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Draft:Steam gauge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A drawing depicting a traditional steam gauge

A steam gauge in the traditional sense is instrumentation comprising a clock face-like dial indicator with a mechanical hand turning and pointing at a graduated (generally calibrated) scale at the rim. In the age of steam, these gauges were commonly installed and used to measure steam pressure in a system. They were an important safety feature present in the cabs of steam locomotives, as well as with much other steam-powered equipment.

By extension, the term steam gauge can also refer to other dial instrumentation that merely resembles steam gauges in appearance.

In aviation

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In aviation jargon, older cockpit instrumentation which preceded glass cockpits is commonly referred to as steam gauge instrumentation, and that usage is sometimes extended or clipped, so that one may refer to a steam (gauge) cockpit, or steam (gauge) airplane. No actual steam is involved – this jargon has developed strictly by analogy. Even in newer airplanes that do feature glass cockpits, several "steam-gauge" indicators are generally still present as backup instrumentation.