Year: 1898

page_text: I, SAMUEL TURNER WILSON, of 74, Tinslow Street, Charleston, in the County of
Kanawha, and State of West Virginia, United States of America, Miller, and
WILLIAM WIRT BRANCH, of 106 Lovell Street, Charleston, aforesaid, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to rotary engines of that class in which an annular cylin-
der is used and an abutment is placed therein having sloping approaches, and a
revolving piston head fitting said cylinder and moved away from the face thereof
when passing the abutment.
The
The engine is enclosed within a cylindrical casing preferably made in two parts
bolted together by longitudinal flanges, and closed at its ends by the heads which
at their centre are provided with bearings for the shaft of the rotating piston.
The piston consists of a cylinder which at its ends has flanges projecting radially
therefrom and also longitudinally and fitting within the casing. The annular
cylinder is formed by two rings attached to the heads of the casing and embrac-
ing the flanges upon the ends of the piston upon the outer and inner surfaces
respectively, of said flanges. The flanges on the piston are provided with a series
of grooves adapted to receive the piston heads, which grooves extend across the
end faces of the flanges and in a longitudinal direction into the same, the piston
heads consisting of blocks which accurately fit the grooves. To the blocks are
attached stems which extend in a longitudinal direction through holes in the
flanges and at the point where they pass through the flanges they
are provided with ordinary packing boxes or glands to prevent steam
escaping therethrough. Back of the flanges of the piston there is a considerable
space between the cylinder forming the piston and the outside casing.
stems extend to nearly the centre of this space and at the inner ends are sup-
ported in guides fixed to the outer surface of the cylinder. Between each guide
and the flange the stem supported therein is provided with lugs which act as
slides and by which the stem and the piston head connected thereto are recipro-
cated. These lugs or slides are slightly separated and embrace cam ribs or flanges
attached to the inner surface of the outer casing and extend entirely around the
same. At one point in the circumference of the annular cylinder is provided an
abutment, the central portion of which is level and upon each side it is provided
with inclines. When the piston head reaches the incline the lugs or slides engage
a cam portion of the rib or flange which is deflected to one side in conformity
with the shape of the abutment. The longitudinal reciprocation of the piston
head is therefore caused partly by direct contact of the piston head with the sur-
face of the abutment and partly by contact of the lugs or slides with the cam
ribs or flanges. The motion may, if desired, be caused entirely by the contact
of the lugs or slides with the ribs or flanges.
To prevent rotative action of the lugs upon the stem the outer surface of the

page_text: cylinder is provided with guides, each consisting of a block having a slot therein
which receives the inner ends of the lugs. The abutment is provided with pack-
ing strips adapted to be adjusted by set screws so as to be maintained in a steam-
tight condition. The inner rings forming the inner wall of the annular steam
cylinder are supported by rings secured to the cylinder heads. The sides of the
slot containing the piston heads, or the sides of the pistofis themselves, may be
grooved so that steam may enter behind the piston head to balance the pressure
on the face thereof, or the piston heads may be made to fit loosely within the
groove so as to accomplish the same purpose.
Dated this 12th day of July 1898.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London,
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
We, SAMUEL TURNER WILSON, Miller, of 74, Tinslow Street, and WILLIAM
WIRT BRANCH, Manufacturer, of 106, Lovell Street, both of Charleston, in the
County of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, United States of America, 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;
Our invention relates to an improvement in rotary engines of that class in
which an annular cylinder is used, and an abutment is placed therein having
sloping approaches and a revolving piston head fitting said cylinder and moved
away from the face thereof when passing the abutment.
The invention consists of certain features of construction which will be herein-
after described and pointed out in the appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the views.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken upon the line 1-1 of Figure 2;
Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
and
Figure 3 is a partial cross sectional elevation taken upon the line 3-3 of
Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is a cross section on line 44 of Fig. 2.
The engine is enclosed within a cylindrical casing A, which for purposes of
manufacture and simplicity is preferably made in two parts bolted together by
longitudinal flanges at A¹, or upon the middle line of the casing. The casing is
closed at its ends by the heads A2, which at their centre are provided with bear-
ings which receive the shaft D₁ of the rotating piston. The piston D consists of
a cylinder, which at its ends has flanges D2 projecting radially therefrom and also
longitudinally, and fitting within the casing A. The annular cylinder is formed
by the two rings B and B₁, which are attached to the heads A2 and embrace the
flanges D2 upon the ends of the piston D, upon the outer and inner surfaces
respectively, of said flanges. The connection of the rings B, B' to the heads A²
is made tight by the use of packing rings b.
The flanges D2 are provided with series of grooves adapted to receive the
piston heads P. The grooves d' extend across the end faces of the flanges and
in a longitudinal direction into the same. In the drawings the engine is shown

page_text: as provided with three of these grooves, and consequently with three piston heads.
The piston heads consist of blocks P, which accurately fit the grooves d', and to
the blocks Pare, attached stems C, which extend in a longitudinal direction
through holes in the flanges D². At the point where they pass through the
Hanges, they are provided with ordinary packing boxes or glands d to prevent
steam escaping therethrough.
Back of the flanges D2 there is a considerable space between the cylinder D
forming the piston, and the outside casing A. The stems C extend to nearly the
centre of this space, and at the inner ends are supported in guides C2, fixed to
the outer surface of the cylinder 1. Between each guide C and the flange D³
the stem C supported therein is provided with lugs C, which act as slides and by
which the stem and the piston head connected thereto are reciprocated. These
Jugs or slides C are slightly separated, and embrace cam ribs or flanges E, which
are attached to the inner surface of the outer casing A, and extend entirely
around the same.
د
At one point in the circumference of the annular cylinder is provided an abut-
ment F. The central portion of this abutment is level, and upon each side it is
provided with inclines F (see Fig. 4). When the piston head reaches the incline
the lugs or slides C engage a cam portion of the rib or flange E, which is deflected
to one side in conformity with the shape of the abutment. The longitudinal
reciprocation of the piston head is therefore caused partly by direct contact of the
piston head with the surface of the abutment, and partly by contact of the lugs
or slides C with the cam ribs or flanges E. The motion may, if desired, be
caused entirely by the contact of the lugs or slides C' with the ribs or flanges E.
To prevent rotative action of the lugs C upon the stem C, the outer surface
of the cylinder I) is provided with guides E, each consisting of a block having
a slot therein which receives the inner end of the lugs C. The abutment F is
provided with packing strips f, adapted to be adjusted by set screws f', so as to
be maintained in a steam tight condition. The inner rings B₁ forming the inner
wall of the annular steam cylinder are supported by rings A, which are secured
to the cylinder heads A. The sides of the slot containing the piston heads P,
or the sides of the pistons themselves, may be grooved so that steam may enter
behind the piston head to balance the pressure on the face thereof, or the piston
heads may be made to fit loosely within the groove so as to accomplish the same
purpose. G and G are the steam and exhaust pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder casing, two separable rings attached
to the heads thereof and forming therewith an annular cylinder oper at one end,
an abutment projecting from the casing head, a cylindrical piston rotating
concentric with the cylinder and having a flange at its end of greater
diameter than the body thereof and projecting longitudinally into the annular
cylinder, said flange having a slot extending across its face, a piston head fitting
said slot and cylinder, a stem attached to the said head, and extending longi-
tudinally of the piston and through the flange, a cam ring surrounding the piston
and lugs attached to the stem engaging the cam ring to reciprocate the piston
head when it passes the abutment, substantially as described.
2. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder casing, two separable rings attached
to the heads thereof and forming therewith an annular cylinder open at one end,
an abutment projecting from the casing head, a cylindrical piston rotating
concentric with the cylinder and having a flange at its end, of greater
diameter than the piston body and projecting longitudinally beyond the end
thereof into the annular cylinder, said flange having a slot extending across its
face, a piston head fitting said slot and cylinder, a stem attached to said head and
extending longitudinally through the flange, a cam ring surrounding

page_text: the
piston lugs adjustably secured to the stem and engaging the
cam ring to reciprocate the piston head when it passes the abutment, and guide-
ways attached to the rotating piston and engaging the sides of said lugs, sub-
stantially as described.
ד
1. 1 T
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.