Year: 1885

page_text: I, SAMUEL BUTLER, of No. 127 Bute Road, Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in motive power engines to be worked
by steam air or water and consists Firstly in the arrangement of three cylinders.
arranged in line, the pistons thereof being connected to independent cranks arranged
at an angle of 120° to each other so as to avoid any dead centre. Each cylinder
is arranged to work by high and low pressure by being formed in two parts, the
upper or high pressure part being smaller in diameter than the lower one, the
pistons being similarly constructed. A separate piston valve is used for each
cylinder so constructed as to admit the steam to the upper or high pressure portion
of the cylinder and exhaust it into a chamber common to the three cylinders, the
same piston valve in its lower portion serving to admit and exhaust the low
pressure steam of the larger portion of the cylinders. Two of these valves are
placed one on each side of the shaft which are worked by independent eccentrics,
the motion being communicated by rocking shafts and levers. The third valve is
immediately over the end of the shaft, and is worked direct therefrom by an
eccentric.
My Invention also relates to the use of a single compound cylinder of the above
description working separately the steam after leaving the high-pressure portion of
the cylinder being bottled up in a receiver until it is required for the low pressure
portion of the cylinder on the next stroke. The principle of double expansion
may be further extended by constructing the cylinders of three diameters instead
of two and arranging them either as above described, or at angles of 120° around
a single crank.

page_text: Improvements in Compound Engines Worked by Steam or other
Motive Fluid.
I, SAMUEL BUTLER, of 127 Bute Road, Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in motive power engines to be worked
by steam air or aeriform fluid and consists. Firstly, in the arrangement of three
cylinders arranged in line the piston thereof being connected to independent cranks
arranged at an angle of 120° to each other so as to avoid any dead centre. Each
cylinder is arranged to work by high and low pressure steam or fluid by being
formed in two parts the upper or high pressure part being smaller in diameter than
the lower one, the pistons being similarly constructed. A separate piston valve is
used for each cylinder so constructed as to admit the steam to the upper or high
pressure portion of the cylinder and exhaust it into a chamber common to the three
cylinders, the same piston valve in its lower portion serving to admit and exhaust
the low pressure steam of the larger portion of the cylinders. Two of these valves
are placed one on each side of the shaft and are worked by one eccentric the
motion being communicated either direct or by rocking shafts and levers. The
third valve is immediately over the end of the shaft and is worked by the same
eccentric as the two former,
Secondly. This invention also relates to the arrangement of two cylinders of the
above description placed side by side and connected to opposite cranks the steam
from the high pressure part of one cylinder being exhausted direct into the low
pressure part of the other cylinder. In this case I prefer to actuate the valve of
each cylinder direct from the shaft by a separate eccentric and rod.
My invention also relates to the use of a single compound cylinder of the above
description working separately, the steam after leaving the high pressure portion
of the cylinder being bottled up, in a receiver until it is required for the low
pressure portion of the cylinder on the next down stroke.
The principle of double expansion may be further extended by constructing the
cylinders of three diameters instead of two.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have hereto
annexed 1 sheet of drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan.
Figure 2 sectional elevation.
Figure 3 end elevation of my three cylinder compound single acting engine.
The cylinders are constructed with high and low pressure portions in one.
Referring to Figure 2 the upper portions A.A A being for high pressure steam and
the lower portions B B B being for low pressure steam. The upper portion may
be made in any relative proportion to the lower portion depending on the ratio of
expansion required. The pistons are made hollow and of two diameters to fit the
cylinders. The connecting rods are jointed inside the upper portion of the pistons

page_text: at C C C having their other ends connected to cranks D D D, these cranks being
at angles of 120° to each other.
Any kind of valves may be used but I prefer to use piston valves as represented
in section at E. The high pressure steam is admitted at F on to the top of the
piston valve by which it is admitted on to the high pressure portion of the piston
through the port G from whence it is exhausted into the receiver H. From the
receiver Hit is admitted on to the low pressure portion of the piston through
the port I from whence it is exhausted into the box J which encloses all the
cranks.
There is one of these valves to each cylinder placed as represented in Figure 1,
KK K. Their receivers are all connected by the pipes L L.
For convenience of construction and reversing all the valves are worked by one
eccentric. One of these valves is worked direct from the eccentric and the other
two are connected to the eccentric by rocking shafts M M Figure 3.
This arrangement of valve gear has a special feature of bringing the cylinders
closer together than would be possible if the valve were placed between the cylinders
and worked by separate eccentrics.
÷
For reversing, the eccentric is turned on the shaft by keys drawn through belical
slots by a rod inside the shaft or it may be mounted on a sleeve provided with
helical feathers. The cylinders in the drawing are shewn separate but for small
engines they may be cast in one which would bring them closer together.
I do not bind myself to use three cylinders as the engine may be made useful
with any number from one upwards; neither do I bind myself to work the cranks
at any particular angle to each other for in the case of two cylinders being used it
would be better to place the cranks opposite each other. And in this case I prefer
to actuate the valve of each cylinder direct from the shaft by means of a separate
eccentric and rod. In the case of one cylinder being, used a fly wheel would be
required to ensure steady running and the receiver should be made larger as the
high pressure steam must be bottled up therein after exhausting until required by
the low pressure portion of the cylinder on the next downward stroke.
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
First. The use of cylinders which are constructed of different diameters and
fitted with pistons of corresponding diameters connected to separate cranks so as
to form a triple or compound expansion single acting engine as herein described.
Second. The use of two cylinders of different diameters and fitted with pistons
of corresponding diameters connected to separate cranks opposite each other so as
to form a triple or compound expansion single acting engine as herein described.
Third. The use of one cylinder which is constructed of different diameters and
fitted with a piston of corresponding diameters connected to one crank so as to
form a triple or compound expansion single acting engine as herein described.
Fourth. The valves, valve gear receivers and passages in connection with single
acting engines as herein described.