Improvements in Starting Gears for Compound Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starting Gears for Compound Engines.
I, ROBERT LINDNER of 58, Aüssere Dresdener Strasse, Chemnitz Germany 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:
The object of my invention is to be able to start a compound engine at any position
of the high pressure piston, for as it is well known when the high pressure piston is
within a certain distance of the cylinder ends and both ports closed by the steam
valve the engine will not start. In order to get over this drawback, I fit a pipe fitted
with a cock or valve leading from the high pressure steam pipe to the high pressure
exhaust pipe which is the low pressure cylinder steam pipe and by opening this valve
I admit steam direct into the low pressure cylinder, and as the cranks of all compound
steam engines are placed one in advance of the other they are never in such a position
at the same time that their slide valves cover both ports of both cylinders, so that if
steam can not be admitted to the high pressure piston it can be admitted to the low
pressure one and so start the engine, when after a couple of revolutions the valve can
be shut off.
In order to make my invention more clear I refer to the accompanying drawing
which forms part of this specification and in which similar letters denote similar parts
throughout the different figures.
Fig. 1 shows my invention as fitted to a compound locomotive and as seen from
the top.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale of a locomotive fitted with my improve-
meni.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the steam valve or cock for admitting high pressure
steam into the low pressure cylinder steam pipe direct from the main steam pipe.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the line a ẞ fig. 3.
Figs. 5 & 6 are sections of the high pressure slide valve.
bb
Steam is admitted to the high pressure cylinder B' from the boiler A' through the
steam pipe a and exhausts into the low pressure cylinder C1 through the
pipe
which at the same time serves as a receiver; the steam after being expanded in the
low pressure cylinder C' exhausts through the pipe c either into a condensor or into
the air as the case may be.

page_text: It is necessary, especially in locomotives in starting the engine, that steam of a
reduced pressure direct from the boiler be admitted to the low pressure cylinder,
should start the engine, when the high pressure crank is in or near the dead point, as
the pistons are generally placed the distance of half a stroke from each other.
The high pressure slide valve D' is provided with ports pq on the exhaust side
(figs. 5 & 6) in order to relieve the high pressure piston from unequal strain as the
steam from the low pressure cylinder has admission to both sides of the piston.
The lever g of plug d in the cock V₁ is connected to the reversing lever / by a
rod k; by the full throw of the reversing lever from full forward to full buck the
lever g is moved through an angle of 90° so that when the lever is in the forward
position the port m is in communication with the steam way and when in the back-
ward position the port n is in communication with the same.
The ports p and q in the slide valve D' place the exhaust port r in communication
with the two steam ports s and v as soon as the valve D shuts off. The bar z is either
equal to or greater than the breadth of the ports (figs. 6) so that steam can not pass
from the valve chest into the exhaust port but allows of steam passing from the
exhaust port into the back and front side of the cylinder.
In starting the engine the reversing lever
as is generally the practice, is thrown
full over and at the same time the valve V₁ opened to the low pressure steam pipe b
and to the exhaust port r of the high pressure cylinder B¹.
The steam enters the low-pressure steam chest through the pipe band at the same
time has admission to both sides of the high pressure piston through the ports p
and 9.
As soon as the engine has been started the links are "notched up," that is to say
the reversing lever is moved backwards again a, little, in order to regulate the cut
off of the steam entering the cylinders or in other words to work with expansion.
By this "notching up" or slight movement backwards, or forwards as the case may,
according as the Locomotive is running backwards or forwards, the valvo V₁ is
closed.
As will be seen from the drawing (Figs. 3 & 4) the valve V₁ is only open when
the reversing lever is in one of its two extreme positions, so that it only needs to be
a very little distance out of the extreme position in order to close the valve. As it
happens very seldom indeed that the locomotive runs at full-steam, that is to say
with the cut off at its latest position or immediately before the end of the stroke, the
valve V¹ will be nearly always closed during the running of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what I
claim is :
1) In starting gears for compound the slide valvo D with the ports p and q on the
exhaust side of the same, fitted to the high pressure cylinder in combination with a
high pressure cylinder B and low pressure cylinder Ŭ and a receiver pipe 6 fitted
with a suitable valve and connection leading from the steam pipe a substantially and
for the purpose as described.
2) In starting gears for compound engines, the combination of the valve D
cylinders B and C valve VI with plug d, having the ports m and n at right angles to
each other, lever g and rod k connecting the said lever
the pipe b substantially and for the purpose as described.
to the reversing lever h, and
g
Dated this 11th day of February 1880
By A. KUHNT & R. DEISSLER,
38, Alexander Strasse, Berlin C., Germany,
Agents for the Applicant.