Cycloidal Engine, circa 1805
Add to SetSummary
Inventors tried a variety of different designs for steam engines after James Watt's patents expired in 1800. The builders of this engine developed a clever system of gears to turn the engine's up and down motion into the rotary motion. The complex planetary or cycloidal gearing eliminated the great beam used by Watt and others, and produced a compact engine.
Inventors tried a variety of different designs for steam engines after James Watt's patents expired in 1800. The builders of this engine developed a clever system of gears to turn the engine's up and down motion into the rotary motion. The complex planetary or cycloidal gearing eliminated the great beam used by Watt and others, and produced a compact engine.
Artifact
Steam engine (Engine)
Date Made
circa 1805
Creators
Place of Creation
United Kingdom, England, Stourbridge
Creator Notes
Probably made by Bradley's Foundry in Stourbridge, England based on a Fenton, Murray & Wood manufactured engine designed by Matthew Murray.
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Made in America
Object ID
32.609.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Iron (Metal)
Brass (Alloy)
Dimensions
Width: 6.5 ft
Diameter: 9 in (Bore)
Length: 9.917 ft
Height: 10 ft
Length: 24 in (Stroke)
Inscriptions
Metal tag: BONDED BY US CUSTOMS / DETROIT ENTRY 01089 / -SEPT. 16, 1932- / EDISON INSTITUTE / -ITEM "A"- / SERIAL NO. 1
Specifications
Bore: 9 inches
Stroke: 24 inches
Speed: 40 revolutions per minute estimated
Horsepower: 4 estimated
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