A NEW MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCE FOR TRANSFORMING AN ALTERNATE INTO A CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR MOTION
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Beauplant Rassant, of Paris (Empire of
France), and of 45, Essex Street, Strand, London, for the Invention of
"A NEW MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCE FOR TRANSFORMING AN ALTERNATE INTO
A CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR MOTION."
Sealed the 14th October 1856, and dated the 14th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Beauplant Rassant
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th July 1856.
I, PIERRE BEAUPLANT RASSANT, of Paris (Empire of France), and of 45,
Essex Street, Strand, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCE FOR TRANSFORMING AN ALTER-
NATE INTO A CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR MOTION," to be as follows; and consists
in connecting various pieces, some of which are secured to the driving shaft
and the others set loosely upon the same. A framework of a suitable length
for the run it is desired to obtain is also connected by chains to wheels simply
set on the main shaft, and curved levers cause, the said wheels to communicate
by means of excentric cylinders (brought out of centre) and small cranks with
the pieces secured to the driving shaft, which is thus constantly carried on in:
the same circular direction by the tractive power of the chains. Such a result
is obtained though the frame is actuated in either sense alternately.

page_text: The alternate motion is imparted to the framework by the piston of a steam
engine. Two wheels contained within the said frame are set loosely upon the
driving shaft; each of them is made on its periphery with two grooves, into
which pass two chains, both attached by one end to the wheel, whilst the other
ends are attached one to an extreme end and the other to the other end of
the frame; but two of the four chains are tightened by means of two screw
bolts and two nuts or female screws.
Two discs are secured to the driving shaft, on the circumference of which
discs is a double ring or circle; having certain parts that fit into recesses con-
trived in the four curved levers alluded to; these at one end are working into
internal grooves made in the chain carrying, wheels that surround the said
arrangement, and at the other end the same curved levers are also made with a
slot, admitting a portion of the four cylinders, above mentioned, that are carried
by the chain wheels, and by plates covering the whole. One journal of each
excentric cylinder is provided with a small crank, the handle of which fits
into two curved excentric recesses contrived into each of small fly wheels
keyed on each side (right and left).
When the machine is at work; two chains, two curved levers, two small
cylinders (out of centre), two cranks, are constantly working; whilst a pair of
each similar piece are at rest. Instead of this combination, the said curved
levers may be jointed by one end to a small crank, whilst the other partly em-
braces the circumference of the discs secured to the driving shaft. A tipper
is also attached to each fly wheel, and acts alternately without noise or collision,
first, upon one of the curved levers, then upon the other, when the direction.is
changed, which transmits circular motion to the driving shaft.
To conclude, the chief feature of this Invention consists in imparting a
continuous circular motion to a driving shaft by means of an alternate motion
transmitted to a framework by steam or other power.
SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said Pierre Beauplant Rassant in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th October,.1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
BEAUPLANT RASSANT, of Paris (Empire of France), and of 45, Essex Street,
Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent-Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One-

page_text: thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twententh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Pierre Beauplant Rassant, Her special licence that I, the said Pierre
Beauplant Rassant, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Pierre Beauplant Rassant, 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 Invention for
"A NEW MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCE FOR TRANSFORMING AN ALTERNATE INTO A CON-
TINUOUS CIRCULAR MOTION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Pierre Beauplant Rassant, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Pierre Beauplant Rassant, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention; and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This Invention consists in connecting various pieces, some of which are
secured to the driving shaft and the others set loosely upon the same. A frame
of suitable length for the run it is desired to obtain is also connected by chains
to wheels simply set on the main shaft, and curved levers cause the said wheels
to communicate by means of eccentric cylinders, or cylinders brought out of
centre and small cranks, with the pieces secured to the driving shaft, which is
thus carried constantly on in the same circular direction by the tractive power
of the chains. Such a result is obtained though the frame is actuated in
either direction alternately. This new combination is illustrated in the
annexed Drawings, where similar letters stand for the like things.
Fig. 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 a side view; of the complete machinery;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a plan that goes across the axis of the
machine; Fig. 4 is a front view and a transverse section of one of the wheels
set into the interior part of the apparatus, where are also shown the curved
levers, and the cylinders partly brought out of centre; Fig. 5 represents an:
elevation and a view from beneath one of the curved levers, shown in transver: e-
section; Fig. 6 represents a plan and elevation of the four small cranks;
Fig. 7 shows two views of one of the four cylinders, with an eccentric

page_text: periphery; Figs. 8 & 9 represent a front view and a section of à modification
in the machinery shown at the foregoing Figures, whereby a similar result is
attained; Fig. 10 is a front view of the wheel carrying the tipper, upon which
the curved levers are acting alternately (see Figs. 8 & 9). To the frame a
is imparted a direct alternate motion by its socket a', where-into is inserted
the extreme end of a piston rod of a steam engine. The two wheels care
set loose upon the shaft b, each of them being on its periphery provided
with two grooves, into which two endless chains are engaged; both chains
are attached by one end to the wheel, whilst the two other ends are
secured, one to the frame a and the other to one of the nuts f; these four"
chains are continually held tight by the two screw nuts f. Two other wheels.
d are secured to the shaft b, and carry on their periphery a double circle,
certain parts or projections of which fit into recesses made into four curved
levers e, that have each one end inserted into the slots c¹ of the wheels c, whilst
the other end of the same levers has a recess, into which fits a portion of the
eccentric cylinders h, whose journals bear upon the wheels c and the disks j.
One journal of each of the four cylinders h admit a crank h¹, the knob of
which is caught into the cheeks of the fly wheels g. By means of such an
arrangement, when the machine is at work there are two chains, two curved
levers e, two cylinders h, and two cranks h', that are continually working,
whilst a pair of each similar piece are at rest.
Figs. 8, 9, & 10 represent a modification of the combination above
described, which may prove more available for such engines whose direction
of motion is required to be frequently changed, such as locomotive, steam-
boat engines, &c. In this case the levers i are, as may be seen, jointed at one
end to a small crank j, and at the other end they involve a part of the circum-
ference of the wheel d. An ear or tipper k fitted to the fly wheel g acts
alternately without any noise or shock, first upon one of the curved levers e,
then upon the other, according to the impulsion imparted by the machine to
the frame a, which is, lastly, to transmit the circular motion to the driving
shaft b. In all steam engines with alternate motion, a crank used to be
always applied, in order to obtain a continuous circular motion, which practice
gave rise to many a complication; for to operate a piston rod, a parallelogram,
a connecting rod, a crank, and a fly wheel, or again, slide bars, connecting
rods, cranks, &c., are requisite; besides, the crank on being carried away in
its revolution still has two dead points, which could never be prevented to
this day, and which absolutely require the application of a fly wheel. In
vessel and locomotive engines, instead of a fly wheel, which cannot be used, two
engines are applied, yet each stroke will produce a collision, a shock, and.

page_text: moreover a considerable portion of the power produced will be neutralized by
the friction along the slide bars, &c. It was to obviate the defects alluded to
that I contrived the mechanism above described, whereby the rectilinear
alternate motion may be converted into continuous circular motion.
Having thus described the peculiar nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
described, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the prin-
ciple of action thereof, likewise I do not confine myself to the strict forms of
the apparatus herein described; but what I claim as novel, and therefore being
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, obtaining
a continuous circular motion in the same direction with the driving shaft, by
imparting to the frame a rectilinear alternate motion, whereby cranks, con-
necting rods, slide bars, etc. are suppressed, a considerable waste of power
caused by friction avoided, the dead points unseparable from the application
of cranks prevented, and consequently a greater amount of effective power
made available.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre Beauplant Rassant, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
P. B. KASSANT.
(L.8.)