assemble a more serious steam engine with our own hands. First you need to take a can of paint. You need to make sure that it is absolutely clean. On the wall, 2-3 cm from the bottom, we cut out a rectangle with dimensions of 15 x 5 cm. The long side is placed parallel to the bottom of the jar. From the metal mesh we cut out a piece with an area of 12 x 24 cm. From both ends of the long side we measure 6 cm. We bend these sections at an angle of 90 degrees. We get a small “platform table” with an area of 12 x 12 cm with legs of 6 cm. We install the resulting structure on the bottom of the can.
Around the perimeter of the lid, you need to make several holes and place them in the form of a semicircle along one half of the lid. It is desirable that the holes have a diameter of about 1 cm. This is necessary in order to ensure proper ventilation of the interior. The steam engine will not work well if there is not enough air to the source of the fire.
Main element
We make a spiral from a copper tube. Take about 6 meters of 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) soft copper tubing. We measure 30 cm from one end. Starting from this point, it is necessary to make five turns of a spiral with a diameter of 12 cm each. The rest of the pipe is bent into 15 rings with a diameter of 8 cm. Thus, at the other end should remain20 cm free tube.
Both leads are passed through the vent holes in the lid of the jar. If it turns out that the length of the straight section is not enough for this, then one turn of the spiral can be unbent. Coal is placed on a pre-installed platform. In this case, the spiral should be placed just above this site. Coal is carefully laid out between its turns. Now the bank can be closed. As a result, we got a firebox that will power the engine. The steam engine is almost done with his own hands. Not much left.
Water tank
Now you need to take another can of paint, but smaller. A hole with a diameter of 1 cm is drilled in the center of its lid. Two more holes are made on the side of the jar - one almost at the bottom, the second is higher, at the lid itself.
Take two crusts, in the center of which a hole is made from the diameters of the copper tube. 25 cm of plastic pipe are inserted into one crust, 10 cm into the other, so that their edge barely peeks out of the corks. A crust with a long tube is inserted into the lower hole of a small jar, and a shorter tube into the upper hole. We place the smaller can on top of the large can of paint so that the hole at the bottom is on the opposite side of the ventilation passages of the large can.
Result
The result should be the following construction. Water is poured into a small jar, which flows through a hole in the bottom into a copper tube. A fire is kindled under the spiral, which heats the copper container. Hot steam rises up the tube.
In order for the mechanism to be complete, it is necessary to attachto the upper end of the copper tube piston and flywheel. As a result, the thermal energy of combustion will be converted into mechanical forces of wheel rotation. There are a huge number of different schemes for creating such an external combustion engine, but all of them always involve two elements - fire and water.
In addition to this design, you can assemble a Stirling steam engine with your own hands, but this is material for a completely separate article.
