single-acting

American  

[sing-guhl-ak-ting] / ˈsɪŋ gəlˈæk tɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of a reciprocating engine, pump, etc.) having pistons accomplishing work only in one direction.

---

single-acting British  

adjective

1. (of a reciprocating engine or pump) having a piston or pistons that are pressurized on one side only Compare double-acting

---

Etymology

Origin of single-acting

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

single-acting

In the year 1827, Perkins had attained working pressures, in a single-acting, single-cylinder engine, of upward of 800 pounds per square inch.

From A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine by Robert H. Thurston

This is particularly true of the single-acting engines so widely used for horse-powers less than 100 to 150.

From Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants A Practice Treatise Setting Forth the Principles of Gas-Engines and Producer Design, the Selection and Installation of an Engine, Conditions of Perfect Operation, Producer-Gas Engines and Their Possibilities, the Care of Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants, with a Chapter on Volatile Hydrocarbon and Oil Engines by R. E. Mathot

In 1838 Barnett applied the principle of compression to a single-acting engine.

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

This led to the construction of single-acting inverted oscillating engines with high and low pressure cylinders, and with admission and exhaust ports to avoid the complication and weight of eccentric and valves.

From A History of Aeronautics by Evelyn Charles Vivian

Q.--in the double-acting engine the piston is pushed by the steam both ways, whereas in the single-acting engine it is only pushed one way?

From A Catechism of the Steam Engine by John Bourne, C.E.