Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug.. 1887
Complete Left, 7th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
We, GEORGE GRAY RHODES, and JAMES SIDNEY CRITCHLEY, both of 27 Kirkgate
Bradford, in the County of York, Consulting Engineers, and NATHANIEL WOOD, of
the firm of Messrs. Wood Bros. Valley Iron Works, Sowerby Bridge, aforesaid,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of stationary steam
engines commonly known as beam engines, and consists in converting a single cylinder,
or compound beam engine, into a triple expansion engine.
This we accomplish by the addition of one or two cylinders working directly onto
the existing beam.
In a 'McNaught' beam engine, that is one having the high pressure cylinder on the
crank side of the beam centre, and the low pressure cylinder on the opposite side, we
fix our additional high pressure cylinder directly over the air pump, or as in the
Bagshaw' system of compounding beam engines, thus making the 'M'Naught'
cylinder into the intermediate cylinder, and the low-pressure cylinder we still retain
to complete the triple expansion of the steam.
In the case of an engine compounded on 'Bagshaw's' system we fix our initial
cylinder on either side of the beam centre.
In a single cylinder beam engine, we fix our high pressure or initial cylinder on the
crank side of the beam centre in a similar position to a M Naught cylinder, the
intermediate cylinder we fix over the air pump, and the existing cylinder we retain
to complete the triple expansion of the steam.
There are other positions in which our additional cylinder or cylinders might be
placed, but the above positions we find most suitable for coupling up directly to the
beam.
Dhi th d
Amen 1007
RHODES & CRITCHLEY,
Agents.

page_text: We, GEORGE GRAY RHODES, and JAMES SIDNEY CRITOHLEY, both of 27 Kirkgate,
Bradford, in the County of York, Consulting Engineers, and NATHANIEL WOOD, of the
firm of Wood Bros., Valley Iron Works, Sowerby Bridge, aforesaid, Engineer, 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 invention relates to certain improvements in that class of stationary engine
commonly known as beam engines, and consists in converting a single cylinder or
compound beam engine into a triple expansion engine.
This we accomplish by the addition of one or two cylinders, as the case may be,
working directly onto the beam.
.
In order that our invention may be more easily understood we append a sheet of
drawings, showing the elevations of compound and single cylinder beam engines
converted into triple expansion engines according to our invention.
"
"
Fig. 1 represents the former, namely the conversion of a compound or "MoNaughted
beam engine into a triple expansion engine by the addition of a cylinder A, fixed
beyond the connecting rod as in the "Bagshaw system of compounding beam
engines, and working directly onto the beam. This cylinder we call the initial or
high pressure cylinder, the "M Naught" cylinder B, shown by the dotted lines, becoming
the intermediate cylinder, the triple expansion being completed in the low pressure
cylinder C. The cylinder A we mount upon a pedestal D, which is cast with the
crank race, and the cylinder B may also rest upon the same pedestal and be placed at
an angle, so that the stroke may be more nearly equal to the stroke of the initial
cylinder A. This of course necessitates a new intermediate cylinder, but we do not
find it necessary in all cases to thus alter the position of the "McNaught
cylinder.
"
The piston rod of the initial cylinder A, we connect to an extension of the beam E
at E¹, by means of a gudgeon and parallel motion in the usual way, the coupling of
the piston rod of the intermediate cylinder B to be beam, being also made in the usual
way when the cylinder is fixed at an angle.
The steam is admitted into the cylinder A at not less than 150 lbs. pressure per
sq. in., and is then conveyed to the steam chest of the intermediate cylinder B by the
pipe F, and from the cylinder B to the steam chest of the low pressure cylinder C by
the pipe F, after which it passes out of the low pressure cylinder into the condenser G
in the usual manner.
Instead of placing the initial cylinder beyond the connecting rod as shown, we can
place it over the air pump, but the passage of the steam from cylinder to cylinder is
not so direct as when the cylinders are as shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 shows the conversion of a single cylinder beam engine into a triple expansion
engine by the addition of two cylinders working directly onto the beam.

page_text: "
In this instance we fix our initial or high pressure cylinder A, at the crank side of
the beam centre in a similar position to a McNaught" cylinder, the intermediate
cylinder B we fix directly over the air pump, and complete the triple expansion in
the cylinder C. The cylinder B we fix on a pedestal D, and work the air pump by
passing the piston rod through the cylinder and having a stuffing box on the lower
cover. The pedestal D we make with a man hole D, provision being made for the
drawing of the air pump bucket by the uncoupling of the air pump rod and piston
rod at G and G. The piston rods of the two additional cylinders A and B we couple
to the beam E in the usual way. The steam passes through the initial cylinder A and
is conveyed by the pipe F to the valve chest of the intermediate cylinder B, and from
the latter cylinder to the valve chest of the cylinder C by the pipe F', eventually
being conveyed to the condenser G in the usual way. In placing the intermediate
cylinder over the air pump, we find it convenient to turn the low pressure cylinder C
around, thus placing the valve box of that cylinder to the outside, thereby giving more
space for the valves of the intermediate cylinder B.
The valves of the initial cylinder we prefer to be of the Corliss or other automatic
type, the cut off being regulated by the governor, and the valves of the intermediate
and low pressure cylinders may be of the same type variable by hand, or the ordinary
slides.
There are other positions in which the additional cylinder or cylinders might be
placed to work directly onto the beam, but we find the positions shown in the drawing
to be most suitable, the steam having a straight course from cylinder to cylinder, and
we proportion the size of the additional cylinder or cylinders so that the load on each
side of the beam centre may be as nearly equal as possible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
The conversion of a compound beam engine into a triple expansion engine, by the
addition of a cylinder working directly on to the beam, substantially in the manner
as shown and described.
The conversion of a single cylinder beam engine into a triple expansion engine, by
the addition of two cylinders working directly onto the beam, substantially in the manner
as shown and described.