IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Rush Turner, of St. Peter's Iron Works,
Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Engineer, for the Invention of
" TURRA
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Rush Turner
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd December 1870.
I, EDWARD BUSH TURNER, of St. Peter's Iron Works, Ipswich, in
the County of Suffolk, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES,"
to be as follows:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam engines, and
relates especially to the construction of the slide valve and to the
connection of the valve with the governor.
The slide valve consists of two pistons connected the one with the
other by a trunk or hollow rod, they work in a cylindrical chamber, and
steam is admitted to the chamber between the pistons. The valve rod

page_text: giving motion to the slide valve is actuated by an excentric, and it
embraces a pin passing through the trunk or hollow rod of the valve.
The valve pistons slide to and fro over the steam ports, opening them
alternately to the steam and to the exhaust.
The exhaust pipe passes
from one end of the valve chamber, and is in communication with the
other end of the chamber by the trunk or hollow rod of the valve. The
valve pistons have packing rings, and to secure a clean cut-off these
rings are fixed and flush with the body of the piston on the side next
the steam ports, so that the elasticity of the piston instead of being equal
all round is always towards the ports.
There are other ways in which this end may be attained, thus the
piston may be solid on the port side, and the springs segments of circles
in place of being complete circles.
The governor by means of a bell-crank lever gives motion to a slide
upon the crank shaft, and a link connects this slide to the centre con-
necting joint of two rule jointed rods, one of which at its end is jointed
to the shaft and the other to the eccentric, which can slide transversely
on the shaft but cannot turn or move longitudinally upon it. The
varying inclinations which the governor gives to the rule jointed rods
causes corresponding variations in the distance between the centre of
the crank shaft and the eccentric, thus varying also the stroke of-the
valve, which, however, always opens the steam ports at the same relative.
position of the crank.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Rush Turner in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 3rd June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
RUSH TURNER, of St. Peter's Iron Works, Ipswich, in the County of
Suffolk, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 8
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty.
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Rush Turner, Her special.

page_text: license that I, the said Edward Rush Turner, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Rush Turner,
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 “IMPROVEMENTS ›
IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Rush Turner, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Edward Rush Turner, do hereby,
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in steam engines,,
and relates especially to the construction of the slide valve and to the .
connection of the valve with the governor.
The slide valve consists of two pistons connected the one with the
other by a trunk or hollow rod. They work in a cylindrical chamber,
and steam is admitted to the chamber between the pistons. The valve
rod giving motion to the slide valve is actuated by an eccentric, and it:
embraces a pin passing through the trunk or hollow rod of the valve.
The valve pistons slide to and fro over the steam ports, opening them:
alternately to the steam and to the exhaust. The exhaust pipe passes
> from one end of the valve chamber, and is in communication with the
other end of the chamber by the trunk or hollow rod of the valve. The.
valve pistons have packing rings, and to secure a clean cut-off these.
rings are fixed and flush with the body of the piston on the side next
the steam ports, so that the elasticity of the piston instead of being.
equal all round is always towards the ports.
There are other ways in which this end may be attained, thus the
piston may be solid on the port side and the springs segments of circles
in place of being complete circles.
:
:

page_text: -
"
The governor by means of a bell-crank lever gives motion to a slide
upon the crank shaft, and a link connects this slide to the centre con-
necting joint of two rule jointed rods, one of which at its end is jointed
to the shaft and the other to the eccentric, which can slide transversely
on the shaft but cannot turn or move longitudinally upon it. The
varying inclinations which the governor gives to the rule jointed rods
causes corresponding variations in the distance between the centre of
the crank shaft, and the eccentric, thus varying also the stroke of the
valve, which, however, always opens the steam ports at the same relative,
position of the crank.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a steam engine cylinder and valve
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section ;.
and Figure 3 a horizontal section of the same. The section in each case
· is taken through the centre of the valve.
B
:
a, a, is the cylinder with its steam passages a³, a', opening into a
cylindrical valve chamber 6, it is bored at the two ends to receive the
two pistons c³, c', which are parts of the slide valve, and are connected
together by the trunk c³. A pin c³ passes through the trunk c³ and also
through an eye at the end of the valve rod c', which in the usual way
passes out of the valve chamber through a stuffing box and takes its
motion from an eccentric rod; 6', 6', are openings in the valve chamber::
through which the steam is supplied over them, as the Drawings show.
A valve moved by a hand lever slides to admit or shut off the steam
to start or stop the engine; d is the exhaust passage from the end of
the valve chamber; e is a safety valve.
The way of constructing the piston valves c is shown at Figure 4
which is a transverse section through one of them. Two packing rings
are used, they are both divided close to the port, but on opposite sides'
of it. They are of such a width opposite the port as completely to fill
the groove in the piston, and they are fixed by rivets in their places.
The remainder of the circumference of each ring is narrower and
tapered, as the Drawings indicate, and by pressing against the sides of
the valve chamber they press the valve up to the port. By this arrange-
ment a solid non-elastic part of the valve piston is constantly pressed up

page_text: to the face of the port, and the steam joint is made over the whole
width of the piston, and not simply at the part opposite the packing
rings.
The piston valves may be made without any groove opposite the ports,
the groove and springs passing around the back of the piston only.
Figure 5 shows the method in which I arrange the governor so that it
may control the speed of the engine by varying the motion of the valve.
a is the crank shaft, by spur wheels it drives the bevilled wheel b
gearing with a corresponding wheel o on the governor axis d. The
governor arms in the usual way give motion to a sliding collar e, and
from this collar a cranked lever factuates a slide g on the main shaft ;
h, h, are links by which this slide is coupled with the joint k, connecting
the links ¹ and . The links are pin jointed to the main shaft, as is
seen in Figure 6, which is a section through the pin of this joint. The
link is jointed to the eccentric, one of the bolts which connect the
two parts of the eccentric together serving also as the pin of this joint.
The eccentric embraces the shaft between two cheeks a¹, a', and it is
able to slide between them; thus as the governor balls rise the throw
of the valve decreases, which varies the cut-off, but the lead remains'
) constant.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,—
First. The construction of the slide valves of portable and other steam
engines, substantially as described.
Second. The method of packing the piston valves so that the elasticity.
of the spring, rings, or segments tends to press the piston throughout
its entire width up to the face of the port, substantially as described.
Third. The method of connecting the eccentric with the governor, so
that the governor may cause the eccentric to slide on the shaft by means
oof links, arranged substantially as described..
- In witness whereof, I,. the said Edward Rush Turner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
E. R. TURNER. (US)