Rotation of the Shafts of Steam Engines.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th Apr., 1887.
Rotation of the Shafts of Steam Engines.
I, JOSEPH WILHELM HERQUET, of Altona, in the Empire of Germany, Chief Engineer
of S.S. "Borussia" of the Hamburg-Americanische Packetfahrt Actiengesellschaft, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved apparatus for indicating the direction of rotation
of the main shaft of a steam engine, and will be of the most practical use for
controlling the direction of rotation of a marine engine from a point where the engine
cannot be seen.
My improved apparatus consists substantially of a supplementary slide-box which is
connected with the main steam-distributing mechanism, with the reversing gear, and
with an indicating device. Inside the said box is an ordinary slide-valve provided with
passages for the admission and exhaust of steam, and connected with a reciprocating
moving part of the main steam-distributing mechanism, thus participating in the
motion of the latter. A slide connected to the reversing gear lever opens and closes,
according to the position of the reversing gear, one of the two passages of the slide-
valve, corresponding with suitable channels of the slide-box, wherefrom pipes go to the
indicating device.
As the slide-box is supplied with steam either from the boiler, directly or indirectly,
such steam will pass to the indicating device through the channel just opened by the
slide, thus causing the hand or hands of the indicating device to oscillate to the right
or left-hand-side from the normal position. An exhaust pipe corresponding with a
suitable channel in the slide-valve allows the steam to escape from the apparatus after
it has done its work, by deviating the hand of the indicator.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for indicating the Direction oI
Rotation of the Shafts of Steam-engines.
I, JOSEPH WILHELM HERQUET of Altona, in the Empire of Germany, Chief Engineer
of S.S. "Borussia" of the Hamburg-Americanische Packetfahrt-Actiengesellschaft, 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 improved apparatus for indicating the direction of rotation
of the main shafts of steam engines, and is of the most practicable use for controlling
the direction of rotation of a marine engine from a point where the engine cannot be
seell.
5
My improved apparatus consists substantially of a supplementary slide-box, which is 1
connected with the main steam-distributing mechanism, with the reversing gear and
with an indicating device. Inside the box is an ordinary slide-valve provided with
passages for the admission and exhaust of steam, and connected with a reciprocating
moving part of the main steam-distributing mechanism thus participating in the motion
of the latter. A slide connected to the reversing gear lever opens and closes, according 1
to the position of the reversing gear, one of the two passages of the slide-valve,
corresponding with suitable channels of the slide-box, wherefrom pipes lead to the
indicating device.
As the slide-box is supplied with steam from the boiler either directly or indirectly,
such steam will pass to the indicating device through the channel just opened by the 2
slide, thus causing the hand or hands of the indicating device to oscillate to the right
or left-hand-side from the normal position. An exhaust pipe corresponding with a
suitable channel in the slide-valve allows the steam to escape from the apparatus after
it has done its work by deviating the hand of the indicator.
In order to make my invention clearly understood I will describe it with reference 2
to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a sectional side-elovation of my improved apparatus and
Figure 2 a front view thereof, the slide box cover being removed.
Figure 3 is a sectional top view, and
Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams of two different positions of the working parts.
Figure 6 shows the manner of applying the said apparatus in a steam ship; and
Figures 7 and 8 are views of details of the indicating device.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.
3
a is the slide-valve provided with the channels a¹ and a³ connecting the valve box b
with the indicator and the exhaust channel a*. Corresponding passages 61, 63 and 6º 3
are arranged in that side of the valve box b, whereon the valve a slides, c is the pipe,
through which the steam enters the valve-chest. The slide d is attached by its rod d
to the lever d¹ suitably connected with the steam distributing device of the engine.

page_text: The pipes e, e connect the passages 6 and 63 respectively with the indicator e. They
may suitably form at one part of their length a curvature or loop e³, as shown in
Figures 6 and 8, in order to be filled at such loop with a liquid, as for instance mercury,
separating the condensed water in that part, between the curvature e and the
valve-chest b, from the liquid in the pipe between e* and the indicator e. The latter
liquid is a suitably one, which is not liable to freeze, as in ships the upper part of the
pipes e, will be ordinarily exposed to the influences of the atmospheric temperature.
When such influences are not to be feared the curvature or loop e³ may be omitted.
fis the lever which communicates, by means of the rod fi the motion of the
reversing gear to the valve a. g is the exhaust pipe.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows. The steam entering from
the boiler through the pipe c into the box & passes at one stroke of the shell slide d,
according to the position of the slide-valve a, either into the pipe e² (as shown in
Figure 1) or (as shown in Figure 4), and thereby advances the column of liquid
contained in the respective pipes towards the indicator, thus causing a corresponding
deviation of the hand. At the return movement of the slide d the steam after
doing its work is allowed to escape through the interior of the shell slide d, the port a³
of the slide valve, and the passage 6 of the slide box, into the exhaust pipeg, as shown
in Figure 1.
The indicator employed may be of similar construction to an ordinary pressure
gauge provided with two expanding-tubes, which both operates upon one hand, or
each tube may actuate a separate hand.
Sometimes I also connect the valve a with the steam distributing device of the
engine and the slide d with the reversing gear; in such case the channel a³ should not
pass through the valve a, but form only a long excavation therein, which will bring
the exhaust channel in communication with one of the channels a² or a². By making
use of this modification the hand of the indicator will not show immediately, after the
engine begins to work, the rotation of the same, as the air must be compressed within
the pipes e², e² to a certain degree, while in the first modification the condensed water
in the pipes e, e will transfer the pressure of the steamn momentarily to the indicator,
the water not being liable to be compressed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is.
In apparatus for indicating the direction of the rotation of steam engines, the
combination of the valve-chest b, the slide valve a, and the slide d, either of them
being connected with the steam distributing device and the reversing gear of the
steam engine, with the pipes e, e and the indicator e, showing by deviation of its
hand the direction of rotation of the steam engine, substantially as set forth.
Dated this and day of March 1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.