Basic Steam Engineering Books?

[Brad0war]

I've got the itch to make something Steam powered and a whole workshop to go nuts with, but i don't know anything about Steam engines except they need boilers. So dose anyone out there know of any Steam Engineering Manuals or something of that kind?

[Narsil]

A thermodynamics textbook is probably a good place to start.

Something like this, more or less the standard undergraduate mech-eng book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engineering-Thermodynamics-S-I-Units-Work-Transfer/dp/0582045665/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228693185&sr=8-4

[Narsil]

A thermodynamics textbook is probably a good place to start.

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engineering-Thermodynamics-S-I-Units-Work-Transfer/dp/0582045665/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228693185&sr=8-4

Be aware though that steam at any kind of pressure is pretty epically dangerous.

[theMadTinker]

If you're impatient to find lots of information, just search for "HAC" and "steam."  Harold is our resident expert on everything steam-powered.

I must agree that there is a lot of danger inherent in using steam power, boilers are not the sorts of things you want to just muck about with without an extensive understanding of the kinds of pressures that you're going to be dealing with.

[fciron]

If all you know about steam-power is that boilers go somewhere I would suggest that engineering texts would be mostly gibberish. Most of what we build around here are toys and there are lots of resources for people who build steam toys. Most of this stuff is even written in standard English.  I don't know what kind of workshop you've got but it might be simplest to build a toy that is powered by a readily available toy steam engine.

This link is to a yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toy_steam/

You might also try googling 'crab-fu' to find a guy who has built a bunch of fun steam toys.

I have a couple of handyman's project books from the fifties that have instructions for building a toy engine but I cannot lay hands on them at the moment.

[Narsil]

This is quite an interesting book, albeit somewhat cryptic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-Appliances-Science/dp/0486457435/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228694584&sr=1-1

[HAC]

If you know little about steam power, then a good palce to start is a good basic thermodymanics book.
If you want to get a basic idea of steam engines, have a look at this Google book (you can download a pdf version) -
1840 Dionysius Lardner  "The Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated"

http://scholar.google.com.tr/books?id=avcCyVp0T3sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=subject:%22+Steam+engines+%22&as_brr=3&hl=en&rview=1&source=gbs_similarbooks_r&cad=3_2

While it's not modern, it is a good overview of the mid 1800's steam power.

If you really want to build something, get in touch with a lcoal Model Engineers club, they should be able to provide guidance.
Here are my basic caveats...
- Boilers are dangerous, even when you know what you are about in building and operating one. A boiler can be a very powerful explosive device.
- Steam is not the stuff you see coming out of a kettle. True steam is far hotter and more dangerous than you think it is. (I have scars to prove it)
- Steam at any pressure can be  dangerous, but the higher the pressure the greater the potential for serious injury.
- You will need some maths to work out your design, steam tables are your friends.
- Over-engineer, a safety factor of at least 3 is recommended, especially with things like boiler hoop stress.

There;s a reason lots of model engineers run their steam engiones of compressed air..

Have a look at that book, and if you have questions, feel free to ask, and I'll try to answer them..

Cheers
Harold

[Narsil]

This is your basic theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankine_cycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankine_cycle

[clockdug]

It may also be worth pointing out that many of the steam engine models I've seen are run on compressed air rather steam.  An air compressor can be easier to get hold of than a safely designed and constructed boiler and sidestep some of the steam danger issues.Which might just take the fun out of it from one point of view.  Just depends on if you want to build the engines or the boilers as to the point of view.

[rijrunner]

I've got the itch to make something Steam powered and a whole workshop to go nuts with, but i don't know anything about Steam engines except they need boilers. So dose anyone out there know of any Steam Engineering Manuals or something of that kind?

Best technical site:

http://www.lindsaybks.com/

Here's a set on building steam engines:

http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks7/ppsteam/index.html

Here's their online set of engine books:

http://www.lindsaybks.com/prod/sub/engines.html

[dr490nw4rri0r]

Ooh I'd love to get into this kind of thing!

[HAC]

Lindsay is a good starting point, but their stuff is mostly reprints from a collection of books from the early 1900's. Very short on design theory, and no worthwhile math at all. They are useful as an intro and overview of basic steam power, though..

Cheers
Harold

[sidecar_jon]

this book is interesting "Building Simple Model Steam Engines" by Tubal Cane and very reasonably priced too. It has the advantage of being simple and getting you started without having to wade through lots of technical things. Just one small engine might just puff and run but it might also kick start you to learn more...!

[HAC]

Tubal Cain is a rather interesting nom de plume. The author;s real name is Tom D. Walshaw.
Tubal Cain was the son of the biblical Cain, and was the supposed inventor of brass and brassworking, accoridubg to Josephus, in his  "Antiquities of the Jews", in A.D. 93.
There are also strong Masonic connections with the name Tubal Cain..

Cheers
Harokld

[sidecar_jon]

Tubal Cain is a rather interesting nom de plume. The author;s real name is Tom D. Walshaw.
.
There are also strong Masonic connections with the name Tubal Cain..

Cheers
Harokld

Indeed its one of their passwords (though in a differing form.)

[HAC]

Name of a grip,if I remember rightly...

Cheers
Harold

[fciron]

You don't need Josephus, old Tubal Cain is right in Genesis

Genesis 4:22 (New International Version)

22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of [a] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

Footnotes:

  [a] Genesis 4:22 Or who instructed all who work in

Source - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204:22

I cannot necessarily advocate 'biblegateway.com'. That is simply the first searchable bible turned up by Google.

[akumabito]

Can we get back to steam engineering, please? Wouldn't want the thread to get locked for getting a little too close for comfort to one of the Big No-No's..

[Mr.Surly]

Lindsay Books (http://www.lindsaybks.com/) will likely have something for you.

[HAC]

Lindsay is a nice starting pijnt, but be aware that you can find equal or better resources for free. Lindsay bought up the right to reprint stuff frm the mid 1900's, and while useful as an overview and intro , their stuff has little or no theory or math, which IMHO, is really de rigeur for serious work with steam.


For free, check out Google Books: just as good  for an overview/intro to steam power.
http://books.google.ca/books?q=steam+engines

Cheers
Harold

[rijrunner]

Lindsay is a nice starting pijnt, but be aware that you can find equal or better resources for free. Lindsay bought up the right to reprint stuff frm the mid 1900's, and while useful as an overview and intro , their stuff has little or no theory or math, which IMHO, is really de rigeur for serious work with steam.


For free, check out Google Books: just as good  for an overview/intro to steam power.
http://books.google.ca/books?q=steam+engines

Cheers
Harold

I bought a book called "Steam Engine Design" from Lindsay which has as much engineering equations as you would wish for.

[Interstellar Machine]

May be a little bit dryer than you want but, I use this book in my professional endeavors, about half of it deals with steam:

https://www55.ssldomain.com/fpdlit/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CHDB&Product_Code=CHDB



Also, I have always found Genesis 4:22 to be an interesting passage and always considered Genesis 4-6 a great time period to imagine a lost era of anachronistic technology.

[SteamKit]

Could have sworn I asked this before, but I can't remember. I was wondering how HAC's primer was coming along, one was mentioned somewhere a while ago.

-Kit

[The Contraptionist]

I don't post on here very much, but I am really familiar with Steam Power, I am a Marine Engineer (I work on ships) and if you are really interested in steam power, Marine Engineering textbooks are a great resource.  They have lots of other information in them about ships in general and a lot about diesels and gas turbines, but the steam sections can teach you just about anything you'd want to know.  They don't come cheap, but the two best are:
The Modern Marine Engineers Manual Edited by Hunt
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Marine-Engineers-Manual-Editor/dp/0870335375/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229950584&sr=8-1
and Marine Engineering by Harrington
http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Engineering-Roy-L-Harrington/dp/0939773104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229950736&sr=1-1

They both have a ton of information, but the Modern Marine Engineer's manual is much easier to read.  The sections on boilers and steam turbines are really good in both.

Also, if you're really interested The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) has a ton of publications for sale, mostly aout ship design, some on steam power.  Again, they're pretty pricey, but you can search here: http://www.sname.org/publications_catalog.htm

[Interstellar Machine]

It is good to see someone else in the marine engineering industry on these boards. Those look like some good books, I will have to check them out, not only for the steam, but for the naval arch aspect as well. Thanks for the links!