improvements in ESTONI
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
improvements in ESTONI
I, OSCAR THEODORE EARLE, of 707, G. Street, N.W., in the City of Washington,
D.C., United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement;-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient rotary engine of
the compound type, that is to say, of the type in which the steam is used succes-
sively and expansively in a series of cylinders which increase in capacity. I mount
end to end on a shaft, a series of concentric drums each having radially movable
blades or pistons arranged to travel around the interior of an eccentric cylinder.
The cylinders are arranged end to end on the shaft to which they are set eccen-
trically, their centres being located at different distances, and in different directions
from the axis of rotation, in order to save clearance and economize space, and are
connected by passages made up of enclosed spaces and valve chambers upon each
side of the cylinders, and valve chambers being provided with ports and revers-
ing valves opposite each cylinder whereby the engine can be reversed at will.
My engine as shown is adapted for a triple expansion engine, but it will be readily
seen that by removing or adding a cylinder, the engine may be altered into a
simple or quadruple expansion engine, and that this may be done (indefinitely
limited only by the steam pressure carried) without departing from the spirit of
my invention.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view partly in section, showing the ports and arrange-
ment of the reversing valves on one side of the cylinders.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the engine, showing the arrange-
ment of cylinders or engines on the shaft.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the engine, showing the mechanism for reversing or
stopping the engine.
Fig. 4 is a half vertical section of two adjoining cylinders.
Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections of a non-reversible engine of the same
type, in which there is no necessity for the reversing valves, and in which an
additional cylinder has been added, making a quadruple expansion engine.
Fig. 7 is a transverse section through one of the cylinders, all of which are alike.
Referring to the drawings, A represents the main shaft upon which are placed
concentrically the drums B, B1, B2, B3 for each cylinder. The shaft is increased
in diameter in each cylinder, starting from the high pressure cylinder, so as to
secure a light shaft having the proper strength to transmit the power. The shaft
and concentric drums are placed eccentrically in the cylinders, the drums touch-
ing the cylinder. linings at one point.
C, C1, C2, are the pistons which are carried in eah drum, one on each side, in
a recess which permits them to adjust themselves to keep their outer ends in con-
tact with the cylinder, and are provided with adjustable semicircular grooved

page_text: packing strips, which are shaped to conform to the inner surface of the cylinder,
the grooves holding lubricants.
E, E, are spacing and guide rods, which extend through the shaft and into
recesses a, a, in the pistons.
To compensate for variations in the length between the ends of the pistons as
they alternately occupy the true or eccentric diameters of the cylinders, springs b, b,
are placed in the recesses between the rods and the pistons, keeping the packing
strips carried by the pistons in yielding contact with the cylinders.
F, F, are the adjustable semicircular packing strips for the outer ends of the
pistons, the inner faces being cylindrical and fitting in corresponding grooves in
the ends of the pistons, the outer faces having a curve conforming to the contour
of the cylinder, as seen in Fig. 7. These adjustable strips are provided on both
faces with minute longitudinal grooves c, c, which carry. lubricants and prevent the
steam from escaping either above or below the adjustable packing strip.
It will be seen that the rolling adjustable arrangement permitted by the form of
the packing strip will keep its outer always parallel with the inner face of the
cylinder lining, with which it will be in yielding contact.
G, G1, G2, G3, are the cylinders, and II, H, H, are the cylinder linings, the
linings are placed in the cylinders on legs h, h, formed on the cylinders which forms
an air space between them, and thereby prevents condensation of steam in 'the
cylinders.
I, I, I, are the inlet or exhaust ports as the case may be, through the cylinder
linings, depending upon the position of the valves, whether set for running the
engine to right or left. In Fig. 7 they are the inlet ports and K, K, the exhaust,
since this shows the last cylinder in the non-reversible engine. Fig. 4 shows the
ports in a reversible engine.
It will be seen ports I, I, and I', are some distance apart. This is so arranged
that the pressure is equal upon both sides of the pistons,-permitting them to move
freely while in the smallest area of the cylinders, and preventing all compression.
L, L, are the steam pipes, and M, M, are the exhaust pipes on each side of the
engine, only one of each being employed at a time. Leading from the engine,
pipes L, L, on each side of the two first cylinders of the engine, are the steam
or exhaust pipes N, N, to which is attached the offset pipe 0, 0, leading to or
from the last cylinder. Each of the pipes N, N, contain the reversing valves P, P,
for the two first cylinders, while the pipes 0, 0, contain each a reversing valve P¹,
for the last cylinder.
The valves P, P, are connected together and operated by the rods d, d, while the
valves P¹ are each operated by the rods e, e, which lead out through the offset
pipes 0, 0, and are like the rods d, provided with the ordinary stuffing box.
The valves and cylinders having ports f, f, cut through their sides at a proper
distance apart, and are divided by a diaphragm h¹, h¹, and will be inlet or exhaust
valves, according to the position in which they are set. 9, 9, 9, are ports leading
to or from the cylinders controlled by a reversing valve.
To the outer ends of the rods d, d are secured the levers i, i, the lower arms of
which are connected to the arms 1, 1, on the rods e, e, by the links k. The upper
arms of the levers i, i, are connected to the reversing lever Q, by the rods m, m,
which are pivoted to the bracket r, r, on the cylinder head.
n, is the usual quadrant for securing the lever Q, after adjustment, by means
of the ordinary clamp o.
It will be seen that any movement of the lever Q will correspondingly move all
the valves, and in a position as now shown in Fig. 3 all the ports are closed, but
by moving the lever to the right or left, the ports will register with the cylinder
ports, and the engine will move in the designed direction.
In Figs. 1 and 4 the valves are set to take steam in the right of the first cylin-
der, exhausting into the left of the second cylinder, which exhausts into right of
third cylinder, from which it is finally exhausted on the opposite side.
It will be understood that the valves on the left of the engine are set reverse to

page_text: those shown on the right hand, and that therefore the first steam inlet is shut and
final exhaust is open on that side.
Within the cylinder H, annexed to its heads, are placed the inner heads R, R.
These heads are recessed at s, for the discs u at the ends of the drums. These
heads and discs form a packing for the drums, one or both of which can be set up
or adjusted to compensate for wear by the set screws t, t, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
Figs. 5 and 6 show a quadruple expansion engine which is in every respect,
except the valve and gearing, the same as a triple expansion engine, heretofore
described. The difference consists in that the reversing valves have been omitted,
but the course of the steam is the same for running the engine in one direction,
that is the steam passes through the cylinders successively in alternate directions
until it is finally exhausted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a compound rotary engine the combination of a series of three cylinders
with a corresponding series of reversing valves, rods connected to and operating
two of the valves, separate rods for operating the remaining valve on each side,
links for connecting the two rods on each side, and rods for connecting the rever-
sing lever with one of the valve rods on each side of the engine whereby all the
valves are operated simultaneously.
2. In a compound rotary engine the combination of the cylinder, the cylinder
lining, the drum, the disc forming a packing against the end of the drum, the
inner cylinder head formed with the recess for the disc and means for setting up
the inner head and disc.
3. In a rotary engine the combination of the cylinder, the drum carrying the
pistons, the adjustable semi-circular strip on the end of the piston and the adjust-
able packing disc on both sides of the piston and packing strip, substantially as
shown and described.
4. In a rotary engine the combination of the cylinder, a drum provided with
pistons fitted to move easily in recesses in the drum, rods passing through the
shaft into recesses in the pistons, springs in between the rods and the pistons, and
adjustable semicircular grooved packing strips at the end of the pistons, with an
adjustable disc at each end of the drum.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.