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.

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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

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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 Thurston, Robert H.

Indeed, in most modern single-acting engines, the pistons are directly connected with the crank-shaft by the piston-rod, without any intermediate connecting-rod or cross-head.

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 Mathot, R. E.

Q.--Will you explain the construction and action of the single-acting engine, used for draining mines?

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

By single-acting is meant that the air cylinders compress their respective volumes of air once every revolution.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various

This differs from the one just described chiefly in that it is single-acting, while the other is double-acting.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various