Stories of famous people who "made a name for themselves".

Improved steam engine

The motivation behind Watt’s invention of steam machinery was not like what most people say: he looked at the steam coming out of the kettle and raised the lid of the kettle to make the sound of a lamp. , it touched upon him something as simple as inventing the steam engine. The reason why he was able to complete the invention of the steam engine was after thirty years of painstaking research.

Five years after Watt’s store opened, under the guidance of his friend Professor Robinson, Watt began experiments on steam engines. Up until this point, Watt had never seen a working steam engine, but he began building his own model of one.

Initial experiments failed, but he persisted and read all he could find about steam engines, independently discovering the importance of latent heat (even though this had been taught by Blake years before) discovered, but Watt did not know it at the time).

In 1763, Watt learned that the University of Glasgow had a Newcomen steam engine, but it was being repaired in London. He asked the school to take back the steam engine and repaired it himself. After repairs, the steam engine could barely work, but its efficiency was very low.

After a lot of experiments, Watt found that the reason for the low efficiency is that every time the piston is pushed, the steam in the cylinder must first condense and then be heated for the next push, so that 80% of the heat of the steam is consumed. To maintain the temperature of the cylinder.

When Watt was repairing the Newcomen pump from 1763 to 1765, he designed a condenser to solve the problem of low efficiency. Roebuck put Watt's invention into commercial use.

In 1765, Watt made a key progress. He thought of separating the condenser from the cylinder so that the temperature of the cylinder could be continuously maintained at the temperature of the injected steam, and he quickly built it on this basis. A model that can operate continuously.

But building an actual steam engine was still a long way off.

Extended information

Early experience

When Watt was 17 years old, his mother passed away and his father's business began to decline. Watt worked as an apprentice in an instrument repair shop in London for a year, and then returned to Glasgow, Scotland, intending to open his own repair shop.

Although there was no similar repair shop in Scotland at the time, his application to open a shop was rejected by the Hammersmiths Guild in Glasgow (which governs all craftsmen who use hammers) because he did not complete the required seven years of apprenticeship. .

In 1755, Watt left Scotland and went to London to seek training as an instrument maker. He was admitted by John Morgan of Council.

Study experience

In 1757, a professor at the University of Glasgow gave Watt an opportunity to open a small repair shop in the university, which helped Watt get out of trouble. One of the professors, physicist and chemist Joseph Black, became Watt's friend and mentor.

In 1757, the University of Glasgow appointed Watt as its official "mathematical instrument maker" and arranged a workshop on campus.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Watt