Cylinder end covers

Cylinder end covers

This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 13 May 2020 at 06:53 by Garry Coles.

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12 May 2020 at 09:45 #27354
Garry Coles
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@garrycoles69390
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12 May 2020 at 09:45 #471066
Garry Coles
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@garrycoles69390
Hi, On the 2 in scale Traction Engine i'm building the cylinder is made of cast iron. The drawings say the the end covers can be made of cast iron or gunmetal, but is it alright to use steel instead. Or are the expansion rates of cast iron and steel so different that it;s not a good idea to use steel. Can someone enlighten me on this please.

Garry
12 May 2020 at 10:06 #471073
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Expansion coefficient tables are available on the net.

Think here, perhaps, of corrosion at steel at elevated temperatures and over long periods.
12 May 2020 at 11:24 #471102
Anonymous
Mine are cast iron since I bought castings, and it's prototypical. The front cover is just a flat plate, so if I hadn't bought a casting I would have used some hot rolled plate as it distorts less than cold drawn, and seems less prone to corrosion. For the rear cover anything other than a casting would have been a right pain:

The expansion rates of low carbon steel and cast iron are pretty similar.

Andrew
12 May 2020 at 12:05 #471109
Andrew Tinsley
Participant
@andrewtinsley63637
Like Andrew suggests, I have used hot rolled plate for cylinder covers on a large 71/4" narrow gauge loco.. NDIY's concerns have been totally groundless in this particular case.

Andrew.
12 May 2020 at 12:14 #471111
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
NDIY's concerns have been totally groundless in this particular case.

It was no ‘concern’ to me, at all. It was just a suggestion, as I could see no other reason for not doing it. Andrew’s suggestion of distortion with some (or thin section) steels seems pertinent.
13 May 2020 at 06:53 #471299
Garry Coles
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@garrycoles69390
Thanks everyone for your replies. I will now make the end covers out of cast iron as suggested.
Garry
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