An old engraving of a John Smeaton Cornish boiler used in mining in the 1800s. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The simplest form of flued boiler was Richard Trevithick's ‘high-pressure’ Cornish boiler. This is a long horizontal cylinder with a single large flue containing the fire. Cornish boilers had curved surfaces, better to resist the pressure and less likelihood of local overheating. John Smeaton (1724 –1792) was an English civil engineer. He also improved Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, erecting one at Chacewater mine, Wheal Busy, Cornwall, England,
An old engraving of a John Smeaton Cornish boiler used in mining in the 1800s. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The simplest form of flued boiler was Richard Trevithick's ‘high-pressure’ Cornish boiler. This is a long horizontal cylinder with a single large flue containing the fire. As the furnace relied on natural draught, a tall chimney was required at the to encourage a good supply of air (oxygen) to the fire. Cornish boilers had several advantages over earlier types, including being composed of mostly curved surfaces, better to resist the pressure and less likelihood of local overheating and failure of the boiler plates. John Smeaton (1724 –1792) was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer. Smeaton was the first ‘civil engineer’ and is often regarded as the ‘father of civil engineering’. He also improved Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, erecting one at Chacewater mine, Wheal Busy, in Cornwall in 1775.
Size: 3543px × 2331px
Location: Wheal Busy, Cornwall, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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