How do Steam Engines Work?

We make steam every morning while preparing our morning coffee. But how can it be used to move this massive machine? In this episode, we explore how engineers designed steam engines to turn fire, water, and steam into tremendous amounts of force.

This video series is the winning project of the Europeana STEM challenge 2019 and was awarded funding for its production.  I’m grateful to the Europeana team for support in creating this series and providing invaluable educational resources.
 

Table of Contents:
1:54 Exploring the traction engine.
4:30 What is high pressure steam and how is it generated?
6:51 Just how much force is in a steam engine?
8:04 Let's think about the impact of steam engines.

Twitter: @teddytablante
Made by Teddy Tablante

Background Understanding:
Steam, Boiling Water, Particles

Branches to:
Newcomen Steam Engine. Understanding Air. Temperature

Animation built using Blender 2.79b
Post with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects
Sound editing with Reaper

Engineering: a steam engine. Lithograph 1852 - Wellcome Collection

Ma Robert, D. Livingstone's steam boat on which he explored the River Zambezi. Lithograph by T. Picken after S. Walters, 1858 - Wellcome Collection

(ca) 27 - Sociedad Anónima Grober.-Fábrica de Gerona. Telares mecánicos con Jacquard, para la fabricación de galones, agremanes, etc. - (ca) Desconegut. Ajuntament de Girona -

A steam-driven carriage with passengers passes through the streets of a village as bystanders watch its progress. Coloured process print after Pyall after G. Morton - Wellcome Collection

An express locomotive in a railway line. Colour lithograph - Wellcome Collection

Engineering: a steam traction engine, and a stationary steam engine. Engraving c.1861 -Wellcome Collection

Lokomotiv No 95, tillverkat vid Pittsburgh Locomotive Works."The heaviest and most powerful locomotive in the world", oktober 1898 - Okänd. Tekniska museet -

traction engine from "The Traveller's Album and Hotel Guide: containing views of places and buildings of historical and general interest, with descriptive letterpress; an account of the principal railways out of London, etc" - The British Library

traction engine from "The Traveller's Album and Hotel Guide: containing views of places and buildings of historical and general interest, with descriptive letterpress; an account of the principal railways out of London, etc" - The British Library

Portrait of The Honourable Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691), Irish natural philosopher - Wellcome Collection

Portrait of Louis-Joseph Gay-Lussac [1778 - 1850] chemist - Wellcome Collection
Work Cited:
 Wikipedia contributors. "History of the Steam Engine." "James Watt." "Thomas Newcomen." "Steam." "Steam Engine." "Thomas Savery." "Traction Engine."  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Visited September, 2019

#HowDoes #SteamEngine #Train

[Jamesaepp]

These models are amazing. Props to the animator(s).

[wish]

I'm in 7th grade and working on the steam engine timeline and how it worked. This helped me so much and you deserve more credit than is given!

[philbiehl]

I found it interesting and well done. Being an engineer, though, I want more detail! There are so many components to a late model locomotive and I want to know about them all!

[harrimanfox]

What you have shown is a *Portable Engine*, not a traction engine. The main difference is that a portable engine lacks a drivetrain, so it is not self propelled. They were moved by horses to wherever they where needed. Traction engines came later when portable engines were modified or redesigned with steering systems, fuel and water storage, operator's platforms, and most importantly, a drivetrain to the rear wheels.

[shadeyrymer]

2:16 This is not a traction engine. it is a portable engine used for powering machinery using a belt off of the flywheel. it does not have the driving gear to move itself. they have a drawbar hitch on the front that is hitched to a traction engine to move it. And as for the steam being trapped inside the boiler, every steam powered machine has to have a safety mechanism on it. on a boiler is a safety valve witch will open at the maximum safe working pressure releasing excess steam so it does not put the boiler under strain and risk it having an explosion.

[MrMattumbo]

I think more than anything those people were thinking: "Holy shit this thing is fucking loud!"
"What did you say?"
"I SAID ITS FUCKING LOUD!!"

[jonka]

Well explained. Without wanting to sound negative these types of engines were only a few percent efficient. Most of the energy was lost as heat and only a part of the potential energy in the steam was converted into work. Having said that-- These must be the most exciting and inspiring engines ever devised.

[A______B]

In your next videos related to engines, please do include how the valves/ports are timed.

[kccvh]

The principle on which the steam engine operates is so simple a child of seven or eight years can grasp it readily. The details of making it work reliably, with a tolerable maintenance burden and with slightly better than dismal efficiency filled the careers of mechanical engineers for a century.

[GuruDesaPelosok]

yesterday I searched for this, finally you uploaded with a concept that is so good. thank you for the new knowledge that you have shared

[combatboots]

This is fascinating. The principles are probably somewhat similar to how our cars operate today, only using combustion instead of steam. Its all very interesting.

[cristiano]

I was directed to your channel from google when I searched how does a screen touch works.
And now I love your channel.

[shrinidhi]

Excellent video for Automobile and Mechanical Engineers

[jackwitty-tdhi]

Thank you so much! For the longest time I’ve been trying to make a compressed air engine out of Lego and this video is the reason I was able to do so! It showed me how important a flywheel is and that is the one thing my invention lacked. Again thank you!

[PRATHIJaga]

I am hoping ....this channel reach in 1M subscriber quickly

[anatablantenunes]

Very instructive. my 5 year old is fascinated by this!

[tylergreen]

4:21 that engine is a hudson, a 1920s - 1940s era design. yet the 19th century headlight and diamond stack make it look NICE!

[ymma]

Thank you for teaching about these engine design in such a creative way. Now I actually know how Thermodynamics was discovered and used. Wish these concepts were taught in School as well

[AbhishekKumar-griz]

i got so emotiional thinking that humans saw steam and decided to investigate its power and eventually use it to turn a wheel and ride a carriage. This is OG science moment. i love it

[TheWizardGamez]

the end of the vid was a little preachy, but rest of the video was Grade A+ content