One of the earliest known examples of a program engineered to evaluate competing machines, the Rainhill Trials were a competition between five engineers to run a steam locomotive up and down a one-mile track. Designed by Robert Stephenson, the Rocket outlasted the others, and introduced a design that became the prototype for subsequent steam locomotives.
George Stephenson was responsible for constructing the line while Robert Stephenson and Henry Booth developed locomotives. Railway construction began in and was completed in The railway gave Manchester mills direct access to Liverpool docks and broke a canal monopoly. Still operating on its original alignment with many original structures, this railway established the basic format for almost all subsequent railways and rolling stock world-wide.
ASME Membership 1 year has been added to your cart. The price of yearly membership depends on a number of factors, so final price will be calculated during checkout. This included the rule that the maximum weight was to be six tons. The gross weight of the train was stated to be not less than three times the engine's weight. To qualify for the first prize the locomotive had to reach speeds of 10 mph 16 kpm.
The competition began at Rainhill on 6th October, On the first day over 10, people turned up to watch the competitors. The locomotives had to run twenty times up and down the track at Rainhill which made the distance roughly equivalent to a return trip between Liverpool and Manchester. Ten locomotives were originally entered for the competition but only five turned up: the Rocket , Sans Pareil , Novelty , Cycloped and Perseverance.
Cycloped was owned by Thomas Brandreth, was powered by a horse walking on a drive belt. It reached speeds of 5 mph but after the horse fell through the floor of the Cycloped it was withdrawn. Perseverance , owned by Timothy Burstall of Leith, was damaged on the way to the Rainhill Trials when the wagon that was carrying it overturned.
Burstall spent the first five days of the trials trying to repair his locomotive. On the sixth day Perseverance joined the competition but after only reaching 6 mph, Burstall withdrew his locomotive. At first there were doubts whether Sans Pareil would compete as the judges claimed that it was overweight. However, it was eventually agreed to let its inventor, Timothy Hackworth , show what his new locomotive could do.
The Sans Pareil carried out eight trips and reached a top speed of just over 16 mph. After a promising start the locomotive suffered a cracked cylinder. Ironically, the cylinder had been cast by the company owned by his rival, Robert Stephenson.
Rules Locomotives that were entered were to be subjected to a variety of tests and conditions. These were amended at various points, but were eventually nailed down to: "The weight of the locomotive engine, with its full complement of water in the boiler, shall be ascertained at the weighing machine, by eight o'clock in the morning, and the load assigned to it shall be three times the weight thereof.
The water in the boiler shall be cold, and there shall be no fuel in the fire-place. As much fuel shall be weighed, and as much water shall be measured and delivered into the tender-carriage, as the owner of the engine may consider sufficient for the supply of the engine for a journey of 35 mile [56 km].
0コメント