Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 6th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Engines.
We, THOMAS WILLIAM COLE, of High Street. Leyton, in the County of Essex'
Engineer, and GEORGE WALLER, of Fairlight House. Leyton, aforesaid, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:—
Our invention relates to engines and has for its object to utilize the motive power
more effectively than heretofore.
According to our invention we use one or more pairs of pistons of relatively large
area and short stroke which pistons are adapted to work at a high rate of speed so
that their movements are more of the nature of pulsations than of strokes.
In practice we can arrange each pair of pistons in a single cylinder so that the
motive fluid entering between them will force them apart. In this case the rod of
each piston is connected to a separate crank the two cranks being suitably connected
or geared so as to move in unison. Or we can arrange the two pistons and cylinders
on opposite sides of a single crank shaft.
It will be obvious that the shorter the pulsations or strokes the shorter must be the
cranks. In cases where the cranks are of very short throw we employ levers through
which the motion is transmitted.
Dated the 4th day of February 1890
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Engines.
We, THOMAS WILLIAM COLE, of High Street, Leyton, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, and GEORGE WALLER, of Fairlight House, Leyton, aforesaid, 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:
Our invention relates to engines and has for its object to utilize the motive, power
more effectively than heretofore.
According to our invention we use one or more pairs of pistons of relatively large
area and short stroke, which pistons are adapted to work at a high rate of speed so
that their movements are more of the nature of pulsations than of strokes.
In practice we can arrange each pair of pistons in a single cylinder so that the
motive fluid entering between them will force them apart. In this case the rod of
each piston can be connected to a separate crank, the two cranks being suitably con-
nected or geared so as to move in unison; or we can arrange the two pistons and
cylinders on opposite sides of a single crank-shaft.
It will be obvious that the shorter the pulsations or strokes the shorter must be the
cranks. In cases where the cranks would be of very short throw if connected
directly to the pistons we sometimes employ levers through which the motion is
transmitted, in order to increase the throw of the said cranks.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which for the
purpose of illustration we shew in Figure 1 a plan of a steam engine of the compound
type constructed according to our improvements.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively vertical sections on the lines x x and y y of
Figure 1.
Similar nafarance letters indiente similar parts throughout the drawings.

page_text: .
P
The engine is provided with three cylinders, one being the high-pressure cylinder
and the other two being low-pressure cylinders. The cylinders are arranged in a row,
as shewn in Figure 1, the high-pressure cylinder a being between the low-pressure
cylinders b, b. The latter cylinders are each provided with two piston's c, el while the
former is provided with one piston d only. All the pistons are of equal stroke, and
the piston-rods c², c² of the lower pistons c, e and piston-rod of the piston d are con-
nected to and operate a cross-head working in guides, in the engine framing 9,
and in order to obtain a throw of the crank which is longer than the stroke of the
said pistons we connect the said cross-head by the link to a pin i* on the forked
lever i attached to a rocking shaft journaled in bearings, at the top of the
engine framing g, the outer end of the lever being connected to the crank of the
crank-shaft by a connecting-rod 1. The two upper pistons c¹, e' also serve to actuate
the rocking shaft and consequently the crank-shaft by reason of their piston-
rods, being connected by links h', to pins 3, on discs, attached to the
ends of the said rocking shaft, the throw of the said pins being equal to that of the
pin i*.
Sometimes we connect the link
to the pin ** so as to obtain a throw of crank
equal to the length of stroke of the piston.
The high-pressure cylinder a is provided with a port a¹ at each end in the usual
manner while the low-pressure cylinders b, bare each provided with three ports,
riza portat each end and a port 62 in the centre of the cylinder. k is the
slide-valve of the high-pressure cylinder, and I, are the slide valves of the low-
pressure cylinders, all the said valves being preferably of the piston type. The
valve is of a well known construction while the valves 1, are formed hollow and
provided with ports 1, for exhausting the steam through the ports 62, 12 from
between the pistons c, c¹. The said valves are also provided with two annular
spaces 12, which serve to admit, steam to the ports 1 and 2 from ports m, m in
connection with the exhaust pipe n of the high-pressure cylinder a.
:
o, o are inlets for the steam to the casing of the slide-valve k, and P, p are the
outlets for the exhaust steam from the casings of the slide valves 1, 7.
13, 13 are holes formed in the lower part of the slide valves 1, in order to admit
steain below them, so that its pressure serves to counterbalance the pressure on the
top of the said valves.
For actuating the slide valves we prefer to use cams although eccentrics can also
be used but not so advantageously.
$1
is the cam for actuating the valve and r, are the cams for actuating the
valves 1, 1, the said valves being actuated by the said cams through the medium of
rollers s, s on blocks s', s attached to the valve spindles s2, s². The blocks s¹, s work
in guides sa, on the frame g. t, t are springs which bear against the blocks s',
and serve to keep the rollers &, s against the cams and r, r. The said cams are
mounted upon a shaft journaled in bearings u, u and driven from the crank-shaft j
by mitre-wheels v, v, a cross-shaft and mitre-wheels z, z.
The operation of the engine is as follows, that is to say, assuming the parts of the
engine to be in the position shewn in the drawings, if steam be admitted to the
valve k and the fly-wheel g' partly revolved in the direction of the arrow, the said
valve will uncover the lower port a' of the high-pressure cylinder a and admit steam
beneath the piston d and cause it to move upwards to the other end of the cylinder
and at the same time the pistons e and c¹ will be caused to move towards one
another in the cylinders b, b. By the time the piston d reaches the said end of
the cylinder the upper port a¹ will be uncovered by the valve k and admit steam
above the said piston and cause it to return to the bottom of the cylinder and
thereby the pistons c and c' to their former position, the steam below the piston d
being exhausted by the valve k into the exhaust pipe n in the usual manner.
steam in the pipen then passes through the ports m, m into the casings of and
round the annular spaces 12, 12 of the valves 1, which open and admit it through
the ports below and above the pistons e and c respectively and cause them
to move towards one another.
The

page_text: At the completion of these movements of the said pistons the valves will have
moved down so as to place the ports 1, in connection with the ports b', b' at
the bottom, and to uncover the ports at the top of the said cylinders so as
to exhaust the steam from below and above the pistons c, c', the same movement
of the valves also placing the upper annular space 2 in connection with the central
port so as to admit steam to move the pistons apart into their former positions,
thus completing the cycle of operations and so on.
It will be obvious that the high-pressure cylinder a can be provided with two
pistons and a valve similar to those described with reference to the lower-pressure
cylinders b, b.
Although we have for the purpose of illustration described our invention in con-
nection with a compound steam engine it will be obvious that it can be employed in
connection with steam engines of the high-pressure type.
It will also be obvious that our improvements can be applied to other motive power
engines involving the use of cylinders and pistons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a steam or other motive power engine the arrangement of two pistons in one
cylinder, the rod of each piston being connected to a separate crank, the said cranks
being on one driving shaft or suitably connected or geared together so as to move in
unison, substantially as described.
2. In a steam or other motive power engine the arrangement of two pistons in one
cylinder in combination with mechanism such as is herein described, for obtaining
a throw of crank longer than the stroke of each of the said pistons, substantially as
described.
3. In a steam or other motive power engine the arrangement of two pistons in one
cylinder in combination with links such as h, h', lever and crank discs A, *, so as to
obtain a throw of crank equal to the stroke of the said pistons, substantially as
described.
4. The improved steam engine hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 4th day of November 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.