AN IMPROVED ROTARY STEAM ENGINE
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LAMB HANCOCK, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS LAMB HANCOCK, and WILLIAM LAMB
HANCOCK, of Guildsfield, Montgomeryshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventh day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Lamb Hancock, Frederick Augustus Lamb Hancock, and William
Lamb Hancock, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that we, the said James Lamb Hancock, Frederick Augustus Lamb Han-
cock, and William Lamb Hancock, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said James Lamb Hancock; Frederick Augustus Lamb
Hancock, and William Lamb Hancock, our exors, adñiors, or assigns.
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Towni
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad;
our Invention of "AN IMPROVED ROTARY STEAM ENGINE;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that we, the said James Lamb Hancock,
Frederick Augustus Lamb Hancock, and William Lamb Hancock, somie or one
of us, should cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Lamb Hancock, Frederick Augustus Lamb Hancock, and William
Lamb Hancock, do hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully, described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of a peculiar construction and arrangement of the
parts of a rotary steam engine; and in order that the Invention may be fully
understood and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the
Drawing hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of which the same letters
of reference are used to indicate the same parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section of a rotary steam engine, constructed
according to our Invention; Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section thereof;
and Figure 3 shews an end view of the engine. a, a, is the framing, the nature
of which is clearly shown in the Drawing; b is the main shaft of the engine,
which turns in proper hearings c, c, fixed to the framing a, a. The engine is
so constructed that the steam cylinder d, d, is fixed securely in the framing,
and the shaft b, with the end covers e, e, are turned round by the pressure of
the steam admitted into the steam cylinder d, the covers e, e, of the steam
cylinder d, not being fixed to the cylinder but turn thereon, the surfaces
being suitably packed at f, f, to render them steam tight. On the main
shaft bare fixed, by keys or otherwise, the whole of the moving parts,
which are caused to rotate by the pressure of the steam acting within the
steam cylinder d, and these moving parts consist of the parts of the inner
cylinder I, I, the circular plate m, and of the two end covers e, e, which have
each two recesses or chambers formed to receive the slides or pistons g, g,
such recesses or chambers being covered by covers h, h, with stuffing boxes for
the rods i, i, to pass through steam tight, such rods being affixed to the slides
or pistons g, g, the object of these rods being to move the slides or pistons g, g,
so that at one time. they may be in a position to act as pistons, and at other
times to be slided away so as to allow of their being out of the way of the
steam abutments j, fixed on the interior of the steam cylinder d. This steam

page_text: g
abutment is to be suitably packed at the ends, against which the end covers é
of the steam cylinder d move, in order to keep those parts steam tight; and
there is a packing at k which rests on the surface of the interior cylinder l; the
parts of which are keyed to the main shaft b, and turn therewith, as 'will'
readily be understood by examining the Drawing. Another part, which is
fixed to the main shaft, is the circular plate m, which divides the steam
cylinder d into two chambers or compartments; it does not, however, touch
the interior cylinder, but moves freely therein, the only parts of its perephery
which require to be kept steam tight being that where it comes within the slit
or opening formed in the steam abutment j, at which position its surface is
made steam tight by the packing at n, and at the parts m, m, where there is
packing let into the plate m, so as to keep the steam from passing from one
side of the slides to the other; and such packings m², m', are applied to each
pair of slides, and the surfaces of the slit or opening of the steam abutment j
between which the plate m moves are to be properly packed, so as to render
the surfaces steam tight. In the circular plate m are formed grooves at m² to
receive the ends of the slides or pistons g, g, by which arrangement the
pistons will each be supported at one end by the groove in the circular
plate m, and at the other end it will be supported within its recess or chamber
formed on the covers e of the steam cylinder d; and it is the use of a plate m,
combined with sliding pistons 9 on either side thereof, when the plate m is
fixed to the main shaft, which constitutes the peculiar character of this rotatory
steam engine, and it is by such construction and combination of parts that
great advantages are obtained in constructing rotary steam engines. o, o, are
the steam and eduction ports; p is the slide and slide box, and q is the steam
pipe. We have not thought it necessary to shew means for working the slide,
as the same forms no part of our Invention, and the shewing the apparatus
would only render the Drawing more complex. Suitable apparatus for working
the slide will readily be applied by the workman. The slides or pistons gare
worked by means of cam surfaces r, which are so arranged that they will cause
the slides or pistons g to be slided inwards when they have passed the steam
abutments j, and cause the slides or pistons to move outwards into the cham-
bers or recesses formed in the end covers e, e, so as to pass the steam
abutment when they come thereto. We do not, however, confine ourselves"
to this arrangment for moving the slides or pistons, as other apparatus may be
employed; but we believe the means shewn to be the best for the purpose.
The cam surfaces r are fixed to the framing a, a, at s, s, and to the steam
cylinder 6 at t, t, as shewn, and the rods i, i, have friction rollers i', ', which
act on either side of the cam surfaces r. The parts e, e, the parts 1, 1, of the

page_text: inner cylinder, and the circular plate m, which are affixed to the main shaft,
are all bolted together by the bolts v, v..
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best means
we are acquainted with for performing the same, we would remark that we are
aware that rotary steam engines have before been constructed having the covers
(of a fixed steam cylinder) fixed to the main shaft of the engine and turning
therewith; and we mention this circumstance in order to state that we do not
make any claim thereto when not combined with the use of a plate m and
slides g moving from and to each cover of the steam cylinder, as herein
described. And we would state that we do not confine ourselves to the details
shewn and described, so long as the peculiar character of the engine be
retained. But what we claim is, the mode of constructing and arranging the
parts e, e, g, g, and m, of a rotary steam engine, as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Lamb Hancock, Frederick
Augustus Lamb Hancock, and William Lamb Hancock, have here-
unto set our hands and seals, the Fourth day of October, in the year.
of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.