IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: ANDREW NICOL PORTEOUS Engineer 1 Viowforth Park Edinburgh do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES to be
as follows:
My Invention relates to Rotary Engines and consists in placing within &
cylinder fitted with covers "one of them adjustable" a revolving cylinder or
Piston holder to one end of which is attached the shaft, the face of the holder
bearing against one of the covers acts as a revolving slido valve the other end
being open or nearly so. And my invention further consists in fitting into the
interior of the holder a vibrating Piston blade working on a centre in the side of
the holder and passing across the full diameter divides the holder into two parts
and the free end of the blade bears and vibrates against a segment of a circle cut in
the side of the holder to suit it, on this piston blade the motive power acts. And
my invention further consists in having a revolving abutment working into the
interior of the piston holder and revolving with it on a shaft of its own on a
bearing in one of the covers, and through this abutment I cut a slot into which, the
piston blade is fitted and slides, as the piston holder and abutment revolve the
piston blade slides in the slot and vibrates in the holder.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, ANDREW NICOL PORTEOUS of 1 Viewforth Park, Edinburgh, in the County
of Midlothian, North Britain, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
My Invention, which relates to Improvements in Rotary Engines, consists of a
revolving cylinder or piston holder rotating within an enclosing cylinder and
carrying the vibrating blade which constitutes the piston.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a transverse section through a rotary engine with the
driving shaft concentric with the cylinder and projecting from one side thereof
whilst the abutment shaft is eccentric to the said cylinder and projects from the
opposite side thereof,
Figure 2 is a view of the same partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal
section.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the revolving cylinder or piston holder of the same.
Figures 4 and 5 (Sheet 2) are respectively an end and a front elevation of the
engine in which a single shaft is used as a driving shaft and an abutment shaft
combined.
Figure 6 is a section of the same taken on the line A. B. Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a view of the same shewn partly in front elevation and partly in
longitudinal section.
Figure 8 (Sheet 3) is a plan, and Figure 9, is a view partly in plan and partly in
horizontal section of the same.
Figures 10 and 11 (Sheet 4) are elevations of the revolving cylinder and the
vibrating piston blade at different positions of their stroke and Figure 12 represents
in elevation, the combined abutment and driving shaft shewn therein.
In my said improvements in Rotary engines, I arrange the revolving cylinder or
piston holder a, Figures 1, 2 and 3, within the enclosing cylinder b, in which it is
free to rotate. The enclosing cylinder b, is formed with covers c, and d, one or
both of which is or are removeable. Through one of these covers, say the cover d,
and as represented in dotted lines at Figure 2, holes e, are formed, and into each of
these holes is screwed or otherwise connected a pipe f, connected to the steam or
other generator and to the exhaust respectively. The side g, of the revolving
cylinder a, next these holes e, is closed in, wholly save for the two orifices h, and
shewn in Figure 1, and which are so situated that they pass across the holes e, in
the cylinder cover d, and in this way effect the necessary admission as well as the
cutting-off of the motive agent and opening the exhaust. The revolving cylinder a,
carries the vibrating piston blade j, which is pivoted therein at k, and is so formed at
its opposite end as to vibrate with that end in contact with the segmental surface l,
within the cylinder a. The driving shaft m, of the engine is secured to the closed
2,

page_text: side g, of the revolving cylinder a, and is supported in a steam-tight bearing n,
formed in the said cylinder cover d, and in an additional bearing o, carried by the
pedestal p. The open side of the revolving cylinder a, has within the recess, the
abutment g, which is secured to a shaft r, independent of the driving shaft m.
and supported in a steam-tight bearing 8, which is located eccentrically in the
second cylinder cover c, and in the bearing t, carried by the pedestal u. This
abutment g, is slotted out for the sliding therethrough of the piston blade j, and
is recessed at v, (Figure 1) on each side of the slot so as to accommodate, and
admit of the travel of the anti-friction rollers w. The vibrating piston blade j, is so
situated relatively to the revolving cylinder a, and abutment q, as to divide the
said cylinder, into two parts. To these two divided parts the motive agent
employed is alternately admitted and exhausted from. The said motive agent
enters by the orifice h, when that orifice passes across the inlet pipe f, and escapes
when the said orifice passes across the second hole in the cover d. The motive
agent enters by the orifice i, escapes in like manner through the said second
hole e
In place of admitting the motive agent through the side of the piston holder a,
as hereinbefore described, I construct the said piston holder a, in the form
represented more particularly at Figures 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11. Under this construc-
tion I provide only one opening x, through the cylinder cover d, to provide for the
exhaust, while the motive agent employed, is admitted through the enclosing
cylinder b, at the inlet y. The motive agent so entering passes through the
orifices, to the interior of the piston holder a, and thus operates alternately upon
the two sides of the vibrating piston blade j, whence it escapes through the outlet x.
The piston holder a, is recessed at those parts of its periphery around the orifices,
Bo that the motive agent may be alternately admitted to and exhausted from and
continue to be so admitted and exhausted during the required intervals; and the
pressure of the motive agent upon the inner and outer surfaces of the rotating
piston holder a, maintain the said piston holder in equilibrio. The driving shaft a,
is formed in one piece with the rotating abutment b₁, whose sides extend outwards
into recesses forined in the cylinder covers c, and d, respectively so that the
vibrating piston blade j, sliding therethrough, is the whole width of the cylinder,
that is to say, extends across from the cover c, to the cover d, thereof.
Figure 10 shews the position of the rotating parts of the engine when the
vibrating parts of the piston blade is at one end of its stroke whilst Figure 11
shews the relative position of the said parts when the vibrating piston blade j, has
passed through some distance of its return stroke.
In Figure 12 the combined rotating abutment 61, and the driving shaft a¹, are
shewn in detail.
It is to be understood that the engine herein before described and illustrated upon
the annexed sheets of drawing, may be driven by any suitable motive agent, such
for example as steam or other gas or fluid, or by a liquid under pressure such as
water, and it may also be driven after the manner of driving a gas engine, the
requisite mixture of air and gas being admitted and burnt in the said engine, and
when so actuated, the engine is provided with any of the well-known forms of
igniter for igniting the mixture of air and gas.
In place of fitting the rotating abutment with the anti-friction rollers w, these
may be dispensed with and an elastic tubular packing of such kind as is known
as Leitch's packing and described in Leitch's Specification N° 13734" may be
Bubstituted.
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
The improvements in rotary engines, consisting of the enclosing of a revolving
cylinder contained within a casing, which cylinder carries a piston blade 7.

page_text: vibrating therein with its free end in contact with a segmental surface 1, and
through an abutment q, and upon which vibrating piston the motive agent exerts
pressure alternately upon the two sides thereof and exhausts therefrom sub-
stantially as herein before set forth with reference to the annexed drawings.