The Lab Book Pages

An online collection of electronics information

http://www.labbookpages.co.uk

Dr. Andrew Greensted
Last modified: 15th February 2014

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Steam Engine Simulator

This Java program was designed to help with the design of oscillating steam engines. The program can be started using the Java Web Start button below. If you would rather run a downloaded copy see the Source Code Section.

A screenshot of the program is shown below.

Simulator Screenshot

Instructions

Controlling the simulation is very simple.

Simulator Controls

These buttons allow you to manage the simulation.

  • New - This allows you to select a simulation.
  • Open - If you have previously saved a simulation, this allows you to open it.
  • Save - You can save your simulation dimensions to a file using this button.
  • Print - This will print out a list of the simulation dimensions, plus a diagram of the animation.
Simulator Display

This is the animation display. The user can scroll around the design by left clicking and dragging. It is also possible to zoom in and out by using the scroll wheel.

Animation Controls

These buttons control the animation.

  • Step Back - Step the animation back one frame.
  • Play/Stop - Play and stop the animation.
  • Step Forward - Step the animation forward one frame.
  • Reset Animation - Puts the animation back to its start position.
  • Centre View - Places the animation in the centre of the display.
Simulator Parameters

The parameters table allows the user to try different steam engine dimensions. Simply double click the dimension value, enter a different value, then press enter.

Simulator Parameter Description

When you click on a parameter, this box shows a description of what the parameter means.


Source Code

A jar of the simulator can be downloaded using the link below.

SteamSimulator.jar

To run the program, use the following command:

> java -jar SteamOsc.jar

The source code can be downloaded using the link below.

steamSim-0.1.tar.gz


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