IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES IMPELLED BY STEAM, GAS, OR OTHER FLUID, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR ENGINE- REVERSING GEAR AND RUDDER-STEERING GEAR, AND FOR PUMPING,
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Matthews, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
IMPELLED BY STEAM, GAS, OR OTHER FLUID, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR ENGINE-
REVERSING GEAR AND RUDDER-STEERING GEAR, AND FOR PUMPING,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Matthews at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1881.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES IMPELLED BY STEAM, GAS, OR OTHER
FLUID, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR ENGINE REVERSING GEAR AND RUDDER STEERING
GEAR, AND FOR PUMPING, EXHAUSTING, COMPRESSING, AND MEASURING FLUIDS."
The cylinder or casing in which the piston rotates is conveniently made in two
halves bolted together, and of a disc form with flat parallel or nearly parallel sides
and half circular at the circumference. The shaft passing out centrally at one or
both sides, has a boss which takes up the central portion of the cylinder, and has
a vane or blade shaped piston starting from the boss and fitting the inner contour
or section of the cylinder; this blade piston is thicker towards one side so as to
present a sloping, straight, or curved face or faces to the steam or other impelling
fluid. The abutment" is formed by a flap hinged at its outer end and arranged
to work in the direction of or transversely to the path of the piston; when out of
the way of the path of the piston it finds its place in an extension of the case or
cylinder. The steam or other fluid is admitted through ports by a slide valve
worked by eccentric or otherwise. By using double sets of ports the engine may
be made to work in either direction.
The blade piston pushes the hinged abutment flap out of the way, but the first
part of this movement of the abutment flap is effected by a lever or cam operated
by the piston; or the abutment flap may be operated entirely by the piston and
then be connected to a lever to facilitate its being thrown over to the other side
for reversing; or the abutment flap may be operated by cam motion.

page_text: When this engine is adapted as a gas engine I prefer to use the abutment flap
jointed to a lever as stated, and to employ a rotary slide valve in connection with
a rotary ignition slide or cock. The cylinder will then be formed with a water
jacket. A ram pump or other compressor may be used to supply the gas and air
separately or together to the admission valve.
This engine may also, especially for large sizes and for steam, be constructed
with more than one piston. Two pistons may be employed placed directly opposite
or at an angle to each other, and the abutment and slide valves arranged
accordingly. I may thus apply the compound principle of high and low pressure
fluid..
As applied to rail and tram locomotives I may use one cylinder operating on
each driving axle and outside of the frames, but at opposite corners; or
may use
two cylinders outside the frames on one driving axle with coupling rods to the
other driving wheels; or the cylinders may be arranged as just described but
inside the frames. For marine engines I may use two or more of these cylinders
or engines on the same shaft, and the steam may operate successively in them.
When applied to rudder steering gear the travel of the rudder may be effected
by one or more revolutions or part of a revolution of the piston or pistons; the
connection between the steering engine and the rudder may be direct, or by chains
or other suitable means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Matthews in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd July
1881.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES IMPELLED BY STEAM, GAS, OR OTHER
FLUID, ALSO APPLICABLE FOR ENGINE REVERSING GEAR AND RUDDER STEERING
GEAR, AND FOR PUMPING, EXHAUSTING, COMPRESSING, AND MEASURING FLUIDS."
The cylinder or casing in which the piston rotates, is conveniently made in two
halves bolted together, and of a disc form with flat parallel or nearly parallel sides;
and half circular at the circumference. The shaft passing out centrally at one or
both sides has a boss which takes up the central portion of the cylinder, and has
a vane or blade-shaped piston starting from the boss, and fitting the inner contour
or section of the cylinder; this blade piston is thicker towards one side, so as
to present a sloping, straight, or curved face or faces to the steam or other impelling
fluid.
The abutment is formed by a flap hinged at its outer end, and arranged to
work in the direction of or transversely to the path of the piston; when out of the
way of the path of the piston, it finds its place in an extension of the case or
cylinder.
The steam or other fluid is admitted through ports by a slide valve worked by
eccentric or otherwise. By using a double set of ports the engine may be made to
work in either direction.
And in
The blade piston pushes the hinged abutment flap out of the way, but the first
part of this movement of the abutment flap is effected by a lever or cam operated
by the piston. Or the abutment flap may be operated entirely by the piston, and
then be connected to a lever to facilitate its being thrown over to the other side
for reversing; or the abutment flap may be operated by cam motion.
order that this part of my Invention may be more fully understood, I will now
describe the same with reference to the accompanying Drawings. Figure 1 is a
vertical longitudinal section; Figure 2, an end view, and Figure 3 a plan section
of such a rotary engine having a double set of ports for being adapted to work in
either direction, and fitted with a cam lever operated by the piston for effecting the
first part of the movement of the abutment flap.
If this engine is used as a gas engine, I provide the cylinder with a water jacket,
as described hereafter with reference to Figures 9 and 16. Figures 4 and 5 are
detail views. The cylinder A is made in two halves, united by flanges and bolts
or screws, and is of a half cylindrical form at the circumference. The piston B is
thicker towards one side, so as to present a nearly straight sloping face to the edge
of the abutment flap or shutter (or it may be sloped to the other side also, as shewn
in dotted lines, for working in the opposite direction); C is an abutment flap
hinged at C', so that it can swing out of the way of the path of the piston, and
then find its place in a lateral extension A¹ or chamber of the cylinder. The
central portion of the cylinder is fitted with a boss D¹ on the shaft D, the bearings
of which in the cylinder are deep, so as to prevent leakage at the place, and may
also have pins turned in grooves for holding condensed water, thus making joint as
is well known; E, E, is a cam lever, also shown separately at Figures 4 and 5, and
arranged to be acted on at one end E¹ by the piston B, so as to depress that end
with a recess, thereby causing the other end E to be pushed in the opposite direction,
and thereby to impel the abutment flap C, so as to start its movement back into
its chamber A and out of the way of the piston B; the latter with its sloping face
coming in contact with the edge of the abutment flap C immediately after pushes
it entirely out of the way and goes past it, whereupon the flap C drops down into
its normal position, again forming an abutment to the steam which is admitted at

page_text: the commencement of the next revolution. The steam distribution is in this case
effected by a slide valve F with rod F¹ passing out through the slide box, and
actuated by lever G from an eccentric Gi on the shaft D; the eccentric is here
shown fixed to a disc G2 (which is fixed on the shaft D) by means of a bolt and
nut; by shifting the latter to the other hole in the disc G³, the engine can be made
to run in the opposite direction; this changing or reversing may be effected in any
other well known manner. a and bare the steam and exhaust ports respectively
for one direction of motion, and a¹ and b¹ similarly for the opposite direction.
Figure 6 is a side view, and Figure 7 an end view of another arrangement of
engine, wherein the abutment flap C is actuated from a grooved cam H on the
shaft D through the intervention of a bell crank lever H', connecting rod I, and
lever I; the spindle C¹ of the abutment flap in this instance passing out of the
cylinder A through a stuffing box.
This engine may also, especially for large sizes and for steam, be constructed
with more than one piston. Two pistons may be employed, placed directly opposite
or at an angle to each other, and the abutment and slide valves arranged
accordingly. I may thus apply the compound principle of high and low pressure
fluid.
Figure 8 is a sectional end view and Figure 9 a vertical longitudinal section
through a cylinder A, having two pistons B on which the steam may act successively
on the compound principle, or both sides or parts of the cylinder may work with
fresh steam; each abutment flap C is worked from a cam H on the shaft in the
manner shown, or it may be in the manner shown at Figures 6 and 7, where the
fulcrum spindle C¹ passed out through a stuffing box.
As applied to rail and tram locomotives I may use one cylinder operating on
each driving axle, and outside of the frames, but at opposite corners; or I may use
two cylinders outside the frames on one driving axle, with coupling rods to the
other driving wheels; or the cylinders may be arranged as just described, but
inside the frames.
For marine engines I may use two or more of these cylinders or engines on the
same shaft, and the steam may operate successively in them, and in this case, and
if using two cylinders, I may make the high pressure cylinder or engine of less
diameter or capacity than the other or low pressure cylinder or engine.
Figure 10 is a side view and Figure 11 an end view of two cylinders A working
on the same shaft, in which case one eccentric G³ (or set of eccentrics) may actuate
the slide valves of both cylinders. The abutment flaps C are here shown actuated
by cams H on the shaft D. For working on the compound principle one cylinder A
would be smaller than the other cylinder A*, as shown in Figure 10ª.
When applied to rudder steering gear the travel of the rudder may be effected
by one or more revolutions or part of a revolution of the piston or pistons; the
connection between the steering engine and the rudder may be direct, or by chains,
or other suitable means.
When this engine is adapted as a gas engine I prefer to use the abutment flap
jointed to a lever, as stated, and to employ a rotary slide valve in connection with
a rotary ignition slide or cock, or I may construct it with the hinged flap or 4
shutter, and the shape of casing or cylinder same as shown in Figures 1 and 6.
The cylinder will then be formed with a water jacket. A ram pump or rotary
or other compressor may be used to compress and supply the charges of gas and
air separately or together to the admission valve.
In Figure 12 I have shown a sectional end view and in Figure 13 a plan section!
of a gas engine cylinder A having a piston B sloping to both sides, with the view
of being adapted to move round in either direction of revolution. The abutment
flap C is for the same purpose connected to the fulcrum spindle C₁ by means of a
link C and fulcrum lever C³. The dotted lines shew the position of these parts
when the engine moves in the opposite direction. The gas and air may be admitted
by means of any suitable slide or other valve or cock. As shewn at Figure 16, the
cylinder is formed with a water jacket A' when used as a gas engine.

page_text: Figure 14 is a sectional end view of a gas engine having rotary gas and ignition
slide valves; Figure 15 is a part plan section shewing one arrangement of these
valves. The engine shaft carries a spur wheel K, which gears with the wheel L
on the gas slide spindle L', which latter by spur wheel M gearing with the wheel N
on the ignition slide spindle N¹ actuates the latter.
Figure 17 is an end view of a gas engine having a small ram pump O actuated
by an eccentric P and serving to deliver a compressed charge to the admission
slide.
And having thus described the nature of this Invention, and modes of carrying
the same into effect, I declare that I claim,-
First. The general combination of parts forming my improved rotary steam, air,
or gas engine, in which a piston, such as B, works in an annular chamber of or
about the form described, the central part of the cylinder being filled by a boss,
such as D¹, the abutment being formed by a hinged flap or shutter swinging in a
plane transversely to the direction of motion of the piston, and operated partly or
wholly by the piston itself or from the engine shaft, all substantially as described
and shewn.
Second, The cylinder made in two halves, and having an annular piston chamber
and a lateral extension for a hinged abutment flap, substantially as described and
shewn..
Third. The application in my improved rotary engine of two pistons in one
cylinder or casing, and also in the combination of cylinders on the compound
principle, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The application of my improved rotary engine as a gas engine, and the
whole or partial covering of the casing or cylinder of rotary gas engines of this
type with a jacket for keeping them cool, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Matthews, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
J. MATTHEWS. (L.S.)