IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER ELASTIC FLUID
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS, I, ISRAEL KINSMAN, late of
New York, but now of Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the twelfth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Ler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Israel Kinsman, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Israel Kinsman, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Israel Kinsman, my exors, adññiors, 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, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINES TO BE
WORKED BY STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER ELASTIC FLUID," being a communication from
a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said Israel Kinsman, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be enrolled in Her 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Israel Kinsman, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is 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 thercon
(that is to say):-
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2, an
elevation of one end; Fig. 3, a vertical section passing through and parallel
with the axis; Fig. 4, a cross vertical section; and Figs. 5 and 6, enlargod
sections representing the arrangement of cut-off valves. The other sections
will be referred to in their appropriate places. The same letters indicate like
parts in all the Figures.
The engine to which the present improvements are applied is on the general
principle of the rotary engine secured to me by Letters Patent, dated on the
Eleventh day of November, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in
which piston wheel rotates within a stationary cylinder, and is provided with
one or more pistons on its periphery than there are moveable steam stops or
abutments.
The first part of this Invention which relates to the form of the periphery
of the piston wheel, and the mode of operating the steam stops or abutments,
consists in giving the required in-and-out motions to the steam stops or abut-
ments by a crank motion for each, the crank arbors being rotated by a pinion
or pinion wheels, on each engaging the cogs of a cog wheel or wheels on the
shaft of the steam wheel, when this is combined with a piston wheel, the
periphery of which is of a form generated by the motion of the steam stops or
abutments and the rotation of the piston wheel, so that the edge of the steam
stops during the rotation of the piston wheel shall be always in contact with
the periphery of the piston wheel, and yet not be operated by it.
The second part of this Invention, which relates to the construction of the
steam stops, consists in making their ends with toes or projections extending
down on each side of and embracing the sides of the piston wheel, also in
fitting the ends of the steam stops in grooves, in packing rings, or in the inner
faces of the cylinder at the sides of the steam wheel, for the purpose of pre-
venting the steam from passing around through the grooves in the packing
rings, &c., to the rear of the pistons.
The third part of this Invention, which relates to the method of governing
the induction of the steam to the cylinder, consists in combining with the
rotating steam piston wheel, cut-off valves operated by toes on rock shafts,
receiving motion from excentrics or their equivalents on the crank shafts or

page_text: arbors that operate the steam stops, that the motions of the valves may
correspond with the motions of the steam stops.
The fourth part of this Invention consists in having a continuous or annular
chamber at the. side of the steam cylinder communicating with the steam
pipe, and also, with the inside of the steam cylinder by appropriate ports,
when this is combined with the cut-off valves placed within the said chamber
for regulating the admission of the steam..
And the fifth part of this Invention, which relates to the method of packing
the engine, consists in effecting this end by means of two metal rings, one
of the said rings being placed on each side of the steam piston wheel, and
between it and the cylinder heads, the said metal rings being grooved radially
to receive the ends of the steam stops or abutments, and with holes corre-
sponding with the steam and exhaust ports, whereby I am enabled by the
said two rings to..pack the steam piston wheel, the steam and exhaust ports,
and the ends of the steam stops or abutments.
And the last part of this Invention, which relates to the method of packing
the steam wheel,.consists in forcing a metallic ring against the face of the steam
wheel on each side by means of a series of wedges, which are moved in and out
radially by set screws, which pass through to the outside of the cylinder or outer
case of the engine so that the end packing rings can be readily adjusted from
the outside, and without the necessity of taking the engine apart.
In the accompanying Drawings A represents the steam wheel mounted
on a shaft B, that has its bearings in an appropriate frame C of any desired
construction. The pistons (five in number, but which may be increased
or decreased at pleasure) are projections from, the circle of the wheel of a
form generated by the rotation of the wheel, and the in-and-out motions
in a radial direction of the steam stops, as will be herein-after described. The
pistons thus formed are provided with a packing a at the parts of greatest
projection from the centre. The piston wheel is surrounded by a cylinder D,
properly secured to the same frame, and its inner periphery is accurately.
formed that the pistons in their rotation, by means of the packing, may work
therein steam-tight. The heads E, E, of the said cylinder are secured
by bolts to the flanches of the cylinder, and are each formed with an
annular chamber, the one c constituting what may be termed the steam
chest, and the other c¹a continuation of the exhaust pipe. These annular
chambers should be in diameter about equal to the diameter of the steam
chamber surrounding the piston wheel, and they may be made by casting
them with the cylinder heads or in separate rings interposed between the
ends of the cylinder and the outer heads, and there secured by the bolts which

page_text: secure the heads to the cylinder. The steam ports d for the admission of the
steam into the cylinder are formed through the inner face of the chamber c
and the exhaust ports d' through the corresponding face of the other. The
steam and the exhaust pipes F and G should be so connected as to admit of
introducing the steam in the annular chamber c', and making the other
the exhaust, for the purpose of reversing the engine; but as this forms no part
of the present Invention, and will be understood by any competent engineer
it has not been deemed essential to represent an arrangement for this purpose
in the Drawings.
Within the annular chamber or steam chest c are partitions e, e', which
cut off the connection of each of the steam ports d from the body of the
chamber, and these partitions are pierced with ports made with valve scats
to receive balance puppet valves f, f', attached each set to a valve rod g,
the upper end of which works in a hole made in the cylinder head, and
is surrounded by a helical spring h, to insure the descent of the valves on
to their seats; the lower end passes through the inner periphery of the
annular chamber to the outside of the cylinder head, and is there properly
formed to be acted upon by a long toe i upon a rock shaft j, so that when the
shaft rocks, the valves are cither opened or closed to admit or shut off the
steam. The arrangement for operating the rock shafts will be hereafter
described. There are four steam stops H that pass through radial apertures
in the cylinder, (if the number of pistons be increased or decreased, the
number of stops must also be increased or decreased, but the number of
pistons must always exceed that of the stops by one,) with their inner edge
made with elastic or other packing adapted to the surface of the pistons,
that as the pistons rotate and the stops move in and out, the surfaces may
always be in contact and steam-tight. The stops are made of greater length
than the piston wheel, and at K, K, (see the detached views Figs. 10) they
are formed with projecting toes, which embrace the ends of the pistons,
and the ends, as well as the projecting toes of the stops, are adapted to slide
in recesses l, made in a packing ring of metal J, which is interposed between
each end of the piston wheel and the annular chamber c, c', the said rings
being also provided with holes in and m³, corresponding with the steam.
and exhaust ports. Between each ring and each of the heads is a series
of sectional metal rings n, n, which in their cross section are wedge-formed
and fitted to corresponding recesses in the heads, the thick edge of the said
sectional wedge rings being inwards. The wedge pieces n are forced
outwards to pack the ring J against the end of the piston wheel by set
screws o, which are tapped in the inner plate p, which forms the inner

page_text: periphery of the annular chamber, so that the heads of these screws can be
reached at any time when the engine is at rest for the purpose of regulating
the packing. The same arrangement is made on each side. In this way
when the heads of the cylinder are screwed up to their places, the ends
of the piston wheel, the steam and exhaust ports, and the ends of the steam
ports, will be completely packed by the two rings of metal, and the extension
of the toes of the steam stops within the periphery of the piston wheel will
effectually prevent the passage of the steam from one side of the pistons to
the other through the recesses of the packing rings in which the ends of the
steam stops work. Outside of the cylinder the steam stops are secured each
to a cross head n', which slides in appropriate ways o¹, and at either end
is attached to a connecting rod p¹; these rods take hold of cranks q', q', on
short arbors r, r, one on each side, the said arbors having their bearings
in brackets secured to the cylinder heads. On each arbor "there is a
pinions, the cogs of which engage the cogs of a wheel I on the main shaft
B, the diameter of the cog wheel being as many times larger than the
pinions as there are pistons on the piston wheel, so that each pinion shall
rotate, and with it the crank that operates the steam stop connected there-
with, as many times for each rotation of the piston wheel as there are pistons
on the wheel, that each steam stop may be moved in and out for the passage of
ench piston. As the periphery of the piston wheel is generated by its rotation
and an in-and-out radial motion corresponding with the motions of the steam
stops, it follows as a consequence, that, if the parts are accurately fitted
and proportioned, the steam stops will (as the piston wheel rotates) move
in and out and continue in contact with the periphery thereof, and yet not
be operated thereby, so that the only friction between the periphery of the
piston wheel and the steam stops will be due to the elasticity and pressure
of the packing interposed. As the cross heads of the steam stops have
connecting rods at each end, there must be a corresponding arrangement
of cranks, crank arbors, pinions, and cog wheel, at each end of the cylinder,
this being essential to the proper working of the steam stops, although it
may be effected by an arrangement at one end only, but in a less perfect
manner. At the end of the engine, where the balance valves are situated,
the crank arbors r are each provided with an excentrict and connecting
rod u, which takes hold of the arm of that rock shaft which operates
the balance valves that govern the steam port by the side of the corresponding
steam stop. The position of the excentric relatively to the crank must be
such that as each piston passes any one of the several steam stops, the
balance valves shall be open, that as the piston passes the port next to

page_text: .
the stop, the steam may enter the cylinder, and, when the piston has made
a given portion of its motion towards the next stop, that the valves may
descend to cut off the steam, and permit the steam within to act expansively.
In this way, by varying the relative positions of the excentric and crank,
the valves can be made to cut off the steam at any portion of the piston's
motion between the several stops. When the engine is reversed, the periods
of the opening of the cut-off valves will be amply sufficient for the steam
to exhaust, particularly as the full power of the engine is but seldom required
for the reverse motion. Although I have described the use of balance puppet
valves for governing the admission of steam to the cylinder, I do not wish
to confine myself to the use of such valves, as single puppet or slide valves
may be substituted without changing the principle of this Invention, and I
have only described and represented balance puppet valves for the reason that, in
my judgment, they are the best adapted to the purpose contemplated by me.
Having thus described the principles or characteristics of this Invention,
which distinguish them from all other things before known, and described
and represented the manner of constructing and using the same, and some
of the modifications of which it is susceptible, I wish it to be understood, that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,-
First, the method of operating the steam stops or abutments by a crank
motion, derived from the rotation of the piston wheel, substantially as
described, when this is combined with the rotating piston wheel, the form of
the periphery of which is such as would be generated by its rotation, and
the motions of the steam stops, substantially as described, that the steam stops
may always in their motions be in contact with the periphery of the piston
wheel, and not operated by such periphery, as described.
Secondly, I claim making the ends of the steam stops with projections
or toes that embrace the sides of the piston wheel, and extend within the
periphery thereof, substantially as described, when this is combined with
the grooves or recesses in the packing ring, or any equivalent substitute
therefor, substantially as described, whereby the stean is prevented from
passing from one side to the other of the pistons through the grooves or
recesses in which the ends of the stops slide, as described.
Thirdly, I also claim, in combination with the rotating piston wheel, the
employment of cut-off valves, operated by excentrics (or their equivalents),
on the crank arbors that operate the steam stops, or deriving motion there-
from, substantially as described, that the cut-off of the steam may be derived
from and governed by the motions of the steam stops or the equivalent
thereof.

page_text: Fourthly, I claim the continuous annular chamber at the side of the
steam cylinder communicating with the steam pipe, and also with the steam
ports that lead to the steam cylinder, substantially as described, when this is
combined with the cut-off valves, substantially as herein described.
Fifthly, I claim the method of packing the piston wheel, the steam and
exhaust ports, and the ends of the stops, by means of the two metal rings
provided with holes corresponding with the steam and exhaust ports, and
with grooves or recesses for the ends of the steam stops, substantially as
described.
And lastly, I claim the method of packing the steam wheel at each
end by means of the packing ring in combination with the wedge-formed
sectional rings governed by set screws substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Israel Kinsman, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, One thousand eight