IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Barber at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th February 1856.
I, JOHN BARBER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engraver to Calico Printers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to steam engines generally, whether stationary,
marine, or locomotive; and consists, firstly, in causing the box or step which
holds the crank pin or pins to slide upon a solid shaft or hollow tube, and giving
it at the same time, if desired, a curvilinear motion.
Secondly, in the employment of hollow crank pins and hollow shafts for
bearings in general, and also for a convenient mode of removing the crank
pin when required.
Thirdly, in arranging the parts of locomotives so as to obtain greater compact-
ness and simplicity, by fixing to the under side of the boilers blocks which can
move on supports or frames in proportion to the expansion or contraction, the
boiler being kept in its place by the fitting of the convex part of one block into
the concave part of the other, and by having a break or division in the main
frame to allow the wheels to follow the curves & other irregularities of the line.

page_text: Fourthly, in the arrangement of four cylinders, and their working parts, so
that they act in a direct line, the boiler being supported by springs, and
without any break or division in the main frame; the said improvements
being a continuation, extension, or perfecting of my Invention for which I
obtained, Letters Patent, dated August 15th, 1855. These my said improve-
ments, will be understood by reference to the accompanying ten Sheets of
Drawings, the figures thereon being marked progressively.
Fig. 1 applies to the first part of my said Improvements, in which is shewn
the adaptation of a shaft or hollow tube to my improved motion. a represents
the shaft or tube, upon which the crank pin slides. In Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the
hollow tube a is furnished with spirals shewn at 6, which, acting like a screw,
materially lessens the friction; c shews the box and step; d, the slides, and e, the
connecting rods. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, are views of a very compact arrangement
of engine procured by employing my improved motion, the part of the crank
which holds the crank pin slides upon the hollow tube f, which has a curvilinear
motion imparted to it by means of the toothed wheels g working in the rack h.
Figs. 9 and 10 are views of detached parts.
The second part of my improvements is seen at Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16, 17, 18, and 19. The hollow shaft is seen at Figs. 11 and 12, in which
i shews the shaft, having a bore or hole k; there is also an improved mode of
coupling shown at l. Fig. 13 represents a pedestal, in which m shews the
bearing; n, the bar; and o, the air holes. Figs. 14, 15, and 16 represent
my mode of holding fast, and also releasing, the crank pin when required
p is the hollow pin, through which and the crank a key q is passed; r is a
seating, which is kept up to the pin, so as to give it greater firmness by the
additional key s; there is a space left in the crank at t. It is evident that
the crank pin can be easily withdrawn when the keys are taken out. Fig. 17
is a view of a double crank, furnished with a hollow pin adjusted to both
cranks. Figs. 18 and 19 are views of the pin detached from the cranks.
The third part of my improvements refer to locomotives, and is shewn
in the Figures 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. The application of my improved
motion is a leading feature, enabling me to place two or more cylinders
in convenient positions, and obtaining their effect with greatly diminished
friction. The blocks for supporting the boiler are shewn at u and v, Fig. 22;
the block is made fast to the boiler, and, excepting the plate by which it is
beld, is part of a sphere or ball; it fits the block v, which is concave in its form
in order to allow of universal action; the block v slides on the carriage frame
in proportion to the expansion and contraction of the boiler and parts con-

page_text: nected with it; the break or division in the frame is shewn at w, Figs. 20 and
21; the couplings which connect both frames together are shewn at y, Fig. 21,
acting as universal joints.
The fourth part of my improvements is shewn in Figs. 26 and 27, in which
a' are the cylinders; 6', the slides of my improved motion; c', the piston rods,
and d, the cranks.
I do not confine myself to the horizontal position of the cylinders, but place