IMPROVEMENTS IN Agents STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W Clark of
53 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Agents do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to engines impelled by steam or other vapor fluid
or gas capable of expansion and in which it is proposed to cut off the impelling
agent early in the stroke of the engine piston, and to work the remainder of the
stroke by expansion for the purpose of economising the use of said agent or in other
words of obtaining an enlarged effect for a limited supply. In expansion steam
engines both of the single and compound kind, as ordinarily constructed and worked
for imparting rotary motion by means of a crank or cranks to a driving shaft, there
is often but little or no advantage in working the steam expansively, and where the
load to be overcome is a constant one and not of an elastic or varying description,
such method of utilizing the steam, except to a very limited extent, is generally
impracticable owing to the great variation in pressure at different points of the
stroke and which produces a want of uniformity in the rotary motion of the driving
shaft that even a weighty fly wheel, where such is practicable, only partially
corrects, and that very imperfectly.
To maintain a uniform speed of the rotating engine shaft or parts, it is
necessary that the power be uniformly applied to each division of the circle
described, and to obtain a full economy of steam expansion with perfect uniformity
of peripheral speed and against a constant load is the leading object of this
invention. To such and other ends the invention consists in a number of
independent engines grouped into separate and distinct pairs and connected with
progressively set or arranged cranks on independent shafts which are geared with
and serve to rotate a main driving or combined engine shaft, whereby the initial
and diminishing pressures of the steam or other impelling agent in the several
cylinders, working expansively, are made to produce a uniform rotative effect upon
the main shaft, or in other words, the several engines are caused to maintain the
initial rotative effect by the application in regular order of the initial and
diminishing pressures,

page_text: In the arrangement here described two parallel vertical series of reciprocating
piston cylinder engines, that is, four in each row or series, are arranged with their
cylinders placed overhead, but said cylinders may be placed below, horizontal or in
any other desired position, and the invention is not restricted to any precise
number of engines that combined form but a single engine, that is communicate
rotary motion to the same driving shaft. It will suffice here however, by way of
illustration to refer to four engines in each row or series of engines.
The several cylinders are all mounted on suitable frames or uprights on a
common bed plate and supported by upright stays or rods. The piston rods of
these engine cylinders may have blocks or cross heads working in suitable guides
and are respectively connected by rods with cranks on independent parallel shafts.
The eight separate and distinct engines to which these several cylinders belong, are
grouped into four separate and distinct pairs of engines having their cranks set or
arranged at right angles with each other, the several cranks in their aggregate,
serving to divide the circles described by them into sixteen parts, that is eight
parts for the down stroke of their several pistons and eight parts for the upstroke
thereof.
The crank shafts are geared, as for instance by spur gears with an intermediate
or combined engine driving shaft which is relieved from all lateral pressure in its
journal boxes, by the engines on the one side of it serving to depress said shaft,
while the engines on the other side exert a like tendency to raise it; thus the shaft
floats, as it were, in its bearings.
The-journal boxes-of-the-crank shafts-should-be-so-arranged-and-secured to their
places as that on removing blocks provided for the purpose, their gears may be slid
out of mesh with the gears on the main shaft.
The valves of the several engines are actuated by two eccentrics for each engine,
on the crank shafts thereof, according to the direction in which it is required to
drive the engines, each pair of said eccentrics being connected by their rods to
opposite ends of slotted reversing links up from which the vertically guided sliding
valve rods project. The reversing links of the several engines are connected by
rods on opposite sides of the main shaft these rods in their turn being connected
with arms of a rock shaft that is fitted with a toothed sector with which a screw
worm operated by a hand wheel or crank engages to collectively work the several
valves for the purpose of starting, stopping and reversing the several engines.
Any other system of valve gear however may be adopted, and the valves
themselves may be of any suitable kind to work the steam expansively in the
several engine cylinders, the same either having a fixed or adjustable cut off action
as desired. Ordinarily however, where eight engines or engine cylinders are used
as described the valves will be set to cut off the steam at one eighth of the stroke
in each direction, whereby the initial force of the steam will be exerted on the main
shaft throughout its entire rotation and the power as derived both from the initial
pressure of the steam and its expansion after being cut off will be uniformly
applied to each division of the circle described by said shaft. This will give a full
economy of steam expansion with perfect uniformity of peripheral speed in cases
where the load is a constant one.
The several engines as thus combined and operating form but a single engine.
When it is required to cut off at different points in the stroke, then the number of
independent expansion engines may be varied accordingly; thus when cutting off
at one fourth instead of one eighth of the stroke then four independent engines in
place of the eight herein described will answer.
1004

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention has reference to engines impelled by steam or other vapor, fluid
or gas capable of expansion and in which it is proposed to cut off the impelling
agent early in the stroke of the engine piston, and to work the remainder of the
stroke by expansion for the purpose of economising the use of said agent or, in
other words, of obtaining an enlarged effect for a limited supply of it. In expansion
Steam engines both of the single and compound kind, as ordinarily constructed and
worked, for imparting rotary motion by means of a crank or cranks to a driving
shaft, there is often but little or no advantage in working the steam expansively,
and where the load to be overcome is a constant one and not of an elastic or
varying description, such method of utilizing the steam, except to a very limited
extent, is generally impracticable owing to the great variation in pressure at
different points of the stroke and which produces a want of uniformity in the
rotary motion of the driving shaft that even a weighty fly wheel, where such is
practicable, only partially corrects, and that very imperfectly.
To maintain a uniform speed of the rotating engine shaft or parts, it is necessary
that the power be uniformly applied to each division of the circle described, and
to obtain a full economy of steam expansion with perfect uniformity of peripheral
speed and against a constant load is the leading object of this invention. To such
and other ends, including the dispensing if desired with a fly wheel to assist in
producing said effect and the avoiding of all dead centre action, although these are
not the special objects sought to be obtained, the invention consists in a number
of independent engines grouped into separate and distinct pairs and connected
with progressively set or arranged cranks on independent shafts which are geared
with and serve to rotate a main driving or combined engine shaft, whereby the
initial and diminishing pressures of the steam or other impelling agent in the
several cylinders, working expansively, are made to produce a uniform rotative
effect upon the main shaft, or, in other words, the several engines are caused to
maintain the initial rotative effect by the application in regular order of the initial
and diminishing pressures, substantially as hereinafter described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all figures:
Figure 1 represents a plan of an organised system of independent reciprocating
piston cylinder engines connected with duplicate many cranked shafts in gear with
an intermediate main or driving shaft, in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2. is a side elevation of the same. Figure 3 an end view thereof and
Figure 4 is a diagram in illustration of the arrangement of the several cranks of
the independent engines and of the geared arrangement of the crank shafts with
a main or combined engine driving shaft.
In the arrangement shown in the drawing two parallel vertical series of
reciprocating piston cylinder engines, that is, four in each row or series, are
represented with their cylinders placed overhead, but said cylinders may be
arranged below, horizontal or in any other desired position, and the invention

page_text: is not restricted to any precise number of engines that combined form but n
single engine, that is, communicate rotary motion to the same driving shaft.
It will suffice here however, by way of illustration, to refer to four engines in each
row or series of engines.
A, A, indicate four engine cylinders in one row or series, and A¹, A¹, a like
number of similar cylinders in an adjacent parallel row or series. These several
cylinders are all mounted on suitable frames or uprights B on a common bed
plate C and supported by upright stays or rods b b. The piston rods c c¹ of these
engine cylinders may have blocks or cross heads working in suitable guides and
are respectively connected by rods d d¹ with cranks e e¹ e³ e³ e¹; e³, eª, e² on
independent parallel shafts D D¹.
The eight separate and distinct engines to which these several cylinders A, A¹
belong, are grouped into four separate and distinct pairs of engines having their
cranks e and e¹es and e³ e and es e and e7 set or arranged at right angles with
each other as more clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, the several cranks
in their aggregate, serving to divide the circles described by them into sixteen
parts, that is eight parts for the down stroke of their several pistons and eight
parts for the upstroke thereof.
with
The crank shafts D, D¹ are geared, as for instance by spur gears ffl and
an intermediate or combined engine driving shaft E which is relieved from all
lateral pressure in its journal boxes h, by the engines on the one side of it, serving
to depress said shaft, while the engines on the other side exert a like tendency to
raise it; thus the shaft E floats, as it were, in its bearings.
The journal boxes i of the crank shafts D, D¹ should be so arranged and
secured to their places as that on removing blocks provided for the purpose,
their gears ff' may be slid out of mesh with the gears g on the main shaft E.
The valves of the several engines are actuated by two eccentrics k land k l for
each engine, on the crank shafts D D' thereof, according to the direction in which
it is required to drive the engines, each pair of said eccentrics being connected, by
their rods m n and m¹ n¹ to opposite ends of slotted reversing links o o³, up from
which the vertically guided sliding valve rods p p', project. The reversing links o o¹
of the several engines on opposite sides of the main shaft E, are connected by rods q
and these rods in their turn being connected by rods r, with arms 8 on a rock
shaft t that is fitted with a toothed sector u with which a screw w operated by a
hand wheel or crank engages, to collectively work the several valves for the
purpose of starting, stopping and reversing the several engines.
Any other system of valve gear however may be adopted and the valves
themselves may be of any suitable kind to work the steam expansively in the
several engine cylinders, the same either having a fixed or adjustable cut off action
as desired. Ordinarily however where eight engines or engine cylinders are used
as shown, the valves will be set to cut off the steam at one eighth of the stroke
in each direction, whereby the initial force of the steam will be exerted on the
main shaft E throughout its entire rotation and the power as derived both from
the initial pressure of the steam and its expansion after being cut off will be
uniformly applied to each division of the circle described by said shaft. This will
give a full economy of steam expansion with perfect uniformity of peripheral speed
in cases where the load is a constant one.
The several engines as thus combined and operating form but a single engine.
When it is required to cut off at different points in the stroke, then the number
of independent expansion engines may be varied accordingly; thus when cutting
off at one fourth instead of one eighth of the stroke then four independent engines
in place of the eight herein described will answer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st In expansion steam and other engines, the combination, with an intermediate
driving shaft of a series of independent expansion reciprocating piston engines

page_text: arranged in pairs on opposite sides of said shaft and geared or connected with it
to rotate the same, the cranks in each pair of said engines being set at right angles
with one another and the cranks of the several engines being arranged progressively
and uniformly one in advance of the other substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
2nd The combination, in the one expansion engine, of the intermediate driving
shaft E, the duplicate parallel crank shafts D D¹ on opposite sides of said shaft,
the gears f f g connecting the several shafts, a duplicate series in pairs of
reciprocating piston expansion engines having their cranks arranged as described
progressively and uniformly one in advance of the other, and a valve mechanism
common to all the engines for simultaneously and similarly controlling them,
essentially as described.