Improvements in Rotary Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, SAMUEL QUINCEY, of 567, Seven Sisters Road, South Tottenham, in the
County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to rotary engines of the kind wherein a hub
arranged eccentrically within a cylinder is provided with a hinged or pivoted
flap or piston adapted to travel in contact with the interior of the cylinder and
is formed with a fluid supply passage that terminates in a recess in which the
piston fits when in its inner or closed position and which is in communication
with a longitudinal passage in the hub shaft the inlet to which passage is
controlled by a cut-off valve, as described for example in the Specification of
former Letters Patent granted to me No. 20908 of 1896.
Now the present invention has reference to a rotary engine in which two or
more cylinders with hubs and pistons of the kind referred to are so constructed
and arranged in relation to each other and to a hollow driving shaft and steam
chest as to produce a compound or multiple expansion engine of simple and
efficient construction. For this purpose each of the hubs is provided with inlet
and outlet passages that terminate in the corresponding cylinder at opposite
sides of the piston therein and communicate at their inner ends with separate
passages within the driving shaft, the arrangements being such that the inlet
passage of the high pressure hub is adapted to be placed in connection through
the corresponding passage in the shaft with the steam chest, and the outlet
passage of the said hub is in communication through its corresponding passage
in the shaft with the inlet passage in the hub of the next cylinder, the outlet
passage of this second hub being similarly connected through another separate
passage the driving shaft with the inlet passage of the hub of the next
cylinder, if there be one, and so on, the outlet passage of the last hub being
in connection with an exhaust outlet, or such outlet may be direct, from the
cylinder instead of through the hub.
By this arrangement upon high pressure motive fluid (hereinafter referred to
as steam) being admitted from the steam chest to the high pressure cylinder
through the inlet passage in the hub of that cylinder, it will act against and
force the corresponding piston into close contact with the inner surface of the high
pressure cylinder and cause the hub and piston to rotate, and when the hub
has rotated sufficiently to bring the outlet passage beyond the place where the
hub and cylinder bear against each other through a suitable packing strip, the
steam behind the piston will expand through such outlet passage and the cor-
responding passage in the driving shaft into the inlet passage of the hub in the
next cylinder whence it will escape and act upon and rotate the piston of such
hub and cylinder, the steam after doing duty in such cylinder expanding in a
similar manner through the outlet passage of the second hub into the next
cylinder, if there be one, or passing to the exhaust.
In one construction, the cylinders, of which there may be two or more, ara

page_text: fixed together and to a bed plate with a division plate between the ends of each
adjacent pair of cylinders, the cylinders being arranged eccentrically or co-axially
according to circumstances and so as to effect good balancing of the hubs and
pistons therein and of the propulsive effect exerted thereby. The rotary hubs
in all the cylinders are so relatively arranged that steam will be admitted into
the space behind each piston and the place of contact between the corresponding
hub and cylinder, either from the steam chest or from a preceding cylinder so
that steam will act upon the rear side of each piston and cause all of them to
rotate in the same direction, steam acting at all times upon one or some of the
pistons whilst another or others is or are making the idle part of its or their
rotation. Steam may be admitted to each cylinder before or after the corre-
sponding piston has passed the said point of contact between the cylinder and
hub so as to provide either a steam lead or piston lead according to the speed
of the piston or the pressure of the steam. The driving shaft upon which the
hubs are fixed is made hollow but divided longitudinally into two, three or
more parts corresponding to the number of cylinders, the first part communi-
cating with a steam chest attached to the outer cylinder cover of the high
pressure cylinder and the last with an exhaust or discharge outlet, and each,
excepting the first, with the outlet passage of one hub and the inlet passage
of the next succeeding hub. The inlet to the first longitudinal steam passage
is or may be formed in a sleeve fixed on the driving shaft, or an extension
thereof, within the steam chest, and be governed by any suitable arrangement
of valve or valves. The sleeve may be arranged to rotate in contact with a
fixed saddle, and the port therein be controlled by an expansion valve, as in
my said former specification. Or, according to a modification, the fixed saddle
may be replaced by an endways movable one controlled by a lever or equivalent
means so that should the steam port in the sleeve be covered by such saddle
at starting, the saddle can be moved endways so as to uncover the port and
admit high pressure steam to the high pressure cylinder, or, should the piston
in that cylinder not be in an advantageous position to be acted upon by the
high pressure steam, to allow such steam to pass between the high pressure
piston and the hub and the outlet passage in the latter to the next cylinder the
piston of which would be in its active position. Or the saddle may be held in
the displaced position so as to admit high pressure steam continuously to the
first and second cylinders when it is desired to increase the power of the
engine.
The driving shaft is supported in suitable adjustable bearings carried by the
outer covers of the cylinders and the division plate or plates between the
cylinders.
Each of the pistons consists of a plate that may be of bent or of angular
section and be provided at its inner edge with a nearly cylindrical portion by
which it is pivotted in a corresponding recess in its hub, its outer edge being
formed with a similar but smaller nearly cylindrical portion on which is mounted,
so as to rock thereon, a block or carrier provided on its outer side with a
renewable metal shoe that is curved to fit the interior of the cylinder. Each
of the hubs is formed with a recessed part to receive the piston when the same
is in its innermost or closed position, the steam inlet passage terminating in
such recessed part. The ends of the hubs and pistons may be packed in any
known or suitable way. Instead of cylinders, vessels of more or less oval
section may be used as well understood.
Dated 1
C
1
1000

page_text: improvements Rotary Engines.
I, SAMUEL QUINCEY, of 567, Seven Sisters Road, South Tottenham, in the
County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, 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 has reference to rotary engines of the kind wherein a hub
arranged eccentrically within a cylinder is provided with a single hinged or pivoted
flap or piston adapted to travel in contact with the interior of the cylinder and
is formed with a fluid supply passage that terminates in a recess in which the
piston fits when in its inner or closed position and which is in communication
with a longitudinal passage in the hub shaft the inlet to which passage
controlled by a cut-off valve, as described for example in the Specification,
former Letters Patent granted to me No. 20908 of 1896.
Now the present invention has reference to a rotary engine in which two
or more cylinders each provided with an eccentrically arranged hub having a
single piston of the kind referred to are so constructed and arranged in relation
to each other and to a hollow driving shaft and steam chest as to produce a
compound or multiple expansion engine of simple and efficient construction as
I shall now describe with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings
wherein Fig. 1 shows in longitudinal vertical section, a multiple expansion
rotary engine of the kind herein referred to constructed according to this
invention, the steam distributing valve and adjacent parts being shown in
elevation. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line A of Fig. 1.
In this construction there are three cylinders, viz. a high pressure cylinder a,
an intermediate pressure cylinder b, and a low pressure cylinder c. d, e and f
are the three rotary hubs arranged eccentrically in the three cylinders a, band c
respectively, and g, h, and i are respectively the high pressure piston, the inter-
mediate pressure piston and the low pressure piston, there being only one piston
to each cylinder and such piston being hinged or jointed to the hub in such
cylinder so that it can turn inward and outward as it rotates in contact with
the interior of the cylinder. The three cylinders are fixed together with a
division plate k between the ends of each adjacent pair of cylinders, the
cylinders being arranged eccentrically or co-axially, according to circumstances,
and so as to effect good balancing of the hubs and pistons therein and of the
propulsive effect exerted thereby. When three cylinders are used, as in the
example shown, the three pistons may be jointed to the three hubs so that
the points of attachment are about 180° one behind the other, the high pressure
piston leading.
It is however preferred to arrange the said points of attachment 120° one
behind the other as by this means a longer effective stroke of each piston can
be obtained. When two cylinders are used, as in a compound engine, the
points of attachment of the pistons to the hubs may be say from about 180°
to 120° apart, the high pressure piston leading. Each hub is provided with a
steam supply passage / and a steam outlet or exhaust passage m, these passages
being located on opposite sides of the part of the hub to which the piston is
hinged or jointed, and the former one, viz., I opening at its delivery end in
the recess n in the hub into which the piston takes when in its closed position.
The rotary hubs are so relatively arranged in their respective cylinders that
steam will be admitted into the space behind the piston in each cylinder and
the place of contact between the corresponding hub and the packing strip o in

page_text: the cylinder, either from the steam chest, or from a preceding cylinder, so that
steam will act upon the rear side of each piston and cause all of them to rotate
in the same direction, steam acting at all times upon one or some of the pistons
whilst another or others is or are making the idle part of its or their rotation.
Steam may be admitted to the inlet passage of the first cylinder before or
after the corresponding piston has passed the said point of contact o between
the cylinder and hub so as to provide either a steam lead or piston lead accord-
Each exhaust
ing to the speed of the piston or the pressure of the steam.
passage m is or may advantageously be so arranged that steam will exhaust
from the corresponding cylinder into the next adjacent cylinder at such times
that the effective areas of the two pistons in the two adjacent cylinders are
balanced.
The
The driving shaft 2 upon which the hubs are fixed, is made hollow but
divided longitudinally into two, three or more hollow parts corresponding to
the number of cylinders, the first hollow part 9 communicating with a steam
chestr attached to the outer cylinder cover s of the high pressure cylinder a,
and each, excepting the first, with the outlet or exhaust passage m of one hub
The outlet
and the inlet or supply passage of the next succeeding hub.
passage from the last cylinder may be in the hub and shaft, or, as shown
at m in the wall of the cylinder and be connected to an exhaust pipe m¹. In
the example shown, as there are three cylinders there are three hollow parts
or longitudinal steam connecting passages viz. q,t and u in the shaft.
inlet to the first longitudinal steam passage q is or may be formed in a sleeve v
fixed on the driving shaft p, or an extension thereof, within the steam chest r,
and be governed by any suitable arrangement of valve or valves. The sleeve
may be arranged to rotate in contact with a saddle w and the port therein be
controlled by an expansion valve a. The saddle we may be fixed as in the con-
struction of single cylinder rotary engine described in my said former specifi-
cation. Or, it may, as in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying
drawings, be arranged to move endways and be controlled by a rod y and lever z
or equivalent means so that should the steam port, in the sleeve be covered by
such saddle at starting, the saddle can be moved endways so as to uncover the
said port and admit high pressure steam to the high pressure cylinder; or,
should the piston in that cylinder not be in an advantageous position to be
acted upon by the high pressure steam, to allow such steam to pass from the
inlet passage of the hub d back through the cylinder a to the outlet passage m
in the said hub and thence to the next cylinder 6 the piston h of which would
be in its active position; or, the saddle w may be held in the displaced position,
so as to admit high pressure steam continuously to the first and second cylin-
ders when it is desired to increase the power of the engine. The saddle w &
valve together form a compound valve arrangement.
i
The driving shaft is supported in suitable adjustable bearings 1 carried
by the outer covers 2 of the cylinders and the division plates k, k and s between
the cylinders. These bearings are or may be constructed in the manner
described in the Specification of another application for Letters Patent filed by
me No. 1433 of 1899.
Each of the pistons g and h and i consists of a plate that may be of bent or
of angular section (see Fig. 2) and be provided at its inner edge with a nearly
cylindrical portion 3 by which it is hinged within a corresponding recess 4 in
its hub, its outer edge being formed with a similar but smaller nearly cylin-
drical portion 5 on which is mounted, so as to rock thereon, a block or carrier 6
provided on its outer side with a renewable metal shoe 7 that is curved to fit
the interior of the cylinder. Each of the hubs d, e and f is formed with a
recessed part n to receive the corresponding piston. when the same is in its
innermost or closed position, the steam inlet or supply passage 1 terminating
in such recessed part. The ends of the hubs and pistons may be packed in any
known or suitable way. Instead of cylinders, vessels of more or less oval
section may be used as well understood.

page_text: By the arrangement described, upon high pressure steam being admitted
from the steam chest. r to the high pressure cylinder a through the passage q in
the shaft and the inlet passage in the hub of that cylinder, it will act
against and force the high pressure piston into close contact with the inner
surface of the high pressure cylinder and cause the hub d and piston g to
rotate, and when the hub d has rotated sufficiently to bring the outlet passage m
beyond the place where the hub and cylinder bear against each other through
the suitable packing strip o, the steam behind the piston 9 will expand through
such outlet passage m and the corresponding passage in the driving shaft
into the inlet passage h of the hub c in the next cylinder whence it will
escape and act upon and rotate the piston h of such hub and cylinder, the steami
after doing duty in such cylinder expanding in a similar manner through the
outlet passage m of the second hub into the next cylinder e, if there be one,
and finally passing to the exhaust pipe m¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A compound or multiple expansion rotary engine comprising two or more
cylinders connected together in line and each provided with an eccentrically
arranged rotary hub formed with steam inlet and outlet passages and a single
flap or piston hinged or pivoted to the said hub between the passages therein
and adapted to travel in contact with the internal surface of the corresponding
cylinder, a driving shaft to which the hubs are fixed, a steam chest, fluid supply
passages located in the said shaft and whereby the inlet passage of the high
pressure cylinder can be placed in connection with the said steam chest and
the outlet passage of each hub with the inlet passage of the next hub, and
means for controlling the supply of steam from the steam chest to the first
cylinder, substantially as herein before described with reference to the drawings.
2. In a compound or multiple expansion engine of the kind herein referred
to, the combination with the hollow shaft and a sleeve fixed thereon and formed
with a port in communication with a steam passage in the shaft, of an endways
adjustable saddle and an expansion valve, the arrangement being such as to
form a compound expansion valve, the whole constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in the
drawings annexed.
3. The improved multiple expansion engine constructed arranged and operat-
ing substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in the
drawings annexed.