IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS FOR REGULATING THE SAME, ALSO IN HEATING THE FEED WATER OF STEAM-BOILERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Whiteside Cook, of Stondon Massey, in the County
of Essex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER
ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS FOR REGULATING THE SAME, ALSO IN HEATING
THE FEED WATER OF STEAM-BOILERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Whiteside Cook at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th March 1880.
HARRY WHITESIDE COOK, of Stondon Massey, in the County of Essex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS
FOR REGULATING THE SAME, ALSO IN HEATING THE FEED WATER OF STEAM
BOILERS."
This Invention relates, firstly, to novel ineans for converting the reciprocating
motion of the piston rods of motive power engines into a rotary motion, such means
being specially adapted for engines which are required at times to exert great
power at a proportionate reduction of speed.
The reciprocating motion of the piston rod I transmit through a link motion or
otherwise by a reciprocating rack, which runs in gear with a pair of spur pinions;
these pinions I mount loosely, the one on the driving shaft of the engine, or that
which carries the fly wheel, and the other on a countershaft, which shafts I gear
together by somewhat larger spur wheels. Attached to each spur pinion is a pawl
which takes into a ratchet wheel keyed to the respective shafts. These ratchet
wheels are cut, the one the reverse of the other, to permit of their respective pawls
sliding over their ratchets when the spur pinions are driven in a direction the
reverse of that in which their shafts are rotating. As the-rack-moves-alternately
in opposite directions it will drive the main shaft directly through the loose pinion
and ratchet wheel thereon, and then indirectly through the loose pinion and ratchet
wheel on the counter shaft.
It will be understood that if the rack receives its motion from the piston rod
through an adjustable link, its stroke may be diminished at pleasure to increase
the force of the motive power.
In some cases I propose to employ a vibrating sector rack, and to couple it with
the piston rod by means of a connecting-rod, the coupling pin of which is adjustable
radially on the sector rack.

page_text: This Invention relates, secondly, to the controlling of the action of motive power
engines, and has reference, firstly, to novel means for working through the governor
the throttle valve of the engine, and secondly, for regulating the exhaust or
cut off.
It is well known that the action of governors is at present by no means so
prompt as could be desired. To obtain instant action I employ the agency of
electricity, which may conveniently be evolved from a small dynamic machine
worked by the engine itself. With this agent the lightest and most delicate
velocimeter or other indicator may be used, since all that it has to do is to make
and break metallic contact. In doing this it makes and unmakes an electro
magnet. The power thus obtained. is slight but it suffices to turn steam into.
a very small cylinder, the piston of which is connected with and works the valve
of a second cylinder, by means of which sufficient power is obtained to choke the
throttle, and limit the supply of steam to any desired extent; or if desired the
electricity may be developed in quantity sufficient to work the valve of the last
mentioned cylinder direct.
As a substitute for the above arrangement of a little auxiliary cylinder I
sometimes adopt a rotatory electro-magnetic engine which will turn on or off taps
or actuate screwed rods so as to carry out the intentions above indicated. The
great advantage of employing electricity for transmitting motion is that it enables
one to utilize delicate velocimeters and other indicators which are in some cases
more appropriate even than these. For instance, in a screw. steamer you can have
quite at the heel of the vessel an aperture communicating with a pressure-valve,
the indicator of which shall, in one or other of the manners above described, govern
the admission of steam to the cylinders, thus the steam is cut off before racing
has begun, and steam is put on before the increased pressure of water requires it.
I also propose to apply electricity to regulate expansion gearing. The arrange-
ment I am about to describe will apply to most of the expansion valves in ordinary
use; but for simplicity let us assume a common link motion expansion valve
worked by a screw, as is now not uncommon. An extension of this screw carries
a disc of soft iron roughed radially, and close to this disc on either side are two
wheels running loosely on the same spindle, and kept from actual contact with the
said disc by slight springs. These wheels (which should not be of iron) contain
each two or more electro magnets, the poles of which face the soft iron disc, and
each wheel is also provided with an insulated ring, so that by means of a rubbing
spring or otherwise a current may be completed at will through the electro magnets
so as to cause them to advance towards the fixed disc, and bring their wheel into
frictional contact therewith. These two wheels will be driven by straps or
otherwise from the engine in opposite directions. As now the governor rises or
falls it can be caused to make contact with one or the other of two springs or
surfaces, and in so doing to complete the circuit through the electro magnets of one
or other of these two composite wheels above mentioned, which being thus drawn
by magnetism against the roughened iron disc will communicate to it a rotatory
movement in the direction of their rotation, and thus alter the position of the
expansion gearing according as the governor indicates excessive or insufficient
speed.
The last head of my Invention relates to the heating of feed water, and is more
especially suited to locomotives and other high pressure engines where some of
the waste steam is utilized to warin the water in a tender or feed tank.
This is very commonly done, but the results are inadequate, first, because the
water is drawn from the bottom of the tank while the hot water is at the top, and
secondly, because the water is only slowly warmed as the working of the engine
proceeds.
To remove the first named difficulty I attach a moveable pipe to the outlet of
the feedwater, and at the farther end of this pipe put a float, so that the inlet to
the said pipe, and therefore to the feed pump, is kept at or near the surface of the
water, and thus draws the water that is hottest. The same object may be obtained,

page_text: and in some cases more conveniently, by placing over the feed exit a collapsing tube
made after the manner of a concertina, and furnished with an annular float at the
top, water passages being provided through the said float.
To quicken the heating of the feed water I put between that part of the tank
where the feed pipe and heating pipe are situate and the main body of the water,
a vertical screen or partition perforated only at the bottom for maintaining the
supply, and I thus ensure the heating of the water in close proximity to the feed
pipe.
:
When heating the feed water for high pressure engines I prefer to mingle the
exhaust steam with the water in the following manner :-
I provide a small tank or chamber to which the feed water is supplied in a
regulated quantity, and into this tank I discharge a portion of the waste steam.
The feed pump which is connected with this tank draws water from the bottom
thereof. In the said water at the bottom of the tank is a floating ball, which rising
and falling according to the demands of the feed pump turns on and off a tap at the
top of the said chamber, and thereby regulates the admission of water thereto. The
water admitted to the top of the tank is delayed in its downward passage by being
made to pass through a series of perforated troughs or otherwise; it then remains
in contact with the steam for a time sufficient to heat it to 212°, the highest
temperature that can advantageously be obtained.
In relieving steam boilers from undue pressure a loss of heat is at present
experienced by the blowing off of steam from the safety valve. I propose to
utilize this steam for heating the feed water, and to this end I employ electricity
(which in this case cannot be evolved by the engine) for turning on a safety tap
or valve. In the face of the steam pressure gauge I insert an insulated spring or
pin, so that when the needle indicates a certain pressure it will, by making contact
with the pin or spring, complete an electric circuit, and thus, in one of the manners
before described, turn on or off a tap which connects the steam space with a vessel'
through which passes the feedwater. By so arranging that this action shall take
place at a less pressure than that at which the safety valves are weighted to
blow off the waste of heat which at pressure occurs in .blowing off will be
avoided.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Harry Whiteside Cook in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th September 1880.
HARRY WHITESIDE COOK, of Stondon Massey, in the County of Essex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS
FOR REGULATING THE SAME, ALSO IN HEATING THE FEED WATER OF STEAM
BOILERS."
This Invention relates, firstly, to novel means for converting the reciprocating
motion of the piston rods of motive power engines into a rotary motion, such means
being specially adapted for engines which are required at times to exert great power
at a proportionate reduction of speed.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation an engine fitted
my arrangement of gearing for converting the reciprocating into a rotary motion;
and Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same. A is the steam cylinder, and B
the piston rod, the cross-head of which works in fixed guides C.
The reciprocating motion of the piston rod B is transmitted through a con-
necting rod D with a sector-rack E, which has its fulcrum at e, and is furnished with
a crank pin e, to which the connecting rod is attached. This crank pin is adjustable
in a radial slot of the sector for the purpose of varying its throw to suit the work
in hand. Gearing into this sector rack is a pair of spur pinions F, G. These
pinions are mounted loosely, the one on the driving shaft F¹ of the engine, or that
which carries the fly wheel, and the other on a counter shaft G', and these shafts
are geared together by spur wheels F2, G². Attached to each spur pinion is a
pawl f, g, which respectively take into the ratchet wheels F, G, keyed to their
respective shafts F¹, G'. These ratchet wheels are cut the one the reverse of the
other to permit of their respective pawls sliding over their ratchets when the spur
pinions are driven in a direction the reverse of that in which their shafts are
rotating. As the sector-rack moves alternately in opposite directions it will drive
the main shaft directly through the loose pinion and ratchet wheel thereon, and
then indirectly through the loose pinion and rachet wheel on the counter shaft.
It will be understood that as the rack receives its motion from the piston-rod
through an adjustable crank pin its stroke may be diminished at pleasure to increase
the force of the motive power.
This Invention relates, secondly, to the controlling of the action of motive power
engines, and has reference to novel means for working through the governor the
throttle valve of the engine, and for regulating the supply of steam to the cylinder.
It is well known that the action of governors is at present by no means so prompt
as could be desired.
To obtain instant action I employ the agency of electricity, which may con-
veniently be evolved from a small dynamic machine worked by the engine itself.
With this agent the lightest and most delicate velocimeter or other indicator may
be used, since all that it has to do is to make and break metallic contact. In doing
this it makes and unmakes an electro-magnet. The power thus obtained is slight,
but it suffices to turn steam by a two-way cock into a small cylinder, the piston of
which is connected with and works the throttle valve and limits the supply of steam
to any desired extent.
Fig. 3 shews in side elevation an arrangement of apparatus for carrying out this
part of my Invention. In this Figure a is a supplementary steam cylinder fitted
with a piston b, and receiving steam through a two-way cock a' from the main
steam pipe for the purpose of working the piston.
Connected with the rod of the piston 6 is a bell crank lever b', having its fixed

page_text: fulcrum at 6 carried by the cover of the cylinder a. This bell crank lever is
connected by a rod 63 with the arm h of a throttle valve H.fitted in the steam
pipe H' leading to the valve chest of the cylinder A. The two-way cock a¹ is
opened and closed by a lever a², which is coupled at its free end to an armature I
overlying the lever a³, and having its fixed fulcrum at i.
Underlying this armature is an electro-magnet I', the action of which is to draw
down the armature, rock the lever a, and turn on steam to the cylinder a, at the
same time closing the outlet passage in the two-way cock a'. On the admission of
steam to this cylinder the piston b will be forced downwards, and by reason of its
connection through the bell crank lever b¹ and rod b³ with the throttle valve H it
will cause that valve to check the supply of steam to the cylinder A.
A coiled spring a³ contained in the cylinder a will return the piston b to its
raised position, thereby opening the throttle valve so soon as the pressure of steam
on the piston b has been removed by cutting off the supply of steam through
the cock a', and allowing the steam contained in the cylinder a to escape by the
outlet passage.
To regulate these movements the electro magnet is connected through a conducting
wire with the steam engine governor K, and is brought under its influence in the
following manner :-This governor is furnished with a flanged collar k, overlying
which is an elastic finger Is situate in the electric circuit. When the speed of the
engine is such as to cause the governor to lift its flange le into contact with the
elastic finger I* the electric circuit will be complete, and the electro magnet coming
into action will draw down the armature I, and cause steam to enter the cylinder a
by the tap a'. So soon as the circuit is broken, owing to the reduction in the
speed of the engine, the steam will be cut off from the cylinder a, a tension spring i
connected with the armature I serving to lift the same and with it the lever on the
spindle of the tap a¹.
The arrangement just described is applicable also to the working of expansion
valves. This adaptation of the mechanism is shewn in the elevation, Fig. 4, where
the expansion valve is marked L. As the corresponding parts in this and the
preceding Figure are marked with the same letters of reference no further
description of Fig. 4 will be needed.
Figures 5 and 6 shew an arrangement of apparatus for working the slide valve
of a steam engine expansively with the aid of an electric current.
The arrangement I am about to describe will apply to most of the expansion
valves in ordinary use, but for simplicity I have assumed for illustration the use of
common a link motion expansion valve adjusted by a screw, as is now not
uncommon in locomotives. An extension of this screw M carries a disc of soft
iron M³, roughened radially on its opposite faces and keyed to the screw spindle
but insulated therefrom. Connected with this soft iron disc, but so as not to
interfere with its rotation, is a conducting wire leading to one pole of a battery or
to a dynamo electric machine.
The other pole of the battery or its equivalent connects with the governor K of
the steam engine.
Close to this disc and on either side thereof are two wheels M³, M³, running
loosely on the spindle M, and kept from actual contact with the disc M¹ by slight
springs m. These wheels (which should not be of iron) contain each three electric
magnets m¹, as shewn at Fig. 6, the poles of which face the soft iron disc M'. Each
wheel M2, M3, is also-provided--with-an-insulated-ring-m², m³, against which bear
rubbing springs m* carried by the standards which support the bearings of the
screw spindle M. These springs are connected by means of wires each with one of
a pair of elastic fingers e, ³, between which plays the flanged collar k of the
governor. As the flanged collar k rises or falls under the varying rate of speed of
the engine, and is thus brought into contact with one or other of the elastic fingers,
a current will be set up through one or other of the set of electro magnets. This
will cause the magnets to advance towards the fixed disc and bring their wheel

page_text: into frictional contact therewith. The wheels M2, M3, are furnished with grooved
pulleys, which receive driving bands from the engine for driving the wheels in
opposite directions. As now the governor rises or falls and makes contact with
one or other of the springs 1, 2, thereby completing the circuit, a rotary motion
will be communicated through one or other of the driven wheels M³, M³, to the
screw M. This screw is fitted with a traversing nut M, to which is attached the
reversing lever M. This lever is connected as usual through the link motion with
the slide valve.
It will now be understood that as the screw is rotated a traverse motion will be
imparted to the nut M', and thus the position of the expansion gear will be altered
according as the governor indicates excessive or insufficient speed.
To prevent the overrunning of the screw I may adopt the contrivance, shewn in
Fig. 7, for breaking the circuit when the rotation of the screw becomes excessive.
In this Figure 1 is an inverted T-shaped rock lever which works on a fixed
fulcrum 2, and carries at its upper end a tooth in gear with a screw 3, which is
virtually an extension of the screw spindle M, and is threaded so as to correspond
with the thread of the screw spindle M.
Underlying the head of the rock lever 1 are two contact springs 4, 5, which are
connected by insulated wires, the one with the finger k¹ and the other with the
finger k² of the governor. The spring 4 rests upon a stud 4*, which is connected
by an insulated wire with the spring m* of the wheel M², and the contact spring 5
rests on a stud 5* connected with the spring m* of the wheel M³. Short chains 6, 6,
connect the springs 4 and 5 with the rock lever, and thus when the lever is thrown
over by the undue rotation of the screw M and its corresponding screw 3 to either
of the dotted positions of Fig. 7, the circuit will be broken and the driving of the
nut on the screw M will cease. As the engine which is governed by this apparatus
returns to its normal speed the direction of rotation of the screw M will be reversed,
the rock lever will move towards its normal position, and the raised contact spring
will be allowed to drop onto its stud and be ready to complete the circuit again
when needed.
Figures 8 and 9 shew a convenient form of dynamo electric machine for use in
connection with the apparatus just described.
The last head of my Invention relates to the heating of feed water, and is more
especially suited to locomotives and other high pressure engines, where some of the
waste steam is utilized to warm the water in a tender or feed tank. This is very
commonly done, but the results are inadequate, first, because the water is drawn
from the bottom of the tank while the hot water is at the top, and secondly,
because the water is only slowly warmed as the working of the engine proceeds.
To remove the first named difficulty I attach a moveable pipe to the outlet of
the feed water, and at the farther end of this pipe put a float so that the inlet to
the said pipe and therefore to the feed pump is kept at or near the surface of the
water, and thus draws off the water that is hottest. The saine object may be
obtained, and in some cases more conveniently, by the arrangement shewn in the
sectional elevation, Fig. 10, and in partial plan view at Fig. 11, where N is a
water supply tank fitted with a chamber N¹ for the purpose to be presently
explained.
The water enters the bottom of this chamber from the tank N, and it is
withdrawn at its upper part by means of a collapsing tube N² made after the
manner of a concertina bellows, and furnished with an annular float n at the top,
water passages being provided through the said float.
This tube leads through the tank N to the supply pump, and by means of its
float it will be sustained in such a position as to draw off the hottest portion of
the water. It is to quicken the heating of the feed water that the chamber N' is
provided for the reception of the floating tube. Into this chamber the heating
pipe N³ is led from the exhaust pipe of the engine. The inner end of this pipe
reaches down to near the bottom of the chamber N³, and the steam escapes from it

page_text: in streams through pierced holes formed in it for that purpose; I thus ensure the
immediate beating of the water in close proximity to the feed pipe instead of
waiting till the whole of the water in the tank has been warmed.
When heating the feed water for high pressure engines, I prefer to mingle the
exhaust steam with the water in the following manner:-I provide a small tank or
chamber, shewn in sectional elevation at Fig. 12, in plan view at Fig. 13, and in
sectional plan view at Fig. 14. To this tank O the feed water is supplied in a
regulated quantity, and into this tank I discharge a portion of the waste steam
by means of the pipe P. The feed pump which is connected with this tank draws
water from the botton thereof by means of the pipe P¹. In the said water at the
bottom of the tank is a floating ball Q, which rising and falling according to the
demands of the feed pump turns on and off a tap Q1 at the top of the said chamber,
and thereby regulates the admission of water thereto. The water admitted to the
top of the tank is delivered into a rose p, which by discharging it in the form of a
shower enables it to remain in contact with the steam for a time sufficient to heat
it to two hundred and twelve degrees, the highest temperature that can
advantageously be obtained. As it is found that when the tap is only a little on
the rose does not act, the action of the ball cock is accelerated by a weighted lever
attached to the ball cock lever. This weighted lever will exert an increasing
pressure as the ball descends and help to turn the water on suddenly, the converse
action taking place on the ascent of the ball cock.
In relieving steam boilers from undue pressure, a loss of heat is at present
experienced by the blowing off of steam from the safety valve; I propose to utilize
this steam for heating the feed water, and to this end I employ electricity (which
in this case cannot be evolved by the engine) for turning on a safety tap or valve;
Fig. 14 shews a pressure gauge arranged for carrying out this object automatically.
In the face of the steam pressure gauge I insert an insulated spring or pin, as at 7,
so that when the index needle 8 indicates a certain pressure it will by making
contact with the pin 7 or its equivalent complete an electric circuit, and thus in
one of the manners before described turn on or off a tap which connects the steam
space with a vessel through which passes the feed water. By so arranging that
this action shall take place at a less pressure than that at which the safety valves
are weighted to blow off, the waste of heat which at present occurs in blowing off
will be avoided, while the arrangement acts as a subsidiary and very effective
safety valve.
The index needle 8, it will be understood, is insulated upon its arbor, and
brought into connection by means of a pressure spring with the wire from an
adjacent battery.
Similarly the pin 7 is insulated and connected with the opposite pole of the battery
by a wire. On the pressure of the steam rising to a point indicated by the pin 7
on the dial contact between the pin and index needle will take place, and the
circuit being established the mechanism for opening a passage for the escaping
steam will be set in action.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Motive
Power Engines, and in the Means for Regulating the same, also in Heating the
Feed Water of Steam Boilers," and explained the manner of carrying the same_
into effect, I wish it to be understood that-under-the-above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,—
First. The arrangement above described for converting a reciprocating into a
rotary motion.
Second. The mechanism described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the
Drawing for working the regulating valves of motive power engines.
Third. The arrangement of mechanism, described with reference to [Figures 5
and 6, for regulating the expansion gear of motive power engines.

page_text: Lastly. I claim the means above described for heating the feed water by the
exhaust or blown off steam, and withdrawing the water at the hottest part of the
feed tank.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Whiteside Cook, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
H. WHITESIDE COOK. (L.S.)