Of course this was in the 1800's.But I have to do a portfolio on~ the safety of steamboat travel.~ why did boilers often explode?Any help with this I will really appreciate I will choose best answer
To much pressure build up, no pop off safety valves, uneducated boiler crew and Captain.
Too much pressure, no safety or poor safety pressure relief valves, poor quality of building material.
Steamboat operations were a deadly competitive business, where the first boat to hit the docks would make the money. (particularly the river boats.) So if the Captain thought he was going to lose the boat anyway, he would order as much power as he could. And experienced boiler man were hard to find (especially if you keep blowing up the trainees.) The design of some safety equipment was not good as some expansion of metals in the pop off valves and the relief springs had a lot to be desired.
If you contact Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance, or go to their site you will find a wealth of information on the subject of boiler explosions. It came down to the following factors: Design Construction Operation While they deal more with stationary installations, I am sure that the problems are/were the same.
