CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS, OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WHITE, of the Town and County of Southampton, 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 Fifteenth day of June, in the sixth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
White, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John White, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John White, my exors, adñiors, 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 ROTATORY STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS,
OR PARTS THEREOF, ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John White, 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 mouths next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, réference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John White, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: Figure 1 is a diagram of a rotatory engine, by which my improvements will
readily be understood, they being shewn in the most simple form, a, a, being
the steam cylinder, which is to be accurately bored on the inner surface. At
each end of this cylinder is formed flanges, to which covers with stuffing boxes
or bearings; and the main shaft or axis 6 passes through such stuffing boxes or
bearings, and turns therein. The shaft or axis 6 is keyed or otherwise affixed
to the piston c.
This piston is off an elliptical form, its longer axis being of
the same length as the inner diameter of the cylinder a, a; hence, between the
outer surface of the smaller axis of the elliptical piston and the cylinder a, a,
there will be spaces for the action of steam, as hereafter described. d is
intended to represent a steam boiler, and e the steam pipe to one side of the
piston, and f the steam pipe to the other side of the piston. 9 is the eduction
pipe from one side of the piston, and h the eduction way from the other side of
the piston. i,i, are steam boxes, one on each side of the cylinder. j, j, are slides,
which at all times are kept steam-tight against the piston c, and these slides
divide the steam boxes i, i, so as to prevent the steam passing from one side to
the other of the slides. It will be readily be understood that on steam passing
from the boiler it would press on the surfaces k, k, k, of the piston, whilst the
surfaces 1, l, l, would be relieved by the spaces between such surfaces and the
cylinder a, a, being open to the, atmosphere, or else to the condenser, according
as the engine is used for a high-pressure engine or a condensing engine. It should
be remarked that when the engine is used as a single engine it will be desirable
to employ a fly wheel on the axis 6, in order to equalize the power of the
_engine.in.all-parts-of-the-rotation-of-the axis b; and where two engines are
employed, the elliptical pistons thereof should be placed at right angles to each
other, in order that when the steam is least efficient in the one cylinder, owing
to the position of its piston, the steam shall be acting most powerfully on the
piston of the other engine.
Having thus described the diagram, Figure 1, the principle of the engine,
and its general construction, will readily be understood. I will proceed to
describe the other Figures of the Drawing, where my improvements are shewn
in a more practical form, in order to explain the manner of causing the slides

page_text: at all times to be in contact with the elliptical piston, and become abutments
for the steam.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation of a steam engine constructed according
to my improvements.
Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an end view of the engine, with some of the parts removed.
Figure 5 is an edge view of one of the slides on a larger scale; and
Figure 6 is a plan in section.
and 6, to indicate thoso
supported by and work
boxes i, i, and between
In each of these Figures the same letters of reference are used for
the same parts as have been already employed in Figure 1, and similar
letters will be employed in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5,
parts not yet described. The slides j, j, are
between friction rollers m, m, in the steam
further rollers n, n, on the projecting framing affixed to the boxes i, i, as is
clearly shewn, and in these projecting framings there are recesses or boxes o, o,
for oil or other lubricating material; and p, p, are metallic or other packings
to make the steam boxes i, i, steam-tight, notwithstanding the passage of the
slides through them, as is shewn in the Drawing. By this means the slides are
accurately guided. At the outer ends of the slides j, j, are affixed cross
heads q, q, or springs, to which projecting arms r, r, are affixed, these arms,
being guided in parrallel guides s, s, clearly shewn in Figure 2. At the ends of
the arms r, r, are projecting studs or friction rollers, which work in elliptical
grooves or guides at each end of the steam cylinder, such elliptical guides being
keyed to the main shaft or axis 6; hence, in the revolution of that axis, the
slides will be constantly worked and kept in contact with the piston. It
should be remarked that in order to prevent complexity of the Drawing, the
necessary slides for reversing the direction of the steam, and consequently of
the piston, have been omitted, but they will readily be applied by a workman
acquainted with such description of machinery; and it will be evident that
other means may be resorted to for keeping the slides j, j, at all times in
contact with the elliptical piston, and thus produce abutments for the steain,
dividing each of the spaces contained between the piston and the cylinder a, a,
into two parts, one open to the boiler and the other to the atmosphere or to
the condenser, as the case may be. And it should be remarked, that the inner
ends, and also the sides of the slides j, j, are to be packed with metallic or
other suitable packing, in order to keep them steam-tight where they are in
contact with the piston, and also where they work against the covers or ends
of the steam cylinders and the steam boxes i, i; and the surfaces of the ellipti-
cal piston, which are in contact with the covers of the cylinder a, a, are also to

page_text: be packed in order to make them steam-tight, and prevent steam passing by
the piston. I prefer, in place of the eliptical piston working against the
covers or ends of the steam cylinder, that there should be moveable circular
plates, capable of adjustment by by screws through the ends or covers, as
shewn in the Plan; and further packings are to be placed where the outer ends
of the longer axis of the elliptical piston which touch the inner surface of the
cylinder a, a; but as such packing forms no part of my Invention, and as the
same is familiar to mechanics, no further description will be required. t, t, t, are
vessels for supplying lubricating materials to the piston and to the slides.
x are open-
Figure 7 shews another arrangement of steam stops or abutments working
in steam boxes i, i, the other parts of the engine being similar to that
already described. These steam stops v, v, move on axes w, these stops being
angular hollow boxes, as is clearly shewn in Figures 7, 8, and 9.
ings formed at one end of the hollow boxes v, which stands opposite the ends
of the steam pipes from the boiler; hence the steam enters such hollow boxes,
and in consequence of the area of the sides being greater than the area of
the sides v³, the sides v' will, by the steam, be pressed against the elliptical
piston, and cause steam-tight abutments to divide the spaces between the
piston and the cylinder a, a, and the steam will pass from the hollow boxes v
into the spaces and actuate the piston, there being holes or openings for the
steam to pass from such boxes v at y, as is clearly shewn, and these boxes v are
packed to move steam-tight in the steam boxes i, which steam boxes i are a
In
portion of a cylinder struck from the centres of the axes of the boxes v.
Figure 7 the same letters are used to denote similar parts to those already
described; it will not, therefore, be necessary again to enter into a description
of such parts.
Having thus described my Invention, as regards the application thereof to
steam engines, it will be evident that the arrangements or combinations of
parts here shewn and described will be applicable to pumps; for if rotatory
motion be given to the elliptical piston, water or other fluid will flow into and
be forced from the vessel a, a, and in such cases the boxes i, i, are to have
suitable induction and eduction pipes, the induction pipes from the well or
other receptacle being connected in like manner to the steam pipes from the
boiler, as described in Figure 1, and the eduction pipes are to be connected
in like manner to the boxes i, i, as are the eduction pipes described in Figure 1,
for the passage of the steam (after it has propelled the piston) to the atmo-
sphere or to the condensors, as above explained.
Having now described my Invention, I would have it understood that I lay
no claim to the parts separately, but do confine my. elf to the combining ellipti-

page_text: cal pistons in cylindrical steam chambers, having suitable slides or abutments
to divide the spaces caused by the shorter axis of the elliptical pistons being of
less diameter than the diameter of the steam cylinder, as above described,
whether used for steam engines or pumps, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John White, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six