Improvements in Means for Obtaining Motive Power by Explosions or Instant Expansions.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Obtaining Motive Power by Explosions
or Instant Expansions.
I PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
A chamber or chambers &c. into which is injected fluid, vapour or matter and is
immediately decomposed by a current of electricity or by heat and the component
gases or elements instantly exploded in earuo and its force conveyed to any
mechanical or electrical motor or combination of both, where also exhaust may be
utilised if desired or heat may be used as the decomposer and electricity or other
matter may be used as the detonator or other means used for causing the explosion
or both decomposition and explosion effected in one operation or it may be simply
an instant transformation and expansion or expansion only and in vacuo or otherwise
according to the nature of the matter injected and the expansive force be utilised
as above mentioned also the injections may be made automatically or be regulated
by the motor attached.
P. H. WILLIAMS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Obtaining Motive Power by Explosions
or instant Expansions.
I PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman 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 is the obtaining of or generating motive power by the explosion or
decomposition and explosion of any fluid vapour gas or matter in vacuo but there
being some elements & c. that will not explode yet under like circumstances will
instantly expand and moreover as any fluid vapour gas or other element that is
compressible may be compressed or subjected to pressure by means of this
explosion power. Motive power may likewise be obtained or produced by instant
expansion.
Moreover as explosions are most powerful when most confined and their effects
greater the nearer the object or motor to be moved or driven thereby, unless the
motor be close at hand or combined I use air or water or other elements as a
medium or means of conveying the force of the explosions to the motors unless
otherwise preferred.
Thus motors can be driven direct by the explosion force or blast or mediums
may be employed or the said mediums may be compressed or subjected to
pressure to any degree the chambers &c. are capable of sustaining and so may
drive by instant expansion of the compressed air or other element, or by water
under pressure as with hydraulic engines mains &c.
For obtaining or producing this motive power by explosions I provide a small
chamber (the smaller the better in reason) made in steel or other metal in strength
according to requiremen, and cause injections to be made into it of whatever
element or matter may be preferred and according to its nature provide the
detonator or decomposer & detonator necessary whether current of electricity or
heat or other means or combinations thereof for decomposing and exploding or
exploding only as the case may be.

page_text: But when certain gases & fluids or matter are used I provide metalic detonators
and decomposers such as platinum spiegeleisen cast iron or other metal plugs plates
cones sporges gauzes &c. in any or different forms or positions in the said explosion
chamber and subject a part to heat and with or without a current electricity or
other detonator. But the most simple & inexpensive element for injection is water
or oxihydrogen in the form of steam superheated or otherwise and other gases such
as sulphuretted hydrogén &c. Moreover when these gases are employed they may
be compressed in chambers of any size or in the form of cartridges or similar
cavities in wheels or solids of other forms, with self closing stoppers or valves that
a slight blow may displace or open & set free the compressed gas, in the explosion
chamber if an explosive gas. In this way the two fold force of instant expansion
followed by explosion may be secured.
If a non-explosive gas such as carbonic acid gas it may be discharged direct into
the cylinder before referred to or used direct upon the motor.
In either case the discharges can be made automatic or otherwise.
To compress and charge such cartridges cavities or chambers the virtical
chamber with cylinder or pipe inside may be employed by connecting the feed pipe
with a generator of whatever gas is desired other than oxihydrogen.
The explosion or instant expansion force can be converted into rotary motion by
connecting or combining the apparatus with any kind of motor such as now in use
or any combined electrical and mechanical motor.
But when rotary motion or any such motor is not required as for instance in
pumping this explosion force may be used direct and the vacuum be utilized and
just so may the vacuum following the explosion be utilized in the cylinder of a
steam engine whether condensing or high pressure.
Also when air is used as a
medium or compressed air employed either may take the place of steam and be
regulated to a pressure suitable thereto or for my rotary disk engine to three or
four or many times such pressure.
In the drawings herewith is given an example of an apparatus arranged for the
use of water injections to be decomposed and exploded automatically in vacuo by
means of heat upon metalic decomposers and detonators and a description thereof
will serve to show how with modifications any other elements or matter preferred
may be employed for this purpose.
Fig. 1. A. is the water chamber set above the explosion chamber & may be of
steel, brass, or other metal.
B. points to a tubular rod that acts like a piston and C. indicates the wheel
attached in the water to act as a churn to acrate the water as much as possible and
at the same time break the force somewhat of the explosion upon the parts in the
explosion chamber.
The base of the water chamber is made to form the cap of the explosion chamber
and which may be bolted or by other means secured but so as readily to be
separated to gain access to the internal parts of the chamber. D. points to a flange
upon the piston which may be of india rubber or other material or metal with or
without a spiral or other ring or buffer above it.
E. indicates a flange of platinumn wire gauze and beneath it platinum sponge of
fine wire or honeycombe.
F. points to the part most highly heated another view of it is given in Fig. 2. F.
and is a plate of spiegeleisen into which plugs of platinum are fixed.
G. is a double conical collar made in segments in order that they may be placed
in position readily from the top of the chamber on removing the water chamber.
This collar rests on part of the base of this chamber and plate F. is fixed in the
collar by a turn or other means. This detonator &c. may be of platinum plates
cones &c. in any position on cast iron or spiegeleisen as shown or otherwise and
the collar of cast steel or other durable metal. I. is a cylinder or pipe attached
or combined with the explosion chamber. H. is an india rubber ball or a plug of
same material of any form or any other material or metal may be substituted.
K. indicates a valve at the end of the cylinder which is there shown attached to a
.

page_text: chamber for. air or water, part shown. This valve is of india rubber but other
form or material may be adopted. J. indicates the inlet valve to which a feed
pipe may be attached connecting it with any cistern well or chamber &c. containing
or generating whatever is, to be drawn into the cylinder by the vacuum which
follows the explosion and draws the ball H. back to its place so that the cylinder
becomes filled with air or whatever else desired and when the explosion takes
place, is driven before the ball H. through the valve K.
Also when the explosion is effected the piston B. is lifted by its force upon
the diaphragm or valve D. and rising in the water chamber exposing an aperture
in it, it takes in the desired quantity, which the vacuum following draws down
upon the part F. and instantly decomposing and turning the platinum into white
heat by the presence of the gas explodes it.
When air only is required & then under great pressure-the cylinder I. may
be made vertical, set inside a vertical chamber and the cylinder or pipe in which
the ball H. would be set, may be fed by a pipe through the side or at the top of the
chamber and the cylinder 1. would be shortened & made a bend or such be set on
the other side of the explosion chamber or otherwise.
In this drawing the explosion chamber is set upon a heating apparatus similar to
what is shown in my Specification No. 9479 in some respects. This is provided
with a flue (not shown) at the back surrounded with plate to form annular, spaces
to warm the air or blast to be supplied to the furnace.
These annular spaces are continued both sides of the heater indicated by the
plate M. While N. indicates the flue inside and O. the tubes through the plates of
the boiler O a. O a indicated by the arrows each side. P. indicates tubes from back
to front for further heating the air or blast after travelling the annular spaces to
supply the furnace. Q indicates a cupola set above the furnace to direct the heat
to the explosion chamber. This cupola may be lined with clay or may be a tubular
coil for superheating steam or to heat water by connecting it with the water or
steam in Oa. After heating the explosion chamber the heat descends each side,
heating the tubes P. on its way to O. R. is the furnace that may be more or
less basket form or long or round and the bars shd. be fluted or tubular. And V.
indicates a tubular space round their base which with the bars may be connected
with the boilers O. a. at the top or bottom so that the bars may be either filled with
water and assist the heating or may be filled with steam and allowed to escape into
the furnace for the preservation of the bars and metal of the apparatus. The
steam or oxihydrogen if preferred may be used for the injections into the explosion
chamber.
S. is the furnace feeder which may be made to draw forward or otherwise to be
filled with fuel and is provided with a plate that in so doing stops the bottom of
the furnace. The bottom of this drawer or feeder is moveable and when in place is
lifted by the lever T. and thus underfeeds the furnace and consumes its own smoke
in consequence.
U. indicates the use that may be made of the space below the boiler, for
conveying the hot blast to the furnace and regulating the same by the plates U.
& just so cold blast or air.
In this apparatus the tubes P. may be used for heating water and O. a. as spaces
for heating the air if preferred.
Figs. 4 & 5 show sections of cables & couplings by which the excess of hot air,
steam or water may be utilized for warming the carriages of trains or other places
wheresoever employed.
Moreover the compressed air when used for driving motors may be further
expanded by the heat of this apparatus or its excess of heat.
B. in Fig. 5. shows a section of a coupling-cach half of which is combined with
a ball joint to receive the ends of the tubular links A, & C.th Fig. 4 shows the form
of or face of the coupling plate giving wedge forms to the circumference but
they may be circular and the wedges formed at their backs as shown in other
Specifications.

page_text: D. shows another form of link on same principle and may be made by rolling
plates into such forms or by welding or stamping in parts and held together by
rings or clamps &c. as described in Specifications above referred to-No. 4043
March 1891 and 9274-1890. These Specifications will show how these cables may
be used for conveying with or without couplings the excess of hot air steam &c. for
warming purposes or the explosion force or mediums to the motors or for other
purposes and as hose protectors also.
When it is preferred to set the compressed air or gas chamber on the top of the
explosion chamber, the water chamber & piston may be otherwise attached or other
modes of injecting be adopted superceding or otherwise the use of a piston
arrangement by such as a diaphragm of india rubber or other material over an
orifice of any thing containing the injecting matter or any valve arrangement or
india rubber ball or chamber of any form or other material fitted with tube to
direct the injection so that the explosion may cause the requisite injection to
instantly follow or otherwise, if not required automatically-or if it should be
preferred that the motor shall make the injection as required.
Having now particularly described & 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, separately and combined—
1st. The obtaining of or generating motive power on the principles or by the
means herein before indicated or described or given examples of.
2nd. The use or employment of platinum or spiegeleisen separately or together
& with or without cast iron or cast steel or other metals or substances for the
purposes of this invention or such like purposes.
3rd. The use of electricity or other fluid or matter for decomposing or exploding
elements or matter &c. for the purposes of this invention or for obtaining or
generating motive power.
4th. The combination heater herein described and its underfed smoke consuming
furnace.
5th. The combination herewith of tubular cables
couplings herein described
and in other Specifications for the uses & purposes of this invention.
Dated the 19th day of March 1891.
P. H. WILLIAMS.