IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES." A communication from abroad by William Sellers
and Coleman Sellers, both of the City and County of Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America:
aled the 23rd June 1876, and dated the 13th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th April 1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES." A communication from
abroad by William Sellers and Coleman Sellers, both of the City and County of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to that class of engines in which two or more cylinders
leaving their axis in one and the same place are radially disposed about a crank
shaft common to all, and receive the pressure from the operating fluid upon one side
of the piston only, and the object of the Invention is to produce a quick running
engine in which all the reciprocating parts shall be under compression at all times,
which shall tend to force them towards the crank shaft and maintain the ports
operating thereon in contact with the surfaces upon which they slide, thereby
avoiding all shocks from the change of direction in their movement.
A further object of the Invention is to adopt reciprocating slide valves to such
engines, and whilst maintaining such valves under compression toward the crank
shaft to relieve the pressure upon the eccentric which operates them.
A further object of the Invention is to compound the cylinders of each engines
so as to obtain a higher degree of expansion when the motive power is steam, so that
such engines may be economically used in connection with a condensing apparatus,
and it is a further object with such compound cylinders to reduce the number of
valves below that required when the cylinders are not compounded, and to these
ends the Invention consists in disposing the steam cylinders radially to the crank
shaft, and combining therewith reciprocating pistons and reciprocating slide valves
which move radially to the crank shaft and in parallel planes, the valve movement
in one direction being effected by the steam pressure, and in the opposite direction
[Price 6d.]

page_text: by an eccentric upon the crank shaft, and it further consists in transmitting the
steam pressure (which operates the valve in one direction) to the eccentric by a set
of connections separate from those which produce the movement from the eccentric
in the opposite direction, and it further consists in combining a series of radial
cylinders of unequal areas, operating upon a common crank with valves which
admit steam to the first of the series and exhausts successively throughout the
series, and it further consists in combining three radial cylinders of unequal areas
operating upon a common crank with two valves which admit steam to the first of
the series and its exhaust to the remainder so that the effective pressure will operate
successively throughout the series.
In carrying out this Invention steam is admitted to the engine through a
governor valve case by suitable apertures, its admission to the cylinders being con-
trolled by the governor valve through which the steam passes to the valve chests
upon their respective cylinders by diverging pipes. Assuming for the convenience
of illustration that two descriptions of valves are employed, one being an ordinary
slide valve, the steam pressure moves the slide valve in one direction and the
eccentric in the opposite direction, in order to accomplish which result the connec-
tion with the eccentric is obtained in the following manner :-A piston is employed
which is suitably packed and of sufficient area to move the valve upon its seat
under any pressure that may be admitted to the valve case; this piston moves
through a short cylinder opening into the valve case, and is connected to the valve
by a hollow stem which pivoted with a T-head at one end fitting into a cor-
respondingly shaped projection from the valve so as to permit the free movement
of the valve at right angles to the axis of the sten to allow for adjustment wear
of the valve face without disturbing the alinement of the piston with its cylinder.
A rod passes freely through the stem to the valve, and within the piston the rod is
enlarged to form a joint connection with the eccentric rod. This joint connection
may be a ball and socket, the ball held in position by a hollow screw plug in the
piston, or it may be a pin or other suitable connection to permit vibration; in
either case the steam pressure upon the piston will maintain the valve against the
end of the internal rod through which the eccentric and the pressure will be
transmitted to a collar surrounding and freely around the eccentric. Assume,
for example, that the other valves are of the ordinary piston type for the admis-
sion and exhaust of steam. In order to maintain them in a true axial position
they are provided with rigid stems of suitable length, on the other end of
which are provided circular guides sliding in cylinders opening into the valve
case, through which cylinders and suitable openings in the guides the exhaust
steam is delivered into a central chamber, the casing of which connects all the
cylinders together. The exhaust steam from the slide valve passes into this cham-
ber below the piston, which works in the valve cylinder, and the exhaust from all
the cylinders is discharged from this chamber through a suitable pipe. The guides
are connected to the eccentric rods by pin connections, so that the steam pressure upon
the piston valves will be transmitted through these rods to the collar surrounding
the eccentric. The eccentric rods are provided with shoes, turned out concentric
with and sliding freely about the collar, and are prevented from leaving the collar
when the steam pressure is shut off by means of rings. The valves are adjusted
to position by the eccentric rods, which are provided with screwed ends and lock
nuts where they enter the shoes. The collar receives the direct steam pressure
from all the valves, and if it were in the centre of the system of valves these
pressures would balance each other, but as this collar surrounds the eccentric, and
is never in the exact centre of the valve system, a small proportion of this pressure
is exerted in one direction with reference to the eccentric, so that the opposing
pressures from the three valves are converted into one of diminished intensity upon
the eccentric. It will thus be seen that all the parts which give motion to the
reciprocating valves are under compression continuously in one direction, and as
the pistons in the steam cylinders themselves are either moving under the direct

page_text: pressure of the steam in one direction, or are forcing out the exhaust, which
will produce a pressure in the same direction as the direct steam pressure, and
as these parts comprise all the reciprocating parts of the engine it follows
that all the reciprocating parts are always under compression, and that in one
direction only, so that shocks from their change of direction of movement are
entirely avoided.
When the engine is to be compounded, that is, to admit the steam pressure to
one of the cylinders, and to exhaust throughout the series, the cylinders are made
of different diameters, so as to equalize the pressure upon the crank as it receives
its impulse from each cylinder successively. Steam is admitted through the governor
valve as before to the first and smallest of the cylinders; the guide to the valve of
this cylinder is suitably packed to prevent the exhaust from escaping into the
central chamber, so that it may be carried through the connecting pipe to the
second and third cylinders of the series, the valves being adjusted so as to admit it
to the second cylinder at the proper time, and prevent its admission at the same
moment to the third and last cylinder of the series; but to admit to the last
cylinder of the series at a later period in the stroke of the second cylinder, the
guide corresponding to the last cylinder is provided with openings through it to
permit the passage of the exhaust from the last cylinder to the central chamber,
from which it is discharged through the pipe before mentioned into the atmosphere,
or preferably into a steam jib condenser, or into a condenser in which a vacuum is
maintained by an air pump, which may be worked in the ordinary manner from
the crank shaft of the engine. To regulate the times of admission of steam
one valve to each cylinder may be employed, in which case their areas should
be proportioned so as to equalize the pressure upon the collar surrounding
a common eccentric, as herein-before described; but to obtain the proper adjust-
ment of valves where two alone are used, it is requisite to operate them from
separate eccentrics, the steam pressure as before operating in one direction
and the eccentric in the other, but as in this case the collar herein-before
described cannot be employed, the pressure from the steam, if excessive, may.
be relieved by partially balancing the valve in any of the ordinary modes used for
such purposes.
Hydraulic valves may be employed operating in the same manner as the piston
valves for steam herein-before described, but a leather packing is provided in the
seat at the inlet end, and a similar packing in the valve at the outlet end, the
position of the valve is adjusted by a screw and lock nut on the end of the eccentric
rod, and the radial thrust is taken upon the collar, as before described. The guide
for this valve consists of opposite projections from the valve case, bored out con-
centric with the valve seats. Water is admitted through a conducting pipe, and
passes through openings to the end of the valve, which when opened admits it to
the cylinder through the port, and it passes to the central chainber at the outlet
end of the valve.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th October
1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES." A communication from
abroad by William Sellers and Coleman Sellers, both of the City and County of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
The said Invention relates to that class of engines in which two or more
cylinders having their axes in one and the same plane are radially disposed about
a crank shaft common to all, and receive the pressure from the operating fluid upon

page_text: one side of the piston only, and it l'as for its object partly producing a quick running
engine in which all the reciprocating parts shall be under compression at all times
which shall tend to force them towards the crank shaft and maintain the parts
operating thereon in contact with the surfaces upon which they slide, thereby
avoiding all shocks from the change of direction in their movement.
Another object of the Invention is to adapt reciprocating slide valves to such
engines and whilst maintaining such valves under compression towards the crank
shaft to relieve the pressure upon the eccentric which operates them.
A further object of the Invention is to compound the cylinders of such engines
so as to obtain a high degree of expansion when the motive power is steam so that
such engines may be economically used in connection with a condensing apparatus,.
and it is a further object with such compound cylinders to reduce the number of
valves below that required when the cylinders are not compounded. To these
ends the Invention consists in disposing the steam cylinders radially. to the
crank shaft, and combining therewith reciprocating pistons and reciprocating slide
valves which move radially to the crank shaft and in paralled planes, the valve
movement in one direction being effected by the steam pressure and in the opposite
direction by an eccentric upon the crank shaft, and it also consists in transmitting
the steam pressure (which operates the valve in one direction) to the eccentric by
a set of connections separate from those which produce the movement from the
eccentric in the opposite direction, and it further consists in combining a series of
radial cylinders of unequal areas operating upon a common crank with valves which
admit steam to the first of the series and its exhaust successively throughout the
series, and it further consists in combining three radial cylinders of unequal areas
operating upon a cominon crank with two valves which admit steam to the first of
the series and its exhaust to the remainder so that the effective pressure will
operate successively throughout the series.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed two Sheets of Drawings, the same letters of reference indi-
cating corresponding parts in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of the accompanying Drawings represents an end elevation
of a three cylinder engine shewing in vertical section the slide valves, and their
guides.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken parallel with the axis of the
crank shaft.
Figure 3 is a section of one cylinder, its piston, slide valve, and valve case on
a plane passing through the axis of the cylinder and its valve.
Figure 4 (Sheet 2) is an end elevation of a three cylinder engine having cylinders
of unequal areas and shewing in vertical section the slide valves and guides.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the same taken on a plan parallel with the axis of
the crank shaft.
Figure 6 is a sectional projection of the largest and smallest cylinders and valves
of the same taken on planes passing through the axes of their respective cylinders
and their valves.
Figure 7 is a section through the largest cylinder and exhaust chamber.
Figure 8 is a cross section of the valve guide shewing the openings for the exhaust
and the pin connection.
Figure 9 is a section through the smallest cylinder and exhaust chamber.
Figure 10 is a section through the axis of a hydraulic valve adapted to a three-
cylinder engine and shewing its connection with the eccentric which operates it in
one direction.
Figure 11 is a cross section of this valve opposite the port leading to a cylinder
shewing the guides which control the position of the valve.
Steam is admitted to the engine through the pipe A, Figure 2, enters the governor
valve case B through the apertures a, a, where its admission to the cylinders is

page_text: controlled by the governor valve C, through which the steam passes to the valve
chests upon their respective cylinders by the pipes D, D. For convenience of
illustration I have shewn, two different kinds of valves in Figure 1 for the admission
and exhaust of the steam to and from the cylinders
The slide valve E is of the ordinary construction, but the mode of driving it is
different, that is to say, the steam pressure moves the valve in one direction and
the eccentric moves it in the opposite direction.
In order to accomplish this result a new connection with the eccentric has been
devised, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, in which F represents a piston suitably
packed and of sufficient area to move the valve E upon its seat under any
pressure that may be admitted to the valve case 1, this piston moves through a
short cylinder 2 opening into the valve case 1, and is connected to the valve E by
the hollow stem b which is provided with a T head at one end fitting into a corre-
spondingly shaped projection from the valve E, so as to permit the free movement
of the valve at right angles to the axis of the stem b in order to allow for adjust-
ment or wear of the valve face without disturbing the alignment of the piston F
with its cylinder 2. A rod c passes freely through the stem to the valve E, and
within the piston F the rod c is enlarged to form a joint connection with the
eccentric rod d. This joint connection inay be a ball and socket, the ball being
held in position by a hollow screw plug e in the piston F, or it may be a pin or
other suitable connection to permit vibration, as shewn at 3, applied to the rods d', d",
Figure 1, in either case the steam pressure upon the piston F will maintain the
valve against the end of the rod c, through which and the eccentric rod d the
pressure will be transmitted to the collar G surrounding and revolving freely
around the eccentric H.
The valves E¹, E, Figure 1, are of the ordinary piston type for the admission and
exhaust of steam, but in order to maintain them in a true axial position they are
provided with rigid stems b', 6, of suitable length, on the other end of which are
provided circular guides I¹, I", sliding in cylinders 5, 5, opening into the valve
cases 6, 6, through which cylinders and suitable openings 7, 7, in the guides I¹, I",
(see Figures 1 and 8), the exhaust steam is delivered into the central chamber K, K,
the casing of which connects all the cylinders together. The exhaust steam from
the slide valve passes into this chamber below the piston F, as shewn at f. Figure 2,.
and the exhaust from all the cylinders is discharged from this chamber through the
pipe L. The guides I¹, I", are connected to the eccentric rods d', d, by the pin
connections 3, shewn in Figures 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8, so that the steam pressure upon
the piston valves E', E", will be transmitted through these rods to the collar G,
Figures 1 and 2, surrounding the eccentric H. The rods d, d', and d¹, are provided
with shoes g, g', and g¹¹, turned out concentric with and sliding freely about the
collar G, which they are prevented from leaving when the steam pressure is shut
off by the rings and h¹, Figures 1 and 2. The valves are adjusted to position by
the eccentric rods d, d, d", which are provided with screwed ends and lock nuts
where they enter the shoes g, g¹, and g¹.
The collar G receives the direct steam pressure from all the valves, and if it were
in the centre of the system of valves these pressures would balance each other, but
as this collar surrounds the eccentric and is never in the exact centre of the valve
system a small proportion of this pressure is exerted in one direction with reference
to the eccentric, so that the opposing pressures from the three valves are con-
verted into one of diminished intensity upon the eccentric. It will thus be seen
that all the parts which give motion to the reciprocating valves are under compres-
sion continuously in one direction, and as the pistons in the steam cylinders
themselves are either moving under the direct pressure of the steam in one direction
or are forcing out the exhaust which will produce a pressure in the same direction
as the direct steam pressure, and as these parts comprise all the reciprocating parts of
the engine it follows that all the reciprocating parts are always under compression

page_text: and that in one direction only, so that shocks from their change of direction of
movement are entirely avoided. When the engine is to be compounded that is to
admit the steam pressure to one of the cylinders and to exhaust throughout the
series the cylinders are made of different diameters, so as to equalize the pressure
upon the crank as it receives its impulse from each cylinder successively, steam is
admitted through the governor valve C, as before, to the first and smallest of the
cylinders, as at D, Figure 6, the guide I to the valve E¹ of this cylinder is suitably
packed to prevent the exhaust from escaping into the chamber K, so that it may be
carried through the pipe D¹ to the second and third cylinders of the series, the
valve E¹ being adjusted so as to admit it to the second cylinder at the proper time
and the valve El so as to prevent its admission at the same moment to the third
and last cylinder of the series but to admit it to the last cylinder of the series at a
later period in the stroke of the second cylinder. The guide I" is provided with
openings 7 through it as shewn in Figure 8 to permit the passage of the exhaust
from the last cylinder to the chamber K, from which it is discharged through the pipe
L into the atmosphere, or by preference into a steam jet condenser or into a condenser
in which a vacuum is maintained by an air pump, which may be worked in the
ordinary manner from the crank shaft of the engines. In order to regulate the times
of admission of steam one valve to each cylinder may be employed, in which case
their areas should be proportioned so as to equalize the pressure upon the collar
surrounding a cominon eccentric as herein-before described, but in order to obtain
the proper adjustments of valves where two alone are used it is requisite to operate
them from separate eccentrics as at H¹, H", the steam pressure as before operating
in one direction and the eccentric in the other, but as in this case the collar G
cannot be employed the pressure from the steam if excessive may be relieved by
partially balancing the valve in any of the ordinary modes used for such purposes.
The hydraulic valve E, shewn in Figure 10, operates in a similar manner to the
piston valves for steam herein-before described, but a leather packing & is provided
in the seat at the inlet end, and a similar packing in the valve at the outlet end,
the position of the valve is adjusted by the screw and lock nut 8 on the end of the
eccentric rod d, and the radial thrust is taken upon the collar G as herein-before
described. The guide for this valve is shewn in Figure 11, it consists of opposite
projections 9 from the valve case 6 bored out concentric with the valve seats, water is
admitted through the pipe D and passes through openings b, b, to the end of the
valve, which when opened admits it to the cylinder through the port M, and it passes
to the chamber K at the outlet end of the valve.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is--
First. Two or more radially disposed slide valves operated in one direction by the
pressure of a motive fluid upon each respectively in combination with a collar sur-
rounding a common eccentric to receive and transmit the radial pressure to the
eccentric in one direction with diminished intensity, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second. A slide valve connection which operates the valve in one direction by the
pressure of a motive fluid in combination with an eccentric and connection which
operates the valve in the opposite direction, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Third. The combination of a series of cylinders of unequal areas radially arranged
about a common crank pin, a valve which admits steam to the first of the series and
valves which admit the exhaust from the first to the remainder of the series succes-
sively, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. Three cylinders of unequal areas radially arranged about a common crank
pin in combination with two valves which admit steam to the first of the series and

page_text: the exhaust from the first to the remainder of the series successively, substantially as
and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)