improveMENTS IN Rotary Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 26th Feb.,
1898
improveMENTS IN Rotary Engines.
We, ARCHIBALD ELON MCNITT, Engineer, and JouN CONRAD SCHWARTZ, Manu-
facturer, of 7508, Wright Street, and 3532, Vernon Avenue, Chicago, Cook County,
Illinois, respectively, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
our invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention relates particularly to that class of engines in which the force for
operating the engine is admitted to the actuating mechanism under pressure to
operate the same and convert the energy into work done by rotating a main por-
tion through intermediate mechanisms. It will bo observed, however, that our
improvements, with slight modifications, may be used in all types of engines
such as the heat, fuel and explosive engines, as well as in those commonly termed
fluid pressure engines by making mere mechanical changes to adapt them to
meet different circumstances and conditions.
The object of our invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient
engine; and the invention consists principally in the combination of a rotating
cylinder having one or more fluid pressure cylindrical chambers, a reciprocating
piston in each chamber, and a cam arranged in line with the cylinder and to be
contacted by the piston or a part thereof, whereby a relative rotation of cylinder
and cam is obtained. The invention consists further and finally in the features,
combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of
engine constructed in accordance with my improvements, with the inclosing case
shown in section; Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional elevation, taken at about the
center of an engine; Fig. 3 an end view of the engine, taken at the right of
Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a transverse sectional view, taken on line A-B of Fig. 1, looking
in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 5 a similar view, taken on line C-D) of
Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.
Our invention may be generally spoken of as a rotary engine an engine of that
type in which the pressure operating on the actuating part converts the force into
a rotary movement without the intervention of cranks or similar mechanisms. It
is well known in this art, when referring to rotary engines as a general proposi-
tion, that such engines are not economical, in that no engine of this kind seems to
have been devised for taking advantage of the expansive force of the fluid pres-
sure; and, as a consequence, such engines have not entered into general com-
mercial use.
Our invention, therefore, is designed principally to provide an
engine of the rotary type, in which the fluid pressure may act with its initial
pressure for a short distance, then be cut off, and act expansively and economically
as will be more fully hereinafter described.
In constructing an engine in accordance with our improvements, we provide
what we term a rotating cylinder portion A, mounted upon a main shaft B, which
is provided with suitable bearings in standards C and C¹ at or near each end
thereof. The rotating cylinder is provided with a series of cylindrical pressuro

page_text: chambers a, a¹, a³, a³, a², a³, aª and a³, making eight chambers in all, though it
may have a greater or a lesser number according as the exigencies of the case
demand, or the amount of horse power desired. Each of these cylindrical,
chambers, which we term fluid pressure chambers, is provided with a reciprocating
piston A, between which and the solid end of the cylinder A³ the fluid pressure
is admitted, so as to move such pistons outwardly. The opposite end of the
cylindrical chamber is open, as at a³, so that atmospheric pressure may be used to
assist in returning such pistons to their normal or initial position-as shown par-
ticularly in the upper portion of Fig. 2.
To convert the reciprocating motion of these pistons into the rotary motion of
the cylinder portion, we provide what we term a cam portion D, and preferably
secure it to the standard C¹ in line with the oylinder, and in such manner that its
cam surface d is contacted by rolls alo on the piston rods A³. The fluid pressure
enters between the solid end of the cylinder and the movable piston and forces
such piston outwardly, so that its roll acts against the surface of the cam and
forces the cylinder to rotate in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 1. Tho
cam being double in its nature, as the cylinder rotates the steam is exhausted at
one-half of its revolution and the rolls contacting the opposite sides of the
cam surface are forced together with the piston rod inwardly, until they assume
the initial position shown in the upper part of Fig. 2-the atmospheric pressure
assisting the cam surface d' to return the pistons to their initial position. As
above suggested, the pressure is used directly and expansively for one-half of the
revolution of the rotating cylinder and exhausts in the othor half, so that four of
the reciprocating pistons are working all of the time to rotate such cylinder.
To admit and exhaust fluid pressure from the cylindrical chambers, we provide
the rotating cylinder with a substantially central and circular recess, in which a
plug E on the standard C is fitted--such plug being cut away, as shown in Fig. 4.
at e to form an inlet, and at e' to form an outlet chamber. The cylinder is pro-
vided with grooves, slots or passages a", which lead towards the center of the rota-
ing cylinder, in such manner that they form ports for admitting and exhausting
the fluid pressure.
The standard is further provided with a service pipe e fur
admitting fluid pressure, and an exhaust pipe to furnish an educt for the
exhaust the service pipe connecting with the inlet chamber and the exhaust pipe
with the chamber e'. In the rotations of the cylinder-as shown in Fig. 4 the
pressure chamber a is in a position to begin the taking of pressure, ending about
the position shown by the chamber a¹. From the chamber a¹ the pressure octs
expansively until it reaches its lowest extremity-as shown by the chamber a'-
and from that point to its initial point the pressure is permitted to exhaust. It
will thus be seen that the fluid pressure or pressure of any nature whatever can be
used economically, in that it can be used for a portion of the stroke of the piston
at high pressure, as is necessary in order to provide the necessary impulse, and
expansively, as is necessary to use it economically.
-
In order to assist in guiding the reciprocating pistons in their movements, a
disc is provided, which forms bearings for the outer portions of the piston roda,
and which also forms a means to assist in transmitting the rotary motion to the
driving shaft. The driving shaft may be provided with a driving pulley II, in
order to take off the power and motion at the desired point.
In operation, fluid pressure is admitted to the inlet chamber and immediately
enters the fluid pressure cylindrical chamber a, moving its piston outwardly
against the cam surface d, which immediately starts the rotation of the cylinder.
The next succeeding cylindrical chamber a begins to take high pressure, while
the pressure in the first named chamber begins to act expansively until it reaches
a point at the lower extremity, where it exhausts in a large chamber and is carried
out in the open air. It will thus be seen that there is a continuous action of one
or more of the reciprocating pistons, converting their motion into a rotary motion
of the cylinder as long as fluid under pressure is furnished the fluid pressure
chambers. The exhaust pipe may be made of any desired diameter, and should

page_text: be made as large as possible in order to prevent or minimize the danger of back
pressure.
While we have described our invention with more or less minuteness as regards
letails, and as being embodied in certain precise forms, we do not desire to be
limited thereto unduly, or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the
contrary, we contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrange-
ment, the omission of immaterial elements, and the substitution of equivalents, as
ircumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.
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. In an engine of the class described, the combination of a rotating cylinder
provided with one or more fluid pressure chambers closed at one end and open at
the opposite end or ends, a reciprocating piston in each chamber provided with a
projecting piston rod, a cam portion arranged to be contacted by the projecting
rods to convert the reciprocations of the pistons into a rotation of the cylinder,
and means for admitting steam directly into the cylindrical pressure chambers
between the piston and solid end of such chambers during a portion of the forward
stroke of such piston and cut it off so that it may aut expansively during the
remainder of such stroke and exhaust during at least one half the stroke, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In an engine of the class described, the combination of a rotating cylinder
provided with one or more fluid pressure chambers closed at one end and open at
the opposite end or ends and provided with a substantially central circular recess,
a reciprocating piston in each chamber, and a plug or portion in the substantially
central circular recess dividing such recess into two chambers one a small chamber
forming an inlet or high pressure chamber and the other a relatively large
chamber forming an outlet or exhaust chamber so that during the rotation
of the cylinder it automatically admits high pressure for a portion of the forward
stroke of the piston and then cuts it off to allow the pressure to act expansively
during the remainder of the stroke so that the pressure is exhausted during the
larger portion of the return stroke of the piston, substantially as described.
3. In an engine of the class described, the combination of a rotating cylinder
provided with one or more fluid pressure chambers, a rotating shaft upon which
the cylinder is mounted and rotates, a reciprocating piston in each chamber, a pro-
jecting piston rod on each piston provided with a roll at its outer end, a guide
disk in which the piston rods move longitudinally and are held against Interal
movement, a cam arranged in line with the rotating cylinder and having its cam
surface arranged to be contacted by the rolls on the piston rods so that during the
forward motion of the piston rods the cam is contacted and the cylinder rotated
and the cam being arranged to move the piston rod in its opposite or backward
direction, and means for admitting and exhausting steam from the fluid pressure
chambers, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.