Improvements in Steam Engines
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
"Improvements in Steam Engines."
(A communication by WILKINSON THOMAS GIRLING, of No. 3 Armat Street,
Germantown, Mechanical Engineer; JOHN JOSEPH TORPEY of Old York Road
and Hunting Park Avenue, Builder, and ROBERT CHARLES CUNNINGHAM of
No. 3751 North Fifteenth Street, Gentleman, all in the City and County of
Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.)
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick and
322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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:-
The object of the invention is to provide a steam engine of such construction that a
large proportion of the exhaust steam, instead of being discharged from the cylinder
to the atmosphere, shall be delivered to a chamber or chambers and therein
commingled with live steam preparatory to its passage to the cylinder for a succeeding
operation.
In the particular embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, the steam chest
is provided with two main compartments or chambers, a valve for regulating the
admission of live steam thereto in succession, and a valve for regulating the admission
of exhaust steam thereto in succession and for permitting the commingled steam in
the respective chambers to enter the steam cylinder at predetermined intervals.
The invention also comprises various novel features of construction and organiza-
tion of parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
In the annexed drawings-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine embodying the invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section, as on the line a-a of Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a similar section, as on the line b-b of Fig. 2.
Figure 4 is a similar section, as on the line cc of Fig. 3.
Figure 5 is a similar section, as on the line d-d of Fig. 2.
A represents the bed-plate of a high-pressure engine; B, the cylinder thereof; C,
the piston; D, the steam chest; E, the steam-pipe; and F the valve for regulating
the admission and release of the steam to and from the cylinder.
For the parpose of illustration, this valve is represented and described herein as.of
the rotary type, but obviously a slide, balanced or other appropriate valve may be
used in lieu thereof, if desired.
G is the engine shaft, and H the fly-wheel thereon.
The steam chest embodies four chambers, viz., a primary chamber 1 into which the
steam-pipe E discharges; two underlying chambers 2 and 3 having communication
with the primary chamber by means of ports d², d³ respectively; and a valve
chamber 4 having communication with the chambers 2 and 3 by means of ports d*, d³
respectively, and with the respective ends of the steam cylinder by passages or
ports do and d².
Arranged in the chamber is a slide (or piston) valve I, by the reciprocation of

page_text: which the ports d², 13 may be opened and closed in alternate succession. The valve
rod is connected with the rock-arm or guide 2, and the latter, in turn, is connected
by means of a rod with the eccentric 3 on the engine-shaft, similarly to the
valve gear of an ordinary steam engine. This eccentric is likewise operatively
connected with an ordinary rotary governor J on the fly wheel, to the end that
the position of the eccentric and consequently the throw of the valve will be
automatically varied in accordance with the speed of the engine.
The rotary valve F is fitted within the chamber 4 and is provided with the ports 1, 2,
which are designed to effect communication between the ports d, d5 and the steam
cavity d in the value chamber at predetermined intervals. The valve stem or shaft f³
is mounted in appropriate bearings in the walls of the chamber, and is provided on
one end with a crank that is linked with one arm of a suitably-disposed rocking
lever f. The other arm of this lever is connected by means of a rod with an
eccentric on the engine-shaft, which eccentric is timed in respect to the eccentric i
so as to effect the operation of the rotary valve in harmony with that of the slide or
piston valve above described. If desired the eccentric f and its rod f* may be dis-
pensed with, the rocking lever in that case being directly connected with the rod of
valve J.
Leading from the valve chamber is a passage d' to which is fitted a pipe d having
two oppositely-extending branches 10, 11, which lead to the chambers 2 and 3
respectively. In each of the branch pipes is an ordinary check valve d12, the function
of which will presently appear.
Leading from the pipe is a pipe d¹ provided with an appropriate relief
valve d¹³, which, at the outset, is set to permit the escape of sufficient, exhaust steam
to prevent back pressure in the receiving chambers. This valve also permits the
escape of water of condensation.
The operation is as follows:-
The throttle valve e on the steam-pipe is opened to permit the passage of steam to
the steam-chest, and the engine is started. In one stroke of the slide valve J, one,
say d, of the ports d², d³, is opened and the live steam thus passes into the under-
lying chamber 2. The port leading from that chamber to the valve chamber is
closed. In the succeeding stroke of the valve the port 2 is closed immediately
before the port d' is opened (as indicated in the drawings) whereupon the live steam
passes by way of the latter port and the valve port fl into the steam passage or port d
thence to the steam cylinder in a manner to actuate the piston. The exhaust steam
passes by way of the passage d to the port f2 in the valve, entering the steam cavity d
and passing to the pipe d, thence opening the check valve on the branch pipe du
leading to the chamber 3, and, in consequence, passing to the latter. As the
pressure of the live steam is against the check valve in the pipe do, it will be obvious
that the latter will be unaffected by the exhaust. In the succeeding stroke of the
slide valve J the port d³ will be opened and the live steam will enter the chamber 3
and commingle with the exhaust steam therein, following which the valve F will be
actuated to effect communication between this chamber and the steam passage d',
whereupon the commingled steam will enter the steam cylinder and actuate the
piston. In the next stroke of the valves the exhaust steam will open the check valve
on the branch pipè d10 leading to the chamber 2, and thus pass to the latter, following
which the live steam will be permitted to enter such chamber and commingle with
the exhaust steam therein, thence passing to the steam cylinder.
It will, of course, be understood that after the engine has been started the
relief valve d¹³ is set to produce any desired pressure in the receiving chambers.
so that an economical working of the engine may be had.
The operation of commingling the live and exhaust steam in the chambers 2 and 3
in alternate succession, is carried on continuously, thereby utilizing a large
proportion of the exhaust steam instead of permitting it to escape uselessly to the
atmosphere.
8.:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder and the piston, of
a chamber having communication with said cylinder, valve mechanism for regulating
the admission of live steam to said chamber, and valve mechanism for regulating the
admission of exhaust steam from the cylinder to said chamber and for permitting the
commingled steam to enter the cylinder at predetermined intervals, substantially as
described.
2. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder and the piston,
of a plurality of chambers having communication with said cylinder, valve mechanism
for regulating the admission of live steam to said chambers in succession, and valve
mechanism for regulating the admission of exhaust steam thereto in succession and
for permitting the commingled steam in the respective chambers to enter the steam
cylinder at predetermined intervals, substantially as described.
3. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder and the
piston, of two chambers, a valve for regulating the admission of live steam thereto.at
predetermined intervals, a valve for controlling communication between said
chambers and the steam passages to the cylinder, a pipe to which the exhaust steam
is directed from said cylinder, connections between said pipe and the respective
chambers, and check valves in said connections, substantially as described.
4. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder and the piston, of
the steam chest comprising the primary chamber into which the steam pipe
extends, the mixing chambers having communication with said primary chamber,
the valve chamber having communication with said mixing chambers and with the
steam cylinder, and valve mechanism for controlling such communication, sub-
stantially as described.
5. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder and the piston, of
the chamber into which the steam pipe extends, the slide valve therein, means for
actuating said valve, the mixing chambers having communication with the first-named
chamber, a valve chamber having communication with said mixing chambers and
with the respective steam passages to the cylinder, a rotary valve in said valve
chamber, and means for operating said valve, substantially as described.
6. In a steam engine, the combination, with the steam cylinder, of the steam chest
comprising the relatively-arranged chambers, such as 1, 2, 3 and 4, the valve for
regulating the admission of steam from chamber 1 to chambers 2 and 3 in alternate
succession, the valve in chamber 4 for controlling the communication between said
chambers 2 and 3 and the steam passages to the cylinder, a pipe to which the exhaust
steam is directed from the cylinder by said latter valve, branch pipes leading from
said pipe to the respective chambers 2 and 3, and check valves in said branch pipes,
substantially as described.