Improvements in Steam or Pneumatic Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam or Pneumatic Engines.
I, JAY WOODARD POWERS, of Sycamore, in the County of De Kalb, and State
of Illinois, United States of Amerien, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention relates to steam or pneumatic engines, and is fully illustrated in
the accompanying drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a top view of the entire engine.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the balance wheel removed.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a like section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the throttle and its connecting pipes, on the
line 6-6 of Fig. 2, and
Fig. 7 is a detail of a portion of the crank.
A is the bed or frame of the engine; B the cylinder; C the piston; D the
piston rod; E, E, the connecting roil; F the valve: the valve-stem; I the
valve rod; the crank shaft; I the piston crank; 12 the valve crank; J the steam
or air chamber, and K the throttle valve.
The bed A is provided with pillow-blocks a, a, furnished with the caps b, b, held
in place by the bolts e, thus forming bearings for the crank shaft I.
The cylinder B is provided with heads and d, which are furnished with
stuffing-boxes e, and, and it is also provided midway between its ends with an
annulus, which provides for the interior recess g, and preserves uniform thickness
of its wall. The recess, prevents the formation of ridges at the point not
traversed by the piston packing.
The piston C is a little more than half as long as the interior of cylinder B, so
that neither of its packing rings i, it, will pass recess g. The piston has a central
longitudinal chamber h, and a circumferential groovej, connected by two ports k,
and . It also has four ducts 1, 1, 1, and P, which extend longitudinally inward
from its opposite ends (two from either end) and their approaching inner ends are
curved inward and terminate in chamber h.
The piston rod is rigidly secured at one end to piston (and its other end is
connected with a cross-head m. The connecting rols E, E, are pivoted to said
cross-head and extend to the piston crank I' to which they are connected by strap-
joints n, n.
The valve F is provided with a head which fits closely yet movably within
chamber 4, of piston C, and its remaining portion Flextends through stuffing-box e
into chamber J. It has a longitudinal duet o, entering its rear end and two ports p
and piercing its side walls, and tapping said longitudinal duct and so located as
alternately to register with the ducts and of the piston C. It also has
recesses, and, which register alternately with the ports and and with the
ducts and /*.
The valve stem G is rigidly attached to the forward or closed end of valve F,
passes out through the pierced piston rod D and is pivoted to valve rod H which
extends to the valve crank 12, to which it is connected by strap joint r. The valve
crank consists of the horizontal bars 7, 8, and 9, vertical bar 10, horizontal bar 11,
vertical bar 12, and horizontal bars 13, 14, and 15, arranged as shown to form a
double or compound crank, in which the outer arm of the larger crank will be
divided and the ends connected by the side arms of the smaller crank 12. It will
be observed that bars 8 and 14 are parallel and that they, together with bars 9
und 13 form the piston crank I' and that bars 10 and 12 are parallel and that they,

page_text: together with bar 11, form the valve crank 1, and that the former stands at right
angles to, and has a much greater throw than the latter.
The steam or air chamber J is attaches to the stuffing-box e, of the cylinder
hend. The four-way cock K has its body part in the form of a cross, thus
providing four bosses y, into which four pipes s, t, u, and e, are tapped.
The pipes, conducts the steam or compressed air to cylinder 13. The pipe,
enters cylinder B on a line with the center of annulus, and serves for either the
supply or exhaust. The pipe #, enters chamber and, like pipe t, serves either as
a supply or as an exhaust. The pipe e, communicates with the outer air or with a
condensing chamber, and serves as an escape pipe for cylinder B.
cick K and pipe r.
OPERATION.
Steam generated in a suitable boiler, or air from a compressing chamber, is
conducted to the cylinder B through pipes, cock K and pipe, fill the circum-
ferential groove, passes through the port A of the piston (, the recess of the
valve and the duet of the piston, filling the outer end of the cylinder B, driving
the piston Cand valve Finward the exhausted steam or air in the inner end of the
cylinder B meanwhileping through port luct chamber d, pipe,
The piston crank bas now been carried to its inward throw
and the valve crank to its upward throw and as the valve is at half stroke the
duets,,,amil, are all closed. The balance wheel e, now carries the piston
and valve past their dead point when, as the valve crank is in lead of the piston
crank the valve F moves outward a short distance within the piston C, thereby
opening communication between the circumferential groove, and the inner end of
the cylinder B, when the steam or air will pass through the port k, recess, and
doet 7, filling the inner end of eylinder B driving the piston and valve outward,
the exhausted steam or air in the outer and of the cylinder meanwhile escaping
through duet, port p, duete, chamber J, pipe e, cock K, and pipe e
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:
This operated, the crank shaft I will rotate in the direction indicated by the
arrow, but if I substitute the supply for the exhaust pipe by turning the key, of
the cock K in such manner as to let the steam or compressed air into cylinder B
through pipe, chamber J, duet, ports, and p, and duets and P, and allow
the exhausted steam or air to escape through duets and recesses, and y',
groovej, and pipe 7, the engine w li run equally as well, but the crank shaft I will
then rotate in an opposite direction to that above indicated. Hence the engine can
be reversed simply by opening the cock K to the right or to the left without other
reversing mechanism an advantage which will be appreciated by those persons
familiar with this class of devices.
It will be noted that by having the valve chamber within and forming a part of
the piston, both receiving and both transmitting the power of the steam or other
motive fluid to the crank shaft I utilize to drive the latter the power at present
expended in actuating the valve or valves.
1 do not claim broadly in the present application a movable piston head having
a valve operating within a chamber therein and with but in advance thereof, and
said piston head and valve both receiving and both transmitting the power of the
steam or other motive fluid to the shaft of the engine, since such construction is
broadly claimed in an application for Patent previously filed by W. P. Thompson
as a communication from me under number 16754 date 20th September 1892.
Changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the
spirit of my invention as I do not limit myself to the specific construction shown
and described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is
1. In an engine, the combination, with the cylinder, and a pipe entering the side

page_text: thereof, of a chambered piston head having suitable ports and passages, and a valve
having an enlarged portion operating within the chamber of said piston head and
formed with suitable ports and passages, and its remaining portion extending
through the end of the cylinder and formed with a longitudinal duct extending
from end to end of it, said duct communicating at its inner end with said ports in
the enlarged portion.
2. In an engine, the combination with the evlinder chambered piston therein
having suitable ports and passages and a valve having an enlarged portion
operating within the chamber of said piston and formed with suitable ports and
passages, and its remaining portion extending through the end of the cylinder and
formed with a longitudinal duct extending from end to end of it, said duct
communicating at its inner end with said ports in the enlarged portion, of a
four-way cock connected with said cylinder and serving to start, stop or reverse
the engine.
3. The combination of the cylinder, piston and valve of an engine, with a four-
way cock provided with two supply and exhaust pipes connecting said cock with
the engine, and two separate feed and escape pipes said cock thereby operating to
start or stop the engine and also to reverse the same.
4. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder, a chambered piston therein
having suitable ports and passages and a valve operating within the chamber of
said piston and having suitable ports and passages, of a four-way cock connected
to said cylinder by both supply and exhaust pipes, and also provided with feed and
escape pipes.
5. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder and a steam or air pipe
entering the side thereof, of a chambered piston having suitable ports and passages,
and a valve having an enlarged portion operating within the chamber of said
piston and formed with suitable ports and passages, and its remaining portion
communicating with the ports in the enlarged portion and entering through the end
of the cylinder.
6. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder having inlet and outlet ports,
a chambered piston head movable longitudinally within said cylinder and having
suitable ports and passages, a valve operating within the chamber in the piston
head and having suitable ports and passages, and a shaft having a compound
crank, to one of the crank portions of which said piston is connected and to the
other of the crank portions of which said valve is connected, the crank operating
the piston having a greater throw than the crank operating the valve whereby both
the piston head and valve will be acted upon by the motive fluid and both will
transmit motion to said shaft.
7. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder, a pipe entering the side
thereof, a chamber at the end of said cylinder, and a pipe entering said chamber,
of a chambered piston in said cylinder, having suitable ports and passages, and a
valve having an enlarged portion operating within the chamber in said piston and
its remaining portion extending through the end of the cylinder into said chamber,
said enlarged portion of the valve having ports and passages and said remaining
portion having a longitudinal duct communicating with said ports.
8. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder having a chamber at one end,
and a four-way cock connected by supply and exhaust pipes with said cylinder and
chamber, said cock also having separate feed and escape pipes, of a chambered
piston in said cylinder having suitable ports and passages, and a valve having
an enlarged portion operating within the chamber in said piston, and its remaining
portion extending through the end of the cylinder into said chamber, said enlarged
portion of the valve having suitable ports and passages, and said remaining portion
having a longitudinal duct communicating with said
ports.
9. In an engine, the combination of the cylinder having inlet and outlet ports,
a chambered piston having suitable ports and passages and a valve operating within
the chamber in the piston, and having suitable ports and passages, with the
longitudinally pierced piston rod, a valve stem extending through said piston rod,

page_text: and a shaft bent to form two cranks, one of which extends at an angle to the other,
connects the ends of the outer arms thereof, and has a less throw than the same,
rods connecting said piston rod with the outer arms of said larger crank, and a rod
connecting the valve stem with the other crank.
10. In an engine, the combination of the cylinder, a steam or air pipe entering
the side thereof, a chambered piston in said cylinder having suitable ports and
passages, and a valve having an enlarged portion operating within the chamber in
said piston and formed with suitable ports and passages, and its remaining portion
extending through the end of the cylinder, and forined with a longitudinal duet
communicating with the ports in said enlarged portion, of a compound crank to one
of the crank portions of which said piston is connected and to the other of the
crank portions of which said valve is connected, the crank operating the piston
having a greater throw than the crank operating the valve.
11. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder having a chamber at one end,
a pipe entering the side of said cylinder and a pipe entering said chamber, of a
chambered piston in said cylinder having suitable ports and passages a valve having
an enlarged portion operating within the chamber in said piston and its remaining
portion extending through the end of the cylinder into said chaudes, said culanged
portion of the valve having suitable ports and passages, and said remaining portion
having a longitudinal duct communicating with said port in the enlarged portion,
and a compound crank to one of the crank portions of which said piston is
connected and to the other of the crank portions of which said valve is connected,
the crank operating the piston having a greater throw than the crank operating
the valve.
12. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder having a chamber at one
end, a steam or air pipe entering the side of said cylinder, a steam or air pipe
entering said chamber, and a four-way cock connecting said pipes, said cock also
being provided with pipes for the feel to it or the escape from it of steam or air,
of a chambered piston in said cylinder having suitable ports and passages, a valve
having an enlarged portion operating within the chamber in said piston, and its
remaining portion extending through the end of the cylinder into said chamber, said
enlarged portion of the valve having suitable ports and passages, and said remaining
portion having a longitudinal duet communicating with said ports in the enlarged
portion, and a compound crank to one of the crank portions of which said piston is
connected and to the other of the crank portions of which said valve is connected,
the crank operating the piston having a greater throw than the crank operating
the valve.
13. The combination with the cylinder of an engine, of a piston operating therein,
said piston having a longitudinal chamber h, closed at one end, a circumferential
groovej, ports, and 2, and ducts P, P, P, and 4, and a valve operating in said
chamber in the piston and having a longitudinal duct o, two ports and p with
which said duets communicate and arranged so as alternately to register with
said duets and of the piston, and external recesses, and arranged to
alternately register with said ports and ¹ and ducts and of the piston.
14. The combination with the cylinder having formed with its interior at its
longitudinal center an annular recess, of a piston longer than one-half the length of
said cylinder, said piston having a circumferential groove and suitable ports and
passages, said circumferential groove leaving projecting ends to the piston, and
annular packings in said ends, whereby the formation of ridges within the
cylinder at the point not traversed by the projecting ends of the piston is
prevented.
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W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.