Industrial Revolution Steam Engine D133
The steam engine was one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Steam engines were used in all sorts of application including
mines
locomotives
Factories
steamboats
How does the steam engine work
Steam engines use hot steam from boiling water to drive a piston (or pistons) back and forth
The movement of the piston was then used to power a machine or turn a wheel
To create the steam, most steam engines heated the water by burning coal
Why was it important?
The steam engine helped to power the Industrial Revolution
Before steam power, most factories and mills were powered by
Wind
Horse
Water
Man
Water was a good source of power, but factories had to be located near a river
Both water and wind power could be unreliable as sometimes rivers could dry up during a drought or freeze during the minter and wind didn't always blow
Steam power allowed for factories to be located anywhere
It also provided reliable power and could be used to power large machines
Who invented the steam engine?
One of the first steam engines was invented by Thomas
Savery in 1698
It wasn't very useful, but other inventors made improvements over times
The first useful steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712
^^ The Newcomen engines were used to pump water out of mines
Steam power really took off with improvements made by James Watt in 1778
The Watt steam engines improved the efficiency of steam engines considerably
His engines could be smaller and use less coal
By the early 1800's Watt steam engines were used in factories throughout England