Fabricating sand cast parts for a Herreshoff steam engine

Abstract

Through a Pappalardo Apprenticeship program, MIT undergraduates in mechanical engineering collaborated to construct an 1897 Herreshoff steam engine for intent for demonstration at an MIT Museum exhibit scheduled to open in fall 2018. With a brief overview of the functionality and inner workings of the engine provided, this thesis focuses on the fabrication process followed in making a sand cast part for this project. Two specific parts exemplify the variations in this fabrication process: the iron column and the bronze bearing crosshead. In both cases, the same CAD and CAM practices, pattern fabrication processes, and post-machining techniques were used.