Beam engines

[Julie McCombieParticipant @juliemccombie72299]

How can I identify a model of a Boulton and Watt beam engine from another type of beam engine? Would it be through the sun and planet gear ?

An help would be great,

cheers

Julie

[Julie McCombieParticipant @juliemccombie72299]

Boulton and Watt beam engine

[Julie McCombieParticipant @juliemccombie72299]

Is this a Watt beam engine? The description I have is – Model of a single cylinder, double acting, parallel motion rotative beam engine to the design of James Watt.

 

 

Edited By Julie McCombie on 01/11/2016 17:20:58

 

Edited By JasonB on 01/11/2016 17:44:56

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Do you have a photo from the other side as it is not easy to see how the crank is arranged on that one. I can see the main gear on the crankshaft that drives the smaller gear on the flywheel shaft but not if there is a sun & planet arangement which is mostly attributed to Boulton & Watt engines.

The one in your photo does have Watt parallel motion which is the name given to the arangement of small steel links where the piston rod joins the beam.

J

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I think that model has rather fanciful proportions and is unlikely to be a specific prototype, rather it seems to be an aesthetic exercise.

It does appear to have a Watt governor and a condenser which is another B&W feature, but these also appeared on other engines.

I would suggest it's an original design with many typical Boulton and Watt features as well as a couple of Roland Emett ones.

Neil

[Julie McCombieParticipant @juliemccombie72299]

Thanks for the replies have uploaded some additional pictures of the back of the engine. I believe that it displays Watt’s 4 innovations – would it be true to describe it as a model to the design of Watt ?

Model of a single cylinder, double acting, parallel motion rotative beam engine to the design of James Watt.

Thanks

Julie

[michael pottsParticipant @michaelpotts88182]

Hello Julie.

Your engine does not have the 'sun and planet' crank, patented and used by James Watt to circumvent the crank patent of Pickard and Wasborough of 1778. It does have the parallel motion to guide the piston rod, and a condenser.

As Neil remarked, it does have Boulton and Watt engine features, plus a few that never existed on any full size engine, the decoration round the base and the weights on the outside of the flywheel are two of them.

If you want, or need to know, the far end of the Boulton and Watt engines then the book by Jenkins and Dickinson, 'James Watt and the Steam Engine' of 1927 cannot be beaten. It was reprinted about 1980 by Moorland Publishing, though the Encore edition is the most common. Reprints cost about £20, originals from £50 up. There are other books, the Boulton and Watt engine has been written about more than most other engines.

Mike Potts.

[Author]

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