Twilight of the Steam Age, Part 1: Internal Combustion

Not much on Diesel.<p>Also, not much on steel. It&#x27;s amazing that the steam-powered industrial revolution was built with iron, not steel. Early engines had very low operating pressures. Some even just condensed steam and ran below atmospheric pressure. Attempts to operate at higher pressures resulted in leaks at best and boiler explosions at worst. The materials were just not good enough. Otto&#x27;s 1862 engine would run for only a few minutes before breaking itself. Some later engines used the power stroke to lift a heavy weight, and as the weight came back down, it powered the output through a ratchet. Using that big burst of power from the power stroke needed much better materials. Otto finally got a cylinder-crank-flywheel engine working in 1876. Here&#x27;s a working Otto engine of that original design, cranking out 7 horsepower.[1] Note all the shiny machined steel parts. That design would not work in iron.<p>Today, crankshafts, main bearings, pistons, piston rods, and piston rings are solved problems. It took about half a century to get all those parts to work reliably, and a full century before engines outlasted the rest of the vehicle.<p>Internal combustion pressures are higher, and Diesels have far higher pressures than gasoline engines. The materials problems are tougher. Without strong steel, Diesels are hopeless.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=MH3U49n4g2M" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=MH3U49n4g2M</a>

When I joined the physics major at college, I didn&#x27;t really know what was taught in the physics field. I was disappointed when it wasn&#x27;t about internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors.

Oh very nice, I loved this blog&#x27;s earlier series on steam power and was wondering if they would ever continue it!

Kinda sad that we&#x27;re still in that victorian era tech 8-&#x2F;

“The conservatives in several states, after crushing the liberal revolutions of 1848-1849, introduced industrial regulations to resurrect the traditional rights of craftsmen.”<p>This section confused me. I thought it was illiberal conservatives that were teamed up with big business and capital against the small time craftsmen. What does defeating the liberals have to do with pushing back against capital?