Is this a novel steam engine design ?

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Cheshire Steve - 30 Dec 2006 12:24 GMT

I came across this unusual steam engine design when rooting aroud the
web this morning ...

http://www.greensteamengine.com/index.html

I have vague recollections of older engines with swashplates (?) or
similar, but can't think where I came across them. Does anyone know if
this design is novel ? There is a reference to a patent, but this
refers specifically to the flexible shaft, and at first glance this
could be replaced by a fixed shaft and ball pivot. Could be an
interesting model.

Cheshire Steve

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Mark Rand - 30 Dec 2006 14:06 GMT

>I came across this unusual steam engine design when rooting aroud the
>web this morning ...
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>Cheshire Steve

It possibly shows what a waste of time the US patent office is and what a lack
of thermodynamics knowledge can do to ones understanding of efficiency.

Mark Rand
RTFM

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Charles Lamont - 30 Dec 2006 20:35 GMT

>>http://www.greensteamengine.com/index.html
>>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>It possibly shows what a waste of time the US patent office is and what a lack
>of thermodynamics knowledge can do to ones understanding of efficiency.

The main function of this pointless contraption would seem to be to
occupy it "inventor's" time and so prevent him doing anything more
dangerous.

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Charles Lamont

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steamer - 30 Dec 2006 18:39 GMT

--This looks like the kind of thing that gets the big push in
Popular Mechanics, then never makes it to the mainstream. Googling on "wobble
plate engine" generates 177,000 hits; I think this is one of those. The main
advantage of this one seems to be that it's made using a lot of
off-the-hardware store shelf parts.

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"Steamboat Ed" Haas : One joy of middle age
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : is precision flatulence...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

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Cheshire Steve - 31 Dec 2006 02:08 GMT

> --This looks like the kind of thing that gets the big push in
> Popular Mechanics, then never makes it to the mainstream. Googling on "wobble
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> www.nmpproducts.com
> ---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Thanks,

Wobble-plate seems to be the technical term I hadn't come across, and
in this case its not a plate either, more of a bar. I assume a swash
plate rotates - whereas a wobble plate doesn't - though having searched
for this on the web I see a lot of people seem to think the terms are
interchangeable.

As for the other responses, I saw a mention of engine efficiency and
didn't bother to read the rest, presuming it was rubbish. I was only
interested in the novel motion of the engine. I find that I don't even
notice most of the barmy stuff these days, I must be automatically
filtering it out. Life's too short.

Cheshire Steve

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Model Forum / General / Models / December 2006

Is this a novel steam engine design ?