Author Topic: Wood cladding of cylinders.  (Read 9379 times)

Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2016, 04:11:44 PM »
Historical Accuracy.
Was wooden cleading used on marine steam engines in the 1860 period?

Jerry,
I checked my book on the CSS Alabama and it stated that the cylinders were covered in felt then cased in wood for insulation. This was a back acting engine also known as a return crank engine used in the Civil War.

Dan
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Offline Captain Jerry

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #16 on: December 14, 2016, 02:10:05 AM »
Historical Accuracy.
Was wooden cleading used on marine steam engines in the 1860 period?

Jerry,
I checked my book on the CSS Alabama and it stated that the cylinders were covered in felt then cased in wood for insulation. This was a back acting engine also known as a return crank engine used in the Civil War.

Dan

Thanks, Dan.  I suspected that the Monitor engine would be insulated with wood for all the usual reasons of heat retention for efficiency plus the fact that the engine room of the Monitor was much smaller than other ships of its era which was the main reason for the unusual configuration of the engine.  Low head room, low center of gravity, narrow beam, all demand a compact power plant.  I am not surprised that after more than 100 years on the ocean floor none of the wooden cladding remained but I don't know of any other reason for the prominent ridge around both ends of the cylinder than to provide support for cladding.
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Online Jasonb

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #17 on: December 14, 2016, 07:34:34 AM »
If you did not have the prominent edge at the ends of the cylinder you would need a much thicker cylinder wall to give the studs something to screw into and it also gives a greater surface area for gaskets. You see it on ones with decorative mouldings around the cylinder too which had no cleading.

As mentioned above felt and other materials would have provided better insulation than wood and could have been covered in "blue iron" cleading which would be a lot thinner than wood so the theory about a tight engine room would not be the reason for wood.

Offline Captain Jerry

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #18 on: December 14, 2016, 01:11:04 PM »
If you did not have the prominent edge at the ends of the cylinder you would need a much thicker cylinder wall to give the studs something to screw into and it also gives a greater surface area for gaskets. You see it on ones with decorative mouldings around the cylinder too which had no cleading.

As mentioned above felt and other materials would have provided better insulation than wood and could have been covered in "blue iron" cleading which would be a lot thinner than wood so the theory about a tight engine room would not be the reason for wood.

Jason- You may be right. I am just thinking out loud to put off doing something productive.  My thought about close quarters was not  concern for a few inches of clearance but had to do more with the effect of radiated heat and contact with the crew during lube and maintenance duties. By "blue iron" I guess you mean thin rolled sheet steel. Was that available in the 1860 period and would it not be less comfortable when in contact with crew?  "Blue iron" may not outlast a 100 year sea water environment any better than wood but that is just another question?  And of course felt and other materials provide insulation but still must be covered.

Wood may have been used rather than sheet metal cleading for reasons of expediency as well.  This ship was built on a very tight schedule of about 100 days.  Sheet iron would need to be designed and ordered and I would think that drawings would exist if that were the case while felt and wood might be handled with a one line specification "Cover with insulation".

But it seem more likely than not that the cylinder was covered, doesn't it?
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Offline Jo

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #19 on: December 14, 2016, 03:49:43 PM »
This guy seems to have put a lot of research into his monitor model: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?949949-The-1-16-Scale-Steam-Engine-of-the-U-S-S-Monitor & http://www.stationarysteam.com/monitor.html - lots of detail there.

Jo
« Last Edit: December 14, 2016, 03:54:49 PM by Jo »
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Offline 10KPete

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #20 on: December 14, 2016, 04:12:09 PM »
This guy seems to have put a lot of research into his monitor model: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?949949-The-1-16-Scale-Steam-Engine-of-the-U-S-S-Monitor & http://www.stationarysteam.com/monitor.html - lots of detail there.

Jo

That model Rich built was the first I'd seen and was done specifically to be an exact model. A truly beautiful piece of work!

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Online Jasonb

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #21 on: December 14, 2016, 04:42:11 PM »
Sheet iron would need to be designed and ordered and I would think that drawings would exist if that were the case while felt and wood might be handled with a one line specification "Cover with insulation".

But it seem more likely than not that the cylinder was covered, doesn't it?

The Blue iron also sometimes called Russian Steel is just a blued steel/wrought iton sheet and would only have needed cutting to template which is quick and easy to do.

You see it on many engines, virtually all Loco's have it as you don't see them with wood cleading, same with traction engines and a lot of stationary engines too but as you say being so thin it is one of the first things to rust away bit like this

http://prestonservices.co.uk/item/a-g-mumford-steam-yacht-type/

Definately likely that the cylinders were insulated and then covered with the cleading these are two separate items

Offline Jo

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #22 on: December 14, 2016, 05:50:11 PM »
virtually all Loco's have it as you don't see them with wood cleading,

Mobile Beam engines have it  ;D

Jo
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Online Jasonb

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #23 on: December 14, 2016, 06:27:03 PM »
We are talking cylinder cleading not boiler cleading :ShakeHead: and I did say Virtually all

Now you will tell me the cylinder is in the boiler on that one so that counts ;)

Offline Roger B

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Re: Wood cladding of cylinders.
« Reply #24 on: December 14, 2016, 09:44:08 PM »
 :) :) :) :)  :ThumbsUp:  :wine1:
Best regards

Roger

 

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