AN IMPROVED ROTARY MOTOR ENGINE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER FLUID PRESSURE OPERATING IN COMBINATION WITH A FIXED CURVED PATH
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, PIERRE BENJAMIN ADOLPHE GANOT of 10 Rue de Vaugirard Paris in the
Republic of France, Professor, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
AN IMPROVED ROTARY MOTOR ENGINE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER FLUID
PRESSURE OPERATING IN COMBINATION WITH A FIXED CURVED PATH to be as
follows:-
"
According to the present invention a rotary motor engine worked by steam or
other fluid pressure is constructed as follows.
A cylinder revolving on trunnions at the middle of its length has a piston with
a double piston rod, extending in both directions and having at each end an elbow
at the extremity of which is mounted a roller. In the plane of rotation of the
cylinder is a fixed curved path formed by preference as the volute of a circle, the
centre of which coincides with the axis on which the cylinder revolves, the curved
path being in such relation to the stroke of the piston that when the latter is
commencing its stroke, the one piston rod presses with its roller against that part
of the curved path which is nearest its centre. As the point at which the pressure
is exerted is situated at a distance away from the centre of rotation corresponding
to the length of the elbow, it follows that the pressure operates with a corre-
sponding leverage to produce the rotation of the cylinder upon its trunnions. As
the rotation proceeds, the piston gradually performs its stroke in keeping the said
roller pressed against the gradually receding curvature of the path, until the
cylinder has arrived at a point diametrically opposite that from which it started,
when the piston will have completed its stroke, and steam being now admitted on
the other side thereof, the other end of the double piston rod will now in like
manner bear against the curved path, and the above operation will be repeated,
thus completing the revolution of the cylinder.
The alternation of the admission of steam on each side of the piston is effected
by an ordinary slide valve, in a slide chest on the side of the cylinder, the slide
being actuated through levers on a way shaft from an eccentric on the axis of the
cylinder. The disc of this eccentric is stationary while the strap thereof revolves
thereon, being carried round by its connection with the slide, which revolves with
the cylinder. The eccentric disc may either be fixed, in which case the engine will

page_text: only revolve in one direction, or it may be made adjustable by causing it to slide
in guides on the framing, in which case it may either be brought into a position
with its centre coinciding with the axis of the cylinder, in which case the engine
will be stopped, or it may be moved so that its eccentricity is the opposite to that
required for the forward motion, whereby the motion of the engine will be
reversed. For reversing the motion of the engine, two fixed curved paths are
required, either arranged so that the roller on the piston is made to bear either
upon the one or upon the other, or each piston rod is provided with two rollers,
one of which bears upon the one curved path for the forward motion, while the
other bears upon the other curved path for the reversed motion.
The steam or other fluid pressure enters the one hollow trunnion of the cylinder
through a stationary pipe, and passes thence through a pipe or passage to the slide
chest, while the exhaust steam passes through another pipe or passage to the other
hollow trunnion, whence it is conducted through a stationary pipe either into a
condenser or into the atmosphere.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: I, PIERRE BENJAMIN ADOLPHE GANOT, of Paris in the Republic of France Professor
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED ROTARY MOTOR
ENGINE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER FLUID PRESSURE OPERATING IN COMBINATION
WITH A FIXED CURVED PATH" and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and, ascertained in and by the following stateinent :-
This invention relates to an improved construction of rotary motor engine,
which will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings.
In describing the same I shall only refer to those parts that are new, assuming
that those parts not described are of known construction. Fig. 1 shews an
elevation of the engine, Fig. 2 a plan, and Figs. 3 to 7 detached details.
A cylinder A has two lateral tubular branches ce cast thereon, to which are
bolted hollow trunnions a a¹ carried in bearings on the framing CC¹. Steam or
other fluid pressure enters the trunnion a through the pipe b, and passes thence
through the pipe b¹ to the slide chest D of the cylinder, and after doing work in
the latter it escapes through an exhaust pipe d, trunnion a¹ and pipe d' to the
condenser or into the atmosphere. The pipe 6 being fixed, while the trunnion a
revolves with the cylinder, a steam tight joint is formed between the two by a
stuffing box g, a similar stuffing box being provided for the exhaust pipe d¹.
Each
The cylinder A has an ordinary piston with piston rods T T extending from
each side thereof passing through stuffing boxes in the cylinder covers.
piston rod has an elbow at its end, lying in opposite directions, and carrying
rollers y and z. Z is a counterpoise for the slide chest D, which revolves with the
cylinder. The slide is worked by an eccentric the action of which is the reverse
of that of an ordinary eccentric, the eccentric disc E is loose on the trunnion or
engine shaft and is held stationary by being connected to the framing by a clutch,
while the strap F is carried round by its connection with the slide chest. The
rod G H of the strap is for this purpose hinge jointed to a lever m Fig. 1 fixed on
the end of a spindle x fig 2 which carries an arm w pivotted to the rod t of the
slide, so that the spindle being carried in bearings on the cylinder, the strap F,
rod G, lever m, spindle x, and arm n all revolve with the same. As the strap F
revolves upon its disc E, it has a movement imparted to it in the direction OH
equal to double the eccentricity O, o, O being the centre of rotation of the whole
system and o the centre of the eccentric disc. This movement is imparted to the
slide in a magnified degree depending upon the proportion between the lever m and
arm n; assuming this to be two to one, the eccentricity O, o, will be equal to one
fourth the travel of the slide. The eccentricity is however rendered adjustable as
will be presently described.
.
With the mechanism above described the engine can only rotate in one and the
same direction, for reversing the direction of motion the following arrangement is
employed.
The eccentric disc E is slotted as shewn at Figs. 3, 4 and 5 so as to be capable of
assuming a position on the shaft with its centre situated the same distance on the

page_text: other side of the centre thereof as that shewn on the drawing; that is to say, it is
capable of moving double the extent of the eccentricity O, o. For effecting this
adjustment, the disc carries two projecting guides i i¹ Fig. 4 sliding between two fixed
guides on the framing Cand connected to a bell crank lever I pivotted to the framing
at K, which lever is moved by a handle M and is provided with a catch so as to
assume different positions on the notched fixed segment u, whereby the disc E will be
shifted in a corresponding manner on the shaft, so as to assume either the position o,
in which it will effect. the forward motion of the engine or the central position O,
by which the engine will be stopped or the position o¹ by which the engine will be
reversed.
In moving the eccentric into intermediate positions, the slide will act with more
or less cut off. For stopping, the engineer will have to bring the eccentric to the
central position at the moment when the piston is at about half stroke. V U is
a curved path formed according to a volute curve and made of cast iron or other
strong material, fixed in the plane of rotation of the piston rods T T. On the
commencement of motion of the piston when in the position Fig. 1, the roller y
bears against the end V of the curved path, and the pressure thus exerted results
in a force reacting in the direction of the dotted line P P¹, and with a leverage
equal to the distance of this line from the centre of rotation of the engine, tending
to cause this to rotate, such force being maintained during the entire semi revolution
of the cylinder by the continued advance of the piston, the nature of the volute
curve being, as is well known, such that the pressure of y is at every point normal
to the curved path, and tangential to the developing circle of the curve, of which
PO is the radius.
Thus the reaction produced by the curve V U will effect the continued rotation
of the cylinder, until it has assumed the opposite position to that shewn in Fig. 1,
when, the piston having arrived at the end of its stroke, steam will be admitted
on the other side thereof, by reason of the reversed motion of the slide produced
by the eccentric, and the roller z of the piston rod T will now be made to bear
against the curved path, so as to cause the cylinder to turn through the other half
revolution.
It will be seen that the line P P¹ will act as the connecting rod and the radius O P¹
as the crank of an ordinary crank engine, but with this difference of action that
the angle P P O is in this case always constant, and consequently the force tending
to produce rotation will also be constant during the entire revolution, instead of
varying throughout as in ordinary crank engines. The cylinder and other revolving
parts act in lieu of a fly wheel; the motion of the engine is transmitted either by
a pulley and strap or by a toothed wheel at a¹. For determining the radius O P¹
of the generating circle for the volute, assuming the piston to be at the end of its
stroke, the difference of length of the two tangents P P¹ and S S¹ to the circle O P¹
will be equal to the stroke of the piston, and this difference of length, must be
exactly equal to the half circumference of the circle in question. If therefore, the
stroke of the piston be = C, the radius required = R and the relation between
=
the diameter and circumference (= about 3.14 15), we have 7 R = C from which
R C, that is to say, approximately one third of the stroke. Having determined
the radius, the volute can be developed by well known geometrical methods, the part
thereof to be utilized being that situated between the two tangents P P' and S S¹.
For stationary engines the lower part of the path may be formed as a channel
sunk into the ground as indicated at Fig. 7, so as to reduce the height of the
engine.
It will be evident that this construction of engine can be employed for all
purposes, whether as stationary locomotive, marine or other engine. With the
single volute path described, the engine will only be able to revolve in one direction
in order to enable it to be reversed, either a second volute path must be applied
within the other so that the roller can bear either upon the one or upon the other,
or the piston rod must be provided with two rollers operating respectively on the

page_text: one or the other side of a double volute curve, as shewn at Fig. 6. The piston
rod T is here provided with the two rallers y and y¹, between which is the double
volute Y, sufficient play being allowed so that either only the roller y bears upon
the inner curve where the motion is forward as indicated by the arrow N and as
previously described, or only the roller y¹ bears against the outer curve, when the
motion is backward, as indicated by the arrow N, this latter motion being. effected
by the instroke of the piston. The piston rod T¹ is in this case cranked at B as
shewn in the side view, in order to pass round the volute path which in this case
must be fixed by bolts or otherwise on the side opposite to that on which the
piston rod is situated, so as to allow of the free motion of the piston rods and
rollers.
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, The construction of rotary motor engines wherein the rotation of the working
cylinder is effected by the pressure of the piston rod against a fixed curved path in
such manner that the pressure is effected at a point to one side of the axial line of
the cylinder, substantially as herein described.
2, In combination with a motor engine the rotation of whose cylinder is effected
by the pressure of the piston rod against a fixed curved path, a stationary eccentric
disc having a strap revolving thereon and connected to the engine slide, the said
eccentric disc being loose upon the axis of rotation of the cylinder but held
stationary by connection with the frame either with or without means of
adjustment for reversing and varying the degree of expansion, substantially as
described.
3, The combination of cylinder A, piston rods T T¹, rollers y z, curved path V U
and eccentric E F, for operating the slide substantially as herein described.
Dated 2018 2nd day of April 1000,
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.