Prony Brake Ideas

frnkeore

frnkeore

Well-known member
This is my concept of a simple Prony Brake Dyno.

It's probably a little over kill to use a 1 1/2 ton disk for a 150 HP engine but, it would be trouble free, I think to at least 250 HP.

The way I drew it, is with a screw, to activate the MC. That way you could leave it will doing initial break in and it would make it easier to hold a torque reading.

Again, with this type of brake, the HP, uses the formula, Torque x RPM Divided by 5252.
 

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OK, well this answers a lot of questions. But does the master cyl work on a 12" lever? I'm thinking so. Does the flywheel weigh 1 1/2 tons? I bet the engine idles real smooth at 150 rpms. Personally I wanted to just add a load to my engine stand for proper ring break in and not care much about how much horsepower my puny 221 cu in stock mill with new rings and valves was putting out. Your whole setup would work really well for me. I have 2 beater, untitled '47 truck frames I can cut off as far back as needed. Let's get started!
 
Just wondering if an automatic transmission plus torque converter with output shaft locked would provide enough load for run-in purposes.
 
GB SISSON said:
OK, well this answers a lot of questions. But does the master cyl work on a 12" lever? I'm thinking so. Does the flywheel weigh 1 1/2 tons? I bet the engine idles real smooth at 150 rpms. Personally I wanted to just add a load to my engine stand for proper ring break in and not care much about how much horsepower my puny 221 cu in stock mill with new rings and valves was putting out. Your whole setup would work really well for me. I have 2 beater, untitled '47 truck frames I can cut off as far back as needed. Let's get started!
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The lever (or screw) pushing against the master cyl, only supply's line pressure to the caliper and that only loads the disk brake rotor. The advantage of the screw, is it will hold a steady pressure for a extended time. If a lever is used, it can be as long as you want. It only supply's PSI at the caliper.

I'm not sure what your saying about a 1 1/2 tons. I was saying that the disk brake rotor would come from a 1 1/2 ton truck, for it increased capacity over a car rotor.

I brighten the drawing, to make it easier to read. I also forgot to add a throttle lever to the panel, for the carb.
 
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I am trying to ignore this subject because if I'm not careful, it'll get me into another project that I don't have time for.:( Given that, I was thinking big truck brake too.

The bad thing is that I already have an electronic high capacity load cell I'm not using.:rolleyes:
 
I remember a long time ago, one of business partners of the company I worked for built a water brake to put a load on the small diesel engine powerpack he was designing for Class 8 Trucks to generate heat to heat the cab as well as generate electricity.
 
I have a neighbor that likes to smolder grass and leaves when the wind is blowing my direction. I have pondered long and hard about getting one of those airboat props and cages. It wound be perfect for breaking in an engine.
 
In the late 50's our company got involved in building quarter midget engines and needed a dyno to develop them. There was nothing commercially available so we built one using a V12 Allison coolant pump for a brake. It was a total loss system with just a garden hose for water supply. We never did have an engine on it that got it hot. The engines we were working with made around 25 hp.
 
all these inventive thoughts, but you could just hook it up to a generator and sell the power back to the elec. co. and make AOC happy too!
 
5851a said:
I have a neighbor that likes to smolder grass and leaves when the wind is blowing my direction. I have pondered long and hard about getting one of those airboat props and cages. It wound be perfect for breaking in an engine.
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Easiest idea of them all ! I have an outboard motor from 1926 that really puts a strain on it's two stroke ,2 cyl opposed air cooled motor. I have run it at the antique steam, gas, threshing meet at Lynden many times. I have two Vietnam era belly tanks about 21' long... A catamaran with a v8 prop engine? And what's a 'cage'? BTW, not my first rodeo with a prop. At 18 years of age I built this ice craft with a 1 1/2 hp briggs. The police kicked me off the ice with a bullhorn, because of endangerment to all the skaters....,and it was the town's water supply. No gas engines. Sheesh, spoil all the fun.
 

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Not sure of flywheel weight, but there is one at Rollag, MN that is used constantly to measure both PTO and belt HP of gas, diesel, and steam tractors during the three days of the steam threshers reunion. The wheel is run in a band that can be continually tightened for resistance. The lower part is in a water bath. Watched a Case 110 steamer get belted up. HP was 125, torque calculated to over 4,000 ft lbs.

At night a steamer is belted up and really made to shake the ground with its draft. Then, grocery bags stuffed with sawdust and ground corncobs are fed into the firebox. Sparks are belched 30-40 feet into the air, it is quite the show.

I wish I could have seen Kory Anderson's 150 Case belted to the brake in 2019, the year he debuted it. Only 9 of these steamers were built. He got the blueprints from CaseIH, and proceeded to build one from scratch. The only surviving piece to be found was the remains of an original boiler.
 
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Jim in Wisconsin said:
It seems like that brake rotor would get really hot, like red hot. Maybe you could run a water jacket around it and make coffee.
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As I said in my initial response, on the other thread, you can spray water into the center of the rotor.

I checked the heat transfer rate and the heat transfer coefficient of water is about350 times that of air.
 
1952henry said:
Not sure of flywheel weight, but there is one at Rollag, MN that is used constantly to measure both PTO and belt HP of gas, diesel, and steam tractors during the three days of the steam threshers reunion. The wheel is run in a band that can be continually tightened for resistance. The lower part is in a water bath. Watched a Case 110 steamer get belted up. HP was 125, torque calculated to over 4,000 ft lbs.

At night a steamer is belted up and really made to shake the ground with its draft. Then, grocery bags stuffed with sawdust and ground corncobs are fed into the firebox. Sparks are belched 30-40 feet into the air, it is quite the show.

I wish I could have seen Kory Anderson's 150 Case belted to the brake in 2019, the year he debuted it. Only 9 of these steamers were built. He got the blueprints from CaseIH, and preceeded to build one from scratch. The only surviving piece to be found was the remains of an original boiler.
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here is a video of that tractor. I have never seen a plow that wide.

https://truebluesam.blogspot.com/2020/12/weekend-steam-kory-anderson-fires-up.html

John
 
Thanks for the video post. I have seen it in person, just not on the brake. The story is impressive. His goal from childhood was to have one of these extinct tractors. I dont think he is much past 40.
 
John, that was amazing!!! I tried to listen when he said how many "bottoms" that plow had and couldn't quite make it out. Think my maximum plowing experience with our John Deere's was maybe a two bottom by comparison!!


That is an also an amazing project, considering they had to make everything from scratch, based on the Case blueprint.


Thank you for posting!!!
 
36 bottom plow. It is amazing to watch it steam along in person.

This is not an advertisement. Just a link to the industry he created to build the Case. Now it makes him a living. Kind of like a modern day Henry Ford.

https://anderson-industries.com/
 
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