IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR APPLYING AND OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, APPLICABLE, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY SO, IN THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS AND RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1855

page_text: Sealed the 30th October 1855, and dated the 27th June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said Thomas Swinburne at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th June 1855.
I, THOMAS SWINBURNE, of South Square, Gray's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-:
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR APPLYING AND OBTAINING MOTIVE
POWER, APPLICABLE, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY SO, IN THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS AND
RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
That as regards my improvements for applying motive power, except such.
one of them, the nature of which is declared in the explanation herein-after
contained of my said improvements for obtaining motive power, but which
improvement, now excepted, is not confined.to the purpose of obtaining motive
power; I propose to apply motive power to a toothed wheel,-
1stly, by means of a rack, with improved deflecting and reversing appliances
and other apparatus.

page_text: -
2ndly, by means of another toothel wheel, with reversible stop, bearings,
fixings, and side rack and other apparatus.
3rdly, by means of a reversible cog, with bearings and fixings and other
apparatus.
The diminution effected by these means in the expenditure of propelling
power, (that is, acting motive. power,) opens the way for and gives increased
practical utility to my improvements in machinery for obtaining, motive power,
the object of which is to obtain from the current expenditure of propelling
power new motive power, and which, regard being had to the reduced expen-
diture of propelling power, above spoken of, will probably in great part, if not
entirely, make up again the amount of power expended. The manner in
which I propose to carry these last-mentioned improvements into effect will
be best declared, by way of exemplification, with reference to their application
in the propulsion of vessels and railway trains. I propose there to obtain
new motive power from the current expenditure of the power.used in propel-
ling a vessel or railway train, by applying, through the medium of paddles and
shafts, wheels and axles, with proper means of immediate application, on which
subject I shall hereafter, speak more particularly, the force of the vessel or
train in motion, as soon as the vessel or train has acquired a moderate speed,
and regularly during its progress, to machinery connected with apparatus suit-
able for producing, and so as thereby to produce, new inotive power by com-
pression or exhaustion of air, and which power, though applicable to any
purpose, may obviously be used with great advantage in the propulsion of
vessels and railway trains.
And, for more fully declaring the nature of my said improvements, I must
further state, that I propose for greater efficiency as the means of immediate
application to such compressing or exhausting machinery; as aforesaid, of the
power derived through the medium of such paddles and shafts, wheels and
axles, to use a heavy wheel with circumferential projections (acting upon
another. wheel, which in this case will be part of such machinery), or other-
wise to use some-of-my-said-other-improved-machinery-for-applying-motive
And I propose by. the like means, with such omissions, variations,
and substitutions in regard to paddles and shafts, wheels and axles, as circum-
stances may require, to. obtain motive power in other cases where there may
bė a momentum.or impetus available to be applied to such compressing or
exhausting machinery, as aforesaid.
power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of, the Letters Patent, filed
..
by the said Thomas Swinburne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS "SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SWINBURNE, of South Square, Gray's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Bar-
Fister-at-Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for "Herself, Her-heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Swinburne, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Swinburne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said Thomas Swinburne, my executors, administrators, and assigns. should at
any time agree with, and 'no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term 'therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an- Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY. FOR APPLYING AND OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, APPLICABLE, BUT NOT
EXCLUSIVELY SO, IN THE "PROPULSION VOP VESSELS AND RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Swinburne, by an instru
ment in writing under my hands and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention; and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent:
1...
!
NOW KNOW YE, that the said Thomas Swinburne, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to bofparticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
:-
The nature of my Invention as regards my said improvements for applying
motive power,consists in providing certain means for applying rectilineal
impulses in one direction only to 'the same recipient for the production of
rotary motion, with a view to avoid the loss of power occasioned by the use
of contráriant rectilineal impulsés, as cominonly applied to the crank; also in
providing certain means of applying motive power to the circumference of a
wlieel by impact.
+
And the means by which this part of my Invention is to be carried into
effect (except as regards such application of motive power. by impact, and the

page_text: means of effecting which are herein-after sufficiently disclosed in my explana-
tion of that part of my Invention which relates to my improvements in
machinery for obtaining motive power,) are as follows:-
Firstly, A, Figure 1, represents a toothed wheel; and B, strong arms,
revolvible round the axle of the wheel; at the end of the arms in strong bear-
ings is fixed a small toothed wheel M, gearing into the wheel A; C is a paul
preventing the motion of the small wheel in the direction of the power. If
the rod of the piston or other medium of power is attached by a connecting
rod to the arms and put in action, the small wheel will be stopped from
revolving by the paul, and will become locked in the larger one, and both
wheels will be drawn in the direction of the stroke till the stroke is completed,
and then the large wheel will move on alone, and the small one will remain
stationary, except that the large wheel will cause it to revolve on its axis in the
opposite direction (the paul yielding in that direction). I call this small wheel,
with the paul and other apparatus, and every other contrivance herein-after
mentioned for similarly fastening upon or clutching the wheel A, a clutch.
Instead of the clutch wheel it would be sufficient if only one single bolt or
cog were used. Thus, Figure 2 represents a single bolt or cog stopped from
moving in the direction of the power by the bar D, but easily moveable in
the reverse direction, so far as to throw it. out of the reach of the teeth of the
wheel. The other end of the cog is weighted, so as to give the cog a ten-
dency towards the stop or bar. The action of the clutch cog will be the same
as that of the clutch wheel; it is, in fact, only a tooth of the clutch wheel, and
two or more teeth may, perhaps, be used in the same way, as regards the
means of bringing the clutch back again to its former position so as to make
another stroke. In general, continuous impulse will be requisite, for which it
will be desirable to have two wheels and two clutches, and in that case the
clutches will be drawn back, in the manner herein-after mentioned. But as
regards the use of a single wheel and clutch, where it is possible to exert just
so much power upon the piston or other medium of power as will move the
-clutch back and no more, there is no reason why the clutch should not be
thrown back by a reverse action of the piston or other medium of power;
but when, as will generally be the case in using steam and other power of a
like kind, the dimensions of the piston and cylinder for impelling the clutch
will be too large to admit of the power being thus limited, it would be a waste
to use the reverse action of the piston, and instead of that the clutch may be
drawn back by means of another piston and cylinder placed above the clutch,
similar to the cylinder O, shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and the dimensions of
. which piston and cylinder are adjusted to this particular service. Another mode

page_text: of bringing the single clutch back again is by extending the arms beyond the
wheel on the other side, and weighting them, so as to draw up the clutch; and
if an india-rubber or atmospheric buffer is placed for the weight to strike
against, it will give sharpness and speed to the backward motion of the clutch.
For the communication of continuous impulse two wheels may be used, each
wheel having a clutch and apparatus of its own, as shewn in Figure 5, and
one clutch being connected with the other by a rope or band E, shewn in
dotted lines, running over fixed pullies in such manner that the impulse of one
piston shall draw up the other piston and clutch. This mode of applying
power to the circumference of a large wheel seems very suitable for driving
steam vessels. Experience will determine the best length of the clutch's stroke
The clutch might, perhaps, range over more than 100° of the wheel without
occasioning much pressure or friction on the axle of the wheel, and indeed
the arms of the clutch might have bearings, if needful, quite independent of the
axle, so that no pressure at all would be exerted on the axle.
The most effective way of using the levers would seem to be with a toothed
wheel; but I must observe that the same principle applies to wheels not
toothed, and that such a wheel may be worked by such a clutch as represented
in Figure 6, that is, by a simple bar or lever F fixed on the arms; for if the
power be applied at the end f of the lever, the other end f¹ will become firmly
fixed against the wheel. It might be useful for this last-mentioned, end to
terminate with a roller. A stop G may be placed just above the end f. To
give perfect freedom for the motion of the piston, and to assist in preventing
concussion at the end of the stroke, the cylinder may have two valves, one at
the bottom opening inwards, and the other about an inch above the bottoni
opening outwards, so that when the piston has passed the latter in its descent,
it may be checked by the compression of the air below it.
In my Provisional Specification I spoke of a side rack as an appendage to
the clutch wheel. That rack was for the purpose of drawing back the clutch
wheel, but as it now seems to me that this operation would not be so quick as
desirable I omit all further mention of it.
Secondly. H, Figures 3 and 4, represents a toothed wheel; and I, a rack,
attached by a swivel joint to the rod of a piston or other medium of power.
If the power be put in action in such a direction as to bring the rack into gear
with the wheel, the wheel will be driven round. After the rack has made its
stroke it must be brought back again to its former position ready for a second
stroke in the same direction by the following means:-The rack is attached to
the rod of the-piston or other medium of power by a swivel joint; the body of
the rack is cylindrical except the ratchet part. A little beyond the ratchet part

page_text: of the rack is a strong, plate a, b, (shewn in detail in Figures 5 and 6,) fixed by
proper supports, and with a circular hole through which the. cylindrical part of
the rack moves, and this is made long enough to project a little beyond the plate
when the rack has made its stroke.,, cand care two pins with rollers,fixed
opposite each other, on the cylindrical part of the rack, and concentrically with
the circumference of the hole in the plate, and near to the hole are fixed two
inclined planes, d, e, in reverse, directions. The pins are to be so placed that
they will fall on the higher part of the inclined, planes, just as the last tooth
of the rack leaves the wheel, and the length of the (stroke, of the piston or
other medium of power, is to be: adjusted so that it will carry the rack,down
about 1 inch lower, and-in doing, so draw the pins down the inclined-planes,
which will turn the rack on its axis, so as to render it capable of being drawn
back without touching the wheel. When it has been drawn back, two other
pins placed above the ratchet to meet two other inclined planes on; the other or
ratchet side of the plate will bring the rack again into its former position
fronting the teeth of the wheel, and ready for another stroke. With a proper
construction of the teeth of the racks and of the wheel, it will hardly be
necessary for the, rack to turn on its axis:more than, or, perhaps, not so much
as, 45 To keep the rack steady in its stroke, friction rollers, as shewn in the
Figures 3 and 4, may be placed behind it, and if necessary a rib. of metal may
be fixed along the cylindrical part of the rack, and a notch,,may be cut in the
plate for the rib to run in. The rib must be so; regulated as to length that; it
shall have passed above or
plate, just before, the pins, begin to run
down the inclined plane. Another notch, may be made, in the plate in such a
position that it will receive the rib after deflection when the rack. moves in the
opposite direction:. Suitable appliances will of course be added for guiding the
rib with certainty into the notches
below the
I now come, to speak, of the force by which the rack is to be drawn back
after its stroke. Continuous. impulse with,two wheels and racks, in the same
manner as represented with respect to the clutch in the Figure 5, will
generally be requisite; but where a single, wheel and rack are used, the rack
(to prevent waste) may be drawn back by such a small cylinder O as before
spoken of, (the piston of this cylinder being attached to, the reverse-end of the
rack by a swivel joint.). The power required to draw back the rack, supposing
it to work vertically (and this remark also, applies to the clutch), will not; be
lost, but will be fully compensated for by, the weight of the rack (or, clutch.)
in its descending stroke... It is, evident, too, that the piston, of the cylinder O
will be working under conditions suitable for, effective reciprocating impulses,
and that the reverse, stroke of that piston may be used without, waste... For

page_text: the purpose of communicating continuous impulse; two wheels may be placed
at suitable distances on the same-shaft; each having its own rack and apparatus,
as before described with respect to the clutch in Figure 5; and then the racks
being connected by means of pulleys, as before spoken of with respect to
the clutches; the stroke of one piston and rack will draw back the 'other.
The racks, perhaps,. might also be connected by means of a beam and the
usual parallel motion apparatus; and in that case the pistons or other medium
of-power might be worked both ways, as the back stroke of each piston would
then carry back its own rack, and give additional power to the stroke of the
other rack.
.. 18+
t. It will sometimes happen that the rack in taking its stroke will not constantly
fall into gear, but will come in contact with a tooth of the wheel. To provide
against any derangement from this, I'propose to give the edges of the first tootli
of the rack a slightly curved shape, and also to round or slope off the edge of
that tooth and of every tooth of the wheel in the contrary or reverse direction:
By these means the tooth of the rack, if it comes into contact with the tooth
of the. wheel; will touch but on one point, and being properly lubricated will
immediately slip. over or under the tooth of the wheel, and bring the rack
into gear.
'
In railway engines and screw-steam vessels it might be attended witli-great.
advantage to place the racks. horizontally, as any reasonable 'length' might
then be given to the stroke by supporting the racks on the friction rollers, and
this arrangement would probably relieve the piston rod from the jar said to be
occasioned by the rack, though possibly the swivel joint alone will be sufficient
to prevent this.
'
Figure 7 represents another form of rack with its apparatus; the toothed
sector J being the rack, and. K being the deflecting planes, suitable guides
being provided.
'
As regards the reversing of the power, it seems best to place other cylinders
and clutches or cylinders and racks on the other sides of the wheels, as shewn
by the dotted lines L, Figure 5. These clutches and racks inay easily be kept
clear of the wheels till it becomes désirable to work them. By this arrange
ment, the clutches on the opposite sides of the wheel would balance each other,
so that the friction on the pullies would be very small. A reverse motion,
however, may be effected by simply reversing the action of the straight rack.
Let the plate through which the body of the rack moves be circular, and let it
be fixed so as to be capable of being turned centrically by a lever; let an up!
right stud be so fixed as to prevent the pins from running beyond the ends of
the inclined planes, and let weighted levers be placed in such a position as to

page_text: stop the pins from moving back up the planes. Now, if the rack having made
a stroke have become deflected on either side, and the circular plate be turned
by the lever, it will carry the rack back with it to the position it was in before
deflection, which was the position for a stroke. If the rack having been
drawn back after its stroke has become deflected for another stroke, a turn of
the circular plate will turn it again into the position for passing the wheel.
The action of the clutch may also be reversed by placing it between two
stops or barsa, x, Figure 7, both working on an axle and connected by the
toothed wheels y, y, actuated by a lever z, so that the placing, of one such stops
will displace the other. The Figure 7 sufficiently shews the operation of these
stops in reversing the action of the clutch. In cases where the motion of the
wheel is rapid, it may be necessary to check or stop it before reversing the
power. This may be almost instantaneously effected by means of a piston
and cylinder attached to a crank on the shaft, and so ordered as to work free,
and present no impediment when not required to be put in action.
I now come to a part of my Invention for obtaining motive power which
promises to lead to the substitution of atmospheric power for steam power,
and consequently to the permanent conversion of steam cylinders into air
cylinders.
The nature of that part of my Invention which relates to improvements in
machinery for obtaining motive power consists in providing means for obtaining
new motive power from the current expenditure of the propelling power. I
now proceed to shew in what manner this is to be carried into effect in the
propulsion of vessels and railway trains.
As to vessels, then, I propose to fix a pair of paddles with a heavy fly
wheel on the shaft in such manner that these paddles will be drawn by the
momentum of the vessel.against the water. If these paddles, which for dis-
tinction's sake I will call regenerating paddles, be suffered to turn without
impediment, they will acquire great speed and power when the vessel is well
under way without seriously obstructing the progress of the vessel. A screw
or other propeller used instead of the paddles, and impelled or drawn against
the water under the momentum of the vessel, would of course act in the
same manner, and it is only for the purpose of exemplification that I confine
myself to paddles.
In whatever part of the vessel the regenerating paddles are fixed, they will
be impelled by the water under the momentum of the vessel; but if the vessel
be propelled by paddles, the best position for them would seem to be a little
behind the propelling paddles, so as to meet the back-water thrown up by the
'propelling paddles.

page_text: By means of these regenerating paddles the force of the vessel's motion is
applied for the production of new motive power. For this purpose cranks
might be made in the shaft of the regenerating paddles, and pistons with
cylinders for the compression or exhaustion of air might be attached to
these cranks, the cylinders communicating with compressed air or vacuum
chambers. Under this construction it is plain that the compression or
exhaustion must be suspended, or the regenerating paddles suffered to work
free, and without the resistance and impediment which would be occasioned by
the compression or exhaustion, till the vessel has got well under way. The
power expended in getting the vessel under way would thus be lost, or at least
in no way replaced. Besides this, even supposing the compression or
exhaustion not to be commenced till the vessel has got under way, it is pro-
bable that it would be found to impede the action of the regenerating paddles
so much as sensibly to obstruct, and, perhaps, even to stop the progress of the
vessel. To meet these objections I propose a somewhat different construction;
that is, I form the fly wheel or another wheel on the regenerating paddle
shaft, as represented by the wheel A in Figure 8, which is a wheel with pro-
jections, say two, as c and d, and which projections are small sectors of a wheel
of a little larger diameter; I call the wheel A an impact wheel. Another
wheel B is fixed on another shaft which is cranked, and the compressing or
exhausting cylinders are attached to this shaft, and the shaft is so placed that
when the wheel A revolves, its projections shall impinge upon the wheel B, as
shewn in the Figure. Suppose the vessel to be put in motion, and suppose
the wheel B (which, as well as A, is to be of considerable weight), to be left
quite free to move under the impact of A, (that is, by leaving the pistons to
play freely in the cylinders by opening proper valves for that purpose), it is
plain that while the vessel is getting under way the regenerating paddles and
wheel A will have been communicating momentum to the wheel B, and which
will remain in it ready for use as soon as it may be proper to turn the proper
valves and commence the compression or exhaustion.
The preceding construction appears, firstly, to provide the means of creating.
and storing up in the wheel B momentum for replacing the power expended in
getting the vessel under way; secondly, it relieves the regenerating paddles
from anything like a permanent check; while, thirdly, it brings in the power
of impact to effect the compression or exhaustion; and considering the force
with which the impact would take place, and the shortness of its duration, the
loss of speed in the vessel would, it is apprehended, not be very considerable
compared with the power gained. It is true that effect is always proportionatė
to the means employed, and action and reaction are equally balanced, but it is_

page_text: not inconsistent with these truths that a child with the blow of a hammer
should be able to kill a giant or break an iron bar, or that by the aid of
impact a large amount of power may be generated with but little com-
parative loss of the vessel's speed, or but, little comparative drawback on the
propelling power... The wheel B and projections of A may be cogged if
found advisable, and if so, it will be proper to round off the teeth of the wheel;
and to curve the edge of the first tooth of the impact wheel in the manner
before spoken of with respect to the rack and wheel. It might be useful;
especially if the wheel B and projections of A are not cogged, to set the
wheel B so that the projections will barely pass it, and give the axle of Ba
little play backward in its bearings, but so that it may always have a tendency
to fall towards A.This will afford case for the projections to pass, and at the
same time, give the projections a better grip on the circumference of B.
As regards railway trains, if the. axle of the driving wheel, or of any of
the other. wheels; were cranked and furnished with compressing or exhausting
apparatus, perhaps after the train had. got into speed, the momentum would
almost be sufficient to supply the current expenditure of power; but not to
rely upon this, let the impact, machinery before mentioned be applied in this
way let the driving wheel or another wheel or wheels. (say as large as the
driving wheel generally is) have an impact wheel upon its axle or shaft, and
let this, impinge on a weighty fly wheel, the shaft.of which is furnished
with cranks and compressing or exhausting apparatus. "The compression
or exhaustion of course will not commence till the train has gained some
speed. While it is acquiring this speed the impact wheel will have been acting
upon and communicating power to the fly wheel, which now having a store of
power in it will be in a state to commence the compression or exhaustion.
It will be observed, that after the train has acquired a moderate speed the
compression or exhaustion-cylinders will be set to work, and they will continue
to do so all the while the train is progressing; and even after it has stopped,
the momentum of the fly wheel will continue to work .the cylinders for some
time, thus in some manner replacing the power expended in getting the train
into speed before the commencement-of-the regenerating-process:
Supernumerary cylinders may be placed on the regenerative shaft or shafts,
to be put in motion when necessary to stop the train in a short space; and by
proper management not only will the current expenditure of power be in great
measure, if not entirely, replaced, but the enormous amounts of momentum,
now. always wasted and thrown away every time a train is stopped, may be
saved and treasured up for use again on starting the train...
I have now explained the nature of my improvements in machinery for

page_text: obtaining motive power, and manner of carrying them into effect, as regards
their application to the propulsion of vessels and railway trains. There may
be other cases in which, as in the propulsion of carriages driven by steam or
other like power on common roads, this part of my Invention may be applied
by a similar combination of machinery.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what:
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the combination of machinery constituting the clutch application
of power, as herein-before explained, or represented in the Drawings annexed.
Second, the combination of machinery employed in applying power by
a deflecting rack, as herein-before explained, or shewn in the Drawings,
annexed.
Third, the combination of machinery employed in obtaining motive power
herein-before explained, or shewn in the Drawings annexed, as regards its
application to the propulsion of vessels and railway trains, and in all other
cases where a similar combination is applicable for the same purpose.
And, fourth, the mechanical apparatus herein-before explained, or repre-
sented in the annexed. Drawings, for applying power by impact to the circum-
ference of a wheel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Swinburne, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
SWINDLIDNE
CIVINDIIDNI
T. SW
(1.5.)