CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WATER-PRESSURE ENGINE, RENDERING IT MORE GENERALLY APPLICABLE FOR RAISING WATER AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND AS A MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ARMSTRONG, of Stone House, in the County of Devon, M.D., send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Third day of December, in the seventh year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Armstrong, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Robert Armstrong, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Robert Armstrong, my exors, admors, 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 Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WATER-PRESSURE ENGINE,
RENDERING IT MORE GENERALLY APPLICABLE FOR RAISING WATER AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES, AND AS A MOTIVE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Robert Armstrong, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be enrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chan-
cery within six caiendar 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, I, the said
Robert Armstrong, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of improvements in that class of engines which are
worked by the pressure of water, and are for the most part similar in con-
struction to steam engines in regard to the working cylinder and slides or
valves for the passage of the fluid; but, in place of being worked by the elastic
force of steam, such water pressure engines are worked by water, the effective
force of which, as is well understood, depends on the height of the column,
or the force with which the water is impelled into the cylinder, whether by a
forcing pump or by any other means. The nature and the mode of working
such description of engines as they are at present constructed being well
understood, and as my improvements only relate to the details for transmitting
the motion and for acting on the valves or slides, it will not be necessary to
enter into any explanation of the engine itself, but confine my description to
the improvements.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a water-pressure engine having my
improvements applied thereto. Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1. In these
Figures the same letters indicate similar parts, (a) being the cylinder, (b) the
piston, and (c, c,) the piston rods, one of which passes through each cover of
the cylinder (a, a,) and there is a projecting arm (d, d,) to each piston rod,
with a chain attached thereto having suitable means of adjustment, as is
clearly shown. These chains from (d, d,) are made fast to the pulley or drum
(e), and they lap round that pulley or drum in opposite directions, by which
means the crank or axis (f) receives movement, as will be readily traced in
the Drawing; hence motion will be obtained to the connecting rod (g) to work
a pump or other machinery. On to the upper end of the piston rod is affixed
a cross head, which moves between suitable guides (h), and to one end is
attached the connecting rod (i), which communicates motion by a crank to the
shaft (), on which is affixed the fly-wheel. From this shaft (j) may be
transmitted motion to other machinery. (k) is a spring lever moving on a
fulcrum at (1), one end of which works the valve or plug of the cock, and
causes it to be suddenly and instantaneously changed at the end of the stroke
of the piston, which is an important object to be obtained in water-pressure
engines. (m, m,) are two cams which press down the outer end of the lever
(k), and, when permitted by the removal of the catches (n, n,) allow the spring
lever (k) to act on the cock or plug. The catches (n, n,) are two springs
having barbs at their ends, which, passing through a slit or slot cut through
the lever (k) retain that lever till the proper period for permitting the lever
(k) to change the position of the plug or valve of the cock. (0, 0,) are two

page_text: rods, which are attached by pin joints at one end thereof to the drum or pulley
(e), and at their other ends are screws and nuts for adjusting the point to
which they shall be drawn before the nuts shall come in.contact with the
spring catches, one rod (o) passing through each spring catch for that
purpose;
hence, in the working of the mechanism the lever (k) is retained alternately
by the upper and under spring catch, and alternately relieved therefrom and set
free at the termination of the stroke of the piston, all which may readily be seen
on an examination of the Drawing, aided by the above description of the parts.
I would remark, that, in place of having the spring catches, the lever (k), and
the cock and plug for reversing the direction of the flow of the water from one
side to the other of the piston, slides similar to those more generally employed
in steam engines, may be used; but in such case I use, as part of my Inven-
tion, an open pneumatic cylinder with two pistons, each having a piston in
connection with the slide rods, and having suitable stops on the piston rods, by
which means the two pistons are alternately moved from each other, thus
producing a vacuum or partial vacuum in the pneumatic cylinder between the
two pistons; and it will readily be understood, that on relieving the piston
rod, which is required to reverse the slide (at either end of the water-pressure
cylinder), which will be performed by a projection on one of the piston rods
(c), and of the water-pressure cylinder, the piston in the pneumatic cylinder
will be driven back suddenly by the pressure of the atmosphere, and hence
actuate the slides. When the sliding valves are used, and a circular motion
is not required, the fly-wheel, the pulley or drum (e), the lever (k), the springs
and catches (n, n,) and the rods (0, 0,) may be dispensed with, and motion
directly communicated to a working beam by means of a chain connected with
the ends of the piston rods moving over a pulley or sheaf, and attached to a
sector on the end of the said beam.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
combining the various parts in order to apply my improvements, I would have
it understood that what I claim as my Invention is the mode herein described
of communicating power from the piston of water-pressure engines by means
of two piston rods (c), and chains or ropes, and also the modes herein described
for suddenly and instantaneously changing the position of the valves or slides
at the termination of the stroke of the piston in the water-pressure engine or
cylinder.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Armstrong, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
ROBERT (LS.) ARMSTRONG.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1837, the aforesaid Robert Armstrong came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-seven.