CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIJAH
GALLOWAY, of Westmoreland Place, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
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 Twenty-third day of December, in the fifth year of lis
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Elijah Galloway, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Elijah Galloway, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Elijah Galloway, my exors, adiñiors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Elijah Galloway,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Elijah Galloway, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to that description of steam engine called rotatory,
and the improvements are also applicable to rotatory pumps for raising and
forcing water, and the Invention consists in applying a peculiarly constructed
piston within a steam chamber or barrel of an elliptical form, in such manner
that although such piston drives the main shaft or axis it is not directly
affixed thereto, but is capable of a sliding motion in the direction of the
length of the piston and over the shaft, in order at all times to touch the
inner periphery of the elliptical steam chamber, and keep the sides steam-
tight; and in order that this may be effected the main shaft or axis passes
through the two ends or covers of the steam chamber of the engine at a
point excentric to the semi-transverse section of the ellipse and upon the
minor axis. But in order that my Invention may be fully understood and
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a Diagram, which I will first describe, by which the principle
of the engine will be more readily understood. The steam chamber a, a,
is not circular, but of an elliptical form, as is clearly shown in this Figure.
b, b, is the major axis or centre line of the ellipse, and is a point below
the central line, which point c constitutes the centre of the main shaft or
axis of the engine. is a horizontal line passing through the point c, and
touching the ellipse a, a, at each end; this line d may be said to represent
the piston of the engine. Now it will be evident that if this line d be capable
of sliding over the point c, it will be capable of assuming all the positions
shown by the colored lines e, f, g, h, i, and all intermediate positions,
and touch the ellipse by both ends of the line d in every point of a revo-
lution. It will therefore be evident that in placing a piston within an
elliptical steam chamber, such piston must be capable of sliding or moving
over the axis or point c, yet at the same time have such a connection
with the main shaft that it shall be able to carry such shaft round during
its own revolution. Having thus explained the Diagram, the further de-
scription will now become more readily evident. Figure 2 is a side view of
an engine constructed according to my Invention, having the cover removed;

page_text: Figure 3 is a section; Figure 4 is a plan. Figure 5 is a side view of the
engine, with the cover on, showing the steamways. Figure 6 represents
the various parts of the piston separately; and Figure 7 shows the piston in
section separately, but on a smaller scale. In each of these Figures the
same letters refer to similar parts, a, a, being the elliptical steam chamber
of the engine; c is the main shaft or axis of the engine, which passes through
the covers j,j, on each side of the engine, there being stuffing boxes k, k, for
keeping the same steam-tight; is the piston, which is constructed in the
following manner:-1, 1, are two plates, having recesses m, m, cast or formed
therein, in order to allow of sufficient play for the links n, n. On to the main
shaft is keyed or otherwise affixed the levers, and to these levers are
connected one end of each of the connecting links n, n, the other end being
attached to the recesses m, m, as is clearly shown in the various Figures
in the Drawing; but it should be stated that such connections of the links
n, n, to the levers o and to the recesses m, m, are by pins or axes allowing
movement to the various parts. By this arrangement it will be seen the piston
will be constrained to move in such a manner that a line drawn through it as
at p, will at all times intersect the centre of the axis c. 1, 2, are filling pieces
of metal, wood, or other material, their object being to fill up the space below
the piston in order to prevent waste of steam in working the engine; r is the
induction and s the eduction way for the steam; the eduction way being
connected to the steam boiler, and the eduction way to a condenser, or to a
pipe open to the atmosphere. The manner which this engine is worked is as
follows: The piston, which is now in the position which may be called its
dead centre, is to be placed by means of the fly wheel in such a manner as to
leave open the steamway r, by which steam may flow to one side of the
piston, by which it will be driven forward and continue to rotate within the
elliptical steain chamber. a, a, the fly wheel, equallizing the power transmitted
to the main shaft c, and will also carry the piston over the dead centre
before mentioned, and thus will a continuous rotatory motion be obtained
in the main shaft c; and it should be remarked that in order to construct
the engine in such manner as to enable it to reverse the direction of its
motion at any period, all that will be necessary will be to have a slide or
cock capable of reversing the steamways r, s, that is to say, converting s
into the induction and r into the eduction way, as is well understood by
engineers, but is omitted in order to prevent complexity of drawing, as is also
the framing necessary to carry the engine. From the foregoing description,
it will be seen that the great object of the Invention is to obtain a
sliding piston within an elliptical steam chamber, the main shaft or axis of

page_text: which is at a point below or excentric to the centre line of the ellipse; but
I do not confine myself to the precise manner herein set forth for connecting
such sliding piston with the main shaft c, as other means may be resorted to.
I have therefore thought it desirable to show another arrangement of a sliding
piston within an elliptical chamber, by which last arrangement the links n, n,
are dispensed with, and a series of friction rollers n, n, are used in order to
guide the piston in a right line along the main shaft. Figure 8 represents the
engine with a cover removed; Figure 9, the piston, separately; Figure 10,
the main shaft with frame of rollers. Figure 11 is another view of the
main shaft, with the frame of rollers. Figure 12 is a transverse section of the
piston and main shaft; and Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of the piston
and shaft. In each of these Figures the same letters as were used in the
former Drawing represent the same parts; they will not therefore require
further description here. I will now confine my description to such parts as differ
from those already referred to. v, v, is a quadrangular framing, carrying the
axes of a series of rollers n, which form friction rollers, to allow of the free sliding
of the piston in the way of its length, as has been described with reference to
the former Figures, and it should be remarked that the main shaft or axis is
flattened, as shown at w, w, in the various parts of the Drawings; by this
arrangement it will be seen that the sliding of the piston on the main shaft or
axis is obtained during its revolution within an elliptical steam chamber, and
yet, at the same time, such piston is so connected with the main shaft as to
cause it to revolve therewith. I have in the Drawings shown the pistons with
metallic packings, which are projected out by spiral springs, and it will be seen
that in the side packings there is a slit or opening formed in order to allow of
the play or movement necessary for the sliding of the piston over the main
shaft, at the same time the sides of such openings are sufficient to keep those
parts steam-tight, all which will be easily understood by examining the various
figures in the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carry-
ing the same into effect, I would remark that in applying the improvements to
pumps, all that will be necessary is to cause the induction pipe to pass into the
well or other source, and the eduction pipe will become the discharge pipe.
Rotatory motion being communicated to the main shaft or axis c, will drive
round the piston, and cause the water to be raised and forced in a continuous
stream.
In conclusion, I would have it understood that what I claim as my Inven
tion is, the application of a sliding piston to a steam chamber or engine of an
elliptical form, and although such piston drives the main shaft or axis, it is

page_text: ot directly affixed thereto, but is capable of sliding thereon in the way of
ts length, as above described, or at right angles thereto.
In witness whereof, J, the said Elijah Galloway, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.