Improvements in Rotary Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1895
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, BÉLA VILMOS of Debreczen, Hungary, 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 rotary engines and it differs from other engines of the
same class in that the motive power acts with its full force directly and constantly
upon the vanes. In order to obtain this advantage the vanes, which are arranged
round a piston fitted concentrically within the cylinder and are curved to conform
with its periphery to which they are hinged or otherwise movably secured, are not
allowed, on the uncovering of the live steam port, to open at once to their full
extent. The vanes are, as the piston revolves, automatically closed down on the
piston by means of cycloidal projections arranged at suitable positions within the
cylinder, and, as the vanes can slide easily over these surfaces, very little friction
is created. Another important feature of my invention is that the vanes, when the
engine is working and they are opened, are prevented from being pressed backwards
by the fluid pressure any further than is necessary to euable them to work fluid
tight against the interior wall of the cylinder, by means of suitable projections ou
the piston.
In this manner the undue friction, common to rotary engines, arising
from the vanes being pressed hard against the walls of the cylinder with the full
pressure of the fluid, is obviated.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings showing two methods of carrying
out my invention.
Figs. 1 to 3 are interior side views and
Fig. 4 a vertical section of the engine as constructed under one arrangement.
Fig. 5 is an interior side view of the other arrangement.
In the side views the cover of the cylinder is removed and in the view Fig. 3 the
whole interior mechanism is removed whilst in the view Fig. 2 the outer disc a ia
removed so as to show the intermediate disc a'.
These arrangements are specially designed for being driven by steam power.
The piston consists, as shown at Fig. 4, of three discs a, a', a', rigidly connected
together and mounted on the driving shaft b located at the centre of the cylinder c.
This cylinder, which has base plates or ribs e fituing into corresponding cavities in
the bed d, is secured to the bed by means of plates d' and screws. Through the
three discs a, a, a, a bolt e is passed parallel to the shaft b, upon which the
vane is pivotted or hinged. As shown, the vane f is so curved in the direction
of the radius of the piston as to lie when closed, within a corresponding recess 7
made in its periphery. The central disc a' is provided, as shown at Fig. 2, with
a port g which extends from its periphery inwards and communicates with the
passage g. The two outer discs a, a' have also passages g³, corresponding to the
passage g formed for them at a distance from the axis of the driving shaft equal
to the mean radius of the arc grooves, which latter are cut in the inner surface
of the two side cover plates of the cylinder. These grooves, which are in length
about of the full circumference of the piston, communicate at one end with the
steam pipe (see Figs. 3 and 4).
Now, assuming that the piston has such a position that the ports communicate
with the grooves h, the steam flows, after the pipe has been opened, to the
grooves h and thence through the ports g² and g' to the back of the vane against
which it presses lifting it up and setting the piston in rotation in the direction
PD

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indicated by the arrow (Figs. 1 and 2). As soon as, in the course of the rotation,
the ports g have moved along the whole length of the grooves and cease to be
connected therewith further admission of steam is stopped and its expansion com-
mences. As the piston continues to rotate the outer end of the vane comes finally
into contact with the projection i, arranged in a suitable situation, as shown, and
up the surface of which it ascends, and, as a consequence, is closed down flush
with the periphery of the piston. It will be seen that the inclined cycloidal
surface springs direct from the inner surface of the cylinder and rises to the
point which is in steam tight contact with the piston and that the surface ³ forms
a uniform declining curve back to the inner circumference of the cylinder. Before,
however, the inner end of the vane has passed the apex of the projection & the
open port has been freed as it has passed over the apex c, so that the exhaust
steam escapes, through this port to passages l¹ (see Fig. 1) in the discs a, a, in
communication with the circular grooves 12 formed in the cover plates of the
cylinder and along which the steam finally escapes to the exhaust pipes m. After
the vane is closed down in its recess in the piston and its outer end has passed the
apex of the projection i, the communication for live steam is again opened by the
ports, grooves, and steam pipes, and the steam acts again on the vane and
causes it to glide down the curved surface at the bottom of which it is fully
opened and has the full force of the live steam exerted on it. The stop piece k
prevents the vane being, under the steam pressure, opened any further than is
absolutely necessary to ensure it working fluid tight against the wall of the
cylinder.
In the construction shown at Fig. 5 three vanes f, f', f' are shown as attached
to the piston, whilst two projections i, i, are fitted in the cylinder. With this
arrangement one vane is always under full steam pressure whilst the second one is
at the dead centre and the third works under expansion.
In both modifications of the rotary engine the steam admission can be made
variable by merely providing a contrivance such as a slide valve on both sides of the
cylinder by means of which the grooves in the covers can be shortened or
lengthened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is :-
-
1. A rotary engine having a rotating piston fitted concentrically within the
cylinder provided with one or more vanes curved to correspond to the shape of the
piston and which are at certain times closed down into recesses in its periphery by
means of projecting pieces i fitted to the inner wall of the cylinder substantially as
herein before described with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. In an engine of the construction claimed in Claim 1 a projecting piece i made
with an inclined cycloidal surface at one side, and a curved declining surface
at the other side substantially as, and for the purposes herein before set forth.
3. The combination with the piston and the vanes of stops k for preventing the vanes
being opened out too far, substantially as herein before described with reference to
the drawings annexed.
Dated this 8th day of August 1895.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.