How are steam engines powered?

Question

okay, the titanic was built with 29 boilers (24 double ended and 5 single ended), 8 engines, (2 reciprocating, 4 cylinder) and 3 propellers. how does throwing coal into a fire (boiler) power the engine, which would turn the propellers.

Answer 1

­Steam engines were the very first engines of any kind. They were first invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1705. However, it was James Watt that made the big improvements to steam engines in 1769 and started people (inventors like Robert Fulton - thinking on the possibility of using these engines to power boats.)

Steam engines originally were very large and used exclusively on land to power such things as mill wheels... Their first practical use in transportation was in steam boats, and then in steam locomotives.

Throwing the coal into a firebox in and of itself did nothing to power the engine.  The burning wood or coal was the "fuel" used to heat a vast container of water... (much in the same way you would heat the water in a tea pot on the stove).  On a steam engine, with the clever use of some "check values" this steam is allowed to "collect" at one end of a "cylinder until enough pressure had built up to force a piston to move from one end of the cylinder to the other. At that point, the piston itself triggered the opening and closing of the check values which redirected the steam onto the other side of the piston... again, until enough pressure built up to drive it back down to the other end of the cylinder.  And although the wood or coal was the fuel, the water also had to be added due to its loss through the steam exhaust. (Remember the old west movies where the train stops to take on more water?)

It is the steam "exahust" excaping that explains that all to familiar "choo-choo" sound associated with trains.  When the valve opens the cylinder to release its steam exhaust, the steam escapes under a great deal of pressure and makes a "choo!" sound as it exits.

A very good example of this is animated on the following link.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/steam1....

Answer 2

For simplicity, have a look at : http://www.royuk.co.uk/steam_engines.htm

Scroll down and you will find a couple of videos that you might find useful.

Answer 3

The fire heats the water releasing steam. The steam drives a piston which converts the movement into mechanical energy.

Its called an external combustion engine.

Answer 4

Benjamin has your answer.

Fire creates heat, heat creates steam, steam powers pistons, pistons drive the props.

Answer 5

when when the coal burns there is smoke/steam released. the smoke/steam rises and spins a turbine, then out the top. the turbine creats power and the power is divided and whala u get power to turn propellers

Answer 6

Boiler creates heat which then turns water into steam. Steam has a lot of energy. In the case of the titanic the steam is used to drive the steam engine which is connected to the shaft. So when the pistons are moving up and down it rotates the shaft and turns the prop. Other ships use the steam to drive a turbine which is connected to the shaft after a series of reduction gears.

Edit: Smoke does not turn anything only steam