Knowing about Steam Engine

Few days back I gave introduction to Steam engine to my kids and wife. It is the simple most engine that can be understood by anyone!  Compared to diesel engines or even electrical motor it has only few working principle:

• Steam Engine generates linear motion (forward and backward)
• Linear motion is converted into circular motion
• The circular motion provides the feedback back to engine in changing the direction of the steam

Much of the industrial revolution was governed by steam engine - a simple to and fro motion from steam engine that is converted into all different kind of motion required for the industry. It is also visually beautiful. Imagine it must be an awe to see a complex machine in motion with steam. Following are the links that I thought is just appropriate to bring the above ideas:

• Very Old Handmade Steam Engine Model 

• Note that steam engine only produces horizontal to and fro motion, the horizontal motion is converted to rotation motion.
• The rotation motion has a feed back to steam engine that changes the direction of steam flow that in turn reverses the motion of the piston.
• How a Steam Engine Works

• This has simple schematic diagram to explain the inner working. Note how the direction of the steam changes by the motion that piston produces and in turn affect reverses the piston motion.
• 1832 Steam Engine - Jay Leno's Garage

• Note that the core of the machine is the engine that produces only the to- and fro- motion. This simple linear motion is responsible for all the other motion which is quite remarkable
• The working of these machines were closely guarded secret. The country that knew the steam technology controlled the world!
• I did not know Jay Leno was interested in machine. He has done wonderful job articulating about the machine. He might as well had been professor in the college!