Improvements in and in connection with the Pneumatic Cylinders of Blowing Engines, Air Compressors, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb.,
1900
THUVIOIVAAL DIEUITIVATION,
Improvements in and in connection with the Pneumatic Cylinders of
Blowing Engines, Air Compressors, and the like.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers; Southampton Build-
ings, in the County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me
from abroad by Hermann Alexander Brassert, of Wilkinsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Superintendent of Blast
Furnaces), to be as follows:
-
This invention relates to the pneumatic cylinders employed as blowing engines,
air compressors, refrigerating apparatus and the like, and is mainly designed
to provide an improved valve arrangement wherein the disadvantages incident
to prior types of valves are largely done away with.
To that end the invention consists in a cylinder having valved heads and
containing a piston in combination with means for moving the cylinder over the
piston and heads. It also consists in the construction and arrangement of the.
parts as hereinafter more fully described.
The blowing cylinder has a piston whose piston rod is actuated from any
suitable motor. The stationary heads over which this cylinder works are each
formed with two valve chambers containing reciprocatory piston valves and
each valve chamber is surrounded by an annular chamber which communicates
with an outlet pipe common to both. The inner ends of the valve chambers
are somewhat less in diameter than the outer ends and are provided with annular
series of ports leading to the said annular chambers while the outer enlarged
bores of these chambers communicate with the annular chambers by small holes.
The stems of the piston valves in each head are connected to levers secured to
a shaft which is rocked by means of a cam lever actuated by a cam whose shaft
is connected by levers to a rod common to both such rod being actuated by
suitable cam or eccentric connection.
The cylinder is provided near each end with an annular series of ports and
is moved endwise by links pivotally connected to rocking levers actuated from
the motor through any suitable connections. The fixed heads of the cylinders
are provided with suitable packings which make eontact with the cylinder as
it is reciprocated over them and the piston valves are likewise provided with
packing rings. The cylinder heads are connected and supported by oppositely
located distance pieces situated externally to the cylinder and carried by a
suitable framing.
In operating the cylinder, starting with the parts in extreme position at one
end, at the beginning of the next stroke the piston mores downwardly within
the cylinder and the cylinder is at the same time moved downwardly over
its heads. The bottom piston valves being governed by the pressure, open when
the pressure in the cylinder equal to the pressure in the annular chambers
surrounding the piston valves. The parts thereupon assume a position in which
the piston valves in the lower head are open and the air is forced therethrough

page_text: into the outlet, the piston still moving downwardly, while the cylinder has
reached the limit of its downward movement, and then begins to move upwardly.
The piston still continues in its downward movement, and the piston valves
in the lower head are then beginning to close and are entirely closed when.
the piston reaches the end of its stroke, thus cushioning the piston at the end
of its travel. The piston then begins to move upwardly, passing through a
series of positions, the reverse of those above described. The piston valves are
given a quick opening movement by the pressure in the cylinder, and are closed
by the actuating cams, and when opened, the holes in their rear leading to
the surrounding chambers prevent compression of the air in the valve chamber
which would otherwise occur, these holes equalising the pressure in the rear of
the piston valves in the various positions thereof.
-
The advantages of my invention result from the reciprocation of the cylinder
itself, which thus acts in the nature of a slide valve to open and close its slotted
ports, in connection with the proper movements of the piston valves.
Dated this 20th day of March 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and in connection with the Pneumatic Cylinders of
Blowing Engines, Air Compressors, and the like.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Build-
ings, in the County of London, Consulting Engineer. and Chartered Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me
from abroad by Hermann Alexander Brassert, of Wilkinsburgh, Allegheny.
County, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Superintendent of Blast
Furnaces), 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 the pneumatic cylinders employed as blowing engines,
air compressors, refrigerating apparatus and the like, and is mainly designed
to provide an improved valve arrangement wherein the disadvantages incident
to prior types of valves are largely done away with.
To that end the invention consists in a cylinder having valved heads and
containing a piston in combination with means for moving the cylinder over the
piston and heads. It also consists in the construction and arrangement of the
parts as hereinafter more fully described.
The construction is shewn on the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1.
is a vertical section of the cylinder of the blowing engine, Fig. 2 is a side
elevation of the same and Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are partial sections shewing the
successive positions of the valves, the piston and the cylinder. 2 represents a
blowing cylinder having therein the piston 3 whose piston rod 4 is actuated
from any suitable motor cylinder. The stationary heads over which this
cylinder 2 works are each formed with two valve chambers 5,5, containing
reciprocating piston valves 6, and each valve chamber is surrounded by an
annular chamber- which communicates with an outlet pipe S, common to
both. The inner ends of the valve chambers are somewhat less in diameter
than the outer ends and are provided with annular series of ports 9 leading
to the annular chambers 7, while the outer enlarged bores of these chambers
communicate with the annular chambers 7 by small holes 10. The stems 11
of the piston valves in each head are connected to levers 12 secured to a shaft 13

page_text: which is rocked by means of a cam lever 14 actuated by a cam 15, whose shaft
is connected by levers 16 to a rod 17 common to both, such rod being actuated
by suitable cam or eccentric connection.
The cylinder 2 is provided near each end with an annular series of ports 18
and is moved endwise by link 19 pivottally connected to rocking levers 20
actuated by any suitable connections. The fixed heads of the cylinders are
provided with suitable packings 21 which make contact with the cylinder 2 as
it is reciprocated over them, and the piston valves are likewise provided with
packing rings 22. The cylinder heads are connected and supported by oppositely
located distance pieces 23 situated externally to the cylinder 2 and carried by
suitable supports, not shewn.
In operating the cylinder, starting with the parts in extreme position at one
end as shewn in Fig. 3, at the beginning of the next stroke the piston moves
downwardly within the cylinder and the cylinder is at the same time moved
downwardly over its heads, Fig. 4 showing the next position of the parts. The
bottom valves 6 being governed by the pressure, open when the pressure, in
the cylinder 2, is equal to the pressure in the annular chambers 7. The parts
thereupon assume position shewn in Fig. 5, the piston valves in the lower head
being open and the air being forced therethrough into the outlet, the piston
still moving downwardly, while the cylinder has reached the limit of its down-
ward movement, and then begins to move upwardly. The piston still con-
tinues in its downward movement, and the piston valves in the lower head are
then beginning to close and are entirely closed when the piston reaches the
end of its stroke, thus cushioning the piston at the end of its travel. The
piston then begins to more upwardly, passing through a series of positions, the
reverse of those shown in Figs. 3 to 6. The piston valves are given a quick
opening movement by the pressure in the cylinder, and are closed by the cams 15
shewn, and when opened, the holes 10 in their rear leading to the surrounding
chambers 7 prevent compression of the air in the valve chamber which would
otherwise occur, these holes equalising the pressure in the rear of the piston
valves in the various positions thereof.
The advantages of this invention result from the reciprocation of the cylinder
itself, which thus acts in the nature of a slide valve to open and close its slotted
ports, in connection with the proper movements of the piston valves.
It will be obvious that the form and arrangement of the cylinder and its
valves can be variously modified without departing from the essential features
of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In blowing engines, air compressors, and the like, the combination of a
blowing cylinder, a piston working therein, fixed heads containing discharge
valves and situated within the ends of the cylinder, and means for reciprocating
the cylinder over the fixed heads, so as to alternately open and close air inlet.
ports formed near the cylinder ends, substantially as described.
2. In a blowing engine, the combination of a reciprocating cylinder having
air inlet ports formed near its ends, a piston having reciprocating motion in
the cylinder fixed heads over which the cylinder works, and containing piston
valves controlling ports leading from the cylinder to the outlet, and suitable
actuating connection for imparting motion to the cylinder, the piston and the
valves, substantially as described.
3. A blowing engine or air compressor wherein a blowing cylinder containing
a reciprocating piston and having air inlet ports near its ends, has a recipro-
cating motion imparted to it so as to work over fixed heads containing piston
valves which control discharge ports, the said cylinder, piston, and valves being
actuated in such manner that as the piston. travels in one direction so as to

page_text: compress air in the one end of the cylinder and force it out through the one
set of valves the cylinder in travelling in the same direction as the piston has
its ports uncovered by the head at the other end, so as to admit air behind the
piston, while towards the end of the pistons stroke the cylinder in being moved
hack again closes the said ports so that by the return stroke of the piston the
admitted charge of air is compressed, substantially as described.
4. A blowing engine or air compressor with reciprocating cylinder, combined
and operating substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of December 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.