CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
Year: 1856

page_text: (This Invention received Provisional Protection, but notice to proceed with the
application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Vincent Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th June 1856.-A communication.
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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES,"
to be as follows:-
The first part of the Invention relates to a certain arrangement of a number
of chambers formed around the interior of a hollow cylinder of metal or other
unyielding material, by securing to the said cylinder a sheet or sheets of
vulcanized india-rubber, or other flexible substance that is impervious to steam
and other fluids under pressure, and a number of rollers, which may be termed
piston rollers, attached to a shaft placed concentrically to the cylinder, the said
rollers being arranged within the cylinder in such a manner as to press against
the india-rubber or other flexible substance, and force it in contact with the
cylinder, thereby closing the several chambers at their bearing points. By a
proper arrangement of induction and eduction pipes, or passages communi-
eating with the several steam chambers, steam or other fluid, or gas, under
pressure, is admitted to the several chambers to distend the india-rubber or
other flexible substance behind the rollers, and press upon them, while the

page_text: portions of the several chambers in front of the rollers are exhausted, and
thus the rollers are acted upon like pistons, and caused to revolve within the
cylinder, and produce a rotary movement of the shaft. The arrangement of
chambers and rollers is such as to relieve the shaft of unequal side pressure,
and the power of the engine is in proportion to the number of steam chambers.
The second part of the Invention relates to the employment of conical-
shaped clamping rings and chamfered-edged clamps, for securing the
vulcanized india-rubber, or other flexible substance, of which the chambers are
partly formed, to the cylinder, by which the cutting out or tearing of the material
at the edge of its connection with the cylinder is to a great extent prevented.
The third part of the Invention relates to the protection of the vulcanized
india-rubber, or other flexible impervious substance of which the chambers are
partly formed, by means of an outer covering of wire gauze, or a woven fabric
of wire, having the wires arranged obliquely to the axis of the cylinder, or by
having a similar wire fabric incorporated into sheets of india-rubber, which
arrangement gives the wire fabric the requisite flexibility; the wire fabric not
only protecting the india-rubber or other impervious substance from injury by
the rollers, but also serving to sustain it against the pressure of the steam or
fluid in the chambers.
The fourth part of the Invention relates to a certain contrivance for setting
the piston rollers outwards or inwards, from or towards the central shaft, for
the purpose of graduating their pressure upon the flexible portions of the
chambers, or for drawing them out of contact with the said flexible portions of
the chambers, when necessary for repair of the engine. The piston rollers are
carried by links, which are jointed to fixed and adjustable radial arms con-
nected to the central shaft of the engine. By slightly shifting the adjustable
arms the rollers will be moved outwards or inwards, as required.
The fifth part of the Invention relates to a contrivance for admitting the
steam or other elastic fluid to the chambers severally at the proper time to act
upon the piston rollers, and cutting off the supply from each chamber when
the wheels severally arrive at a given point on its surface, for the purpose of
allowing the steam or other clastic fluid to act upon the wheels by its expansion
alone during a certain portion of their revolution in contact with each chamber.
A part of this contrivance serves also to reverse the engine.
The steam chest contains three valves, formed of circular discs of metal, the
innermost one and the outermost one being generally stationary, and the
middle one rotating continuously with the shaft of the engine. The innermost
valve, which is an eduction valve and a cut-off, and also serves to effect the
reversal of the direction of rotation of the engine, has two faces, of which

page_text: the inner one fits up to the seat in the chest, and the outer one serves as a seat
for the induction or middle valve. This valve is capable of being turned on
its seat, to reverse the revolution of the engine, when desired. The outer valve
has a number of passages through it, exactly corresponding in form and
arrangement with the passages through the middle valve; this valve is used
to vary the point of cutting off of the steam to work expansively in the steam
chambers. A yoke is attached to the middle valve, & serves to connect it with
the outer valve, so that the former may be drawn away from the innermost
valve to admit a full head of steam to the engine.