IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLYING MOTION, APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES, SAW MILLS, AND OTHER MACHINERY IN WHICH AN INCREASE OF VELOCITY IS REQUIRED
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHABLES
COWPER, of 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 Thirty-first day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Cowper, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Charles Cowper, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Cowper, my exors,
admiors, 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, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLYING MOTION, APPLICABLE TO
STEAM ENGINES, SAW MILLS, AND OTHER MACHINERY IN WHICH AN INCREASE OF
VELOCITY IS REQUIRED," communicated to me from abroad; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Charles Cowper,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in
what 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

page_text: 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
Charles Cowper, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:
The Invention relates to improvements in multiplying motion by means
of a lever or levers, and a rod or rods, in such manner that each stroke of the
piston of a steam engine or other reciprocating motion is multiplied so as
to produce two, four, or eight or more strokes, and thus to be applicable for
driving the screw propeller of a steam vessel, and also for driving vertical saw
frames and other machinery, in which an increase of velocity is required.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is 'a transverse section of a
portion of a steam vessel, showing the mode of applying the Invention to
a steam engine for driving a screw, propeller. Figure 2 is a plan, of the
engine. The same letters refer to similar parts in both Figures. C.is, the
steam cylinder placed horizontally, and provided with a slide valve B and
expansion valve A of any of the ordinary constructions. D is the exhaust
pipe or passage, which is continued through the foundation plate E to the
condenser G. on which is placed the double-acting air pump H. I is the hot
well, and J is the hot-water delivery pipe. The air pump H is shown in
section; it has passages leading, to the bottom of the condenser to enable
it to remove the water from the condenser, or a separate pump may be
employed for that purpose. a is the piston rod of the steam cylinder, which
is provided with a cross head and two side rods b, b, which are jointed to the
levers c, c.
Each of these levers carries a pin d, from which a connecting
rode proceeds to the pins of the crank or lever f on the shaft g. On this
shaft is another lever h, from which a connecting rod i proceeds to a crank
on the shaft o, which drives the screw propeller. m, m, are two addi-
tional piston rods attached to the piston of the steam cylinder C, and
connected by the cross head to the rod of the air pump. The action
of the machinery is as follows:-The lever c works to and fro with the
motion of the piston of the engine, and the pin d moves in the arc
shown by the dotted red lines. When the piston is at the end of its stroke
the point s is in its lowest position as shown in Figure. 1. When the piston
has reached the middle of its stroke the lever c and rod e are in a line with

page_text: one another, and the pin s is raised to its highest position z. As the piston
proceeds and arrives at the end of its stroke the point's again descends to its
first position; and thus the levers f and h' make two strokes for one stroke of the
engine: ..The same effect is produced in the return stroke of the piston, and.
the motion being communicated by the rod i to the screw shaft o, that shaft
will make two revolutions for every double stroke of the, piston. The slide
valve of the engine is worked by a crank or eccentric on a shaft, which is
driven at half the velocity of the screw shaft by means of toothed wheels.
Two of these engines should be employed to drive cranks at right angles
to each other on the screw shaft o; or the two engines may be arranged so as
to drive the same crank as indicated by the diagram Figure 3, in which the
various parts are indicated by the same letters as are employed for the corre-
sponding parts in Figures 1 and 2. During a small portion of the centre
of the stroke of the piston its power over the lever f is very great, but its
motion at that part is regulated by the resistance of the air pump as well'
as by the inertia of the moving parts. When necessary the motion may
be rendered still more regular by the application of at fly wheel as shown in
Figure 4. Figure 4 is a side view partly in section of a steam engine applied
to work a saw mill according to the Invention, 'C is the steam cylinder;
P'is the piston, and a the piston rod; 6 is a side rod connecting the piston
rod end to the lever c, which turns on a fulcrum at its lower end; d is a pin'
on the
upper end of the lever, which is connected by a rod e to the short end f
of a lever or beam turning upon a pin g. The long end of this lever gives
motion to a vertical saw j by means of the rod i; k is a paul jointed to the
beam f, h, and driving the ratchet wheel-l, which advances the timber or other
material to the saw in the ordinary manner. "The piston rod a is connected
by the connecting rod Q to the crank R of the fly wheel S, which serves
to regulate the motion of the whole. This arrangement may be used to
produce a rotary motion by applying a connecting rod and crank shaft in lieu
of the rod i and saw j. In all these Figures it will be seen that the motion
communicated to the lever f is much greater than it would be if the pin d
moved in a straight line, as it would do if the rod e were connected directly
to the cross head or end of the piston rod. This is a point of great importance,
and is owing to the application of the lever c in combination with the rod e.
The motion may be still more increased by communicating the motion of the
piston to the lever c, at a point nearer to its fulcrum than the point d, as in
Figure 4. Figures 5, 6, and 7 show three applications of the Invention to
oscillating engines. In these cases the cylinder and its piston rod are caused
to act in lieu of the lever f and rode in the previous Figures. In Figures 5,'

page_text: 6, and 7, C is, the steam cylinder, oscillating upon the trunnion a. The end
of the piston rod 6 is jointed to the lever e, which turns on the fulcrum d, and
moves in the arc shown by the red lines: The points b, o, c, indicate the
extreme position of the end of the piston rod. The cylinder is thus caused
to make two oscillations for each single stroke of the piston, and this multi-
plied motion is applicable to various machinery. Thus in Figure 5 its
application to a saw mill is shown, the saw being driven by an arm q attached
to the cylinder. The stroke of the saw is from q to z, and that motion may be
increased or diminished by lengthening or shortening the arm q. Figure 6
shows the application of an oscillating engine according to the Invention
to a punching press. is a lever attached to the trunnion of the engine; and
giving motion to the punch p. Figure 7 shows the application of an oscillating
engine according to the Invention, to obtaining a rapid rotary motion suitable
for driving a screw propeller. The arm q is fixed to the cylinder C, and is.
connected by the rod B to a crank on the shaft O, which is thus caused to
make two revolutions for every double stroke of the piston. The length.
of the stroke of the arm is from. q to r. In lieu of attaching the arm q to the
end of the end of the cylinder, it may be placed in any other convenient
position as shown by the dotted lines, in which q¹ is the arm, B¹ the con-
necting rod, and O¹ the crank. In all these arrangements of oscillating
engines when the power to be communicated is considerable it is advisable
to employ guides for the piston rod, which guides are fixed to the cylinder
or cylinder cover, and serve to prevent the bending of the piston rod by the
lateral strain upon it. In lieu of taking off the motion from the oscillating
cylinder it may be taken from the lever e. Thus in Figure 7 the crank
shaft may be placed below the fulcrum d of the lever e, and may receive its
motion from a connecting rod jointed to the lever e; or intermediate levers
or beams like those marked f and h in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, may be em-
ployed to increase or vary the length of stroke. In the sawing and punching
machines herein-before described, the parts are so arranged that the steam may
be expanded in the steam cylinder with great advantage, as the greatest pressure
of the steam is employed to produce the downward or effective motion of the.
saw or punch, while the reverse motion is produced by the expansion of
the steam. The motion of the piston in either of the arrangements may
be regulated by a fly wheel in a similar manner to that already described with
reference to Figure 4. In Figures 5 and 6. the motion of the piston may be
arrested at each end of the stroke by means of springs of steel or other suitable
material, or by arranging the slide valve of 'the engine so as to close the
exhaust passage, and confine a portion of steam in the end of the cylinder,

page_text: which portion of steam then serves as a spring or cushion to check the motion
of the piston and prevent it from striking the end of the cylinder. When it.
is. required to multiply, the motion four times in lieu of twice, it is effected
by first doubling the motion in the manner herein-before described, and then
again doubling the motion in a similar manner. Thus if a rod be jointed
to the end of the lever fin Figure 4, and placed in a horizontal position when
the lever is horizontal, and if the opposite end of this rod be connected to a .
vertical lever, the last lever will make four strokes for each single stroke
of the steam piston. In a similar manner the motion may be again doubled, and
so on, as many times as may be required. The various modes of multiplying
motion herein-before described, may be employed for driving other descrip-
tions of machinery which require a. multiplication of motion, as well as those
herein-before mentioned.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim generally the multiplying of motion by rods and levers. But what I
claim is,
Firstly, the mode or modes of multiplying motion in steam engines, so as to
obtain a complete revolution of a shaft from one stroke of the piston of the
engine, as herein-before described in reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Secondly, the mode or modes of multiplying the motion of the piston of
a steam engine, and regulating the same as herein-before described in reference
to Figure 4.
Thirdly, the mode or modes of multiplying the motion of steam engines
by the application of an oscillating cylinder in combination with a lever as
herein-before described in reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7.
Fourthly, the particular application of the Invention to saw mills, punching
presses, and engines for driving the screw propeller, as herein-before
described.
And, fifthly, the mode or modes of multiplying motion so as to obtain from
& single stroke of any prime mover four or eight strokes or other greater
number of strokes (such number being a power of the number two) as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Cowper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
CHARLES (L.B.) COWPER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Charles Cowper came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose..
Enrolled the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-two.