atmospheric engine

American  

noun

1. an early form of single-acting engine in which the power stroke is provided by atmospheric pressure acting upon a piston in an exhausted cylinder.

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Etymology

Origin of atmospheric engine

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

As we have seen, it was an atmospheric engine, in no sense a steam engine.

From James Watt by Carnegie, Andrew

Watt first used it for his atmospheric engine.

From Lectures on Popular and Scientific Subjects by John Sutherland Sinclair, Earl of Caithness

In 1864 Otto's atmospheric engine was invented, in which a heavily-loaded piston was forced upward by an explosion of gas and air drawn in at atmospheric pressure.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 508, September 26, 1885 by Various

At the second Parisian International Exhibition, 1867, an atmospheric engine, invented by Otto & Langen about this time, was shown.

From Gas and Oil Engines, Simply Explained An Elementary Instruction Book for Amateurs and Engine Attendants by Runciman, Walter C.

We find in 1752 a Mr. Champion of Bristol applied the atmospheric engine to raise water to drive a number of wheels for working machinery in a brasswork, in other words, a foundry.

From Lectures on Popular and Scientific Subjects by John Sutherland Sinclair, Earl of Caithness