IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS." COMPOUNDS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM
EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS."
COMPOUNDS." A communication from abroad by Eugene
Barsanti and Felix Matteucci, of Florence, in the Kingdom of Italy.
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1861.
I WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
FROM EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS" to be as follows
This Invention of improved apparatus for obtaining motive power relates to
a novel arrangement of parts whereby the elastic force generated by the
explosion of gases or detonating or explosive compounds may be utilized
and employed as a motive power for driving machinery or for other purposes.
It is well known that when a mixture of atmospheric air and hydrogen or
other explosive gas is ignited a sudden expansion in the volume of the gases
takes place and of course a very considerable amount of elastic force is pro-
1
}

page_text: duced during this expansion. This is also the case when such substances as
gunpowder, gun cotton, and other explosive compounds are ignited. The
object of the present Invention is to utilize the explosive force thus generated
and to this end a cylinder of suitable capacity is employed and provided with
two pistons the rods of which pass through stuffing boxes or guides in the
ends of the cylinder. An arrangement of valve is adapted to the middle
part of the cylinder to admit the gases into the cylinder. The expansion of
the gases when exploded will drive the pistons forward and as the rods of the
latter are connected to the lower ends of a pair of vibrating levers which are
suspended from suitable bearings these levers are caused to vibrate on their
centres and by means of connecting rods they communicate rotary motion to
a crank shaft. A fly wheel and driving pulley is mounted on this crank shaft
and of course rotates with and may be employed for communicating motion to
any machinery that requires to be driven. The inlet valves of the cylinder
are worked by means of levers actuated by cams on the crank shaft and
another set of valves are actuated by rods and levers connected with the piston
rods. A series of openings are made in the cylinder near each end for the
purpose of admitting air behind the pistons on the return stroke. The exit
valves of the cylinder are operated by means of rods which are actuated by
tappets that are acted on by the piston rods as they move to and fro.
This Invention is more particularly applicable for stationary engines but may
also be applied to locomotive engines in which instance two cylinders with
duplicate parts must be employed and it will be found advisable also to employ
two additional air cylinders to be worked by compressed air for the purpose
of starting the engine which when at work may be made to compress the air
for these cylinders and also to form vacuums when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 66 Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex Civil Engineer send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Leiters
Patent bearing date the Thirty-first day of December in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign did for Herself Her heirs and successors give and grant unto

page_text: me the said William Edward Newion Her special license that I the said
William Edward Newton my executors administrators and assigns or such
others as I the said William Edward Newton my executors administrators
and assigns should at any time agree with and no others from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed should and
lawfully might make use exercise and vend within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER FROM EXPLOSIVE
COMPOUNDS" being a communication from abroad upon the condition (amongst
others) that I the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE that I the said William Edward Newton do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of improved apparatus for obtaining motive power relates to
a novel arrangement of parts whereby the elastic force generated by the
explosion of gases or detonating or explosive compounds may be utilized
and employed as a motive power for driving machinery or for other purposes.
It is well known that when a mixture of atmospheric air and hydrogen or
other explosive mixture of gases is ignited, a sudden expansion in
the volume of the gases takes place and of course a very con-
siderable amount of clastic force is produced during this expansion.
This is also the case when such substances as gunpowder gun
cotton or other explosive compounds are ignited. The object of
the present Invention is to utilize the explosive force thus generated
and to this end a cylinder of suitable capacity is employed and provided with
two pistons the rods of which pass through stuffing boxes or guides in the
ends of the cylinder. An arrangement of valves is adapted to the middle
part of the cylinder to admit the gases into the cylinder. The expansion of
the gases when exploded will drive the pistons forward and as the rods of the
latter are connected to the lower ends of a pair of vibrating levers which are
suspended from suitable bearings these levers are caused to vibrate on their
centres and by means of connecting rods they communicate rotary motion to

page_text: a crank shaft. A fly wheel and driving pulley are mounted on this crank shaft
and of course rotate with it and may be employed for communicating motion to
any machinery that requires to be driven. The inlet valves of the cylinder
are worked by means of levers actuated by cams on the crank shaft and
another set of valves are actuated by rods and levers connected with the piston
rods. A series of openings are made in the cylinder near each end for the
purpose of admitting air behind the pistons on the return stroke. The exit
valves of the cylinder are operated by means of rods which are actuated by
tappets that are acted on by the piston rods as they move to and fro.
This Invention is more particularly applicable for stationary engines but may
also be applied to locomotive engines in which instance two working cylinders
with duplicate parts must be employed and it will be found advisable also to
employ two additional air cylinders worked by compressed air for the purpose
of starting the engine which when at work may be made to express the air
from the cylinders and also to form vacuums when required.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a double-action
engine constructed and arranged according to this Invention. Fig. 2 is a
partial plan view showing one-half of the same; Fig. 3 is an end view of the
double engine complete. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section drawn upon an enlarged
scale and taken through the middle of one of the cylinders.
transverse section of the same taken at right angles to Fig. 4. The other
Figures represent detached views of essential parts of the mechanism also
drawn upon an enlarged scale.
Fig. 5 is a
A (Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) represents one of the cylinders which is closed at
each end by means of a cover bolted to it and is provided at each end with a
series of openings to allow of the entrance of the atmospheric air. Outside
this cylinder (Figs. 1, 4, and 5,) and precisely in the middle of it, is a
rectangular opening a over which works a slide valve b which has also a
similar opening a¹. Over this slide valve is set a plate perforated to cor-
respond to the openings in the valve and cylinder to which plate is adapted a
pipe I having two ways for the admission of the charge of explosive mixture.
When this consists of a mixture of inflammable gas and atmospheric air, the
gas is obtained from a gasometer at the side C of the supply pipe, and the
atmospheric air enters by means of a valve into the other end of the same
pipe. At the under part of the cylinder is another rectangular opening f
through which the products of combustion are discharged when the pistons
approach each other. This opening is closed by means of a valve g opening
outwards and having its seat in a slide valve which with the preceding one
is worked by means of excentrics on the main shaft of the engine acting upon

page_text: a lever i Fig. 1 which is acted upon by a spring j. It is not necessary that
the two slide valves should work together, as their movements might be
independent of each other. The two pistons P P Fig. 4 are shewn by
dots in Fig. 1. Those parts of their rods T which are cylindrical work in
the stuffing boxes. Their other parts are prismatic and are separated by a
circular shoulder or disc V covered at each side by a disc of caoutchouc
forming an elastic tappet the use of which will be presently seen. The upper
faces of the prism are parallel; the side faces converge slightly towards the
disc and are provided with two plates of steel. G Figs, 1, 2, and 3, is a
fixed guide for these rods. Two large rods B B are pendent from the
points of a cylindrical shaft E which connects the two main standards M of
the framing. These pendent rods have at their lower ends a fork e Fig. 3
which embraces a frame (shewn at Figs. 6, 7, and 8, in horizontal and
vertical section and in plan view). This frame carries the mechanism for
bringing the pendent rods B when necessary into gear with the pistons. To
each of the pendent rods is jointed a connecting rod H which is connected at
its other end to a crank on the main shaft D situate above the cylinder and
perpendicular to its axis. The mechanism shewn in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 which
receives and transmits directly the working action of the pistons consists of a
frame, which at its two extremities carries two trunnions set in two bearings
which have slight play in slots in the forked arms e of the pendent rods B.
t, t, (Figs. 6 and 7) are two excentric pieces which by reason of their form
are called sectors, and which terminate in axles passing through the framing.
The curve of these sectors is a spiral made in such manner that the piston
rod in its forward course tends to open them and on the contrary on its return
stroke causes them to turn in a contrary direction and lastly to close and
become stationary and immoveable with the frame e, and its corresponding
pendent rod B. To the lower axles are fixed spiral springs for the purpose of
keeping them in contact with the rod. The upper projecting axles on the
contrary are provided with levers rr (Fig. 8) between which is driven a
wedges which forces the sectors t to free themselves from the rod at the
moment the wedge is pushed forward. The movement of this wedge is
governed by two stops z Fig. 2. The former is fixed immoveably to the
cover of the cylinder and serves to push the wedge forward; the latter by
means of an adjusting screw serves to push it backward. By carrying this
point forward that is to say, towards the cylinder it will sooner come in
contact with the wedge and consequently the sectors t will sooner take on to the
piston rods T and the charge will be sooner drawn in; for this reason this
agent serves to regulate the charge or supply. It may be here remarked that

page_text: the same result may be produced by various arrangements of mechanical
agents. It may be also observed (when engines of large size are being
worked) that if the sectors are not to be too much worked in drawing in the
supply to the cylinder it is more advantageous to work them by means of a
system composed of beams connecting rods and crossheads worked at stated
periods by two excentrics mounted upon the main shaft.
OPERATION OF THE MACHINE.
Suppose the pistons of a cylinder to be nearly in contact one with the other
which occurs when the corresponding pendent rods assume the position indi-
cated by the red line in Fig. 1 the wedges s Fig. 8 will have come in
contact with the points x Fig. 2 and will have brought the sectors t out of
connexion with the rod T. Then by communicating motion to the fly wheel
the pendent rods B will move forward without carrying forward the pistons P
but before arriving at their furthest position shewn by blue lines, the wedges s,
Fig. 8, will come in contact with the points z and the sectors t being free to
engage with the piston rods T, these latter being carried forward by the
pendent rods B will separate and a vacuum will be formed between them,
and the way or port a Fig. 4 having been already opened by the excentric,
the gas and air will be drawn in, As soon as the pendent rods B have
attained their furthest position, the slide valves will close the port and the
electric spark will be produced in the interior of the cylinder, the pistons will
then be set in motion by another explosion and will arrive at the end of their
forward stroke at the moment when the pendent rods B are ready to return.
At this point the atmospheric pressure exerting its force upon the anterior
surfaces of the pistons P through the openings Figs. 1 and 4 will force the
pistons back and the rods of these latter by acting on the sectors will carry
with them the pendent rods B which in their turn will communicate motion
to the main or crank shaft through the connecting rods H. The action of the
atmospheric pressure upon the pistons will continue until the tension of the
products of combustion restores the equilibrium; at the same time, the excentric
will have opened the lower slide valve g and the return movement of the
pistons caused thereby will carry the frame of the sectors into contact with
the elastic tappet V and will force the pistons to continue their course and
thus to drive off the products of combustion through the escape valve.
As there are two similar cylinders which alternate in their working that is
to say the one being charged whilst the other is being set in motion the
result is that the main shaft will have a continuous motion imparted to it with
the same succession of strokes as is the case with an ordinary double-action
steam engine. The main shaft is also provided with a fly wheel, and if

page_text: preferred only one cylinder need be employed the requisite impetus being
given to the fly wheel.
In order to regulate the power of the engine two methods are employed;
the first consists in causing the bearing points z to advance or recede as
above mentioned and the second consists in opening the passage for the gas
to a greater or less extent. According to the first method, the length of
charge is varied without varying the proportions of the mixture of air and gas
According to the second, these proportions are varied, and the length of the
charge is preserved. In the engine constructed by the Inventors the length
for the charge is from 8 to 9 inches, the longest stroke of the pistons being
20 inches, but it varies slightly according to the quality of the gas. By
augmenting the length of charge in the cylinder, the stroke is (within certain
limits) increased in greater proportion, and the same result takes place when
the diameter of the cylinder is increased, without varying the length of charge.
Consequently engines of larger dimensions have the advantage of being pro-
portionately less costly than smaller ones.
The electric spark which ignites the charge is obtained by means of static
electricity produced by means of a Ruhmkorff's battery, and is conducted into
the interior of the cylinder by an insulated wire, which at the required time is
put into communication with the end of the outside wire of the apparatus.
In order to avoid any accident which might be occasioned by derangement
of the parts giving rise to too heavy a charge, one of the reophores of the
battery is arranged in such manner as to surround the engine, and opposite
the extremity of each piston rod is a circuit breaker n, n, which whilst the
pistons are at rest and are drawing in a normal change, remains closed by
the interposition of an insulated metallic ring carried by the extremity of the
rod Fig. 9. Supposing that one of the pistons draws in too heavy a charge
the ring will advance more than usual and will break the circuit and the
current of electricity will not pass, and consequently the charge will not be
ignited.
The explosive mixture may also be ignited by means of a constant flame
which at the moment when the ignition is required to be effected, may be
drawn in by a small pump set at about the middle of the cylinder.
Or a
pneumatic fire-producing apparatus might be employed for this purpose.
In order to prevent the heating which takes place after working for a
certain time, the pistons during their forward stroke, draw into the cylinders
through small tubes o (Fig. 1) a certain quantity of water which is after-
wards together with the products of combustion returned through the
discharge valve into the vessel from which it was drawn. Or the cylinders

page_text: may be surrounded with a jacket in which a continuous circulation of water
is kept up. This space between the cylinder heads and the pistons is occupied
by a layer or cushion of compressed air which prevents the pistons from
striking against the cylinder heads or covers.
Although it is preferred to employ, for the purposes of this Invention a
mixture of atmospheric air and hydrogen gas yet the principle upon which
the engine is constructed will, with slight modifications allow of its being
worked by means of any explosive compound such as gun cotton and
gunpowder.
The construction of engines of small power may be simplified in the follow-
ing manner. During its forward stroke one of the pistons is free as in the
preceding case the other on the contrary, is connected with the main shaft
by means of levers cranks and connecting rods. The principal office of this
latter is to draw in the charge during the forward stroke, and drive off the
products of combustion during the return stroke whilst the other piston is at
rest. When the explosion takes place the free piston is driven forward,
whilst the other receives an impetus which it communicates to the crank
shaft to which it is connected; during the return stroke both are equally put
in action by atmospheric pressure. In this application in order to simplify
the mechanism a rack and pinion only may be employed, being alternately
put into and out of gear with the main shaft. This engine when thus worked
may be with facility employed as a hammer or as a punching machine for
which purposes it is only necessary to provide the rod of the free piston with
a hammer head or punching tool and set the engine in such manner that the
axis of the cylinder shall be horizontal.
Amongst the applications of which the first described system of motive
engine is susceptible, locomotives may be mentioned in which case certain
arrangements which I will now describe may be adopted. To this principal
motive engine an auxiliary motive engine may be added and which might be
worked by compressed air. This auxiliary motor the mechanism of which
might be at pleasure connected with the principal engine may be driven by
compressed air contained in a reservoir into which the air may be compressed
by any mechanical means.
When the train is in motion and it is required to stop, the movement of
the motive engine should be reversed in order to replenish the compressed air
in the reservoir which in consequence of the resistance offered would also
form a break for the whole motive apparatus.
From the above description it will be seen that the Invention which forms
the subject of the above in part recited Letters Patent consists of a motive

page_text: engine in which explosive and expansive chemical agents combined are ren-
dered available as motive agents either by means of electricity by a flame, or
by means of any process by which fire may be produced. I would observe
in conclusion, that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement form
or dimensions of the parts above described provided the physical mechanical
or chemical results above mentioned be produced and which constitute the
principle of the Invention. Neither do I confine myself to any particular
purpose to which the improved engine forming the subject of this Invention
is to be applied as it may be used as a stationary locomotive marine or other
engine.
In witness whereof I the said William Edward Newton have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Twenty-eighth day of June in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
5 Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
L.S.)