IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC AIR COMPRESSION MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Vicente Calixto Haurie, of 101, Cannon Street, in
the City of London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
AIR COMPRESSION MACHINES." Partly a communication from abroad by
Franz Windhausen, of the City of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Mechanical Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Vicente Calixto Haurie
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th August 1881.
VICENTE CALIXTO HAURIE, of 101, Cannon Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC AIR COMPRESSION MACHINES." Partly a com-
munication from abroad by Franz Windhausen, of the City of Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Mechanical Engineer.
The object of this Invention is the compression of the air by the tension of
steam in the same cylinders in which the steam acts, and consists essentially of a
steam distributing slide valve and expansion mechanism, in which two flat springs
serve as an opening of the expansion slide valve.
Also of a cock regulating the celerity of the steam, and consequently the motion
of the machine.
Also in an arrangement of (an air cock for preserving the retrograde entering of
the compressed air into a space.
Also in an arrangement for obtaining a nearly constant pressure by raising the
pressure air valve by charging the plunger piston, so that the piston hits against
the valve with a normal air pressure. To obtain a raising of the valve it becomes
necessary that the air pressure equalizes with the normal pression which reigns in
the pressure pipe.
Also in an arrangement of rings to preserve a too strong pushing of the pistons
against the covers of the cylinders.
Also in a force equalizing apparatus for equalizing the unequal effect of the
expanding steam to expand or to compress air or gases in air or gas engines in
general.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Vicente Calixto Haurie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th February 1882.
VICENTE CALIXTO HAURIE, of 101, Cannon Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC AIR COMPRESSION MACHINES." Partly a com-
munication from abroad by Franz Windhausen, of the City of Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Mechanical Engineer.
In the machine which is represented in the annexed Drawing the compression of
air is operated by the tension of steam in the same cylinder in which the steam
acts.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section.
Figure 2 is a side view of the machine.
The machine consists in two cylinders A, A¹, and B, B1, of different diameters,
connected to another centrally and closed by two covers C and D; these cylinders
and spaces are separated from another by the intermediary piece E. In each of
them moves a closing piston F and G, which are connected by the piston rod H
which passes through the intermediary piece E and depasses the cover D.
The rooms or chambers A¹ and B¹ serve to receive the acting steam, whilst the
chambers A and B are destined to serve as a receiver for the compressing air, so
that the steam expansion and the air compression are operated in two times, just
like the steam engine of Woolf's system.
It is obtained in the following manner :-
The chambers A¹ and B¹ correspond by means of the channels 1 and 2 with the
cylinder and hollow distribution chambers, the latter corresponds by means of the
channels 3 and 4 with the channel of the entering steam and the channel of the
escaping steam C (see the Drawing).
In the distribution chamber a is applied the hermetic, closing the distributing
slide valve a'. This slide valve is provided with two concave excavations, by
means of which the steam passes through channels 2 and 3 when the piston
advances, and through 1 and 2, its stroke coming backwards. In the steam
admission pipe b is applied the expansion slide valve b¹, it serves to open or to shut
the channel 3 according to the necessary degree of expansion. The chambers A
and B correspond by the channels 5 and 6 with another, and besides with the air
pression pipe f. The communication of these channels is operated alternately by
the cylindric cock c, the overflow valve g, and the pression valve h; the suction of
the atmospheric air is operated by means of valves applied to the cover C. If the
pistons F and G move from the right to the left, air is sucked by the valve r in
the cylindric room A; the air contained in the room B will be more compressed
and escape through the pression valve h and the pression tube f into the reservoir
destined for the reception of the compressed air. When the pistons F and G
retrograde the valves are closing, whilst at the same time the cock e is opened by
the intermediary of the slide valve for blowing the air contained in the chamber Å
through the open overflow valve into the room B, and simultaneously compressing
it.
For the purpose to regularise the functions of the steam destined to operate the
air compression at each piston stroke, even in the case that the air pression in the
pipefis varying, the following arrangement is applied. Above the pression
valve h is applied in a concentric manner a piston closed at its upper end and
centrally excavated underside of a diameter less than the under surface of the
valve h; the stroke of this piston, which is a down and upward one, takes place
in a box m closed at its upper end. Upon this piston acts the steam, which enters

page_text: through the pipe n being in communication with the steam pipe b. By means of
its rod the piston communicates with the lever o (see the Drawing). This lever
is charged with a gliding weight which permits to vary in restrained limits the
steam pression exercised upon the piston . It follows now that if the air pression
in the conduit is stronger than the pression acting upon the piston Z, the piston will
be raised. By suite of this movement the valve h can shut and open independently
of the piston 7; immediately the air pression in the conduit f becomes less than the
pression exercised upon the piston, the latter pushes against the valve h which
follows now the raising and lowering movement of the piston l.
The piston rod H is provided at its end with a cross head J; it glides in two
slides which are reserved on the frame K; the latter is fixed to the cylinder. The
cross head is provided at one side with the arm J' on which is fixed the rod of the
slide valve L, which strokes parallel to the axis of the cylinder (Figure 2).
The rod L is destined to turn the distribution slide valve a and the expansion
slide valve corresponding to the different positions of the piston. For this purpose
the rod is provided on its inner sides with two lugs or projections y and y¹
(Figures 2 and 4), and on its outer sides a gliding pushing piece ✗ gliding in a
slide of the rod L; this pushing piece can be changed from its place and fixed
by means of the screw . This piece operates the closing of the steam admission
channel 3, after it having been filled by the pushing and turning movement of
the lever bs, the expansion slide valve 6 shuts under the influency of the lever 6'
and the channel 3, and the steam acts afterwards only by expansion. Immediately
the lever 6 by the retrograde stroke of the piston becoming free, it will be forced
backwards, and open the channel 3 by the intermediary of two springs V which
enclose a prism fixed to the axis of the lever b³.
The projections y and y' are destined to bring the distributing slide valve in the
position I. and II. by pushing against the lever a. The latter is fixed to the rod
of the distribution slide valve which reaches to the outside of the stuffing box.
By means of these movements will be accomplished the alternately entrance of
steam into the cylinder B', simultaneously the outlet of the expanded steam of
the cylinder A¹ in the atmosphere or into a condensation apparatus; these move-
ments accomplish at the same time, by changing the movement of the piston stroke,
the steam overflow of the room B'.
With the periodical movements of the distributing slide valve a the air valve e
will be opened and shut by means of the connecting rod 1. The cock or valve e
is destined to preserve the entrance of the compressed air into the room A in case
that the valve H would fail. For a slow opening of the distributing slide valve,
and to regulate the position of the slide valve by setting the machine at work,
there is applied upon the shaft of the distributing slide valve a gliding weight a³
(see the dotted lines.)
It is evident that steam can be admitted by setting the machine at work, also
through the opening of a steam cock, ad hoc.
For preserving a pushing of the pistons F and G against the covers of the
cylinder there is applied at the inside of the cover a concentric ring u and u² in
such a way that a flange of it depasses some centimetres by a too strong pushing;
these rings enter backwards into concentric grooves. Resistance is formed by
means of springs fitted behind the rings, and an air cushion formed naturally by
the space formed by the ring flanges.
To regularize the piston movement there is applied in the steam conduct a
cylindrical cock w. by means of which the entrance of steam and the overflow of
it (the machine being in motion) may be regularized. For obtaining a certain
steam economy and the most perfect expansion of the steam there is applied to
this machine a new mechanism and apparatus called force equalizing mechanism.
The construction of this mechanism is as follows:-
Two cylinders N and N¹ open at one side and provided with hollow. tenons
which are opposite are placed in pillow blocks applied in the walls K, so that the
geometric axis of it oscillates on a vertical plan of the steam. cylinder A, B.. In

page_text: these cylinders slides the closing pistons O and O', the end of which are fixed by
means of tenons to the cross head J in such position that the pistons F and G are
arrived to the half stroke, viz., if the axes or shafts of the cylinders N, N', are
placed rectangularly to the piston rod H. By this arrangement the cylinders N,N',
arrive at the lowest position in the meantime that the pistons F and G arrives at
the extreme position z and 2¹ if these pistons F and G have fulfilled the half of
their course. By maintaining in the cylinders N, N¹, and behind the pistons 0,0¹,
a pressure sufficiently strong, the pistons O absorb by the movement of recoil
nearly the surplus of the mechanical work during the first half of the piston
stroke, the same quantity of mechanical work will be rendered during the second
half of the piston stroke; it follows by it that an equalization between the unequal
effect of the force and the resistance exercised by the expanded steam and between
the compressing air in the cylinder A, B, is obtained. The constant pressure in the
cylinders N will be had in the following manner :-The cylindrical hollow channels
in the tenons of the cylinders N, N¹, correspond on the one side by a channel with
the spaces behind the pistons O and O¹, on the other side with the conducts p, p²,
the ends of which enter closing (but fixed) in the cylindrical perforations of the
tenons (see Figure 3.)
The pipes p and pl join to the general tube p' which itself corresponds by another
tube p³ of a larger size with a closed reservoir. In this reservoir is maintained by
means of steam, compressed air, water, or other liquids, a corresponding and
sufficiently strong pressure. This pressure is transmitted by means of the medium of
air or liquid to the pistons O and O'. For regulating the entrance and outlet of the
pressure exercising liquid there is applied in the pipe p³ an opposite valve g (see
the Drawing). By means of this conical valve may be diminished voluntarily
the opening of the pipe p' and consequently the entrance and outlet of the
pressure exercising liquid behind the pistons O and O¹, as well as the motion of
the machine.
The machine such as it has been described herebefore is placed in a horizontal way,
but it can be arranged in a vertical manner. In the case where economy of steam
is not required, i.e., machines of small sizes the force equalising apparatus may be
omitted, and also the expansion slide valve O¹. An air compression machine
of this system is represented in Figure 6 in a general view, and Figure 7 in a
partial section of it.
This air compression machine is constructed according to the principles and
arrangements specified herebefore, there is omitted the force equalizing apparatus,
the expansion slide valve, the piston rod with the cross head, and the guide bar
of the slide valve, but it is provided with a distributing slide valve described
hereafter for operating the movement of the slide valve a' and the movement of
the air stop valve e¹.
On the depassing arms of the lever a³ and e³ of the distributing slide valve are
joined the rods a³ and e³ by means of hinge joints and bolts, whilst the other ends of
these rods and bolts are articulated to the pushing rod 8. The latter is fixed to the
two plunger pistons t and t. These pistons move in the rooms A and A¹ in such a
manner that the steam valves and the distributing valves a¹ and e' are brought
into the positions I and II. by a direct pushing of the piston F.
For regulating the celerity of the pistons there is applied a regularizing cock w.
If there is wanted to join to this (machine for increasing the force of the working
steam) an equalizing apparatus N, N¹ (Figures 1, 2, and 3), and a condensation
apparatus, the piston rod may pass through the cover of the cylinder and join
directly or by means of a lever mechanism in the known manner to it the force
equalizing apparatus and the piston rod of the air condensation pump.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-—-
First. The air compression machine in its general arrangement and combination
in which the compression of the air and the effect of the steam is obtained
according to the system Woolf, in the same cylinders with or without employing a

page_text: force equalizing apparatus N, N¹, O, O', such as has been described herebefore and
represented on the annexed Drawing.
Secondly. In this compressing air machine,-
a. The arrangement of the steam distributing slide valve and the expansion
mechanism, especially the two flat springs v serving to open the expansion slide
valve.
b. The arrangement of the cylindric cock w (motion regulator) for regularizing
the celerity of the steam and consequently the motion of the machine.
c. The arrangement of the air cock e for preserving the retrograde entering of
the compressed air into the space A.
d. The arrangement for obtaining a nearly constant pressure by raising the
pressure air valve h by charging the plunger piston so that the piston hits against
the valve h with a normal air pressure to obtain a raising of the valve, it being
necessary that the air pressure equalizes with the normal pression which reigns in
the pressure pipe f.
e. The arrangement of the rings u and u' to preserve a too strong pushing of the
pistons against the covers of the cylinders.
f. The force equalizing apparatus N, N', O, O¹, for equalizing the unequal effect
of the expanding steam to expand or compress air or gases in the air or gas
engines in general, especially its application to air compression machines such as
has been described herebefore and represented on the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Vicente Calixto Haurie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.