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Project of the Month Winner !!!
45CC Marine Steam Engine; Designed & Built by Mark Toland
To be honest there is nothing new that can be done in the world of steam engines. They were built in a multitude of varieties that evolved over the years. This model is designed as a typical Marine type of the late 1800s. After studying photos of many different engines of this type I set out to design my own version using typical designs features of the day combined with modern materials and manufacturing methods. Also taken into consideration in the design were the limitations of my equipment and my skills.
The engine is a 45CC self starting twin cylinder double acting type with reversing capability
No load RPM at 80 PSI is 580 and a smooth idle at 10 PSI is 160 RPM. At 20 PSI the motor turns 277 RPM and I can no longer stop the motor with my hand on the flywheel.
A double camshaft arraignment allows the engine to be reversed on the fly
The twin cylinders are 90 degrees apart on the crank to allow the engine to start without the operator having to give the flywheel a push. The motor starts turning at 4 PSI.
With its high torque and reversing capability this engine does not require a gearbox or clutch for marine use.
The engine tips the scales at 22 pounds, is 13" long, 6.5" wide and 12" tall. Flywheel is 4" diameter
Most of the parts were cut from aluminum plate. The towers were cast from aluminum and the flywheel was cast from bronze. Cylinders were cut from cast iron stock and were fitted with aluminum pistons with bronze rings and the crankshaft is of multi piece build up construction using drill rod and hot rolled steel. I used tapered pins to secure the crankshaft parts after assembly. I was pleasantly surprised at how straight and rigid the crank turned out.
I anodized all the aluminum parts. The parts that had a bead blasted finish turned a dark grey and the brushed finish parts turned a nice light grey. The base plate was a strange alloy with a gold tent and it didn't like being anodized. And I used a bead blasted finish on all the brass and bronze parts. The only bling on the thing is the coupler; I gave it a nice polished nickel plate job.
I still need to make Badges for the steam chest cover plates and some sort of display stand. The motor runs fairly smooth up to the higher RPMS. So my guess at how much counter balance to put on the crankshaft was close. I will try and balance it a little better after it breaks in a little.
I have spent the last year and a half converting my shop from woodworking to metal working and learning how to operate machine tools. I do have some CNC background from building my own CNC router about 13 years ago and learning to use it. This engine is the first product from all that effort and with it I now feel like I am a full fledged member of this community.
May I present to you, my first engine. Warts and all.
To be honest there is nothing new that can be done in the world of steam engines. They were built in a multitude of varieties that evolved over the years. This model is designed as a typical Marine type of the late 1800s. After studying photos of many different engines of this type I set out to design my own version using typical designs features of the day combined with modern materials and manufacturing methods. Also taken into consideration in the design were the limitations of my equipment and my skills.
The engine is a 45CC self starting twin cylinder double acting type with reversing capability
No load RPM at 80 PSI is 580 and a smooth idle at 10 PSI is 160 RPM. At 20 PSI the motor turns 277 RPM and I can no longer stop the motor with my hand on the flywheel.
A double camshaft arraignment allows the engine to be reversed on the fly
The twin cylinders are 90 degrees apart on the crank to allow the engine to start without the operator having to give the flywheel a push. The motor starts turning at 4 PSI.
With its high torque and reversing capability this engine does not require a gearbox or clutch for marine use.
The engine tips the scales at 22 pounds, is 13" long, 6.5" wide and 12" tall. Flywheel is 4" diameter
Most of the parts were cut from aluminum plate. The towers were cast from aluminum and the flywheel was cast from bronze. Cylinders were cut from cast iron stock and were fitted with aluminum pistons with bronze rings and the crankshaft is of multi piece build up construction using drill rod and hot rolled steel. I used tapered pins to secure the crankshaft parts after assembly. I was pleasantly surprised at how straight and rigid the crank turned out.
I anodized all the aluminum parts. The parts that had a bead blasted finish turned a dark grey and the brushed finish parts turned a nice light grey. The base plate was a strange alloy with a gold tent and it didn't like being anodized. And I used a bead blasted finish on all the brass and bronze parts. The only bling on the thing is the coupler; I gave it a nice polished nickel plate job.
I still need to make Badges for the steam chest cover plates and some sort of display stand. The motor runs fairly smooth up to the higher RPMS. So my guess at how much counter balance to put on the crankshaft was close. I will try and balance it a little better after it breaks in a little.
I have spent the last year and a half converting my shop from woodworking to metal working and learning how to operate machine tools. I do have some CNC background from building my own CNC router about 13 years ago and learning to use it. This engine is the first product from all that effort and with it I now feel like I am a full fledged member of this community.
May I present to you, my first engine. Warts and all.
