CogMachine
Member
- Joined
- May 9, 2018
- Messages
- 7
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Hello!
So, I want to start with a little story:
I want to build a steam engine. So I built one. A small model of course for practice, in LEGO and with air. This learned me a lot as I progressed from a completely useless brick that would not turn to a perfectly smooth running little engine. I learned a lot of things from this, for example that the valves should be timed with a 90 degrees turned crank and that the valves themself should never cover both inflow holes at the same time as that would create too much pressure and therefore friction in the valves.
But one problem remained: I like slow running engines so I can hear the distinctive strokes, but I want to have the power to actually drive something with one cylinder. But it was going too fast and had little power.
I experimented and it seems while a heavier flywheel seemed to have some effect its overall weight would power down the engine instead of conserving it because it adds friction (am I wrong here? Please correct me).
Then of course, relating to the flywheel I talked about before, an engine has different torque over its cycle, with a 0 torque on the turning point on the piston crankshaft. So this brought up the question if it is actually possible to have a slow running, but powerful engine.
I therefore experimented again and found that letting it run fast but gearing it up (converting the speed into torque) actually works (and the now fast flywheel seems to only start to even out the torque at a higher speed, not a lower one?), but the gears provide friction again lowering the power output, plus it would make the engine run fast which I don't like!
So, my question is: Is it possible to have a lower speed but high torque single cylinder engine? If yes, what would need to be changed? Would the piston chamber need to be bigger or smaller relating to the pressure? Any changes on the crankshaft? Flywheel improvements?
Also, I guess a double cylinder which is offset at 90 degrees would provide completely equal torque over its whole turn (again, please correct me), but I prefer single cylinder ones, so I would like it to be solvable with them.
So, I want to start with a little story:
I want to build a steam engine. So I built one. A small model of course for practice, in LEGO and with air. This learned me a lot as I progressed from a completely useless brick that would not turn to a perfectly smooth running little engine. I learned a lot of things from this, for example that the valves should be timed with a 90 degrees turned crank and that the valves themself should never cover both inflow holes at the same time as that would create too much pressure and therefore friction in the valves.
But one problem remained: I like slow running engines so I can hear the distinctive strokes, but I want to have the power to actually drive something with one cylinder. But it was going too fast and had little power.
I experimented and it seems while a heavier flywheel seemed to have some effect its overall weight would power down the engine instead of conserving it because it adds friction (am I wrong here? Please correct me).
Then of course, relating to the flywheel I talked about before, an engine has different torque over its cycle, with a 0 torque on the turning point on the piston crankshaft. So this brought up the question if it is actually possible to have a slow running, but powerful engine.
I therefore experimented again and found that letting it run fast but gearing it up (converting the speed into torque) actually works (and the now fast flywheel seems to only start to even out the torque at a higher speed, not a lower one?), but the gears provide friction again lowering the power output, plus it would make the engine run fast which I don't like!
So, my question is: Is it possible to have a lower speed but high torque single cylinder engine? If yes, what would need to be changed? Would the piston chamber need to be bigger or smaller relating to the pressure? Any changes on the crankshaft? Flywheel improvements?
Also, I guess a double cylinder which is offset at 90 degrees would provide completely equal torque over its whole turn (again, please correct me), but I prefer single cylinder ones, so I would like it to be solvable with them.
