IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO
NAPIER, of Millwall, Engineer, send greeting.
COME,
DAVID
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 Thirty-first day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said David Napier, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said David Napier, my
exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said David Napier, my
exors, adiñiors, 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 make, usc, 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 contained a proviso that
I, the said David Napier, 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 enrolled 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, 1, the said
David Napier, 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

page_text: the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
These improvements refer chiefly to what are termed rotating engines, as
will be seen from the Drawing herewith annexed, the general outline of which
is not unlike others that have been already patented; I will therefore simply
refer to my improvements. These are the pressure on the slide A, Figures 1
and 2, being borne by parallel motion with radius bars, or by the rollers B
between the faces of the slide and another smooth metal surface. These rollers
are not confined to one place, they roll over the surface as the slide moves up
and down; also for moving the slide up and down by the two eccentric
wheels C, which eccentric wheels are exactly the same diameter of the
internal cylinder F; also for the moveable joint on the lower end of the
slide, which is drawn to a large scale, Figure 3. The round bar D is fitted
into the article E, which article is first made an entire cylinder, and just
as much cut out of the upper side afterwards as will allow it to make
the necessary angle in following the internal cylinder, without touching that
part of the slide that is inserted into the round bar D. The lower side of the
article E is made to fit the circle of the internal cylinder F.
Also for the mode
of keeping the ends of the internal cylinder tight by the groove G cut into
the end, the outside of which groove is bevilled, and a metal ring turned to fit
it, which ring, being made a little larger in diameter than the groove, and
afterwards a piece cut out to admit of it going into the groove, the spring, or
that metal ring, to resume its original size, pressing against the bevilled edge
of the groove, will force it out against the cylinder cover. Also for the mode of
fixing the shaft I to the internal cylinder, whereby the side of the shaft forms
part of the surface of the internal cylinder, in place of passing it through the
cylinder, having metal outside of the shaft, thereby decreasing the diameter of
the internal cylinder. Also for tubes containing water in connection with the
boiler in place of the common furnace bar; these tubes to be made of any
convenient size; the one end of each tube is screwed into any convenient part
of the boiler, and laid at a slight angle, the end screwed into the boiler being
highest, the other end coming under, and to the outside of the boiler, into which
is fixed a cock which can be opened as often as necessary to clean out these
tubes. Also for a fan, placed over any convenient part of the engine room,
driven by the machinery, for the purpose of throwing air into the entire engine
room, and thereby increasing the action of the fires, as well as keeping the
engine room cool. Also for the valve, Figure 4, whereby a single movement
of the handle H stops, goes a-head, or reverses both engines when there are
two, as is generally in steamers.