Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

beam engine

British  

noun

  1. an early type of steam engine, in which a pivoted beam is vibrated by a vertical steam cylinder at one end, so that it transmits motion to the workload, such as a pump, at the other end

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In fifth place, with 10% of the votes, was the Crossness Engine House, and the James Watt rotative beam engine.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2014

The only type of steam engine then in existence was the Newcomen beam engine, which had been introduced in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen, also an Englishman.

From Kinematics of Mechanisms from the Time of Watt by Ferguson, Eugene S.

It is a standard American beam engine, with a cylinder 75 inches in diameter and 12 feet stroke of piston, and develops 3,850 horse power.

From The Hudson Three Centuries of History, Romance and Invention by Bruce, Wallace

H. H. A., of N. Y.—The lining up of a beam engine, in a vessel, is a process for which no definite mode of procedure is exclusively applicable.

From Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 A Weekly Journal of Practical Information, Art, Science, Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures. by Various

The contrast between the two steamers was most noticeable, the Rothesay with high walking beam engine and broad skimming dish appearance, with the sea-going ability, and double red funnels of the Chicora.

From A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River by Cumberland, Barlow