Class V.]
COUNTRIES, AND PRIZES AWARDED ; STEAM-ENGINES, Ac.
1G9
List of Countries and Prizes awarded or recommended for tlie three Subdivisions— continued.
1
,
Ratios.
i
—
Council
Council Medal
Prize Medal
lst& 2nd Medals
1
to
to
to
to
1
Prize Medal.
Exhibits.
Exhibits.
Exhibits.
1.
England and Colonies
_
1 to 11
1 to 85
1 to 7*8
1 to 7
; 9.
- —
-
_
_
_
_
3.
- -
-
_
1 to 2-5
1 to 2-5
4.
- -
-
1 to 1
1 to 21
1 to 21
1 to 10
: 5.
- -
—
_
-
_
i 6.
- -
-
_
_
7.
Kgypt - -
-
-
-
-
-
-
; 8.
— —
—
1 to 8
1 to 63
1 to 8
1 to 7
i 9.
—
_
_
1 to 4
1 to 4
! 10.
- -
_
_
_
_
_
■ II.
- _
-
_
_
_
_
i 12.
— -
_
_
_
_
_
1 13.
Turkey - -
-
-
_
_
_
_
14.
-
-
-
-
-
Total
- -
-
1 to 3-6
1 to 76-7
1 to 8
1 to 7-3
The contributions to the Exhibition of the followingeminent engineers who were members of the Jury, orrepresented in it by gentlemen connected with "theirrespective firms, were excluded from the competition forMedals.
No. 154-2, p. 1250. M. C. Arxoux, coachmaker, 23, Ruedu Mont Parnasse, Paris . Articulated railway carriages.
No. 13, p. 212. Hick, R, and Sox, Bolton. Steam-engine driving Hibbert and Platt’s machinery. Portableforges. Expanding mandrils.
No. 130, p. 1014 (Austria ). A Dynamograph, by theChevalier De Burg. No. 26, p. 214. Fairbairx, W.,and Sons, Manchester. Six horse-power steam-engine.No. 417. Wrought iron tubular crane. No. 522. Insidecylinder tank locomotive engine. No. 732. Model of tanklocomotive engine.
No. 38, pp. 215-217. See Illustrations, 215, 216.Maudslay, Soxs, and Field, London . A 16 horse-powerdouble cylinder direct acting higli-pressure engine. Con-necting rod for an 800 horse-power marine engine. Acase of six models, viz., beam, double cylinder, annular cy-linder, horizontal cylinder and steeple engines for shallowriver navigation. Model of a gun-metal screw propeller.
The Jury has to acknowledge its obligations to ColonelMorix, its Vice-Chairman, for the assistance he wasobliging enough to give it in conducting many of thedynamometrical experiments, of which the results aredetailed in this Report; to Mr. Hatcher, for the cal-culations founded upon those experiments, for conductingother dynamometrical experiments, and for the zeal andability with which he has aided the Jury in every de-partment of its labours; to its able Secretary, Mr. HexryMaudslay, whose knowledge of the machinery on whichthe Jury has had to adjudicate, acquired as Chairman ofthe Metropolitan District Committee, has greatly aidedits inquiries; and to its intelligent Assistant-Secretary,Mr. Martin. The Jury has, moreover, to thank Mr.Hexsmax, the Manager of the Machinery Department,for the intelligent co-operation and assistance it has re-ceived from him.
To these acknowledgments the Reporter of the Juryhas to add his own, to Mr. Hexry Maudslay, Mr.Hatcher, and Mr. Martix, who acted severally asthe Secretaries of the three Sub-Juries, for the assist-ance given to him in the compilation of this Report, thedetails of which, whether contained in the tables pre-fixed to the several sections, or in the notices of machinesto which prizes have been awarded in each section, havebeen collected chiefly by them.
In reporting on the labours of the Jury, it will be con-venient to take the objects referred to its consideration,according to the subdivision of the Commissioners.
SECTION (A).
The following table (see pp. 170, 171) contains a clas-sification of the objects exhibited uuder this subdivision,with the number under each class exhibited from eachcountry.
Invention with regard to the steam-engine appears fromthis table to be specially directed to the economy ofspace.
The tubular boiler is a contrivance for that end, offer-ing, within the same bulk, a greater surface to the actionof the heat on the one side, and of the Mater on the other,than any other form of boiler. There are eight such, ormodels of them, in the Exhibition, intended tor the landengine.
In marine engines this economy of space lias a specialvalue and importance. The direction which invention istaking with a view to this economy is shown in numerousexpedients for the direct action of the piston rod upon thecrank of the paddle-wheel or of the screw propeller,without the intervention of the beam. There are no lessthan thirty-four direct-acting engines or models ex-hibited.
A rotary steam-engine, if one could be contrived whoserubbing surfaces were steam-tight and durable, wouldeffect a remarkable economy of space, and Mould bebetter calculated than any other to drive a screw pro-peller. The increased importance thus given by the use'of the sereM' propeller to the invention of rotary engines-is indicated by the exhibition of nine such engines ormodels.
If, among these, none appears to afford a completesolution of the problem, at any rate there is nothing todiscourage further attempts. Nor is this problem theless likely to be solved now that a gain of power is nolonger looked for from the use of rotary engines, hutonly a simpler and more convenient mode of applyingit.
Such a gain might indeed result from a freer access ofthe steam to the piston from a diminution of the frictionor the jar of the M orking parts, or from a more completeexpansion; but, thanks to the more general diffusion ofinformation in mechanics, practical men now know, thatthere is no more possibility of increasing the work of anengine by merely altering the direction of the motion ofany of its working parts, than there is of increasing thequantity of M ater which a reservoir M'ill supply, by vary-ing the pipes wdiich serve to distribute it.
The difficulty of assigning the best form to a solid bodywhich is to receive and apply the resistance of a fluid, isindicated by twelve competing forms of paddle-M'heelgand fifteen different screw propellers.