Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 12th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 3rd June, 1887.
I AUGUSTUS BEVER of 20 Heaton Grove, Bradford, in the county of York, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to ongines constructed on the principle described in the
specification of my former Patent No. 1666 dated the 18th January 1884 and the
present improvements have reference to an engine having one cylinder on each side
of the crankshaft to a slide valve which takes the steam through a relief ring at the
back of the valve and which is provided with elastic buffers to counteract the inertia
of the rapidly reciprocating valve and lastly to a coupling which transmits the power
from the engine through springs and thus prevents shocks being transmitted to the
machine driven by the engine.
In carrying out my invention I place one cylinder on each side of the crankshaft
and provide this crankshaft with three crankpins the centre one being connected to
the piston of one cylinder and the two outside ones, which are placed at an angle of
180 degrees to the centre one, being connected through a forked connecting rod to
the piston of the other cylinder. These pistons are so proportioned as to equalize the
pressure in each direction and as they have steam admitteil at the same instant the
pressures are practically perfectly balanced. It will be obvious that they can either
be both worked with high pressure steam or one with high pressure and the other
with low pressure steam.
The slide valve is arranged to work both the cylinders and has the steam admitted
through a relief ring at the back. When the engine is worked compound the steam
passes from one cylinder to the other through the body of the valve. At each end of
the valve an elastic buffer is fitted, this can either be in the form of a spring or of a
piston compressing air or other fluid.
The coupling is so arranged that the power in being transmitted from one side to
the other deflects two or more springs thus not only preventing the transmission of
shocks but also allowing of a small error in the alignment of the shafts without serious
injury to the machinery.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, AUGUSTUS BEVER, of 20, Heaton Grove, Bradford, in the county of York,
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 :-
This invention relates to engines constructed on the principle described in the Speci-
fication of my former Patent No. 1666, dated the 18th January 1884, and the present
improvements have reference to an engine having a single acting cylinder on each
side of the crankshaft, and a slide valve which takes the steam through a relief ring
at the back of the valve and which is provided with elastic buffers to counteract the
inertia of the rapidly reciprocating valve. The said improvements also have reference
to a coupling which transmits the power from the engine through springs and thus
prevents shocks being transmitted to the machine driven by the engine.
In carrying out my invention I place one cylinder on each side of the crankshaft
and provide this crankshaft with three cranks the crank-pin of the centre one being
connected to the piston of one cylinder and the crank-pins of the two outside cranks
which are placed at an angle of 180 degrees to the centre one, being connected through
a forked connecting rod to the piston of the other cylinder. These pistons are so
proportioned as to equalize the pressure in each. direction and as they have steam
admitted at the same instant the pressures are practically perfectly balanced. It will
be obvious that they can either be both worked with high pressure steam or one with
high pressure and the other with low pressure steam.
The slide valve is arranged to supply steam to both the cylinders and has the steam
admitted through a relief ring at the back. When the engine is worked compound
the steam passes from one cylinder to the other through the body of the valve. At
each end of the valve an elastic buffer is fitted, this can either be in the form of a
spring or of a piston compressing air or other fluid.
The coupling is so arranged that the power in being transmitted from one side
to the other deflects two or more springs thus not only preventing the transmission
of shocks but also allowing of a small error in the alignment of the shafts without
serious injury to the machinery.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which, figures 1 and 2 represent a vertical
and horizontal section respectively, of a compound steam engine constructed according
to my invention. Figures 3 and 4 are similar views to figures 1 and 2 but shewing
a high pressure steam engine constructed according to my invention. Figure 5
represents a rear view of the slide-valve casing of the engine shewn in figures
and 2, the cover of the said casing being removed so as to shew the slide valve.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a horizontal and vertical section respectively of a coupling

page_text: for preventing the transmission of shocks to machinery according to my invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar or corresponding parts throughout the
several figures of the drawing.
Referring to figures 1, 2 and 3, A and B, are the high and low pressure single.
acting steam cylinders which are arranged one on each side of the crank-shaft A',.
as shewn. A and A3, A3, are the three cranks with which the crank-shaft A', is
provided, the crank-pin of the centre crank A2, being connected by a connecting rod c,
the piston a, of the cylinder A, whilst the crank-pins of the two cranks A³, A³,
(which are placed at an angle of 180 degrees to the crank A²) are connected by a
forked connecting rod d, to the piston 6, of the cylinder B. The pistons a, and b,.
are so proportioned as to equalize the pressures they exert on the crank-shaft A¹, and
as they have steam admitted at the same instant the said pressures are practically
balanced. C, is the slide valve which is constructed so as to supply steam to both
the cylinders A and B, as shewn clearly in figure 2. The valve is mounted on an
eccentric parte, of the shaft A', the said eccentric e, when rotated imparting the neces-
sary reciprocatory movement to the valve C so as to enable it to supply and exhaust the
steam to the cylinders A and B, as will be obvious. The valve with being mounted directly
on the eccentric e, will also have an oscillatory movement imparted to it as will be
understood by reference to figure 5. f, is a link jointed at one end to one end of the
valve C and at the other end to the valve casing a², for the purpose of guiding and
supporting the said valve. The steam is admitted to the valve C, by a pipe g, leakage
into the casing a², being prevented by means of a relief ring 1, or its equivalent, the
said ring being caused to bear tightly against the valve cover a³, by small spiral
springs not shewn in the drawing. The steam from the pipe 9, is admitted to and
exhausted from the cylinder A, by the valve C, in the usual manner the exhaust steam
being conveyed to the low pressure cylinder B, by means of a passage h, formed in
the valve C. The steam after being used in the cylinder B, is exhausted through
the valve C, and into a pipe i, another relief ring, being used to prevent the leakage
of the exhaust steam into the valve casing a², as shewn. d¹, d', are the elastic buffers
(or their equivalents can be used) which work in cylinders D, D, arranged at each
end of the valve casing a², and which are connected by links d², d², to each end of the
valve C, as shewn. k, k, are small holes in the cylinders D, D, placed at about the
centre of the stroke of each of the buffers d', d', so that during the last half of each
stroke of the valve C, the buffer at one end of the valve compresses the air contained
between the holes k, k, and the end of its cylinder D, thereby accumulating sufficient
energy to overcome the inertia at the beginning of the next stroke, while at the same
time the other buffer d', draws air through the holes k, k, in its cylinder D, thereby
experiencing no resistance. This action at the next stroke of the valve is of course
reversed, and so on.
In figures 3 and 4 which represent a high pressure engine, the cylinders A, A,
are of the same size, and the steam is admitted through each end of the valve C, to
each cylinder, and is exhausted into the interior of the engine as shewn clearly in
figure 4. Relief rings 1, 1, similar to those shewn in figures 2 and 5, are used as
shewn in figure 4 for the same purpose.
The coupling shewn in figures 6 and 7 is formed in two parts m and n, the part m,
being fixed on the engine shaft and the part n, on the shaft of the machine to be driven
(or vice versa). The said parts m and n, are coupled together by bolts s, s, and
springs o, o. The said springs bearing against hemi-spherical pieces p, p, working in
sockets p¹, pl, on each of the parts m, n, thereby forming ball and socket joints. If
the part m, be driven in the direction of the arrow, figure, 7, the springs 0,0, will
be compressed between the hemi-spherical pieces p, p, thus giving an elastic resistance,
which prevents any shock or strain being transmitted to the driven machine, and in
addition allows of a small error in the alignment of the shafts without serious injury
to the machinery.
By my invention I construct a simpler engine than that described in my said
former letters Patent, at the same time retaining the advantages of that engine as will
be obvious.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In a steam or other fluid pressure engine having one cylinder on each side of the
crank-shaft, balancing the pressure and weight on one side by an equal pressure and
weight on the other side of the crank-shaft as herein before described.
2. The improved compound engine constructed, arranged and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described and represented in figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawing.
3. The improved high pressure engine constructed, arrangep and operating as
hereinbefore described and represented in figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawing.
4. A slide valve in which the pressure fluid is admitted simultaneously to the two
cylinders, the said valve being mounted on and worked by an eccentric on the crank-
shaft, and guided by a link at one end, which admits or both admits and exhausts the
pressure fluid through relief rings, substantially as hereinbefore described and repre-
sented in figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawing.
5. In a steam engine, the use for counteracting the inertia of the slide valve of
elastic buffers substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in figures 1 to 5
of the accompanying drawing.
6. In a steam engine, the use of a flexible coupling in which as the power is trans-
mitted two or more springs are compressed between the two parts of the coupling
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and represented in figures 6
and 7 of the accompanying drawing.