IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEAM ENGINE CYLINDERS, PISTONS, BEARINGS PUMPS, AND COCKS
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MASON, of Brecknock Terrace, Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixth day of August, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Mason, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said William Mason, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Mason, my exors, adññors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEAM ENGINE
CYLINDERS, PISTONS, BEARINGS, PUMPS, AND COCKS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Mason, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, 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, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Mason, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention of Improvements in the Manufacture of Steam Engine
Cylinders, Pistons, Bearings, Pumps, and Cocks consists in carbonating and
hardening the working surfaces of such parts of the steam engines, when made
of iron, whereby steam engines, when so improved, will become capable of
wearing longer with less liability to derangement than when steam engines are
manufactured with working surfaces, made according to the methods now
pursued.
In order that my Invention may be most fully understood and carried
into effect, I will proceed to explain the best means with which I am
acquainted for performing my improvements. In doing so I will first describe
the processes, as applicable to the carbonating and hardening of the internal or
working surface of the steam cylinder, or of the air pump cylinder of a steam
engine. I will afterwards explain the improvements as applied to the other
parts of steam engines herein mentioned. I will suppose I am about to
operate on the steam cylinder or air pump cylinder of a steam engine which
is only in the state of a rough casting of iron in the form of a steam cylinder
or air pump cylinder of a steam engine. Before I proceed to bore out the
inner or working surface, I prefer to submit the casting to the process of
annealing, by placing it in a suitable reverberatory or other furnace, capable of
raising the heat of the cylinder to a red heat; the fire is then to be put
out, and the cylinder is to be permitted to cool down, and when cold to be
removed from the furnace. The inner or working surface of the cylinder is to
be truly and accurately bored; its working or inner surface will then be ready
to undergo the process of carbonating and hardening. It should be remarked,
that it is not essentially necessary that the cylinder or other parts of the steam
engine should be subjected to the process of annealing, though it is preferable,
for the future process having to be carried on by means of a red heat, it is
desirable first to submit the parts of the engine to a like extent of heat, and
gradually to cool them, in order that any warping, winding, or distortion
of shape or figure consequent on such heat, if the metal should prove to be
unequal, may take place before the boring of the inner surface, that such irre-
gularities may be removed by that operation of boring, otherwise great diffi-
culty may arise should any inequality or irregularity of surface be found after
the carbonating and hardening processes have been performed on the cylinder,
which will sometimes be found to be the case if the cylinder be at once bored,
and submitted to the carbonating and hardening processes, without being
annealed; but having been annealed the cylinder will not be liable to be

page_text: materially altered in the correctness of its surface by the future processes to
which it must be submitted, in order to apply my improvements thereto.
The cylinder thus prepared is to have placed within it a cylindrical core of
cast iron, three or four inches less diameter than itself, by which means there
will be an open space all round between the two cylinders, which is to be filled
with ground bones or other animal matter capable of forming animal charcoal
or animal carbon, or the space may be filled with animal charcoal at once.
The two ends of the cylinders are to be then securely closed by rings of iron,
and luted with clay or other suitable material, in order to prevent the admission
of atmospheric air to or the emission of the vapours or gases from the animal
carbon. In this condition the cylinder is to be placed in a reverberatory
or other suitable furnace, capable of raising the heat of the cylinder to and
retaining it at a red heat (cherry red). The workman will observe, that when
the cylinder becomes throughout of a cherry red heat he will continue that
heat for about four or five hours, by which time the carbonating process will
be sufficiently performed. The cylinder with its contents is then to be
removed from the furnace, and carefully though quickly to be lowered into
a pit or well containing water, (which should by preference contain a small
quantity of salt,) sufficient to cover it completely, where it is to remain till cold.
By this means the inner or working and now carbonated surface will become
exceedingly hard. Having applied the processes of carbonating and hardening
to the inner or working surface of the cylinder, the core and animal charcoal is
to be removed from the cylinder, and it is next to be ground by emery and
water on lead, in order to remove any slight irregularity of surface which may
be found to exist. Steam cylinders or air pump cylinders manufactured with
my improvements thereto will be found less liable to wear away by the
working of the pistons within them, and will consequently last much longer,
and will offer less friction in the working of the pistons than when the
It should be
cylinders are manufactured in the ordinary manner now in use.
stated, that the animal charcoal or carbon produced in the first instance,
as above described, may be used over and over again, consequently the cost
of the improvements will not be considerable, the labour and fuel being the
chief expence.
Having thus described the improvements as applicablo to the steam
cylinders and air pump cylinders of steam engines, I will proceed to describe
their application to the pistons of steam engines. In case such pistons are not
of a greater diameter than six inches, then they may be made solid of cast or
wrought iron, and are to be accurately turned so as nearly to fit the intended
cylinders, being left a little too large, to allow of grinding. I place them within

page_text: cast-iron rings or cylinders of a larger diameter, leaving room all round for
the animal carbon or charcoal, and cover the two ends as above described, and
then pursue precisely the same course as that before explained with reference
to the steam cylinders and air-pump cylinders. In case the pistons are of a
larger diameter, and are made of several segments and wedges, such, for
instance, as those known as "Barton's Patent Pistons," in such case, when the
parts or segments and wedges of cast or wrought iron have been accurately
formed and fit their intended cylinders, they are to be placed in suitable frames
or boxes, and submitted to the process of carbonating and hardening herein-
before described; the surfaces are afterwards to be ground with emery; they
will then be complete, and will in like manner with the cylinders be found to
work much more easy, and wear longer, and be less liable to get out of order,
than when manufactured as heretofore.
I will now describe my improvements as applicable to steam-engine
bearings. In this case the bearings are to be accurately bored and formed (by
preference) of cast iron, or they may be of wrought iron). They are to be
placed in suitable boxes, and submitted to the process of carbonating and
hardening, in like manner to the cylinders above described; the working
surfaces are to be afterwards ground with emery, and are then ready for use.
I will now describe my improvements as applied to steam engine pumps for
pumping hot or cold water. The cast or wrought iron barrels thereof are to
be accurately bored, and are to be submitted to the processes of carbonating
and hardening, as applied to the cylinders, and as fully explained above; but
in case the barrels of the pumps are small it will not be necessary to have any
internal core or cylinder, but the same may be wholly filled with animal
carbon or charcoal, and the plungers or pistons are to be of iron, and sub-
mitted to the same processes. The inner or working surfaces of the barrels
or cylinders are afterwards to be ground with emery, as before described;
they will then be completed; and such also is to be case with the pistons or
plungers.
I will now describe the application of my improvements to turning or sliding
cocks for steam engines. Having accurately formed the barrels and plugs of
turning cocks of cast iron (they should by preference be cylindrical), and
by boreing and turning made their working surfaces correct to each other, or
as nearly so as possible, and formed the slides as flat and true as may be, their
working surfaces are to be submitted to the processes of carbonating and
hardening, in like manner to the other parts of steam engines herein-before
explained, and afterwards the parts are to be ground together by emery.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of

page_text: carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I have not thought it
necessary to describe more fully the manner of forming or constructing the
various parts of steam engines herein mentioned, they forming no part of my
Invention, their nature and construction being well understood; nor do I
claim any of such parts when uncombined with my improvements; nor do I
claim the processes of carbonating and hardening cast and wrought iron gene-
rally, but only when applied to the purposes herein set forth. And it should
be understood that although I have mentioned four or five hours for the pro-
cess of carbonating the surfaces to be so treated, yet I do not confine myself
thereto, as it will be evident that, should the said process be carried on for a
less time, the carbonating effect would be only less deep or extensive, which,
under some circumstances, may be desirable; and by carrying on the process
for a longer time then it will penetrate more deeply; but this must depend on
the workman, and on the object to be effected. But I do hereby declare
my Invention to consist in carbonating and hardening the working surfaces
of steam engine cylinders, pistons, bearings, pumps, and cocks, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mason, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
Inrolled the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-six.