IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1849

page_text: HEBSON, of Liverpool, Engineer, 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 Seventh day of June
(One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine), in the twelfth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Douglas Hebson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Douglas Hebson, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Douglas Hebson,
my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said Douglas Hebson, shall cause a particular
description of 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, to be
inrolled in Her 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Douglas Hebson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: 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 connecting two steam
engines, each fitted with a single crank, the cylinders being inclined towards
the perpendicular more or less than forty-five degrees, by employing a drag
link or similar apparatus, so as to cause the piston of one cylinder to be at
the end of its stroke when the other is at or about the middle of its stroke.
Secondly, my Invention consists of applying external packing to the
trunions of oscillating steam engines, in place of internal packings heretofore
used.
And, thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in crank pins to
facilitate the connecting and disconnecting engines. 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.
The first part of my Invention, as applied to oscillating engines, is shewn
in Figures 1 and 2, Plan No. I., in which a, a, represent two cylinders placed
so that the upper (or in some cases the lower) parts thereof incline towards
each other at some angle either greater or less than forty-five degrees to the
perpendicular line. b, b, represent two cranks which are actuated by the
pressure in the cylinders a, a, respectively. c represents a connection between
the two cranks formed by means of a drag link, or it might be by other
similar instrument or apparatus, the length of which link is so adjusted in
reference to the inclination of the cylinders as to cause the piston in one
cylinder to be at or near the middle of its stroke when the other is at the
end of its stroke.
Plan No. 2, at Figures 1 and 2, shews this part of my Invention on an
enlarged scale, a, a, being the cylinder centre lines, at a less inclination than
forty-five degrees; b, b, the two cranks; c, the drag link so adjusted in its
length as to bring the piston which works the cranks 6' about the middle of
its stroke, while the piston which works the crank is either at the top or
bottom of its stroke. The application of this part of my Invention is not
confined to the particular form of engine here shown, but may be used in
others where the cylinders are inclined towards a perpendicular, but are not
at right angles to one another, yet are connected to one pair of cranks.
Plan No. 3, Figures 1 and 2, shews this part of my Invention applied to
::

page_text: direct action fixed cylinder engines; a, a, being the cylinders inclined as
before, at an angle either greater or less than forty-five degrees; b, b, two
cranks as before, and c, the drag link, or it might be other similar instrument
or apparatus for connecting them; d, d, two air pumps worked off the crank
pins or bosses, which may be made eccentric, as shewn in the plan, in order
to reduce the length of stroke of the air pumps. The cylinders are firmly
secured to the condensers, and all other parts of the engines are arranged
according to methods understood by engineers; the air pumps may also be
worked by levers attached to the crosshead, or by eccentrics placed on the
crank or paddle shafts.....
..
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which is
shewn in Plan No. 4, Figures 1 and 2, where a represents one of the trunions
of an oscillating cylinder; b, the pipe communicating with the condenser or
steam pipe; c, represents a packing of soft hemp or flax, or other suitable
material wound or otherwise arranged round the pipe b; and d shews a 'hoop
or other contrivance for compressing the packing so as to prevent leak-
age between the pipe and the trunions; instead of the hemp or flax a
metallic packing may be substituted. I do not, however, confine myself to
any particular substance or arrangement, this part of my Invention consisting
in the so arranging the packings of the trunnions of steam engines, that they
shall be external steam-tight. packing, to the trunnion, instead of inside packing
and gland usually employed.)
3
4 .+.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which is shewn in
Plan No. 4, Figures 3 and 4, where a represents one of the ordinary cranks
used in steamboat or other engines; b, the crank pin, which in this case is
made hollow; c, an internal pin sliding inside the crank pin b; d shews a
plate which serves the purpose of the second crank in ordinary coupled
engines; this plate has a hole e, fitted with steel or other driving pieces as
may be found requisite; into this hole the internal crank pin c is made to fit, and,
consequently, when this pin is in the hole the engine will be coupled together,
and by drawing the pin out of the same hole the engines will be disconnected.
The method of drawing this pin in or out, shewn in the Drawing, is as follows:-
A toothed wheel f, revolving freely on the boss of the crank, and another
wheel g on the internal crank pin c; these two wheels gear into each other,
and of course when the cranks revolve they still keep the same relative
positions, and the internal crank pin remains in position;, h shews a small
pinion keyed on to the axis k, and so arranged that it may be caused to gear
and ungear with the wheel f, either by sliding in its bearings or otherwise;
this pinion being turned when in gear with the wheel of either connects or

page_text: disconnects the engines according to the direction in which it is turned. This
part of my Invention is not confined to the means shown for moving the crank
pin c in and out of gear, as such means may be varied.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner the same
is to be performed, I would state, that I do not confine myself to the details
as herein shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of any part of
my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the application of a drag link, or other similar instrument or appa-
ratus as above described, for connecting two steam engines, each fitted with a
single crank, and its cylinder inclined towards the perpendicular either more
or less than forty-five degrees, in such manner as to cause the piston of one
cylinder to be at the end of its stroke when the other is at or about the
middle.
Secondly, I claim the application of external packings for the trunnions of
oscillating steam engines, in place of the common gland and internal packing
at present in use.
Thirdly, I claim the making a crank pin hollow, having a second pin sliding
inside it in combination with a crank plate, and so arranged that the motion
of the one pin, independently of the other pin, shall be the means to connect
or disconnect the engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Douglas Hebson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-nine.