IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I GUSTAF PERSSON of Hallsberg, in the County of Nerike, Kingdom of Sweden,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROTARY ENGINES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be >
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is the construction of a simple and cheap rotary
engine, which can be driven either by steam or water, and also be used as a
pump.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved engine.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, and
Figure 3 is a transverse section.
The engine comprises a casing A, which, in the drawing is shown as cylindrical,
but which may be of any other suitable shape. The sides a a¹ of the casing are
connected by screw-bolts b, suitable packing being placed between the cylindrical
portion of the casing and the covers so as to prevent leakage.
An axle c runs through the centre of the casing, and has fixed to it a wheel d
fitting closely between the sides a a¹. This wheel is provided with a wing e
(although more than one may be used if desired) which lies close to the interior
surface of the cylinder, while the sides of the wing fit closely to the sides a, a¹.
On the cylindrical part of the casing is a valve f, which is movable upon a pivot
or the like fixed on the side of the casing. One portion of this valve enters the
casing through an opening in the latter; the said opening being packed to prevent
leakage. The lower end h of the valve, under the action of a spring operating
upon its upper end, is pressed against the wheel d while the edges of the valve at
the same time bear upon the sides of the casing, one of which is provided with the
opening for the admission, and the opening 7 for the escape of steam.
That part of the axle c which is outside the casing carries a fly-wheel or a
pulley.
All those parts of the apparatus which fit each other, are provided with suitable
packing.
The engine operates in the following manner, that is to say:-Steam being
admitted through the opening k, it presses against the wing e, and in forcing it
away, causes the wheel & together with the axle c, which is connected with it, and

page_text: the fly-wheel or pulley, to rotate.
The steam before the wing e is driven out
through the opening 1, the valve f, suspended between the openings k and pre-
venting any communication between these openings. The wing e continuing to
move, at last meets the valve f, which then, in consequence of its own shape and
that of the wing, is lifted as shown in dotted lines and falls again when the wing
has passed. The wing, after passing the valve covers the opening k; the supply of
steam being thus cut off, the motion of the engine would stop but for the power
accumulated by the fly-wheel (or pulley), which now carries the wing far enough
to again expose the opening k, upon which new steam enters behind the wing and
carries it forward another revolution, and so on.
From the axle c or the pulley the power is transferred to the place where it is
to be used.
The engine may be so constructed that the wheel & can rotate either backwards
or forwards, and for this purpose the wing and the valve are constructed in
such a manner that the former can lift the latter from whichever side they may
meet.
If the engine is to be driven by water-power, the axle c is placed vertically, and
the opening for the admission of water, on the upper side of the casing, and the
opening for the escape on the lower side.
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
First. A rotary engine, consisting of a casing with air-tight sides, an axle in the
same on which a wheel with one or more wings attached to it, is fixed, and a
valve lying close to the wheel and movable upon a pivot attached to the outer side
of the casing, which valve can be lifted by the wing or wings so that the latter
with the wheel can freely rotate inside the casing.
Second: The wheel d provided with one or several wings.
Third. The valve movable upon a pivot, and with its lower end pressed against
a wheel fixed on the axle of the engine, thus preventing any communication
between the openings for the ingress and egress of the steam, but which valve can
be lifted by a wing rotating with the wheel to which it is attached.
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