We explain what a steam engine is and why its invention was important. In addition, we tell you what its applications were.
What is the steam engine?
The steam engine It is a type of internal combustion engine that, instead of directly consuming hydrocarbons, uses the expansive energy of water vapor to produce movement. It is a very representative device of the Industrial Revolution, a historical period in which it was invented and widely used in all types of vehicles and machinery.
The operation of the steam engine depends on a volume of water that is boiled in a boiler, originally through the burning of coal or some other fuel.
The steam obtained in this way is circulated under pressure through a duct and, as it expands, it pushes a plunger or piston connected to a rotating crank mechanism. The piston, once pushed to the end of its travel, is returned to its original position through the release of the accumulated steam, which is again injected into the duct to move it again. This circuit activates the rotary crank and produces circular motion.
This way, The steam engine converts the thermal energy of boiling water into usable kinetic energy for example, to move the wheels of a locomotive or to produce electricity, as modern steam turbines do, although through slightly different mechanisms.
Although the steam engine was created and implemented in the 17th century, the truth is that it has antecedents that even date back to Antiquity, since the idea of using water for various practical purposes has been, from early times, a pursued idea. by the human being.
See also: Innovation
Is the steam engine an invention or a discovery?
The steam engine It is an invention, given that its development is the conclusion of a long history of shared efforts by inventors, engineers and scientists of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Scientific discoveries, on the other hand, are natural forces or phenomena that human beings learn to use to their advantage or understand thanks to a scientific perspective of the moment. Machines, whatever type they are, are always inventions.
Historical importance of the steam engine
The steam engine marked a before and after in the world, and summarized the spirit of a time of great changes at a technological and industrial level. Until then, movement and transportation of cargo had been done through blood traction, that is, animals pulling a wheeled vehicle. The invention of the steam engine demonstrated that vehicles could be created with greater work capacity than those drawn by animals: They traveled greater distances, more quickly and without needing rest.
The first of these vehicles was the locomotive capable of pulling an entire train on special rails. It was an extraordinary technological advance: it communicated distant geographical regions in an extremely short time for the time, it allowed the movement of large quantities of passengers and/or cargo, and thus marked the beginning of the transportation era. This same principle was soon applied to ships which gave birth to steamboats, and even the first automobile models.
The steam engine It was one of the most transformative and potential inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Steam engine applications
The main applications of the steam engine have to do with:
- Engines for commercial vehicles of the time, such as the railway, the steam tractor or the steam boat.
- Motors for stationary industrial circuits such as mills, rolling rollers, treadmills and other similar devices.
- Engines for thermal power plants pumping stations and other locations that generate electricity or move large volumes of materials.
- Motors for road rollers excavators and other types of bulky tools.
Continue with: Technological resources
References
- “Steam engine” in Wikipedia.
- “History of the steam engine” on Wikipedia.
- “Steam energy: an advance of progress” by Rafael Cartay in Espacios Magazine.
- “Steam engine (machine)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
