The Industrial Revolutions have marked a before and after in the history of humanity. It is known that the steam engine was the starting point for a process of economic, social and industrial transformations that Western Europe and the American colonies experienced during the second part of the 18th century. In fact, since the Neolithic stage, framed in prehistory, such a large process of change has not been found throughout history. In that case, man was able to stop being nomadic to become sedentary and stop focusing exclusively on hunting and gathering to add other ways of obtaining food such as agriculture or ranching, among others.
What is the steam engine?
The steam engine was responsible for the revolution that the economy experienced with the first Industrial Revolution, which dynamited all land and sea transportation systems. The horse carriages were modified by railroads while the sailing boats were also suppressed to replace them with boats that moved taking advantage of the heat energy that came from the steam. Western Europe and the European colonies in the United States, until the independence of the American country during the War of Independence against the British Empire ended with the launch of coffee overboard in Boston Harbor, were the great beneficiaries since they improved their productivity and increased the demand of all citizens who required extra products in addition to the basic ones to survive. Locating the origin of the appearance of the first steam engine has been the subject of discussion by many authors. While some put the starting point at Heron in ancient Egypt, others opt for James Watt in England. It is said that the Egyptians started what is known as the aeolipile. It was used as a turning mechanism with a steam ejection. Despite the fact that some scientists described it as the first thermal machine in history, many disqualified it, justifying that it was used for entertainment purposes. Throughout the 17th century, Watt was commissioned to start up an innovative steam engine that revolutionized transport and gave, for many, the origin of the so-called first Industrial Revolution in the heart of the British Empire.
Today, there is still much debate as to who was the first to invent the modern steam engine, the one that launched the Revolution. Thomas Newcomen, together with other physicists such as Hooke or mechanics such as John Calley, laid the first touchstone at the beginning of the 18th century with what is known as the Newcomen machine, which was later perfected by James Watt. Although the current system looks very similar to Newcomen’s, Watt found a small problem. The cooling of the steam that was produced in the cylinder caused a loss of performance. The condenser, which allowed the temperature to be maintained, put an end to this setback. It also modified the type of movement of the steam engine. Newcomen introduced movement in a straight line, that is, from top to bottom, while Watt was also capable of processing a new type of movement such as rotating or curvilinear. The modifications, which were the ones that allowed this concept to be introduced in most machines, have led James Watt to be considered by many as the true forerunner of the steam engine.
The human and animal force is completely replaced by a steam engine, which we will see later how it works. The young Scotsman James Watt investigated from Newcomen’s machine. It had never worked correctly, but Watt was able to modify the procedure by applying his theories on the steam engine to end up making the new discovery, which would revolutionize human history and subsequent centuries. He not only allowed the development of the so-called railway and train, but also completely changed maritime transport, accelerating the transport of goods between the New World and continental Europe. He also introduced the new ways of dressing. One of the great curiosities is the shared concerns that were held throughout the eighteenth century, and that continue to be maintained today. The concept of productivity is still very present in society. Investigate in the techniques that allow to obtain the maximum performance spending the least possible energy. In this way, in the Newcomen machine, it was investigated how to reduce energy consumption in the steam engine to revolutionize the transport system, but without compromising too high energy expenditure.
Benefits brought by the steam engine
All in all, the steam engine brought great changes to the society of the moment, bringing great benefits to cities and their population. The most prominent are the following:
- Population growth. One of the first effects of the steam engine revolution was an improvement in the quality of life of the inhabitants worldwide. Deaths from the epidemic plummeted, life expectancy increased and, in addition, the economic level of many people also improved. This caused an increase in the birth rate that, together with the longer years that people lived, allowed the population to grow.
- New forms of transportation. The steam engine led to the appearance of the railway. In Spain, the first line that appeared was the one that went from Barcelona to Mataró. With this, the goods could go further and also in a shorter period of time. Thus, the distribution lines of large factories and companies were changed.
- Appearance of new jobs. This type of transport also needed someone who was able to pilot the machine and make it work as a driver. In this way, the technological revolution was creating new jobs. The labor market was growing exponentially and new profiles such as machinist began to be demanded.
- Centralization of large factories. The companies were the great beneficiaries of the proliferation of steam engines. They were able to centralize their production in a large warehouse and with this type of transport distribute it to all their different points of sale, distributed throughout the territory where they were.
On the contrary, the appearance of the machines also came hand in hand with the appearance of the first labor movements demanding the current 8-hour day present in most European countries. One of the first initiatives was Luddism, which targeted machines. They considered that they were responsible for taking jobs from the workers and, therefore, the objective of this movement was none other than to put an end to the machines. However, this type of revolutions increased with the arrival of the utopian socialism of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as well as communism or anarchism, among others. Already in 1789 appeared the French Revolution that put an end to absolutism and the Russian Revolution in 1917 that would also put an end to absolutism known system of the Tzars in cold Russia.
How the steam engine works?
The great success that the steam engine has had throughout history in unleashing new, much more sustainable forms of energy has been mainly thanks to its operation. The procedure that it carries out is basically explained in the transformation of the thermal energy of the water into mechanical energy through a combustion engine, as if it were a car. This entire production chain that allows the movement of the means of transport to end is divided into two especially differentiated stages. We have all seen in multiple films of the 19th century and even the beginning of the 20th century a large number of workers adding coal to a boiler to generate heat. This is precisely the process that requires the steam engine to start this whole system of work. The heat generated in the boiler when coal boils allows the creation of steam, which allows a cylinder to grow in volume and end up pushing a piston. Simply put, steam is today’s gasoline or fuel that powers cars and various internal combustion engines. This mechanism is precisely in charge of creating a rotation movement that allows a locomotive to be pushed along the rails of a track or to power an electrical generator. Once this process is finished, the plunger returns to its origin or rest position and takes advantage of the kinetic energy to expel the remaining steam generated in the previous movement. Finally, different valves are in charge of regulating the pressure and the amount of charge that enters and leaves the cylinders during each rotation movement. It is advisable to warm up before running and getting to work.
In a motorized vehicle we have a two or four stroke cycle, depending on the type of motorcycle we are talking about. The origin of this type of procedure can be found in the steam engine since its implementation by James Watt in the 18th century. The current steam engines still maintain some elements of those described above. The piston, without going any further, was modified and we currently have turbomachines or, in some cases, also known as steam turbines. The main uses throughout the history of this instrument were for land and sea transport, through locomotives, ships and even pumps. However, at present its uses are much more residual and are mainly used for auxiliary services. Undoubtedly, the electric type motor and the well-known internal combustion engine, together with the hybrid that combines combustion with an electric part, are taking over most of the activities.
The reduction in its price, together with the greater sustainability offered by other energy sources such as electricity are the main reasons for this change. However, you should not lose perspective. This system is still very present in the day to day of many companies. It may be that coal is only used for barbecues, but today different energy sources such as nuclear or solar still require water to be heated as it was done in the 18th century. In this way, this invention that revolutionized the British empire continues to be more present than ever. All in all, the steam engine marked a before and after in the history of humanity radically changing the way of life and the economic and social system of different societies around the world. It was the starting point, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, towards the interconnected and globalized world that we currently have. Robotics, which seems to arrive sooner rather than later, would not be possible if more than 300 years ago some “madmen” had started what seemed impossible.
