A NEW OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PISTON ROD, AND MODES OF AND APPARATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder, of Camden
Town, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW
OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PISTON ROD, AND MODES OF AND APPARATUS
Sealed the 21st August 1875, and dated the 2nd June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb
Schönheyder at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd June 1875.
I, WILHELM ANTON GOTTLIEB SCHÖNHEYDER, of Camden Town, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PISTON ROD, AND MODES
OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the undue friction and wear
on the lower parts of piston, cylinder, piston rod, and glands in hori.
zontal and inclined steam engines, and other cylinder engines and

page_text: "
pumps. For this purpose I continue the piston rod out at the back end
of cylinder through a gland, and I form the piston rod with such a bend
or " camber that when it is loaded with the weight of the piston and
rests at the ends on the guides it shall then be straight, or nearly so,
none of the weight, or practically none coming on to the lower parts of
cylinder or glands; or when it is inconvenient to continue the piston
rod through the back of the cylinder I form the piston rod similarly
with a suitable camber, and cause the cross head or its substitute to
carry the weight of piston and rod in any suitable manner, such for
instance as by providing the cross head with rigid continuations going
back on each side of cylinder and there supported in guides.
For the purpose of carrying out this my Invention the deflection of
the piston rod caused by the weight of the piston and its own weight
is first calculated by the well-known formula, or by reference to a tablo
specially arranged therefor. The piston rod is then given a bend or
camber, which may be slightly in excess of the said deflection. It is
next placed in a lathe between centres, having previously had a
temporary journal formed on or bolted on centrally with the place
intended for the piston. The journal fits in a plummer block or collar
plate, which is then screwed down on to the lathe bed, whereby the said
journal is sprung down so as to be in line with the end centres; or the
cap of the said plummer block might be similarly screwed down for the
same purpose. The piston rod is then turned to the proper size in
the usual manner, but by preference with two tools starting simul-
taneously and travelling in opposite directions; or instead of the piston
rod revolving I employ a special lathe, in which the piston rod is held
stationary, and screwed down in the middle as aforesaid, and the cutting
tools are caused to revolve round it.
'The tool holders slide on the bed propelled by screws or racks, and
carry cach a revolving hollow block, to which is attached a saddle or
sliding cap, or on which the tool or tools are held by set screws or
otherwise. The said hollow blocks are revolved by tooth or worm
gearing from a grooved or feathered spindle sufficiently long to admit of
the required travel.
In order to turn a single ended piston rod I form it with or attach

page_text: ended piston rod. The end to be turned can then be turned by
of the apparatus above described.
means
In pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Fatent,
filed by the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 2nd December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILHELM
ANTON GOTTLIEB SCHÖNHEYDER, of Camden Town, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder,
Her special licence that I, the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PISTON
ROD, AND MODES OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb
Schönbeyder, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Wilhelm Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder,
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

page_text: panying Drawings, and to the letters of reconc
is to say :-
وح
It is well known that one great objection to horizontal and inclined
steam and other cylinder engines and pumps as compared with the
vertical type is the unequal wear of the cylinder and its piston or bucket
and rod, because it has hitherto been impossible in the ordinary con-
struction to prevent the piston or bucket and rod from resting on and
grinding against the lower side of the cylinder and glands. The incon-
venience is not felt to a very serious extent in smaller engines or
machines, but with a stroke of 3 feet or more the undue wear and
grinding action becomes very inconvenient, causing also leakage at the
piston (although not always observed), and at the piston rod gland.
Although various plans have been proposed and carried out none
appear to have proved satisfactory, thus the plan of prolonging the
piston rod through the back cylinder cover and supporting it beyond it
with the view of thereby also supporting the piston is utterly fallacious
in theory, and practice has proved it to be so. This will be obvious if
we look upon the piston rod as a beam supported at each end by the
guide blocks or shoes, and loaded with its own distributed weight, and
with that of the piston thereon between the said end supports. The
upper fibres of the piston rod will then clearly tend to be in compression,
and the lower fibres in tension, that is, the piston has a strong tendency
to bend, and consequently the piston and rod will bear with nearly the
whole of their weight on the lower part of the cylinder and gland,
although a small part of the weight is borne by the guides, and also by
the glands if, and as long as the latter fit well round the piston rod.
The object of this Invention is to obviate the aforesaid undue friction
and wear, and thereby consequently also effect a saving in power and
lubricating material. For this purpose I continue the piston rod out at
the back end of the cylinder through a stuffing box, gland, or piston
rod guide, and I form the piston rod with such a permanent set, bend,
or camber that when it is loaded with the weight of the piston and is
supported at the ends on the cross heads or other outer guides it shall
then be straight, or nearly so, none of the weight or practically none

page_text: coming on the lower parts of the cylinder or its glands; or when it is
inconvenient to continue the piston rod through the back of the cylinder
I form the piston rod similarly with a suitable camber, and cause the
cross head or its substitute or equivalent to carry the weight of piston
and piston rod in any suitable manner, such for instance as by providing
the cross head with rigid continuations going back on each side of the
cylinder and there supported and working in guides.
For the purpose of carrying out this my Invention the amount of
deflection or curved bend of the piston rod caused by the full weight
of the piston and by its own distributed load or weight is first calculated
by the well-known formula, or found by reference to a table specially
arranged therefor. The piston rod is then given a bend or camber,
which may be slightly in excess of the said deflection, the camber given
to the piston rod being of such an amount and nature that when the
piston rod is loaded with the full weight of the piston and supported
on the guides at the ends in the exact manner in which it is intended
to work, whether horizontal or inclined, it shall then assume a perfectly
straight form, or as near as may be. A piston rod made as described
will consequently when placed in its cylinder with its piston on, be
supported entirely on the guides, and neither the piston rod nor the
piston will have any tendency to wear more on and against the bottom
than on and against the sides or top. The whole weight of the piston
and rod being thus supported outside the cylinder it can and ought
there to be properly distributed, that is, the cross head blocks or
equivalent parts should have ample and well lubricated wearing
surfaces.
It will in practice be found advisable to proceed with this manu-
facture in the following manner :-First calculate the weight of the
piston and the piston rod separately, or by preference ascertain their
weight by actual weighing.. The finished size of the piston rod is of
course determined upon beforehand, and from these data the amount of
camber is calculated or otherwise found, and the piston rod is next
formed with proper centres in its ends, and a temporary journal formed
on or bolted on centrally with the place intended for the piston. I then
give the piston rod in its black or unfinished state a suitable camber,
which is by preference slightly in excess of the calculated or tubulated

page_text: amount in order to enable the workman afterwards by adding slightly
and gradually to the weight of the piston (which is usually possible and
not objectionable), so to balance the load that the rod when finished
and supported and loaded as when working shall be perfectly straight.
Another object of giving the rod a little excess camber is to allow for
weakening by wear and subsequent turning down and lightening of the
piston. I then place the bent piston rod in a lathe between centres.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation of a suitable
plummer block or collar plate, which may be placed and used on any
ordinary slide rest lathe, and wherein that part of the piston rod may be
held, which is to take the piston; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of
same; and Fig. 3, a horizontal section.
A is the body of the plummer block formed with suitable lugs or
flange for resting it on and bolting it to the lathe bed. It is formed
with a cap or upper part, which is united with the lower part by means
of bolts a'. It is bored out circularly, and in it fits so as to be able to
revolve a circular ring or collar piece B, which is formed internally as
a circle with two flat sides as shown. The ring B has two lugs b on
each side, each tapped to receive an adjusting screw c. Inside the
collar piece B there is a block C formed to suit the hole through B, and
made in two halves, which are formed with flange outside, and united
by bolts d passing through oval holes in the collar piece B. Suitable
parts are cut out in C to give room for the lugs b. e are eight set
screws, four on each side of the body A. The two halves of B are also
held together by steady pins f.
The use of this collar plate is as follows:-The required amount of
camber having been given to the piston rod the block C is by means
of the set screws c moved to an equal extent, say to the right, and the
bent rod is then passed through the collar plate and placed in the
centres of the lathe and secured. The set screws e are so adjusted that
the piston rod and collar bearing can rotate freely without any strain or
springing of any sort, the convex side of the piston rod having of course
also been set towards the right in the first instance, or pointing in the
same direction as the block C. This latter is now brought back to its
normal position, and to facilitate this a scale is provided on each of the 3

page_text: lugs b as shown. This movement is accomplished by turning the set
screws c in a direction opposite to that imparted to them in the first
instance. It will then be found that the piston rod has been sprung
into a straight line, or nearly so. The piston rod being thus properly
adjusted (in the mode described, or in a slightly modified manner,
which will readily suggest itself to an experienced workman) the bolts d
are tightened up, and the turning may then be proceeded with in the
usual manner, but by preference with two tools starting simultaneously
and travelling in opposite directions; or instead of the piston rod
revolving I employ a special lathe, in which the piston rod is held
stationary and screwed down in the middle as aforesaid, and the cutting
tools are caused to revolve round it. This lathe is represented by
Figs. 4 to 9, Fig. 4 being a side elevation, Fig. 5 a plan, and Fig. 6
an end elevation of same; Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are enlarged views of parts
of same.
A is the lathe bed, having lugs cast on for holding down bolts as
shown; B is a fixed poppet head with long projecting boss and
"centre" as shown. It carries one end of the driving shaft 6 with cone
pulleys c, and with bevel wheels driven by it, and transmitting motion
to the feed spindle h. C is a movable poppet head also formed with a
long projecting boss and "centre" as shown. It carries the other end
of the driving shaft b. D is a centre bearing bolted to the lathe bed.
It is shown enlarged in front elevation at Fig. 9. It serves the purpose
of pressing down and holding the middle part of the piston rod, and is
made with top and bottom block E and F, and with cap or plate G,
which by means of the bolts F¹ can be screwed down, and the piston rod
thereby sprung down to its straight position.
It will be observed that the centre bearing D fits on V pieces formed
along the top of the lathe bed. H, H, are two moveable headstocks,
which contain the revolving cutting tools; they are shown in end
elevation and cross section to a larger scale at Figs. 7 and 8 respectively.
H is the body of the head stock, which fits and can slide along the lathe
bed. It is formed with a central opening, wherein fits the hollow
revolving block I with tool holders i, i, wherein the cutting tools are
secured in any usual manner; or it might be a saddle or sliding cap.
J is a counter block or back, which is formed in one with a spur wheel

page_text: uncertain, and expensive.
And having thus fully described the nature of this Invention, and 8
modes of carrying the same into effect, I declare that I claim,—

page_text: Secondly. The tools or apparatus used in the said manufacture, sub-
stantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Anton Gottlieb Schönheyder,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.