Improvements in and relating to Air Compressors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov.,
1895
Improvements in and relating to Air Compressors.
I, EPHRATEM CHAQUETTE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 109 State Street, in the City of Bridgeport, County of Fairfield, and State of
Connecticut, one of the United States of America, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention relates to an apparatus for compressing air, and has for its object
great capacity at a very economical cost.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the improved apparatus,
Figure 2 a plan view of the same partly broken away,
Figure 3 an enlarged detail sectional elevation showing a pair of cylinders and
the manner in which the pistons therein are depressed, and Figure 4 a sectional
elevation showing the improvement adapted to a straight track.
Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
1 is any suitable bed of masonry, 2 a circular iron plate secured upon the outer
portion of this bed, and 3 is a circular T-rail track secured in any suitable manner
upon said plate on top of which rail is a steel tread 4.
5 are brackets which are bolted to the inside of said rail at regular distances
apart throughout the circuit of the latter, and 6 are similar brackets bolted to the
outside of said rail and also separated by uniform distances.
7 are compound cylinders which are bolted in pairs directly to the inside of the
rail 3, and 8 are also compound cylinders likewise bolted in pairs to the outside of
said rail. All of these cylinders are compound, and to the bottoms of the lower
sections of these cylinders are; bolted boxes 9, 9a, froin which boxes pipes a, b, lead to
pipes 10, 11, which latter extend into the reservoir 12 supported on the bed 1.
This reservoir is air tight and is the receptacle for the storage of the compressed
air. Any suitable means may be employed for taking the air from this reservoir,
but this forms no part of the present invention, and therefore no means of this sort
has been shown.
Referring to the compound cylinders 7, 13, 13ª, arc piston heads within the upper
and lower sections of said cylinders, respectively, which heads are each provided with
ordinary resiliently acting valves 14, 14, which normally close the ports 15, 15",
which latter extend through said heads from top to bottom.
16 are plates which extend between the upper and lower sections of the
compound cylinders 7, and which are provided with resiliently acting valves 17,
which yield to a downward pressure and which normally close opening 18 extending
through said plates from top to bottom.
The lower sections of the compound cylinders 7 are so constructed that air
spaces 19 are formed between said sections and the plates 16, and openings 20 are
provided through the roofs of the lower sections whereby communication is
established between the spaces 19 and the lower sections.
In the roofs of the upper sections of the compound cylinders 7 are resiliently
acting valves 22 which yield to a downward pressure and normally close ports 23
which lead through said roofs from the outside air and by means of which air is
supplied above the piston heads 13 to prevent the formation of a vacuum.

page_text: Immediately above the boxes 9 the lower sections of these cylinders 7 are closed
by plates 24, and secured within these plates are resiliently acting valves 25 which
yield to a downward pressure and which normally close openings 26, which latter
extend through said plates and establish communication between the lower sections
of the cylinders 7 and the boxes 9.
27 are piston rods to which are secured the piston heads in each compound
cylinder 7.
28 are rocker bars pivoted at 29 to the brackets 5, and 30 are links by means of
which said rocker bars at their extremities are pivotally connected to the piston
rods of each pair of compound cylinders 7, so that it will be readily understood
that when said bars 28 are rocked, said pistons will be alternately depressed and
elevated for the purposes presently to be explained. One extremity of these rocker
bars is formed into a suitably inclined tread 31 within which latter are journaled
anti-friction rollers 32, as clearly shown at Figure 3.
From the foregoing it will be clearly understood that, when the pistons are
depressed, the air in the upper sections of the cylinders 7 will be compressed until
the yielding of the valves 17 will permit the air to escape within the spaces 19 and
through the openings 20 into the lower sections of the cylinders above the piston
heads 13º. When the pressure of the air has become great enough to open the
valves 14 in the heads 13", said air will escape into the lower sections of the
cylinders beneath the piston heads 13ª, and when the pressure of such air below
the heads 13 opens the valves 25, such air will escape into the boxes 9 and thence
through the pipes a, b, into the reservoir 12.
It will be obvious that the pressure in the upper sections of the cylinders 7 will
be less than the pressure in the spaces 19, and that the pressure in the latter will
be less than the pressure in the lower sections of these cylinders below the piston
heads 13, and it will therefore be evident that the downward movements of the
pistons will effect the compression of the air, and will also force the latter into
succeeding compartments, each compartment being provided with valves whereby
the greater pressure of air therein will prevent any return escapement of such air.
It will thus be seen that these succeeding compartments not only afford a storage
for air under an increased pressure, but they also relieve preceding compartments
from undue pressure.
In other words, the air is compressed, as it were, in sections, and this affords a
very effective means for forcing the air finally into the storage reservoir.
The cylinders 7 and the parts operated in connection therewith inside of the
track 3 have heretofore been described, but it is not deemed necessary to enter into
any similar description of the cylinders 8 and the parts operated therewith outside
of said track, for the reason that these last named cylinders, as well as the parts
operated in connection therewith, are precisely the same in all respects as the
cylinders and parts above described.
It is therefore only necessary to state that the piston rods 33, whose reciprocations
effect the operation of the parts within the cylinders 8, are pivotally connected at
their upper extremities by means of links 34 to the extremities of the rocker
bars 35, which latter are pivoted at or about their central portions to the brackets 6
outside the rail 3. At one end of these rocker bars 35 a tread 36 is formed, within
which are journaled anti-friction rollers 37, in the same manner and for the same
purpose as heretofore explained with reference to the rocker bars 28.
The relative positions of the piston rods 27, 33, are such that they alternate one
in advance of the other along the line of the circular track, so that a roller or
similar device traveling along said track would depress said rods in succession.
Upon the top of the bed 1, at or about the central portion thereof, is a metallic
cap 38, on which is supported a ring 39 having in its upper face an annular
recess 40 containing balls 41, and 42 is a cover ring which rests upon said balls.
Extending upwardly through the cap 38 and rings 39, 42, is a steam pipe 43, the
bottom whereof has a swivel connection with a supply pipe 44, which latter leads
from any suitable boiler.

page_text: 45 is a platform having depending therefrom a hub 46, which latter rests
immediately upon the cover ring 42.
The hub 46 and pipe 43 are tightly secured together, and said pipe extends
freely through the rings 39, 42, so that it will be readily understood that the pipe
and platform will revolve together, while said rings with the balls interposed
merely afford an anti-friction bearing for the hub 46. The pipe 43 extends upward
and has secured thereto a collar 47 which latter rests upon an ordinary ball
bearing composed of a ring 48 having therein an annular recess 49 containing
balls 50, said ring resting upon a cross-piece 51 which is supported by beams 52
(only one shown).
These bearings for the steam pipe at the upper and lower extremities thereof
are very ordinary, and, of course, any of the usual well known forms of bearings
can be employed in this connection, although ball bearings are preferred.
Mounted upon the platform 45 are the double engines 53 which are supplied
with steam from the main pipe 43 by means of small connections 54, the exhaust
being conducted through pipes 55. There is a partition 56 (indicated only
externally) which extends across the steam pipe 43 at a point above the con-
nections 54, and it is preferred to lead the exhaust pipes 55 into the steam pipe 43
above said partition, as shown at Figure 1, but, of course, this is an immaterial
feature and has nothing to do with the invention.
The engines may be covered by means of a drum 57 through the upper portion
whereof the pipe 43 extends loosely, the bottom of said drum resting upon the
platform 45.
Secured to the platform 45 in any suitable manner and extending radially there-
from are bars 58 to which near the outer extremities are secured cross-pieces 59, 60,
which bars and cross-pieces constitute a frame capable of being revolved in
harmony with said platform.
Journaled between said cross-pieces in any suitable manner are rollers 61, which
rest at their central portions upon the track 3, said rollers being provided on either
side with laterally extending hubs 62, 63, which hubs project respectively inside
and outside of the track.
The diameter of these hubs is slightly less than that of the rollers at the point
where they bear upon the track, and the rocker bars are in the lines of travel of
said hubs, the tread ends of said bars being always normally elevated above the
horizontal plane of the track 3.
It will therefore be readily understood that when said rollers travel along the
track, they will strike against said tread ends and will force the pistons connected
with said ends downward, at the same time elevating the pistons at the other ends
of the couplets, and as said rollers continue in their travel and strike said other
ends of the couplets, the piston rods connected with said ends will likewise be
depressed, thereby effecting the elevation of the tread ends and the pistons connected
therewith.
The weight of these rollers is considerable and is sufficient to readily depress
the piston rods at all times.
Moreover, attention is called particularly to the fact that these rollers not only
revolve about their axes, but they also have momentum in that they travel around
the circular track, and therefore this revolution and momentum, together with the
weight of the rollers, afford not only great striking power whereby the pistons are
driven down to their utmost limit, but also the tendency of such pistons to back,
owing to the force of the compressed air, is successfully counteracted.
64 are the driving shafts of the engines which extend through the drum 57
outwardly and are supported within suitable journals in the frame formed by the
bars 58 and cross-pieces 59, 60. On these driving shafts are the usual balance
wheels 65, and secured on said shafts near their outer extremities are small
pinions 66, which latter mesh with large gears 67 rigid on the shafts of two
diametrically opposite rollers 61.
When rotary motion is communicated to the large gears 67 from the driving

page_text: Snails of the engines, the rollers will be revolved and will travel around the
track 3, and will during their circuit successively engage the rocker bars to depress
the various piston rods.
In the construction shown in the drawings there are one hundred and twenty-
eight (128) of these piston rods, while there are sixteen (16) of the traveling rollers,
so that it will be evident that in a single complete revolution of the frame, there
will be sixteen times one hundred and twenty-eight, or two thousand and forty-
eight (2,048) downward impulses of piston rods, and this of course gives a very
great capacity to the apparatus.
Owing to the size of the gears used to communicate motion from the driving
shafts to the frame the full benefit of the power from the engines is obtained,
while at the same time if the latter are speeded, even moderately fast, so as to
cause the frame to revolve not over ten (10) times a minute, over twenty thousand
piston impulses will be effected, and this is in excess of the capacity of any
apparatus in use at the present time for compressing air.
If desired, but one series of cylinders need be employed, since the dispensing
with either the inner or outer series merely decreases the capacity of the apparatus.
Also the rocker bars may be dispensed with and the cylinders located at any distance
apart, in which instance the return or upward movements of the piston rods would
be effected by means of powerful springs.
It is not absolutely necessary that the cylinders should be compound, but it is
nevertheless a fact that by making the cylinders compound and by providing
successive air compartments into which the air is forced and held as against back
egress, the capacity of the apparatus is not only increased, but the depression of
the pistons by the rollers is effected with far greater facility.
Referring to Figure 4, it has been shown how the improvement may be adapted
for use in instances where a straight track instead of a circular track is desired,
and the same will now be described.
When the circular track is used the wheels in the frame simply travel around
continuously in one direction, but when a straight track is to be used a locomotive
is employed, the wheels whereof are constructed to operate the pistons in the
manner heretofore described, and appliances are used at the terminals of the
track in connection with the valve gear of the locomotive, whereby the latter may
be reversed automatically.
The locomotive employed is of very ordinary construction and, therefore, no
description of the same is required, since the wheels and the valve gear are the only
parts thereof which have intimate relation with this improvement.
The locomotive may carry an engineer or a fireman, if desired, although this is
not necessary, since oil automatically supplied within the firebox may be used as a
fuel for the purpose of generating steam, or the locomotive may be stopped at
either of the terminals and at certain intervals of time for the purpose of coaling.
68 is any ordinary locomotive whose wheels 69 are constructed like the rollers 61,
so as to depress the rocker bars 28, which latter together with the attached pistons
and the cylinder couplets are arranged on opposite sides of the straight track 70 in
the manner heretofore described.
The pipes a, b, lead from the lower sections of the compound cylinders directly
into a main sub-pipe 71, which latter extends throughout the length of the track
and communicates with any suitable storage reservoir.
It will thus be clearly understood that the travel of the locomotive back and
forth along the track will effect the compression of the air in substantially the
sume manner as that heretofore described with reference to the construction shown
in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the contrivances by the automatic operation of which
the reversal of the locomotive is effected will now be described.
72 is the valve link of the locomotive, 73, 74, the rods which are pivoted to
opposite ends of said link and which are connected to the usual eccentrics of the
engine, 75 the sliding block within the valve link, and 76 the valve stem pivoted
to said block.

page_text: All of these parts just specified are very ordinary both as to construction and
operation, and their functions are well understood.
77 is a housing secured to the body of the locomotive, and within this housing is
a slide rod 78 whose upper extremity is pivotally connected to the lower end of the
valve link by means of a short link 79, while the lower end of said rod is provided
with a laterally extending head 80 which is preferably of a concavo-convex shape
in cross section.
At one of the terminals of the track are secured two angle plates 81, 82, both of
which have their angular parts 83, 84, extending, after the manner of a slanting
roof, above the line of travel of the head 80, the highest points of such roof-like
portions being nearest to said head. The innermost angle plate 81 extends up
higher than the outer angle plate 82, and these plates are sixty or seventy-five feet,
or even a greater distance apart.
As the locomotive travels along toward these angle plates the laterally extending
head 80 will pass beneath the roof 83, thereby causing the valve link 72 to be
pulled down until the block 75 stands at a dead center. The locomotive proceeds
now slowly by its momentum, and when the head 80 passes beneath the roof 84 of
the plate 82, the valve link will be drawn still further downward thereby throwing
the valve gear off from a dead center and consequently reversing the direction of
travel of the locomotive.
At the other terminal of the track are blocks 85, 86, secured to the track and
separated by sixty or seventy-five feet or more, the upper surfaces of such blocks
being inclined down toward the locomotive. The block 85 does not stand as high
as the block 86, so that when the head 80 strikes against the block 85 and rides up
the incline thereof, the valve gear will again be brought to a dead center and the
locomotive will travel by its momentum until the head 80 rides up the incline of
the block 86, when the valve link will be thrown still further upward and the
locomotive reversed.
Although a single inclined surface co-operating with the head 80 might be
used at each terminal of the track, it would be inexpedient to do this, because
the sudden reversal of the locomotive would soon cause the wearing out of the
tires.
It is therefore not desired to limit the invention to its use in connection with a
circular track.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In an apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a series of cylinders
which communicate with the external atmosphere and which are connected with a
storage reservoir, and the pistons within said cylinders, of rollers capable of
traveling on a fixed track, the upper extremities of said pistons being within the
field of travel of said rollers, and means for operating said rollers to alternately
depress said pistons by the combined leverage, gravity and momentum of the
rollers, substantially as set forth.
2. In an apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a series of cylinders
which communicate with the external atmosphere and which are connected with au
air tight storage reservoir, piston heads within said cylinders, piston rods which
carry said piston heads, rollers capable of traveling on a fixed track, the upper
extremities of said piston rods being within the field of travel of said rollers,
whereby the latter will depress said rods, and means for returning said rods to their
normally elevated position, substantially as set forth.
3. In an apparatus for compressing air, the combination of the bed, having
thereon a track, an air tight reservoir, rollers on said track, means for propelling
said rollers, a series of cylinders having communication with the external atmosphere
and whose lower ends are connected with said reservoir, piston rods which carry
heads operating within said cylinders, the upper extremities of said rods projecting

page_text: in normal position in close proximity to said rollers, and means for returning said
rods to elevated position, substantially as set forth.
4. In an apparatus for compressing air, the combination of the bed which
supports an air tight reservoir and a circular track, a series of rollers on said track,
means for propelling said rollers, a series of cylinders whose lower extremities are
in communication with said reservoir and which have communication with the
external atmosphere, piston rods adapted to operate within said cylinders, and the
pivotally supported rocker bars within the field of travel of said rollers and having
their extremities at either end connected with said piston rods in couplets, whereby
the depression of one rod of a couplet will effect the elevation of the other rod,
substantially as set forth.
5. In an apparatus for compressing air, the combination of the bed which
supports a circular track, an air tight reservoir and a rotary platform, the frame
extending radially from said platform and having journaled therein rollers which
rest upon said track, engines mounted upon said platform, operative connections
between the driving shafts of said engines and said rollers whereby the latter will
be caused to travel around said track, a series of cylinders arranged in couplets and
which are connected respectively with said reservoir and the external atmosphere, a
series of piston rods which carry piston beads adapted to operate within said
cylinders, and the pivotally supported rocker bars within the field of travel of said
rollers the extreme ends of said bars being pivotally connected to the two piston
rods of a couplet, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of the bed which supports an outer circular track, an air
tight reservoir, and a rotatory platform and having journaled therein rollers which
rest upon said track and are provided with laterally extending hubs, engines
mounted upon said platform, operative connections between the driving shafts of
said engines and said rollers whereby the latter will be caused to travel around said
track, cylinders arranged in pairs, each pair having connection with said reservoir
and with the external atmosphere, a pair of piston rods carrying piston heads
which operate within said cylinders, and the pivotally supported rocker bars within
the field of travel of said hubs and whose extremities are pivotally connected with
each one of a pair of piston rods whereby the depression of one of said rods will
effect the elevation of the other, substantially as set forth.
7. In combination with the track and the rollers traveling thereon, the cylinders
arranged in pairs in proximity to said track, pistons within the cylinders having
piston rods extending into the path of travel of the rollers, and rocker bars
connecting the piston rods in pairs, as described, each piston having a resiliently
acting valve, and each cylinder having communication with the external atmosphere,
all combined substantially as described.
8. In an organized machine for compressing air, the circular track and the rollers
traveling thereon, the air compressing cylinders in proximity to said track, each
cylinder having a piston in position to be operated by the traveling rollers, and
having connection to a storage reservoir, and the centrally pivoted engine having
a central steam supply and having connection to the rollers running on the circular
track, all combined substantially as described.
9. In an organized machine for compressing air, the circular track and air
compressing cylinders in proximity thereto, the rollers moving on said track, the
pistons and connections in the path of movement of said rollers, the centrally
pivoted engine having a central steam supply pipe, and a shaft extending from said
engine and having geared engagement with the traveling rollers, all combined and
arranged substantially as described.
10. In a machine for compressing air, the circular track and rollers traveling
thereon, the air compressing cylinders having pistons in position to be operated by
said rollers, the centrally pivoted engine having a frame in which the rollers have
their bearings, and having a central steam supply, and geared connections from the
engine to the rollers whereby the rollers are driven and the engine carried round
its center, all combined substantially as described.

page_text: 11. In an organized structure for compressing air a circular track, a roller or
wheel traveling on said track and drawn by a motor deriving its power from the
center of the circular track, a series of air compressing cylinders in proximity to
said track having pistons with their rods connected in pairs by levers pivoted in
proximity to the track, so that the depression of one piston by the roller lifts the
other piston of the pair by means of its lever, and pipe connections from the
cylinders to a reservoir, all combined substantially as described.
12. In an organized machine for compressing air, the circular track, and the roller
traveling thereon and overlapping the sides thereof, the series of cylinders arranged
in pairs alternately inside and outside the track and having pistons in proximity
to the track, the pistons of each pair connected by a pivoted lever so that one is
raised as the other is depressed, the cylinder of an outside pair being opposite the
interval between the cylinders of an inside pair and vice versa, all combined
substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of October 1895.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.