IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN CONNECTION WITH ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E.C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN CONNECTION WITH ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES."
-A communication from abroad by Alexandre Paul Marie Darlu, of
Paris.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd May 1859.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN CONNECTION WITH ELECTRO-MAGNETIC
ENGINES," (communicated to me from abroad by Alexandre Paul Marie
Darlu, of Paris,) to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to construct electro-magnetic engines, and
apparatus connected therewith, that the attractive and repulsive forces of
electro-magnets may be utilized, and caused to act simultaneously upon the
same part or parts of the engine or apparatus, that the reciprocal action of fixed

page_text: and movable magnets may be made available in producing motion,- that the
electro-magnets employed may be rendered active both by external and
internal electrical actions,-that the action of the electric current or currents
may be practically continuous, and that the maximum magnetic forces may
be made available for the production of power.
In carrying his Invention into effect the Inventor prefers to adopt the
following arrangement:-He employs two fixed electro-magnets, the inner
sides of which are upright and near to each other, while their outer sides are
inclined and approach each other at the upper ends, being connected by a
bronze or other like coupling piece. Above the magnets he places a knife
edge or other suitable contrivance, and by means of this suspends two movable
electro-magnets, which are rigidly connected at top, and the inner sides of
which are inclined in such manner that as they oscillate from side to side
their faces alternately come against and coincide with the faces of the fixed
magnets. The lower ends of the movable magnets are connected by a cross
piece or cross pieces at their sides, to give rigidity to their connection. The
lower ends of these oscillating magnets are each connected by a connecting
rod with a short arm, which is attached to a shaft carrying a long arm. The
end of this long arm is connected by a rod to a crank on the main or other
shaft of the engine, whereby the engine is driven. The coils of the magnets
are formed of covered wires wound upon cores, and placed within the magnets.
The currents are changed by means of a commutator, formed with two con-
centric insulated conducting rings divided into insulated segments, and having
rings or rollers carried by a needle or bar to run upon them, and make and
break contact. The wire from the positive pole of the battery of the moving
magnets leads to one of the insulated rings, and the wire from the negative
pole to the other. The fixed magnets are, by preference, magnetized by a
separate battery or batteries. The batteries are so connected, that while one
of the two systems (the fixed and the movable) receives a current in one
direction, the other receives a current in the reverse direction.
The method of construction adopted in the preceding arrangements may be
varied in detail without departing from the principles of construction involved
therein, and engines constructed upon those principles may be conveniently
applied to the driving of locomotives.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E.C.,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One.
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-.
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN CONNECTION WITH ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES,"
(a communication from abroad by Alexandre Paul Marie Darlu, of Paris,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is so to construct electro-magnetic engines, and
apparatus connected therewith, that the attractive and repulsive forces of
electro-magnets may be utilized, and caused to act simultaneously upon the
same part or parts of the engine or apparatus,-that the reciprocal action of
fixed and movable magnets may be made available in producing motion,—that
the electro-magnets employed may be rendered active, both. by external and

page_text: internal electrical actions, that the action of the electric current or currents
may be practically continuous, and that the maximum magnetic forces may
be made available for the production of power.
In carrying his Invention into effect, the Inventor prefers to adopt the
following arrangement:-He employs two fixed electro-magnets, the inner
sides of which are upright and near to each other, while their outer sides are
inclined and approach each other at the upper ends, being connected by a
bronze or other like coupling piece. Above these magnets he places a knife
edge or other suitable contrivance, and by means of this suspends two movable
electro-magnets, which are rigidly connected at top, and the inner sides of
which are inclined in such manner, that as they oscillate from side to side
their faces alternately come against and coincide with the faces of the fixed
magnets. The lower ends of the movable magnets are connected by a cross
piece or cross pieces on their sides, to give rigidity to their connection. The
lower ends of these oscillating maguets are each connected by a connecting
rod with a short arm, which is attached to a shaft carrying a long arm. The
end of this long arm is connected by a rod to a crank on the main or other
shaft of the engine whereby the engine is driven. The coils of the magnets are
formed of covered wires wound upon cores, and placed within the magnets.
The currents are changed by means of a commutator, formed with two con-
centric insulated conducting rings divided into insulated segments, and leaving
rings or rollers carried by a needle or bar to run upon them, and make and
break contact. The wire from the positive pole of the battery of the moving
magnets leads to one of the insulated rings, and the wire from the negative
pole to the other. The fixed magnets are, by preference, magnetized by a
separate battery or batteries. The batteries are so connected, that while one
of the two systems (the fixed and the movable) receives a current in one
direction, the other receives a current in the reverse direction.
The method of construction adopted in the preceding arrangements may be
varied in detail without departing from the principles of construction involved
therein, and engines constructed upon those principles may be conveniently
applied to the driving of locomotives.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of a machine
constructed according to this Invention. A, B, C, D, are four electro-
magnets, A, B, being fixed, and C, D, movable; N is a core composed of
soft iron, which forms a separation between the soft iron plates, the ends of
which are the magnetised poles. The conducting wires y, which are sur-
rounded with silk, are wound round the cores N. M is a frame of non-

page_text: conducting material, made, by preference, of bronze; S is the point from
which the movable parts C, D, are suspended, in a manner similar to the
pendulum of a clock, as shewn at Figure 6, but any other plan can be
adopted. R, R, are two supports for the movable electro-magnets, one only
of which is shewn in the Drawing; V is a fly wheel, and although only one
is shown, yet two can be employed. a, a¹, are the driving shafts, which are
formed of steel, and work in bearings c, c. The arm b¹ of the crank oscillates
with its small arm about the point a; p' and g¹ are the small and large arms
forming balance levers; m is the crank; L is a lever supported by the driving
shaft a', which indicates the force exerted or work performed by the machine;
S1, S1, are the main supports or frame of the apparatus; C¹ is the com-
mutator by which the electric currents are changed. This commutator need
not be enlarged in proportion with the size of the apparatus, for those of small
dimensions will be found quite as useful as larger. At the dead point in the
crank the needle is in a vertical or nearly vertical position, slightly advanced
for the forward motion, and a little in the contrary direction for the backward;
this needle carries two rings or rollers 11, 11. A ring or roller communicates
with the larger circle of the commutator, while another ¹ communicates with
the small concentric circle.
Figure 2 shows a ring or roller of the commutator detached, with its guide
surrounded by a helical steel spring to press on the circles. The concentric
circles are divided at top and bottom at the points i, i. The four arcs which
advance are divided from one another, and communicate with the points f,
which abut against the conducting wires of the electro-magnets. e¹, e', are
the points for attaching the conducting wires which pass round the cores N, N;
t, t, are the cramps for the movable electrodes to the small arm of the lever.
The arrows indicate the direction the electric currents take.
The Drawing shows the commutator as applied to the movable system.
The positive electrode of the battery is put in contact with the largest circle
of the commutator by the end attached to the point f,f, and the negative
electrode of the same battery with the smallest circle in f, f. The half
intermediate circles, which are separated at i, i, are connected by their com-
munication with f, f, to the wires which surround the movable electrodes, and
these connections take place at the ends of the wires at e¹. The current in
the two movable electro-magnets is the same, since it is reversed in the others;
and although the wires have been wound in a different direction, the current
will follow, in such manner as to produce the south and north magnetised poles
on the same side in each electro-magnet. The concentric circles are placed
.

page_text: in communication with the positive and negative poles, and the arcs are
attached to the wires, which are wound round the interior of the electro-
magnets. As the needle which carries the rings or rollers is shorter on one
side than on the other, and as the arcs do not communicate with them, it
follows from this arrangement that the change is made at each passage of the
needle over the dividers i, i; besides, the conducting rings or rollers only
leave one arc to come in contact with another, the loss of fluid, therefore, is
scarcely perceptible. The electro-magnets A, B, are connected together at
their upper parts by means of a bronze cap S. The wires y are wound round
the core N. It will be found useful to line the frame supports with iron,
arranged in the form of a parallelogram, in order to form a base or support
to the bearings c, which will allow room for two cross pieces to be placed
below the fixed electro-magnets, the latter being insulated by a non-magnetised
metal bed.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a locomotive fitted with electro-magnets
according to this Invention. The supports R, which hold the electro-magnets,
are attached to the cramps t by the same bolt. The dotted lines on the electro-
magnets show the different positions of the cast-iron cheeks, which are intended
to keep the wires behind the cores, which are placed N¹, and are flush with
the side opposite to the magnetized active poles.
Figure 4 shews an end view of one of the electro-magnets detached. The
plates are made of soft metal, or of cast or wrought steel.
Figure 5 is a detached view of the two shafts that carry the fly wheels, and
of a pair of wheels which are placed at or at about the middle of the loco-
motive. Each of these shafts carries a toothed nave, round which an endless
chain passes. The shafts of the other pair of wheels can, if desired, be
connected in a similar manner.
Figure 6 is a view of the electro-magnets suspended from one common
point. Vis the fly-wheel shaft. The electro-magnet B is fixed, while the
electro-magnet D is movable. Both are set at an inclination, and they are
attached to cast-iron cheeks, in order to obtain the greatest possible magnetised
power.
The triangular shape of the electro-magnets shewn at Figure 1 can, if
desired, be made broader or otherwise enlarged to a blunt or obtuse point.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 are views of arrangements the Inventor adopts for
preventing the active poles from becoming distant the one from the other in
apparatuses of a large size. In Figures 7 and 8, A¹ is the open position of
the fixed electro magnet; the dotted line indicate a lesser opening. A is

page_text: the second plate of the fixed electro-magnet; D' shows the movable electro-
magnet, and D the second plate of the same magnet. Figures 9 and 10
show the fixed electro-magnets A¹, and the movable electro-magnets D¹, with
their second plates A³ fixed and C³ movable, in a closed position. The crank
is arranged to prevent the parts coming too close together.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the construction of electro-magnetic engines, and apparatus con-
nected therewith, in such manner that the attractive and repulsive forces of
the electro-magnets may be utilized, and caused to act simultaneously upon
the same part or parts of the engine or apparatus, as herein-before described.
Second, the suspension of two movable electro-magnets on two fixed electro-
magnets, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Third, the rendering active of electro-magnets by the application of external
and internal currents, as herein-before described.
And fourth, the general arrangement of machinery herein-before described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, for the production of electro-
motive power.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of November, One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
R. A. BROOMAN.
(L.S.)