Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1887.
Complete Left, 18th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 21st June, 1887.
We CHARLES SILVER, Miller of The Windmill, Nettlebed, near Henley on Thames,
and HERBERT THOMPSON, Manager of The Potteries, Nettlebed, near Henley on
Thames, both in the County of Oxfordshire, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to employ the elastic force of steam or other fluids or
gases upon or against a piston capable of moving in an annular chamber of a casing
forming a cylinder. The piston is on a disc or wheel fixed upon a shaft, by which
rotary motion is conveyed to any kind of mechanism.
By this invention we obtain a rotatory motion and power direct from the axis or shaft
without the help or intervention of a crank or of any other reciprocating part.
The casing or cylinder is in four parts screw bolted together and is mounted upon
a base plate, in which two admission and two exhaust ports are arranged, one of each
being for the forward motion of the piston and the others for the reverse motion.
These poris are governed by a ring plate having corresponding apertures and is
provided with a handle to enable it to be moved round within a recess, which it fits to
control the movement of the piston.
The casing is slotted at the lower part and a couple of sliding plates are fitted to
slide in the slots, said plates being drawn in and out by cam wheels keyed on the
shaft. The sliding plates act as valves and have crescent shaped passages in them,
through which the steam, fluids, or gases must pass in fixed quantities into the annular
chamber behind the piston according to the distance such crescent shaped passages are
opened.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said C. Silver and
H. Thompson.

page_text: We CHARLES SILVER, Miller, of The Windmill, Nettlebed near Henley on Thames,
and HERBERT THOMPSON, Manager of The Potteries, Nettlebed near Henley on Thames,
both in the county of Oxfordshire, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to employ the elastic force of steam or other fluids
or gases upon or against a piston capable of moving in an annular chamber of a casing
forming a cylinder. The piston is on a disc or wheel fixed upon a shaft by which
rotary motion is conveyed to any kind of mechanism.
By this invention we obtain a rotatory motion and power direct from the axis or shaft
without the help or intervention of a crank or of any other reciprocating part.
The casing or cylinder is in four parts screw bolted together and is mounted upon a
base plate in which two admission and two exhaust ports are arranged, one of each
being for the forward motion of the pistou and the others for the reverse motion.
These ports are governed by a ring plate having corresponding apertures and is
provided with a handle to enable it to be moved round within a recess which it fits to
control the movement of the piston.
The casing is slotted at the lower part and a couple of sliding plates are fitted to
slide in the slots said plates being drawn in and out by cam wheels keyed on the shaft.
The sliding plates act as valves and have crescent shaped passages in them through
which the steam, fluids or gases must pass in fixed quantities into the annular
chamber behind the piston according to the distance such crescent shaped passages
are opened.
Our invention will be understood by the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of an engine constructed as above referred to and
having a circular piston.
Figure 2 is a section and Figure 3 is an internal face view.
Figure 4 shows a perspective of one of the cam wheels.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the ring plate and Figure 6 a section of an engine
provided with an oval shaped piston.
A, A, A, A, are the four parts composing the cylinder. B is the annular groove
therein. is the piston attached to the wheel D, the periphery of which is of
V shape fitting corresponding shaped ring blocks E which can be set by screws F to
prevent steam escaping from the annular chamber B.
GG are sliding plates or valves and H, H, are the cam wheels by which said plates
are moved in and out as valves for the admission and exhaust, said plates working in
slots at the bottom of the cylinder and provided with crescent shaped openings through
which steam can pass from a main tube I on one side into the annular chamber or
cylinder to act upon the piston, the other forming the exhaust which passes away by
the outlet J.
The passage of the steam into and from the cylinder is regulated by the ring plate K
provided with four holes two of which are steam passages and two exhaust passages

page_text: and when this plate which is movable by the handle L is set opposite the ports in the
bottom plate M the piston will travel in one direction but if shifted to another position
the opposite passages will open for the inlet and exhaust, the piston move in the
opposite or reverse direction.
The ring plate K is recessed partly into the bottom plate M and partly into a base
plate N, these two plates being bolted together to fix the plate K steam tight between
them.
The wheel D is attached to the main shaft P and also the two cam wheels H, said
shaft being supported on uprights QQ and carry on the outer end a rigger or band
wheel R by which the motion can be communicated to any kind of mechanism or
machinery.
The cam wheels H, H may have a groove S on the inner periphery as at Figures 1,
2 and 4 for rollers on the plates G, G, to ride in or the cam wheels may have a rib
upon their outer peripheries S for actuating the plates G G or the cam wheels may
have a groove on the inside for moving the plates C, C, and a rib upon the outside for
moving other sliding plates U, U, as at Figure 6, said plates U, U, acting as cut off
plates to the steam passing from the supply I.
The piston C is set at right angles on the wheel D and the sliding plates G, G, as
valves, have their crescent shaped openings or ports formed at an angle in the thickness
of the metal and it is only after the plates are forced back to near their closing position
that the steam passage is opened for the admission of steam into the cylinder B, the
ends of the two plates simultaneously meeting forming an abutment for the steam to
act against so that the full pressure is exerted upon the moving piston C, the exhaust
port of the other plate G when it begins to move outwards forms the exhaust and
allows the spent steam to escape freely, the two plates then continuing their sliding
passage outwards to open passage for piston to pass.
The rapidity with which the inlet port can be opened supplies sufficient steam to
the cylinder B and is regulated by the narrowness of the slit in the angled passage V
which slit is very small compared to the mouth of the opening so that the aperture in
the plate G forms a kind of pocket in which steam is stored in sufficient quantity for
moving the piston at each stroke the steam acting expansively against the piston C
during a greater part of its travel.
The engine as above described is very steady in its movement and has great rapidity
without any positive dead centre whereby it is of special service for Screw Launches
also for running Dynamos and other fast rotating machinery. It occupies very little
space and is particularly adapted for small workshops for running light machinery at
great speed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
1. The rotatory or circular motive power engine as hereinbefore described and as
shown on the annexed drawings in which the casing or cylinder is composed of four
parts A, A, A, A, having a circular chamber B in which the piston Con a wheel D
can travel and give motion to the shaft 1', the admission and exhaust ports being
formed in plates sliding on edge by means of cam wheels H, H, as set forth.
:
2. In forming crescent shaped ports in sliding plates acting as valves of Rotary
steam engines, said ports being formed at angles therein and with decreasing capacity
as and for the purpose described.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said C. Siiver and
H. Thompson.