Jesenice Ironworks: Blowing Engine

'Box' blowing engine on display at Vienna Technical Museum

Air is sucked in through the square flap valve in the bottom of the oscillating box. It is discharged at increased pressure through the round pipe to the right of the piston rod. The small square box on this pipe contains a flap valve (non-return valve). There is a corresponding arrangement on the top of the box cylinder, and on the adjacent cylinder

Here we see how the four air discharge connections join together into one pipe, to pass to the blast furnace.

The LH gear is mounted on the wooden waterwheel shaft. The RH gear has its own iron shaft. Surprisingly, there are balance weights fittled to the gearwheels. These help to counteract the weight of the crank and the heavy piston rod.

A rare surviving example of a 'box' blowing engine, made c.1820, having two oscillating wooden cylinders of square section. It worked at the Jesenice Ironworks in Slovenia, and is preserved and on display at the Vienna Technical Museum.

It was driven by a waterwheel, and was a great advance on the large bellows previously used.

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