mprovements in Means for Converting Reciprocating or Rectilinear Motion into Rotary Motion, and vice versa.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
mprovements in Means for Converting Reciprocating or Rectilinear
Motion into Rotary Motion, and vice versa.
I, HUGH MCPILAIL, of Manygates House, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention is designed to enable reciprocating or rectilinear motions to he
converted into rotary motions, and vice versa, without interrupting the continuity
of the shaft to which the rotary motion is imparted or from which it is derived.
With the ordinary connecting rod and crank arrangement, a break is required
in the continuity of the crank shaft unless the crank be at the end of the shaft,
am enabled to
to allow the connecting rod to work. Now by my invention
place any desired number of cranks or their equivalents at different points along
a shaft without in any way interrupting the continuity of the latter.
To this end, instead of employing a connecting rod acting directly on the crank
suitable
pin, I employ a sliding block plate or frame, which may be guided in any
way, such sliding block or the like having a pair of slots or guides which cross
one another at right angles say, midway between their extremities. In other
words the slots cross at a point which corresponds to the centre of the throw of
the crank,
In one of these slots or guides I may provide a block which surrounds the
crank pin or its equivalent and is adapted to work to-and-fro in the said slot.
In the other slot or guide I may provide a similar block which encircles the
portion of the shaft between the cranks or the like which carry the crank pin or
its equivalent.
The arrangement is such that supposing the slots or guides to be respectively
vertical and horizontal, and that the block appertaining to the crank pin is situated
in the vertical slot, then the said block will during the revolution of the crank,
At the same time the block or frame in which
work up and down in the said slot.
the slots are formed works to-and-fro, and is permitted to accomodate itself to
this latter motion by the horizontal slot through which the crank shaft passes.
The said block may be connected to the piston of the engine or cylinder or
to any other reciprocating motion which is to drive the crank, or which is to be
driven by the crank.
In other words although the block has only a to-and-fro movement, the crank
pin is permitted to move in a circle, owing to its being situated in the vertical
slot.
The aforesaid blocks, if such be employed either around the crank pin or the
shaft, should be arranged to span the gap at the middle of each slot, where the
other slot crosses it.
It will be readily understood that any desired number of engines or cylinders
may be arranged to drive a common shaft without such shaft being in any way
weakened, although the driving takes place at points situated between the
domitios of the shaft.

page_text: Obviously my improved means of converting motion permits of avoiding dead
centres by arranging the cranks or their equivalents at different angles.
My improvements, when applied to a steam engine, enable the cylinder or
cylinders to be arranged closer up to the shaft than is possible with the ordinary
crank and connecting rod arrangements.
Moreover, more than one piston rod may if desired be arranged to act on such
a slotted block as that herein before referred to and the cylinders may be on
opposite sides of the shaft.
By this means there is great economy of space and a greater concentration of
power is obtained than is otherwise possible, without in any way weakening the
shaft to which such power is applied.
It will furthermore be obvious that my invention admits of a number of cylinders
or engines being arranged either singly or in rows at different angles around the
shaft. Thus a considerably greater number of cylinders can be applied to the
shaft than would be possible if these could only be arranged in one row side by
side as if ordinary cranks were employed.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Means for Converting Reciprocating or Rectilinear
Motion into Rotary Motion, and vice versa.
I, HUGH MCPHAIL, of: Manygates House, Wakefield, in the County of York,
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 improved means for converting reciprocating rectilinear
motion into continuous rotary motion, and vice versa.
In order to permit an ordinary connecting rod and crank arrangement to
properly work it is necessary, if the crank be not at the end of the crank shaft,
to provide a break in the continuity of the said shaft. Now, by my invention I
am enabled to place any desired number of cranks at different points along a
shaft without in any way interrupting its continuity.
To this end instead of employing a connecting rod acting directly on the crank
pin I employ a sliding plate, block or frame, having two slots or guides inter-
secting each other at right angles midway of their length. I provide in one
of these slots or guides a sliding block that surrounds the crank pin and in the
other slot or guide a similar block that encircles the portion of the shaft between
the webs of the crank. Each of these blocks is made of such a length as to
bridge over the gap existing in the said slots where they cross one another.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawing in which :-
:—
Figures 1 to 4 are sectional views taken transversely through the crank shaft
at a point immediately in front of the slotted sliding plate such views illustrating
four of the positions which the parts assume during the revolution of the crank
pin.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a face view of the slotted sliding plate shown separately.

page_text: Figure 7 is a face view of a modified form of the slotted sliding plate.
A is the sliding plate and B 131 are the slots formed therein. is the crank
shaft and I the crank. One of the slots B B is wider than the other to provide
for the greater diameter of the shaft C as compared with the crank pin D', but it
will be obvious that the relative diameters of the shaft and the crank pin will
vary according to the power required to be transmitted through them. The said
shaft C is provided with a rectangular block con which, as the plate A reciprocates
the side walls of the slot B slide; the crank pin D¹ is likewise provided with
rectangular block which slides in the slot B as the said plate A reciprocates
These rectangular blocks are made greater in length than the gap which exists
where the said slots cross one another, so that the blocks will bridge this gap
as the plate A reciprocates and will therefore be always firmly supported and be
smoothly guided from one part of the slot to the other. The length
of the block d is determined by the length of the stroke in rela-
tion to the diameter of the shaft C, and the width of the slots B and B¹
will obviously depend on the diameter of the shaft C and of the crank pin D¹.
The sliding plate illustrated in the drawings is intended to be connected with the
piston rod of a steam or other engine, and to work between fixed guide surfaces E E
as it is reciprocated by the rectilinear movements of the said rod. In Figure 1 the
piston is supposed to be at half stroke and moving from left to right, the block c
being at this time bridging the gap in the horizontal slot B while the block d
is situated at the upper end of the vertical slot B₁. As the piston continues its
movement in the same direction the plate moves further to the right, whereby the
left hand portion of its slot B is brought on to the block c and the block d is
caused to descend in the upper portion of the slot B' and impart a corresponding
angular movement to the crank as shewn at Figure 2. This movement of the
crank continues until the plate A, together with the piston, terminates its stroke
toward the right as shewn at Figure 3. The stroke of the piston is then reversed
and the plate A shifted toward the left whereby the crank is caused to continue
its movement in the same direction. On the completion of the stroke in this
direction the parts assume the position represented in Figure 4 when the stroke of
the piston is again reversed and the parts caused to assume the position represented
in Figure 1 as the revolution of the crank is completed. In Figures 1 to 4 the
arrows indicate the direction in which the various parts are supposed to be moving.
In Figure 7 I have shewn the contour of the sliding plate of rectilinear con-
figuration instead of curvilinear as in Figures 1 to 6, and in this figure the
said plate is intended to have two piston rods situated diametrically opposite each
other, with the working cylinders on opposite sides of the shaft C.
Although I have described the invention in connection with the conversion of
rectilinear reciprocating motion into continuous rotary motion, it will be obvious
that by driving the shaft C instead of the sliding plate A, continuous rotary
motion can be converted into rectilinear reciprocating motion.
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
claim is:-
A sliding plate formed with slots or guides substantially as described, in com-
bination with rectangular blocks carried respectively by the crank shaft and the
crank pin for the purpose specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
זזז
on or sum nanner