Steam motor. Modern steam engine. How Watt and Bolton built and PRed their cars

It began its expansion at the beginning of the 19th century. And already at that time, not only large units were built for industrial purposes, but also decorative ones. Most of their customers were rich nobles who wanted to amuse themselves and their children. After steam units became a part of society, decorative engines began to be used in universities and schools as educational models.

Steam engines of modern times

At the beginning of the 20th century, the relevance of steam engines began to decline. One of the few companies that continued to produce decorative mini-engines was the British company Mamod, which allows you to purchase a sample of such equipment even today. But the cost of such steam engines easily exceeds two hundred pounds sterling, which is not so little for a trinket for a couple of evenings. Moreover, for those who like to assemble all sorts of mechanisms on their own, it is much more interesting to create a simple steam engine with their own hands.

Very simple. The fire heats a pot of water. Under the influence of temperature, water turns into steam, which pushes the piston. As long as there is water in the container, the flywheel connected to the piston will rotate. This is a standard diagram of the structure of a steam engine. But you can assemble a model with a completely different configuration.

Well, let's move on from the theoretical part to more exciting things. If you are interested in doing something with your own hands, and you are surprised by such exotic machines, then this article is just for you, in which we will be happy to talk about various ways of how to assemble a steam engine with your own hands. At the same time, the process of creating a mechanism itself gives joy no less than its launch.

Method 1: DIY Mini Steam Engine

So let's begin. Let's assemble the simplest steam engine with our own hands. Drawings, complex tools and special knowledge are not needed.

To begin with, we take from any drink. Cut off the lower third from it. Since the result will be sharp edges, they must be bent inward with pliers. We do this carefully so as not to cut ourselves. Since most aluminum cans have a concave bottom, it is necessary to level it. It is enough to press it tightly with your finger to some hard surface.

At a distance of 1.5 cm from the top edge of the resulting “glass”, you need to make two holes opposite each other. It is advisable to use a hole punch for this, since it is necessary for them to be at least 3 mm in diameter. Place a decorative candle at the bottom of the jar. Now we take regular table foil, crumple it, and then wrap our mini-burner on all sides.

Mini nozzles

Next, you need to take a piece of copper tube 15-20 cm long. It is important that it is hollow inside, since this will be our main mechanism for setting the structure in motion. The central part of the tube is wrapped around the pencil 2 or 3 times to form a small spiral.

Now you need to place this element so that the curved place is placed directly above the candle wick. To do this, we give the tube the shape of the letter “M”. At the same time, we bring out the areas that go down through the holes made in the jar. Thus, the copper tube is rigidly fixed above the wick, and its edges act as a kind of nozzle. In order for the structure to rotate, it is necessary to bend the opposite ends of the “M-element” 90 degrees in different directions. The design of the steam engine is ready.

Starting the engine

The jar is placed in a container with water. In this case, it is necessary that the edges of the tube are under its surface. If the nozzles are not long enough, you can add a small weight to the bottom of the jar. But be careful not to drown the entire engine.

Now you need to fill the tube with water. To do this, you can lower one end into the water, and draw in air with the other as if through a straw. We lower the jar into the water. Light the candle wick. After some time, the water in the spiral will turn into steam, which, under pressure, will fly out of the opposite ends of the nozzles. The jar will begin to rotate in the container quite quickly. This is how we made our own steam engine. As you can see, everything is simple.

Steam engine model for adults

Now let's complicate the task. Let's assemble a more serious steam engine with our own hands. First you need to take a paint can. You should make sure that it is absolutely clean. On the wall, 2-3 cm from the bottom, cut out a rectangle with dimensions of 15 x 5 cm. The long side is placed parallel to the bottom of the jar. We cut out a piece of metal mesh with an area of ​​12 x 24 cm. We measure 6 cm from both ends of the long side. We bend these sections at an angle of 90 degrees. We get a small “platform table” with an area of ​​12 x 12 cm with 6 cm legs. We install the resulting structure on the bottom of the jar.

It is necessary to make several holes around the perimeter of the lid and place them in the shape of a semicircle along one half of the lid. It is advisable that the holes have a diameter of about 1 cm. This is necessary in order to ensure proper ventilation of the internal space. Steam engine will not work well unless sufficient air is supplied to the fire source.

Main element

We make a spiral from a copper tube. You need to take about 6 meters of soft copper tubing with a diameter of 1/4-inch (0.64 cm). We measure 30 cm from one end. Starting from this point, it is necessary to make five turns of the spiral with a diameter of 12 cm each. The rest of the pipe is bent into 15 rings with a diameter of 8 cm. Thus, at the other end there should be 20 cm of free tube.

Both outputs are passed through ventilation holes in the lid of the jar. If it turns out that the length of the straight section is not enough for this, then you can unbend one turn of the spiral. Coal is placed on a pre-installed platform. In this case, the spiral should be placed just above this platform. The coal is carefully laid out between its turns. Now the jar can be closed. As a result, we got a firebox that will power the engine. The steam engine is almost made with your own hands. Not much left.

Water container

Now you need to take another paint can, but of a smaller size. A hole with a diameter of 1 cm is drilled in the center of its lid. Two more holes are made on the side of the jar - one almost at the bottom, the second above, near the lid itself.

Take two crusts, in the center of which a hole is made with the diameter of a copper tube. A 25 cm plastic pipe is inserted into one cork, and 10 cm into the other, so that their edge barely peeks out from the plugs. A korok with a long tube is inserted into the lower hole of a small jar, and a shorter tube into the upper hole. We place the smaller can on the larger can of paint so that the hole in the bottom is on the opposite side from the ventilation passages of the large can.

Result

The result should be the following design. Water is poured into a small jar and flows out through a hole in the bottom. copper tube. A fire is lit under the spiral, which heats the copper container. Hot steam rises up the tube.

In order for the mechanism to be completed, it is necessary to attach a piston and flywheel to the upper end of the copper tube. As a result, the thermal energy of combustion will be converted into mechanical forces of rotation of the wheel. There is a huge amount various schemes to create such an external combustion engine, but in all of them two elements are always involved - fire and water.

In addition to this design, you can assemble a steam one, but this is material for a completely separate article.

The reason for the construction of this unit was a stupid idea: “is it possible to build a steam engine without machines and tools, using only parts that can be bought in a store” and do everything with your own hands. The result is a design like this. The entire assembly and setup took less than an hour. Although it took six months to design and select parts.

Most of the structure consists of plumbing fixtures. At the end of the epic, the questions from sellers of hardware and other stores: “can I help you” and “why do you need them” really infuriated me.

And so we assemble the foundation. First the main cross member. Tees, bochata, and half-inch angles are used here. I secured all the elements with sealant. This is to make it easier to connect and separate them with your hands. But for final assembly it is better to use plumber's tape.

Then the longitudinal elements. The steam boiler, spool, steam cylinder and flywheel will be attached to them. Here all the elements are also 1/2".

Then we make the stands. In the photo, from left to right: a stand for the steam boiler, then a stand for the steam distribution mechanism, then a stand for the flywheel, and finally a holder for the steam cylinder. The flywheel holder is made from a 3/4" tee (external thread). The bearings from the repair kit for roller skates are ideally suited to it. The bearings are held in place by a coupling nut. Such nuts can be found separately or taken from a tee for metal-plastic pipes. This tee is pictured below right corner (not used in the design). A 3/4" tee is also used as a holder for the steam cylinder, only the threads are all internal. Adapters are used to attach 3/4" to 1/2" elements.

We assemble the boiler. A 1" pipe is used for the boiler. I found a used one on the market. Looking ahead, I want to say that the boiler turned out to be too small and does not produce enough steam. With such a boiler, the engine works too sluggishly. But it works. The three parts on the right are: plug, adapter 1"-1/2" and squeegee. The squeegee is inserted into the adapter and closed with a plug. Thus, the boiler becomes airtight.

This is how the boiler turned out initially.

But the steam tank turned out to be not high enough. Water got into the steam line. I had to install an additional 1/2" barrel through an adapter.

This is a burner. Four posts earlier there was the material “Homemade oil lamp from pipes”. This is how the burner was originally designed. But no suitable fuel was found. Lamp oil and kerosene smoke heavily. Need alcohol. So for now I just made a holder for dry fuel.

This is very important detail. Steam distributor or spool. This thing directs steam into the slave cylinder during the power stroke. When the piston moves in reverse, the steam supply is shut off and a discharge occurs. The spool is made from a cross for metal-plastic pipes. One of the ends must be sealed with epoxy putty. This end will be attached to the rack through an adapter.

And now the most important detail. It will determine whether the engine will start or not. This is the working piston and spool valve. Here we use an M4 pin (sold in furniture fittings departments; it’s easier to find one long one and saw off the required length), metal washers and felt washers. Felt washers are used for fastening glass and mirrors with other fittings.

Felt is not the best material. It does not provide sufficient tightness, but the resistance to movement is significant. Later we managed to get rid of the felt. Non-standard washers were ideal for this: M4x15 for the piston and M4x8 for the valve. These washers need to be placed as tightly as possible, through plumbing tape, onto a pin and with the same tape wound 2-3 layers from the top. Then thoroughly rub in the cylinder and spool with water. I didn't take a photo of the upgraded piston. Too lazy to take it apart.

This is the actual cylinder. Made from a 1/2" barrel, it is secured inside a 3/4" tee with two coupling nuts. On one side, with maximum sealing, the fitting is tightly attached.

Now the flywheel. The flywheel is made from a dumbbell plate. IN central hole a stack of washers is inserted, and a small cylinder from a repair kit for roller skates is placed in the center of the washers. Everything is secured with sealant. A furniture and picture hanger was ideal for the carrier holder. Looks like a keyhole. Everything is assembled in the order shown in the photo. Screw and nut - M8.

We have two flywheels in our design. There must be a strong connection between them. This connection is ensured by a coupling nut. All threaded connections are secured with nail polish.

These two flywheels appear the same, however one will be connected to the piston and the other to the spool valve. Accordingly, the carrier, in the form of an M3 screw, is attached at different distances from the center. For the piston, the carrier is located further from the center, for the valve - closer to the center.

Now we make the valve and piston drive. The furniture connection plate was ideal for the valve.

The piston uses the window lock escutcheon as a lever. She came up like family. Eternal glory to whoever invented the metric system.

Drives assembled.

Everything is installed on the engine. Threaded connections are secured with varnish. This is the piston drive.

Valve drive. Please note that the positions of the piston carrier and valve differ by 90 degrees. Depending on which direction the valve carrier leads the piston carrier, it will depend on which direction the flywheel will rotate.

Now all that remains is to connect the tubes. These are silicone hoses for aquariums. All hoses must be secured with wire or clamps.

It should be noted that there is no safety valve provided here. Therefore, extreme caution should be taken.

Voila. Fill with water. Let's set it on fire. We are waiting for the water to boil. During heating, the valve must be in the closed position.

The entire assembly process and the result are on video.

Steam locomotives or Stanley Steamer automobiles often come to mind when one thinks of “steam engines,” but the use of these mechanisms is not limited to transportation. Steam engines, which were first created in primitive form about two millennia ago, have become the largest sources of electrical power over the past three centuries, and today steam turbines produce about 80 percent of the world's electricity. To further understand the nature of the physical forces on which such a mechanism operates, we recommend that you make your own steam engine from ordinary materials using one of the methods suggested here! To get started, go to Step 1.

Steps

Steam engine made from a tin can (for children)

Cut the bottom of the aluminum can to 6.35 cm. Using tin snips, cut the bottom of the aluminum can straight to about a third of the height.

Bend and press the rim using pliers. To avoid sharp edges, bend the rim of the jar inward. When performing this action, be careful not to injure yourself.

Press down on the bottom of the jar from the inside to make it flat. Most aluminum beverage cans will have a round base that curves inward. Level the bottom by pressing down with your finger or using a small, flat-bottomed glass.

Make two holes in opposite sides of the jar, 1/2 inch from the top. To make holes, either a paper hole punch or a nail with a hammer are suitable. You will need holes that are just over three millimeters in diameter.

Place a small tea light in the center of the jar. Crumple up the foil and place it under and around the candle to keep it in place. Such candles usually come in special stands, so the wax should not melt and leak into the aluminum jar.

Wrap the central part of a copper tube 15-20 cm long around a pencil 2 or 3 turns to form a coil. The 3mm diameter tube should bend easily around the pencil. You will need enough curved tubing to extend across the top of the jar, plus an extra 5cm of straight pipe on each side.

Insert the ends of the tubes into the holes in the jar. The center of the coil should be located above the candle wick. It is desirable that the straight sections of the tube on both sides of the can be the same length.

Bend the ends of the pipes using pliers to create a right angle. Bend the straight sections of the tube so that they point in opposite directions from different sides of the can. Then again bend them so that they fall below the base of the jar. When everything is ready, you should get the following: the serpentine part of the tube is located in the center of the jar above the candle and turns into two inclined “nozzles” looking in opposite directions on both sides of the jar.

Place the jar in a bowl of water, allowing the ends of the tube to submerge. Your “boat” must stay securely on the surface. If the ends of the tube are not submerged enough, try to weigh the jar down a little, but be careful not to drown it.

Fill the tube with water. The most in a simple way will dip one end into the water and pull from the other end like through a straw. You can also use your finger to block one outlet from the tube and place the other under running water from the tap.

Light a candle. After a while, the water in the tube will heat up and boil. As it turns to steam, it will come out through the "nozzles", causing the entire can to spin around in the bowl.

Paint Can Steam Engine (Adults)

1. Cut a rectangular hole near the base of a 4-quart paint can. Make a horizontal 15cm x 5cm rectangular hole in the side of the jar near the base.

   • You need to make sure that this can (and the other one you are using) only contained latex paint, and wash it thoroughly with soapy water before use.

2. Cut a strip of wire mesh 12 x 24 cm. Bend 6 cm along each edge at an angle of 90 o. You will end up with a 12 x 12 cm square “platform” with two 6 cm “legs”. Place it in the jar with the “legs” down, aligning it with the edges of the cut hole.

   Make a semicircle of holes around the perimeter of the lid. You will subsequently burn coal in the can to provide heat to the steam engine. If there is a lack of oxygen, coal will burn poorly. To ensure proper ventilation in the jar, drill or punch several holes in the lid that form a semicircle along the edges.

   • Ideally, the diameter of the ventilation holes should be about 1 cm.

3. Make a coil from copper tubing. Take about 6 m of soft copper tube with a diameter of 6 mm and measure 30 cm from one end. Starting from this point, make five turns with a diameter of 12 cm. Bend the remaining length of the pipe into 15 turns with a diameter of 8 cm. You should have about 20 cm left .

   Pass both ends of the coil through the vent holes in the lid. Bend both ends of the coil so that they point up and pass both through one of the holes in the lid. If the pipe is not long enough, you will need to slightly bend one of the turns.

   Place the coil and charcoal in a jar. Place the coil on the mesh platform. Fill the space around and inside the coil with charcoal. Close the lid tightly.

   Drill holes for the tube in a smaller jar. Drill a hole with a diameter of 1 cm in the center of the lid of a liter jar. On the side of the jar, drill two holes with a diameter of 1 cm - one near the base of the jar, and the second above it near the lid.

   Insert the sealed plastic tube into the side holes of the smaller jar. Using the ends of a copper tube, make holes in the center of the two plugs. Insert a hard plastic tube 25 cm long into one plug, and the same tube 10 cm long into the other plug. They should fit tightly in the plugs and look out a little. Insert the stopper with the longer tube into the bottom hole of the smaller jar and the stopper with the shorter tube into the top hole. Secure the tubes in each plug using clamps.

   Connect the tube from the larger jar to the tube from the smaller jar. Place the smaller can over the larger one, with the tube and stopper pointing away from the larger can's vent holes. Using metal tape, secure the tube from the bottom plug to the tube coming out of the bottom of the copper coil. Then similarly secure the tube from the top plug with the tube coming out of the top of the coil.

   Insert the copper tube into the junction box. Using a hammer and screwdriver, remove the center portion of the round metal electrical box. Secure the electrical cable clamp with the locking ring. Insert 15 cm of 1.3 cm diameter copper tubing into the cable clamp so that the tube extends a few centimeters below the hole in the box. Bend the edges of this end inward using a hammer. Insert this end of the tube into the hole in the lid of the smaller jar.

   Insert the skewer into the dowel. Take a regular wooden barbecue skewer and insert it into one end of a hollow wooden dowel that is 1.5 cm long and 0.95 cm in diameter. Insert the dowel and skewer into the copper tube inside the metal junction box with the skewer facing up.

   • While our motor is running, the skewer and dowel will act as a "piston". To make the movements of the piston better visible, you can attach a small paper “flag” to it.

4. Prepare the engine for operation. Remove the junction box from the smaller top jar and fill the top jar with water, allowing it to pour into the copper coil until the jar is 2/3 full of water. Check for leaks at all connections. Secure the lids of the jars tightly by tapping them with a hammer. Reinstall the junction box in place above the smaller top can.

5. Start the engine! Crumple up pieces of newspaper and place them in the space under the screen at the bottom of the engine. Once the charcoal is lit, let it burn for about 20-30 minutes. As the water in the coil heats up, steam will begin to accumulate in the top jar. When the steam reaches enough pressure, it will push the dowel and skewer to the top. After the pressure is released, the piston will move downwards under the influence of gravity. If necessary, cut off part of the skewer to reduce the weight of the piston - the lighter it is, the more often it will “float”. Try to make a skewer of such weight that the piston “moves” at a constant pace.

   • You can speed up the combustion process by increasing the air flow into the vents with a hairdryer.

6. Stay safe. We believe it goes without saying that care must be taken when working and handling a homemade steam engine. Never run it indoors. Never run it near flammable materials such as dry leaves or overhanging tree branches. Only use the engine on a solid, non-flammable surface such as concrete. If you work with children or teenagers, they should not be left unattended. Children and teenagers are prohibited from approaching the engine when charcoal is burning in it. If you don't know the temperature of the engine, assume it is too hot to touch.

   • Make sure that steam can escape from the top "boiler". If for any reason the plunger gets stuck, pressure can build up inside the smaller can. In the worst case scenario, the bank could explode, which Very dangerous.
• Place the steam engine in a plastic boat, dipping both ends into the water to create a steam toy. You can cut a simple boat shape from plastic bottle from soda or bleach to make your toy more “eco-friendly”.

Exactly 212 years ago, on December 24, 1801, in the small English town of Camborne, mechanic Richard Trevithick demonstrated to the public the first steam-powered car, Dog Carts. Today, this event could easily be classified as notable, but insignificant, especially since the steam engine was known earlier, and was even used in vehicles (although calling them cars would be a very big stretch)... But here’s what’s interesting: It is now that technological progress has given rise to a situation strikingly reminiscent of the era of the great “battle” of steam and gasoline in early XIX century. Only batteries, hydrogen and biofuels will have to fight. Do you want to know how it all ends and who wins? I won't give any hints. Let me give you a hint: technology has nothing to do with it...

1. The craze for steam engines has passed, and the time has come for engines internal combustion. For the benefit of the matter, I will repeat: in 1801, a four-wheeled carriage rolled through the streets of Camborne, capable of carrying eight passengers with relative comfort and slowly. The car was driven by a single-cylinder steam engine and fueled by coal. They started creating steam vehicles with enthusiasm, and already in the 20s of the 19th century, passenger steam omnibuses transported passengers at speeds of up to 30 km/h, and the average mileage between repairs reached 2.5–3 thousand km.

Now let's compare this information with others. In the same 1801, the Frenchman Philippe Lebon received a patent for the design piston engine internal combustion, powered by illuminating gas. It so happened that three years later Le Bon died, and others had to develop the technical solutions he proposed. Only in 1860, the Belgian engineer Jean Etienne Lenoir assembled gas engine with ignition from an electric spark and brought its design to the point of suitability for installation on a vehicle.

So, the automobile steam engine and internal combustion engine are practically the same age. Efficiency steam engine of that design in those years was about 10%. Engine efficiency Lenoir was only 4%. Only 22 years later, by 1882, August Otto improved it so much that the efficiency of the now gasoline engine reached... as much as 15%.

2. Steam traction is just a short moment in the history of progress. Beginning in 1801, history steam transport actively continued for almost 159 years. In 1960 (!), buses and trucks with steam engines were still being built in the USA. Steam engines improved significantly during this time. In 1900, 50% of the car fleet in the United States was steam-powered. Already in those years, competition arose between steam, gasoline and - attention! - electric carriages. After the market success of Ford's Model T and the seemingly defeat of the steam engine, a new surge in the popularity of steam cars occurred in the 20s of the last century: the cost of fuel for them (fuel oil, kerosene) was significantly lower than the cost of gasoline.

Until 1927, the Stanley company produced approximately 1 thousand steam cars per year. In England, steam trucks successfully competed with gasoline trucks until 1933 and lost only because the authorities introduced a heavy duty tax. freight transport and reducing tariffs on imports of liquid petroleum products from the United States.

3. The steam engine is inefficient and uneconomical. Yes, it was once like this. A “classical” steam engine, which released waste steam into the atmosphere, has an efficiency of no more than 8%. However, a steam engine with a condenser and a profiled flow path has an efficiency of up to 25–30%. The steam turbine provides 30–42%. Combined-cycle plants, where gas and steam turbines are used in conjunction, have an efficiency of up to 55–65%. The latter circumstance prompted BMW engineers to begin exploring options for using this scheme in cars. By the way, the efficiency of modern gasoline engines is 34%.

The cost of manufacturing a steam engine has always been lower than the cost of a carburetor and diesel engines the same power. Liquid fuel consumption in new steam engines operating in a closed cycle on superheated (dry) steam and equipped with modern systems lubricants, high-quality bearings and electronic systems regulation of the working cycle is only 40% of the previous one.

4. The steam engine starts slowly. And that was once... Even production cars from Stanley “separated couples” for 10 to 20 minutes. Improving the boiler design and introducing a cascade heating mode made it possible to reduce the readiness time to 40–60 seconds.

5. The steam car is too leisurely. This is wrong. The speed record of 1906 - 205.44 km/h - belongs to a steam car. In those years, cars gasoline engines They didn’t know how to drive that fast. In 1985, a steam car drove at a speed of 234.33 km/h. And in 2009, a group of British engineers designed a steam turbine “car” with a steam drive with a power of 360 hp. s., who was able to move with a record average speed in the race - 241.7 km/h.

6. A steam car smokes and is unsightly. Looking at ancient drawings that depict the first steam carriages throwing out thick clouds of smoke and fire from their chimneys (which, by the way, indicates the imperfection of the fireboxes of the first “steam engines”), you understand where the persistent association of the steam engine and soot came from.

Regarding appearance cars, the matter here, of course, depends on the level of the designer. It is unlikely that anyone would say that the steam cars of Abner Doble (USA) are ugly. On the contrary, they are elegant even by modern standards. And they also drove silently, smoothly and quickly - up to 130 km/h.

Interestingly, modern research in the field hydrogen fuel for automobile engines gave rise to a number of “side branches”: hydrogen as a fuel for classic piston steam engines and especially for steam turbine machines ensures absolute environmental friendliness. The “smoke” from such a motor is... water vapor.

7. The steam engine is capricious. This is not true. It is structurally significant simpler than an engine internal combustion, which in itself means greater reliability and unpretentiousness. The service life of steam engines is many tens of thousands of hours of continuous operation, which is not typical for other types of engines. However, the matter does not stop there. Due to the principles of operation, a steam engine does not lose efficiency when atmospheric pressure decreases. It is for this reason vehicles steam-powered engines are exceptionally well suited for use in the highlands, on difficult mountain passes.

It is interesting to note one more thing useful property steam engine, which, by the way, is similar to an electric motor DC. A decrease in shaft speed (for example, with increasing load) causes an increase in torque. Due to this property, cars with steam engines do not fundamentally need gearboxes - the mechanisms themselves are very complex and sometimes capricious.

The history of the development of the steam engine is described in sufficient detail in this article. Here are the most famous solutions and inventions from 1672-1891.

First developments.

Let's start with the fact that back in the seventeenth century, steam began to be considered as a means of drive, all sorts of experiments were carried out with it, and only in 1643 Evangelista Torricelli discovered the power effect of steam pressure. Christian Huygens, 47 years later, designed the first power machine, powered by the explosion of gunpowder in a cylinder. This was the first prototype of an internal combustion engine. Abbot Hautefey's water intake machine is based on a similar principle. Soon Denis Papin decided to replace the force of the explosion with the less powerful force of steam. In 1690 he built first steam engine, also known as a steam boiler.

It consisted of a piston, which, with the help of boiling water, moved upward in the cylinder and, due to subsequent cooling, dropped again - this is how force was created. The whole process took place in this way: a furnace was placed under the cylinder, which simultaneously served as a boiling pot; When the piston was in the upper position, the furnace moved back to facilitate cooling.

Later, two Englishmen, Thomas Newcomen and Cowley—one a blacksmith, the other a glazier—improved the system by separating the boiler and cylinder and adding a tank of cold water. This system operated by valves or taps, one for steam and one for water, which were alternately opened and closed. Then the Englishman Bayton rebuilt the valve control into a truly clock control.

Application of steam engines in practice.

Newcomen's machine soon became known everywhere and, in particular, was improved by the double-action system developed by James Watt in 1765. Now steam engine proved to be sufficiently complete for use in vehicles, although due to its size it was better suited for stationary installations. Watt also proposed his inventions in industry; he also built machines for textile factories.

The first steam engine used as a means of transportation was invented by the Frenchman Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, an engineer and amateur military strategist. In 1763 or 1765, he created a car that could carry four passengers at an average speed of 3.5 and a maximum speed of 9.5 km/h. The first attempt was followed by a second - a vehicle appeared to transport guns. It was tested, naturally, by the military, but due to the impossibility of long-term operation (continuous operation cycle new car did not exceed 15 minutes) the inventor did not receive support from the authorities and financiers. Meanwhile, the steam engine was being improved in England. After several unsuccessful attempts by Moore, William Murdoch and William Symington based on Watt's car, Richard Travisick's rail vehicle, commissioned by a Welsh coal mine, appeared. An active inventor came into the world: from underground mines he rose to the ground and in 1802 introduced humanity to a powerful car, reaching a speed of 15 km/h on flat terrain and 6 km/h on the rise.

Steam-powered vehicles were increasingly used in the United States: Nathan Reed surprised the residents of Philadelphia in 1790 with his model steam car . However, his compatriot Oliver Evans became even more famous, who fourteen years later invented the amphibious vehicle. After the Napoleonic Wars, during which “automotive experiments” were not carried out, work began again on invention and improvement of the steam engine. In 1821 it could be considered perfect and quite reliable. Since then, every advance in steam-powered vehicles has definitely contributed to the development of future automobiles.

In 1825, Sir Goldsworth Gurney organized the first passenger line on a 171 km section from London to Bath. At the same time, he used a carriage he patented, which had a steam engine. This marked the beginning of the era of high-speed road carriages, which, however, disappeared in England, but became widespread in Italy and France. Such vehicles reached their highest development with the appearance in 1873 of Amédée Ballet's "Reverance" weighing 4500 kg and the "Mancel" - a more compact one, weighing just over 2500 kg and reaching a speed of 35 km/h. Both were harbingers of the kind of performance technology that became characteristic of the first “real” cars. Despite the high speed steam engine efficiency was very small. Bolle was the one who patented the first well-functioning steering system, and he arranged the control and control elements so well that we can still see it on the instrument panel today.

Despite the tremendous progress in the development of the internal combustion engine, steam power still ensured a more even and smooth running of the car and, therefore, had many supporters. Like Bolle, who built other light cars, such as the Rapide in 1881 with a speed of 60 km/h, the Nouvelle in 1873, which had a front axle with independent wheel suspension, Leon Chevrolet launched several cars between 1887 and 1907 with a light and compact steam generator, patented by him in 1889. De Dion-Bouton, founded in Paris in 1883, produced steam-powered cars for the first ten years of its existence and achieved significant success in doing so - its cars won the Paris-Rouen race in 1894.

The success of Panhard et Levassor in the use of gasoline led, however, to the fact that De Dion switched to internal combustion engines. When the Bolle brothers took over their father's company, they did the same. Then Chevrolet rebuilt its production. Steam-powered cars were disappearing from the horizon faster and faster, although they had been in use in the United States since before 1930. At this very moment production stopped and invention of steam engines