AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE, AND APPLICATION THEREOF, WITH OR WITHOUT OTHER MACHINERY, TO USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1816

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TURNER, of Layton, in the County of York, Mechanic, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of April, in the fifty-sixth year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Turner, my exors, adiňors, and
assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I,
the said Joseph Turner, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE, AND APPLICATION THEREOF, WITH OR
WITHOUT OTHER MACHINERY, TO USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Joseph Turner, under my
hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Turner, do hereby declare that my Invention of an improved Rotary
Engine, and Application thereof, with or without other Machinery, to Useful
Purposes, is described in the manner following, viz. :-

page_text: My improved rotary engine is for the purpose of obtaining a mechanical
force or power, with a continuous rotative motion, from the expansive force of
steam, or from the hydrostatical pressure of a descending column of water or
otherwise. I employ my said rotary engine for the purpose of raising water,
or other fluids, by the application of some mechanical force or power to turn
the engine with a rotary motion. In the first case, my improved rotary engine
will effect the same purposes as a steam engine; but the steam is made to
produce a continuous rotary, motion, instead of a reciprocating motion, which
rotary motion may be applied to all the useful purposes to which steam engines
have or may be applied; and such application of my improved rotary engine
may be made either with or without a crank-and fly wheel, or other equivalent
machinery, in consequence of its motion being continuous and regular. In
the same manner, when my improved rotary engine is employed for raising
water, it will answer all the purposes of a double or forcing and lifting pump;
but in consequence of its rotary motion it may, be applied to all such purposes
without the cranks, levers, or other equivalent machinery which are necessary
to give motion to reciprocating pumps:
The form and manner of constructing my said engine is explained by the
Drawings 'hereunto annexed; in which Figure 1 is a plan of the engine repre-
sented as if opened to shew the internal structure. Figure 2 is another plan.
Figures 3 and 4 are sections taken through the axis of the engine in
different directions, to shew the internal parts. A, A, B, B, C, C, is the
cylinder or external case of the engine, made in two or more parts, which
are fastened together with screws so as to form a circular or annular passage,
the transverse section of which is likewise circular, as shewn at E, E, in
Figures 3 and 4. The piston F, Figure 1, is accurately fitted into this
circular passage, and is caused to revolve therein by the action of steam which
is applied behind it, or on the side F, while a vacuum is made before it, or
on the side G. The piston being connected with a central plate G; which
is fixed fast upon the axis or shaft H, the said shaft is put in motion, and by
wheel-work I, (or other machinery which is best adapted to the purpose.), the
power of the engine is communicated to any useful purpose to which it is
intended to be applied. The means by which this force of the steam is made
to produce the rotary motion are as follows: Two valves or sliders, K and L,
are applied at opposite sides of the annular passage or cylinder E, E,, in the
manner represented in Figures 1 and 3, so that they can be made to shut up
the circular opening of the cylinder E, E, as shewn at L, and prevent the
passage of the steam through the same, or.the.slider may be opened as shewn
by the dotted lines to allow the piston F to pass freely through the cylinder.

page_text: This is done by moving the slider sideways on its center 3, out of the cylinder
into the box or case M, which is provided for its reception. The sliders K
and L are put in motion by a communication from the outside of the engine,
so that each one shall begin to open as soon as the piston F approaches it,
and shall be completely opened while the piston passes by, and that it shall
then descend again to its seat and stop up the cylinder. N, O, Figures 1 and
4, are two passages through each of which the steam is alternately introduced
and withdrawn from the cylinder. These two passages are placed at opposite
sides of the center of the engine, and are provided with valves or cocks which
are adapted to be opened or shut by the action of the machinery alternately,
that is to say, when the steam is entering from the boiler into the cylinder
at one passage it shall be going out to the open air or to the condenser at their
opposite passage. The machinery which actuates the sliders K, L, and the
machinery which opens the valves for the admission and exhaustion of the
steam through the passage N and O, act in concert with each other, and
also with the motion of the piston F, so that as soon as possible after the
piston has passed by the seat of a slider, the same shall be lowered down into
its place ready to close the passage of the cylinder behind the piston; also that the
instant the piston has passed by the opening nearest to the slider, so lowered
down, the steam shall be admitted to flow through the said opening and act
between the slider (which was last lowered down) and the pistern to urge the
same forward in the cylinder by its expansive force. To explain the action of
the engine more clearly, suppose the parts in the situation of the figures, the
slider L is shut, and the steam is flowing thro' the passage O into the
open space between the slider L. and the piston F; at the same time the
sage N is open to the condenser to exhaust the steam from the remaining part
of the cylinder, and remove the pressure from the front side G of the piston.
In consequence, the pressure of the steam acting behind the piston on the side
F, puts the same in motion in direction of the arrow, and drives the arm G of
the central plate before it. The slider K is represented in the act of opening,
and by the time the projecting part of the plate G will arrive at the slider it
will be quite opened, into the box, where it will remain until the piston F will
have passed by its seat. The said slider K then begins to descend, and by the
time the piston has arrived at the opening N the slider K will be completely
shut, and stop the cylinder. The instant the piston has passed over the opening
N the steam valves must be changed by the machinery, so as to admit the steam
into the passage N behind the piston, and also to allow the steam to pass away
thro' the other passage O to the condenser. In consequence of the shutting of
the slider K the steam cannot escape backwards in that direction, and it there-
pas-

page_text: fore drives the piston still forwards towards the slider L, which begins to rise
by the action of the machinery, and also as soon as the projecting part G of
the central plate approach's it it will have retreated into the box M, leaving
the cylinder free for the passage of the piston. Immediately after the
piston has passed, the slider L will descend again, and will be settled to its
place by the time the piston will arrive at the opening O, and the instant the
piston will have passed over this opening the steam valves must be changed
again, so that the steam will be admitted at O behind the piston, and act
between the slider L and the back of the piston to force it forwards, which is
the same position represented in the Figure. By this means the pressure of
the steam is always made to act behind the piston, and the vacuum is made
before the same, the reaction to the pressure being made by the stoppage of the
cylinder alternately at L and K. The sliders K and L are put in motion by
levers 9 and 10, Figure 3, which are fitted upon the outsides of the boxes M,
but move upon the same center pins 3. As the sliders move upon withinside the
boxes, the levers 9 and 10 being forked, as shewn at Figure 5, they reach on
both sides of the boxes, and the center pins 3 pass thro' the sides of the
boxes, and also thro' both forks of the levers 9 and 10, but do not turn round
in the holes of the boxes. To communicate motion from the levers 9 and 10
at the outside of the boxes to the sliders and K and L withinside, the curved
rods 11, 11, are carried from the levers 10, thro' openings in the sides of the
boxes M, and are jointed to the arms of the sliders K. and L; packings of
hemp are placed round the rods 11 to make tight fittings, where they pass thro
the sides of the boxes M. The ends of the levers 9 and 10 are made round
to be included in an excentric groove or rim, Y and Z, which is fixed to the
central axis H; the form of this is shown in Figure 2, and is such as to hold
the sliders K, L, shut, except during the time that it is necessary to lift up the
same to allow the piston to pass by. To make the sliders fit steam-tight when
they are shut they are made rather larger than the diameter of the cylinder,
and are received in grooves made in the inside thereof, and the sliders are
ground against one of the faces of each of these grooves, so that they will fit
tight without any packing. The central axis H passes through a stuffing box
at C, C, in the upper half of the cylinder to prevent the escape of the steam,
and the lower end of the axis works in a steel socket, which can be
adjusted by a screw. The piston F is made of several segments put
together with springs behind them to throw them out against the inside
surface of the cylinder, and it is thus made tight without any packing.
The edge of the central plate G, which has the projecting arm to commu-
nicate with the piston, must be made to fit tight between the upper and lower

page_text: halves C, C, which compose the cylinder, so as to prevent the escape of the
steam between them, and at the same time to leave the said plate at liberty to
revolve freely in the space; for this purpose the circular part of the edge of the
plate is surrounded with two rings of brass 5 and 6, which are laid one upon
the other with springs between them so as to throw them against the upper
and lower surfaces of the central space to which they are accurately fitted by
grinding.
These rings extend round the plate G more than half the circumference
thereof, and are attached to it by a joint pin at 8, Fig. 1, which causes the said
rings to revolve with it, but they require no other fastening, as the pressure of
the steam will keep them in their places. To prevent the escape of the steam
through the opening or division between the two rings 5 and 6, a third ring 7
is fitted to them to cover the joints, and the external edge of this, which is
made round or semi-circular, like a bend, is received into corresponding notches
made in a piece of steel fastened into the edges of the sliders L and K, when
the same are closed as at L, and this makes a close fitting between the
said slides and the edge of the moveable centrall plate G. The valves which
are to admit the steam into the passages N, O, and convey the same away
alternately, may be constructed in the same manner as the valves for the alter-
nate supply of the upper and lower part of the cylinder of any common steam
engine. A convenient manner of constructing these valves is shewn in Figure 4.
Q, Q, is an iron box into which the steam from the boiler is admitted by a pipe
introduced at any convenient part of the same, it is fixed beneath the cylinder
of the engine, and it communicates with the two openings N, O, within the
same, by passages which are shewn by the dotted lines, and which descend
behind the box Q and turn into the same at two openings 17 and 18; there
are also two other openings, 19 and 20, within the box, which pass behind the
same and turn downwards to the condenser S. T, V, are boxes or cups fixed
at the opposite ends of a lever T, W, V, of which W is the centre of motion;
the boxes or cups are intended to cover and occasionally to make a communi-
cation between the openings 17 and 19, or 18 and 20, in the manner represented
in the Figure, and the faces or edges of the boxes T, V, are ground to fit closc
upon the flat plate or surface in which the opening 17, 19, and 18, 20, are
made; when the box T is up, as in the Figure, it covers the two openings 17
and 19 so as to connect them, and therefore the steam in the cylinder will be
drawn off through N, 17 and 19, to the condenser, at the same time the box V
at the opposite end of the lever is down, and in this position the box V only
cover the opening 20 to the condenser, and leaves the opening 18 uncovered,
so that the steam with which the box Q, Q, is filled will have free passage into,

page_text: the cylinder through 18 O; by moving the lever T and V on its centre W
sufficiently to raise up the box V and depress the other box T, the action will
be exactly 'reversed, viz, the box V will connect the openings 18 and 20, so
as to open a passage from tlie cylinder at O to the condenser, also the opening
17 will be uncovered so as to admit the steam from the box Q, through it into
the cylinder at the N. The alternate motion of the boxes is effected by
machinery similar to that used in other steam engines for the purpose of
moving the valve, such as excentric movements or otherwise; but in whatever
way this is done the change of the valves must be made to take place at the
instant when the piston passes over the openings 'N or O, and in such manner
as to admit the steam through that opening, which the piston will leave behind
it by its motion, and also to draw off the steam through that opening towards
which the piston is 'advancing. My improved rotary engine may be worked by
the expansive force of steam alone, and in that case the condenser may be
omited and the steam be allowed to escape to the open air, but I prefer cm-
ploying a condenser of the form represented in Fig. 4. The air pump is not
represented in the Drawing, but it may be applied to the engine in any of the
ways employed in other steam engines, and it may be put in motion by a crank
upon the axis of the upper wheel I, or by a beam, or in any other way which is
found most convenient in the situation in which the engine is placed; the same
of the boiler; but as I do not make claim to the invention of any such parts,
and as they are well known to all makers of engines, it is not necessary to
describe them more minutely.
air
pump,
Figures 6 and 7 represent a mode of working the hot water pump which
A is the rod of the
supplies the boiler of my said rotary engine with water.
D, E, F,
which has a pin or stud B projecting out sideways from it.
is the lever of the hot water pump G, whereof the end D is raised up by
the stud B every time the rod A of the pump makes its upstroke; this motion
depresses the force of the pump G and injects water into the boiler every time.
The end D of the lever is leaded with a sufficient weight to raise up the force
of the pump, but the quantity which the pump shall thus inject is regulated by
the following means:-A rack H with several notches is applied over the beam
E, F, and fixed upon a stem I, which moves upon a centre so as to prevent
the force of the pump being raised up in its barrel by the action of the weight,
except to a certain height, and this height can be regulated at pleasure by
causing the rack H to approach nearer to or recede further from the beam
E, F, in which cases notches at different heights will present themselves, as
shewn in Figure 7. The necessary motion is given to the rack H by a rod,
which, by means of a bell crank K, is connected with the wire L of the float

page_text: which rest on the surface of the water in the boiler. By this means, if the
water in the boiler stands at its full height, the rack H is moved so near to the
bean E that the lowest notch thereof catches the lever, and scarcely allows
the forcer of the pump G to rise at all above the point to which it is de-
pressed at every stroke of the rod A by the action of the stud B, eleva-
ting the opposite end D of the lever. But as the water in the boiler subsides
and the float siuks, it draws the rack further from the beam and allows the end
D to descend a certain distance every time, so as to regulate the length of the
stroke of the pump, that it will throw into the boiler as much water as the
consumption requires.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixteen.