Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 17th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 19th Apr., 1887.
1, CHARLES HENDERSON, of 9 York Street Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention comprises new or improved arrangements and combinations of triple
and quadruple cylinder expansive marines steam engines, with the object of making
them more compact and stable, with less expensive fitting of columns, and with the
object of lessening the number of working parts, with equal or greater facility for
getting at these for adjustment and repair, compared with engines of this type as
heretofore constructed.
In carrying out my invention according to one arrangement or modification
suitable for triple cylinder expansive engines, I mount the crank shaft in bearings on
a suitable strong rectangular sole or bed-frame, with broad longitudinal flange
members bolted to the foundation framing or beams of the ship and having at the two
ends and centre the strong deep transverse members which form the bearing blocks of
the crank shaft, having open spaces between these for the two double cranks and their
connecting rods to work down through, all as compact as the cylinders over them will
allow. I place the condenser on the bed-plate athwartships at or near the athwart-
ship centre line of engines, and use it to form the framing or main support for the
cylinders and valve casings. The high and intermediate pressure cylinders are
ranged side by side in a transverse vertical plane over the centre of one crank of the
crank shaft and are cast or bolted together and supported by stools cast on or bolted
to corresponding flanges on the upper part of condenser and the low pressure
cylinder is placed and bolted by flanges to and as close as possible to these two
cylinders, with its centre longitudinally over the centre of the other crank of the
crank shaft, and by stool flanges also to the top of condenser, making the condenser a
strong framing for the compact and stable support of the cylinders. If great speed of
piston and additional rigidity is required, each or all of the cylinders would be further
secured by resting on outer supporting columns which would preferably be made of
malleable iron or steel.
The high and intermediate pressure cylinders would have their respective piston
rods connected to the same crosshead on each side of the connecting rod, having its

page_text: upper end connected to the centre of the crosshead. This crosshead works on and is
guided by slide frames cast on or bolted to flanges on the sides of condenser. The
pumps would be erected on the longitudinal sole plane in the vertical transverse plane
of this crosshead, and have their piston and plunger rods connected to it above, so as
to be worked and guided parallelly by it. The piston rod of the low pressure
cylinder would be connected to a separate crosshead which also works in and is
guided by slide frames formed on or secured to the opposite side of condenser actuated
by its connecting rod and crank. Or the pump rods may be connected to the same
elongated crosshead as the piston of the low pressure cylinder; and the piston rods of
the high and intermediate pressure cylinders be connected to a large crosshead
working in guides secured to the opposite side of condenser. The valve casings are
cast on the outer extremities to their respective cylinders, and the valves, which may
be of the slide or of the piston type, are actuated by their rods through stuffing, boxes on
the under side preferably by double eccentrics and link motion, with oscillating centre
and guide rod, and ordinary shifting hand gear to link motion mounted over or near
the respective overhanging ends of the main crank shaft beyond the framing, where
on one side the screw wheel may be mounted for turning the crank shaft by a hand
screw put in and out of gear as required, the other end of the crank shaft being
connected to line of crank shafts as usual. In this arrangement the steam would be
led into the high pressure valve casing, and exhaust. laterally into the valve casing of
the intermediate cylinder at its side, from which cylinder the exhaust steam would pass
round an exhaust belt passage on one side, through a pipe leading longitudinally along
one side over the stools supporting the cylinder, to the casing of the large cylinder at
the opposite end of the engine, and exhaust from this cylinder by a lateral segmental
exhaust belt down one of the stools on that side, made hollow for the purpose, down
into the upper part of condenser; which would have its end covers and chambers for
the circulation of the condensing water on each side free and clear of the working
parts of the engine, allowing the water to pass up through the hollow stools supporting
the condenser on the one side, and pass out down through the stool on the other side
from the circulating pumps, while the air pumps would draw the condensed steam or
water and air from the lower part of the central chamber within the tube plates. In
carrying out my invention under one arrangement or modification suitable for
quadruple cylinder expansive engines, for the smaller sizes of these, I would arrange
the third and low pressure cylinders side by side, transversely, and preferably cast or
bolt theuf together, and support them on stools cast on the top of condenser, and
connect their piston rods to one crosshead over the second crank, and the piston and
plunger rods of the pumps might also be connected to and actuated by this crosshead
which would work in and be guided by slide frames mounted on the sides of
condenser in the same manner as the high and intermediate pressure cylinders first
described; and for quadruple expansion engines of larger dimensions 1 place the third
cylinder above the fourth or low pressure cylinder, and work the pistons in these
cylinders, tandem fashion, by one piston rod, by the one crank below, substantially as
described in reference to the triple expansive engines, the valves being worked over
each other in line also by the same single link motion.
This improved design or arrangement and working the cylinders, also lends itself to
making the triple expansion by two cylinders of equal size instead of one large
cylinder as described, either ranged side by side transversely having their piston rods
worked by one crosshead below, as described in reference to the first and second
cylinders or otherwise tandem ways over each other by one long piston and
connecting rod as just described in relation to the third and fourth cylinders for
quadruple expansion.

page_text: I, CHARLES HENDERSON, of 9 York Street Glasgow Lanarkshire, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon; that is to say:-
My improvement comprises new or.
r-improved arrangements and combinations of
triple cylinder expansive marine steam engines, with the object of making them more
compact and stable, with less expensive fitting of columns and with the object of
lessening the number of working parts, with equal or greater facility for getting at
these for adjustment and repair, compared with engines of this type as heretofore
constructed.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended*
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side elevation and plan and Figure 3 an end elevation, all of
a triple expansion marine steam engine constructed in accordance with the
Improvements of my Invention.
Referring to these Drawings.-I mount the crank shaft A in bush bearings A¹ on
a suitable strong rectangular sole or bed frame B, with broad longitudinal flange
members bolted to the foundation framing or beams of the ship, and having at the two
ends and centre the strong deep transverse members B', which form the bearing
blocks of the crank shaft A, having open spaces between these for the two double
cranks C, D, and their connecting rods E to work down through, all as compact as
the cylinders G, H, I, over them will allow. I place the condenser F on the bed
plate Bathwartships at or near the athwartship centre line of engines, and use it to
form the framing or main support for the cylinders G, H, I, and their valve
casings g, h, i. The high and intermediate pressure cylinders G, H, are ranged side
by side in a transverse vertical plane over the centre of the crank C of the crank
shaft and are cast together and supported by stools G, H, bolted to corresponding
flanges cast on the upper part of condenser F; and the low pressure cylinder I, is
placed and bolted by flanges in the centre at 12, to and as close as possible to these
two cylinders G, H, with its centre longitudinally over the centre of the other crank D

page_text: of the crank shaft, and by the two hollow stools and flanges I¹ also to the top of
condenser F, making the condenser F, a strong framing for the compact and stable
support of the cylinders. If great speed of piston and additional rigidity is required,
each or all of the cylinders G, H, I, might be further secured by resting on outer
supporting columns which would preferably be made of malleable iron or steel, and
extend up from sockets in the corners of the bedframe B.
The high intermediate pressure cylinders G, H, have their respective piston
rods a, b, connected to the same crosshead E', having one connecting rod E to crank C.
This crosshead E', work son and is guided by slides in slide frames at e, cast on or bolted
to flanges on the sides of condenser F. The air pumps, circulating and other
pumps, are erected on the longitudinal sole plate B, in the vertical transverse
plane of this cross head E, and have their piston and plunger rods f², connected to it
above, so as to be worked and guided parallelly by it. The piston rod of the low
pressure cylinder I, is connected to a separate crosshead which also works in and is
guided by slide frames formed on or secured to the opposite side of the condenser. Or
the pumps may be arranged on the forward side of the condenser and have their
rods connected to the same elongated crosshead as the piston of the low pressure
cylinder I; and in that case the piston rods a, b, of the high and intermediate pressure
cylinders G, H,.would be connected to a large crosshead working in guides secured to
the opposite side of condenser F, without being elongated to work the pumps.
The valve casings g, h, and i, are shown as preferably cast on the outer extremities of
their respective cylinders G, H, and I, and the valves, which may be of the slide or of the
piston type, are actuated by their rods g, h, and, through stuffing boxes on the under
side preferably by double eccentrics at d and ordinary link motions at d,with crosshead h²,
connecting the valve rods g', ', and oscillating centre and guide rod h³ on the after side
between the two valves g and h. Ordinary shifting hand gear not shown in the Drawings
would be fitted to these link motions d', d', and mounted on one side of the engine
over or near the respective overhanging ends of the main crank shaft A, beyond the
framing, where on the forward side close to the eccentrics the screw wheel J may be
mounted for turning the crank shaft by a hand screw put in and out of gear as
required, the other after end A¹ of the crank shaft being connected to the line of
shafts for driving the screw propeller all as usual. In this arrangement the steam
would be led into the high pressure valve casing gat g², and exhaust into the valve
casing of the intermediate cylinder H at its side, from which cylinder H, the exhaust
steam would pass by the exhaust passage on one side, through a pipe I², leading
longitudinally along one side over the stools H², I', supporting the cylinder, into the
easing i of the low pressure cylinder I, at the opposite end of the engine, and exhaust
from this cylinder I, by a lateral segmental exhaust belt, down one or both of the
stools I', made hollow for the purpose, down into the upper part of condenser F:
which would hav cits end covers F, and chambers for the circulation of the condensing
water on each side free and clear of the working parts of the engine, allowing the
water from the circulating pumps to pass up through the hollow stool F2, supporting
the condenser on the one side; while the other support would form a means of
communication between the air pump and the central chamber of condenser for the
removal of condensed steam or water and air.
This improved design or arrangement and working of the cylinders, also lends itself
to making the triple expansion by two cylinders of equal size for and instead of the
third large low pressure cylinder I, as described, either ranged side by side
transversely, having their piston rods working one crosshead below, as described in
reference to the first and second cylinders G, H; or otherwise tandemways over each
other by one long piston and connecting rod, although this is not preferred.
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. The general arrangement and combination of triple expansion marine steam
engines, whereby a transverse condenser is employed to form the main framing,

page_text: having the guid brackets secured thereto, and thus in engines of moderate dimensions,
obviating the necessity for separate colums and the additional space occupied by same,
all substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. In triple expansion marine steam engines, the arranging of any two of the
cylinders in transverse line over the crank shaft and on either side of a transverse
surface condenser; so as to have their piston rods connected to one crosshead which
may or may not be made to work the pumps direct, the power being communicated by
one connecting rod to the crank, substantially as herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.