A Reciprocating Rotary Engine.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Reciprocating Rotary Engine.
1 HENRY IGEL Mechanical Engineer of 40 Newgate Street Newcastle on Tyne
county of Northumberland do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object to do away with the crank which is an imperfect
mode of imparting motion, also to do away with the slide valves, excentricts and
connecting rods, and to transmit power & motion to the driving shaft during the
full length of the piston stroke.
My invention consists of one or more cylinders their pistons being fastened on
the center of the piston rod which protrudes through both covers terminating in a
spheroidal shaped end, or with a roller, or ball like a ball castor; near the extremities
of the piston rod in large engines are fixed cross heads working in guides attached to
the cylinder; the ends of the piston rod work against the surfaces or in grooves of
continuous cams fixed to, or forined in a disc or circular plate, and are placed in a
circle round the cylinder, and concentrical to the shaft; those cams can be 3, 5, 7,
9, 11, or more but always odd in number so that during the time the piston is in
motion while one end of the piston rod descends the incline of one cam, the other
end ascends the incline of the opposite cam, by this means the cylinder or the cam
supporting plate is driven forwards and caused to revolve round its axis to which the
driving shaft is connected.
At one side of the cylinder and concentrical with the shaft is a circular plate
through which are two ports communicating inside with both ends of the cylinder;
this plate called the valve cover fits against a circular valve in which are cut as many
ports as there are cams, one half of these ports communicate with the steam pipe the
other with the exhaust pipe; or I may have other suitable arrangements for the
inlet and the outlet of the steam, the above mentioned valve can be moved so as to
change the relation of the ports to the cams, where by the motion of the engine is
reversed, or it can be reversed by changing the steam pipe into exhaust pipe or
vice-versa by the aid of a four-way cock or a sliding valve arrangement or by any
suitable means; a mouvable plate is provided by which the ports can be shortened so
as to be able to cut off steam at any point, thus work the engine expansively.
My invention can be used in single or compound engines for any driving or other
mechanical purposes.
D
111
HEINITI IGEL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Reciprocating Rotary Engine.
I HENRY IGEL Mechanical Engineer of 40 Newgate Street Newcastle on Tyne
county of Northumberland 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 :-
My invention has for its object to do away with the crank which is an imperfect
mode of imparting motion, also to do away with the slide valves, excentrics and
connecting rods, and to transmit power and motion to the driving shaft during the
full length of the piston stroke.
On the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1, is an end view of a 5 cam engine.

page_text: heads or guides.
Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 3 showing cam plate in section.
Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 a.cut off arrangement in section & front view.
Fig. 7 shows a valve face.
Fig. 8 an arrangement for a treble expansion engine; all letters in the accom-
panying drawings indicate as follows-
A. A cam plate, B. rollers, C. cylinder, D. valve cover, E. exhaust duct, F cover,
G continuous cam groove, H. steam outlet, I. steam duct, J. J' levers, K steam
chest. L. starting and reversing lever, M. quadrant, N steam outlet, O ports, P bed
plate, Qoutlet, R. piston rod, S. trunnions (shaft), T. plate, U. supporting standards
forming concentric bearings for cylinder, X poris, Y ports.
My invention consists of one or more cylinders C. their pistons preferably being
fastened on the centre of the piston rod R. which protrudes through both covers,
terminating in a spheroidal shaped end or with rollers B, or ball like a ball castor;
near the extremities of the piston rod in large engines are fixed crossheads working
in guides attached to the cylinder; the ends of the piston rod work against the
surfaces or in grooves of continous cams fixed to, or formed in a disc or circular
plate A, A, and are placed in a circle round the cylinder C, and concentrical to the
shaft S those cams can be 3. 5. 7. 9. 11, or more but always odd in number, so that
during the time the piston is in motion while one end of the piston rod descends the
incline of one cam the other end ascends the incline of the opposite cam, by this
means the cylinder or the cam supporting plate A. A' is driven forward and caused
to revolve round its axis to which the driving shaft is connected.
A modification of the above is shown in Fig. 3 & Fig. 4, by which arrangement
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. or any number of cams odd or even in number can be used; the
piston rod K, having rollers (at one end only) which are working in the grooves of
continous cams G; and in the case when a cross head and guides are used the
piston rod need not protrude both covers, and it is not absolutely necessary to have
two grooved cam plates as shown in Fig. 4.
At one side of the cylinder, and concentrical with the shaft, is a circular plate D.
through which are two ports comunicating inside with both ends of the cylinder;
This plate called the valve cover fits against a circular valve Fig. 7 in which are cut
as many ports as there are cam sides, (inclines) one half of these ports X comunicate
with the steam pipe the other Y, with the exhaust pipe; or I may have other suitable
arrangements for the inlet and outlet of the steam, or any other motive gas or fluid,
the above mentioned valve can be moved by the lever L so as to change the relation
of the ports to the cams, whereby the motion of the engine is reversed, or it can be
reversed by changing the inlet pipe into exhaust pipe and vice-versa by the aid of a
four-way cock or a sliding valve arrangement or by any suitable means, a movable
plate T is provided by which the ports can be shortened so as to be able to cut off
steam at any point of the stroke, thus work the engine expansively.
J¹
Fig. 5 & 6 show an arrangement of the plate for cutting off steam, N, is the inlet
E the duct to the cylinder, F the cover fitting round the shaft S, on which is fixed
the plate T, having as many ports O as strokes required to one revolution, and
moving round simultaneously with the shaft, in front of the outlet Q, whose width
can be adjusted automatically (or by hand) by the aid of the levers & excentrics J,
Fig. 6 as the ports O pass in succession the outlet Q, steam is admitted to the
cylinder, and is cut off as soon as each port passes the outlet and which if half the
width of port will cut off the steam at half stroke or if smaller or larger will cutt off
sooner or later.
My invention can be used in single or compound engines, Fig. 8 shows the position
of the pistons in a compound engine, the intermediate valves are worked by tapets
in this engine, there is one high pressure and two low pressure cylinders but all stari
and end the stroke together. Another arrangement is to have 2 high & 2 low
pressure cylinders forming 2 sets (of 1 high & one low pressure cylinder each)
placed at an angle to each other thus while one set starts its stroke the second one is

page_text: about the middle, by which means there would be no dead centres, and the engine
would be always ready for starting or reversing; the same is also applicable to a
single acting engine with 2 cylinders placed at an anglo to each other, for any
driving or other mechanical purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1st. In an engine a reciprocating cylinder or cylinders in combination with cams
as shown and described or any modification thereof for the purpose specified.
2nd. The arrangement for cutting off the motive fluid as shown and described
moved direct or indirect by any revolving part of the engine.
3rd. A reciprocating rotary engine constructed with all or any of the above
combinations of parts.
Dated this 12th day of January Eighteen hundred and ninety A.D.