Description of Cradle Development of Steam Engine through Many Years - Assignment Example

? Society al Affiliation The work herein is about the steam engine, it is a of its cradle development through many years, since its first inception. The work covers the contributions of people credited for the invention through history, and the technological development of the steam engine. As will be described and demonstrated by using various diagrams, the steam engine was one of the first hi-tech inventions in the history of science, and was triggered by the industrial needs of the society. The work was done in parts, that is, each inventor did a bit of the work, and it was thereafter continually improved by the next inventor until the now known steam engine came into being. The invention of the steam engine accelerated industrial revolution in Europe and later the entire world. However, although the intended purpose of this invention was met, there were other side effects due to the invention, and all this will be discussed in this write up. Keywords: Steam Engine, Invention, Science, Society, Inventor, Industrial Revolution, History of Steam Engine The power of steam is given credit for its earlier and current application in the power industry. Long ago, steam power made a lot of difference in industries, it still does. Its history is dated back to the first century. There were a lot of life challenges that required innovations to reduce the human labour and increase production. Miners during the 18th century faced a lot of challenges relating to the mining industry; they had to look for the ways of overcoming these obstacles. Their effort for minimizing challenges led to the introduction of steam energy to pump water from deep mines; this slowly transformed to the fully developed steam engine (“Industrial History: The History of the Steam Engine,” 2013). Before the introduction of steam, power was obtained through wind, animals, and water. The steam engine was the first form of power generated by human beings (“A Brief History of Steam Power,” n.d.). Steam engine invention is not credited to one single individual, every inventor put in some small effort and with time, there was an improvement. One of the important principles used in the development of the steam engine was the principle of condensation of water vapor so that it could create a vacuum. In the steam engine, water and water vapor are the key ingredients, “work is done by the pressure which the substance exerts while its volume is undergoing change” (Ewing, 2013, p. 2). Historical Development of Steam Engines The historic development of the steam engine defines the beginning and the progress of the steam engine invention. It started with the need to have more power to solve the issues that were at hand. First, there was a lot of cold, people wanted to get warmth therefore they had to invent fire, as life went on, there were other developments in the industrial sector, for example for glass makers, there was a lot of firewood to be used in these glass industries, and since there were large forests around, the firewood was to be used to provide heat in the furnaces. As the needs increased, requirements for fuel also increased to meet the requirements of the increasing operations. Coal was then invented; a furnace that generated higher temperatures and used less fuel was invented by Abraham Darby (“A Brief History of Steam Power,” n.d.). Pumps were then needed to drain the coal mines. During the 1600’s, a German scientist called Otto Van Guericke invented the first air pump; this was after his discovery of gas as the third matter. He realized that he could remove air from a glass globe, leaving behind an empty space called a vacuum. Later on, he discovered static electricity and abandoned his work on pumps and vacuums, with this, he was already setting up some pace for the invention of the steam engine, although he had no idea about it. The progress that he had already made was enough for Denis Papin to pick up the idea about a piston and cylinder. His idea was that if air could move a piston and cylinder, then the piston and cylinder could be used to drive air (“A Brief History of Steam Power,” n.d.). Denis Papin also had an idea that he had gained from the beer industry; the idea was that when water is heated, there is a lot of pressure that is generated. With this, he invented a pressure cooker, and he could not advance from there. There came another scientist called Thomas Savery, who was also working with steam pressures. Just like Denis Papin, he found out that when steam is put in a container and left to cool, a space will be left inform of a vacuum. Thomas then used this idea to remove water from the mines as the creation of vacuum could suck water. He was using a machine called miner’s friend. This machine was applying the principle of vacuum creation. Savery achieved more than his predecessor because he was using different boilers; one chamber was used to remove water and the other for condensation. This mechanism came to be limited by height. A black smith by the name Thomas Newcommen had the first practical use of the steam engine, to drive a pump used to remove water from the mines. He named this engine atmospheric engine, because the highest steam pressure that was used was almost similar to atmospheric pressure (Lira, 2013). The main problem with this engine was that it required more energy to drive it; it remained in use for almost 50 years (“Industrial History: The History of the Steam Engine, “2013). James Watt discovered the use of different condensers, which took him close to eleven years before it worked. Another technology that really worked well for Watt was the use of large piston and cylinder; he also gained financial support from Matthew Boulton (Lira, 2013). The principle of operation of his engine was the use of pressure difference; the steam cylinder was hot throughout. Apart from using this engine in the mines, Watt and Boulton took this usefulness to textile industries and mills. During the 1800s, Richard Trevithick invented a more powerful engine that used steam supported by high pressure (“Industrial History: The History of the Steam Engine, “2013). Again, Oliver Evans invented another more powerful engine that used steam to provide power instead of vacuum. By 1839, these power engines were used in railways and boats. In 1880, Charles, A. invented the first steam turbine. Uses of the Steam Engine The steam engine has been described by Lardner (1856) as a piece of mechanism that gives fuel ability to do any form of labor and through this, coal can spin clothing machines, paper industries, make oil from olive, do metal extractions, and smelting. During the 18th century, steam engines were used for reciprocating pumps and in the late 18th century, advancements had been made and it could now be used in driving factory machinery. As the centuries evolved by, steam engines were put in the task of powering sea and land transport systems; they were used to provide power for cranes in shipping and in construction industries. According to Kras, “even lawn mowers became powered by steam” (2003, p. 19). The inventions made by James Watt saw the use of steam engines in locomotives, for example in railway transport and tractor engines. The engines invented by Watt could be located anywhere, as long as there was water and a source of energy (coal or firewood). Steam engines are the reason behind the industrial revolution, and the wide spread use of moving machineries in industries and the agricultural sector. Steam engines that provide low power are used to power specific power models. Today, steam turbines are used to generate electric power in countries like United States. Other uses of steam engine are in space rocket, in the military, as well as in tracked and wheeled steam tanks. Social Impact Population growth: The social effects of the steam engine were felt in the zones that used the invented device. Moore (2013) reports that between the year 1750 and 1850, there was rapid population growth, which in fact had tripled in England, as well as in Ireland. The most affected regions were those surrounding industrialized cities such as Liverpool. As the population increased, it resulted in other social effects such as lack of housing. The region became densely populated and prompted expansion of living regions. Initially, it was a working distance to the work place, but as houses increased, there was a need for a transport system. Class system: At the industries, there was difference in the wage structure. Employees were given very low salaries; this prompted them to work with the entire family in the factory, so as to increase the income. This situation put them in desperate positions, as compared to those whose salaries were higher, especially the owners of the factories, who were then referred to as cotton lords and despised the rest referring them to as lazy; they believed that by employing the poor, they were doing them favor (Moore, 2013). Family breakdown: Traditional families in the rural regions suffered a lot; young generations left their rural homeland in search of employment in the urban industrialized regions. Moore further adds that more children were born out of wedlock and family lives suffered severely. Improved living standards: The invention of steam engine did not have negative effects alone, since there were also a lot of positives. Those who were able to secure employment were able to benefit; as their living standards improved, they could access social amenities and better food. Their children could access better education and there was improved sanitation. Increase in production: Right away from the first steam engines that were invented during the mining era, the mining process improved; the water problem that had slowed the mining process was eliminated. As the industries for example millers and textile industries adopted the use of steam engines, their production rate escalated. Intended and Non Intended Effects of the Steam Engine The main aim of the steam engine invention was to solve the needs at hand and the issue of human labor, as well as to meet the growing industrial demand. However, many effects came along with this invention. For example, impacts on the economy, environment, and the human society. There was an increase in labor productivity, which enhanced industrial production and trade. Effects on Human Society The negative impacts of the steam engine on the human society can be viewed from the way in which women and children were handled. They had to work for long hours and given low pay; they were made very desperate, thus failing to acquire basic services like water. Before the emergence of the steam engine and subsequent industrial revolution, people used to work in the farms, where the place of work and living region were together. Therefore, the families could be together. There was sharing of duties between men and women; however, in the industrialized world, there was separate living and work place. The roles played by men and women were also separated (Butler, 2007). In some instances, men went to work, while women and children remained at home or all could be working, but in different places. This pulled families apart; further isolation resulted when others transferred to urban centers. Reduction of life expectancy: Another effect of the steam engine was the reduction of life expectancy. Earlier before the introduction of such machinery, life was not so much sophisticated. However, this new technology reduced the life expectancy rate depending on the social class. As projected in 1900, life expectancy had dropped to 45 years (Butler, 2007). Apart from the negative effects, the intended targets of the steam engine were also achieved. There were better living conditions, improvement in sanitation, medical services became readily available, and education services improved. Environmental Effects Clearing of forests: The steam engine required fuel for heating water to produce steam. To provide this heat, firewood was required and the advantage was that the region was covered with forest; therefore forests were cleared to provide firewood. Another reason that prompted the clearing of the forests was the need for farming activities and settlement for the growing population (Young, 2005). Steam engines also improved industrial processing like paper millers; this therefore enhanced the destruction of forests. Environmental pollution: This resulted from the invention of steam engines and subsequent invention of locomotive engines used in railway transport. The locomotive engine was associated with emission of poisonous gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide, and sulphur dioxide that were all associated with coal. Apart from railway emissions, other regions of environmental pollution as a result of steam engine are; industries, ships, and aviation. Currently, there have been great efforts to reduce this pollution. Economic Impact The main aim of inventors was to see that human labour was reduced and replaced by machines, therefore increasing industrial production. This was achieved and industries grew rapidly prompting for the need of improved transportation. The improved transport system was able to enhance trade and people could make more money. General Understanding of Steam Engines The invention of the steam engine is a reflection that a small idea can develop and do great things, Kevin Froca calls it “little engine that does big things”, as he describes the developments of locomotives (Frasca, n.d.). When trains, cars, industries, and even airplanes move by, what flushes in one’s mind are the engines, therefore steam technology has added a major ingredient to the current technology and innovations. Steam engine technology spread from England to other nations. For example in 1829, the first locomotive steam engine landed in America, the diagram is shown in fig 1. Fig.1 shows the first steam engine locomotive to land in America. Adapted from “America’s First Steam Engine Article,” by Frasca, K., n.d. Adapted with permission. Through the study of steam engines, history shows that it was a slow but steady process that took many years and many men to invent. Their invention was mainly driven by the demands at hand and in every step there was improvement in the work that had been done before. This invention is credited to many scientists, although many see the invention of the steam engine as a work done by James Watt. The steam engine just as any other engineering device undergoes improvements, since technology is dynamic. Therefore, crediting one single individual is unfair. The steam engines works with the concept of thermodynamic process mainly described as the Cornet cycle. It is a process involving gas expansion, compression, and cooling (Frasca, n.d.). The hot steam from the boiler is made to expand through pressure. Heat generated is converted to energy. The following diagram shows how the steam engine functions Fig.2 The diagram shows parts of steam engine developed by Newcomen and was used to draw water. Adapted from Kras, 2003, p. 23. Fig.3 Adapted from Ewing, 2013, p. 8. Fig.4 showing the structure of the steam engine. Adapted from “America’s First Steam Engine Article,” by Frasca, K., n.d. Adapted with permission. References A Brief History of Steam Power. (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://johno.myiglou.com/SteamHistory.htm Butler, C. (2007). The Social Impact of Industrialization. Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/eme/17/fc113 Ewing, J. A. (2013). The Steam Engine and other Heat-Engines. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Frasca, K. (n.d.). America’s First Steam Engine Article. Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.personal.psu.edu/jun3/blogs/pa_center_for_the_book_workshop/americas-first-steam-engine/americas-first-steam-engine-article.html Industrial History: The History of the Steam Engine. (2013). Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/custom-manufacturing-fabricating/steam-engine-history Kras, S. L. (2003). The Steam Engine. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. Lardner, D. (1856). Steam and its Uses: including the Steam Engine, the Locomotive, and Steam Navigation. London: Walton and Moberly. Lira, C. T. (2013). Brief History of the Steam Engine. Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.egr.msu.edu/~lira/supp/steam/ Moore, M. (2013). Kaplan AP European History 2014. New York: Kaplan Publishing. Young, C. C. (2005). The Environment and Science: Social Impact and Interaction. California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. Read More