CER- TAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES OR MACHINES TO BE USED FOR OBTAINING. MECHA- NICAL POWER, ALSO FOR RAISING OR IMPELLING FLUIDS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DAVIES, of Wednesbury, in the county of Stafford, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty hath granted unto me Her
Letters Patent, sealed at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of June, in the
first year of Her reign, for making using, exercising, and vending within that
part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called England,
Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also.in all
Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of " CER-
TAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES OR MACHINES TO BE USED FOR OBTAINING. MECHA-
NICAL POWER, ALSO FOR RAISING OR IMPELLING FLUIDS;" subject to the usual
proviso, obliging me to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be enrolled in the High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Davies do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as follows (that
is to say):-
'There is a class of rotatory engines or machines for obtaining mechanical
power, and for raisingor impelling fluids, in which the chamber has the form of
the zone of a sphere, with conical ends, the cones pointing towards theinterior
[Price Sdl

page_text: of the sphere, and which chamber is intersected by a disc or plate attached to
an axis, which is placed at such an angle to the axis of the chamber as to
cause a radial line on each side of the plate or disc to come in contact with
the opposite cone of the chamber. In order to obtain the most efficient
working of these engines or machines, it is necessary that there should always
be a perfect contact of the intersecting disc or plate with the cones of the
chamber, at the radial lines above referred to, in order to prevent the passage
of steam or other fluid between such disc or plate and cones, at such lines of
contact.
By means of my said Invention I provide a more extensive contact. For
this purpose I use teeth or cogs projecting from each side of the said disc or
plate and forming part thereof, and other teeth or cogs projecting from the
cones of the chamber and forming parts of such cones, these several teeth or
cogs being so arranged on the said disc or plate and cones respectively, that
each set of teeth or cogs takes into gear with the opposite set, in the same
manner as the teeth or cogs of bevil wheels when working together, and I
cause each set of the said teeth or cogs on the said disc or plate and cones, to
be so fitted to the opposite set by griuding or otherwise, that I obtain a more
extensive and a perfect, or nearly perfect, contact between the same respec-
tively, when in gear together.
Descriptions of several engines or machines of the class to which I have
referred will be found in the Specifications which have been inrolled in the
High Court of Chancery in pursuance of two several Letters Patent, one of
which was granted me, (then of Stoke Prior, in the county of Worcester), and
one William Taylor, and bears date the Twenty-sixth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, and the other of which said Patents
was granted to me, (then of Stoke Prior aforesaid), and bears date the
Fifteenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven. The
motions of such of the engines or machines of the class to which I have
referred as are used for obtaining mechanical power, and the action of the
steam or other impelling fluid in such engines or machines are fully described
in the said Specifications, and the actions by which fluids are raised or
impelled by such of the machines or engines of the class to which I have
referred, as are used for raising or impelling fluids, are fully described in the
Specification inrolled under the said Letters Patent of the Fifteenth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven; and I refer to the said
Specifications respectively, as explainingthe mechanicalactionsof myimproved
engines or machines with regard to such fluids respectively. It will be seen,
on reference to the said Specifications, that engines or machines of the class to

page_text: "
;
which I have referred may be constructed either with stationary chambers or
with chambers which revolve on their axes. I will first describe the adapta-
tion of my Invention to one of these engines or machines in which the
chamber is stationary and the axis of the plate or disc has the conical rotatory
motion described in the Specification inrolled under the said Letters Patent of
the Twenty-sixth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
And in order that the description of my present improvements may be better
understood, I refer to the Figures numbered 1 to 13, both inclusive in the
Drawings hereunto annexed. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an engine or machine
of the kind to which I have last referred, with my Invention applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same engine or machine; Fig. 3 is a plan
view of the plate or disc; Fig. 4 is a side view of the plate or disc with its
ball and axis; Fig. 5 is a section of the plate or disc with its ball and part
of its axis. The plate or disc is a flat coneas exhibited by this Figure. Fig. 6
is a perspective view of the plate or disc, and part of the lower cone of the
chamber. This Figure shews the teeth or cogs of the plate or disc in gear with
the teeth or cogs of such lower cone, and the situation of that part of the
machine or engine which in the said Specifications is called the "stop" or
'piston." Fig. 7 is a plan view of the upper cone and stop or piston ;
Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the upper cone, and shewing the stop or piston ;
Fig. 9 is a side view of the lower cone; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the lower
cone; Fig. 11 is a section of the lower cone; Fig. 12 is a vertical section
of the chamber shewing the stop or piston and steam passages of the machine
or engine, the plate or disc being removed; and Fig. 13 is a horizontal section
of the chamber with its steam passages and piston or stop. This Figure shews
the induction and eduction passages and the situation of a slide valve, by
which the direction or current of the fluid passing through the machine or
engine may be changed. It will be understood that in the several Drawings
to which I have already particularly referred, numbered 1 to 13, the same
letter is always used for denoting any particular part of the machine or engine,
and I shall now explain to what part each letter of reference appearing upon
these Drawings refers. A, B, are the two cones of the chamber; C is the
spherical part of the chamber; 1 is the stop or piston; E is the disc or plate;
F is the axis of the disc or plate; G is the central ball; H is the driving
wheel to which the end of the axis is connected by suitable couplings at I.
The driving wheel H is mounted in proper brasses on the axle K, which is
secured in the framework L. The lower cone A is not fixed to the chamber,
but is fitted thereto by the packings O, O, in such manner as to prevent the
escape of fluid. This cone is supported by the shaft M, which revolves in

page_text: a cup or step fixed to the frame N; P, P, is a gland by which the centre ball
G is packed, and this ball is also packed by the brass cup Q, which cup is
supported by the rod R, and this rod is capable of being adjusted by means of
keys or cotters. passed through a slot in the shaft M; Sis the induction pipe
communicating with the induction box T; U is a slide valve within the
induction box; t is the induction passage communicating with the chamber;
and is the eduction passage from the chamber through the slide valve U to
the eduction pipe X. a, a, a, are the teeth or cogs upon the upper side of
the disc or plate, and these take into gear with the teeth or cogs b, b, b, upon
the upper cone B of the chamber. The diameters of these two cogged surfaces
are equal, and these two sets of teeth or cogs are equal in pitch and number.
c, c, c, are the teeth or cogs upon the lower side of the disc or plate, and
these take into gear with the teeth or cogs d, d, d, upon the lower cone A of
the chamber. This cone A is of smaller diameter than the lower side of the
plate or disc; and as the proper action of the engine or machine requires that
the several sets of teeth or cogs which take into gear together should cor-
respond with each other in pitch, the teeth or cogs of the lower cone must
be less in number than those of the lower side of the plate or disc. The cone
B is fixed to the chamber C, but the cone A is at liberty to revolve; therefore,
when the conical rotary motion is communicated to the axis F, and the teeth
or cogs of the upper side of the plate or disc work with the teeth or cogs of
the cone B, those of the lower side of the plate or disc work with the teeth or
cogs of the cone A, and the cone A revolves in proportion to the difference in
number of the teeth or cogs on the lower side of the plate or disc, and the
teeth or cogs of the cone A. A slot is formed in the plate or disc in such
manner as to allow the. stop or piston to be fixed in the chamber in the
position shewn in the Figures 3 and 6, and to provide a communication
between the parts of the chamber on each side of the disc or plate. The stop
or piston is attached to the upper cone and to the spherical side of the
chamber; and although it is not actually attached to the lower cone, yet its
lower edge must be fitted to the faces of the teeth or cogs upon the lowercone,
in such manner as to obstruct the passage of fluid between the stop or piston
and the faces of such teeth or cogs, and yet to allow of the lower cone
revolving in the manner herein-before mentioned. I make the lower edge of
the stop or piston sufficiently wide to extend over at least two of the teeth or
cogs; and in order to effect the fitting to which I have referred I make the
faces of the teeth. or cogs of the lower cone of a true conical Figure, and fit
the lower edge of the stop or piston to the same.
.
I will now describe the adaptation of my Invention to an engine or machine

page_text: of the class to which I have referred, which has a revolving chamber, and in
which the axis of the plate or disc is kept at an angle to the axis of such
chamber by the end of the axis of such plate or disc being supported in a
fixed bearing. And in order that this description may be better understood, I
refer to the Figures 14 and 15 in the Drawings hereunto annexed. Fig. 14
is a vertical section of an engine or machine of the kind to which I have last
referred, with my Invention applied thereto, and Fig. 15 is a horizontal
section of the chamber of such machine or engine. It will be understood that
in these two Figures the same letter is always used for denoting any particular
part of the machine or engine. And I shall now explain to what part each
letter of reference appearing upon these Figures refers. A and B are the two
cones of the chamber. The cone A is kept tight to the chamber by the
packing and set screws O, O. The cone B has a projecting ring upon it
which revolves in the bearings Z, Z, and these bearings are supported by
a bracket attached to the frame L, L; Cis the spherical part of the chamber;
E is the disc or plate; F is the axis of the disc or plate; and G is the centre
ball which is packed and supported in the same manner as in the engine.or
machine which I have already described. L, L, isa frame supporting the engine
ormachine, and this frame carries the bearings I and N forthe shafts F and M;
the shaft M isattached to the case W, which forms part of and partly surrounds
the chamber. The steam or other fluid is admitted into a collar S, surrounding
the shaft M,and having two distinct compartments X, T. Y, Y, Y,are stuffing
boxes fitted to the collar S to prevent the escape of fluid from the compartments
X,T. The shaft M is hollow, and has two passages *, *, as shewn in the
Figure 14, which passages form the medium of communication between the
two compartments X, T, and the passages a, t, surrounding the chamber.
One of them serves as an induction passage and the other as an eduction
passage, as indicated by the arrows.
The passages x, t, are formed by a case
fitting over the lower cone and spherical side of the chamber respectively, and
communicate with the chamber by means of slots. The stop or piston is fitted
in the chamber in the same manner as I have shewn in Figures 12 and 13 for
describing an engine or machine with a stationary chamber. I have referred
to several parts of the engines or machines in their relative positions as they
are exhibited in the annexed Drawings, in which Drawings such engines or
machines are represented as having, or are supposed to have, the shaft M in a
vertical position; but it will be understood that my improved engines or
machines may be placed with such shaft either in a vertical or a horizontal
position, as may be most convenient; and although I have described the
application of my Invention only to two modifications of engines or machines