boulton & watt engine: pre-visit exhibition slideshow
DESCRIPTION
This pre-visit exhibition slideshow for Boulton and Watt engine provides an overview of the: - Physical layout and exhibition sections - Key objects and interactives students will see in the exhibition - Relevant online teaching and learning resources It thus provides students with greater context for their learning during their visit to the Powerhouse Museum.TRANSCRIPT
Pre-visit exhibition walkthrough
The Boulton and Watt engine
Go on a journey to discover this amazing steam engine, engineer James Watt, entrepreneur Matthew Boulton, and the world in the late 1700s.
Boulton & Watt engine
Galleries behind
the engine
This exhibition walkthrough provides an overview of the:
• Physical layout and exhibition sections
• Key objects
• Audiovisual and interactive
• Relevant online teaching and learning resources
Exhibition entrance
Boulton & Watt
Level 3
Boulton and Watt engineThe oldest surviving rotative engine in the world.
• See it in action (live or on screen) – work out how the parts act together using energy in steam to turn the drive wheel, which can turn other machines
• Find out how this 1785 engine got here from London’s Whitbread brewery • Find out how engines such as this transformed the way people lived and
worked
connecting rod
beam/rocking arm
planet gear
fly wheel
cylinder
condenser(in tank)
piston rod
Boulton and Watt engine
drive wheel
sun gear
1. the separate condenser -reducing fuel use by 85%
2. the parallel motion mechanism -allowing the piston to push the beam up as well as pulling it down
3. the sun and planet gears - turning the up-and-down motion of the beam into rotative motion
4. the governor -automatically controlling the speed of the engine
Innovations that Boulton and
Watt introduced:
3
4
2
1
James Watt was also the first to surround the
cylinder with wood to keep it hot
the ‘original’ piston and piston rod
What’s behind the Boulton and Watt engine?
Visit the galleries
behind the engine.
Gallery 1: Explore the lives of Boulton and Watt
Making money with steamBoulton applied steam power to coin making, one example was the Imperial Bank Mint at
St Petersburg
James Watt: the Scottish instrument maker who was the creative genius
behind the engine
Some of the original Boulton and Watt engine parts
Octant
Matthew Boulton: the entrepreneur who saw the potential of the engine and
supplied the finance and manufacturing know-how
Medals, tokens, plaques and coins made in mints such as Boulton’s Soho Mint, Birmingham, England
Samuel Whitbread: the progressive brewer who used the steam engine to revolutionise the brewing industry
Discover more about Boulton, Watt and their world in the levels above, using the stairway next to the Strasburg Clock
Gallery 2
Gallery 3
Gallery 4
Gallery 2: Explore the lives of Boulton and Watt
The governor interactiveBoulton saw a governor in a grain mill and asked Watt to
apply the idea to control engine speed
Engine indicatorThis is another invention of James Watt. Learn more
about it on your way down from the galleries above using the other stairway
The governor interactive See how the governor works
Gallery 3: Find out why Boulton, Watt and their friends were known as ‘lunatics’
Jasperware jewellery made by Matthew Boulton and Josiah Wedgwood
The Soho Manufactory
Soho Foundry
Soho Insurance
Co
Union certificate
Birmingham riot 1792 Birmingham
Coffee potThis belonged to Joseph Banks, the botanist who sailed to Australia with Captain Cook. Banks met Boulton and Watt at meetings of the Lunar Society
Gallery 4: Experiment with more of Watt’s inventions and catch a glimpse of life in the 1700s.
The parallel motion mechanism interactive
The sun and planet gear interactive
From single acting to double acting interactiveSee how the parallel motion mechanism (right) allows the top of the cylinder to be sealed while letting the piston push the end of the beam up as well as pulling it down (double acting)
Bear baiting Gin lane
The cockpit
The blacksmith’s shop
Discussing an orrery
Bird in an air pump
From up and down to round and round interactive• See how the planet gear drive the sun gear and the flywheel as you move
the beam up and down• To move the beam, you will need to give the flywheel a little push if one of
the gears is directly above the other• Count the number of turns the sun gear and flywheel make for every stroke
of the beam
The engine indicator another of James Watt’s invention
You can see this on the way down the other stairs
Online resources:-• Boulton and Watt engine at the Powerhouse Museum - this includes an 11-min
illustrated talk by curator, Debbie Rudder, and panorama view of the engine
• Boulton and Watt engine, Powerhouse Museum online collection database
• 225th Birthday of our Boulton and Watt engine, Object of the week blog of the Powerhouse Museum
• Science Museum’s online animation showing the motion of the Boulton and Watt engine
• The Boulton and Watt collection, Birmingham City Council
• Matthew Boulton: Bicentenary celebrations 2009, Birmingham City Council
Relevant Museum programs:-• Steam revolution exhibition
• Locomotive No 1 exhibition
• Transport exhibition
• Marvellous Machine Drawing Adventure, a self guided program for yrs 3-5
Image credit: All images used are from the Powerhouse Museum
-: Powerhouse Museum Learning :-