Improvements in Rotary Engines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1892-Accepted. 20th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, ALEXANDER FRANCIS GARDEN BROWN of Swindridge Muir, Dalry in the
County of Ayr, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of rotary engines for which
Letters. Patent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland have been
granted to the present applicant bearing date the 2nd February 1888 No. 1555,
and to the present applicant and George Andrew Grant bearing date, the
26th October 1889 No. 16913 in which type of engine a rotating segmental
piston G in combination with arms. H and steain ports or passages are employed to
effect the cycle of rotative movement.
The present invention relates to an improved arrangement or construction of
the arms H and of the casings wherein they are contained and whereby the said
arms are caused to constitute at the same time admission ports for the live steam,
exhaust ports for the spent steam, abutments pressed against the piston for the
live steam to act upon and cushions to take up any jar or shock.
With these objects two or more arms are employed in the engine the chamber
for each of which is segmental in vertical section with a tangential projection
at one end to receive the part or horn of the arm constituting the abutment when
the same is not extended into the body of the cylinder. The inner face or side
of the arm is curved to a radius coincident with that of the interior of the
cylinder and it has at its end opposite to the horn or branch constituting the
steam admission end another horn or branch which does not in any case
extend into the body of the cylinder but in its movement stops coincident
with the bore of the cylinder being prevented from moving further by a heel on
the boss of the arm coming in contact with a stop made on and projecting into
the interior of the casing of the arm. From a point measuring from the bottom
of the tangential recess to where the stop meets the interior of the arm's casing the
boss of the arm is curved to a radius corresponding with and equal to the radius
of the bore of the casing and for its remainder, that is to say, from where the heel'
ineets the boss to the second mentioned horn or branch the boss is of lesser
diameter and is packed against the stop by metallic spring or other suitable
packing.
Each arm is mounted upon a spindle by which in the cycle of movements of the
engine it is alternately caused to throw its abutment branch outwards from and
return it into its recess and through the boss of the arm an exhaust port is made
communicating with an exhaust pipe or branch in the casing. A steam port is also
made in the boss of each arm communicating with the boiler through a steam
passage and by which when the supply horn or branch is thrown forward against
the piston live steam is admitted to the cylinder. To prevent shock or concussion
at such or other times a steam pipe is led from the boiler into the space of the casing
behind the second mentioned horn of the arm so that when the abutting and
steam supplying branch of the arm is within its tangential pocket the said space is
full of live steam which when the abutting horn is thrown out and the other horn
moved in is forced back into the boiler so acting as a cushion to the mechanism.
The steam supplying horn is of greater length and leverage than the cushioning
horn and besides being packed at the point before mentioned each arm is or may be
packed within the casing by metallic or other packing at any other desired point.
Dated this Fifteenth day of October 1891
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, ALEXANDER FRANCIS GARDEN BROWN of Swindridge Muir, Dalry in the
County of Ayr, Gentleman, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of rotary engines for which
Letters Patent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland have been
granted to the present applicant bearing date the 2nd February 1888 No. 1555
and to the present applicant and George Andrew Grant bearing date the
26th October 1889 No. 16,913 in which type of engine a rotating segmental
piston G in combination with flaps or abutments H and steam ports or passages are
employed to effect the cycle of rotative movement.
The present invention which is illustrated in vertical section on the accompanying
drawing relates to an improved arrangement or construction of the flaps or
abutments H and of the chambers or recesses wherein they are contained and
whereby the said flaps or abutments are caused to constitute at the same time
exhaust ports for the spent steam, abutments pressed against the piston for the
live steam to act upon and cushions to take up any jar or shock. With these
objects two or more flaps or abutments H are employed in the engine the chamber
or recess H' for each of which is segmental in vertical section with an extension H²
to receive the part or horn of the flap constituting the abutinent when the same
is not projected into the body of the cylinder. The inner face or side of each
flap is curved to a radius coincident with that of the interior of the cylinder and
from the point the back of the boss of each flap is curved to a radius corre-
sponding with and equal to the radius of the bore of the chamber or recess H¹
in which it is packed steam tight by metallic spring packings y or by other suitable
packings. Each flap is mounted upon a spindle by which in the cycle of move-
ments of the engine it is alternately caused to throw its abutment branch outwards
from and return it into its recess and through the boss of the flap an exhaust
port e is made communicating with an exhaust chamber pipe or branch in the
casing of the engine. Steam is supplied to the engine through the oscillating
or rotating valves J and to prevent shock or concussion in the movements of the
flaps Ha steam pipe is led from the boiler into the space of each chamber H¹
behind the boss of the flap so that when the abutting branch of the flap is
projected against the piston G the said space is full of live steam which when
the abutting branch is moved in is forced back or compressed so acting as a cushion
to the mechanism.
The abutting branch of each flap H is of greater length and leverage than the
cushioning face of the boss.
Instead of supplying steam to the engine through the valves J a port may be
made in the boss of each flap H through which when the abutting branch is
projected against the piston Glive steam is admitted to the cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a rotary engine the improved arrangement hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings of the flaps or abutments and of the
chambers containing them.
Dated this Twelfth day of July 1892.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.