CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ONION, of Calais, in the Kingdom of France, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of
January, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Onion, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas Onion, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Onion, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all
times during the continuance of the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Onion, to
cause a particular description of my Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chan-
cery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Onion, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, in
which similar parts are indicated or referred to by means of similar letters or
figures, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of that description
of steam engine called rotatory engines; but in order that my said Invention
may be better understood and more readily carried into effect, I will proceed
to give a description of the Drawings :-
Figure 1, Sheet A, represents the front elevation of the engine upon its
pedestal Figure 2, Sheet B, a side elevation of the same, and Figure 3,
Sheet B, a longitudinal vertical section of Figures 1 and 2. A, A, shows the
front and back plate or side heads of the engine, which are secured to the
flange circular body B thereof by nuts and screws a, a, a.
C is the pedestal,
which is made secure, to the body of the engine B by means of the nut
screws b, b. D shews the steam escape pipe passing into the body of the
engine 13 at the bottom thereof. By referring at Figure 4 (which represents
the pedestal and valve box in section), the cylinder orifice C communicating
with the steam escape pipe D will be more clearly understood. E shews the
injection pipe communicating to the steam valve box d, Figures 4 and 6, which
is found in the pedestal C. F shews the driving shaft passing through the
centre of the body of the engine, on one end of which is fixed the driving
pulley G, over which passes a strap by which the motion and power of the
engine is to be communicated to any machinery when it may be required.
H shews the lever rod when worked by hand for the purpose of reversing the
action of the engine; the lever rod H is connected to the valve d, Figures 4, 5,
and 6, by the small pivot d', by which means the valve d may either be placed
before or behind the divisional abutment e, Figures 3 and 4. I, I, Figure 3,
are the piston wings with truck axles J, J, having a reciprocative action in the
groove f, f. K, K, is a metallic packing ring freely inserted in a circular
groove g, g, upon helical springs in the side of the cylinder, thereby making
the circular aperture of the engine B perfectly steam-tight. Figure 7 shews
the inside surface of one of the plates of the engine A, A, and Figure 8
represents a section thereof. L, L, is an eccentric groove in which the end
of the truck axles J, J, of the piston I, I, are made to travel. It will be
easily perceived that the eccentric groove L, L, is much closer to the axle
bearing at the part h than at any other portion, in order that the piston may be
drawn up and pass over the divisional abutment e, which is near the valve d.
As the cylindrical disc N, Figure 3, which is furnished with grooves f.fi
revolve, it carries with it the end of the truck axles J, J in the groove thereof;:

page_text: thereby drawing up with it the lower piston and allowing it to pass over the
divisional abutment e, Figures 3 and 4. Figure 5 represents a transverse
section of the valve d and the pivot d which connects it to the lever rod H.
Figure 9 represents the bottom of the body of the engine seen from underneath,
with the pedestal C removed in order to shew the valve face and the orifices
i, i, i, for the ingress and the egress of the steam; and Figure 10 shews a
plan of the pedestal C, previous to the body of the engine being secured
thereto, in order to shew more clearly the valve d with the steam box j, and
also a part of the connecting lever rod H for moving the valve d, as heretofore
described. Figure 11 shews a separate view of one of the pistons I, I, and
Figure 12 an end view of the same, shewing the metallic packing seen separate
at Figure 14, which packing is inserted in the groove k, k, of the piston I, I,
which packing rests upon helical springs for the purpose of keeping steam-
tight the interior rubbing surfaces of the engine; J, J, are the truck axle
which are secured to the pistons I, I, the ends of which axle travels in the
eccentric groove described in Figure 7. Figures 15 and 16 shew different
views of the pistons I, I; Figure 15 shows the edge of the piston I with the
metallic packing applied thereto, and Figure 16 shews the same with the
packing removed. I propose applying this description of engine to locomotive,
marine, and stationary purposes. In the case of its application to the latter
purpose the valve d and the lever rod H would be removed, and I propose to
apply in their stead a stopcock to the ingress passage, and closing the egress
passage i. I will not enumerate the different and various ways by which the
condensation and regulation of the engine may be effected, as I propose
applying any of the present known means to effect the same. The pistons I, I,
may be lengthened from their truck axle J, J, towards the driving shaft F, and
the slides continued through the driving shaft F; the cylinder should be
strengthened by tye links let into the side of the cylinder under the packing
metallic ring, the flanges of which run in the eccentric groove L, seen at
Figure 7.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that although I
have been particular in describing the best manner of putting this my said
Invention into practice, I do not confine myself to the precise details therein
described, so long as the same or any portion thereof be retained; and I do not
claim the constructing rotatory engines by causing the piston to rotate. But
what I claim of my Invention is, the constructing and arranging rotatory
engines with piston rings, trunk axles, and eccentric grooves, as above described
and shewn in the annexed. Drawings. And I claim the right to vary and

page_text: modify such arrangement and construction in any particular way or form,
so long as the principle of my Invention is not departed from.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
first day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fonts COMOD