CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henery B. Young, of Barnstaple, for the Invention of
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 5th September 1856, and dated the 8th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henery B. Young at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th March 1856.
I, HENERY B. YOUNG, of Barnstaple, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, to be as
follows:-
In my Invention, the cover of the cylinder, the top part of which is surfaced,
has an annular recess accurately bored out for to receive an annular ring of
metal, the hemp or other packing, and the springs or other elastic material.
On the top of the cover is a metal sliding piece, which when the engine is
going slides from one side to the other during the revolution of the crank shaft;
the top part of the sliding piece is formed with a spherical concavity to receive
about one-half of a sphere, which is partly covered by a gland; the sphere
contains a stuffing box bored to the required depth, the hole being afterwards
continued through, which must be the exact size of the piston rod, so as to
allow of its passing through it. In the cylinder cover is a hole sufficiently
long to allow of the oscillation or vibration of the piston rod, and which

page_text: must be rather wider than the diameter of the piston rod. To the flange
of the cylinder is bolted a circular plate or cover, a space being provided
for the sliding piece, which slides backward and forward between a metal
ring (the inside of which being a perfect plane) and the cylinder cover.
The piston rod is connected to the crank pin by T-headed brasses, and the
other end to the piston in the following manner:-The end of the piston rod
is turned slightly conical, to fit into a corresponding hole bored in the boss or
spherical part of the gudgeon or axle, which is firmly retained there by a cottar,
which cottar passes through the boss and is retained by pins, thereby preventing
it from sliding back. One half of the gudgeon or axle is fitted into a recess
in the piston, and is retained there by a cover, which is made to fit perfectly
close by bolts, which bolts are prevented from unscrewing by a guard frame,
which may also be secured by bolts; the joint between the flange and the
piston is kept tight by a vulcanized india-rubber washer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henery B. Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
B. YOUNG, of Barnstaple, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and. grant unto me, the
said Henry B. Young, Her special licence that I, the said Henry B. Young,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
B. Young, 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 CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ENGINES, upon the condition (amongst others) that he, the. said. Henry B.
Young, by an instrument in writing under his 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry B. Young, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 'Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
a
The importance of bringing the crank shaft as near to the cylinder cover as
possible is well understood, and various contrivances have been effected from
time to time with that object. The oscillating cylinder was designed for the
purpose, and the trunk engine is another contrivance by which the same end
is attained. The oscillating engine, however, is liable to the objection that
the entire mass of metal, composing the cylinder, cylinder cover, and bottom,
slide jacket, and' slide gearing, &c., are of necessity obliged to be put in motion
at each stroke of the piston and each revolution of the crank producing
vibratory motion, throwing undue strain upon the piston rod, crank pin, and
journals, and thereby absorbing a portion of the power which would otherwise
be usefully employed. Moreover, at all times such an engine requires more
constant attention to the adjustment of the packings, glands, and working joints
and parts, and in a pair of marine engines of large size the vibration and
torsive action due to the constant and rapid alteration of the direction of
motion of so great a mass of metal in a contrary direction on each side of
the keel does effect and tends considerably to impair the speed of the vessel.
In the trunk engine, in which form, whilst it has not the peculiar. disadvan-
tages belonging to the oscillating or vibrating engine, it has nevertheless the
disadvantage that the effective area of the piston is reduced by the introduction
of the trunk, which, having only an annular ring-like surface, upon which
alone the force due to the pressure of the steam acts, instead of acting upon
the entire area of the piston; and this in the double trunk engine amounts to
a considerable loss of effective power or it involves the necessity for increased
weight of materials for the purpose of giving a greater diameter to the cylinder,
proportioned to and to compensate for the area abstracted by the trunk;
whilst in a single trunk engine the working is unequal on the up and down
stroke; moreover, in each case the working friction of the piston is increased,
and the number of parts multiplied thereby.
Having only stated the better understood disadvantages of the two forms
of engines just described without going into more minute descriptions thereof,
I will now proceed to describe the form of engine as invented by me as a sub-
stitue for the oscillating, trunk, and other forms of engines designed for the
purpose of economising space, and bringing the crank shaft closer down to or
nearer to the cylinder. For marine purposes, and particularly for working the
screw propeller, 'the advantage sought to be attained is known to be of the

page_text: first importance. For the purposes of my Invention, I take a cylinder of the
ordinary form used for fixed cylinder engines, but instead of using the ordinary
cylinder cover, piston, and piston rod belonging thereto, I substitute a cylinder
cover of the following description :-The cover of the cylinder (the top part of
which is surfaced) has an annular recess accurately bored out for to receive
an annular ring of metal, as also the hemp or other packing, and the springs
or other elastic material; on the top of the cover is a metal sliding piece,.
which when the engine is in motion slides from one side to the other during
the revolution of the crank shaft; the top part of the sliding piece is formed
with a spherical concavity to receive about one-half of a sphere, which is partly
covered by a gland; the sphere contains a stuffing box bored to the required
depth; the hole being afterwards continued through must be the exact size of
the piston rod, so as to allow of its passing through it. In the cylinder cover
is a hole sufficiently long to allow of the oscillation or vibration of the piston
rod, and which opening must be rather wider than the diameter of the piston
rod. To the flange of the cylinder is bolted a circular plate or cover, as before
described, and a space being provided for the sliding piece, which slides back-
ward and forward during the revolution of the crank shaft between a metal
ring (the inside of which is perfectly planed and made accurate) and the cylin-
der cover. The piston rod is connected to the crank pin in a manner similar
to that used in oscillating engines, by a T-headed block with brasses, and the
other end is connected to the piston in the following manner:-The end of
the piston rod is turned slightly conical, to fit into a corresponding hole bored
in the boss or spherical part of the ball joint, gudgeon, or axle, and is firmly
retained there by a cottar, which cottar passes through the boss and is retained
by pins, thereby preventing it from sliding back. One-half of the bottom
ball joint, gudgeon, or axle attachment is fitted into a recess in the piston, and
is retained there by a cover, which is made to fit perfectly close, and is securely
held down by bolts, which bolts are prevented from unscrewing by a guard
frame,, which may also be secured by bolts or otherwise; the joint between the
flange and the piston may be kept tight by means of a vulcanized india-rubber
washer.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
TR
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page_text: cylinder bottom; d, the cylinder cover, the top part of which is surfaced for
the metal piece e to slide upon; e is the metal sliding piece, which is formed
with a spherical concavity to receive about one-half of the sphere g;f is a
gland to secure the sphere in the concavity, and which will be seen does not
completely cover the sphere g; g is the sphere, which works in a spherical con-
cavity in the sliding piece e; k is the iron framework, bolted to the circular
plate on cylinder cover for supporting the crank shaft o; i is a gland, through
which the piston rod j passes, which is also shewn in plan, Fig. 4; j, the
vibrating piston rod. In the circular plate or cover bolted to the top of
cylinder a is a space n, shewn in Fig. 1, being provided to allow the plate e to
slide backward and forward;. is a metal ring, better shewn in plan, Fig. 4,
one part of which is secured by bolts to the circular plate, and the other part
is in contact with the sliding piece e in Fig. 1; m is a hole in the cylinder
cover sufficiently long to allow of the oscillation of the piston rod j; as seen in
Figs. 1, 2, & 4; n is a space between the metal ring and the cylinder cover d,
in which the sliding piece moves; o is the crank shaft; p is the crank pin; r is
the hemp or other packing; 8, the springs or other elastic maerial, which are
let into an annular recess in the cylinder cover d; p is the crank pin, to which
the vibrating piston rod j is attached, by T-headed brass bearings, or a block.
fitted with brasses; u, the end of the piston rod j, which is turned slightly
conical to fit into a corresponding hole bored in the boss or spherical part of
the ball joint, gudgeon, or axle w, shewn in plan, Figs. 3 & 5; visa cottar,
which passes through the boss and conical end of piston rod, and is retained
by the cross pins, shewn in plan, Fig. 3, as passing transversely through it,
thereby preventing it from slipping back; x is a cover piece on the under side
of piston, shewn in plan, Fig. 3, and which serves to retain the ball joint,
gudgeon, or axle w, the closeness of which can be adjusted by the bolts y;
z is an india-rubber washer, placed between the nut and the cover. I have
shewn in Figs. 1 & 2 the gland of the piston rod as being held down and
tightened by means of two bolts at the sides at the sides thereof, but a screwed
gland may be substituted therefor, and fitted into the stuffing box, and which
may be set down by means of notches or teeth formed on the head of the
gland piece, into which a suitable spanner will take. I also propose when
necessary to form the annular rings, slides, and fittings on the cylinder cover
with a double step or break in section, so as more effectually to check and
prevent the escape of steam.
It will be seen that engines made according to my Invention have none of
the graive objections and disadvantages of the oscillating or trunk forins of
engines pertaining thereto, whilst the parts added and substituted are surfaces

page_text: of the simplest form, and are capable of being readily and correctly turned,
bored, and planed by machinery, and which may be accurately adjusted with
facility. The crank may thus-work close to, the cylinder cover with a piston
rod of the shortest length, 'and, without the intervention of a connecting. rod,
crosshead, guides, or other similar contrivances between them. The slide
valve may be worked direct from an eccentric on the crank shaft by placing
the valve chest and connections on the proper side of the cylinder, or it.may
be worked in any other suitable manner.
Having described my Invention of "Certain Improvements in Steam
Engines," and the manner in which, the same is to be performed, I claim as
my Invention the application to a fixed cylinder, not having a trunk working
therein, of an oscillating or vibrating piston rod, one end of which is connected
to the piston by the means described, and the other end is connected directly
to the crank pin, without the intervention of a connecting rod, slings, or other
similar contrivances, and so by the means described, or the mechanical
equivalents therefor, enable the free vibration of the piston rod through the
cylinder cover without the escape of steam therefrom...
In witness whereof, I, the 'said Henry B. Young, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand éight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,"
CHARLES EDWARD NORTIICOTE,
Barnstaple.
HENRY B: YOUNG." (L.S.)