High Pressure Steam Engine
Evans invented, but did not build, a high-pressure steam engine in 1801 (patented 1804), a few years after Richard Trevithick of England constructed a high pressure engine. Evans' engine, like his later Oruktor Amphibolos, used a grasshopper beam. The high pressure steam engine had a higher power to weight ratio, making it practical to make locomotives and steamboats. The high pressure steam engine was mechanically simpler than condensing engines making it less costly to build and maintain, plus it did not require large volumes of condensing water. These features made it well suited for a variety of industrial applications.
In 1811, he founded the Pittsburgh Steam Engine Company, which in addition to engines made other heavy machinery and castings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The location of the factory in the Mississippi watershed was important in the development of high pressure steam engines for the use in riverboats.
Read more about this topic: Oliver Evans
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