Open Source Ecology Forums

dorkmo

heyo

mark and i we're talking about steam valves a while back and i recently had enough time to play around with solenoids.

heres a video of it sorta working. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM5PN2ndHwA you can mute it, its kinda loud.

not really sure if it will be able to hold back however much pressure we're going to be using but im just going with it like it might.

based on the parts i used im starting to refresh the multi cylinder sketchup drawing to have accurate measurements and such.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=cd0e0e42e34813a0b38804396e417a9b

gota do the shaft and pistons and stuff still, but i thought if anyone wanted to play around with ideas or take it a different direction or what not i'd offer up the model i have so far.

here sorta the wiki page where im compiling some info: http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/User:Dorkmo/Ideas/Steamvalves

take care

mjn

It looks encouraging. I had a bit of difficulty with assessing the scale of the solenoid. It looks to me like it's 8" high or so. I suspect the size of the solenoid is determined because of the power needed to hold the valve shut against steam pressures (100 psi or more).

It also looks to me like the valve is closed when you are completing the circuit. That means that you need to apply power when you are not letting steam through. I would think that the reverse would be better: apply power to open the valve. Any idea how much pressure is exerted when the solenoid is energized? Also, duty cycle (time to open to closed to open) matters since the engine will require many cycles a minute.

A great start, however.

- Mark

dorkmo

the valve parts are about a bit more than 3" tall in my test thingy. the coil its self is a little less than 1" tall 1" diameter. with a 3/8" bolt. im planning on putting it inside a 1-1/4" pipe tee fitting so steam can come in fron the side. im guna hook up an air hose and see how much it will hold sometime soon. i put a spring to push it out but it could be removed. if the coil is too weak i might make it longer, then maybe add a short nipple to the tee to make room. i am worried how much energy is required to hold it, since the end goal is net positive of course.

the coil only pulls, not really sure how that works. i originally was designing for a push to open but had to reverse it.

hopefully ill get some more data from that pressure test soon.

FalsePolitics

great work. forgive me, i am a total newb. I was just thinking, is there a way to put in a dumb or automatic redundant fail safe? say if power is lost?

Edit: ok springs would work.

dorkmo

ive sorta run into a hurdle. for the shaft i drew it like it was all to be welded as one piece, but that means u cant put a pillow block bearing in the middle. is there a split bearing or something? is it running to fast for that? is there a way to have it coupled or disasembled at some point while keeping it strong?

DavidIAm

two-half simple bearings are pretty common. They're not ball bearings, they require continuous lubrication, but they come in halves and fit around the shaft. They're used in engines as the crankshaft bearings, and the rod bearings, for instance.

ChuckH

What about a hydraulically-operated poppet valve? And while we're talking about steam engines, I just added this item on the wiki: http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Steam_Engine_Design/Suggestions#Crankless_.28Free_Piston.29_Hydraulic

dorkmo

how does this one sound:

http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Gear-Mounted-Pillow-Bearing/dp/B004NEWHSM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318646684&sr=8-2

page 215: http://www.bostongear.com/litportal/pdfs/P-1930-BGlo.pdf

dorkmo

i updated the 3d warehouse model. i put one of those boston ones in the middle and these on the outside: http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=0438278&ucst=t

they had the same height to the center of the shaft. to make it easy but it could be different.

i noticed that boston one doesnt have shells or what ever, how bad is that, do we know?

im trying to hunt down a machine screw that is a little bit longer then i should be able to test the solenoid's holding pressure.

dorkmo

what do you guys think about using all thread and a big washer with a rubber washer on top for a seal?

heres a website with some different types of rubbers http://www.adrubber.com/materials.html

Metz

what about a turbine made with parts cut on the torch table?

dorkmo

im for turbines. i just dont know where we'd begin :(

would it all be welded together?

could we cut a form to help align everything?

how precise does it all need to be?

could we look up some old patents or something for reference?

DavidIAm

http://dogpawz.com/tesla/1061206.html

mjn

> what do you guys think about using all thread and a big washer with a rubber washer on top for a seal?

This solution goes all the way back to the Age of Steam. It did work, though it requires careful packing and some break-in. The thread (or string) was often coated with graphite to improve lubrication.

- Mark

PulseFuelNerd

For a steam directly to hydraulic - i thought of this.

Avoids a lot of conversions - pretty simple approach, if it stands up to review.

See attached

I look forward to your replies- pros, cons, opinions, thoughts, insights, etc

dorkmo

i like it! how does that rotating valve work? what would the fabrication process be like?

you should upload your pdf to the wiki and link to it in the steam research page.

PulseFuelNerd

OSE Wiki page here:

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Steam_Powered_Hydraulic_Pump

I will be adding detail images as they roll out.

The Steam Engine - Head Assembly is modular - other methods and designs can be bolted on - so if you have a design/concept, let's see it.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Tagged

Open Source Ecology Forums