Oscillating cylinder steam engine

An oscillating cylinder steam engine (also known as a wobbler in the US)[citation needed] is a simple steam-engine design (proposed by William Murdoch at the end of 18th century) that requires no valve gear.

The steam needs to be fed into the end of the cylinder at just the right time in the cycle to push the piston in the correct direction.

Early proposals for marine use of oscillating steam engine were made already in the late 18th century.

In 1827 Joseph Maudslay patented an independently developed marine oscillating engine, with an improved valve gear.

[3] Early on shipbuilders considered the moving parts of the oscillating engine a hazard, inside the small spaces of a ship.