IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM- ENGINES AND IN DRIVING DITAL PROPELLERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Burgess Young, of 34 London Wall, in the City
of London, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM-
ENGINES AND IN DRIVING DITAL PROPELLERS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Burgess Young at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th December 1881.
HENRY BURGESS YOUNG, of 34 London Wall, in the City of London,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, AND IN DRIVING DUAL
PROPELLERS."
This Invention consists of various improvements in the arrangement and
construction of steam engines, and in driving dual propellers, the object being
generally to economise space and fuel; and as these improvements extend to various
classes and parts of such engines I will proceed to describe them separately.
The improvements relate, firstly, to two cylinder, right angled crank, engines,
either compound or non-compound; and consists in placing the cylinders end to end,
and in communicating the motion from the pistons to the cranks in the manner
herein-after described.
In applying the improvements to compound engines, either the high pressure
cylinder may be placed between the low pressure cylinder and the crank shaft, or
the low pressure cylinder may be placed between the high pressure cylinder and
the crank shaft, the low pressure piston, in either case, being driven by the exhaust
steam from the high pressure cylinder.
The crank or main shaft has three cranks, two of them being at right angles to
the central one.
If the high pressure cylinder be placed between the low pressure cylinder and
the crank shaft the motion from the pistons is communicated to the crank shaft in
the following manner, viz. :-The piston of the high pressure cylinder has one rod,
and the outer end of it, that is the end which is distant from the piston, has a leg
with a slippered foot which slides on a guide bed formed on one of the standards
|of the main framing; a connecting rod is jointed to the piston rod and to the pin
Pin G21

page_text: of the central crank. The piston of the low pressure cylinder has two rods, the
outer ends of which are secured to a cross bar which is sufficiently cranked to
pass on one side of the high pressure connecting rod and to be always clear of
it when the engines are working. The cross bar is furnished with slippered feet
which slide on guide beds formed on one or more of the main standards; two
connecting rods are jointed to the cross bar and to two of the cranks of the main
shaft.
If the low pressure cylinder be placed between the high pressure cylinder and
the crank shaft, the outer end, of the high pressure piston rod is secured to the
middle of a cross head, a rod is also secured to each end of this cross head, these
two end rods pass close to the outside of the low pressure cylinder and on to the
herein beforementioned cranked cross bar, to which they are secured the motion
being continued on by two connecting rods jointed to the cranked cross bar and to
two of the cranks of the main shaft. The piston of the low pressure cylinder
has one rod with a slippered foot guided by one of the main standards and one
connecting rod jointed to the piston rod end and to the central crank pin.
If the cylinders are non-compound, each being supplied with steam direct from
the boiler, motion is communicated from the pistons to the crank shaft in the same
manner as when the low pressure cylinder of the compound engine is placed
between the high pressure cylinder and the crank shaft.
The improvements relate, secondly, to that class of engines known as vertical
inverted compound tandem engines, in which the low pressure cylinder is placed
above the high pressure cylinder, the high and low pressure pistons being fixed
upon one central piston rod; and consists in enclosing that portion-of-the-piston-
rod which is between the high and low pressure pistons, in a cylinder which works
through a stuffing box in the high pressure cylinder cover, this enclosing cylinder
should be of a diameter sufficient to exclude the steam from so much of the area
of the top face of the high pressure piston as to reduce the steam pressure upon
that piston face to such an extent during the down stroke as to balance the
heavy reciprocating parts and thus render the rotation of the crank shaft
uniform.
The improvements relate, thirdly, to all condensing engines, and consists in placing
either a self acting or a mechanically actuated valve or valves in the pipe or
passage through which the exhaust steam passes from the cylinder to the condenser,
Buch valve or valves, if self acting, open more or less to the condenser according to
the pressure of the exhaust steain, and if such valve or valves be actuated by
mechanical means the exhaust passage may be closed at any desired part of the
piston stroke, and when closed will, during the remainder of the stroke, stop any
further passage of steam or hot exhalation from the cylinder to the condenser.
Thus, the exhaust pipe will be either wholly or nearly closed during the greater
part of the time that the engine is working, and the exhalation and exhaustion of
heat from the cylinder and piston surfaces will be wholly or nearly stopped during
that time, with the effect that the cylinder and piston surfaces will be maintained
at a higher temperature and the cylinder condensation of live steam be much less
than heretofore..
The improvements relate, fourthly, to driving dual propellers. For this purpose
two crank shafts are mounted one above the other. Steam or other engines drive
the upper crank shaft in the ordinary manner. The under crank shaft is driven
by connecting rods from the upper crank shaft. Fixed upon the upper crank shaft
is a spur wheel which gears into a spur wheel upon the tubular screw shaft. Upon
a continuation of the under crank shaft is fixed the dual screw.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the. Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Burgess Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th June 1882.
"
HENRY BURGESS YOUNG, of 34 London Wall, in the City of London,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, AND IN DRIVING DUAL
PROPELLERS."
My Invention consists of various improvements in the arrangement and con-
struction of steam engines, and in driving dual propellers, the object being generally
to economise space and fuel.
Fig. 1, is an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 2, is an elevation, representing
my improvements in vertical inverted compound tandem engines.
a, is the high pressure pistou, b, is the low pressure piston, c, is a cylindrical
enlargement between the pistons, a, and, b, which encloses the piston rod, d, e,
stuffing or packing boxes.
The cylindrical enlargement, c, in Fig. 1, is represented as formed in a piece with
the high pressure piston, but it may be made separately and be secured between
the pistons, or the piston rod itself may be enlarged between the pistons.
This cylindrical enlargement excludes the steam from a part of the area of the
upper face of the high pressure piston. There will consequently be a greater steam
pressure on this piston during the up stroke than during the down stroke, and that
greater pressure may be sufficient to balance the weight of the pistons, piston rod,
connecting rod and crank with their attachments.
Fig. 3, is an elevation, and Fig. 4, is a plan in section at the broken line, d, d,
representing my improvements in regulating, by self acting valves, the exit of the
exhaust steam from the cylinder to the condenser.
a, is the condenser, b, is the exhaust steam passage, c, c, are self acting spiral
spring'd stalk valves, opening towards the condenser. These valves will be opened
more or less according to the pressure of the exhaust steam. Thus they will be
fully opened when the bulk of the exhaust steam is passing to the condenser, and
afterwards be more or less closed to nearly the end of the piston stroke. By these
means the escape of heat from the metal surfaces inside the cylinder to the con-
denser, and the frigorific influence of the condenser upon these surfaces, will be
reduced.
Fig. 5, shews how the exit of the exhaust steam from the cylinder to the con-
denser may be regulated by mechanically actuated valves. a, is the condenser, b, is
the exhaust steam passage, c, is a multi-ported or gridiron valve, which is shewn
to be actuated by the excentric employed for working what is known as
Marshall's valve gear," but it may be actuated by a special excentric or by other
means. By proportioning the length of the lever arms, d, e, or by forming a slot
with an adjustable block, in a well known manner, in the arm, d, the valve may be
made to close the communication between the cylinder and the condenser at any
desired part of the piston stroke. The exit of exhaust steam from the cylinder to
the condenser may be stopped at the correct time to retain just sufficient steam in
the cylinder as will become, by the compression effected by the moving piston, of
the same pressure at the end of the piston stroke as the entering live steam. In
such case the drain of heat from the metal surfaces inside the cylinder to the
condenser will be stopped at an early part of the piston stroke instead of as at
present continuing to the latter end of it, and the metal surfaces inside the cylinder
will be heating up during the greater part of the time they are now being cooled
down; and these metal surfaces may be by these means, made as hot as the live
steam that enters upon them,

page_text: Figs. 6, and 7, represent my improvements in driving dual propellers. a, and b,
are two crank shafts, mounted one above the other, c, c, are the usual engine
connecting rods, d, d, are the crank connecting rods, e, e, are ordinary piston rods,
f, is the pitch line of a spur wheel fixed upon a continuation of the upper crank
shaft, and, g, is the pitch line of a spur wheel fixed upon the tubular shaft which
encloses a continuation of the crank shaft, b. These wheels gear together. The
propellers are fixed as usual, one upon the tubular shaft and the other upon the
solid shaft insido it.
By mounting the crank shafts one above the other and driving them in the
manner shewn and described, space lengthwise in the vessel will be economised
and the engine power be more directly applied.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which it may be carried into effect, I declare that I do not confine myself to the
particular details shewn in the Drawings; but what I claim is,-
First, the cylindrical enlargement between the high and low pressure pistons, in
that type of vertical inverted compound tandem steam engine in which the low
pressure cylinder is placed above the high pressure cylinder, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the application of a special valve or special valves of the multi-ported
or gridiron-kind, either self-acting-or-mechanically-actuated, to regulate_the_exit of
the spent or exhaust steam from the cylinder to the condenser, substantially as
herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
And, third, the arrangement of crank shafts and the mode of connecting them
together, to drive dual propellers, substantially as herein-before described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Burgess Young, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty two.
WILLIAM BURLEY (L.S.)
Tower Chambers,
London Wall,
E.C.
HENRY BURGESS YOUNG. (L.S.)