IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM AND OTHER. ENGINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Augustus Huddart, and Joseph Durham.
Erskine Huddart, both of Brynkir, in the County of Carnarvon, Gentle-.
men, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM AND OTHER.
ENGINES."
Sealed the 12th September 1861, and dated the 20th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Augustus Huddart
and Joseph Durham Erskine Huddart at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th April 1861.
We, GEORGE AUGUSTUS HUDDART and JOSEPH DURHAM ERSKINE HUDDART,
both of Brynkir, in the County of Carnarvon, Gentlemen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM AND OTHER
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
. The object of this Invention is to convert the reciprocating motion of
motive power engines into a continuous rotary motion without the aid of a
fly wheel. To this end we slot the crank arm of the shaft intended to
transmit the rotary motion and couple it to the piston rod of the engine by
means of a connecting rod, the reciprocating movements of which are
governed so as to carry the crank over its dead points. This rod we joint
to the end of the piston rod, and we make good the coupling with the crank

page_text: shaft by a pin which will be free to slide in the slot of the crank arm.
Projecting from the face of the connecting rod is a guide pin which works
in a guide plate, the groove in which is of an oval form. This groove we
prefer to describe of two segments of equal radius, cutting each other in a
line drawn through the centre of the piston rod to the centre of the crank
axle. Fitted into the opposite ends of this groove are gates for closing up
the passage along which the pin of the connecting rod has just completed
its progress, and thus ensuring that its return movement shall be along the
opposite side of the endless grooves. These gates come alternately into action
and present an inclined edge to the traversing guide pin, thereby compelling
it to move laterally under the pull or thrust of the piston, and thus turn
the crank over its dead points. To provide for reversing the motion, two
sets of these gates must be fitted to the guide plate. The gates may be made
self-acting either by the continuous pressure of springs, or by levers con-
nected therewith and operated by the engine. If thought desirable the
same effect may be produced by causing the guide pin of the connecting rod to
move through its orbit governed by a combination of rods and slotted
bars.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Augustus Huddart and Joseph Durham Erskine
Huddart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
AUGUSTUS HUDDART and JOSEPH DURHAM ERSKINE HUDDART, both of Brynkir,
in the County of Carnarvon, Gentlemen, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said George Augustus Huddart, and Joseph Durham Erskine Huddart, Her
special license that we, the said George Augustus Huddart, and Joseph
Durham Erskine Huddart, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said George Augustus Huddart, and Joseph Durham Erskine
Huddart, our 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

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM AND
OTHER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George
Augustus Huddart, and Joseph Durham Erskine Huddart, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 George Augustus Huddart, on behalf
of myself and of the said Joseph Durham Erskine Huddart, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to convert the reciprocating motion of motive
power engines into a continuous rotary motion without the aid of a fly wheel.
To this end we slot the crank arm of the shaft intended to receive and transmit
the rotary motion, and couple it to the piston rod of the engine by means of
a connecting rod, the reciprocating movements of which are governed by
means of a bowle working in a suitable guide so as to carry the crank over its:
dead points.
. In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in front elevation, and Fig. 2
in vertical cross section, the arrangement of mechanism which we prefer to
employ in carrying out our Invention.
In these Figures a, a, is the piston rod of the steam cylinder b. The head
of the piston rod is connected to the crank arm c of the shaft d by means of
a rod e. The coupling pin for securing the connecting rod to the crank arm.
is free to slide in a slot made in the crank arm for the purpose, to be presently.
explained. To the face of the standard f, which carries the end bearing for
the crank shaft d, we bolt a guide plate g in which a bowle h carried by a
pin projecting from the inner face of the connecting rod e works in order to
impart an oscillating motion to the connecting rod so as to throw the crank
shaft over the dead centres, the bowle forming a moving fulcrum on' which
the connecting rod oscillates while receiving its endway motion. This guide
plate g is furnished with an endless groove of an oblong form, and made, by
preference, by describing two segments of equal radius so as to cut each other
in a line drawn through the centre of the piston rod to the centre of the crank

page_text: sbaft. Fitted into this guide plate, and forming the bottom of the endless
groove, are gates i, i, for closing up the way along which the bowle or pin of
the connecting rod has just completed its forward or return stroke, and thus
ensuring that its next movement shall be along the opposite side of the endless
groove. These gates, which are made in pairs and set in opposite directions
(to permit of a reversing motion being given to the engine), may be described
as inclined planes let into the groove, and hinged at their inner ends to the
guide plate, but capable of yielding or receding as the travelling pin or bowle
moves over them. The gates have a tendency to rise to the inclined position
by reason of coiled springs k, k, placed beneath them, but in order that they
may present no obstruction to the traversing bowle while pursuing its proper
course we effect their temporary depression by means of excentrics 1, 1, (one
for each gate) acting upon excentric straps attached to rods m, pendent from
or loosely connected by a slotted lug n respectively to the gates. The excen-
trics are mounted in pairs on two cross shafts which are connected together by
a train of gearing wheels o, o, so that the motion of all the excentrics will be
reciprocal, the one allowing the gate to which it is connected to rise under
the pressure of its spring and bar the back progress of the guide pin or bowle,
while that over which the bowle is next to travel is drawn down so as not to
obstruct its progress. It will now be understood that the gates come alter-
nately into action, that is, when the motion of the bowle is in the direction of
the arrow, Fig. 1, the gates i, i, will alternately rise to bar the backward
progress of the bowle, and thereby compel it, when arrived at either extremity
of its course, to move laterally under the pull or thrust of the piston, and thus
turn the crank over its dead points. In order, however, to permit of this
lateral motion, which a rigid coupling of the connecting rod and crank shaft
would effectually prevent, it is necessary that the coupling should yield slightly,
and it is for this reason that the crank arm is slotted, as before mentioned,
and the coupling pin allowed to slide in the slot. To allow for the motion of
the engine being reversed the gates 2, 3, are provided. When these are
brought into action the operation of the gates i, , will not be required.
may remark that the gates may be actuated in a variety of ways, but we prefer
the mechanical arrangement shewn in the Drawing. The movements of the
guide pin or bowle might also be controlled by a combination of vibrating rods
and slotted bars, but we prefer the use of a fixed guide plate as being more
simple in construction.
We
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in
Steam and other Engines," and explained the manner of carrying the same

page_text: into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent we claim the arrangement of parts above described for con-
verting the rectilinear motion of piston rods of motive power engines into a
rotary motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Augustus Huddart, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
GEO. A. HUDDART. (L.S.)