Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-27
GRE AT INVENTION.
lecessfuI Operation of q Rotary
Eaa0Vrp

Successful Operation of Rotary
Steam Engine.
The point with all machinists since the
days of Watts, who devoted many years to
evolve the crank, has been TO avoid what
is termed "dead centersn at the termination
of each stroke of the piston. Several
methods to Obviate this difficulty have been
invented. among which may be mentioned
that OF the combination pistons, connecting
wheels and the rotary engine. Despite the
power of mechanical genius all have
proved impracticable. The amount of fric-
ton produced by the rotary engines hither-
to have been a serious feature preventing
their use. After such repeated failures the
subsequent efforts of persons in LITTER days
to invent a rotary engine as free from fric-
ton in operation as others now in use, have
brought no very complimentary remarks
upon the heads of the inventors who have
been placed by the scientific men in the
category of mOnOmaniacs and looked upon
as being foolish, as one trying to invent or
discover the principle of perpetual motion.
The invention Of rotary engine, perfect
and easy in its operations, has been made
in this city by Mr.. Robert Freyer, at the
foundry and machine shop of J. B. Ro-
mans, "a South Cherry street. To be more
definite, and that the advantages of this in
ventiOn may be better known, we will
state that the object of machinists is to
connect what is at present termed in the
working of an engine, the TecipTOcative
motion into continuous rotary motion, so
as to avoid all dead centres by equally
distributing the maximum power az
all times during the motion Of the
rotary crank. This, then, being the
problem, Mr.. Freyer's invention has
it solved. Yesterday mornings large num-
Der of machinists, including Mr.. Tabor, Of
the North Nashville Cotton Factory, re-
paired to the foundry Of Mr.. Romans to
witness the first application of steam to
this invention. The inventor and his
friends were not kept in suspense, for i'm
mediately after sufficient steam was let on
the engine worked admirably. The con-
structiOn Of this engine OF double engine is
different from any we have seen,
being upright or vertical altogether;
yet its base an toto is only eight
by five feet, while its height Is
eleven feet; the advantage gained by
the saving of space is itself sufficient to re-
commend it. This engine is one hundred
horse power, and was worked rapidly yes
terday with only fifteen pounds of steam,
and slowly by an application of only fire
pounds, the supply pipe being but TWO
inches in diameter, while the cylinders are
fourteen and a half inches in diameter with
twenty-eight inch stroke, remain vertical;
they are near the floor or base; the shaft of
this engine is more than One-half nearer the
uase than an upright engine of One-third its
power. The ConnectingrOd consists OF a cross,
the two horizontal pxtrenities of which are
connected with two recipIOcating pistOnS
while the top of the cross is connected with
a radius bar, the bottom extremity with
the crank which is oval with but one eccen-
tric on the opposite face. By this method
a piece of machinery requiring the aid Of
four eccentTiCs in the valvular gear can be
operated with one single eccentric, whether
using single cylinder or double cylinder
engine; a double engine requiring two sets of
valvular gear, one being necessary to reverse.
By this vibrating cross and radial arm at
the Lop of the cross Mr.. Freyer has sue
ceeded in overcoming the objection hitherto
urged against the use OF the crsnk, without
any increase of friction over the Ordnuy
appliances Of steam engines. Mr.. Freyer
though Ol4iy w WC44S -SA-A y Gals VI d6y w. IL
a man of experience, having had charge
of a steamboat in New York harbor at the
age Of fifteen, since which time he has had
fifteen charges. He is the inventor Of an
indicator which tells tie mum.
Der of revolutions made by
the fly wheel of an Cn ine and Of
which an account is found in the UNION
AND AMERICAN Nov I9, 1871, in the de-
scription of the Nashville Cotton Mil.
The engine was commenced twenty days
ago at Romans shop, and is to be used to
work the principal part of the machinery at
the Exposition. Patents have been applied
for both in America and foreign countries.
The patent in this country and in England
has already been obtained. We viii sige a
detailed description of this invention, iH lis
proper connection, when We come to speak
Of the mechanical department OF the Expo
sition. The engine yesterday We, placed
on floor at the eioundd~"yy and worked grace
fully and without any jerking.