CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ALDOUS, of Clapton, in the County of Middlesex, Smith, 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 Twenty-fifth day of February, in the fifth year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Aldous, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said James Aldous, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Aldous, my executors, 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 might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James
Aldous, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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, tht in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Aldous, do hereby declare 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 description thereof, reference being

page_text: having my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is an end view, and
Figure 3 a plan of the same. And it should be remarked that the same
letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts in each Figure. I have
not thought it necessary to show various parts of the engine which are requisite,
but are well known and will be readily applied by an engineer; such, for
instance, the air pump when the engine is intended as a condensing engine,
the force pumps, and some others. My Invention does not relate to any such
parts, or to any other parts of the engine other than the application of the
parts as are herein-after more particularly described and distinctly claimed;
they may, therefore, be constructed as heretofore. a, a, are two beams which
are actuated by the two connecting rods b, b, proceeding from the cross head c,
the ends of this cross head moving between parallel guides d, as is clearly
shewn in the Drawing; e is a swinging frame or link which connects the other
end of the beams a, a, to the sliding frame f, which sliding frame moves up
and down between guides h, as is clearly indicated in the various Figures, as is
also the construction of these parts; i are necks or pivots forming part of the
frame f. These necks or pivots, i, pass through the combined series of levers
next to be described. j,j, constitute the combined series of levers, the appli-
cation of which to steam engines, in the manner hereafter described, constitutes
the Invention claimed under the present Patent. The series of levers j, j, are
connected at their respective ends by pin joints, allowing of sufficient move-
ment in order that the series of levers may expand and contract during the
working of the engine. The lower levers ; are affixed by pin joints to the
j
framing at k, the levers being capable of moving on the pins k, as shown.
The two upper levers are connected to the ends of the cross head ; and there
are also connecting rods m, m, on the ends of the cross head 7, which transmit
the motion from the cross head to the cranks n, o, which are affixed to the two
main shafts p and q, which shafts turn in suitable bearings, and may respec-
tively be applied to drive machinery, the two shafts being geared to each
other by the toothed wheels r, as shown.

page_text: Having thus described the manner of applying my improvements, it will be
obvious, on tracing the motion of the various parts, that the up-and-down
motion communicated to the frame f by the beams a, will, by the expanding
and contracting of the combined series of levers, cause the cross head to rise
and fall; but, according to the arrangement here shewn, the cross head 7 will
rise and fall three times the distance through which the frame ƒ passed; by
this means the connecting rods m, n, will be actuated a length equal to three
times that through which the sliding frame f passes, the main shafts will
revolve in opposite directions, as will also the fly wheels; by this means the
centers of the engine will be more easily passed, and the power of the steam in
the cylinder be more effectually applied.
I would have it understood that I lay no claim to any of the parts separately
nor combined other than is herein particularly stated, nor do I confine myself
to the precise arrangement here shown, nor the relative proportions, but claim
the application of the combined series of levers ; with the cross head l, the
cranks n, o, and the main shafts p, q, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Aldous, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five