IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY OR APPARATUS For OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER"
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Vacherot of Sutton in the County of Surrey
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY OR APPARATUS For
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexandre Vacherot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th May 1883.
ALEXANDRE VACHEROT of Sutton in the County of Surrey
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
"
"IMPROVEMENTS
My Invention has for its object to obtain a motor by which I am enabled to
employ the prime mover (be it fluid air or gas over again) by establishing a Cycle
of the said prime mover
According to my said Invention I take a double acting Engine of any suitable
kind and also a double acting pump of any suitable kind and place them in
connection with a vessel containing the prime mover (say air) which is by
preference compressed to a low pressure by a hand pump or otherwise; a supply
pipe leads from the vessel to the Engine the pump is connected by pipes with
suitable valves to the exhaust of the Engine and also the said pump is connected
by pipes provided with valves to the vessel containing the motive fluid—The said
valves prevent the motive fluid from the vessel from entering the pump-The
stroke of the pump should be less than that of the Engine but the capacity of the
pump should be greater than that of the Engine Cylinder so as always to leave a
space between the piston and the ends of the pump Cylinder and thus maintain
always the same pressure on each side of the piston.
The Engine works the pump by a beam or lever preferably with its fulcrum
nearer to the pump than to the Engine,
The motive fluid which filled the Engine Cylinder at the end of one stroke will
finds its way (by the opening of the valves between the Engine and the pump) to
one side of the pump piston as the Engine makes its stroke that is to say the
motive fluid is simply displaced from the Engine Cylinder to the pump Cylinder
the motive fluid from the other side of the pump piston being forced past the
valves into the vessel containing the motive fluid-As soon as this stroke is

page_text: completed the valves will be operated so that the motive fluid will enter the
Engine Cylinder at the other side of its piston and force it in the opposite direction
when the reverse motion of the pump piston takes place the motive fluid passing
in the opposite direction from that in which it passed during the preceding stroke.
The Engine will have only the resistance of the friction of the pump to overcome
the motive fluid being as nearly as possible kept in all its movements at the same
pressure as in the vessel-The valves should be so arranged to be operated by the
Engine that they are reversed as near as may be at the ends of the strokes of the
pistons. By this means a Cycle of the motive fluid will be perfectly established
and a regular motion will ensue from the Engine which can be utilized for any
desired purpose.
r
It will be evident that the same result can be obtained with a rotary Engine
and pumps arranged in a manner substantially the same as that herein before
described
I prefer to use a vessel to compress the motive fluid wherein a lubricant such as
oil Soap and water or any other lubricant is placed in the bottom of the vessel
through which the air passes in returning to the Vessel-A small flame or heater
under the vessel will prove of advantage to take the chill from the air and assist
lubrication
In cases where it may be required to alter the pressure in the motive fluid vessel
this may be effected either by a chamber on the supply pipe to reduce the pressure
or by a piston fitting the vessel at top which can be by suitably arranged mechanism
raised or lowered thereby reducing or augmenting the pressure in the vessel the
piston being provided with pump Valves-A small air pump may be worked by
the Engine either to make up for leakage if any accidentally takes place or to fill
a spare vessel with compressed fluid. It will be evident that in place of double
acting two single acting Engines or pumps may be used

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexandre Vacherot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th November 1883.
ALEXANDRE VACHEROT of Sutton in the County of Surrey
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER"
"IMPROVEMENTS
My Invention has for its object to obtain a motor by which I am enabled to
employ the prime mover (be it air or gas) over again by establishing a cycle of the
said prime mover.
According to my said Invention I take a double acting Engine of any suitable
kind and also a double acting Pump of any suitable kind and place them in
connection with a vessel containing the prime mover (say air) which is by
preference compressed to a pressure (preferably under 100 pounds to the square
inch) by a hand pump or otherwise; a supply pipe leads from the vessel to the
Engine; the pump is connected by pipes with suitable valves to the exhaust of
the engine, and also the said pump is connected by pipes provided with valves to
the vessel containing the motive fluid. The said valves prevent the motive fluid
from the vessel from entering the pump. The stroke of the pump should be by
preference less than that of the Engine but it may be of the same stroke or of a
greater stroke. The capacities of the portions of the cylinders of the pump and of
the engine through which the pistons work should be the same or as nearly the
same as is practicable ignoring in this consideration a space allowed at each end of
each cylinder for the air cushion which is provided to maintain the same pressure
on each side of the piston.
The engine works the pump by a suitable device such as a beam or lever
preferably with its fulcrum nearer to the pump than to the Engine. The motive
fluid which filled the Engine Cylinder at the end of one stroke will find its
way (by the opening of the valves between the Engine and the pump) to
one side of the pump piston as the Engine makes its stroke, that is to say, the
motive fluid is simply displaced from the Engine Cylinder to the pump cylinder,
the motive fluid from the other side of the pump piston being forced past the
valve into the vessel containing the motive fluid. As soon as this stroke is
completed the valves will be operated so that the motive fluid will enter the engine
cylinder at the other side of its piston and force it in the opposite direction when
the reverse motion of the pump piston takes place the motive fluid passing in the
opposite direction from that in which it passed during the preceding stroke. The
Engine will have only the resistance of the friction of the pump to overcome
the motive fluid being as nearly as possible kept in all its movements at the same
pressure as in the vessel. The valves should be so arranged to be operated by the
Engine that they are reversed as near as may be at the ends of the strokes of the
pistons.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of machinery or:
apparatus constructed or arranged according to my Invention. A is a vessel
containing the motive Agent such as compressed air or gas which may be forced.
therein by any suitable means such as a hand or other pump through an opening
at a which when the vessel is sufficiently charged is closed by an air tight cover
or cock. a is a pipe giving communication through the pipes b³.bs between the:

page_text: interior of the vessel A and the opposite ends of the Engine Cylinder B. The
pipes 63 63 are provided with three-way valves or cocks 665 for admitting the
compressed air to and exhausting it from opposite ends of the Cylinder B
alternately, the said valves being operated in the manner hereinafter described.
The air as it exhausts from the Engine Cylinder is conducted by the pipes b² b³
and cc into the pump Cylinder C from whence it is forced by the pump piston
through pipes c3 c back into the vessel A to be used over again.
The pipes c c are provided with valves at c c6 which open outwards from the
pump Cylinder C to allow the air to pass freely therefrom but close air tight
against their seats in the opposite direction to prevent the admission of air to the
pump cylinder from the vessel A.
The valves b 65 are furnished with arms or levers b which are connected
together by a link 68. One of the arms or levers 6 is connected by a link d to a
lever d² which is connected by a link d³ to the lever D by which the valves 64 65
may be opened in order to admit air to start the Engine. When however the
Engine is at work the said valves are opened and closed at the requisite times by
the motions of the Engine itself as follows:-The lever handle D is centred at d
and is connected at one end by a link d³ to a slotted bar de which is supported by,
a bracket e and is curved, its arc being struck from the centre e². In the said
bar de works a stud or pin f carried on the longer arm of a double armed lever E
centred at e², the opposite and shorter arm of which lever is connected by a link f*
to the piston rod C2 of the pump C. The long arm of the said lever E is connected
by a link B2 to the piston rod B¹ of the cylinder B.
In commencing to work the engine the lever handle D is moved by hand so as
to open the valves b* 65. In figure 2 I have represented the piston of the
Cylinder B at one end thereof, the valve b b being in such a position that the
valve b gives communication between the pipes a² and 62 but closes that between
the pipes b² and c whilst the valve 6 gives, communication between the pipes bs.
and c² but closes that between the pipes a² and 63, so that air is admitted from the,
vessel A through the pipe a valve 6 and pipe 62 to the cylinder B bebind the,
piston thereof, the air in front of the said piston exhausting through the pipe 6s
valve 65 and pipe c² into the pump cylinder C, air entering the cylinder B causing
the piston to move forward and displace the air from the opposite side into the
pump cylinder C, the piston in which cylinder will thus be made to move and
force the air on the opposite side of the said piston through the pipe c³ into the,
compressed air vessel A. By the time that the piston of the cylinder B has
completed its stroke the connections of the valves 6 and 65 will have been operated,
80 as to cause the said valves to be reversed to allow the air from the vessel A to
pass by the pipe a² valve 6 and pipe 63 into the Cylinder B at the opposite or,
forward end thereof and cause the piston to make its return stroke, the air at the.
other side of the piston, which gave the preceding stroke, passing by the pipe b
valve b and pipe c to the pump cylinder C thereby forcing the air which entered,
it at the previous stroke through the valve co and pipe c' into the vessel A.
The mechanism by which the valves 64 65 are reversed is operated by the engine'
as follows:-
The piston rods B and C as they move impart motion through the links B'.
and to the lever E causing it to turn on its fulcrum e². The stud f carried on
the end of the lever E traverses the slot in the bar do during the greater portion
of the stroke of the engine, but just before the piston has completed its stroke the
said stud f comes into contact with the end of the said slot and imparts motion to
the bar de, which will cause the lever D to turn on its fulcrum d and by the
connecting links and levers d d d³ and 66 and b reverse the valves 64 b³. The
compressed air from the vessel A will by this means be caused to enter alternately.
at the one and the other sides of the pistons of the cylinders B and C and the air
contained in the cylinder B will alternately exhaust at the opposite sides and enter
the pump cylinder C through the pipe c c³ causing the piston thereof to force the
air through the valves_c³ and cª into the vessel A,
.V

page_text: As these operations are repeated the engine is thus maintained in motion
which motion may be communicated through the connecting rod B³ to the crank
shaft F.
By this means a cycle of the motive fluid will be perfectly established and a regular
motion will ensue from the engine, which can be utilized for any desired purpose.
It will be evident that the same result can be obtained with a rotary Engine
and pumps arranged in a manner substantially the same as that hereinbefore
described.
I prefer to use a vessel to compress the motive fluid wherein a lubricant such as
oil soap and water or any other lubricant is placed in the bottom of the vessel
through which lubricant the air passes in returning to the vessel. A small flame
or heater under the vessel will prove of advantage to take the chill from the air
particularly at high pressure and assist lubrication.
In cases where it may be required to alter the pressure in the motive fluid
vessel this may be effected either by a chamber on the supply pipe to reduce the
pressure, or by a piston fitting the vessel at top which can be by suitably arranged
mechanism raised or lowered thereby reducing or augmenting the pressure in the
vessel, the piston being provided with pump valves. A small air pump may be
worked by the Engine either to make up for leakage (if any accidentally takes
place) or to fill a spare vessel with compressed fluid. It will be evident that in
place of double acting, two single acting engines or pumps may be used and that
any suitable arrangement of valves may be employed.
In order to avoid any difficulty owing to large valves being required at co co
the air from the vessel A may be caused to pass first to the cylinder C and
then to the cylinder B and thence back to the vessel A; the operation in this case
is substantially the same as that herein before described. The communicating pipes
and valves will of course be arranged to effect this in a manner which will be
evident without further description.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that I do not limit myself to the precise
details hereinbefore described and illustrated, as the same may be varied without
departing from the nature of my Invention, but what I consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is :—
First-The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the machinery.
or apparatus for obtaining motive power, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Second-In machinery or apparatus for obtaining motive power, the provision
of means, substantially as hereinbefore, described whereby the same compressed
air or gas is utilized to give a cycle of operations of the moving parts of the
machine to obtain motive power.
Third: The combination of the engine and pump cylinders B and C, and
vessel A (for compressed motive fluid, or their equivalent) communicating with
each other, and the beam or lever E and valves in connection therewith, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Alexandre Vacherot have to this my Specification
set my hand and seal this Sixteenth day of November One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three