An Improved Rotary Engine.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ROBERT CHARLES FISHER, of No. 30, King Street
East, in the City of Ontario, Canada, Merchant.]
An Improved Rotary Engine.
I, GEORGE JAMES CLARKSON, of 16, Finkle Street, Stockton-on-Tees, in the County
of Durham, Patent Agent, (communicated) 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 :-
The object of the invention is to devise a rotary engine which will be economical
of steam, continuous in its action, and which will minimize the friction of the parts
and adapted for a machine where the action is reversible or not, and it consists
essentially of a central shaft on which is formed a bed for cylinders fitted with piston
heads on pistons working in a sleeve on said cylinders, and having strong vertical
springs attached to the piston heads and bases of the cylinders and designed to throw
each of the piston heads back to its normal position at the mouths of the cylinders as
soon as the head of each cylinder passes the exhaust port, and the steam which has
just compressed the helical spring attached to the piston head has become exhausted.
The case which holds the cylinders is undulating in surface and a hollow inlet
valve derives a reciprocating motion, as the undulations of this case move under it
and as steam is supplied or cut off. A sliding valve which admits or cuts off the
steam from the hollow sliding inlet valve is worked by a bent rod attached to a cam
on the central shaft.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of rotary engine.
"
2 is a detail showing head or top of hollow inlet valve or plunger.
In fig. 1, A, is the central shaft to which motion is to be given. On it is formed
the bed piece B, which is preferably triangular in section to which is bolted the
cylinders C, D and E.
These cylinders are attached or built onto an inner casing F, with undulations, or
concavities formed on its surface as shewn, and the convex portions thereof fit closely
against the inner surface of the outer cylinder G of the rotary engine. This outer
cylinder G has an opening at H, for inlet port, and a larger opening at I, for exhaust
port, and an opening at O, for a drain pipe for condensed steain. These openings are
tapped to receive pipes. And the inner casing F, has openings at J, over the mouths
of each of the cylinders C, D, and E. Each of these cylinders is fitted with a piston
head K, and piston L, which works in a hollow sleeve M, fixed in the base of each
cylinder, and a strong helical spring N, is attached at one end to the piston head K,
and at the other to the base of the cylinder, so as to keep the piston heads up at the
mouths or tops of the cylinders when they are not compressed or forced down by the
action of the steam. In the drawing all the piston heads are shown in this normal
condition with no steam pressure therein.
.
The opening at H, has fitted to it a casing or cylinder P, for the hollow inlet
valve Q, which is a hollow plunger, preferably square in section as shown in fig. 2
hollowed at a, to form a steam passage which is curved so as to form an opening on
its side at b, its top is as shewn in fig. 2 with solid piston at c, on which the steam
acts to force the plunger down.
The top of this cylinder P, has a buffer d, perforated with a hole to receive the
central pin e, and having attached to the buffer d, a helical spring f, to keep it in
the normal position shewn in the drawing, and to admit of compression.
R is a valve chest, with its interior square in section, and there is an opening at ġ,
in the cylinder P, into this valve chest, h is a slide valve adapted to open and close
the opening g, as the slide valve is caused to reciprocate.

page_text: S is the steam inlet into the valve chest R, tapped to receive the steam pipe com-
municating with the boiler.
T is the cylindrical head of the curved rod U, which cylindrical head is fixed to
the slide valve h and works in the square interior of the steam chest R.
The rod U is curved as shewn and is adapted to work through the opening in the
bottom of the valve chest. K is packing so as to make the valve chest tight. The
rod U is curved so as to clear the revolving cylinders C, D and E with a wheel at its
inner end to follow the track in the cam W, which is rigidly attached to the central
shaft A. As shown in the drawing the steam is shut off from the head c, of the
plunger and the engine is at rest.
To operate the engine the shaft A. is caused to rotate slightly by suitable leverage.
This causes the rod U to draw down the slide valve h and admit the steam from
the boiler through the opening g to c, the solid portion of the head of the plunger Q,
and into the hollowed portion thereof a, the pressure of steam on the solid portion c of
the bead of the plunger, causes the plunger or hollow inlet valve Q, to descend;
and the rounded end thereof pressing against the concavity on the inner casing F,
causes the latter to rotate, as soon as the opening b, descends sufficiently to clear the
inner face of the outer cylinder G, steam pressure is admitted through the opening J,
in the inner casing F, to the head of the piston head K, which causes it to descend
into its cylinder, compressing the helical spring N, causing all the cylinders to
rotate, carrying with them the bed piece B, which is rigidly attached to the central
shaft A before the head of the cylinder (, reaches the exhaust port 1, the steam
is cut off and works expansively on the head of the piston K. When the steam
reaches the exhaust port I by the rotation of the cylinders, it escapes and the
spring N, in the cylinder C, springs back, throwing up the piston head to its
normal position as shown in the drawing.
The rod U, connected with the sliding valve h, which has cut off the steam from
the hollow inlet valve Q, is caused to again re-open the steam inlet g, by the
action of the revolving cam W, on the shaft A, so as to cause the plunger or hollow
inlet valve Q, to descend again, it having been forced or slid up again into the
position shown in the drawing by the concaved surface of the revolving inner
casing F, passing over its curved under-surface. The same operation is repeated
with each cylinder as it comes up, and a continuous rotation of the shaft A, is
caused, the piston heads regaining their normal position as the exhaust port is.
reached.
The compression of the piston heads under the action of the steam causes a more
even and continuous motion to be given to the central shaft than if the piston heads
were fixtures. Figure 2 is the detail of the head of plunger Q in which a is the
hollow portion or steam passage, and n elastic steel bands which are acted upon by
the steam coming from the hollow portion of plunger through holes o, to the seating
of said bands, so as to make the bands to act as packing.
A cam rod not shown in the drawing may be pivotally attached to the plunger Q,.
and connected with a cam on the main shaft in such manner as to cause the plunger
to return to the head or top of the casing when the steam is shut off.
I should also mention that an engine constructed in accordance with my invention
will be an admirable water engine. It will be understood that the valve Q, may be
' operated, if desired, by an eccentric and rod in the same manner as the valve T is
operated.
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 --
Firstly In a rotary engine the combination of an outer cylinder provided with a
steam inlet opening, and an exhaust opening situate at about one quarter of the
circumferential distance from each other, cylinders attached to a bed piece formed.
on a central shaft each cylinder being provided with piston head and piston adapted

page_text: to work in a sleeve and a helical spring attached to the piston head and base of
cylinder, the cylinder being built in or forming part of an inner casing with undula-
tions or concavities formed on its surface, the convex portions of said inner casing
being designed to fit close against the inner surface of the outer cylinder and having
openings therein to admit steam to the cylinder piston heads a plunger or hollow
inlet valve designed to be forced down when steam is admitted thereto by the sliding
valve attached to the bent rod operated by a cam on the central shaft which sliding
valve is adapted to cut off or admit steam to the hollow inlet valve or plunger, the
curved bottom of which impinges on the undulating surface of the inner casing as it
is caused to rotate, the steam and rotating inner casing giving a reciprocating motion
to the hollow inlet valve or plunger, substantially as described.
Secondly: In a rotary engine the combination of valve chest R, steam inlet S,
sliding valve h, head T, and curved rod U passing through outer casing G, and
operated by cam W, in central shaft A, plunger or hollow inlet valve Q, with
opening b, adapted to reciprocate in casing P, inner casing F, opening J, and
cylinders C, D, and E, provided with pistons and heads K, helical springs N, and
outer casing provided with inlet and exhaust ports, and drain outlet O, substantially
as described.
Thirdly: In a rotary engine the combination of an inner casing F, having an
undulating surface forming concavities and convexities as shewn, openings J, outer
casing G, and cylinders C, D, and E, provided with piston heads K, pistons L, helical
springs N, and sleeve M, and means for admitting steam to the piston heads and
exhausting it therefrom through ports in the outer casing G, the bed B, central
shaft A, and cam W, which operates the curved rod U, connected with the
valve, which opens and closes the steam opening 9, in cylinder P, substantially
as described.
Fourthly In a rotary engine the combination of cylinder P, and outer cylinder G,
provided with inlet and exhaust ports the hollow inlet valve or plunger Q, opening g,
valve h, adapted to reciprocate through motion derived from central shaft A, valve
chest R, and steam inlet S, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of November 1889.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Stockton-on-Tees.