IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Platt, of 10, Charlotte Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY
ENGINES."
Sealed-the 19th May 1863, and-dated the 28th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Platt, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
January '1863.
I, JAMES PLATT, of 10, Charlotte Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROTATORY ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in rotatory engines. For these
purposes a cylinder is mounted on and fixed to an axis or.shaft by means of one
of its ends or covers, and it is preferred that the axis or shaft should be vertical.
The cylinder is placed. within a cylindrical or other suitable form of cover
or case, which is arranged to act as a framing. It is preferred that this case
should be constantly full of steam when the engine is being worked by steam;
part of the shaft or axis, and the cylinder thereon, are arranged to rotate within
the case or cover whilst parts of the shaft or axis pass through, and are sup-
ported in suitable bearings at each end of the cover or case. One of the end
[Price 8.

page_text: covers of the cylinder is made with two hollow chambers, one on each side of
the shaft or axis, to receive two slides which are alternately moved into and
out of the cylinder of the engine by means of a stationary fixed undulating
track or cam in which a roller at the end of each of the slide rods moves.
This undulating track or cam is fixed to a hollow trunk which passes from
the exterior into the interior of the case, its inner end coming against the end
cover of the cylinder of the engine which is fixed to the shaft or axis. The
hollow trunk is divided into two parts or compartments; one acts as the steam
pipe or passage for conveying steam to the interior of the cylinder of the engine
when the engine is worked by steam, and the other compartment constitutes the
steam outlet from the cylinder of the engine; but the use of these two compart-
ments or divisions of the hollow trunk may be changed or reversed by a suitable
slide or other valve. A steam stop is formed or fixed in the end of the hollow
trunk which forms a steam abutment within the cylinder of the engine, and
it is between this fixed stop or abutment and one of the slides the steam
is introduced into the cylinder of the engine, whilst the steam is allowed to
escape from the cylinder of the engine into the outlet compartment on the
other side of the slide. The slides as they pass the abutment or stop are by
the cam or undulating track caused to enter the cylinder in such manner as
to be acted on by the steam, and to be propelled thereby from the steam stop
or abutment, so as to communicate a rotatory motion to the cylinder and the
axis or shaft of the engine to which the cylinder is fixed. The steam stop or
abutment is packed with metallic packing formed with inclined surfaces,
which packing is capable of being set up by a screw which can be turned from
the outside of the case. The engine may be worked by other fluid as well
as by steam, and by applying power to the shaft or axis so as to give a rotatory
motion to the cylinder the engine will become a pump.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Platt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th July
1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PLATT, of 10, Charlotte Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eight day of January, in the year of our Lord

page_text: as
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Platt, Her special licence, that I, the said James
Platt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others I,
the said James Platt, 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 Unitd Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Platt, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 James Platt, 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
thereof, that is to say :-
For
This Invention has for its object improvements in rotatory engines.
these purposes a cylinder is mounted on and fixed to an axis or shaft by means
of one of its ends or covers. The cylinder is placed within a cylindrical or
other suitable form of cover or case, which is arranged to act as a framing. It
is preferred that this case should be constantly full of steam when the engine
is being worked by steam. Part of the shaft, or axis, and the cylinder thereon,
are arranged to rotate within the case or cover, whilst parts of the shaft or
axis pass through and are supported in suitable bearings at each end of the
cover or case. One of the end covers of the cylinder is made with two hollow
chambers one on each side of the shaft or axis to receive two slides which are
alternately moved into and out of the cylinder of the engine by means of a
stationary fixed undulating track or cam in which a roller at the end of each
of the slide rods moves. This undulating track or cam is fixed to a hollow
trunk which passes from the exterior into the interior of the case, its inner end
coming against the end cover of the cylinder of the engine which is fixed to
the shaft or axis. The hollow trunk is divided into two parts or compart-
ments; one acts as the steam pipe or passage for conveying steam to the
interior of the cylinder of the engine when the engine is worked by steam,
and the other compartment constitutes the steam outlet from the cylinder

page_text: of the engine; but the use of these two compartments or divisions of the
hollow trunk may be changed or reversed by a suitable slide or other valve.
A steam stop is formed or fixed in the end of the hollow trunk which forms a
a steam abutment within the cylinder of the engine, and it is between this
fixed stop or abutment, and one of the slides, the steam is introduced into the
cylinder of the engine, whilst the steam is allowed to escape from the cylinder
of the engine into the outlet compartment on the other side of the slide. The
slides as they pass the abutment or stop are by the cam or undulating track
caused to enter the cylinder in such manner as to be acted on by the steam
and to be propelled thereby from the steam stop or abutment so as to com-
municate a rotatory motion to the cylinder, and the axis or shaft of the engine
to which the cylinder is fixed. The steam stop or abutment is packed with
metallic packing formed with inclined surfaces, which packing is capable of
being set up by a screw which can be turned from the outside of the case. The
engine may be worked by other fluid as well as by steam, and by applying power
to the shaft or axis so as to give a rotatory motion to the cylinder the engine
will become a pump.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 are two horizontal sections of a rotatory engine. A is the
shaft on which the cylinder (which is made in two parts E, D,) is fastened or
keyed; B, B', are the eduction and induction passages; C is an outer and
separate piece, which is divided into two separate chambers forming the con-
nection for the eduction and induction passages B, B', into and from the
cylinder E, D, as shewn by the arrows leading in and out of the cylinder, and
is made secure and tight to the centre piece L by means of two stuffing boxes
or flanges on each side of the chamber; F is a cam made fast by bolts to the
case O, or it may be bolted to the centre piece L, as shewn at Figures 3, in
which case it would be on the opposite side of the cylinder. This cam is
made with a long and short flange, which is of the proper curve and form to
draw the valves in and out while passing the stationary abutment S, which is
made fast to the centre piece L, and which centre piece is made fast to the
outer case O by means of bolts and the stufling box P. The long and short
flanges or the projections on the cam are so formed that the two rollers marked
H, H, one larger than the other, and arranged so that each travels on its
own surface or projection of the cam, retains its own course, or revolution in
passing round the cam, so that each roller revolves in its own direct course

page_text: and travels on its own bearing or flange of the cam, and by so doing saves a
great amount of friction which otherwise would result if either roller had to
reverse in the revolution round the cam. G, G, are valves, Figure 1 shewing
one shut, and Figure 2 the other open as the one is passing over the abut-
ment S, and on the same views are shewn the two rollers H, H, which are
made to revolve on cross heads X, which cross heads are made fast to the
valve stem Z, which is fastened to that part of the valve marked G by means
of a dovetail joint, so as to allow the part G to be moved in or out by means
of set screws, so that the valve stem Z remains stationary; I, I', are two rings
on each side of the cylinder E, D, for the purpose of making tight the rings N;
said rings have screws cut into them to match, and the inside ring I is made
to turn or be adjustable by a toothed or geared ring marked J, moved by a
toothed pinion marked K; the rings N are thus made adjustible by the
rings I and J, and the pinion K, so that it makes a tight packing against the
centre piece L; this centre piece is made stationary and fast to the case O.
M is a slip for the valve edge G to slide on as it moves, and is made adjustable
by set screws which are on the cylinder opposite each valve, and by means of
which the valves are caused to make a steam-tight joint against the centre
piece L; O is an outer case which serves as a framing for the engine and
also serves as a heater for any surplus steam which may leak in from the
cylinder E, D; Q represents an excentric which passes through the induction
or eduction passages B, B', and moves the two pieces S of the abutment, and
which pieces slide on an angular guide fitted partly in the rings and partly in
one cap or cover of the abutment. On the end of the excentric there is a
projection which connects the excentric to the pieces S. At the end of the
pieces S there is a tongue marked U, which fits in between the pieces S, and
when these pieces are forced out or in this tongue stops any leakage at the
end where the pieces separate and makes it perfectly tight. I would remark
that instead of using the excentric to move the pieces, a rod may pass through
one of the openings B, B', from the outside, and on the inside of said rod may
have a worm gear turning a pinion with a screw to move the pieces S, as shewn
in Figure 3.
Figure 4 represents a vertical section taken through the line (1), (1),
Figure 1; Figure 5 is a vertical section taken through the line (2), (2),
Figure 4; Figure 6 shews the cam (laid open) and cross head with edge view
of the valve and cylinder E, D. A¹ represents the steam passage from the
boiler; the steam follows the direction of the arrows into the cylinder, and
discharges or passes out by the passage H8. G³ represents the shaft, on which
is a small pinion B, which moves the slide valve D' by means of a rack on

page_text: the top of the valve, which is worked or moved by a handle inserted in the
socket No, and in moving this handle either way causes the valve to open or
close either passage and causes the engine to rotate in either direction. In
order to open and close the valves G, G', 1 employ the shaft E³, which
passes through the hollow shaft or axis I. On the end of the shaft E is a
socket L³ to receive a handle, and on the end of the hollow axis I is a
corresponding socket K2, so that by turning these shafts in contrary directions
one of the valves is opened and the other closed by the pinions F6, F6, working
into the racks formed on the backs of the valves. The flanges of the cam F
are curved so as to draw the valves G, stem Z, and rollers H with the cross
head X attached so as to pass the abutment in their rotation. The valves
may be two, three, or more in number; in the arrangement shewn, three
are employed. The cross head X connected to the rollers and valves works
on two rods, which are bolted and made fast to flanges cast with the cylinder
E, D, by nuts on each of the rods, and there are two valve rods to each valve
and cross head Z, and G shews the way the valve is dovetailed to the rod Z,
so that the port C is made adjustable to the centre piece L. J, J, Figure 7,
shews a plan of the ring referred to in Figures 1 and 2, and made fast to
ring I, which causes the ring N, to be adjusted to the centre piece L by means
of the pinion K, causing the rings J, J, and I to move by the screw and
pinion.
Figure 8 represents an end view, partly in section, of the cylinder and case,
and Figure 9 shews an end view, partly in section, of the cylinder; N (Figures
10, 11, and 12), is the ring which is adjustable to the centre piece L. This
ring is made with a flange grooved and projecting in the sides of the cylinder
E, D, so that when the ring is adjusted to the centre piece L, the flange
moves tightly in the groove of the cylinder E; D. To each edge of the valves
there is a tongue fitted into the cylinder E, D, and part in the flange of
ring is made with a flange grooved and projecting in the sides of the cylinder
tongues are for the purposes of keeping the cylinder tight in the space when
the flange moves out of the groove, and to prevent leakage from one valve to
the other by way of the edge of the flange of the ring N. To this case O
there is attached a trap, shewn at Figure 13, the outer case of which is
marked A, B. It is furnished with a float E, connected with a valve G, to
take any condensed water out of the case O, which may collect. J is a pipe
that connects the case O with the trap, and I is a pipe that conveys the waste
water out of the trap. In the cylinder marked E there are two round holes
marked T, which are to allow steam to pass into the case to form an equal
pressure on all sides of the cylinder.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same. I would have it understood that I make no claim to
the parts separately, but what I claim is the combined arrangement herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Platt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JAMES PLATT. (L.S.)