AN IMPROVED AIR ENGINE FOR PRODUCING MOTIVE POWER BY HEATED AIR
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED AIR ENGINE FOR PRODUCING
MOTIVE POWER BY HEATED AIR." -A communication from J. Ericsson, of
New York.
Sealed the 30th May. 1856, and dated the 28th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1856.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for AN IMPROVED AIR ENGINE FOR PRODUCING
MOTIVE POWER BY HEATED AIR, to be as follows:-
The principle of economising caloric in this engine, by means of a re-
generator, if one be employed, is identical with that of the air engine, for
which the Inventor of the present improvements obtained Patents in England
in the year 1883, and the mechanical expedients for obtaining motive power
in the engine is also very similar, the present improvement consisting in
obviating the great loss by leakage and friction in the respective supply and
working pistons, and other defects of the said former engine.

page_text: This Invention relates to an improvement of the air engine for which
Letters Patent were granted in the year 1855, and involves the principle
thereof so far, that the use of a supply cylinder is dispensed with, the working
cylinder serving the double purpose of compression cylinder and working
cylinder.
The leading feature of the present Invention consists in operating with one
piston within a cylinder in such a manner that one side of it shall compress
the cold air, which on the previous stroke entered one end of the cylinder, and
cause it to pass through the regenerator and heater, or either, at the same time
that the other side of the said piston is receiving the motive force of the heated
air entering the cylinder from the opposite direction, which simultaneous
operation will result in avoiding all friction on the packing of the piston, other
than what will be caused by the differential pressure of the hot and cold air on
the opposite sides of the piston, and also the leakage through the packing of
the piston will not occasion any loss of air out of the engine, as 'the compression
on one side of the piston and the motive action of the heated. air on the other
side take place simultaneously at the time that all communication with the
atmosphere is closed.
It will be obvious that two engines constructed to work on the principle
above indicated may be used together, connected by a crank shaft, having the
cranks so arranged relatively to each other, that when one engine is impelled
with its maximum force the other will be at its minimum.
But for locomotive and marine purposes, the Inventor contemplates the use
of four such engines, connected with four cranks on the driving shaft, for the
development of the power of each engine will be such, that when acting in
succession on the circle, a uniform and constant power will be applied to the
shaft. The use of three such engines, connected with a three-throw crank on
the driving shaft, will very nearly approximate to a uniform and constant power,
but the use of four is preferred.