Improvements in Steam-engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in Steam-engines.
I, ERNST OTTO SCHLICK, of 1 Rathhausmarkt, Hamburg, in the Empire of
Germany, Consul, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In a steam engine having several cylinders considerable forces are produced by
the reactions of its moving parts, such forces straining the foundation of the engine
in an injurious manner. These strains consist on the one hand of thrusts which
tend to displace the frame in the direction of the piston rods, and on the other hand
of forces which tend to twist the whole engine in a plane passing through the
centres of the cylinders.
For instance in the case of an engine having vertical cylinders forces will be
produced which tend to move the frame alternately upwards and downwards and
also to tilt up the engine at the two ends of the shaft. Such forces act injuriously
especially where it is not possible to produce a perfectly firm foundation, such as
for example in marine engines.
This defect has heretofore been remedied only by the employment of counter-
weights. The latter are however not only cumbersome and even dangerous to the
attendants, but are also with difficulty provided in cases where the space at disposal
such as in marine engines, is limited, and moreover injuriously increase the total
weight. It has to be kept in mind that for marine engines of from 6000 to
7000 horse-power two balancing weights each of from 20 to 30 tons are necessary,
which therefore constitute bodies of iron of several cubic metres in bulk.
The present invention has for its object to replace the disadvantageous balancing
weights by moving masses of rods and the like which already form part of the
engine or are newly added under certain circumstances by increasing the number of
cylinders. Accordingly the characteristic feature of the said invention consists in
solving the problem of balancing the reactions of the moving masses upon the
foundation in such a manner that while the cumbersome balancing-weights are
dispensed with, parts of the engine are used which need not be carried by the engine
as dead weights but constitute driving parts.
In quadruple and triple expansion engines four cylinders may be provided, to
each of which corresponds a special crank. The two cylinders with the heavier
masses of the rods correspond to the two middle cranks and the two cylinders with
the lighter masses correspond to the outer cranks.
In the before-mentioned quadruple expansion engine, for example, the steam may
first enter the first cylinder corresponding to the crank at one end of the driving
shaft then pass to the second cylinder corresponding to the crank at the other end
of the driving shaft, next to the third cylinder by the side of the first, and finally
to the fourth cylinder placed between the second and third, and from which the
steam passes into the condenser.
In the triple expansion engine referred to the steam works in each of the two
high-pressure cylinders and in the two middle cylinders by expansion.
It is immaterial as regards the essential feature of my invention what kind of
engine is employed; in each case provision is made for balancing the reactions by
the moving masses of the rods, and for this purpose the dimensions and conditions
of the masses of the rods and the positions of the shaft cranks must be brought into

page_text: quite definite relations to each other. How this is achieved will hereinafter be
explained with reference to the arrangement of the cylinders of the aforesaid
quadruple expansion engine.
The positions of the cranks and the masses of the rods appertaining to the two
middle cylinders and to the two outer cylinders may first be chosen.at will. If the
sizes of the masses of the rods which act upon the driving shaft are designated in
their order by P P P PIV it may be assumed that PII and PIV are known. It is
moreover expedient with a view to the operation of the engine to place the cranks
corresponding to the third and fourth cylinders at an angle of 90 degrees to each
other. In order to find from these assumed relations those for the masses of the
rods belonging to the second cylinder the moment of force is considered with
regard to the centre of the first cylinder, with which the mass of the rods belonging
to the fourth cylinder acts upon the foundation, and, the distance from centre to
centre of two neighbouring cylinders being designated by a, its amount is found to
be 2 a PIV. If this is to be balanced by a moment of force of the second cylinder,
the mass of the rods of which is designated by x, then 2a P IV =3a, there-
forex =
PIV. Accordingly the mass of the rods appertaining to the second
cylinder has to counteract with a moment of force 3 P IV the moment of force of
the mass of the rods belonging to the fourth cylinder, this counteraction being
obtained by arranging the two cranks corresponding to the second and fourth
cylinders at an angle of 180 degrees to each other.
The statical moment of force of the mass of the rods belonging to the third
cylinder with regard to the centre of the first cylinder is a P III. If this is to be
balanced by a moment of force from the third cylinder the before-mentioned
effective mass of the rods a or P IV must be increased by a component acting as
a mass J, the moment of which component is 3 a J, and 3 a J must be equal to a PIII,
P 111. In order to attain the opposite effect the crank corre-
sponding to the second cylinder must form an angle of 180 degrees with the crank
corresponding to the third cylinder.
therefore .J =
From these calculations result the following conditions:
Suppose the effective masses of the rods belonging to the third and fourth
cylinders to be equal to P III and PIV and the cranks corresponding to these two
cylinders to form an angle of 90 degrees with each other, then for balancing their
static momenta of force.
(1) The effective mass of the rods appertaining to the second cylinder must be
the resultant of the two components a and J or P IV and P II, therefore
✓ (}{} P IV )² + (3 PIII) and at the same time,
(2) The crank for the second cylinder must be at an angle of 180 degrees at one
time to the crank of the fourth cylinder and another time to the crank of the third
cylinder. Therefore the crank for the second cylinder must occupy an intermediate
position between these two conditional positions, and the angle a by which the
crank arm for the second cylinder deviates from the position at the aforesaid angle
PIII PIII
of 180 degrees is determined by the equation tang a =
=
PIV 2P IV.
In like manner the relations for the masses of the rods appertaining to the first
cylinder are determined.
=
For the mass of the rods PI of the first cylinder is obtained an amount
√( P III)² + (PIV) and for the angle of deviation ẞ of the crank arm
tang B
=
PIV
2 P.III
The described mode of calculation may of course as well be carried out if the
chosen conditions are different, that is to say it for instance the effective masses of
the rods belonging to the first and second cylinders and the positions of their
cranks are assumed to be known and if the cranks do not form right angles with
each other.

page_text: The advantages of the characterized arrangement of the cylinders are particularly
for marine engines of considerable importance:
() There will be no thrust or torsional strain acting upon the foundation, so that
a loosening of the foundation need not be feared.
(2) In consequence of this the moving parts of the engine do not cause any
vibrations of the ship.
(3) The place for putting up the engine in a ship is optional, which is not
practicable with, the engines constructed as heretofore, having regard to the
vibrations.
(4) The number of revolutions of the engine per minute may be chosen at will,
whereas it has heretofore been necessary to avoid certain numbers of revolutions
which are advantageous as regards the construction of the engine.
(5) The number of revolutions may be optionally increased in the case of an
engine having four cylinders without liability of the foundation to shocks.
In conclusion it will be observed that small reactions of the aforesaid kind which
may still have remained can be balanced by light weights occupying but little
space, while the large heavy weights are obviated in all cases.
Dated this 8th day of February 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
1, ERNST OTTO SCHLICK, of 1 Rathhausmarkt, Hamburg, in the Empire of
Germany, Consul, 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 :-
My invention has relation to multiple cylinder fluid operated motors having their
cylinder axes in one and the same plane and having more than three driving or
connecting rods connected to one and the same driving or crank shaft. It may be
applied also in a modified way to three cylinder engines.
In engines of this class the moving elements engender forces that act injuriously
upon the support or foundation of the engine as well as upon the engine itself,
in that they not only tend to displace the engine on its support in the direction of
the piston rods, but also in a direction at right angles or substantially so, the
tendency of which is to alternately tilt the whole engine from the ends of the
driving shaft.
For instance, in a vertical engine forces are present that tend to move the engine
up and down alternately, and to tilt the same in one or the other direction from the
ends of the crank shaft. These forces act the more injuriously where it is
impossible to provide a foundation capable of resisting the same as is the case in
marine engines, or in case a fixed foundation or support cannot be provided, as in
the case of locomotives, and the only remedy heretofore known is the use of dead
weights. The latter have, however the disadvantage of greatly increasing the
bulk and weight of the engine, being more or less obstructive and rendering
attendance more difficult as well as dangerous, and also (although the forces referred
to are practically compensated or counterbalanced,) other similarly injurious forces
that act at right angles to the plane of the piston rods are engendered, so that
practically speaking the forces produced by the moving parts of the engine are not
annulled or counterbalanced, but undergo a change of direction. Nor is it possible
to compensate or annul the effect of these forces by a mere relative adjustment of
the several cranks on the crank shaft.

page_text: The object of my invention is not only to practically compensate or counterbalance
the injurious results due to the action of the forces referred to in engines of the
kind under consideration, and thereby avoid the use of the undesirable dead weights,
but also to utilize the moving elements of the engine themselves as a means for
accomplishing the desired result. To these ends the invention consists essentially,
in the proper relative arrangement of the cranks on the driving or crank shaft, in
the proper relative length of the crank arms, in the proper relation of the cylinder
centres, and in the proper distribution of the weights of the moving masses so that
the latter will act upon the crank shaft in such manner that the resultant of the
forces exerted by said moving masses in one direction upon the crank shaft, namely
in the direction of the piston rods, and the resultant of the forces acting upon the
shaft in the opposite direction will be substantially equal and lie in a straight
line. The same balancing effect may be simultaneously obtained, if required, in
any other plane passing centrally through the shaft. The slight and immaterial
errors due to the finite length of the connecting and eccentric rods need not be
considered.
=
In order that the term "mass force" (hereinafter to be employed), that is to
say, the force engendered by the movement of a weight P in the direction of motion
of the piston rods, that tends to displace the engine in that direction, may be
clearly defined, I would remark that this force is determined from the following
formula (Figure 1), mass force F cos. o, in which F indicates the centrifugal
force of the reciprocating masses, if these masses were concentrated in the crank
pin, and the angle formed by the crank and the direction of motion of the piston
rod. The value F cos represents therefore the force that tends to displace the
engine in the direction of motion of the piston rod when the crank is in the
position making the angle with the piston rod. Furthermore, if we designate
by the constant velocity at which the crank pin revolves, and by R the radius of
the crank, and by g the acceleration of gravity we obtain
value
3
R the mass force is therefore dependent upon only. The values P
and R may be varied at will so long as
P
remains constant.
R
Before describing my invention in detail I will refer to two known arrangements
for the purpose of more clearly defining the difference between my said invention
and attempts heretofore made to arrive at similar results.
One of these constructions is diagrammatically shown in Figure 2, and represents
a triple cylinder engine, the rods of which are connected to cranks k¹ k2 k³. The
central crank is connected with the piston rod of the intermediate or central
cylinder and acted upon by the weight 2 L of the moving elements, said crank being
in the same plane as the cranks k¹ and ³ which are connected with the piston rods
of the outer cylinders and acted upon each by a weight L. If it is assumed that
the distances between the cylinders and the lengths of the crank arms are equal, the
forces referred to are fully compensated or counterbalanced and there will be
neither unbalanced pressure due to momentum in the direction of motion of the
piston rod nor in a direction at right angles thereto, aside from the slight error due
to the finite length of the connecting rod.

page_text: The same conditions exist in an engine such as shown in Figure 3, which has two
cylinders whose axes lie in exactly the same line, and whose movable elements are of
exactly the same weight. The piston rod of the upper cylinder is connected by
cross head and rods with two cranks of the crank shaft, and the rod of the lower
cylinder is connected with a crank intermediate of and exactly opposite to the others.
In the two cases just described we have, however, two groups of moving elements
that act with equal mass force upon two groups of cranks, and the relative
arrangement of the cranks on the crank shaft, namely, the placing of said cranks at
an angle of 180° to each other is an obvious one to all engineers. But in the case
of a twin cylinder engine connected with two cranks of a crank shaft (see Figure 4)
the conditions are different notwithstanding the fact that the mass forces acting
upon the said shaft are equal, and the cranks are set in the same plane, only the
mass forces exerted in the direction of motion of the moving elements counter-
balance each other, while the couple of forces acting in the direction of the plane
of the piston rods can in this construction never be balanced. This force may
be reduced or diminished by a proper reduction of the distance between the cylinder
centres, but the tilting moment of force cannot be completely avoided.
This is exactly the case when two such twin cylinder engines are connected with
a single crank shaft, or converted into a quadruplex cylinder engine, Figure 5, so
long as the two pairs of cranks are set at right angles to each other. It is true
that the mass forces exerted by the moving elements compensate each other in a
measure, the nature of the arrangement renders it, however, impossible to com-
pletely counterbalance the forces, irrespective of the error due to the finite length
of the connecting rods.
In an engine adapted to be started whatever may be the position of the cranks
on the crank shaft and in which the arrangement of the cranks in the same plane,
i.e., at an angle of 180° to one another is precluded, the mass forces can only then
be counterbalanced or made to compensate each other when the power is applied
to not less than four cranks, it being of course understood that the cylinder
axes are arranged substantially parallel in the plane, as will be made clear by the
following examples.
Figures 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views of a triple and quadruple expansion
engine, respectively, with four cranks each. In some cases the moving masses of
two or more cylinders, may be caused to act upon a single crank. For the sake of
simplicity it will be assumed that the moving elements of each cylinder operate
upon a separate crank. In view of the fact that the moving elements of the two
intermediate cylinders must be heavier than those of the outer cylinders (and this
is a characteristic feature of this construction) it is preferable to arrange the larger
cylinders between the smaller ones, though this is not absolutely necessary, so long
as the heavier masses are caused to act upon the intermediate cranks.
In the quadruple expansion engine, Figure 6, the steam flows successively to the
cylinders I II III IV, and from the latter to the condenser. In order to shorten
the steam passages it is in many cases advisable to reverse the relative position of
the cylinders III and IV. The triple expansion engine, Figure 7 is supposed to
have two low pressure cylinders III, and in order to shorten the steam passages it
will also be advisable to arrange cylinder II alongside of cylinder I.
The kind of engine, provided it has not less than four cranks, is absolutely
immaterial in so far as the nature of my invention is concerned, so long as provision
is made for counteracting the action of the mass forces through the medium of the
moving elements themselves. In order to attain this, the weight of said elements,
the distances between them in the direction of the crank shaft, the length of
tle crank arms, and particularly the relative angles formed by the cranks must be
definitely related.
Although for practical reasons it may not be desirable to exactly or entirely
counterbalance the mass forces, irrespective of the small errors due to the finite
length of the connecting rods, yet the construction should be such as to avoid as far
as practicable the use of dead weights.

page_text: III
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe the same in
respect of a quadruple expansion engine, referring to Figure 6 of the drawings, it
being assumed that the weights of the moving elements of the cylinders III and IV
are represented by P, and Pv respectively, and that the angle between the two
cranks is known, and, for the sake of simplicity it may be assumed to be an angle
of 90°, and for the sake of further simplicity, it will further be assumed that the
distance between the axes of proximate cylinders is equal, and that all the crank
arms are of the same length. It will now only be necessary to find the weights of
the moving elements of cylinders I and II and the relative angle of the cranks to
which the pistons of said cylinders are connected, which is done as follows:
IV
In order to compensate the mass forces exerted by the moving elements of
cylinder IV by the inass forces exerted by the same elements of cylinders I and II,
it will be necessary to provide for the last two cylinders cranks viz. I and II of
equal length that lie diametrically opposite the crank of cylinder IV. The force
exerted upon the crank shaft by the moving elements of cylinder II will, however,
be greater than the force exerted upon said shaft by the moving elements of cylinder I
in proportion as the distance between the centres of cylinders II and IV is smaller
than that between the centres of cylinders IV and I the sum of the forces acting
upon the cranks of cylinders I and II, should, however, be equal to the force exerted
upon the crank of cylinder IV, accordingly a force equal to P and Pry respectively
should be exerted upon the crank shaft by the moving elements of the cylinders I
and II relatively to the force exerted by the like elements of cylinder IV. In a
precisely similar manner the force exerted upon the crank shaft by the moving
elements of cylinder III that will counterbalance the forces exerted by the moving
elements of cylinders I and II may be determined, namely: weights equal
10 P
and Prespectively will have to act upon the cranks of cylinders I
and II, in order to compensate the force exerted upon the crank shaft by the weight
of the moving elements of cylinder III (Figure 8) in which case the cranks I
and 11 would have to be arranged diametrically opposite the crank of cylinder III.
If the relations that occur in the circle of the crank for the cylinder II (Figure 9)
are considered, it will be found that there should be exactly opposite the crank of
the cylinder III a crank upon which a force of P is exerted, and at the same
time there should be opposite crank of cylinder IV a crank upon which a force
equal to Pv is exerted.
III
III
In view of the fact that it is not possible to arrange two cranks at the same time
in one plane a single crank must be substituted therefor, the position of which, as
well as the force acting thereon will be determined by the resultant of the weights
that would have acted upon the two crauks. Hence, if the value Pr is carried
ccording to a certain scale, to a prolongation of the crank arm of cylinder 11,
and similarly the value Pry to a prolongation of the crank arm of cylinder IV
the direction or position of the single crank for the cylinder II and the weight
that should act thereon can be directly deduced from the parallelogram of forces.
The position of and the weight that should act upon the crank for the cylinder I
are obtained in the same manner.
If it be assumed that the angle (see Figures 9 and 10) formed by the cranks of
cylinders III and IV is one of 90° we will have the following formula:

page_text: If, on the contrary the angle y formed by the cranks of cylinders III and IV is
ot a right angle, then we have the following well-known formulæ :
(6) P₁ = √ (} PII)² + (½½3-PIv)² + PIII PIV cos y
The weights acting upon the outer cranks and the angle formed by said cranks
may also be considered as known, and from this we can obtain the angular position
of, as well as the weights that should act upon, the two intermediate cranks, and if
the angle (Figure 11) is a right angle we have the following formulæ :
These formulæ apply only, as already stated, in cases where the length of the
crank arms and the distances between the cylinder centres are equal to each other.
If, however, the length of the crank arms differ as well as the distances between
the cylinder centres, the formule will naturally be of a much more complicated
form.
In determining the weights that act upon the various cranks, the revolving
elements, as the crank pins, must also be considered, besides the reciprocating
elements. In a quadruple cylinder engine in which the cylinder centres are
equidistant and have equally long crank arms, if the weights and relative angles
formed by the several cranks are determined by the foregoing formulæ it will be
found that the various mass forces exerted upon the crank shaft will compensate or
counterbalance one another, excepting, however, the small differences due to the
finite length of the connecting rods, or, in other words, the resultant of the forces
acting in one direction must be equal to the resultant of the forces acting in an
opposite direction, and the resultants of both groups of forces must be in a straight
line; hence, if the distance between the cylinder centres, the length of the crank
the weight of the moving elements, and particularly also the angle formed
by the various cranks are determined in accordance with the formulæ hereinbefore
given, neither a displacement of the engine in the direction of motion of the piston
rods, nor a tilting of the same in the plane of said rods can take place. When the
arms,

page_text: piston rods of a plurality of cylinders are connected with the same crank, and said
piston rods perhaps connected by cross head, it is necessary in determining the
weights of the moving elements and the relative position of the cranks, to take
into consideration the distance of the centres of gravity measured at a right angle
to the direction of the stroke of the pistons of different groups of cylinders,
instead of the distance between the cylinder centres.
It has herein before been assumed that the weights and the angle formed by the
cranks of two of the cylinders (outer or immediate) are given, and that from these
the required weights and the angle formed by the cranks of the other two cylinders
can be determined. But the problem may also be solved when the weights, the
angle formed by the cranks, the length of the crank arms, and the distance between
the centres of an outer and intermediate cylinder are given.
By the herein described construction of the engine it is possible not only to
counterbalance the forces exerted upon the crank shaft in the direction of the
piston stroke but also in a plane at right angles thereto passing through the centre
of the crank shaft which is a peculiar property in an engine constructed according
to my invention.
In order that this may be understood it is necessary to point out that the position
of the cranks is dependent solely upon the relations of the reciprocating masses,
when the angle formed by two of the cranks is known or given. When, therefore,
the weights reduced to the circle described by the crank pin, and which act upon
the several cranks at right angles to the direction of the stroke, particularly the
crank bearings, connecting rods and crank arms bear exactly the same relation to
one another as the moving elements of the cylinders which act upon said cranks in
the direction of the stroke, the forces exerted at right angles to the direction of
said moving elements, in a plane passing centrally through the crank shaft will
also balance one another.
II,
III
All of the weights moving horizontally (in a vertical engine) may in accordance
with previous designation be indicated by w P₁, w PI 0 P and w Prv, and
according to formulæ 8 and 9 the relative angles formed by and between the crank
arms will be found from the following equations :

page_text: same relation to one another as those which act upon said cranks in a vertical
direction, and when these relations correspond with the laws above set down, then.
the mass forces will be perfectly balanced not only in planes passing horizontally
and vertically through the crank shaft but in any other plane passing through the
centre of the crank shaft.
The hereindescribed method may also be used in the balancing of other forces
than those referred to, namely those forces exerted by the valve gear or other
moving elements. This can be effected in two ways, no account being taken of
the slight errors due to the finite length of the eccentric rods. If, for example the
centres of the slide valves lie in the same plane as the piston rods, the weight of
the moving elements of the valve gearing can be taken into consideration when
the angles of the cranks and the weights acting upon the same are determined,
whereby the forces exerted by the valve gear can be balanced simultaneously with
the forces exerted upon the cranks. If, however, the slide valves or rods lie in a
different plane from that of the piston rods, it will only be necessary to so arrange
that the distances between the valve rods, the weights of the moving parts of the
valve gear, the radii and angles of the eccentrics shall have the same relation to
one another as the moving elements of the cylinders and the cranks.
If, for instance, the distances between the valve rods are equal to the distances
between the cylinder centres, and if all the eccentrics have an equal throw and an
equal angle of lead, it is only necessary to determine the weights of the moving
elements of the valve gear in the same manner as that resorted to for the
determination of the weights of the moving elements of the cylinders. Should
some of the valves differ it will in most cases still be possible to balance the forces
of their moving elements by choosing the other or remaining factors accordingly.
In order, however, to perfectly balance the said forces it is necessary that the
centres of gravity be situated in the centres of the slide rods, and that the latter
lie in one and the same plane.
In a similar manner the forces exerted by the movable elements of other engines,
as pumps, etc., may also be balanced and single machine elements may be taken into
consideration in the balancing of the driving elements, while the rules laid down
apply to engines in which the crank shaft has more than four cranks.
In
The invention is also applicable to a certain extent to three crank engines.
these the moving elements of the cylinders can be used in a similar manner for
balancing but it will be necessary to use a reciprocating weight or its equivalent
for the purpose of completing the balance. It can then be done in the same way
as though there were a fourth crank. A rotatory weight may be used for this
purpose if a balance in a plane at right angles to the plane of the piston rods is
not required.
In fine, the invention is applicable to all engines in which a smooth working at a
high number of revolutions is desirable, hence it is more especially adapted to
marine engines, and presents important and considerable advantages, to wit: the
supports for the engines are not injuriously affected, so that a loosening of the
same need not be feared, and consequently vibrations are not communicated to
the vessel itself. The location of the engines in a vessel may be chosen at will,
which is impossible with engines as now constructed; the number of revolutions_
of the crank shaft within a given time may also be chosen at will, without danger
of undue vibrations of the vessel when a given number of revolutions within such
time is exceeded, as is often the case with the engines now in use. Finally, it is
possible to use engines constructed according to my invention in the upper stories
of buildings, where heavy foundations cannot be provided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In multiple engines, with four or more cylinders in the same plane, arranging
the mainhte at the moving nowts and the distances angles and lengths of the cranks

page_text: so as to produce a balance in the plane of the piston rods as herein described
wholly or substantially without the addition of special reciprocating weights.
2. In multiple cylinder engines, with four or more cylinders in the same plane,
arranging the weights of the moving parts and the distances angles and lengths of
the cranks so as to produce a balance in the plane of the piston rods and also in a
plane perpendicular thereto and containing the axis of the crank shaft, as herein
described wholly or substantially without the addition of special reciprocating
weights.
3. In multiple engines with three cylinders in the same plane arranging the
weights of the moving parts and the distances angles and lengths of the cranks so
as to produce a balance in the plane of the piston rods by the addition of a single
reciprocating weight or its equivalent.
Dated this 7th day of November 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.