Improvements in Rotary Motor Engines Worked by Steam or other Fluid Pressure.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Motor Engines Worked by Steam or other
Fluid Pressure.
I, JOSEPH KAMPHUES, of Rezuliersdwarsstraat 68, Amsterdam, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a construction of rotary motor engines worked by
steam or other fluid pressure, in which a piston contained in an annular channel
is propelled round in such channel by the fluid pressure admitted behind it, the
said annular channel being closed at one point by a revolving slide so arranged
that when the piston arrives at that point the slide will allow it to pass, while
before it passes that point the piston passes beyond and thus uncovers an exhaust
port through which the charge of fluid pressure behind it escapes.
I construct such motor engine as follows:
An annular channel of circular cross section formed on the periphery of a
closed casing, has in the central space a disc mounted on a shaft the edge of
which disc enters through a corresponding circular slot on the inner circumi-
ference of the annular channel, and is made to revolve fluid-tight therein by
means of suitable packing.
At one point of its periphery this disc has attached to it a circular disc or
piston which fits fluid-tight in the circular channel in which it is made to
revolve with the disc.
The said annular channel is intersected at one part of its periphery by a second
annular channel of exactly the same cross section forming part of the same
casing with the first one, and containing a disc formed so as to entirely fill the
channel which disc enters the first named channel and bears close against the
periphery of the disc. The second disc which I will call a rotary slide is of
precisely the same diameter as the first one, and its axis being geared with the
shaft of the first disc by means of toothed wheels of equal diameter, the disc
and the rotary slide are consequently made to revolve at exactly the same speed.
The rotary slide has at one point of its circumference a cavity of about the same
configuration as the piston on the disc, such cavity being so arranged that when
the piston in revolving approaches the point where the disc and slide are in
contact with each other, it enters the cavity of the slide and thus travels round
in it past the point where the disc and slide are in contact, beyond which point
the piston again passes out of the cavity, as each part travels away from the
other in their respective annular channels.
The annular channel containing the piston has on each side of the point where
the disc is in contact with the slide, a lateral orifice, one of which communicates
with a supply pipe for steam or other fluid pressure, while the other communicates
with an exhaust or discharge.
Thus when the piston has passed out of and beyond the cavity of the slide
as above described, steam or other fluid pressure enters the annular channel
behind the piston, and propels this and its disc round in the same until, in

page_text: attached to it a circular disc or piston L' which fits fluid-tight by means of
packing L in the circular channel M in which it is made to revolve with the
disc. The said annular channel M is intersected at one part of its periphery by
a second annular channel of exactly the same cross section forming part
of the same casing M' with the channel M, and containing a disc O' formed so
as to entirely fill the channel, which disc enters the channel M and bears close
against the periphery of the disc L. The disc which I will call a rotary
slide, is of precisely the same diameter as the disc L, and its axis A being geared
with the shaft B of the disc L by means of toothed wheels K K of equal diameter,
the disc L and the rotary slide O¹ are consequently made to revolve at exactly
the same speed. The rotary slide O¹ has at one point of its circumference a
cavity N of approximately the same configuration as the piston L' on the disc L,
such cavity being so arranged that when the piston in revolving approaches the
point where the disc and slide are in contact with each other, it enters the cavity
of the slide and thus travels round in it past the point where the disc and slide
are in contact, as indicated in dotted lines at Figure 2 beyond which point the
piston again passes out of the cavity N, as each part travels away from the other
in their respective annular channels.
The annular channel containing the piston has on each side of the point where
the disc is in contact with the slide, a lateral orifice PJ, one of which communi-
cates with a supply pipe for steam or other fluid pressure, while the other
communicates with an exhaust or discharge.
Thus when the piston has passed out of and beyond the cavity of the slide O¹,
as in the position indicated in full lines at Figure 2, steam or other fluid pressure
enters the annular channel M behind the piston from the opening P and propels
the piston and its disc round in the same, until, in arriving near the point where
the piston enters the cavity N of the slide again, it passes beyond the exhaust
orifice J, so that the fluid pressure then escapes from behind it through that
orifice; then passing round in the cavity N, a second charge of steam &c. enters
behind the piston and effects a second revolution thereof, and so on continuously.
The annular channel is provided with suitable spring packing at S S S for
preventing the passage of steam round in it from the supply side of the piston L'
to the exhaust side. When the engine is being worked by a motor fluid that
acts expansively, the supply thereof is cut off after the piston has performed
part of its revolution, so as to act by expansion during the remainder thereof.
This may be effected by providing the supply pipe P with a shut-off cock or
valve G the lever I of which is acted upon by a cam A¹ on the axis A of the
rotary slide, so as to open the cock during part of a revolution and then, allow
it to be closed by a spring I.
In order to enable the engine to be reversed the two above described supply
and exhaust orifices are connected to the supply and exhaust pipes through a
four-way cock or valve U, according to the position imparted to which, the
pressure fluid supply can be admitted through either of the orifices while the
exhaust is put in communication with the other one. For this purpose the
valve casing U has firstly two ports VV communicating with the supply pipe P,
secondly two ports W W communicating with the orifices P and J of the motor,
and thirdly two ports X X leading to the exhaust. The valve is provided with
suitable ports for establishing the necessary communications between the said
ports in such manner, that when the valve is turned by hand into one position
it establishes the communication between the one supply port V and the port W
leading to the orifice P, while the orifice J is put in communication with the
exhaust by the ports W1 and X' and when the valve is turned into the other
position, P is made to communicate with J, through V and W, and X com-
municates with P through W.
In some cases I combine two such rotary engines as above described with
each other in such manner that the pressure fluid after having done duty in the
first engine, passes thence into the second one so as to operate in a similar