Improvements in and relating to Steam or other Fluid Pressure Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in and relating to Steam or other Fluid Pressure
Engines.
I, RANKIN KENNEDY, of the Electric Lamp Works, 115 Woodside Road, Glasgow,
Lanarkshire, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating to the
general arrangement and combination of the parts of high speed compound or
duplex single acting steam or other fluid pressure engines, and particularly to the
valves and arrangements of ports of said engines, and which will be more compact
and simple in their construction, and efficient in their action than such engines and
valves have been as heretofore constructed.
According to this invention the high and low pressure cylinders and pistons are
arranged parallel to each other, either vertical, horizontal, or at an angle, and their
piston rods connected to cranks in reverse positions to each other on the same crank
shaft which works in bushed bearings in an outer casing or frame at the open end of
the cylinders, and enclosing these working parts. The steam or fluid pressure inlet
and exhaust valve for these high and low pressure cylinders is of a new or improved
construction placed transversely across the axial end of the cylinders, and consists of
a double piston reciprocating valve working within a steam casing preferably formed
with an inner brass or other liner, with the ports cut through same, the annular pistons
being mounted at fixed distances apart on their carrying reciprocating spindle. These
piston valves might be formed in one on a hollow tube for lightness, and secured to
the valve rod at one end, and the other end of the valve rod would pass out through a
stuffing box cover on one end of the valve case, and work in a guide block projecting
up from the flange of the casing bolted to the flange ends of the cylinders. The
outer end of the valve rod, which would lie parallel to the crank shaft, would by one
simple arrangement he worked by one arm of a bell crank oscillating lever working
in a slot in the outer end of the rod, and having its other end connected by a duplex
swivel joint at right angles to the crank or actuating valve eccentric rod worked direct
from an overhung crank or eccentric on the crank shaft at the other end of this crank
or eccentric rod. Inlet and exhaust steam annular ports would be formed in the valve
casing, for admitting the live steam to the casing and the high pressure cylinder, and
from the high pressure cylinder to the low pressure cylinder, and for exhausting from
the latter through an exhaust port at the inner end of the casing to the atmosphere or
to a condenser. The length of pistons of the valve and distance between them, would
be such that the outer long piston would cover the inlet steam port of the casing and
the high pressure cylinder, while the space of the valve between the pistons would be
such as to permit full exhaust from the port of the high pressure cylinder in through
the port of the low pressure cylinder in the inmost position of the valve, and in its
outmost position admit steam to the high pressure cylinder, while admitting full
exhaust from the low pressure cylinder through the exhaust port of the casing to the
atmosphere or to a condenser. The piston of the high pressure cylinder is traversing
outwards when live steam is being admitted through the centre of the valve, and the
piston of the low pressure cylinder is traversing inwards while exhausting through the
inner end of the valve casing; and the piston of the low pressure is traversing out-
wards, while the piston of the high pressure cylinder is traversing inwards and its
steam exhausting through the space in the valve to the low pressure cylinder. The

page_text: valve actuating crank pin or eccentric is so set in relation to the cranks as to effect
the said motions of the valve in times corresponding to the said motion of the pistons
of the high and low pressure cylinders.
Datel L 001 TL
7000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steam or other Fluid Pressure
Engines.
I, RANKIN KENNEDY, now of McCulloch Sons & Kennedy, Limited, Kilmarnock,
Ayshire, Electrical 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 ascer-
tained 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 :-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating to the
general arrangement and combination of the parts of high speed compound, or duplex
single-acting steam or other fluid pressure engines, and particularly to the valves and
arrangements of ports of said engines, and which will be more compact and simple
in their construction, and efficient in their action than such engines and valves have
been as heretofore constructed.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effeet or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Drawing representing a vertical longitudinal central section through a
compound or duplex single-acting engine as constructed in accordance with my inven-
tion, and showing the new or improved arrangement of valves and ports and mode of
actuating the same.
b
Referring to said Drawing, according to this invention the high and low pressure
cylinders A, B, with their pistons A', B₁, are arranged parallel to each other, either
vertical as shown in the Drawing, or it might be horizontal, or at an angle, and their
piston rods A", B", are connected to cranks A2, B2, in reverse or nearly reverse
positions to each other on the same crank shaft C which works in bushed bearings (4,
on the ends of a close hollow casing or supporting frame D at the open end of the
cylinders, and to which the lower flanges of the open ends of the cylinders are bolted
at D; the lower part of this frame being formed with wide spreading out basement
flanges or sole for bolting to any suitable foundation at D. The steam or fluid
pressure inlet and exhaust valve for these high and low pressure cylinders is of a new
or improved construction placed transversely across the axial end of the cylinders A, B,
and consists of a hollow double piston reciprocating valve a with close inner end,
working within a steam casing preferably formed with an inner brass or other liner
with the ports cut through same, the annular pistons a¹ all of the valve a being
mounted at fixed distances apart and actuated by a reciprocating spindle a² secured
concentrically to the inner solid end of the valve. These piston valves a are preferably
formed in one on a hollow tube for lightness, and secured to the valve rod a² at one
end, and the other end of the valve rod passes out through a stuffing box cover on one
end of the valve case, and also works in a guide block a
outer end of the flange of the casing bolted to the flanges
upper close ends of the cylinders. The outer end of the
parallel to the crank shaft C, is by one simple arrangement
a bell-crank oscillating lever c, c¹, working in a slot in the outer end of the rod a²,
and fulcrumed to the said bracket a³, and having its other end e' connected by a duplex
swivel joint eat right angles to the crank or actuating valve eccentric rod e³ having
its lower end connected and worked direct from an overhung crank or eccentric c³ on
projecting up from the
of and also forming the
valve rod a² which lies
actuated by one arm e of

page_text: a,
the crank shaft C. Inlet and exhaust steam annular ports 6, 61, are formed in the
valve casing b, for admitting the live steam to the casing and from it to the high
pressure cylinder A, through a hollow space a* in the valve a between the pistons a¹ a
to and from the port leading to the cylinder A, and from this to the inlet and outlet
port 2 of the low pressure cylinder B, and exhausting from the latter through an
exhaust port or branch 63 at the inner end of the casing leading by the pipe 4 to
the atmosphere or to a condenser when that is used. The length of pistons a¹, a¹¹, of
the valve a and distance between them, is such that the outer long piston a¹ covers the
inlet steam port 6 of the casing and the port of the high pressure cylinder A,
while the length of the space at of the valve a between the pistons is such as to
permit full exhaust from the port 1 of the high pressure cylinder A in through the
port 2 of the low pressure cylinder B, in the inmost. position of the valve a and in
its outmost position admits steam to the high pressure cylinder A while closing the
admission of steam to the low pressure cylinder B and admitting full exhaust from
this low pressure cylinder through the exhaust ports 123 of the casing b to the
atmosphere or to a condenser. The piston A', of the high pressure cylinder A is
traversing outwards when live steam is being admitted through the centre a* of the
valve and the piston of the low pressure cylinder B is traversing inwards while
exhausting through the inner end of the valve casing ; and the piston B' of the
low pressure cylinder B is traversing outwards while the piston A₁ of the high pressure
cylinder A is traversing inwards and its steam exhausting through the space a* in the
valve a to the low pressure cylinder B. The valve actuating crank pin or eccentric (³
is so set in relation to the cranks as to effect the said motions of the valve in times
corresponding to the said motion of the pistons of the high and low pressure
cylinders A, B, and their cranks A² B². It will be observed that the governor in
this engine is shown inverted, and its spindle worked by bevel wheels from a short
cross shaft g', and belt g, from a band pulley 02 on the crank shaft C, the governor
and cross shaft gg being carried by a bracket and flange bolted to the lower stuffing
box flange at of a cut-off double-beat valve 93 actuated by the governor balls, the
steam to this cut-off valve being admitted through an ordinary screw stop valve bolted
to the inlet branch flange at g of the cut-off valve case g³. This engine is shown as
designed for an inverted_vertical_engine_for_driving dynamos at-a-high-speed_by_a=
belt from the pulley 3 on the crank shaft C, and the close case D would have front
or back doors or both bolted on it at D, for getting at and tightening up the working
bushes of the connecting rods and cranks A1, A2, and B1, B2, and be liquid tight for
containing oil or other lubricant, at the lower part as indicated at D³ for lubricating
these bearings, and the crank shaft journal bearings C, (.
g
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The construction, or general arrangement and combination of the parts of
high speed compound or duplex single-acting steam or other fluid-pressure engines,
with their valves and ports and actuating fittings, substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In compound or duplex single-acting engines the constructing of a double
piston reciprocating valve within the steam casing arranged to admit steam through
annular ports to the high pressure cylinder and from this to the low pressure cylinder
and from it to the atmosphere or condenser, and arrangement of mechanism for
actuating the same, all substantially as and in the manner herein described in reference
to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Tind i 2011. 1000