Steam Engine II

2015-11-30

We built a second steam engine. This one is a double-acting, non-oscillated, uni-flow valve, steam engine.

Here is a test we did.

Read more below about how we did it.

Designing.

We spun a cylinder on the lathe and gradually drilled out the center to get the bulk of the waste out. Then we used our new boring tool with a carbide bit to complete the hole do the desired diamaterand flatten the bottom.

To make the steam chamber we cut a block of aluminum on the band saw to the rough shape and then used the milling machine to face the block and make the wings. The chambers are made by drilling at right angles to connect internal pathways for the inflow and outflow. To get a precisely located hole we use a centering bit and then a regular drill bit that has an off-center tip for cutting. Where we needed to fasten two pieces together we used a tap to cut threads. To prevent movement and leakage we used Loctite on the screws and make-a-gasket on flush mating surfaces.

Once the holes ar made, we milled several plugs to close off the access points.

Resulting inflow and outflow paths with piston that alternately opens and closes the left or right. This 3D animation shows how it works. 3-D animation.

Here we are drilling for a pin to hold the piston to the piston rod. The piston rod exits through the end-cap. We are finding that using small drill bits are difficult to work with since they are brittle. Even with the relatively soft aluminum, bits are still breaking sometimes.

More to come soon. We are figuring out the armature and milling the fly wheel now. What will it power? Check back later!

01-02-2015 Test Run