IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry James Hogg King, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES.”
Sealed the 26th September 1871, and dated the 28th March 1871:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry James Hogg
King at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th March 1871.
I, HENRY JAMES HOGG KING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do liereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention relates to motive-power engines to be worked by steam
or other elastic fluid, and has principally for its objects great simplicity
) and economy in construction and working.
In carrying out the Invention according to one modification a cylinder
is employed with a piston having comparatively deep flanges, and with

page_text: two inlets for steam and two outlets for exhaust; but these inlets and
outlets are nearer to the middle of the cylinder's length than to the ends.
The piston flanges are formed with two ports, one on each side of the
piston body, and when the piston is at one end of its stroke the port
nearest that end is in a position to admit steam into the space within the
flanges at that side of the piston. The expansion of the steam in this
space forces the piston towards the other end, the steam being imme-
diately cut off by the piston port passing away from the steam inlet.
On the piston reaching the other end the other piston port comes in its
turn into a position for admitting steam to the space at the corres-
ponding side of the piston, which forces the piston back, and is cut off
in its turn. As the piston reaches either end of its stroke the other edge
of its flange uncovers one of the exhaust ports, and a large portion of
the steam escapes; but this port is closed very soon after the piston
begins to return, and the remaining steam becomes compressed, so that
less fresh steam will be required to make up the pressure for the next
stroke. It is a feature of the improved construction that there is a
space at each side of the piston which is never closed up by the piston's
stroke, the engine being worked by the expansion of the steam admitted
at once into such space at the beginning of each stroke; and instead
of such spaces being formed in the piston by making that part with
deep flanges they may be formed in connection with the cylinder. The
motive power developed is transmitted, as in existing reciprocatory
cylinder steam engines, by a piston rod or rods to a revolving crank, or
to any reciprocating detail which it is wished to work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry James Hogg King in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JAMES HOGG KING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the

page_text: thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry James Hogg King,
Her special licence that I, the said Henry James Hogg King,. my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry James Hogg King, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry James Hogg King,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry James Hogg King, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to motive-power engines to be worked by
steam or other elastic fluid, and has principally for its objects great
simplicity and economy in construction and working.
In carrying out my said Invention according to one modification a
cylinder is employed with a piston having comparatively deep flanges,
and with two inlets for steam and two outlets for exhaust; but these
inlets and outlets are nearer to the middle of the cylinder's length than
the ends. The piston flanges are formed with two ports, one on each
side of the piston body, and when the piston is at one end of its stroke
the piston port nearest that end is in a position to admit steam into
the space within the flanges at that side of the piston. On the piston
reaching the other end the other piston port comes in its turn into a
position for admitting steam to the space at the corresponding side of
the piston, whilst as the piston reaches either end of its stroke the other
edge of its flange uncovers one of the exhaust ports.

page_text: In a second modification, which gives an equivalent action with the
same results, but with a preferable and more convenient disposition of
the parts, the cylinder is formed with a single inlet port and with a
single outlet port, whilst the elongated or deeply flanged piston is formed
with four ports, two of them having passages crossing each other, and
leading respectively to the opposite internal end spaces of the piston.
In a third modification a simple self-acting valve and passages
are added in the body of the piston to obtain a longer continued
cxhaust.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
two modifications of my improved motive-power engine. The same
reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever
they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged
transverse, vertical, and longitudinal vertical sections. In this example
my improvements are shown as applied to a horizontal cylinder
steam engine 1, but they are equally suitable for vertical or inclined
engines. The motive-power developed by the engine is transmitted:
as in ordinary reciprocatory steam engines by a piston 2, piston rod 3,
and connecting rod 4, to a revolving crank 5, or to any reciprocating
detail which it is wished to work, the revolving crank shaft where used
with a single cylinder being fitted as usual with a fly wheel 6. The
piston 2 is formed with elongated or deep cylindrical flanges 7, 8, and 1
with internal spaces 9, 10, open to each end of the cylinder, but of
course separated from each other by the body or diaphragm 2. It is
a feature of my improved construction that there is a space 9, 10, at
each side of the piston 2 which is never closed up by the piston's stroke,
the engine being worked by the expansion of the steam admitted at a
once into such space at the beginning of each stroke, and instead of
such spaces being formed in the piston by making it with deep
flanges 7, 8, they may be formed in connection with the cylinder.
Or the spaces 9, 10, in the piston may be supplemented by spaces 11, 12,
formed as shown in the ends of the cylinder 1.
4
In the modification- shown--in Figures 2 and 3, there is a single
port 13 in the middle of the cylinder's length for admitting steam

page_text: whilst a single port 14 on the opposite side is provided for the exhaust.
The piston is formed with four ports 15, 16, 17, 18, the inlet ports 15, 16,
leading by passages crossing each other to the opposite spaces 10, 9,
respectively. In Figure 3 the piston is shown at one end of its stroke
and the steam has access by the port 15 to the space 10, 12, at one
end, whilst the space 9, 11, at the other end is in communication with
the exhaust 14 by the piston port 17. Very soon after the piston begins
to move to the right the piston port 15 passes away from the inlet
port 13, so as to cut off the steam, and the remainder of the stroke
is performed by the expansion of the steam. On the piston almost
reaching the end of its stroke the piston port 16 goes into communication
with the inlet port 13, and admits steam into the right hand end
space 9, 11, of the cylinder, but the steam having this space to fill and
the momentum of the piston to overcome does not prevent the piston
from reaching the end of its stroke so as to effect the "turning over
the centre" which brings the parts into the proper positions for the
performance of the return stroke, the space 10, 12, at the left hand
end being then in communication with the exhaust 14, by the piston
port 18. The piston ports 17, 18, are necessarily proportioned so as
to stop the exhaust early in the stroke, otherwise they would cause
the exhaust to commence too soon during the steam stroke. Some
steam is consequently retained and becomes compressed by the return
stroke, so that less fresh steam will be required for the following stroke.
It may however be preferable with a given size of cylinder to use more
steam and so develop more power by exhausting the steam more
completely at each stroke, which may be done by modifying the piston
in the manner shown in Figure 4. An opening is made through the
piston body 2, and is provided with two conical valves 19, 20, connected
together so that when one is shut by the steam it opens the other.
A port 21 in the side of the piston communicates with the valved
openings, and with the cylinder exhaust port 14 after the movement of
the piston has carried the port 17 or 18 away from it, and with this
arrangement the exhaust will continue until near the end of each
stroke. The parts are otherwise the same as those shown in Figure 3.
The piston may be made with or without packing rings according to
circumstances.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner

page_text: restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the constructing of motive-power engines in the improved manner
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said. Henry James Hogg King, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
H. J. H. KING. (L.S.)