Back-acting steam engine

Back-acting steam engine
Steam engine Steam" en"gine ([e^]n"j[i^]n). An engine moved by steam. [1913 Webster]

Note: In its most common forms its essential parts are a piston, a cylinder, and a valve gear. The piston works in the cylinder, to which steam is admitted by the action of the valve gear, and communicates motion to the machinery to be actuated. Steam engines are thus classified: 1. According to the way the steam is used or applied, as condensing, noncondensing, compound, double-acting, single-acting, triple-expansion, etc. 2. According to the motion of the piston, as reciprocating, rotary, etc. 3. According to the motion imparted by the engine, as rotative and nonrotative. 4. According to the arrangement of the engine, as stationary, portable, and semiportable engines, horizontal and vertical engines, beam engine, oscillating engine, direct-acting and back-acting engines, etc. 5. According to their uses, as portable, marine, locomotive, pumping, blowing, winding, and stationary engines, the latter term referring to factory engines, etc., and not technically to pumping or blowing engines. Locomotive and portable engines are usually high-pressure, noncondensing, rotative, and direct-acting. Marine engines are high or low pressure, rotative, and generally condensing, double-acting, and compound. Paddle engines are generally beam, side-lever, oscillating, or direct-acting. Screw engines are generally direct-acting, back-acting, or oscillating. Stationary engines belong to various classes, but are generally rotative. A horizontal or inclined stationary steam engine is called a left-hand or a right-hand engine when the crank shaft and driving pulley are on the left-hand side, or the right-hand side, respectively, of the engine, to a person looking at them from the cylinder, and is said to run forward or backward when the crank traverses the upward half, or lower half, respectively, of its path, while the piston rod makes its stroke outward from the cylinder. A marine engine, or the engine of a locomotive, is said to run forward when its motion is such as would propel the vessel or the locomotive forward. Steam engines are further classified as double-cylinder, disk, semicylinder, trunk engines, etc. Machines, such as cranes, hammers, etc., of which the steam engine forms a part, are called steam cranes, steam hammers, etc. See Illustration in Appendix. [1913 Webster]

{Back-acting steam engine}, or {Back-action steam engine}, a steam engine in which the motion is transmitted backward from the crosshead to a crank which is between the crosshead and the cylinder, or beyond the cylinder.

{Portable steam engine}, a steam engine combined with, and attached to, a boiler which is mounted on wheels so as to admit of easy transportation; -- used for driving machinery in the field, as thrashing machines, draining pumps, etc.

{Semiportable steam engine}, a steam engine combined with, and attached to, a steam boiler, but not mounted on wheels. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Back-action steam engine — Steam engine Steam en gine ([e^]n j[i^]n). An engine moved by steam. [1913 Webster] Note: In its most common forms its essential parts are a piston, a cylinder, and a valve gear. The piston works in the cylinder, to which steam is admitted by the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Steam engine — Steam en gine ([e^]n j[i^]n). An engine moved by steam. [1913 Webster] Note: In its most common forms its essential parts are a piston, a cylinder, and a valve gear. The piston works in the cylinder, to which steam is admitted by the action of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Portable steam engine — Steam engine Steam en gine ([e^]n j[i^]n). An engine moved by steam. [1913 Webster] Note: In its most common forms its essential parts are a piston, a cylinder, and a valve gear. The piston works in the cylinder, to which steam is admitted by the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Semiportable steam engine — Steam engine Steam en gine ([e^]n j[i^]n). An engine moved by steam. [1913 Webster] Note: In its most common forms its essential parts are a piston, a cylinder, and a valve gear. The piston works in the cylinder, to which steam is admitted by the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Steam engine — A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. [ [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/564472/steam engine steam engine Britannica Online Encyclopedia ] ] Steam engines have a long history,… …   Wikipedia

  • Marine steam engine — Period cut away diagram of a triple expansion steam engine installation, circa 1918 A marine steam engine is a reciprocating steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. Steam turbines and diesel engines largely replaced reciprocating steam …   Wikipedia

  • Newcomen steam engine — Animation of a schematic Newcomen steam engine. – Steam is shown pink and water is blue. – Valves move from open (green) to closed (red) The atmospheric engine invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, today referred to as a Newcomen steam engine (or… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the steam engine — This article primarily deals with the history of the reciprocating type steam engine. The parallel development of turbine type engines is described in the steam turbine article. The history of the steam engine stretches back as far as the first… …   Wikipedia

  • Corliss steam engine — A Corliss steam engine – the valve gear is on the right of the cylinder block, on the left of the picture A Corliss steam engine (or Corliss engine) is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849 …   Wikipedia

  • Steeple engine — Steeple Stee ple (st[=e] p l), n. [OE. stepel, AS. st[=e]pel, st[=y]pel; akin to E. steep, a.] (Arch.) A spire; also, the tower and spire taken together; the whole of a structure if the roof is of spire form. See {Spire}. A weathercock on a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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