The Investigation of the Mechanical Break-Down of Prime Movers and Boiler Plant

Abstract

In 1896 a Past-President of the Institution, the late Michael Longridge, read before the Institution a classical paper entitled, “Breakdowns of Stationary Steam-Engines.” This dealt fully with the design and the causes of failure of steam engines in factories. In the thirty-seven years that have intervened progress has naturally been made in methods of carrying out investigations of failure, and the present paper, though it makes no claim to emulate its forerunner, may be looked upon as a sequel to it.

In the course of preparation the author discovered that he had entered into a field so vast that a series of papers would be required to deal effectively with the subject. A general review of failures of the type in question would not allow space to treat any effectively; for this reason, though a few examples are taken from public power station plant, the subject matter has been confined mainly to the more important parts of prime movers in factories, and as the paper refers more especially to steam plant than to internal combustion engines, the ground of the previous paper has been extended to cover failure of steam boilers.

By the term “mechanical” failure the intention is to exclude failures primarily caused by corrosion. Equally, though the term is undoubtedly arbitrary, the intention is to exclude failures due to casting and other forms of internal stress or to thermal stresses. The entrance of water into the cylinders of steam engines and turbines is also excluded.