Improvements in or relating to Rotary Motors and Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rotary Motors and Engines.
I, LUDVIG BERNARD, of Jungbunzlau, in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The engine forming the subject of the present invention is chiefly constituted
by a disc-shaped piston rotating in a casing closed on all sides. The piston is
provided either on its sides or circumference with a helical surface or projections
with which slide-valves co-operate a space being formed between said slide-valve
and the helical surface, in which the driving medium steam, gas, air etc. exercises
its pressure on the piston and causes it to rotate.
In a cylindrical casing a disc piston rotates. This piston is secured to a spindle
supported in bearings and is provided on both end or side faces with helical sur-
faces. These helical surfaces form on each side square surfaces or projections
arranged at an angle of 180° relatively to each other, said surfaces being those
on which the pressure of the motive fluid is directly exercised.
The two side-plates of the casing are provided with circular inwardly projecting
flanges and serve to close the casing in an air-tight manner.
In the centre of its periphery the piston is provided with two circular cam
grooves which do not extend throughout the whole circumference but start and end
at a certain distance behind the helical surfaces so that between these points the
piston lias no circular grooves or recesses. The extent of this non-grooved part
depends upon the desired degree of expansion and may be say 16th, 1th,
etc. of the circumference.
th
The steam or other motive fluid is introduced into a valve-chest in which there
are three slide-valves. The outer two which serve to open and close the inlet-ports
are automatically worked from the piston, and the valve which regulates the speed
is worked in well-known manner from the governor.
The two side-plates are also provided with boxes or chambers in which are
placed slide-valves.
These slide-valves are always held applied by means of springs (or fluid pressure,
as steam etc.) against the piston in an axial direction. After the projecting ends
of the helical surfaces have passed the valves the latter are forced inwards against
the side surface of the piston and form with them steam-chambers the slides
acting, as it were, as cylinder bottoms. Exhaust ports are provided behind the
valves.
The operation of the engine is as follows:-
Assuming the inlet to be open. Steam or other motive fluid enters the chamber
or steam space between the projecting surface of the piston and the valve and
causes the piston to rotate. The inlet valves are provided at the bottom with pins
engaging with gooves in the disc.
Let us assume that the pin of one valve has already passed out of its circular
groove and is on the smooth outer portion of the circumference of the piston.
Consequently the inlet is open. The piston continues to rotate so that the groove

page_text: approaches the pin and the latter again enters the groove being pressed down by
a helical spring whereupon the inlet is closed. The rest of its stroke the piston
makes under the influence of expansion. To enable the space to be closed in as
air-tight a manner as possible, the piston is preferably provided with a suitable
packing device at its projecting surface.
The piston continuing to rotate, the projecting surface passes the exhaust port
so that the steam-chamber comes into communication with the exhaust and the
steam is expelled by the inclined helical surface of the piston. The valve is mean-
while pushed back into its box by the inclined surface and after the projecting end
surface has passed it again immediately comes forward under the influence of its
spring or steam. At the same time the inlet valve is raised by the piston so that
the space is again in communication with the valve-chamber and fresh steam
again enters the motor.
Owing to the helical surfaces on the one side of the disc being arranged at an
angle of 180° relatively to those of the other side, there are two steam admissions
for each revolution of the disc piston.
A modified construction of the piston consists in the surfaces being spiral and
normal to the sides of the piston. The spring valves would in this construction
be arranged radially and would also be moved radially.
The two constructions could be used simultaneously in the same motor so that
steam is first admitted to the upper piston and the exhaust is transmitted to the
other piston where it acts and is exhausted only when the latter piston has made
its revolution. This results in a very uniform and efficient motion of the piston.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Rotary Motors and Engines.
I, LUDVIG BERNARD, of Junghunzlau, in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Manu-
facturer, 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:-
-
The engine forming the subject of the present invention is chiefly constituted
by a disc shaped piston rotating in a casing closed on all sides. The piston is
provided either on its sides or circumference with a helical surface or projections
with which sliding abutments co-operate a space being formed between said abut-
ments and the helical surface, in which the driving medium (steam, gas, air etc.)
exercises its pressure on the piston and causes it to rotate.
In the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a motor according to this invention, in side elevation with one side-
plate removed,
Fig. 2 is a vertical section,
Figs. 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 are views of two constructions of the piston.
In a cylindrical casing C a disc piston A rotates (Figs. 1 to 4). This piston is
secured to a spindle B supported in bearings L and is provided on both end or
side faces with helical surfaces a a¹. These helical surfaces form on each side
square surfaces or projections 661 arranged at an angle of 180° relatively to each
other (Figs. 1 and 3) said surfaces bb' being those on which the pressure of the
motive fluid is directly exercised.

page_text: The two side-plates g g¹ of the casing are provided with circular inwardly pro-
jecting flanges cc and serve to close the casing C in an air-tight manner.
In the centre of its periphery the piston A is provided with two circular cam
grooves dd which do not extend throughout the whole circumference but start
and end at a certain distance behind the helical surfaces bb1, so that between the
end and starting point of each groove-at e Figs. and 6 the piston has no
grooves or recesses. The extent of this non-grooved part depends upon the desired
degree of expansion, and may be say, 5, etc. of the circumference.
The steam or other motive fluid is introduced into a valve chest D in which
there are three slide-valves ss 3. The outer two sis which serve to open and
close the inlet-ports f f¹ are automatically worked from the piston, and the valves
which regulates the speed, is worked in well known manner from the governor R
(Figs. and 2).
The two side-plates g¹ are also provided with boxes or chambers h h¹ (Fig. 2)
in which are placed sliding abutments kk¹.
These abutments are always held applied by means of springs (or fluid pressure
as steam etc.) against the piston in an axial direction. After the projecting ends
of the helical surfaces bbi have passed the abutments, the latter are forced inwards
against the side surface of the piston and form with them steam-chambers E
(Fig. 1) the sliding abutments acting, as it were, as cylinder bottoms. Exhaust
ports are provided behind the abutments kk¹.
The operation of the engine is as follows:
Assuming all the parts to be in the position indicated in Fig. 1, the inlet f is
open. Steam or other motive fluid enters the chamber or steam space E between
the projecting surface b of the piston A and the sliding abutment k and causes
the piston to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow. The inlet valves s¹ $11
are provided at the bottom with pins m m' engaging with the grooves d d¹ in the
disc A.
In Fig. 1 the pin m of one valve has already passed out of its circular groove d
and is on the smooth outer portion e of the circumference of the piston, conse-
quently the inlet f is open. The piston A continues to rotate so that the groove d
approaches the pin m and the latter again enters the groove d, being pressed down
by a helical spring n, whereupon the inlet f is closed. The rest of its stroke the
piston makes under the influence of expansion. To enable the space E to be
closed in as air-tight a manner as possible, the piston A is preferably provided
with a suitable packing device o at its projecting surface.
The piston continuing to rotate, the projecting surface b passes the exhaust
port so that the steam-chamber E comes into communication with the exhaust
and the steam is expelled by the inclined helical surface a of the piston A. The
abutment k is meanwhile pushed back into its box h by the inclined surface a and
after the projecting end surface 6 has passed, it again immediately comes forward
under the influence of its spring p. or steam. At the same time the inlet valve s'
is raised by the piston A so that the space E is again in communication with the
valve-chamber D, and fresh steam again enters the motor.
Owing to the helical surface a¹ and end projection b¹ on the one side of the disc
being arranged at an angle of 180° relatively to those of the other side there are
two steam admissions for each revolution of the disc piston.
The
Figs. 5 and 6 show a modified construction of the piston A. In this construc-
tion the surfaces a a¹ are spiral and normal to the sides of the piston A.
spring sliding abutments kk would in this construction be arranged radially and
would also be moved radially.
The two constructions (Figs. 3, 4 and 5, 6) could be used simultaneously in the
same motor so that steam is first admitted to the upper piston (Fig. 4) and the
exhaust is transmitted to the other piston (Fig. 6) where it acts, and is exhausted
only when the latter piston has made its revolution. This results in a very uni-
form and efficient motion of the piston.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I'declare that what
I claim is
1. A rotary engine comprising a rotary piston (A), the active surface being
formed on each side of the piston by the ends (bb) of helical surfaces (a a¹), the
steam or other fluid being introduced into steam-chambers (E) formed by said
surfaces, and sliding abutments pressed against the helical surfaces of the. piston
in the casing by means of a spring or fluid pressure, substantially as described.
2. In a rotary engine of the character described valve-gear for admitting steam
or other motive fluid to the engine, abk and abk, at each revolution of the
piston characterised by a main slide-valve's operated from the governor, the open-
ings of which valves (leading on each side of the piston to inlets of f¹) are un-
covered by valves s¹s operated-during the rotation of the piston 'by means of
their pins mm engaging with cam grooves in the piston, the helical surfaces (a à¹).
expelling the expanded steam through the exhaust port 7 substantially asi
described.
3. A construction of rotary engine of the character described comprising a disc
having piston surfaces (61) formed by the end-faces of spiral surfaces (a a) nor-
mal to the sides of the disc and sliding abutments (kk) arranged radially and
movable in the radial direction, substantially as described.
4. A construction of rotary engine' of the character described in which both
constructions of the piston (helical surface Fig. 4 and spiral surface Fig. 6) are
Bimultaneously used in the same engine in such manner that steam acts at first 'on
the one piston and the exhaust steam on the other piston substantially ha
described.
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5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete rotary
engine substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompany-
ing drawings.
6. In a rotary engine of the character described, a disc piston substantially as
described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, or in Figures 5 and 6 of the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1898.
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