Improvements in and connected with Rotary Engines, Blowers, and similar Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb.. 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Rotary Engines, Blowers, and
similar Apparatus.
I, JOHN JAGGER of 28 and 29 Toll Bar, Haydock, St. Helens in the County of
Lancaster, Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to rotary engines of the crescent chamber type.
According to my invention a single vane is attached to a disc or block having
the same depth as the cylinder within which it is contained and with which it is
concentric. The centre block is fixed upon a shaft by which motion is conveyed
to or from the vane, according as the apparatus is used as an engine or meter, or as
a pump or blower. In the cylinder there is also arranged an excentric ring which
is in contact with the block on the inside and with the inner surface of the cylinder
wall on the outside. The vane passes through this ring to the wall of the cylinder,
and its joint with the ring may be made tight by means of a roller and socket,
re-inforced by lateral wings on the vane, concentric with the roller and fitting into
correspondingly curved recesses in the ring. The ring and the block may fit into
stepped recesses in the cylinder ends to assist in preventing leakage.
By this arrangement two crescent shaped chambers are formed within a single
cylinder with a single vane acting in both chambers. By suitably arranging the
dimensions of the block and of the cylinder, the two crescent chambers may be
compounded, but it is preferred when compounding is desired, to employ two
separate cylinders, one for high and the other for low pressure."
In a modification of the apparatus, the ring may be provided with flanges which
travel over the admission and exhaust ports, and have circular slots therein
concentric with the ring and coincident respectively with the admission and exhaust
porte. The time of admission and exhaust is then controlled by the positions and
lengths of the slots.
In ordinary cases I may however use reversible valves such
as are used in other rotary engines of a similar type.
Dated this 7th day of April A.D. 1894.
WILLIAM E. HEYS.
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Rotary Engines, Blowers, and
similar Apparatus.
1, JOHN JAGGER of 28 and 29 Toll Bar, Haydock, St. Helens in the County of
Lancaster, Schoolmaster, 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 rotary engines, blowers, and similar apparatus of the
erescent chamber type.

page_text: According to my improvements, a single vane is attached to a disc or block
having the same depth as the cylinder within which it is contained and with which
it is concentric. This block is fixed upon a shaft by which motion is conveyed to
or from the vane, according as the apparatus is used as an engine or meter, or as a
pump or blower.
There is also arranged in the cylinder an excentric ring which is in contact
with the block upon its inner side, and with the wall of the cylinder ou its outer
side. The vane passes through this ring to the wall of the cylinder, and
consequently rotates therewith.
By this arrangement, two crescent chambers are formed within a single cylinder,
with a single vane acting in both chambers. By suitably arranging the dimensions
of the block and of the cylinder, the two crescent chambers may be compounded,
but it is preferred, when compounding is desired, to employ two separate cylinders,
one for high and the other for low pressure.
The excentric ring may be provided with flanges which travel over the admission
and exhaust ports, and have openings formed therein for the passage of the steam
or other fluid. The time of admission and exhaust may then be governed by the
opening in the flanges.
I will more particularly describe my said invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and
Figure 2 a transverse section of a simple form of the apparatus.
Figures 3 and 4 are corresponding sections shewing a modification in which the
excentric ring is provided with flanges.
Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation, and
Figure 6 a transverse section of a duplex engine.
Cis the cylinder, R the excentric ring, B the concentric block, V the vane, and
S the shaft in each of the figures in which these parts are represented. It will
be seen that the construction produces two crescent chambers of which c is
contained between the block and the ring, and c' between the ring and the cylinder
wall. Each chamber is provided .with an admission port A and an exhaust-port E,
controlled by valves of known or suitable construction. The vane passes through
the ring as shewn, and the joint is made steam tight preferably by means of a
roller and socket the roller being divided longitudinally into two parts between
which the vane passes.
The vane may have grooved edges for the insertion of
spring or other packing to make it steam tight.
The working of the engine is as follows, referring to Figure 1. Assuming the
engine to be rotating clock-wise steam is admitted to each chamber through the
ports A, and acts upon the vane in each chamber in the same direction. At
the same time, the spent steam on the opposite side of the vane is escaping
through the exhaust ports E. The rate of expansion may be varied as in other
engines by suitable valves, or the steam or other fluid may be admitted during the
whole of the revolution until the vane reaches the exhaust port.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate details which may be employed in connection with the
block to compensate for unequal expansion and to reduce friction. Instead of
rotating upon and in contact with the ends of the cylinder, the block may rotate
upon a circular plate D, fitted into a recess in the cylinder end and supported by
springs s. There should be one of these plates at each end of the block. On the
periphery of the block I may arrange a ring F on the inner side of which there are
projections which enter larger recesses in the periphery of the block. Springs,
such as are introduced between the ring and the block. Outside the ring there
are two L-section rings G, which may meet at the centre or have between them a
spiral or other ring or packing g The ends of these rings make steam tight
connections at the junction of the block and vane.
The ring R may have stepped edges, and rotate in correspondingly stepped
recesses formed in the cylinder ends, as shewu by Figures 2 and 4, or alternatively,
an arrangement similar to that already described with reference to Figure 7 may be

page_text: adopted. This arrangement is illustrated by Figure 9 which shews one edge of
the ring in cross section. The edge of the ring is provided with Hanges H, which
bear upon a flat ring in the cylinder cover supported by the springs . The
flanges, flat ring, and springs may be used at each edge of the ring. When the
flanges are used, and a fixed admission is desired, the flanges may be arranged to
act as valves, as illustrated by Figures 3 and 9. In each flange on that edge of the
ring where the steam is admitted and exhausted, there is formed an arc slot I of a
length equal to or less than the distance from the admission to the exhaust port
along the arc. This distance being generally greater than the corresponding
distance from the exhaust to the admission port, the are slot is blocked, as at i i, to
prevent the steam passing direct from the admission port along the slot to the exhaust.
For the same purpose, the slots I may be substituted by a series of perforations
through the flange corresponding with the slot. Steam is admitted to and exhausted
from the ports direct by the pipes K K' and the slots or openings in the flanges
act as valves.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a duplex engine in which the valves are arranged
between the two cylinders and are controlled by an excentric M on the shaft S and
illustrates the construction I prefer to employ for compounding. This duplex engine
has its two vanes arranged at 180 degrees apart, and may have both its cylinders
iu direct communication with the boiler or may be arranged as a compound engine
the crescent chamber c of one cylinder exhausting into the crescent chamber c of
the other cylinder, the chambers c¹ being similarly in communication. Each of the
cylinder ports is furnished with a suitable valve." In this arrangement of engine
one of the ports in each crescent shaped chamber is preferably blocked out tem-
porarily, and the steam is both admitted and educted through the other, either port
being open according to the direction of rotation required. Each valve is provided
with an admission and an exhaust port, the latter port in the case of the first
cylinder of a compound engine, opening into the admission port of the second
cylinder. As shewn in Figure 5 the valves A' A' and E' E' control the ports A E
shewn in the previous figures. These valves which are actuated by the excentric
cam M are piston valves capable of being turned upon their stems, and each of their
casings is provided with a pipe k.
When only one valve of each chamber is to be used for effecting both the
admission and the exhaust, the second port is cut out by rotating its valve upon its
stem so that a part of the valve provided with no openings or channels reciprocates
against the face of the port. In Figure 6 the lower valve is shewn exhausting from
one of the chambers of one cylinder into the corresponding chamber of the other
cylinder.
To reverse the direction of rotation of the engine it is necessary to divert the
steam from one valve A' of a chamber to the other, E', or the reverse, thus closing
the port which had previously been open and opening that which had previously
been closed. A convenient method of diverting the steam supply for this purpose
is illustrated in Figure 5. The steam pipe K communicates with a steam chest L
into which open the pipes & leading to the valve chests. Any convenient form of
valve L may be employed which allows the valves A' or the valves E to be in
communication with the steam chest at the same time.
A modification of the valve shewn in Figure 5 is drawn in plau, to an enlarged
scale, Figure 10. The valve chest L contains a circular plate P above which there
is a vertical wall W dividing the valve chest into two parts, of which one is in
communication with the steam pipe K and the other with the exhaust pipe N. In
the bottom of the steam chest there are formed four ports or passages, two of which
communicate with the pipe k, and two with the pipe k¹, these pipes communicating
as before described, with the ports of the crescent chamber valves.
In the plate
three slots or openings Oo o¹ are formed, O being for the exhaust and o ol for the
steam. The plate has a protruding packed spindle upon the end of which the
handle L is fixed, wherewith to move the plate to the right or the left. As shewn
in the drawing, the plate is in the middle position and no steam can pass and the

page_text: engine will not work. If the handle be turned to the left, the steam opening o will
come over and expose the port leading to the pipe k¹ and the exhaust opening O
will come over the port leading to pipe k, and the engine will rotate in one direction.
If the motion of the handle be taken to the right, the opposite ports will be
uncovered and the engine will rotate in the reverse direction. The motion of the
handle may be utilised to effect the simultaneous motion of the crescent chamber
valves through 90 degrees as and for the purpose described.
1
In the duplex compound engine, as soon as the vane, in either of the crescent
chambers of the high pressure cylinder reaches the acting port, the steam exhausts
through it direct into the corresponding crescent chamber of the low pressure
cylinder. The ranes in the two cylinders are fixed 180 degrees apart, and con-
sequently the exhaust steam from the high pressure cylinder is admitted behind the
vane of the low pressure cylinder just as it commences its motion through its
chamber. The continued motion of the engine gradually increases the volume
behind the vane in the low pressure chamber, whilst the volume in the high pressure
chamber remains practically constant, and the exhaust steam from the high pressure
chamber therefore expands freely whilst doing its share of work in rotating the
vane. When the vane in the second cylinder reaches the horn of the crescent, the
steam is finally exhausted through the low pressure exhaust port, on the opposite
side to the high pressure cylinder admission port.
In the single cylinder engine, the compounding may be effected simply by
exhausting from the smaller crescent chamber to the larger, by means of suitable
valves, as illustrated by Figure 2, these valves heing similar to those illustrated and
described with reference to the duplex compound engine.
Although I have shewn a particular construction and arrangement of steam
distribution valves, I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to this,
but may employ any valves whatever of a suitable character.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A rotary engine pump or blower constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a rotary engine pump or blower the construction arrangement and com-
bination in a single cylinder of two crescent chambers, constituted by the cylinder,
an excentric ring, and a central block, and a vane extending through both chambers
from the central block, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
3. In a rotary engine pump or blower of the type described, the combination and
arrangement with the rotating excentric ring, of flanges through which perforations
are formed in connection with the admission and exhaust ports, substantially as
and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
4. A duplex compound rotary engine having two parallel cylinders each
containing two crescent chambers, constructed arranged and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of February A.D. 1895.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.