Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1875 — Substitutes for Steam. [ARTICLE]

Substitutes for Steam.

It Is known that the expansion of liquids by heat takes place with such force that practically it may be considered irresistible, while vapors being elastic any resistance causes compression; it is true that the expansion of a liquid into a vapor causes an expansion many hundred times equal to the volume of the liquid, and that the expansion of the liquid itself by heat is very small; but in compensation for this the force developed is enormous. This is now being applied to develop power, and experiments made in London in which either oil or glycerin is made to perform the functions of steam by the same means—the application of heat—have excited no small interest. The heat expanding the oil placed in small cylinders, a pressure of 10,000 pounds per square inch may be obtained without the danger of steam explosions, which latter prevents the use of a pressure more than 200 pounds to the square inch generally. In this instance an explosion would only crack the cylinder containing the oil. The application of this process appears, from the accounts published, to have been successfully made to the printing-press and to machines for riveting and punching, and it is alleged that the variety of uses of which it is susceptible will be found very great. It is known that the rapid motion of a steam-piston may, by gearing and belting, be made to produce a very slow but powerful motion over a very small space, able to punch and cut iron plates otherwise requiring tons of pressure to penetrate, and it is equally evident that this operation may be inverted, and that it slow and very powerful motion over a small space (as obtained during the expansion of liquids by heat) may, by gearing and belting, be made to produce as rapid a motion as is obtained by any steam-engine.—Manu-facturer and Builder.