Explosive steam engines
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4. Beam connnects to a second rod, which drives the gear wheel.
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he stea an essenm engine played Industria tial role in the l of peopleRevolution. Million s countrys moved from the ide to wo rk in city fact ories.
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The power of steam was first used to pump water out of mines, but the clunky engines tended to explode. Englishman Thomas Newcomen invented a more successful version in 1712, but it was still very inefficient. In the 1770s, Scottish inventor James Watt improved the invention and made it much more efficient.
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5. Heavy flywheel prevents the engine from getting stuck at the top or the bottom of each up-and-down cycle.
3. Piston rod moves up and down, pushing on one end of a beam.
6. Gear wheel turns up-and-down motion into rotational motion, which can drive machinery.
2. Cylinder contains a piston, which is pushed up and down by the steam, and pushes on the piston rod.
1. Tube allows steam from heated water into the engine’s cylinder.
Steam engine The DRIVING FORCE behind the machines that powered the Industrial Revolution Moving machines
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Watt steamed ahead, continually improving his engine. It was used to pump water into canals and out of mines, drive bellows in ironworks, and power machiNes in textile mills. This rapid growth of industry was called the Industrial Revolution.
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