IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPING ENGINES WORKED BY FLUID PRESSURE WITHOUT VALVE GEAR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Weyhe, of Bremen, in the German Empire, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPING ENGINES WORKED BY FLUID
PRESSURE WITHOUT VALVE GEAR."
led the 6th November 1877, and dated the 5th September 1877
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Wilhelm Weyhe at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th September 1877.
WILHELM WEYHE, of Bremen, in the German Empire.
PUMPING ENGINES WORKED BY FLUID PRESSURE WITHOUT VALVE GEAR."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My Invention relates to improved constructions of pumping engines worked by
steam or other fluid pressure, wherein both the steam cylinder and the pumping
cylinder operate without the use of valves for regulating the ingress and egress of
the fluid. This is effected by imparting to the steam and pump pistons, which are
of peculiar construction, either a continuous rotary motion while they perform their
strokes, or a reciprocating rotary motion turning in the one direction during the one
stroke, and in the other direction during the other stroke.
.
The construction of my improved pumping engine operating with continuous
rotary motion of the pistons is shewn in Figs. 1 to 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a sectional plan of the engine.
Fig. 2 shews a side view; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 shew respectively two different side
views of the engine piston, and a cross section of the same on line X, X, Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 shews a cross section through the pump cylinder and piston on line Y, Y,
Fig. 1.
Figs. 7 and 8 shew respectively a longitudinal section of the pump piston and a
cross section thereof on line Z, Z, Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shews a cross section on line W, W, Fig. 2.
The engine cylinder A has an inlet aperture A¹, and an opposite exhaust aperture A³
at the middle of its length.
The piston B has on its surface two sets of helically formed grooves B¹, B³,
B3, B4, each set being made to communicate by passages B³, Bº, (Figs. 2 and 4) with
opposite sides of the piston which is formed hollow with a central partition, as shown
at Fig. 1. Thus when the piston is at one end stroke, the steam inlet A¹.communi-
[Price 6d.

page_text: cates through the groove B¹ and passage B' with the space in the cylinder on one
side of the piston, causing this to perform its stroke, while the exhaust aperture A'
communicates through the groove B' and passage B with the other side of the
piston, so as to exhaust the steam from that side of the cylinder. It will be observed
that the groove B¹ extends only partially along the piston, so that when this has
performed a part of its stroke, during which it has both a rotary and a longitudinal
Inotion imparted to it, as will be presently explained, the communication between
B¹ and A¹ will be cut off, and the remainder of the stroke will consequently be
effected by the expansion of the steam previously admitted. The groove B⭑
extending along nearly the whole length of the piston will establish the communi-
cation between the exhaust and the other side of the piston during the entire stroke.
Arrived at the end of its stroke the continued rotary motion of the piston will now
cause the groove B³ and passage B to establish a communication between the steam
inlet A¹ and that side of the piston which was before in communication with the
exhaust port A2, while at the same time the latter will be made to communicate
with the other side of the piston by means of the groove B2 and passage B³, and the
piston will consequently now perform its return stroke.
The rotary motion of the piston is effected as follows:-The piston rod C
which connects the engine piston B with the pump piston D passes through a cross
head E working in guides F, the piston rod being free to rotate in the cross head,
which is confined between two collars on the former as shewn. The cross head F
imparts rotary motion to the crank shaft H by means of the connecting rods G; on
the crank shaft is fixed a bevil wheel I in gear with another bevil wheel J of the
same size, which has an elongated boss J¹ carried in a bearing, through which passes
an extension of the piston rod, the boss having a stud or feather fitting into a groove
in the rod, so that as the rod slides to and fro in the boss, it has at the same time
rotary motion imparted to it by the bevil gearing, and it will be seen that as the rod
makes one revolution at every revolution of the crank shaft, the piston will make a
semi-revolution at every stroke, thus bringing the sets of grooves in the piston B
alternately into operation, as before described. To the boss J¹ is attached a guide K
revolving therewith, the piston rod C being provided with a small cross head L
working backward and forward in the guide. The pump cylinder M has a suction
branch M and an opposite delivery branch M2 at the middle of its length, and the
piston D has grooves D1, D2, formed at opposite sides and extending from opposite
ends along the greater part of its length as shewn, so that as the piston rotates at
the same time that it performs its stroke, it will be seen that during one stroke the
one groove D¹ will establish a communication between the suction M' and the one
end of the cylinder, while at the same time the other groove D' will establish a
communication between the delivery M³ and the other end of the cylinder. During
the next stroke the groove D³ will establish the communication between the suction
and that end of the cylinder which before communicated with the exhaust, which
will now be made to communicate with the other end of the cylinder by means of
the groove D¹. N is an air vessel on the delivery branch.
Figs. 10 to 18 shew the construction of my improved pumping engine operating
with reciprocating rotary motion of the pistons. Fig. 10 shews a sectional plan;
Fig. 11 shews a side elevation; Fig. 12 à cross section of the engine cylinder and
piston.
Fig. 13, a cross section of the pump cylinder and piston.
Fig. 14 shows two opposite side views of the engine piston.
Fig. 15 shews the same views of the pump piston.
Fig. 16 shews the construction of the guide for imparting the reciprocating rotary
motion to the pistons.
Figs. 17 and 18 shew a longitudinal section and a cross section of a modified
construction of the engine piston.
The engine cylinder A has inlet and exhaust branches A¹, A², arranged as in the
first-described construction. The piston B has grooves B¹, B³, for alternately estab
lishing the communication between the inlet A' and the opposite ends of the cylinder

page_text: through passages B³, B, and other grooves B2, B4, with passages B7, B³, for alternately
establishing the communication between the exhaust and the opposite ends of the
cylinder, the piston being made to operate in a similar manner for the inlet and
eduction of the steam as described with reference to the first arrangement, with the
exception that in the present case the piston operates with a reciprocating instead
of a continuous rotary motion, the inlet A¹ being made in the one position of the
piston to communicate with the groove B', while at the end of the stroke the piston
is turned so as to bring B³ in communication therewith, and at the end of this stroke
the piston is turned back into its original position. In like manner the grooves B², B*,
are alternately made to communicate with the exhaust. The piston rod C is
extended backwards, working through a guide and imparting its motion to the
crank shaft H with fly wheels by means of the forked connecting rod G, the cross
head E being as before loose upon the piston rod but confined by two collars on
the latter.
The reciprocating rotary motion of the piston and its rod is effected by the cam
groove O fixed on the framing, and formed as shewn more clearly at Fig. 16, the
piston rod having fixed on it a projecting stud C¹ passing down into the cam groove,
in which by the longitudinal motion of the rod the stud is caused to move in the
direction indicated by the arrow, so that during the stroke to the left-hand the stud
is made to travel along the upper part of the groove, and during the return stroke
it travels along the lower part thereof. In order to insure that the stud shall always
travel continuously round in the same direction in the groove, the central part o¹
is formed as a loose piece mounted upon a stud and actuated by a spring so as
to have a tendency to turn in the direction of the arrow, so that when the
stud C is at either end of the groove, the part O¹ will assume such a position
as to prevent it from moving back along the same part of the groove in which
it has just been moving.
The pump piston D in this case consists of two cylindrical ends fitted with packing
rings connected by longitudinal ribs D3, D4, also fitting against the cylinder M, thus
leaving two spaces D1, D2, on each side, corresponding with the grooves D₁, D³, of the
pump piston in the first-described arrangement, these spaces being made to commu-
nicate with the opposite ends of the cylinder through apertures in the cylindrical
parts of the piston. By the reciprocating rotary motion of the piston, the space D¹,
during one stroke effects a communication between the suction branch M¹ and the one
end of the cylinder, while the other space D³ effects a communication between the
delivery branch M³ and the other end. On the return stroke, these communications
are reversed.
The packing of the engine piston may either be effected as shewn at Figs. 10
and 12 by making the parts containing the grooves loose pieces which are pressed
outwards by spring rings, or as shewn at Figs. 17 and 18, where the body of the piston
is formed of two opposite coned parts P, P¹, which can be made to approach each other
by turning the screwed socket G from the outside, whereby the loose parts R are
expanded against the cylinder.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim generally
the construction of a pump barrel in which the piston receives a combined
longitudinal and rotary motion for the purpose of opening and closing the inlet
and outlet without the use of valves, as Letters Patent have already been granted to
me for such a construction on the 1st February 1876, No. 392, but I claim,―
First. The construction of pumping engines,' wherein the pistons of the motor
cylinder and pump cylinder, have both a longitudinal and a rotary motion imparted
to them, the said pistons being so formed that they effect the opening and closing
of the supply and discharge apertures without the use of valves, substantially as
herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction of pumping engines, wherein the pistons of the
motor cylinder and pump cylinder have both a longitudinal and a reciprocating
rotary motion imparted to them, the said pistons being so formed that they effect

page_text: the opening and closing of the supply and discharge apertures without the use of
valves, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 10 to 18 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Third. The before-described construction and arrangement of engine and pump
cylinders and pistons, whereby the grooves and passages on the pistons are caused
by their combined longitudinal and rotary or reciprocating motion to effect the
opening and closing of the inlet and discharge apertures at the proper times
without the use of valves.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilhelm Weyhe, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WILHELM WEYHE. (L.S.)