Marine steam engines and boilers

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

the more details the better

​

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

finally the last of the gothic engine details

​

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

The nest step for the frame is to create a 3D model of it

 

[donfarr]

THIS I WANT TO SEE BADLY,as you well know. Don

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

THIS I WANT TO SEE BADLY,as you well know. Don

you and me both amen

There is a massive amount of CAD work to create this X section with the engine so I am getting help with the 3D work to move things along.

My problem is I am not a steam engineer so understanding the plans is quite the task and knowing what each part is and where it goes is difficult.

the plan is to create the parts and build a 3D model once I have the model then I can show it to others who might know. Steam is a huge hobby with members all over the world

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

the plans show P blocks that look like this

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

the Henry Ford collection has a few steam engines so exactly what is a P block and what do they look like

the P stands for pillow so a P block is a cast casing with a brass inset for the end of a shaft to rest in. They look like 2 separate pieces the bottom and a cap which blots to the bottom. My guess is so the brass inserts can be replaced from time to time.

it might seem this is going a little overboard with the details but the devil is in the details right?

​

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

still busy with CAD drawing this gothic steam engine for a cross section of the Mississippi

I finished the main frame and a part called the condenser. I have no idea how this goes together or how it works. This type of engine was used in Europe but not in north America so getting information is difficult. I do know it goes in the blue area and that's about it for now.

I think I might of bit off more than I can chew with doing a 3D model of the engine. I can draw it but it would be a struggle doing the 3D model and even harder trying to figure out how it goes together.

my thought is to do all the CAD drawings then do the pieces and parts as 3D models and try to fit it all together.



here is the main drawing of the condenser



and here is a group of closeup images of the parts

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

one huge problem with this X section kit to include the steam engine is a WHAT IS IT? and where does it go?

here is the full plan titled safety valve



breaking into higher res sections

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

quick up date I finished the cylinder and condenser and place them into the frame structure the black parts

this is a long slow process but moving forward

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

they all operate the same

here is the cylinder all steam engines have one the shape will vary but they all operate the same. So lets look at cylinders

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

next step in the cylinder for this engine is to look at the original drawings

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

the original drawings are dated 1839 and are distorted and ripped so by taking the measurements from the originals they are redrawn in CAD

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

a steam cylinder is the same as a cylinder in a gas car engine except it is steam that pushes the piston up and down



for a X section of the Mississippi engine room all the interior parts are not needed because it is just a dummy model. BUT for model engineers then all the parts need to be drawn and the engine built to operate under compresses air.

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

and now for a sneak peek at the 3D modeling of the frame of the steam engine.

I think the future of ship modeling is to have 3D instructions with all the 3D parts, where they go in the model and how everything fits together. also a 3D model the builder can look at from any angle.

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

my old lap top gave up the ghost and it now dead so I had to replace it I noticed now windows has a 3D view program which is great because any model builder can view a STL file and look at a model from any point of view. This is a giant step in modeling.

 

[donfarr]

As you know Dave I have been a proponet forquite some time YES THIS IS THE FUTRE OF SHIP MODEL BUILDING WILL BRING IN MANY NEW MEMBERS YOUGER ONES THAT KNOW HOW TO USE THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, go for it Dave, we have had this discussion for over a year now. Don

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

here is a look at a 3D model of a gothic style steam engine

these were done with a program called fusion 360 there is a free trial download and free use to hobby users. I have been working with the program for the last couple weeks just to try it out. This is NOT my work but an example of what 3D modeling and 3d printing can add to our hobby.

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

up date on more details added to the engine frame this is where we were




and this is where we are with more details, the engine parts will be refined with more and more details and in time the final assembly

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

when the engine has been modeled then it will be time to move on and build a cross section of the hull first as a 3D model then as a build.

when the prototype is finished then it will become an available builders project for anyone wanting to give it a go.