IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINES, TO BE WORKED BY STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER ELASTIC FLUID
Year: 1847

page_text: AINDMAN
SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 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 Eleventh day of November, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Israel Kinsman, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Israel Kinsman, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Israel Kinsman, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 Guernsey, Jersey,
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 large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Israel Kinsman, do hereby declare 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 thereon
(that is to say):-
The following is the communication-above referred to; which was made to me
by Henry Graham Thompson, of the City, County, and State of New York,
in the United States of America.
My Invention of new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam Engines
will be seen by the following explanation thereof, which is a full, clear, and
exact description of the principle or character that distinguishes it from all
other things before known, and fully exhibits the manner of making, con-
structing and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings making part of this Specification, in which Fig. 1 is a front ele-
vation of an engine on my improved plan; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a
vertical section, taken at a plane passing through and parallel with the axis of
the shaft; Fig. 4, another vertical section, taken at right angles to the main
shaft; and Fig 5, a vertical section taken at the line Z, Z, of Fig. 3.
The same letters indicate like parts in all the Figures.
The importance of applying steam to a rotating instead of a reciprocating
piston has been long recognized, and of the almost endless attempts which have
been made to attain this desired end none have so far succeeded, and indeed
so unsuccessful have been these essays, that among the unreflecting the idea of
final success has been abandoned; not so, however, with those who thoroughly
understand the properties of steam and the principles of mechanics.
In the reciprocating engine, the steam which occupies the space between
the surface of the piston and the cylinder head and induction valves must of
necessity be wasted at each stroke, for these spaces must be filled with steam
before its elastic force can be exerted on the piston, and at the end of the
stroke when the steam is discharged into the condenser or the atmosphere, the
steam occupying these spaces is necessarily either condensed or discharged into
the atmosphere, the spaces to be again filled for a continuation of this wasting
process. Again, the valves which admit and discharge the steam must be
opened and closed under the pressure of the steam, thus requiring a great
expenditure of power to overcome this pressure or the friction produced by it;
or else complex machinery must be employed to balance the pressure, thereby
wasting a nearly equal amount of steam to produce this equilibrium. But the
most serious objections to the reciprocating engine are to be found in the
..

page_text: transfer of the power from the piston to the crank shaft. As the piston
approaches and passes the dead points of the crank the pressure of the steam
produces much friction on the crank pin and the journals of the crank shaft ;
and in addition to, this is to be considered the irregularity of motion consequent
on the gradual starting and stopping of the piston, and the constant changes
in the leverage of the crank in its rotation, both of which irregularities are
the sources of irregularity in the movements of the machinery impelled or
driven by the engine, to be overcome by the use of heavy fly wheels, which
add to the bulk and cost of the whole apparatus, and to the friction of the
moving part by the weight of the fly wheel on the journals of its shaft; and
when the fly wheel is not employed, as in boats, the bulk of the mass impelled
is substituted for the fly wheel as a regulator, but as this mass is under a
constant resistance, its velocity is retarded during the time that the engine
exerts the least force, that is in passing the dead points, and this loss of
momentum, which has to be overcome at every stroke, is so much to be deducted
from the effective force of the engine. This latter defect has been overcome
in a measure by the use of two engines on the same crank shaft, with
the cranks at right angles; and what is a still nearer approximation to an
equal action, three engines on the same shaft, with the cranks placed relatively
to one another at an angle of 120 degrees, to divide the circle into three equal
parts. By the use of the three in this way it is found that the point of maximum
force of the three engines on the crank shaft succeed one another so closely as
to render the action nearly constant and regular; but the use of three, or even
two engines, increases the cost, the liability to derangement, and the difficulty of
attending and working, and hence the advantages derived from the use of them
in this way is in a measure neutralized, and therefore only resorted to when
other reasons induce the use of two or more engines. When, however, the
steam is used expansively, by means of what is known as the cut off, the irre-
gularity of action of the reciprocating engine is greatly increased, for the
moment that the supply of steam from the boiler is cut off and it begins to
expand in the cylinder the impelling force gradually decreases, and, therefore,
the moment of maximum force, if the steam be cut off at less than half stroke,
will be before the crank reaches it greatest leverage. Great, however, as all
these defects of the reciprocating engine are, there is still another of great
magnitude, and that is, the necessity of making the parts, particularly the fram-
ing, of a strength far beyond what would be requisite to sustain a constant force
acting always in the same direction. The thrusts of this class of engines are
first in one and then in the reverse direction, and often in oblique directions,
and without any counteraction or strain, and, therefore, these forces can only

page_text: be resisted by making the parts of much greater strength.
In locomotion, par-
ticularly in steam navigation, this necessity of an increased strength of the parts
adds much to the weight, increases the resistance, and hence reduces the speed.
The defects above pointed out, with others not necessary to enumerate, would
be avoided or in a great measure modified by the application of the steam to
a rotating body, provided, by such application, other defects more formidable
do not arise. In theory, this mode of application is unquestionably the best,
although the want of practical success has led even writers on the steam engine
to advance, as theoretical objections, notions that will not for a moment stand
the test of sound reasoning; "so long as science admits as a law that gaseous
bodies exert an equal force in all directions, so long will the application of the
force of steam to a rotating body be theoretically better than applied to a
reciprocating body.
All the impediments to this better mode of application are of a practical
nature; to these have my mind been directed, and by the nature of my
improvements, I believe they have in a great measure been overcome.
In my improved engine the rotating wheel, to which I attach our pis tons,
works within a stationary cylinder, the steam chamber, or what corresponds
with the steam cylinder of the reciprocating engine, being formed within the
inner periphery of the stationary cylinder and the outer periphery of the
rotating piston wheel; and the pistons are each formed by projections from
the periphery of this wheel; the outer lines of such projections being two oppo-
site tangents, with a radial groove between them to receive the metal packing
which consists of two radial side pieces, having their inner faces bevilled
inwards, and a middle piece, which is forced outwards by springs or other
packings, so that when forced outwards it shall force the side pieces out
against the discs of the stationary wheel and the periphery of the cylinder.
When four pistons are used, there are three stops that slide radially through
apertures in the periphery of the cylinder, and bear on the periphery of the
rotating piston wheel. The stops form abutments to resist the steam when
acting against the pistons; they are moved in and out by two cams of a form cor-
responding with the form of the periphery of the piston wheel and attached to
the same shaft, so that as the piston wheel rotates these stops or steam abutments
shall be moved in and out to follow the pistons, and yet form steam-tight joints.
On each side of the cylinder, that is at each end, there is an annular pipe in
connection with the steam pipe and condenser, and each of these annular pipes
communicates with the steam chamber by means of three steam ports, that is
one for each stop or abutment, and these ports are so located that those leading
from one of the pipes shall open into the steam chamber on one side of each

page_text: stop, and those at the other end of the cylinder shall communicate with the
chamber on the other side of the stops; in this way there will be one port on
each side of cach stop, and as many at each end of the cylinder as there are
stops. The two annular pipes are connected each by branch pipes with the
steam pipes and with the exhaust pipe, and in the branch pipes there are
sliding or throttle valves, so that either of the annular pipes can be made to
connect with the steam or the exhaust pipe to reverse the motion of the piston
wheel. By means of these annular pipes the steam ports are always in
connection with the steam, and so the exhaust ports with the condenser or
the atmosphere, so that as the. piston wheel rotates the steam is admitted and
discharged by the simple passage of the pistons by the steam and exhaust
ports, thus dispensing with the use of separate valves for this purpose.
The first part of my Invention consists in the use of a greater number of
pistons on the piston wheel than there are stops or abutments and steam and
exhaust ports in the cylinder, say four pistons and three stops with an equal
number of steam and exhaust ports, or in that proportion; the steam ports
being arranged on one side of the pistons, and the exhaust ports on the other,
that the rotation of the pistons may open and close them alternately to admit
and discharge the steam.
The second part of my Invention consists in having all the steam ports
connected at one and the same time with the steam pipe, and all the exhaust
ports with the condenser, so that the engine will take steam and exhaust from.
all of these in succession by the mere rotation of the pistons, thus avoiding the
necessity of separate valves; and this part of my Invention also consists in
connecting all the ports with the steam pipe, and also with the exhaust pipe,
the said steam pipe and the said exhaust pipe being each provided with two
valves to shut off on either side, for the purpose of reversing the action of the
engine.
The third part of my Invention consists in operating or sliding the steam
stops or abutments by means of cams corresponding in form with the periphery
of the piston wheel, and attached to the shaft thereof, so that as the piston
wheel rotates the stops shall be made to move in and out and rest on the
periphery of the piston wheel, and thus save the steam which would be
wasted if the cam were of a different form.
And finally, my Invention consists in forming the pistons on the wheel by
projections from its periphery produced by opposite tangent or curved lines,
when this is combined with packing plates let into a groove between the two
tangents or curved lines of each piston; the said packing plates consisting of
two side pieces and a middle one, the latter being bevilled at the ends to

page_text: correspond with equal bevils on the inner face of the end ones, so that when
the middle one is forced out by elastic packing or springs within to force its
outer face against the inner periphery of the steam chamber, it shall at the
same time force the others against the sides and periphery thereof, and thus
render the joints steam tight.
In the accompanying Drawings A represents the frame, which may be made
as represented, or in any form desired to suit the purposes to. which such
engines may be applied. To this frame is properly secured the stationary
hollow cylinder D, by means of flanches X, X; cast on the periphery thereof.
The ends of the cylinder are provided with flanches D¹, D', to which are
secured by bolts in the usual manner the beads or discs S, S, through holes in
the centres of which passes the main shaft C, that has its bearings in boxes
B, B, on the frame, the holes in the heads S, S, of the cylinder being provided
with stuffing boxes V, V, to prevent the escape of steam; should any pass between
the cylinder heads and the rotating piston within. The inner periphery of the
cylinder should be as nearly a perfect cylinder as can be, and to it are to be
accurately fitted the rotating pistons y, y, y, y, four in number, that project at
equal distances apart from the circle of the piston wheel F, on the shaft C;
these pistons are formed each by two opposite tangents to the circle of the
wheel, the two tangents not being projected, however, far enough to meet, but
leaving a concentric space between them of greater width than the thickness
of the stops to be presently described, the line of this concentric space coin-
ciding with the inner periphery of the cylinder. The tangential lines forming
the pistons should, however, run by a gradual curve into the concentric line
uniting the two, that they may pass the stops with the more facility, although
in the Drawings these lines are represented as forming angles at their inter-
section. A longitudinal radial groove is cut out of each piston, and in the
middle thereof, in which is fitted the metallic packing Z, z, z, formed in three
parts. The part Z has its outer edge formed to fit the inner periphery of the
cylinder, and it rests on springs a, a, at the bottom of the groove, so that it is at
all times forced out against the periphery of the cylinder; it is of less length
than the cylinder with its ends bevilled inwards, so that its inner edge is the
longest, and at each end there is a piece z, which runs down to a greater
depth than the piece Z, and fitted to grooves in the projecting rims b of the
piston wheel; the inner faces of these two pieces are bevilled the reverse of
the ends of the main part, so that when the main part is forced out by the
springs against the periphery of the cylinder, the bevils on the ends thereof will
carry the end pieces also against the periphery of the cylinder, and at the same
time force them latterally against the heads of the cylinder, thus insuring steam-

page_text: tight joints on all three of the sides. Instead of the springs, elastic packing of
any kind may be substituted to force out the metallic packing of the pistons.
The steam is prevented from passing between the rim of the piston wheel and
the heads of the cylinder by means of metallic packing rings C,.C,. fitted
to annular grooves B', B', in the cylinder heads, the said rings being forced
in contact with the rim of the wheel at all times. by elastic packing, or any
other known mode of forcing out metallic packing, in short, other packing may
be substituted for the rings. The cylinder is provided with three steam stops
or abutments I, I, I, that slide radially in slots made for that purpose in the
cylinder, and at equal distances apart. The heads of the cylinder are grooved
out as at A¹ A', to receive the ends of the stops or abutments which slide
therein with joints packed in the usual way, and outside of the cylinder the
stops are, each surrounded by a stuffing box K, to prevent the escape of steam;
for the purpose of operating these stops, they are each attached to a cross head
J, connected at the ends with rods L, L, that slide in guides W, W, attached
to the frame and provided at the lower end with rollers d, d, that run in cam
grooves N; made in two wheels N', attached to and carried by the main shaft
c; and the form of these cam grooves must so correspond with the form of the
periphery of the piston wheel, that as it (the piston wheel) rotates, the lower
edge of the sliding stops or abutments shall follow and be always in contact
with the periphery of the 'piston wheel' to insure steam-tight joints. For the
purpose of giving a slight play to the stops, the rods L are connected with the
cross head by means of springs and nuts M, M, above and below. There are
three steam ports, E', D', on each side passing through the cylinder heads;
those on one side are lettered E', and those on the other side are represented
in Fig. 4 of the Drawings by dotted lines lettered D'. Supposing the piston
wheel to be rotating in the direction of the arrows, the ports D¹ are each in
front of one of the sliding stops or abutments, and when in that condition act
as the steam ports which admit the steam to impel the pistons in the direction
indicated; at the same time the ports E' behind the stops and made through
the other head of the cylinder act as exhaust ports to discharge the steam into
the atmosphere or into a condenser. In this way it will be seen that with the
use of four pistons on one wheel and three steam stops or abutments in the
cylinder with the appropriate and corresponding number of steam and exhaust
ports, the steam is at all times acting on an amount of piston surface equal
to two of the pistons; at times, that is when one of the pistons is passing one
of the stops, the steam is acting on nearly the entire surface of two pistons
while the fourth is neutral; and in other positions the steam acts on the. entire
surface of one. piston- and on portions, of two others, making the whole equal

page_text: to the surface of two pistons, so that there is always a constant and equal
pressure of steam on the piston wheel, which must of necessity produce a
constant and regular motion. All the steam ports D' open into an annular
pipe E on one side, and the ports E' on the other side into a like pipe E².
These annular pipes are secured to the heads S, S, of the cylinder by
flanches and screw bolts, or in any other desired manner, and they are both
connected with the steam pipe G by means of a branch pipe G', the two
ends of the branch pipe being connected with the annular pipes by means
of valve boxes F, F', provided with sliding or throttle valves (not
seen in the Drawings) operated by the valve stems Q, Q, that pass
through stuffing boxes T, T, and operated by the arm of a rocking
shaft O, that has a handle P. In like manner these annular pipes are both
connected with the exhaust pipe H by means of a branch pipe H', also pro-
vided with valves U, U, the stems of which are attached to screws R by means
of loops R¹, that pass around the main shaft, so that by a screw nut R2, the
valves can be operated. By this arrangement it will be seen that by closing
the valve in the branch steam pipe that leads to the annular pipe E³ on one
side, and closing the valve in the exhaust branch pipe on the opposite side
that leads to the annular pipe E, all the ports on one side will be in connection
with the steam pipe, and will therefore be the steam ports, while all the ports on
the other side will be in connection with the exhaust pipe, and therefore will
act as exhaust ports, but by reversing these valves this condition of things
will be reversed, and therefore the action of the engine will be reversed.
Another advantage resulting from this arrangement is, that as all the ports on
one side are constantly in connection with the steam, and the others with the
exhaust pipe, the steam will be admitted to and discharged from the engine
by the passage of the pistons over the ports during their rotation; hence the
use of steam and exhaust valves are entirely dispensed with, and no more
steam will be exhausted than has been employed for the working of the piston,
this being due to the fact that the ports are closed by the passage of the
pistons over them.
From the foregoing it will be obvious, that instead of using four pistons
and three stops or abutments, and a corresponding number of steam and
exhaust ports, that these numbers may be varied so long as the number of
pistons exceed the number of stops, there being always a steam and an exhaust
valve for each stop, one on each side thereof. And that instead of the annular
pipes for connecting each set of ports either with the steam pipe or with the
exhaust, that this may be done by a separate chamber for each port, the
chambers of one entire set of ports being connected by branch pipes into one,

page_text: and when so connected by chambers and branch pipes instead of admitting
steam on one side of the cylinder and exhausting on the other side, all the
ports may be placed on one side or in the periphery of the cylinder; in short,
any variation may be made in this part of the arrangement so long as the
principle of this part of my Invention is retained, which principle consists in
having all the steam ports in connection with the steam pipe at one and the
same time and in like manner with the exhaust ports; and also in having
the steam and the exhaust ports on opposite sides of the stops or abutments,
that is the one set in front and the other behind the stops; and also in having
the two sets of ports connected by branch pipes with the steam and with the
exhaust pipes, so that by the use of valves in these pipes the direction of motion
in the engine may be readily reversed.
It is to be observed also, that instead of cam grooves for working the
sliding stops, cam fillets embraced by the sliding rods attached to the stops
may be substituted; or surface cams may be used with the ends of the rods
adapted thereto, and kept therein by the tension of springs; but these modifi-
cations will be clearly understood by engineers, and therefore it is simply
deemed necessary to mention them.
What I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, is embraced under the following heads:-
First, the employment of a piston wheel in which the number of pistons
thereon shall always be one more than the number of steam stops or abutments
on the cylinder, there being oue steam and one exhaust port for each steam
stop or abutment, substantially as described; and this I claim irrespective of
the number of pistons on the periphery of the piston wheel, whether four, or
more, or less, provided that the number be sufficient to have the steam act on
more than one piston at one and the same time, as described, that the piston
wheel may be actuated by a constant and equal or nearly equal force.
Second, I claim sliding the steam stops or abutments by a cam or cams
corresponding in form with the periphery of the piston wheel, that the said
stops or abutments may follow the undulations of the periphery of the piston
wheel, and remain in contact therewith during the entire rotation, substan-
tially as described, thus avoiding the loss of steam and the loss of the action
of the steam, which takes place when the cam is not thus formed, or the
injurious effects on the piston and the stops or abutments when forced out by
the periphery of the piston wheel.
Third, I claim connecting all the steam ports with the steam pipes, so
that the steam shall have access to all the ports at the same time, to be
admitted to the cylinder simply by the passage of the pistons past the ports

page_text: during their rotation, substantially as described, whereby the use of separate
valves for the admission of steam is avoided.
Fourth, I claim connecting all the exhaust ports with the exhaust pipe,
that all these ports may be in connection with the exhaust at one and the
same time, that the engine may exhaust by the passage of the pistons past
the exhaust ports, substantially as described, whereby the use of separate
valves for exhausting the engine is 'avoided.
Fifth, I claim connecting all the ports with the steam pipe by a branch
pipe provided with valves, and also with the exhaust pipe by another branch
pipe having like valves, substantially as described, for the purpose of reversing
the action. of the engine...
And finally, I claim the method of packing the pistons by means of the
central metal piece represented at Z in the Drawings, having bevilled ends,
which, when forced out against the periphery of the cylinder by springs under
them or the equivalents therefor, shall act against the bevil faces of two end
pieces, and force them out laterally against the cylinder heads, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Israel Kinsman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
ISRAEL (L.S.) KINSMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Seventeenth day of No-
vember, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Israel Kinsman came
before our Lady the Queen. in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.