IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles John Galloway and John Henry Beckwith
both of Manchester in the County of Lancaster for an Invention
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND STEAM ENGINES."
of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles John Galloway
and John Henry Beckwith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 4th August 1882.
CHARLES JOHN GALLOWAY and JOHN HENRY BECKWITH both of Manchester
in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND STEAM ENGINES"
Our invention relates to an arrangement and construction of compound steam
engines whereby we are enabled to make them in a simple compact and com-
paratively inexpensive form. For this purpose we employ a shaft with a single
crank to which are connected by connecting rods the pistons of both the high
and the low pressure cylinder. The low pressure cylinder is placed horizontally
and the high pressure cylinder is placed close above it inclined downwards towards
the front so that its axis passes through the axis of the crank shaft. The
connecting rods are linked to guided slippers attached to the piston rods respec-
tively. For determining the admission and emission of steam we arrange the
slides as follows. At the side of the low pressure cylinder we fit a slide which has
a central cavity for the exhaust of the low pressure cylinder and two end cavities
for supply of the low pressure cylinder with steam from the high pressure cylinder
admitted to these cavities as we will presently describe. This slide governs the
ports of the low pressure cylinder in the usual way and when it is desired to
shorten these ports the slide may be extended in length or divided into two
separate slides connected on one rod. The upper face of the slide governs ports
communicating with the ends of the high pressure cylinder. For the supply of the
high pressure cylinder we employ a separate slide arranged above the low pressure
slide, this slide being capable of having its stroke varied so as to cut off sooner or
later the admission of steam to the high pressure cylinder. The steam admitted
by this slide to one end of the high pressure cylinder after performing work therein
Dies /1

page_text: returns therefrom by one of the ports above the low pressure slide and passes into
the end cavities of the low pressure slide, by one of which it is put in communi-
cation with the opposite end of the low pressure cylinder. After expanding
therein it returns to the central cavity of the low pressure slide by which it is put
in communication with the exhaust leading to the outlet or condenser. By a
similar series of movements steam is supplied to the other end of the high
pressure cylinder and after finally expanding at the opposite end of the low
pressure cylinder finds its way to the outlet.
In some cases when variation of cut off is not required, we dispense with the
separate slide for supply of the high pressure steam, arranging the ports so as to be
governed by the upper face of the low pressure slide.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles John Galloway and John Henry Beckwith in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th January 1883.
CHARLES JOHN GALLOWAY and JOHN HENRY BECKWITH, both of Manchester
in the county of Lancaster. " IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND STEAM ENGINES "
Our invention relates to an arrangement and construction of compound steam
engines whereby we are enabled to make them in a simple compact and comparatively
inexpensive form. For this purpose, we employ a shaft with a single crank to
which are connected by connecting rods the pistons of both the low and the high
pressure cylinders. The low pressure cylinder is placed horizontally and the high
pressure cylinder is placed close above it, inclined downwards towards the front so
that its axis passes through the axis of the crank shaft. The connecting rods are
linked to guided slippers attached to the piston rods respectively. For determining
the admission and emission of steam we arrange the slides as follows. At the side
of the low pressure cylinder we fit a slide which has a central cavity for the
exhaust of the low pressure cylinder and two end cavities for supply of the low
pressure cylinder with steam from the high pressure cylinder, admitted to these
cavities as we will presently describe. This slide governs the ports of the low
pressure cylinder in the usual way, and when it is desired to shorten the passages
from the ports, the slide may be extended in length or divided into two separate slides
connected on one rod. The upper face of the slide governs ports communicating
with the ends of the high pressure cylinder. We employ a separate slide arranged
above the low pressure slide, this slide being capable of having its stroke varied so
as to cut off sooner or later the admission of steam to the high pressure cylinder.
The steam admitted by this slide to one end of the high pressure cylinder, after
performing work therein, returns therefrom by one of the ports above the low
pressure slide and passes into the end cavities of the low pressure slide, by one of
which it is put in communication with the opposite end of the low pressure
cylinder. After expanding therein, it returns to the central cavity of the low
pressure slide by which it is put in communication with the exhaust leading to the
outlet or condenser. By a similar series of movements, steam is supplied to the
other end of the high pressure cylinder and after finally expanding at the opposite
end of the low pressure cylinder finds its way to the outlet.
In some cases, when variation of cut off is not required, we dispense with the
separate slide for supply of the high pressure steam, arranging the ports so as to be
governed by the upper face of the low pressure slide.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a side view and fig. 2 a plan shewing the arrangement of the cylinders of
a compound engine according to our invention, Fig. 3 is a view of the opposite side
of the cylinders, with the slide covers removed, Fig. 4 is a transverse section
through the cylinders, Fig 5 is a sectional plan through the low pressure cylinder
and slide and fig. 6 is a plan partly in section through the high pressure slide;
Fig 7 is a vertical longitudinal section and fig S is a plan of the low pressure
slide. The low pressure cylinder A is horizontal, and the high pressure cylinder B
is placed above it at an inclination so that the axes of the two cylinders, if
prolonged, would meet at the centre of the shaft C. The piston rods of both
cylinders are linked by connecting rods to one crank on the shaft C, the piston rod
of A being guided in the usual way by a slipper on a horizontal guide at a on the
frame below and the piston rod of B being guided by a slipper on an inclined guide
b above. The low pressure slide D which is worked in the usual way by an
eccentric, has a central port and cavity d, by which each of the cylinder ports lis

page_text: alternately put in communication with the exhaust passage E. It has also on its
upper side a port and cavity d¹ communicating with two side cavities and ports d²
by which the steam supply passes alternately to the cylinder ports 11. The top of
the slide D travels along the under surface of a facing in which there are two
ports communicating respectively by passages with the opposite ends of the
high pressure cylinder B, and these passages have also lateral supply ports f. f.
governed by the high pressure slide F, which may be worked by an eccentric or by
any known expansion gear. Thus the two ends of the cylinder B are by means of
the slide F alternately supplied with steam which, after working in B, is discharged
as exhaust alternately through the ports h governed by the slide D into the
cavities d² of that slide alternately, and from these it passes by the ports 7 2
alternately to the two ends of the cylinder A, whence, after performing work by
expansion, it passes away by the exhaust passage E.
Having thus described the nature of our invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, we hereby declare that we make no general claim to the
arrangement of two cylinders so that their axes converge towards the centre of the
shaft, or to the connection of their piston-rods to one and the same crank on the
shaft, but we claim in respect of engines having their cylinders so arranged:
The construction and use of the low pressure slide with its upper, middle and
lateral cavities and their ports, in combination with the high pressure exhaust
ports governed by the upper face of the slide, and the ports of the low pressure
cylinder governed by the side face of the slide, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
In Witness whereof, We the said Charles John Galloway and John Henry
Beckwith, have hereunto set our hands and seals this twenty seventh day of
January, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred and eighty-
three
CHARLES JOHN GALLOWAY (L.S.)
JOHN HENRY BECKWITH
(L.S.)