AN IMPROVED ENGINE FOR COMMUNICATING POWER FOR MECHANICAL PURPOSES
Year: 1832

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ERICSSON, of Liverpool, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of February, in the second year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Ericsson, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said John Ericsson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as
the said John Ericsson, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED ENGINE FOR COMMUNICATING POWER FOR MECHANICAL
PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said John Ericsson, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Ericsson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention consists

page_text: of a circular chamber in which a cone is made to revolve on a shaft or axis
by means of wings or leaves alternately exposed to the pressure of steam;
these wings or leaves being made to work through slits or openings of
a circular plane, which revolves obliquely to and is thereby kept in contact
with the side of the conc. And in further compliance with the said proviso, I,
the said John Ericsson, do hereby describe the manner in which my said
Invention is to be performed, by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings annexed, and the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the improved engine, taken
through the centre line. A, A, is a circular chamber made in two parts,
joined at a, a, and fixed to a frame B, B, B. This frame also supports the
axis or main shaft C, which axis is provided with a socket ball c, and a collar d,
to which is fixed the cone D, D. The dotted lines E, E, show the shape of
two leaves or wings fixed to the cone; but they are in this view supposed to
be taken away for the purpose of not confusing the representation. F, F, is a
circular plane revolving on a shaft or pivot G, and supported by the ball c,
working in the socket f, f; the oblique. position of the circular plane, it will
be seen, is so adjusted that its surface shall be parallel, and in contact with the
side of the cone. H, H, are metallac segments, answering the purpose of
packing rings, and fitted in a groove round the cone, and pressed out by
springs towards the circular chamber for the purpose of preventing any escape
I, I, are metallic segments in the circular plane for the same
purpose. K is a cylindrical brass for the pivot G to work against, and
regulated by a key k. L is a conical guide brass kept in its place by a set
screw . M is a screw pin for giving oil to the pivot. N, N, are conical brasses
for the main shaft to work in, and kept in their places by the set screws n, n.
O, O, are screw bolts for securing the engine frame. P is a pinion or small
wheel for the purpose of communicating the power of the engine to machinery
which may require a different speed.
of steam.
Figure 2 represents the plan or top view of the engine, shewing the exterior
of the circular chamber, the framework, main shaft, pinion, &c.; and it will
be well here to state that similar letters are used to denote similar parts in
all the Figures. Q is the pipe through which the steam enters the engine
and R the pipe through which it escapes.
Figure 3 is an end view or cross section of the engine taken through
the red line marked in Figure 2. The steam passes from the pipe Q into the

page_text: circular chamber through an opening S, cut through its side. This opening is
of a triangular shape, and made as wide at the top as the cone is high, and
marked by the red line in Figure 4, and gradually tapering off downwards, as
shewn in this Figure. T is the opening through which the steam escapes,
and in every respect similar in construction. The red line U, U, shews where
the cone and the circular plane come in contact. e, e, are metallic segments
working in grooves made in the curved edges of the leaves to prevent the
escape of steam.
Figure 4 is a detached view to show the exterior of the cone with its leaves,
and the obliquely revolving circular plane, and it will only be necessary to
state that V is one of the slits or openings through which the leaves work.
The slit is of equal length with the leaf, and widening outwards from the
surface of the plane to accommodate the change of the angular position of the
leaf which takes place during each revolution. These leaves are made thinner
in the middle than at the sides, each surface being hollowed into an elliptical
curve, as shewn at Fig. 5, by which means the leaf will always fill its slit,
notwithstanding the constant changes in its angular position when at work.
v, v, are metallic rods kept tight against the leaf by springs to prevent
the escape of steam. W, W, W, W, are thin flat arms for supporting the
circular plane.
Having now described the nature and construction of my improved engine,
it will only be necessary to describe the manner in which the same is put into
operation. Steam being admitted into the pipe Q, see Figure 3, it will pass
through the opening S into the circular chamber, and being there prevented
from passing the line U, U, where the cone and circular plane come in contact,
it will press against the upper leaf, which then, together with the cone, will
revolve in the direction of the red arrow, and as soon as the said leaf gets
below the top of the opening T, then the steam that has been acting will
escape through the opening T into the pipe R, and thence into the atmosphere
or into a condenser, the opposite leaf will then become the upper one, and will
be operated upon in like manner, and a constant rotary motion will thus be
produced as long as steam is admitted.
Now, whereas it is evident that this engine may be worked by water as well
as by steam, in which case the metallic segments and tightening rods may be dis-
pensed with; but whereas I claim as my Invention the engine herein-before
described; and such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or in any of His said Majesty's

page_text: Colonies and Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Speci-
fication of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification
doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the
proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ericsson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord