IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES, ROTARY PUMPS, AND OTHER LIKE APPARATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Vacherot, of Clyde House, Bridge
Road, Battersea, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES, ROTARY PUMPS, AND OTHER LIKE
APPARATUS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1876, and dated the 3rd November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexandre Vacherot
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd November 1875.
I, ALEXANDRE VACHEROT, of Clyde House, Bridge Road, Battersea,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES, ROTARY PUMPS, AND
OTHER LIKE APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates more particularly to rotary engines to be driven
by steam, water, gas, or other fluid, but is also applicable to pumps and
similar rotary apparatus, and it has for its object simplifying the con-
struction of the apparatus without impairing its efficiency, and
thereby obtaining an apparatus economical in its cost and working,

page_text: durability.
In carrying out my Invention as applied to rotary engines (for
example) I construct and arrange the apparatus in the following
manner-On a shaft supported in bearings in a suitable frame I secure
a revolving cylinder, consisting of a ring or tube closed at one side by a
disc or plate which is formed on or attached to it and open at the
opposite side, against which bears a disc carried on a stationary boss
enclosed in the cylinder, and through the centre of which the shaft
passes. This boss is made of a diameter sufficiently less than that of
the cylinder to leave an annular space all round between its exterior
and the interior of the cylinder, with the exception of one point at
which the boss is fitted with a radial projection or stop, the extremity
of which fits the bore of the cylinder, against which it may be pressed
by a spring or otherwise, if desired.
Through the sides of the cylinder I make four or any other suitable
number of slots, disposed in pairs opposite to each other, and within
which I fit sliding valves or pistons, arranged in such a manner that the
two opposite valves or pistons of each pair are connected together by a
bar or rod, so as when one valve or piston is acted upon by pressure at
its exterior and forced inwards in contact with the periphery of the boss
the opposite valve will be forced outwards and inclosed in the slot, or
the valves or pistons may be arranged independently of each other, if
desired.
The cylinder is caused to revolve by the motive fluid (say steam, for
example) being admitted through a suitable port arranged at one side of
the radial stop before referred to, and being discharged through an
exhaust port provided at the opposite side of the radial stop, the steam
acting in succession upon the several valves or pistons which are in turn
operated by steam admitted behind the valves and pistons simul-
taneously with the admission into the cylinder.
The cylinder ports may each be fitted with a three-way cock, or they
may both be controlled by a single valve so as to admit of the motion
of the engine being reversed by changing the position of the cocks or
valve, and thus using the steam port as the exhaust port, and vice
versa.

page_text: The ports are also arranged, by preference, in such a manner that
the steam is only admitted during a portion of cach revolution of the
cylinder, the completion of the stroke being effected by its expansive
action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexandre Vacherot in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
VACHEROT, of Clyde House, Bridge Road, Battersea, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the 39th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexandre Vacherot, Her
special license, that I, the said Alexandre Vacherot, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexandre
Vacherot, my executors, administrators, or 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES, ROTARY PUMPS, AND OTHER
LIKE APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alexandre Vacherot, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and scal, 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexandre Vacherot, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: Through the sides of the cylinder I make a suitable number of
slots d, d, (four of which are employed in the example shewn in my
Drawings) disposed in pairs opposite to each other), and within which I fit
sliding valves or pistons e, e, arranged in such a manner that the two
opposite valves or pistons of each pair are connected together by a bar
or rod f, so as when one of the valves or pistons e, e, is acted upon by
pressure at its exterior and forced inwards in contact with the periphery
of the boss D, the opposite valve e will be forced outwards and enclosed
in its slot d, or the valves or pistons may be arranged independently of
each other, if desired.
The cylinder B is caused to rovolve by the motive fluid (say steam,
for example) being admitted through suitable ports arranged in the
disc C at one side of the radial stop c, and being discharged through
exhaust ports provided in such disc at the opposite side of the radial
stop.
The engine may be worked in either direction, the inlet ports in the
one case becoming the exhaust ports in the other.
Assuming that the engine is working in the direction indicated by the
arrows, the steam is conducted by the inlet pipe g into a semi-annular
groove g¹ formed in the disc C, whence it passes through ports h, h,
into the interior of the cylinder and acts in succession upon the several
valves or pistons e, e, which are in turns operated by steam admitted
through ports i, i, and passages ", ", into the chambers d, d, behind
the valves and pistons simultaneously with the admission into the
cylinder. The steam after its action in the cylinder passes through
ports k, k, into another semi-annular groove formed in the disc C,
whence it escapes by the outlet pipe m, the steam which bas acted upon
the valves passing through other ports n, n, into the groove 1, and being
discharged in a similar manner.
The cylinder ports may each be fitted with a three-way cock, or
they may both be controlled by a single valve so as to admit of the
motion of the engine being reversed by changing the position of the
cocks or valve, and thus using the steam port as the exhaust port, and
vice versa.
The ports may be also arranged in such a manner that the steam is
only admitted during a portion of cach revolution of the cylinder, the
completion of the stroke being effected by its expansive action.

page_text: The valves or pistons may be suitably packed in order to prevent
leakage.
The apparatus may be used as a pump by driving the shaft A by
means of any suitable prime mover, in lieu of the same being actuated
by the agency of fluid admitted into the cylinder B, as before
mentioned.
In a similar manner the apparatus may be utilized as a blower, as
will be well understood.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefor claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the com-
bination in a rotary engine, rotary pump, or other like rotary apparatus,
of a hollow revolving cylinder, and of a stationary boss arranged within
the same, in such a manner that a space or chamber is left between
the external periphery of the boss and the internal periphery of the
cylinder, the continuity of which space or chamber is interrupted by a
permanent radial stop or partition carried by the boss and separating
the inlet ports from the outlet ports, and by sliding valves or pistons
working in slots or guideways in the sides of the cylinder, and operated
by the entering fluid simultaneously with its admission to the cylinder,
so as to be successively moved into and out of contact with the external
periphery of the boss, all substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Vacherot, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, this First day of
May, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.