Science Fair Presentation on Steam Engines

By Christopher Groves

And

Supervised by Charlie Groves

Project Information• Grade 5 Science project• Subject Area: engineering• Project Type: Descriptive Project Type III

Engineering• Language: English• Software: power point, HP photo edit• Hardware: Digital camera, lathe, drill, sander,

allen key, hand tools• Special Skills: handling of power tools (lathe

and drill)

Descriptive Project Type III Engineering Project (model construction)

SUMMARY

• Problem: Build and run a model steam engine.

• Idea: Look at historical models for a possible solution.

• Solution: build a steam engine and run it.

Contents • (1) The plans • (2) Materials• (3) Parts of the Steam Engine• (4) Equipment• (5) Safety • (6) Lathe work • (7) Drill work • (8) Video of steam engine running• (9) How Steam Engines work • (10) When they were used • (11) Who made the first steam engine?• (12) Bibliography

The Plans

We found the plan on the internet but we made some modifications on our model because we did not have the same sizes of metal.

Materials • We used aluminum for the fly wheel,

the wheel and the cylinder. • We used a spring to hold the cylinder

against the body so that the cylinder body could move across the inlet and exhaust ports.

• We used purple heart wood as the base because it is very strong and looks great!

Parts of the steam engine

Fly wheel screw

Body

Base

Cylinder body Crank wheel

Not shown - the piston

Equipment • These are the tools and materials we

used.

drill bits

ruler

screwdriver

My steamengine

bar of

aluminum

caliper

Wood

Allen key

tapscribe

Safety • For safety I

used safety glasses and I was supervised by an adult .

• I couldn't have loose clothes otherwise they could get caught in the lathe or the drill.

Lathe work

• A lathe is a machine that turns and makes things round or can cut.

Drill work

• We used a pillar drill instead of a hand drill because it is more accurate.

Video • Here is a a video of it running we had to

use compressed air for safety reasons.

• Click on the photo to view.

How they work (A kid’s view)

• Compressed air or steam goes into the piston body and pushes the piston out to make the rotary wheel turn to make the flywheel turn. The wheels are connected by a brass bar. The weight of the fly wheel pushes the piston back into the piston body and it moves the piston body to another hole that lets the air out. Then the motion starts all over again.

How they work (Technical)

• Compressed air, or steam, enters the inlet port and drives the piston out of the cylinder. The crank pin converts this motion to rotary motion (spinning). The spinning fly-wheel then pushes the piston back into the cylinder and the gas leaves by the exhaust port. The oscillating motion of the cylinder lines the cylinder port up with the inlet and exhaust ports appropriately.

The First Steam Engine

• Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine in 1698. He was trying to solve the problem of how to pump water from coal mines.

Bibliography

• Click on the site to see the plans

http://npmccabe.tripod.com/45engine.htm

• Click below to read more about the early designs and their inventors.http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamengine.htm