TEST QUESTIONS ON BOILER AND ENGINE
Q. How is the modern stationary fire-flue boiler arranged?
Q. How does the locomotive type of boiler differ?
Q. What is a return flue boiler?
Q. What is a water-tube boiler and how does it differ from a fire-flue tubular boiler?
Q. What is a vertical boiler and what are its advantages?
Q. What is the shell?
Q. What are the boiler heads?
Q. What are the tube sheets?
Q. What is the firebox?
Q. What is the water leg?
Q. What is the crown-sheet?
Q. Where is the smoke-box located?
Q. What is the steam dome intended for?
Q. What is the mud-drum for?
Q. What are man-holes and hand-holes for?
Q. What is a boiler jacket?
Q. What is a steam jacket?
Q. Where is the ash-pit?
Q. What are dead-plates?
Q. How is grate surface measured?
Q. What is forced draft?
Q. How is heating surface measured?
Q. What is steam space?
Q. What is water space?
Q. What is a diaphragm plate?
Q. What is the first duty of an engineer in taking charge of a new boiler?
Q. What are the water gauge and try cocks for, and how are they placed?
Q. What is the steam gauge and how may it be tested?
Q. What is a safety valve? Should it be touched by the engineer? How may he test it with the steam gauge?
Q. How is a boiler first filled with water?
Q. How is it filled when under pressure?
Q. What is an independent pump? What is a crosshead pump?
Q. What is a check valve, and what is its use, and where located?
Q. What is a heater and how does it work?
Q. What is an injector, and what is the principle of its operation?
Q. Where are the blow-off cocks located? How should they be used?
Q. In what cases should spark arrester be used?
Q. Who invented the steam engine, and when?
Q. What are the essential parts of a steam engine?
Q. What is the cylinder, and how is it used?
Q. What is the piston, and how does it work? The piston-rings?
Q. What is the piston rod and how must it be fastened?
Q. What is the crosshead, and how does it move? What are guides or ways? Shoes?
Q. What is the connecting rod? Wrist pin? Crank pin?
Q. What is the crank? Crank shaft?
Q. Where is the throttle valve located, and what does opening and closing it do?
Q. What is the steam chest for, and where is it placed?
Q. What is a steam valve? Valve seats? Ports?
Q. What is the exhaust? Exhaust chamber? Exhaust port? Exhaust nozzle? What is a condenser?
Q. How is the valve worked, and what duties does it perform, and how?
Q. What is clearance?
Q. What is lead?
Q. What is cushion?
Q. How would you set a valve? What is lap?
Q. How is a steam valve moved back and forth in its seat?
Q. How may an engine be reversed?
Q. What is a governor, and how does it work?
Q. What is an eccentric? Eccentric sheave? Strap? Rod?
Q. What is the throw of an eccentric?
Q. How does the link reversing gear work?
Q. How does the Woolf reverse gear work?
Q. How does the Meyer valve gear work? Will it reverse an engine?
Q. What are the chief difficulties in the working of a governor?
Q. What are key, gib, and strap? Brasses?
Q. What is the boss of a crank? Web?
Q. How may noiseless running of a crank be secured?
Q.
What are journals? Pedestals? Pillow blocks? Journal boxes?
Q. What is the object in having a fly wheel?
Q. What different kinds of lubricators are there? Where may hard oil or grease be used? Is the oil used for lubricating the cylinder the same as that used for rest of the
engine?
Q. How does a cylinder lubricator work?
Q. What is differential gear, and what is it for?
Q. What is the use of a fusible plug, and how is it arranged?
Q. What are stuffing-boxes, and how are they constructed?
Q. What are cylinder cocks, and what are they used for?
Q. What are pet cocks?
Q. What is a steam indicator?
[CHAPTER IV.]
HOW TO MANAGE A TRACTION ENGINE BOILER.
We will suppose that the young engineer fully understands all parts of the boiler and engine, as explained in the preceding chapters. It is well to run over the questions several times, to make sure that every point has been fully covered and is well understood.
We will suppose that you have an engine in good running order. If you have a new engine and it starts off nice and easy (the lone engine without load) with twenty pounds steam pressure in the boiler, you may make up your mind that you have a good engine to handle and one that will give but little trouble. But if it requires fifty or sixty pounds to start it, you want to keep your eyes open, for something is tight. But don’t begin taking the engine to pieces, for you might get more pieces than you know what to do with. Oil every bearing fully, and then start your engine and let it run for a while. Then notice whether you find anything getting warm. If you do, stop and loosen up a very little and start again. If the heating still continues, loosen again as before. But remember, loosen but little at a time, for a box or journal will heat from being too loose as quickly as from being too tight, and if you have found a warm box, don’t let that box take all your attention, but keep your eye on the other bearings.
In the case of a new engine, the cylinder rings may be a little tight, and so more steam pressure will be required to start the engine; but this is no fault, for in a day or two they will be working all right if kept well oiled.
In starting a new engine trouble sometimes comes from the presence of a coal cinder in some of the boxes, which has worked in during shipment. Before starting a new engine, the boxes and oil holes should therefore be thoroughly cleaned out. For this purpose the engineer should always have some cotton waste or an oiled rag ready for constant use.
A new engine should be run slowly and carefully until it is found to be in perfect running order.
If you are beginning on an old engine in good running order, the above instructions will not be needed; but it is well to take note of them.
Now if your engine is all right, you may run the pressure up to the point of blowing off, which is 100 to 130 pounds, at which most safety valves are set at the factory. It is not uncommon for a new pop to stick, and as the steam runs up it is well to try it by pulling the relief lever. If on letting it go it stops the escaping steam at once, it is all right. If, however, the steam continues to escape the valve sticks in the chamber. Usually a slight tap with a wrench or hammer will stop it at once; but don’t get excited if the steam continues to escape. As long as you have plenty of water in the boiler, and know that you have it, you are all right.