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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'On the explosion of boilers of steam engines' by Jacob Perkins

Reference number: AP/13/22

Date: 1828

Description

Perkins describes experiments carried out on the cause of the explosion of steam engine boilers, finding that there is too much steam in the boiler for it to escape through the safety valve and that the rapid generation of highly elastic steam prevents excess steam from escaping in time.

An ink inscription on covering sheet reads 'To be returned to the author if required'. Minor corrections appear throughout in ink.

Subject: Chemistry / Engineering

Communicated by W H [William Hyde] Wollaston. Received by the Royal Society on 21 February 1828.

Reference number
AP/13/22
Earliest possible date
1828
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
10 pages
Format
Manuscript

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Citation

Unpublished paper, 'On the explosion of boilers of steam engines' by Jacob Perkins, 1828, AP/13/22, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_13_22/unpublished-paper-on-the-explosion-of-boilers-of-steam-engines-by-jacob-perkins, accessed on 10 April 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_13_22/unpublished-paper-on-the-explosion-of-boilers-of-steam-engines-by-jacob-perkins

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    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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