Stationary steam engines, simple and compound; especially as adapted to light and power plants

Front matter

Class

Book rVsi

Copyright]*]"

Part II. Iron and Steel

The Ores of Iron ; Methods of Reduction ; Manufacturing Processes ; Chemical and Physical Properties of Iron and Steel ; Strength, Ductility, Elasticity, and Resistance ; Effects of Time, Temperature, and Repeated Strain ; Methods of Test ; Specifications. 3vo, cloth 350

Part III. The Alloys and their Constituents

Copper, Tin, Zinc, Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, Aluminum, etc.; The Brasses' Bronzes ; Copper-Tin-Zinc Alloys ; Other Valuable Alloys ; Their Qualities, Peculiar Characteristics ; Uses and Special Adaptations ; Thurston's "Maximum Alloys"; Strength of the Alloys as Commonly Made, and as Affected by Conditions ; The Mechanical Treatment of Metals. 8vo, cloth, g 50

"As intimated above, this work will form one of the most complete as well as modern treatises upon the materials used in all sorts of building constructions. As a whole it forms a very comprehensive and practical book for engineers, both civil and mechanical." — Atnerican Machinist.

" We regard this as a most useful book for reference in its departments; it should be in every engineer's Xihx&xy:''— Mechanical Engineer.

Materials of Construction.

A Text-book for Technical Schools, condensed from Thurston's " Materials of Engineering." Treating of Iron and Steel, their ores, manufacture, properties, and uses ; the useful metals and their alloys, especially brasses and bronzes, and their "kalchoids": strength, ductility, resistance, and elasticity, effects of prolonged and oft-repeated loading, crystallization and granulation ; peculiar metals : Thurston's "maximum alloys"; stone; tim-. her : preservative processes, etc. , etc. Many illustrations. Thick 8vo,

cloth, repeatedly revised, to date e qO

" Prof. Thurston has rendered a great service to the profession by the publication of this thorough, yet comprehensive, text-book. . . . The book meets a long-felt want, and the well-known reputation of its author is a sufficient guarantee for its accuracy and thoroughness." — Building.

Stationary Steam-Engines.

Especially adapted to Electric-Lighting Purposes. Treating of the Development of Steam-engines — the principles of Construction and Economy, with descriptions of Moderate and High Speed and Compound Engines. Revised

and Enlarged. Svo, cloth 2 50

" This work must prove to be of great interest to both manufacturers and users of steam-engines."— -5«//^fr and Wood-Worker.

OTHER WORKS OF DR. THURSTON:

A Manual of the Steam-Engine.

A Companion to the Manual of Steam-Boilers. By Prof. Robt. H, Thurston. 2 vols. 8vo, cloth. Very fully illustrated. Repeatedly revised, to date |io GO

Part I. History, Structure, and Theory

For Engineers and Technical Schools. (Advanced Courses.) Nearly looo pages. Fourth edition, revised and enlarged. 8vo, cloth 6 OO

Part II. Design, Construction, and Operation

For Engineers and Technical Schools. (Special courses in Steam-Engineering.) Nearly looo pages. Third edition, revised and enlarged. 8yo, cloth. 6 OO

Those who desire an edition of this vi^ork in French can obtain it from Baudry et Cie., Rue des Saints-Peres, 15, Paris.

" We know of no other work on the steam-engine which fills the field which this work attempts, and it therefore will prove a valuable addition to any steam-engineer's library. It differs from other treatises by giving, in addi. tion to the thermo-dynamic treatment of the ideal steam-engine, with which the existing treatises are filled ad nauseajn, a similar treatise of the real engine." — Engineering and Mitiiiig Journal^ New York City.

" In this important work the history of the steam-engine, its theory, practice, and experimental working are set before us. The theory of the steam-engine is well treated, and in an interesting manner. The subject of cylinder condensation is treated at great length. The question of friction in engines is carefully handled, etc., etc. Taken as a whole, these volumes form a valuable work of reference for steam-engine students and engineers." — B?iginee?-ing, Lofidon, England.

" The hope with which we concluded the notice of the first volume of this work has been realized, and our expectations in regard to the importance of the second have not been disappointed. The practical aim has been fully carried out, and we find in the book all that it is necessary to know about the designing, construction, and operation of engines ; about the choice of the model, the materials and the lubricants ; about engine and boiler trials ; about contracts. The volume, which closes with an original and important study of the financial problem involved in the construction of steam-engines, is necessary to constructors, useful to students, and constitutes a collection of matter independent of the first part, in which the theory is developed. The publication is a success worthy of all praise.'''' — Prof. Francesco Sini- GAGLIA, Bollettino del Collegia degli Iiigegneri ed Architetti, Naples.

Treatise on Friction and Lost Work in Machinery and Mill Work.

Containing an explanation of the Theory of Friction, and an account of the various Lubricants in general use, with a record of various experiments to deduce the laws of Friction and Lubricated Surfaces, etc. Copiously illustrated. 8 vo, cloth. Repeatedly revised, to date 3 OO

" It is not too high praise to say that the present treatise is exhaustive, and a complete review of the whole subject." — American Engineer,

Development of the Philosophy of the Steam- Engine.

i2mo, cloth O 75

" This small book of forty-eight pages, prepared with the care and precision one would expect from the scholarly director of the Sibley College of Engineering, contains all the popular information that the general student would want, and at the same time a succinct account covering so much ground as to be of great value to the specialist." — Public Opinion.

OTHER WORKS OF DR. THURSTON:

A Manual of the Steam- Boiler : Design, Construction, and Operation.

Containing;: — History ; Structure ; Design — Materials : Strength and other Characteristics — Fuels and Combustion — Heat : Its Production, Measurement and Transfer ; Efficiencies of Heating-Surfaces — Heat as Energy ; Thermodynamics of the Boiler — Steam ; Vaporization ; Superheating ; Condensation — Conditions Controlling Boiler-Design — Designing the Steam-Boiler — Accessories ; Settings ; Proportioning Chimneys — Construction of Boilers— Specifications ; Contracts ; Inspection and Tests — Operation and Care of Boilers — The Several Efficiencies of the Steam-Boiler — Steam-Boiler Trials — Steam-Boiler Explosions — Tables and Notes ; Sample Specifications, etc., Reports on Boiler-Trials. Sixth edition, revised. 8vo, 879 pages. Very fully illustrated $S 00

Steam-Boiler Explosions in Theory and in Practice.

Containing Causes of — Preventives — Emergencies — Low Water — Consequences — Management — Safety — Incrustation — Experimental Investigations, etc., etc. With many illustrations, i2mo, cloth j ^.q

" Prof. Thurston has had exceptional facilities for investigating the causes of boiler explosions, and throughout this work there will be found matter of peculiar interest to practical men." — American Machinist.

" It is a work that might well be in the hands of every one having to do with stsam-boilers, either in design or use." — Engineering News.

A Hand-Book of Engine and Boiler Trials, and the Use of the Indicator and the Prony Brake.

Fourth edition, revised. 8vo, cloth. Copiously illustrated 5 00

(Published also in French, as translated by M. Roussel : Paris, Baudry etCie.) .

"Taken altogether, this book is one which every engineer will find of value, containing, as it does, much information in regard to Engine and Boiler Trials which has heretofore been available only in the form of scattered papers in the transactions of engineering societies, pamphlet reports, note-books, etc." — Railroad Gazette.

Conversion Tables

Of the Metric and British or United States Weights and Measures. Svo, cloth 100

" Mr. Thurston's book is an admirably useful one, and the very difficulty and unfamiliarity of the metric system renders such a volume as this almost indispensable to Mechanics, Engineers, Students, and in fact all classes of people. ' ' — Median ical News.

Reflections on the Motive Power of Heat,

And on Machines fitted to develop that Power. From the original French of N. L. S. Carnot. i2mo, cloth. Supplemented by Sir Wm. Thomson's commentary. Revised. Portraits of Carnot and Lord Kelvin 2 00

From Mons. Haton de la Goupilliere, Director of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de France, and President of La Societe dFncouragement pour r Industrie Natioiiale :

" I have received the volume so kindly sent me, which contains the translation of the work of Carnot. You have rendered tribute to the founder of the science of thermodynamics in a manner that will be appreciated by the whole French people."

History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine.

(Pub. by D. Appleton & Co., N. Y.) i2mo, cloth. Revised to date i 75

Heat as a Form of Energy.

(Pub. by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., N. Y.) i2mo, cloth I 25

Life of Robert Fulton.

(Pub. by Dodd, Mead & Co., N. Y.) i2mo, cloth 75

STATIONARY

Steam Engines

Simple and Compound ;

ESPECIALLY AS ADAPTED TO

LIGHT AND POWER PLANTS,

By ROBERT H. THURSTON, A.M.. LL.D=, Dr.Eng'g,

Formerly of the U.S.N. Engineer Corps ; Director of Sibley College, Cornell

University ; Past President American Society Mechanical Engineers ;

Member American Society Civil Engineers; American

Institute Mining Engineers, Etc

SEVENTH EDITION. , ^^, REVISED WITH ADDITIONS

FIRST THOUSAND. ' ' . ' ■ '

NEW YORK; JOHN WILEY & SONS.

London; CHAPMAN & HALL, Limited. 1902.

Two Copies Received

COPVRIOHT ENTRY

BY

R. H. THURSTONo

Preface To The Fourth Edition

T

HIS little book is composed of articles written by the author for the Electrical Engineer^ supplemented by later revision, and by the addition of matter relating to the new multiple-cylinder engine, which had been originally prepared for the lecture-room and subsequently presented in abstract to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It had its origin in a request, by the editor of the periodical above mentioned, that the readers of that journal be given an account, in simple and concise but fairly complete form, of the various types of steam-engine in common use ; of the principles of their design ; the circumstances determining their efficiencies and their economy of steam and fuel ; their various forms as usually built, and the best methods of insuring further improvement.

In complying with this demand, it has been thought advisable to give a brief outline of the progress of discovery and invention, from the earliest days of application of steam to the production and utilization of mechanical energy ; to trace the steps which led up from the rude devices of Savery and Newcomen to the highest attainments of the engineer of to-day ; next, to exhibit the principles of

IV PREFACE.

economy in the efificient application, through the operation of the steam-engine, of heat-energy into mechanical power, by conversion of the one form of energy into the other, observing the causes and methods of waste and the means available for their reduction, if not for their extinction, in some directions ; and finally, to describe and illustrate the standard types of engine to-day in use, and the details, so far as may seem important, of their construction.

The peculiar demands made upon the designing and constructing engineer in later years by the introduction of electric lighting, with its requirements of economical operation of machinery having very high speed of rotation and absolutely compelling exact regulation, has led to the invention of new forms of engine, and especially of new methods of steam distribution and regulation. This has resulted in the introduction, in turn, of a new class of engines, known to the profession and in the trade as "high-speed engines," which possess these essential qualifications of great velocity of rotation, and of nicety of regulation in a superlative degree, and which have, by their sharp competition with the older types, in their turn compelled an unexampled improvement in the latter, in the endeavor, largely successful, to adapt them to the same purpose. Thus high speed, very perfect regulation and very smooth action at maximum speeds, have come to characterize the steam-engine of the present time in far greater degree than ever before ; while modern systems of manufacture and the extensive application of special tools, designed each for its special work, have reduced costs of production of this right arm of civilization to such an extent

PRE FA CE. V

as to insure a more rapid progress in the useful arts than has ever yet been seen.

This subject was deemed so important to the mechanical engineer and to all having anything to do with the remarkable expansion now occurring in the work of electric lighting, and of the extension of the systems of application of power, through the use of electricity to the impulsion of street railway cars and to the machinery of the smaller industries (to the supply of power to small shops and establishments), that it was considered probable that a philosophical account of the rise and progress of this now enormous industry of steam-engine construction, and especially of its product, would be likely to prove acceptable to many intelligent readers outside as well as within the profession. In this antidipation the publishers have not been disappointed, as the fact of the sale of rapidly succeeding editions proves to their satisfaction as well as to that of the author.

The latest addition to this little work is in a final chapter on the multiple engine and the principles of its design, construction, and operation in successful competition with the older forms. The importance of this new departure in the construction of small engines, for electric lighting and similar purposes, may be imagined when it is noted that in some cases, at least, the compounding of a well-known type of " high-speed " engine has reduced its consumption of fuel for similar sizes and work enormously, the simple using almost double the amount of steam and fuel, in the smaller sizes, demanded by the compounded engine of otherwise exactly similar design and construction. As is

Preface

stated in the text, the smaller the engine the greater is the original waste, the greater the margin for improvement, and the greater the gain to be anticipated by this change.

The author has endeavored to do full justice to the various engines described, while carefully avoiding the expression of merely personal opinion in reference to debatable points.

For a more complete history of the development of the modern forms of steam engine, as well as for an account in considerable detail of their various construction, and for discussions of the scientific principles and the practice in steam engineering, the reader is referred to the larger works of the author : his Manuals of the Steam Engine, of the Steam Boiler, and of Engine and Boiler Trials. This little book is intended to present the briefest possible summary of the subject in popular form.

Preface To The Sixth Edition

TN the preparation of the sixth edition of this little work, -*■ the Author has taken advantage of the opportunity to incorporate a large amount of new material, the introduction of which in a new chapter gives illustration of the rapid and important developments of even the short period which has intervened since the publication of the preceding edition. The general introduction of the direct-connected steam-engine, with its attached generator, has been a step in advance, in certain departments of construction and application, in practice, which has been, in a way, paralleled by the progress made in the analysis and development of the calorimetric and dynamic flow of energy through the machine, as a matter of applied science. Both these developments illustrate admirably the extent to which the work of the engineer is coming to be scientific and theoretically exact.

Every steam-engine, like all other forms of machinery, may be said to consist of an ideal, theoretically perfect, apparatus overlaid by faults and embarrassed in its operation by the impeding interaction of conflicting natural, physical, laws. The art of improving is that of elevating

vii

VIU PREFA CE.

the ideal, and of pruning away the defects of the actual,. practical, construction. The ideal, purely thermodynamic, heat-engine has now come to be clearly and accurately distinguished within the faulty actual machine. It has been,, knowingly or unknowingly, steadily improved since the days of Watt, and earlier, and the best modern practice brings us to a construction of the real engine, which consists of about two-thirds ideal and one-third real, practical, defect. The method of discriminating between the limiting and " perfect " engine, revealed by Carnot and by Rankine and Clausius, is now so far itself perfected to permit the magnitude and nature of all the defects of the steam-engine to be determined, and this " calorimetric analysis," originally due to Hirn and later brought into practical employment in the scientific work of the engineer, is exemplified by the several cases which have been imported into the sixth edition of this book.

The practical construction and performance of the machine, in its latest forms, may be studied in the text, and its illustrations, in the now newly inserted pages, and the various systems of direct-connection, and of engine-construction appropriate to them, as exhibited in the standard practice of the leading builders, constitute the essential and important recent improvements here described. They have been brought into the new edition as fully as tlie originally intended scope and character of the publication permitted. For the algebraic theory and mathematical physics of the subject the reader is referred to the works appropriated to that somewhat abstruse branch of applied mechanics.

PREFA CE. IX

On reviewing the whole history of the engine to date, it will be seen that progress continues in the directions already pointed out and towards still higher steam-pressures, higher speeds of piston and of rotation, increased ratios of expansion in multiple-cylinder engines, and with constant reduction of the now well-understood waste which distinguish the real from the ideal steam-engine.

The Publishers have, in this edition, effected a great improvement in the matter of book-making, by enlarging its page ; securing thus broader margins and a vastly more satisfactory volume both to the eye and to the hand. They unite with the Author in cordially acknowledging a real indebtedness to those engineers, engine-builders, and business firms who have so liberally and promptly aided them in the endeavor to make the sixth edition of this work thoroughly modern, by supplying all information sought from them, and in so many ways facilitating the work of effective revision and extension. It is also a pleasure, as well as a duty, on the part of both Author and Publishers, to make hearty acknowledgment of their debt to that class of readers, extensive and evidently appreciative, if not always claiming to rank as mathematicians or men of science, who find sufficient instruction and enough of interest in a semi-popular work of this character to call for six editions in so short a period. It is hoped that equal satisfaction may be given in subsequent editions — if they should be called for during the remaining years of the life of the steam-engine in the character of man's greatest and grandest aid in energy-transformation for useful purposes.

February, 1899.