IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ADMITTING THE STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER AGENT TO, AND EXHAUSTING IT FROM, THE CYLINDERS OF OSCILLATING ENGINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 16, Castle
Street, Holborn (City), London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ADMITTING THE STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE
POWER AGENT TO, AND EXHAUSTING IT FROM, THE CYLINDERS OF OSCILLATING
ENGINES."-A communication.
Sealed the 8th August 1854, and dated the 28th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th February 1854.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street, Holborn,
(City), London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ADMITTING THE STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE
POWER AGENT TO, AND EXHAUSTING IT FROM, THE CYLINDERS OF OSCILLATING
ENGINES," to be as follows, and to consist in a certain arrangement of steam
chest pipes & stuffing boxes for admitting steam or other fluid to, & exhausting
it from, the cylinder effectively, without allowing it to pass through the
trunnions :-
A cylinder, having solid trunnions, & having passages cast on one side,
communicating between the ends of the cylinder and the steam chest, which
is situate on one side of the cylinder, just above the trunnions. The interior
of the steam chest is in the form of part of a circle, described from the axis of
the trunnions, and the ends receive two pipes, which form portions of a circle,
& are bolted or otherwise secured to a flange on the framing of the engine, in
a position concentric with the axis of the trunnions. These pipes are made to

page_text: fit steam-tight in the ends of the steam chest by packing in stuffing boxes, and
as they form portions of a circle described from the axis of the trunnions, they
allow the cylinder to oscillate freely.
The packing employed consists of a ring or rings of india-rubber, tightened
around the pipe by a gland of the usual kind, and metal rings are employed to
compress it. The back of the steam chest is faced truly to form the seat for
the valve, and the steam passages terminate in this face. The valve resembles,
in a measure, the ordinary slide valve, having a recess in its face which com-
municates directly with the pipe to which the valve is permanently attached.
The shape of the valve and the shape and arrangement of the steam ports are
such, that when the engine is on the centre, the two ports are covered, &
the recess in the valve stands opposite the space between the ports & out of
communication with them; but when the engine is at half stroke, one port is
open to the steam chest, & the other is opposite the recess in the valve. The
valve is kept close to its seat by a plate at the back and set screws. The
steam chest is made in two parts, of which one is cast with the cylinder, and
the other bolted to it. The division takes place in a plane passing through
the centre, so that the stuffing boxes are divided equally, & is thus made for
easy adjustment of the parts. The supply pipes communicate with other
pipes which communicate by means of ports with the interior of a steam chest
secured to the bed plate or to any convenient part of the framing. This steam
chest & the valve contained in it are similar to those commonly employed
upon the cylinders of engines using the short slide valve; the steam chest
having three ports, one opening to the exhaust pipe, and the valve being of
such form as to open either of the other two ports to the steam chest, &
open a communication between the other of the said ports and the exhaust
port, or to close both the ports both to the steam chest & the exhaust port.
The steam pipe enters the steam chest at one end; & the valve rod passes
through a stuffing box at the other end, to connect with a lever, by' which to
regulate the engine. By another arrangement of my Invention, the steam
chest is divided by a central partition into two chambers, having no communi-
cation with each other; each chamber contains a port. The valve receives
motion by means of an eccentric on the crank shaft, and opens. the ports
alternately through the pipes, chambers, and ports, the exhaust steam always
escaping through one set of chambers, ports, & pipes, as the steam enter
through the other. There is no necessity in this modification of my Invention
to make the steam chest in two parts, as it can all be cast with the cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence that
I, 'the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Auguste Loradoux
Bellford, my 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 vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS OF ADMITTING THE STEAM. OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER AGENT TO, AND
EXHAUSTING IT FROM, THE CYLINDERS OF OSCILLATING ENGINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, by an
instrument in writing under hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 consists in a certain arrangement of steam chest pipes and
stuffing boxes for admitting steam or other fluid to, and exhausting it from, the
cylinder effectively, without allowing it to pass through the trunnions. The
accompanying Drawings exhibit two different methods of practically applying
the Invention; one of which is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7,
and the other in Figures 8 and 9. The former will be first described.
Figure 1 is a, side elevation, and Figure 2 is a front elevation of a steam
engine; Figure 3 is a side. view of the cylinder, with all the parts which control

page_text: the admission and exhaustion of the steam in section; Figure 4 is a side view
of the cylinder and a section of its steam chest in a different position to
Figure 3; Figure 5 is a section of the cylinder in a plane passing through its
axis and the axis of the trunnions; Figure 6 is a section of the valve in the
steam chest of the cylinder; Figure 7 is a face view of the valve. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A is the cylinder, having solid trunnions a, a, and having passages b, b, (see
Figure 5) cast on one side, communicating between the ends of the cylinder and
the steam chest B, which is situate on one side of the cylinder, just above the
trunnions. The interior of the steam chest is in the form of part of a circle,
described from the axis of the trunnions, and the ends receive two pipes c, c,
which form portions of a circle, and are bolted or otherwise secured to a flange!
1 on the framing L of the engine, in a position concentric with the axis of the
trunnions. These pipes are made to fit steam-tight in the ends of the steam
chest by packing in stuffing boxes c, c', and as they form portions of a circle,
described from the axis of the trunnions, they allow the cylinder to oscillate
freely. The packing I employ for each of the stuffing boxes c, c¹, consists of a
ring or rings of india-rubber d, which are tightened around the pipe by a gland
e of the usual kind. In order to compress the packing very closely towards
the centre or around the pipe, two loose metal rings ƒ and g are employed, the
former being flat and fitting closely but not tightly round the pipe at the back
of the stuffing box, and the latter fitting easily to the pipe and loosely in a
recess in the back or bottom of the gland, and having a conical recess on the
side next the packing. This is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Though I con-
sider this the best form of packing, other kinds may be employed with, perhaps,
equal advantage. The back of the steam chest is faced truly to form the seat
for the valve D, and the steam passages b, b', terminate in this face. The
valve D resembles, in a measure, the ordinary slide valve, having a recess i in
its face, which communicates directly with the pipe C', to which the valve is
permanently attached. The shape of the valve, and the shape and arrange-
ment of the steam ports h, h', forming the entrance to the steam passages, are
such, that when the engine is on the centre, and the cylinder in the position as
shown in Figure 1, the two ports are covered, and the recess in the valve stands
opposite the space between the ports, and out of communication with them; but
that when the engine is at half stroke, and the cylinder in the position shewn
in Figure 4 having oscillated to the greatest extent allowed by the crank, one
port is open to the steam chest, and the other is opposite the recess in the
valve, and in communication with the pipe C. The valve is kept close to its
seat by a plate at the back and two set. screws k, k,, which work in female

page_text: screws in the outer side of the steam chest. The steam chest is made in two
parts, of which one is cast with the cylinder and the other bolted to it. The
division takes place in a plane passing through the centre of the pipes C, C',
so that the stuffing boxes are divided in the centre. The steam chest is made
in this way in order that the pipe C' and the valve D may be put in, taken
out, or adjusted with facility. The pipes C and C communicate with other
pipes E, E', which communicate by means of ports m, m', with the interior of
a steam chest F, which is secured to the bed plate, or to any convenient part.
of the framing of the engine. This steam chest and the valve G contained in
it are precisely similar to those commonly employed upon the cylinders of
engines using the short slide valve, the steam chest having three ports 'm, m',
and n, the latter being between the two former, and opening to the exhaust
pipe H, and the valve being of such form as to open either of the ports m, m',
to the steam chest, and open a communication between the other of said ports
and the exhaust port n, or to close both the ports m, m', both to the steam
chest and the exhaust port. The steam pipe I enters the steam chest at one.
end, and the valve rod passes through a stuffing box at the other end to
connect with a lever J, which serves to start, stop, and reverse the engine.
When the engine is to be set in operation, the valve G is moved by the lever J
to such a position as to allow the steam from the steam chest F to enter either
of the ports m, m', and to bring the other in communication with the exhaust
port n, and then remains stationary. In Figure 3 of the Drawing the steam
is entering through the port m, the pipes E and C to the steam chest B, which
is kept filled. The steam will now enter through each of the ports h, h',
alternately, as it is opened by the oscillation of the cylinder, always exhausting
through the other port and through the valve D and pipe C', as indicated by
the arrow in Figure 6, escaping through the pipe E', and under the valve G.
through the exhaust port n to the exhaust pipe H. When it is desired to
reverse the engine, the valve G must be moved to open the port m', and bring
m in communication with n, and then the steam enters through the pipes E',
C', and through the valve D to the ports h, h', and escapes from the said ports
into the steam chest B, and through the pipes C, E, to the exhaust pipe II.
When the valve G is moved to such a position as to close the ports m, m', no
steam can enter the engine, and it is stopped.
In the modification of my Invention shown in Figures 8 and 9, the valve D
is dispensed with, and the valve G acts in the same way as the slide valve of
the engines in most general use. This modification will now be described.
Figure 8 is a side view of the cylinder, with sections of the steam chests B
and F; and Figure 9 shows the valve gear for working the valve G.

page_text: Similar letters of reference to those before used are used to indicate such
parts of these Figures as correspond with the Figures before described.
The steam chest B is divided by a central partition K into two chambers
M, M', which have no communication with each other. The pipe C enters the
chamber M, and the pipe C¹ the chamber M¹; the former chamber contains
the port h, and the latter the port h¹. The valve G receives motion by means
of an eccentric N on the crank shaft, a rod O, and elbow lever P (see Figure 9),
and opens the ports m, m³, alternately, and this allows a free passage of steam,
first through the pipes E, C, chamber M, and port h, to the cylinder, and next
through the pipes E, C', chamber M³, the exhaust steam always escaping from
the cylinder through one chamber and set of pipes, as the steam enters through
the other. There is no necessity, in the last-described modification of my
Invention, to make the steam chest B in two parts, as represented in Figures
2 and 5, as it can all be cast with the cylinder.
I claim admitting the steam or other fluid to the cylinder, as described, by
means of pipes C, C, arranged in a circle described from the axis of the cylinder's
oscillation, and entering opposite sides or ends of a steam chest B, attached to
the cylinder, whether the admission of the steam be controlled by a valve D in
the said steam chest or by the movements of a slide valve G.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred &
fifty-four.
A. E. LOKADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)