Author Topic: A Simple Uniflow Engine  (Read 45805 times)

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #375 on: March 30, 2021, 12:10:04 AM »
 :ThumbsUp:

Offline propforward

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #376 on: March 30, 2021, 01:43:09 AM »
Good work Gary.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #377 on: March 30, 2021, 03:21:16 PM »
Cheers Stuart!

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Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #378 on: April 05, 2021, 10:05:49 PM »
And now for a shameless, off-topic diversion.

Easter holidays, and time for the annual Spring cleanup of the back yard in preparation for the warmer weather ahead (so a slight hiatus in the engine build). As long time outdoor cooking enthusiasts, this year we treated ourselves to one of these:



It's an interesting bit of kit - it works on the rocket stove principle of extracting maximum energy from a small amount of wood in the form of long, thin sticks which are gradually fed into the two small combustion chambers. It is able to do this because of the phenomenal updraught created by the ten foot tall chimney. However, it's a bit of a hybrid because under the hob that you can see (behind the lettering) there is a shallow hollow chamber through which the flame and hot gases pass en route to the chimney, and this is where the hob - especially the two hotplates - gets its heat from. It's great for cooking with a wok, or a cast iron frying pan or a griddle, etc. The hotplates are adequate for most ordinary stove-top cooking, but for a stronger jag of heat you can take the hotplate lid off and sit your pan directly on the open flame.



Why am I telling you this?

Because when the hotplate lids are removed, these burners deliver a serious amount of heat out of a very small amount of fuel. And because the hole that you can see in the photo above is 7 inches in diameter. And because I have a piece of 8 inch diameter steel pipe (with a nice thick wall) which I bought a while back specifically to build a boiler with 'one day'. So I'm thinking that this may be an eco-friendly and cheap way to run an eight inch boiler capable of powering the uniflow and other larger engines. I'm thinking rolled-in copper tubes here...

More of this further down the line. But before that, I have another boiler solution in the pipeline. More of that further down the line too...

:)

Offline propforward

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #379 on: April 05, 2021, 10:36:21 PM »
Two things Gary.

First - as I was reading your description I was thinking "this must surely be the basis of some new boiler". :D

Second - I like engines, but I also like eating. Inquiring minds want to know - what is the first gourmet treat off this apparatus?

Probably wouldn't take too long to get a tin of Beanz up to temp.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Online crueby

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #380 on: April 05, 2021, 11:00:57 PM »
Should be great for a boiler, but imagine the size of the Sterling engine that thing would power! Quite an interesting little stove, a long way ahead of the giant cast iron beasts of olde.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #381 on: April 05, 2021, 11:30:40 PM »
@ Stuart: it was stir-fried noodles with onions, mushrooms, peppers and prawns with soya sauce... and local pork sausages.  :-)

@ Chris - yes. I've never seen one quite like it, but as soon as I saw them online it was a short step to 'I have to have one of these...'.

If it will run a boiler too, then even better, and I see no reason why it shouldn't. In due course, when I finally get round to building one...

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #382 on: April 10, 2021, 11:58:42 PM »
Two spacers were turned from cast iron. These go on the crankshaft immediately outboard of the bearing on each side of the engine. The purpose of these is to keep the flywheel on one side and the pulley on the other from fouling the heads of the screws which hold the bearings together, while at the same time reducing lateral play in the crankshaft:







Next, a small bronze collar was made to prevent lateral play in the crosshead pin (the pin having been made from a stainless steel cap head bolt). I had made a collar previously, but somehow managed to lose it. However, it wasn't a big job to make another one:





Next, I cut a groove in one of the brass pulleys. These were originally intended to be twin flywheels but they turned out to be too small and light:





This will be a light duty pulley which will run a small round-section belt, potentially to turn a small driven pulley very quickly. The aluminium pulley beside it will run a small flat belt which I have already purchased from PM research.

Next, the developing engine was dismantled (again...) ...



... and the two frame sides were bolted together for shaping by chain drilling and sanding of the edges, and so that most of the remaining 'functional' (as opposed to decorative) holes can be drilled in them:



But not this day...


Online crueby

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #383 on: April 11, 2021, 12:28:03 AM »


.... I had made a collar previously, but somehow managed to lose it.




Uh oh... Sure sign of a shop gnome infestation, stealing nice shiny parts for thier hoard.  Better put out some cookies as bribes and see if you can covert them to helpful shop elves. Or bait a mousetrap with chrome bearings!
 :Lol:

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #384 on: April 11, 2021, 12:32:34 AM »
Yeah, I was thinking that may be the problem.

Mousetrap with chrome bearings... I like that.

Would you recommend the trap be humane or 'traditional'...?

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #385 on: April 11, 2021, 10:40:38 PM »
More irrelevance to start with but I couldn't resist it. Last year I found an old sack barrow in a skip. I dragged it home on the off-chance that the tyres may not be punctured and that it may be worth rehabilitating, and shoved it behind the shed where it made me feel guilty for months. Finally, last week, I got round to lugging it out and checking it over. Punctured tyres, rusty frame, not worth keeping. So off to the tip it went, apart from the wheels:



These are of pressed steel, in two halves bolted together, and when separated the tyres came off easily. Cleaned up, re-bushed and repainted, I reckon they will form the basis of a couple of nice little flat belt pulleys for some countershaft or other connected to my lineshaft project in France one day in about 1000 years time...

Meanwhile, back to the engine. After drilling the remaining holes for the frame cross-braces, I started chain-drilling a rough outline of the shape of the finished frame in the two frame sides (which were bolted together):



I know it's common practice to overlap the holes but I find that it's easier to keep control if they are slightly separate, even if it means more sawing and profiling later.

That done, the temporary assembly was held in the vice...



... and sawn...



... resulting in this:



Hedgehog engine? Steam-driven chainsaw...?



Next up, the brutal job of smoothing out all these edges...

Offline propforward

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #386 on: April 11, 2021, 11:57:32 PM »
Hmmmm. The drilled edging is an interesting look. If it wasn’t so hazardous to arteries I’d suggest leaving it for that “steampunk” look. But probably best to smooth it out and protect fingers.

That’s a lot of drilling Gary, way to stay the course! Those plates will look great after clean up.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #387 on: April 12, 2021, 12:24:12 AM »
Ah yes Stuart - it did occur to me this afternoon that I could make a deliberately spiky engine.  8)

The chain drilling is the easy bit, though. If I recall from the small oscillator that I made, smoothing out these edges is the worst bit - would take forever with a file; quicker with a belt sander but hot, messy work. Needs must though.

And then there will be 'decorative' holes to drill in the frame sides too...

Offline propforward

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #388 on: April 12, 2021, 12:30:53 AM »
Time for a CNC? :D

The shape of the plates reminds me of a motorcycle fuel tank.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A Simple Uniflow Engine
« Reply #389 on: April 12, 2021, 12:39:02 AM »
Time for a CNC, yes, but no room for one! Not even room for a bandsaw. Not here, anyway.

I have a bit more room in my workshop in France, and have actually started restoring a mill over there which my eventual aim is to convert to CNC. I got as far as buying a new treadmill motor and variable speed controller for it, both of which got soaked when the roof blew off. Haven't yet been able to go over and assess the damage...  ::)

Yeah, I suppose it does look a bit like that now that you mention it. May look a bit less so when I have drilled lots of holes in it though...!

 

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