IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND PUMPS ACTUATED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Morgan, Secretary of the Inventors' Patent Right
Association, Limited, 21, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, London, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND
PUMPS ACTUATED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER." A communication from abroad
by John Gustave Adolphe Donneley, residing at Hamburg, Germany.
-
-
a
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Morgan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1877.
THOMAS MORGAN, Secretary of the Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, London, in the County of Middlesex. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND PUMPS ACTUATED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER."
A communication from abroad by John Gustave Adolphe Donneley, residing at
Hamburg, Germany. .
This Invention relates to the following improvements, viz. :-
1st. A mode of employing steam in a semicircular motion produced by means
of two moveable or reciprocating abutments forming demi-circumferences or seg-
mental pistons, and turning in opposite directions, in a cylinder formed of two
circumferences.
2nd. A mode of employing two demi-circumferences, working with one or two
axes or shafts, and imparting a semicircular motion to the said shafts.
3rd. A mode of converting the said semicircular motion into a continuous circular
motion by two or three cranks and one, two, or three connecting rods.
4th. The employment of a single cylinder or of several double cylinders.
5th. The employment of steam pressure applied to packing pieces or valves.
6th. The employment of steam at low, medium, high-and low, and high pressure,
or of any elastic gases.
7th. The application of this engine, formed by the above-mentioned combination
of parts, as a suction or forcing pump.
The object of the engine, arranged as above described, is to diminish friction as

page_text: well as to reduce the amount of space occupied as compared with engines, as hitherto
constructed, having the same power:-
1st. The friction is considerably reduced by the employment of moveable abutting
pistons, which move one over the other during the whole of the stroke, and
which by their contact intercept the passage of the steam. In engines of great
power these abutments are made inovable in their larger diameter in the same way
as the segments of pistons in engines as constructed at present, and acted on so as
to bring them into contact with each other.
In constructing pumps one of the abutments is provided with a packing of india-
rubber or other clastic substance in order to prevent leakages, which might other-
wise be occasioned by the passage of foreign bodies which might be present in the
water.
2nd. By the proximity of the packing pieces or valves to the centres, which inter-
cept the passage of the steam in order to enable it to act offectively throughout the
whole of thio stroke.
The engine occupies little space, as piston rods are dispensed with, so that an
engine having the samo power, the same stroke, and tho same length of connecting
rod will only be two-thirds of the height and length of a corresponding engine con-
structed according to the system adopted at present.
In carrying this Invention into practical effect I should generally use two movable
abutmonts, which for better explanation I will assume to be at the upper extremity
of their stroke, and the sliding valves about to commence admitting steam in order
to cause the said abutments to redescend. The distributing slide valves are worked
by one and the same eccentric keyed on to the driving shaft, but in engines which
are required to work in either direction, Stephenson's link motion may be employed
with two eccentrics. The packing pieces work over the lesser diameter of the
moveable abutments, and are pressed against the latter by means of steam conducted
from the boiler through a hole provided for the purpose in the said packing pieces;
springs may be employed to press them, but it is necessary that the tension of such
springs should be somewhat in excess of the pressure exerted in the cylinder in
order that they may continue constantly in frictional contact with the moveablo
abutments.
The two axes of the abutments are usually connected together by two toothed
sectors, ono of which carries a crank. The connecting rod connects the crank with
the other crank, which is fixed upon the driving shaft, turning in bearings. The
semicircular motion of the crank is thus converted into a continuous circular motion
by means of the connecting rod and the crank.
In very powerful engines each of the axes is provided with a crank and a con-
necting rod united to a cross head working in slides.
A third connecting rod will impart the rotatory motion to the crank fixed on the
driving shaft. In like manner the rotatory motion may be obtained by means of
two driving shafts, which may or may not be connected together by gearing.
The axes should be of sufficient length to admit of a support being placed outside
the toothed segments.
The springs press upon the wedges, which hold apart other wedges, and push
them against the axes and against the movable abutments. The pressing screws
serve to regulate the tension of the springs.
In conclusion, it may be observed that the steam cylinder with a double circum-
ference contains the movable abutments upon which the force of the steam is caused
to act. The brass frictional packing pieces or valves working against the two mov-
able abutments serve to prevent the passage of steam from the side on which it is
being used to the side which is open to the exhaust.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Morgan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd Sep-
tember 1877.
"
IM-
THOMAS MORGAN, Secretary of the Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, London, in the County of Middlesex.
PROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND PUMPS ACTUATED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER."
A communication from abroad by John Gustave Adolphe Donneley, residing at
Hamburg, Germany.
This Invention relates to the following improvements, viz. :—
First. A mode of employing steam in a semicircular motion produced by means
of two movable or reciprocating abutments forming demi-circumferences or seg-
mental pistons, and turning in opposite directions, in a cylinder formed of two
circumferences.
Second. A mode of employing two semi-circumferences working with one or two
axes or shafts, and imparting a semicircular motion to the said shafts.
Third. A mode of converting the said semicircular motion into a continuous
circular motion by two or three cranks and one, two, or three connecting rods.
Fourth. The employment of a single cylinder or of several double cylinders.
Fifth. The employment of steam pressure applied to packing pieces or valves, and
on wedges.
Sixth. The employment of steam at low, at medium, at high and low, and at high
pressure, or of any elastic gases.
Seventh. The application of this engine, formed by the above-mentioned combi-
nation of parts, as a suction and forcing pump.
The object of the engine, arranged as above described, is to diminish friction as
well as to reduce the amount of space occupied as compared with engines, as hitherto
constructed, having the same power :-
1st. The friction is considerably reduced by the employment of movable abutting
pistons, which move one over the other during the whole of the stroke, and which
by their contract intercept the passage of the steam. In engines of great power
these abutments are made movable in their larger diameter in the same way as the
segments of pistons in engines as constructed at present, and acted on so as to bring
them into contact with each other.
In constructing pumps one of the abutments is provided with a packing of
india-rubber or other clastic substance in order to prevent leakages which might
otherwise by the passage of foreign bodies which might be present in water.
.
Second. By the proximity of the packing pieces or valves to the centres, which
intercept the passage of the steam in order to enable it to act effectively throughout
the whole of the stroke.
The engine occupies little space, as piston rods are dispensed with, so that an
engine having the same power, the same stroke, and the same length of connecting
rod will only be two-thirds of the height and length of a corresponding engine con-
structed according to the system adopted at present.
Having thus far described the nature of the said Invention, and incidentally inti-
mated in what manner the same is to be performed, I will now proceed (aided by
the accompanying Drawings) to further and particularly describe and ascertain
in what manner the same is to be performed or carried out in practice, that is to
say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawing represents a vertical section in which the whole
of the internal working parts of the machine are shown. The two movable abut-

page_text: redescend. The distributing slide valves N, N, are worked by one and the same
eccentric (M) keyed on to the driving shaft H, but in engines which are required to
work in either direction Stephenson's link motion may be employed with two
eccentrics. The packing pieces or valves C, C¹, work over the lesser diameter of the
movable abutments B, B¹, and are pressed against the latter by means of steam con-
ducted from. the boiler through an orifice provided for the purpose in the said
packing pieces or valves (see the horizontal section, Fig. 5); springs may be em-
ployed to press them, but it is necessary that the tension of such springs should be
somewhat in excess of the pressure exerted in the cylinder in order that they may
continue constantly in frictional contact with the movable abutments B, Bt.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the engine. It will be seen that the two axes L, L³, of
the abutinents B, B', are connected together by two toothed sections K, K', one of which
sectors carries a crank K. The teeth on these sectors are sometimes formed (so ns
to minimise the friction) in semicircular form, thus
The connecting
•
rod J connects the crank K with the other crank I, which is fixed upon the driving
shaft H, turning in bearings O, O. The semicircular motion of the crank K is
thus converted. into a continuous circular motion by means of the connecting rod J
and the crank I.
Sometimes, instead of the connecting rod J, with crank, I use a double-toothed
wheel, which is placed on the driving shaft H, and gears into the segments K, K¹.
This double-toothed wheel has formed on it a paul, the wheel being so constructed
as to engage alternately for one-half a revolution in each of the portions forming the
double wheel. Thus, assuming the driving shaft H to bo placed at * (Fig. 2), the
double-toothed wheel will engage with the segments K, K. One-lialf of the revo-
lution is imparted, say, to part K; driving the shaft round one-half revolution; then
the paul engages in the other part, which gears with K, and a complete revolution
of the shaft is made, the action being repeated at every revolution.
In very powerful engines each of the axes L, L', is provided with a crank and a
connecting rod united to a cross head working in slides.
A third connecting rod will impart the rotatory motion to the crank fixed on the
driving shaft. In like manner the rotatory motion may be obtained by means of
two driving shafts, which may or may not be connected together by toothed
gearing.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the engine. The axes L; L', (which are represented
in section) should be of sufficient length to admit of a support being placed outside
the toothed segments K, K¹.
Fig. 4 is a plan viewed from above. This Figure shows the crank pins of the
cranks K² and I, which carry the rod J for transmitting the notion.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken through the centres of the cylinders, and
showing the arrangement of the wedges D, D¹, and of the packing pieces C, C¹. It
also illustrates the manner in which the springs E, E, press upon the wedges D¹,
which hold apart the other wedges D; and push them against the axes L, L', and
against the movable abutments B, B'. The pressing screws F, F, serve to regulate
the tension of the springs E, EL.
In conclusion it may be observed that the steam cylinder with a double circum-
ference contains the movable abutments B, B, upon which the force of the steam is
caused to act. The brass frictional packing pieces C, C; working against the two
movable abutments B, B', serve to prevent the passage of steam from the side on
which it is being used to the side which is open to tlie exhaust.
G, G, are the covers of the double cylinder.
Lis the axis or shaft upon which the movable abutment B is fixed, with the
toothed sector K; and L' is the axis or shaft upon which the movable abutinent B¹
is fixed, with the crank K
P is the bed plate of the engine carrying the four columns Q of the double
cylinder.

page_text: S, S¹, are levers actuating the slide valves, and T is the connecting rod of the
eccentric M.
P, V, are the steam supply passages, and E, T, the exhaust passages.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or carried out in
practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the Invention of "Improvements in Engines
and Pumps Actuated by Steam or other Power," substantially as the same is herein-
before set forth and described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Morgan, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord One.
· thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
W. HILLIER,
21, Cockspur Street,
London,
S.W.
THOS. MORGAN. (LS.)