Steam boiler explosions, in theory and in pactice; . time ofthe accident. The boilers were fifteen years old, buthad been tested to 170 pounds two years earlier, andallowed to work at 120 pounds, although they had beenrepeatedly patched and repaired.* The rules of theinsurance companies would have allowed but one-halfthis pressure. The strains produced by the changes of form withvarying temperature of feed-water, and by the actionof the new iron of the patches on the older and corrodedparts of the boilers, started cracks which graduallyweakened them, and finally led to a rupture along theworst
Steam boiler explosions, in theory and in pactice; . time ofthe accident. The boilers were fifteen years old, buthad been tested to 170 pounds two years earlier, andallowed to work at 120 pounds, although they had beenrepeatedly patched and repaired.* The rules of theinsurance companies would have allowed but one-halfthis pressure. The strains produced by the changes of form withvarying temperature of feed-water, and by the actionof the new iron of the patches on the older and corrodedparts of the boilers, started cracks which graduallyweakened them, and finally led to a rupture along theworst line of injury, A B> in the preceding figure, open-ing the course of plates at a> and tearing it out as in * Scientific American, Feb. 4, 1882. 146 STEAM BOILER EXPLOSIONS. the next figure, in which A £ is the line of initial frac-ture. The destruction of this (No. 6) boiler was accom-panied by the disruption of that next to it (No. 5),which was also in about as dangerous condition. Theavailable energy of the explosion was about 250,000,000. Fig. 50.—Course of Plates , and the damage produced was proportionedto this enormous power. One boiler (No. 5) was thrown across the road andover a church ; the other (No. 6) was thrown to one
Size: 2838px × 881px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectsteambo, bookyear1887
