Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Fluid Pumping Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1890-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Fluid Pumping
Engines.
I, THOMAS HENRY WILLIAMS, of 11 Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to certain improvements in steam pumps the pistons of the
engines of which act as distributing valves for the steam or other fluid by reason of
an alternate reciprocating motion imparted to the said pistons and combined with an
angular movement of the same on their axis by coupling them directly or indirectly
by means of "Hook's " joints, or their equivalents, to crank discs, or their equivalents,
mounted on axles adapted to rotate at right angles to the axes of the cylinders, and it
has for its objects the more perfect distribution and control of the steam or other fluid,
and generally improvement in the construction and arrangement of the several parts
whereby a more efficient pumping engine is obtained.
My improved steam pumping engine is constructed in the following manner-I
form in one or more pieces according to the size of the pump, or for convenience in
construction, a steam cylinder and a pump cylinder arranged tandem fashion so that
the pistons (or piston and plunger as the case may be) of the steam and water cylinders
may be connected by one piston rod. The clear distance between the stuffing boxes
of the two cylinders is slightly in excess of the length of the stroke of the engine for
a purpose that will presently be made clear. The pump cylinder and the other parts
of the pump present no novel features and may be of the usual construction. The
piston of the engine is made of a greater length than the stroke adapting it to operate
as its own distributing valve, and to enable it to do this an alternating rotary or
angular motion is imparted to the said piston as it reciprocates. This is effected by
connecting the piston rod (between the stuffing boxes of the cylinders) to a crank
or its equivalent mounted on an axle adapted to rotate at right angles to the axis of
the cylinders, by means of a suitably modified "Hook's " joint or its equivalent. The
crank axle is mounted in a suitable bearing formed in or on the distance piece which
connects the steam and water cylinders, and it carries a balance weighted flywheel.
The particular modified form of "Hook's "joint that I prefer to use consists of an
arm yoked or otherwise fixed to the piston rod and having a ball or sphere formed
on, or fixed to, its free end. This ball or sphere fits in a socket formed in two paris
and adapted to slide laterally in a hole in the free end of the crank arm, the said hole
may be so arranged as to be capable of contraction to take up the wear of the sliding
socket. As a modification the said arm may be suitably connected to the crank by a
ball and socket joint and its end adapted to slide through a transverse hole in the
piston rod.
The admission and eduction passages of the engine cylinder are preferably formed
in the piston, and take the shape of grooves which partake of the same curvature as
the path of the piston. Each passage communicates with its respective end of the
cylinder by means of suitable ports formed in the said piston. The admission passages
alternately derive their supply of steam or other fluid from a port formed in the steam
cylinder, and similarly the eduction passages alternately exhaust through a port also
formed in the steam cylinder. Any desired "lead" may be given by making the
passages of such a length that they communicate with their respective ports the desired
amount when the piston is at the ends of its stroke, and the admission of steam may
be gradual or rapid according to the curvature of the said passages and the amount
they deviate from the true path. The steam or other fluid may be either admitted
hroughout the entire stroke or it may be "cut off" at any desired fraction of the

page_text: stroke, by making the length of the ports to coincide with the desired fraction of "cut
off." Similarly the exhaust may be released and compressed at any desired portion of
the stroke by suitably proportioning the eduction passages.
201
1000
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.1.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, Lendon, W., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam and other Fluid Pumping
Engines.
1 THOMAS HENRY WILLIAMS of 11 Queen Victoria Street in the City and County
of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to certain improvements in steam pumps the pistons of the
engines of which act as distributing valves for the steam or other fluid by reason of
a combined reciprocating motion of the piston in the horizontal and vertical planes,
and it consists of an improved form of coupling between the crank disc and the piston
whereby the combined reciprocating motion thereof is produced, and of an improved
arrangement of ports in the piston.
The objects being the more perfect distribution and control of the steam or other
fluid and generally the improvement in the construction and arrangement of the
several parts whereby a more efficient pumping engine results.
I carry my invention into practical effect in the manner illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings in which
Fig. 1, sbeet No. 1, is a view in front elevation of the pump embodying my
invention.
Fig. 2, sheet No. 1 is a view in sectional side elevation thereof.
Y. Y.
Fig. 3, sheet No. 1, is a view in sectional plan on the line . . and
Fig. 4, sheet No. 1, is a view in sectional plan on the line
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 sheet No. 2, are enlarged diagram views shewing
the various arrangements of the admission and exhaust ports and passages and the
angle through which the piston moves in making a double stroke, i.e. one
revolution.
Figures 12 and 13, sheet No. 2 are views in elevation and broken sectional plan
respectively of a modified device for connecting the piston rod with the crank axle.
Throughout the several views similar parts are marked with like letters of
reference.
I take a steam cylinder A and a pump B, and connect them together by a suitable
distance piece (, so that their axes are in one line, enabling their respective pistonsIA¹
and B' to be connected together by one common piston rod D. In small pumps the
distance piece C is preferably made in one with the cylinders A and B as shewn in
the accompanying drawing. The pump cylinder B and the other parts of the pump
present no novel features and may be of the usual construction.
The piston A' is made of greater length than the stroke, adapting it to operate as a
distributing valve, to effect which it is made to reciprocate angularly on its vertical
axis as it reciprocates rectilinearly in the vertical plane by connecting the piston rod D
with a crank E mounted on an axle F running in a suitable bearing e formed in or on
the distance piece C and carrying a fly wheel G, by a form of Hook's joint" or
universal coupling. The particular form of joint or coupling I prefer to use is shewn
by Figs. 2 and 4, sheet No. 1. of the accompanying drawings and consists of an
arm H yoked or otherwise fixed to the piston rod D and having a ball or sphere formed
on or fixed to its free end. This hall or sphere / fits into a socket J preferably formed
in two parts for convenience in contruction and adapted to slide laterally in a hole e

page_text: in the boss of the free end of the crank E. As a modification the arm H may be
connected to the free end of the crank E, or its equivalent a disc, by a suitable
form of ball and socket joint and its free end be adapted to slide freely through a
hole in the piston rod D as shown by Figures 12 and 13 sheet No. 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
Admission ports a a¹ and exhaust ports a³, a³ are formed in the piston A' and take
the form of grooves having a curvature either wholly or partially coinciding with
the elliptic path of motion, of the piston so that the admission ports a a¹ are always
open to the main steam port K, and the exhaust ports a² a³ open to the main
exhaust port L throughout any desired portion of the stroke.
a4
The steam port a is connected to the bottom end of the piston A¹ by a passage
and the steam port al is connected with the top end of the piston A¹ by a
passage a, similarly the exhaust ports a³, and a³, are connected with the opposite
ends respectively of the piston A¹ by means of passages a and a. It will be seen
that the steam or other fluid may be cut off at any desired point of the stroke by varying
the lengths of the ports a and a', as shown by Fig. 5, sheet No. 2 of the accompanying
drawings. And that any desired "lead" may be given both to the steam and exhaust
by making the ports of such a length that they are open to the main ports in the
steam cylinder when the piston is at the ends of its stroke, i.e. when the crank is at
dead centres. The admission of steam or other fluid may be made rapid or gradual
by altering the curvature of the said ports. Rapid if they are made to coincide with
the elliptic path of the piston as shown by Fig. 2, sheet No. 1, or gradual if they are
made eccentric with the said elliptic path of the piston as shewn by Fig. 5, sheet No. 2,
of the accompanying drawings, or the same effect may be produced by tapering the
ports as shewn by Fig. 9, sheet No. 2 of the accompanying drawings. In a similar
imanner the exhaust may be made rapid or gradual, and compression may be effected
to any desired extent by varying the length of the exhaust ports.
The action of my improved pumping engine is as follows.
Assuming the several parts to be in the respective positions shown by Figures 1, 2,
3 and 4 sheet No. 1 of the accompanying drawings and steam to be on, it enters
through the main port K and gains access to the underside of the piston A¹ through
the port a and passage a. The space between the top side of the piston A¹ and the
cylinder cover is at the same time in communication with the atmosphere or
condenser as the case may be, through the exhaust port a² and passage aº.
The piston in making its upward stroke being constrained to turn on its axis through
a given angle by the momentum of the fly wheel G through the connection with the
piston rod D hereinbefore described, thereby presents the steam port a and the exhaust
port a to their respective main ports K and L. On the return stroke the direction of
the motion of the piston on its axis is reversed and the steam port. a¹ and exhaust
port a³ take the place of the ports a and a². The action is repeated so long as steam
is on, the ports a and a² acting as steam and exhaust ports respectively for the up
travel of the piston, and the ports a¹ and a³ acting similarly for the down travel
thereof.
It will be obvious that if the steam ports extend the whole length of the elipse
described by the combined axial and vertical reciprocating movements of the piston,
less the diameter or length of the main steam port, steam would be admitted throughout
the entire length of the stroke, but by shortening the length of the said ports as shewn
by Fig. 5, sheet No. 2, steam may be "cut-off" at any desired part of the stroke
depending on the length of the said ports. Similarly the steam ports in the piston
may be so arranged as to uncover the steam port K to any desired amount when the
crank is at dead centre to give the required lead." This also applies to the exhanst
port for giving "lead" to the exhaust, and the length of the exhaust ports will also
determine the amount of compression.
It will of course be understood that although any improved pump has been herein
described and illustrated to work in a vertical position it can also be adapted to work
in a horizontal position.
I am aware that prior to the date of my application for Letters Patent steam

page_text: pumping engines had been made in which the piston of the steam cylinder acted also
as its own distributing valve by reason of a combined axial and vertical reciprocating
motion, and I therefore do not broadly claim such as my invention but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner it is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved steam or other fluid pumping engine constructed, arranged and
operating substantially as herein described, and shewn by the accompanying
drawings.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.