A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMBINATION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY OR APPA- RATUS WHEREBY CERTAIN WELL-KNOWN AGENTS MAY BE EMPLOYED IN PRODUCING POWER, AND IN THE MODE OF EFFECTING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of the London Road, in the Parish of Saint George's;
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engincer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of December, One thousand eighthundred and
thirty-three, and in the fourth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, .His
especial licence, full power, sole privilege andauthority, that I, the said Lemuel
Wellman Wright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such othersas
I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my executors, administrators, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMBINATION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY OR APPA-
RATUS WHEREBY CERTAIN WELL-KNOWN AGENTS MAY BE EMPLOYED IN PRODUCING
POWER, AND IN THE MODE OF EFFECTING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS USEFUL
PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me,
the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be inrolled in His 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do hereby declare that the nature of: my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention of an Improvement or Improvements in the Combination and
Arrangement of Machinery or Apparatus whereby certain well-known Agents
may be employed in Producing Power, and in the Mode of effecting the same,
applicable to various Useful Purposes, consists in the combination and arrange-
ment of certain mechanical parts or apparatus forming an explosive engine, in
which volums of inflamable gases mixed with atmospheric air are to be ignited
in a close chamber for the purpose of effecting an expansive force, which force
is intended to act upon a working piston within a cylinder; in the same way as
steam is usually applied, for the purpose of producing such a power as may be
employed for driving machinery in general.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the engine
complete Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same, in which the internal
construction of the working parts are all exhibited to view. a and b are
two cylindrical vessels, with hemispherical ends, placed beneath the engine,
or in any other convenient situation. a is intended to contain carburetted
hydrogen gas, and common atmospheric air, both of which aeriformed fluids
are to be compressed within the vessels, that is, held under pressure of from one
to two pounds, more or less, upon a superficial inch. The vessel a is supplied
with from a reservoir or main through a pipe by the forcing pump c, and
the vessel bis supplied with air from the atmosphere, also through a pipe by the
forcing pumpd, both of which pumps are worked by excentrics upon the crank
shaft e of the engine. The vessel a is furnished with a regulating mercurial
guage f,by which, when the pressure of the gas within exceeds the required
density, a cock is opened through the agency of rods and levers, as shewn in
the Figures, and a portion of the gas is let off, which returns to the reservoir
under the piston of the pump c, thereby preserving a regulated pressure
within the vessel, and this pressure may be increased or diminished by weight-
gas

page_text: ing the lever f. The air vessel has a lifting valve g, properly loaded,
through which the air escapes when by the action of the pumpit has acquired
too great a pressure. For regulating the quantities of gas and atmospheric air
which may be proper to becombined for producing an explosive mixture, the
apparatus shewn at h, h, is employed. This apparatus consists of a cylindrical
vessel, divided internally into two chambers, with a piston in each, which
pistons are both attached to a rod o, that may be slidden up or down in
the center of the chambers. The larger chamber is intended to measure
the requisite quantity of atmospheric air, and the smaller chamber j to
measure the requisite quantity of gas. From the vessel a the gas passes
up the pipe : through the cock into the lower chamber j, and from the
vessel the air passes up a similar pipe m through the cock n into the
upper chamber i. The pistons of i and are adjustable upon the central
rod o by means of screws cut upon the rod with tightening nuts, which allow
either of the pistons to be raised or lowered, for the purpose of enlarging
or contracting the relative capacities of the two chambers. The upper
end of the rod o is attached by a shackle to the spindle p, which spindle passes
up the hollow tube or standard of the governor 1, 2, Q
As the governor
revolves according to the centrifugal force of the balls, so the rod o with the
pistons will be raised or depressed, by which raising or depressing of the
pistons the capacity of one of the chambers or will be enlarged and that of
the other contracted, thereby causing the proportions of the two aeriformed
fluids, measured by those chambers when mixed to vary in their relative
quantities, and consequently the explosive force of the fluids on becoming
ignited to be increased or diminished; for on the governor rising by the
increased velocity of the engine, the capacity of the chamberj, which measures
the quantity of gas, will be contracted, and that of i, which measures the
quantity of atmospheric air, will be enlarged; hence, by these means the ex-
pansive power of the explosive mixture will be reduced, or, on the contrary,
by a diminished speed of the engine the governor will lower the pistons in
the cylinders and j, thereby enlarging the capacity of the gas chamber and
reducing that of the atmospheric air, which will consequently increase the
elastic power of the explosive mixture. The two cocks and n are connected
by a pair of toothed wheels 7, r, which cause them to turn simultaniously in
opposite directions, and which are made to reciprocate by a rod x and lever **,
the latter being acted upon by a rotary cam upon the main crank shaft e. The
cocks have each a curved passage, that of l forming a communication in one
position between the pipe k and the chamber j, and that of n forming a com

page_text: munication between the pipe m and the chamber i; but when these cocks are
turned into the other position, the apertures of the pipes and mare closed,
and the curved ways forin a communication between the two chambers i and,
and the passages, which leads to the induction valve or cock t. The induction
valve or cock t is made to reciprocate, in order to open and close alternately
the passages u and v, leading to the globular chambers w; w, in which the
explosive mixture of air and gas is intended to be ignited... These recipro-
cating: movements of the induction cock are produced also by a cam on the
main crank shaft 'e, which acts against a bent' lever y, weighted at one end,
and at the other end connected to a perpendicular rody*, which is attached to
an arm at the end of the plug of the cock. The explosive mixture having
been conducted in the way described through the induction cock t and passage
n into the lower globe.w, a small frame from the jet of a gas burner issuing
from the pipe z is then admitted through a touch-hole in the under part of the
globe to the interior, by which the explosive mixture within the globe is
immediately ignited, and in exploding passes along the channel A into the
lower part of the working cylinder B beneath the piston C, which piston, by
the force of the expanding vapour, is raised up to the top of the cylinder; this
upward movement of piston C, through the. agency of the cross head D and
connecting rods E, E, will produce a rotation of the crank shaft e in the same
way as in ordinary steam engines, and the shaft e in revolving (by means of
the cams above described), will give those movements. to the levers and roils
y, y, and c,, which are requisite for changing the positions of the cocks ör
valves l, n, and t, and letting off the explosive mixture into the upper globe,
where being ignited it proceeds through the passage F, and exerts its force.
against the upper side of the piston, which causes the piston to descend', and
thus produce the rotary motion of the crank shaft. Previously to the explosive
mixture of gases entering either end of the working cylinder, a disc valve His
brought up against the extremity of the passage A or F, in order to close the
eduction aperture, which movement of the valves is effected by an inclined
plain I or I on the edge of the sliding bar K, as shewn in the section Figure 2.
This bar is connected by a joint to the shorter arm of the bent lever y, and is
moved up and down at the proper periods by the rotary cam upon the crank
shaft e, which works that lever, as before described. After each stroke of the
piston the eduction vapourisallowed to pass off from the passage A or F through
the pipe G by the receeding of the disc valve H, which is forced back by the
eduction vapour when the elevated part of the bar K is slidden away. In order
to prevent the explosive gases escaping from the globewthrough the touch-hole,

page_text: a sliding plate is placed over the touch-hole, which is moved away at the
instant that the jet of flame from the pipe is intended to communicate with
the interior, and when that is done it instantly returns and covers the touch-hole..
These sliding plates are each mounted upon an arm L, L, extending from M, a
perpendicular shaft, which turns upon centers; aslight reciprocating movement
is given to this shaft M by a small tappet N upon the rod x, which in rising
presses against a lever O and turns the shaft a little way round, after which a
spring returns the shaft to its former position. By the ascent and descent of
this rod the sliding plates are made to open and close the touch-hole at the
required periods. The rod of the piston P is made hollow for the purpose of
receiving a column of water, which is allowed to flow at bottom of the rod
through 'small holes into the packing of the piston, for the purpose of lubricating
and keeping it cool. The working cylinder is enclosed within a jacket Q, Q,
intended to contain water to be supplied by a pipe from a cistern placed in any
convenient situation, which is designed to prevent the working cylinder
becoming too hot. Figure 3 represents one of the globular vessels w detached
and in section, through the center of which a rod R is passed, having a ball
valve S at one end and a stuffing box T at the other end. Globular vessels so
constructed may be adapted to the engine instead of those already described
by means of which I propose to introduce, in addition to the expansivegases, a
volume of condensed atmospheric air, which is to occupy the passage A or F,
and the end of the working cylinder. This air may be supplied by a forcing
pump, and a small quantity of steam may also be advantageously introduced.
The ball valve may be kept up to its seat by a spring or a weight on the
outside of the stuffing box, and when the explosion of the gasious mixture in
the globular vessel w takes place, the valve will be forced open, and the vapour
allowed to pass into the passage A or F, when by mixing with the condensed
air and steam the expansive force will become greatly increased.
Having described the several parts of my improved machinery orapparatus,
and the mode of using the same, I wish it to be understood that I claim the
general arrangement and combination as an engine for producing motive
power by the employment of the agents above described, and also the
particular construction of the apparatus called the regulator, by which the
power to be produced by the engine may be varied and regulated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four.
LEMUEL (L.S.) W. WRIGHT.

page_text: AND BE IT, REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of June, in the
fourth year of the reign of His Majesty King, William. the Fourth, the
said Lemuel Wellman- Wright came before.our said Lord the King in His
Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every
thing therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George
the Third.
Insallad this Cintranth dan
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