Steam Engine – A Revolution in the Train Industry

The steam engine was the first machine capable of making efficient use of the energy accumulated in fuels to generate movement.

Also called a steam engine, one of its great advantages was that it no longer depended on climatic conditions.

As happened with the power generated by windmills.

Revolution of Steam Engine

The need that gave rise to the steam engine was the extraction of water that flooded many coal mines in England in the 17th century.

Horse-powered extraction pumps were used to extract the water.

but this system was not very efficient.

The first steam engines were designed by English inventors, blacksmiths and mechanics Thomas Newcomen (1662-1729) and Thomas Savery (1650-1715).

Soon, other people perfected these machines.

In fact, it was James Watt (1736-1819) who managed to design a very efficient machine that revolutionized industrial activity.

The emergence of his steam train engine in 1769 marked a clear frontier in the history of machines.

His invention fostered the creation of machines specialized in mining, industry and transport.

All based on fuels such as coal.

  1. So that it was no longer necessary for a person or animal to move the mechanism.
  2. This fact completely transformed society with a beam engine.
  3. As the time needed to perform many repetitive tasks has decreased tremendously.

There have been quite radical changes in people’s way of life.

Displacement from rural areas to cities and the emergence of new professions are some examples.

Operation Diagram of a Steam Engine

When burning fuel, water vapor is obtained.

Which travels through a circuit until it reaches a cylinder.

Inside the cylinder, the water vapor pushes a piston.

which, in turn, when moving, moves a wheel.

The outlet valve opens, releasing steam.

And the piston, pushed by the wheel, returns to its initial position.

Reaching the other end of the cylinder.

The outlet valve then closes and the inlet valve opens again, causing the cycle to start again.

The final effect obtained is the continuous turning of the wheel.

Steam Engine Working

The first trains were simply horse-drawn wagons.

It uses mainly in mines to transport the extracted raw material.

The invention of the steam engine revolutionized this transport system.

Steam locomotives functioned until the appearance of machines with an electric or diesel engine in the middle of the 20th century.

You can find out how steam power works by looking at a pressure cooker.

When placing a pressure cooker with water on the fire.

It is observed that, steam train locomotive after a certain time.

The valve of the pan starts to turn.

If at that moment, the valve is removed.

The steam will come out violently. This is because inside the pan.

A part of the water has evaporated and the steam pressure is much higher than the atmospheric pressure.

The locomotive, like any small steam engine.

It uses steam pressure to produce movement in the steam-powered engines.

In the locomotive, the fuel is wood or coal. Which is burned in an oven?

Combustion heats a boiler in which there is water, producing steam.

As in a pressure cooker, the steam is at high pressure.

The steam then exits through a duct and reaches a cylinder, into which it enters via an inlet valve of steam motors.

The high pressure in which the steam is found causes it to enter violently and push the piston inside the cylinder.

To return to its initial position was a miniature engine, the piston causes the steam.

It will lose pressure, to escape through an exhaust valve.

The movement of the locomotive’s pistons is transmitted to the wheels by means of a connecting rod-crank system.

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