A NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY MEANS OF ELECTRO-MAGNETISM
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESNETS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
KEMP, late of Carnarvon, North Wales, but now of Victoria Lodge, Hackney,
in the County of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of July
(One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one), in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Kemp, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said George Kemp, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Kemp,
my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER BY MEANS OF ELECTRO-MAGNETISM;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said George Kemp, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Kemp, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner of performing the same, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention of a new method of obtaining power by means of electro-
magnetism consists of the mode herein-after described of combining apparatus
to be actuated by electro-magnets. And in order that my Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the means pursued by me.
I so arrange electro-magneto apparatus that a series of electro-magnets are
caused to act in succession by their armatures on the same bar or instrument;
and by such bar or instrument I give motion to fluids in order to obtain and
communicate power thereby. To accomplish this object the armatures of
several electro-magnets are fixed to stems, and the stems of the armatures are
to be free to move through the bar or instrument which carries them. For
the purpose of enabling the armatures to be acted on in succession by their
magnets, I make the stem of the armature which is to be first attracted.
somewhat longer than the next in succession, by which means the first arma-
ture will be as near as may be to its magnet, the next and the next armatures
being more and more distant from their electro-magnets, therefore, when the
first armature has been attracted by its electro-magnet, the others will be
moved nearer to their electro-magnets, and will consequenty be brought into
the most advantageous position to be attracted thereby when their turns come.
Thus, supposing it to be determined that each armature shall be attracted
through a quarter of an inch by its electro-magnet, and that there are to be
eight electro-magnets to act on the same bar or instrument, the first armature
before being attracted would be at a distance of a quarter of an inch from its
electro-magnet, the second would be half an inch from its magnet, the third
three quarters of an inch from its magnet, and so on, whereby the eighth
armature would be two inches from its electro-magnet; and these differences
of distance are to be obtained. by the stems (by which the armatures are
connected to the bar or the instrument) being made shorter and shorter. By
this arrangement it will be evident that if electro-currents be caused to pass.
in succession to the coils of the several electro-magnets, and in such manner.

page_text: that the currents of electricity, having caused the first electro-magnet to attract
its armature, are cut off therefrom, and caused to pass to the next electro-
magnet, and so on in regard to the eight electro-magnets and their armatures,
each armature, before being attracted, will have been brought, by the move-
ment of the bar or instrument, to within about a quarter of an inch of its
electro-magnet, the bar coming at each step of its movement nearer and nearer
to the electro-magnets, which it is enabled to do by the stems of those arma-
tures which have been previously attracted being enabled to slide back freely
through the bar or instrument which carries them. The stems of the arma-
tures are enabled to draw the bar or instrument towards the electro-magnets
(when their armatures are attracted) by reason of the stems having projecting
heads or ends, which prevent the stems from being drawn through the bar or
instrument which carries them, whereby, when all the electro-magnets having
attracted their armatures, the bar or instrument will have been moved two
inches or other distance, according as arrangement is made for each of the
electro-magnets to act through a less or larger space than a quarter of an inch.
It will be evident that this bar or instrument may be arranged to give motion
to machinery in various ways, but I believe the most convenient mode of
applying the power thus derived from electro-magnets will be found to be to
affix one bar or instrument, such as herein described, to one end of the rod of
a piston working in a cylinder, and another such bar or instrument to the other
end of the piston rod, the piston being in the middle of the piston rod, and
the piston rod working through stuffing boxes on the covers at either end of
the cylinder. Each such bar or instrument is to be fixed, in the manner of a
cross head, to the piston rod, and to be guided in its movement to and fro, and
is to be provided with armatures or stems, as herein described, and sets of
electro-magnets to attract the same, and capable of being brought into action
in succession, as above explained, and as will readily be understood by work-
men accustomed to making electro-magneto apparatus, by which means the
piston in the cylinder may be moved first in one direction and then in the
other. In order that the armatures may be in a position to act correctly the
ends of their stems, when being moved back towards the cylinder, should come
against a stop or stops, to move the heads or enlarged ends of the stems to the
bar or instrument which carries them; they will thus be brought into position
to be again acted on by their electro-magnets so soon as the electro-magnets
have, by their armatures, drawn the piston as far as it can go in the other
direction. As a piston by such means cannot with convenience be caused to
move through an extended length of space, the cylinder is to be of comparatively
large diameter to its length, and at either end it is to have passages for the

page_text: water or other fluid (contained in the cylinder) to pass into and form the ends
of another cylinder of less diameter, but of proportionably greater length, in
which a piston also works; and I prefer that the piston rod of such second
cylinder should also work through stuffing boxes at either end of that cylinder,
such piston rod communicating the power obtained (by the means above
described) by a connecting rod and crank from one end of the piston rod,
or other suitable means of comniunicating power from a piston may be
employed. From the above description it will be understood that great power
may be obtained from a series of electro-magnets, each attracting its keeper or
armature, and consequently. moving the piston through only a small space, and
such power being exerted over a large area of piston moving a fluid, and
forcing it into a cylinder of smaller diameter, will cause the piston of that
second cylinder to be moved through a longer stroke in proportion to the
different capacities of the cylinder, and the piston of the second cylinder
will consequently be moved at a greater speed than that in the large cylinder,
and the pressure per square inch on the smaller piston will be the same
as that on the larger piston, all which will be readily understood by a
workman acquainted with the pressure of fluids put in motion by one piston
and caused to act on another. And it will be at once perceived that the action
will be the reverse of that in Bramah's press, wherein the water is put in
motion by the power used acting on a piston or plunger of comparatively
small diameter, and the water is caused to act on and to move a piston of
much larger diameter, whereas in the present Invention a series of electro-
magnets act in succession on a bar or instrument, as above explained, in such
manner that when combined with a comparatively large piston the power will,
by driving or forcing the water or fluid into a cylinder of less diameter, and of
greater length, cause the piston therein to be moved with less power but
with greater speed. And it will be at once understood, that the power
obtained will depend on the effort each magnet is capable of exerting, for it
will be evident that the actual force which is kept up to and given off from the
piston in the small cylinder will be equivalent to that exerted by one of the
magnets in attracting or drawing its armature through a comparatively small
space.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein given, nor to the number of electro-magnets used
to act on the same bar or instrument, so long as the peculiar character of my
Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the method herein described of
obtaining power by means of electro-magnetism, whereby a series of electro-

page_text: magnets is caused, in succession, to act on the same bar or instrument, and to
give motion to pistons and fluids, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Kemp, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
Enrolled the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-two.