An Improved Rotary Engine, Pump, or Blower.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rotary Engine, Pump, or Blower.
We, NICOLAS JEAN FORTUNESCO, Engineer, of 64, Rue Gallait, Brussels, Belgium,
and HUGO VAN BERESTEYN, Merchant, of 519, Avenue Louise, Brussels, Belgium,
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 present invention relates to rotary engines pumps or blowers specially
intended for small work-shops, and autocars; moreover it offers the following
advantages.
It is very simple, and owing to its special construction it can turn in either
direction and it is also reversible, that is to say, it can be used as a motor or as a
pump; in the first case it can be worked with steam, lighting gas, petroleum, water
under pressure or the like and in the second case it is used as a púmp, ventilator
or the like; finally the weight of this motor is very small compared with the
force developed.
In the annexed drawing:
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the rotary motor on line X X¹ of Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view of same motor in different sections. Section X O'Y
is. on line AO of Fig. 1, X 0₁ Y is also a section of the cylinder on line A O.
but with the drum and upper piston seen outside.
YOX is a section on line O, R of Fig. 1 and lastly X¹ O'. Y is a section
on line 0, B of Fig. 1.
The rotary steam-motor shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is composed of a cylinder a
provided with two tubes ¹² the first serving to introduce the steam, the second
for its escape when the motor turns in the direction of the arrow B Fig. 1. The
tubes, 6 62 communicate with the steam chamber by means of ports 6364 of small
breadth but of a length equal to the width of said steam chamber in order to
facilitate the admission and the escape of steam.".
The two ends of the cylinder are closed in a steam tight way by the plates c
which have a hole at their centres for the passage of the shaft a¹ of the motor
and are also provided with stuffing-boxes A on the outside to prevent all escape
of steam.
In the interior of the cylinder a, on the shaft a¹ a drum. f is fixed, which is
partly hollowed and the periphery of which has a groove d¹ which with the
interior side of the cylinder a, forms the steam chamber (Fig. 1). Moreover,
this drum f has its edges provided with circular extensions s, which are cut away
at s to allow the passage of the pistons h¹, h2 (Fig. 2).
The drum f has two square-sectioned circular grooves on its periphery arranged
on each side of the groove d¹ and in which the steel elastic bands g¹g are fixed
to prevent the escape of steam at the sides of the drum f. This latter is more-
over, provided with two rectangular sectioned longitudinal grooves fl arranged
at the extremities, of the same diameter and made in the spherical side forming
the bottom of the groove .

page_text: In the grooves fi the U-shaped slides h¹h² are fixed, acting as pistons, the
vertical branches of which slide in the cavities ¹ made in the sides of the
drum f. In the inside of each of these vertical branches a cylindrical rod h
is fixed held in its place by a threaded plug m and which is also provided with
a horizontal arm J' on the extremity of which is a spherical head e which slides
during the rotation of the drum f, in a rectangular-sectioned groove d, made in
the interior face of the plate e and having an elliptical form.
Each of the plates has a groove and the two grooves face each other so
as to properly guide the two heads e of each of the slides h, h² to produce the
respective movements of these slides at a proper moment.
Each of the slides or pistons h¹ h2 has a groove in its outside face also four
grooves in its longitudinal and lateral sides, in which the bronze slide-rods 22, 23, 24
are fitted, the object of which is to compensate for the wear resulting from the
friction.
Between the admission tube b¹ and the escape tube 2 a part is fixed on
the interior face of the cylinder a. This part has. a longitudinal groove in
which a bronze part n, moving vertically is fixed the longitudinal section of
which is exactly the same as that of the groove d¹ of the drum f.
j
Between the bottom of the groove of the part p and the lower face of the part n
spiral springs are fixed the object of which is to press the upper face of n against
the periphery of the drum f to secure the tightness and to prevent all communica-
tion between the admission and escape of the steam.
On the admission tube 6 or on the steam pipe a valve is fitted which works
automatically by any known means and which serves to regulate the intro-
duction of the steam into the cylinder a and consequently to regulate the ex-
pansion of the steam in this same cylinder.
This motor can easily be fixed in any desired position by means of clamps held
by screws or bolts.
The motor operates as follows:-
Supposing the rotary movement be that indicated by the arrow B (Fig. 1), the
steam enters into the cylinder through the tube bi acts on the piston h¹ and thus
transmits a rotary motion to the drum f and consequently to the shaft, the
direction of said motion being indicated by the arrows.
The action of the steam on the piston continues as far as O, C and during
this period of the rotation which corresponds with the upper part of the groove d,
the piston is pressed against the interior side of the cylinder a by the action of
the grooves d'on the heads e.
From O, C the heads e of the piston h¹ penetrate into the lower part of the
grooves d and produce a retrograde motion of the piston which enters progressively
into its groove so as to be completely lodged in it when it passes over the part n.
then when this part is passed, the heads e rise in the grooves d and cause the
piston to go out progressively until it returns to O, D, its normal position. When
the piston h¹ has passed the centre line O, C its exterior face is separated from the
lower side of the cylinder a and the steam enclosed behind the piston escapes
through the tube 62 at the same time the piston 2 opposite to h¹, has passed
the admission orifice and in its turn receives the action of the steam as already
explained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
In a reversible rotary motor which can be worked with steam, petroleum, water
under pressure and the like and having a rotary drum provided with two pistons
moving radially and turning in a cylinder provided with an interior steam-tight
packing a contrivance for communicating to the pistons their radial movement
and distinguished by the combination of an elliptical groove made in the interior
face of each end plate of the cylinder; of spherical heads sliding in said grooves

page_text: and arranged at the longitudinal extremities of the pistons on the horizontal
arms of cylindrical rods fitted inside the said pistons, and springs circles arranged
in grooves at each extremity of the drum to secure the steam tightness substantially
as described and shown.