IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER SUITABLE FLUID, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES AND VESSELS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM. THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MACINTOSH, of Bedford Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen. Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the eleventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Macintosh, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Macintosh, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
John Macintosh, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER
SUITABLE FLUID, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES AND VESSELS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John
Macintosh, should cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Macintosh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in engines to be worked by
steam.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in machinery for pro-
pelling vessels; and in order that my Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan of an engine constructed according to part of my
Invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken at the dotted lines in
Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view; Figure 4 is a transverse section, shewing
an end view of the piston; Figure 5 shows a plan with the upper cover
removed, some of the parts being shewn in section; and Figure 6 is a trans-
verse section of the engine and piston. In each of these Figures the same
letters indicate similar parts. The peculiarity of this engine is that a piston is
caused to move to and fro with its axis by steam alternately admitted on
either side of the piston, the piston being rendered fluid tight by means of
flexible material, which, together with the solid part of the piston, produce a
partition dividing the vessel, in which the piston works into two compartments.
a, b, are the two castings of which the engine is composed, which are combined
by means of screws and nuts, as shewn. c is the solid part of the partition
which is fixed to the axis d, which passes out through bearings in the castings
a and b, as shewn, and have external bearings, as shewn. e is the flexible
material which forms the other part of the partition which divides the whole
engine into two compartments, having no communication with each other.
The flexible material e I prefer to make of very thick strong canvas, which is
not only arranged, as shewn, so as to prevent the passage of steam from one
compartment to the other of the engine, but also so as to prevent the passage
of steam to the axis to which the solid part of the piston is fixed. f is a slide
valve on one end of the engine, there being two steamways, or ports g and h,
one on either side of the partition or piston, i being the induction passage
for steam from the steam boiler, j the valve case or box, and k the eduction
way leading to the condenser or atmosphere, according as the engine is to be

page_text: worked by condensation or by high-pressure steam. On the axis or shaft
fixed the arm m, which, by a connecting rod n, gives motion to a crank shaft,
on which there is an excentric to give motion to the slide valve, as is shewn.
I would remark that this arrangement of steam engine is in many respects
similar to apparatus which has heretofore been used for measuring gas, which
was so arranged as simply to give motion to its own valves, and to counting
apparatus so arranged as to indicate the quantity of gas passed through such
apparatus. Now, this part of my Invention consists in so arranging parts that
the same may be worked by steam in such manner that, in addition to giving
motion to its valves, it may also be capable of giving motion to a crank axis
suitable for propelling carriages and vessels, and also other machinery, the
object of this part of my Invention being to obtain motive power by steam
acting on a partially flexible partition or piston, dividing a chamber or vessel
into two compartments, and causing such power to give motion to a crank
axis, as described; and I do not confine myself to the details shewn, so long as
the arrangement of machinery be generally such as herein described.
I will now describe the second arrangement of steam engine, which consists
of a mode of using a flexible tube or cylinder with two rollers, so as to obtain
a rotatory motion to a shaft or axis by means of connecting rods. Figure 7
shews a sectional elevation of an engine constructed according to this part of
my Invention.
a, a, is the framing of the machinery. b, c, are two rollers
kept pressed towards each other by screws d, d, in the frame e, one such frame
being at each end of the rollers, such frame working in guides f, f, so as to
ensure the frames e, e, moving correctly up and down or to and fro, according
to the position in which the engine is placed. I prefer to use strong springs
between the bearings of the rollers and their adjusting screws d, d. The
steam chamber vessel constituting this engine is a flexible tube or cylinder
fixed at either end to the fixed parts g, as shown, and there is a steam valve /
at either end to admit steam to and from the two ends of the engine, such
valves being worked by the cranks i, which are put in motion by an excentric
23, on the main axis or shaft j, through the means of the connecting rods k, l, as
shown. m, m, are two connecting rods, which at one end are attached to
necks on the frames e, e, which carry the bearings of the rollers, and at
the other end the connecting rods m, m, are attached to two cranks on the
main shaft or axis j. Steam being admitted alternately at either end of the
flexible chamber will cause the rollers to be moved first towards one end, and
then towards the other end of the engine, by which means motion will be
communicated to the connecting rods m, m, through the frames e to the cranks
on the shaft j, all which will readily be understood on examining the Drawing.

page_text: I would remark that flexible tubes have before been used in constructing
steam engines, and a roller or rollers has or have been used therewith, but
according to a very different arrangement to that now under description. I
would state, that it is not absolutely necessary that the rollers should be true
cylinders, as shown at Figure 7, as two conical rollers may be employed in
carrying out this part of my Invention; and Figure 7" shews an engine where
two cones are used, one on either side of a flexible bag or cylinder, and each
roller turning on an axis of its own; and the two axes are fixed to an axis x,
and are combined at their other ends by a bar c. The axis a turns in fixed
bearing z, and to. this axis an arm y is affixed, from which, by a connecting
rod, motion is communicated to the crank axis w. The nature of the flexible
bag or cylinder and the ends thereof, with the passages for steam, are shown,
and valves will be applied and worked, as described in respect of Figure 7.;
and I would state, that the peculiar character of the present arrangement of
steam engine is the use of two rollers pressed towards each other on either
side of a flexible tube, and so arranged as to be worked alternately from end
to end of such tube, and at the same time by such movement to give motion
to a shaft or axis j, by the intervention of suitable apparatus between the two
rollers and such shaft or axis j.
.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to
machinery for propelling vessels. This part of the Invention consists in either
making the rotatory blades of springs, or mounting rotatory blades on springs,
by which, in action, the blades will accommodate themselves to a suitable
angle, according to the velocity of the rotation of the blades. Figure 8 shows
a plan and side view of a propeller, according to this part of my Invention,
where an inflexible blade is used mounted on its axis by means of springs,
a being the axis or driving shaft which passes out of the vessel through a
stuffing box b, below the water line of the vessel. c is the propelling blade,
which is affixed to a spring d, which is affixed to the axis a, and e, e, are
springs to give stability to the spring d. The effect of this arrangement will
be, that whichever way the axis is turned, the vessel will be caused to progress,
and the blade will in its rotation assume an angle to the axis a, depending on
the velocity of the revolution of that axis, so that the angle assumed by the
propeller will at all times be that which is proper for the speed of rotation.
This propeller is only suitable for propelling in one direction.
I will now proceed to describe another arrangement by which a propeller of
a similar character may be caused to back a vessel, as well as to propel it
forward. Figure 9 shows a side view of this arrangement of propeller, part of
the apparatus being in section; Figure 10 shows, a back. view thereof.. In

page_text: this arrangement the propelling blades are springs, and they are each sup-
ported or strengthened by other springs, as shown. The blades are fixed on
an axis a, the blades b, b, being the propelling blades. c is the shaft or axis on
which the blades are mounted, there being an enlarged boss d at the part
where the shaft passes through the stuffing box, the object being to enable me
to have connecting rods e, e, affixed to the propellers. f is the stuffing box
through which the shaft passes, and there is a stuffing box formed where each
of the rods e, e, passes through the enlarged boss. The ends of the rods e, e,
are connected together by a ring g, which surrounds the shaft, and such ring
can be moved to and fro by means of the crank h, which is forked at its lower
end, and holds the ring in the manner shown by dotted lines. The crank is
put in motion by means of the screw and nut, and connecting rod i, j, as shown.
The propeller will cause the vessel to move forward when in the position shown,
and backward when in the position shown by the dotted lines.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the details so long as the peculiar character of either part of my
Invention be retained; but what I claim is,-
First, the mode of constructing steam engines, above described, in respect to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6; and I also claim the mode of constructing steam
engines, above described, in respect to Figure 7.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of arranging propellers of vessels, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Macintosh, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.