IMPROVE- MENTS IN COMPOUND RECIPROCATING ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR Compressed Air
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and
Francis Howlett, all of the Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow
Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the .Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COMPOUND RECIPROCATING ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR
Compressed Air.”
Sealed the 8th June 1875, and dated the 28th December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clayton,
Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 28th December
1874.
WC, HENRY CLAYTON, HENRY CLAYTON, junior, and FRANCIS
HOWLETT, all of the Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND RECIPROCATING ENGINES TO BE
WORKED BY STEAM OR COMPRESSED AIR," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in compound recipro-
cating engines to be worked by steam or compressed air, and relates

page_text: especially to improved modes of actuating the valves of compound
reciprocating engines, in which the high and low-pressure cylinders are
arranged one within the other, or otherwise directly connected and
working together.
In one well-known arrangement of such engines there are two pistons,
and they are situate at the two ends of a trunk or cylinder working
steam-tight, or nearly so, through a ring or partition. Thus in such
engines the cylinder is divided into four working chambers. One of the
two annular intermediate chambers contiguous to the ring or partition
first receives the high-pressure steam, and after working in this chamber:
the steam is allowed to expand into the low-pressure end chamber; this
action taking place alternately at each end. Now in such engines wo
actuate the valve in the following manner :-The valve is of the piston
form, and is arranged to work steam-tight in a valve chamber having a
passage from each end thereof communicating with the corresponding 1
extremity of the cylinder.
The passages by which steam is alternately admitted to and from the
low-pressure chambers enter the cylinder each at a short distance from
the end, so that the piston approaching the outer end of the cylinder
overruns the mouth of the passage, and is cushioned upon the steam,
which is so confined in the cylinder. The steam is thus compressed by
the combined power of the high pressure and the expanding steam, as
well as the momentum of the pistons, and the pressure is conveyed by
the small passage already referred to to the valve chamber, and acts
upon ono end of the valvo and moves it over the other end, being at
that time open to the expanding steam only at its lowest pressure.
The mode of actuating the valve by the formation of a cushion at
cach end of the cylinder alternately in connection with high and low-
pressure engines arranged as above described may also be applied by
suitablo modifications to other arrangements of combined high and low-
pressure reciprocating engines.
Another arrangement for actuating the valves in such engines is as
follows: The passages connecting the cylinder with the valve chamber
may be so placed as to allow the piston as it approaches the end of its
travel to overrun the mouth of the passage leading from the cylinder
into the valve chamber, and so to allow the high-pressure steam to pass
into the valve chamber, and acting against one end of the valve, thereby

page_text: will move it over, the other end of the valve being then open to the
expanding steam at its lowest pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and
Francis Howlett in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 28th June
1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
CLAYTON, HENRY CLAYTON, junior, and FRANCIS HOWLETT, all of the
Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton,
junior, and Francis Howlett, Her special license that we, the said
Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett, our exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry
Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUND
RECIPROCATING ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR COMPRESSED AIR," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Clayton, Henry
Clayton, jnnior, and Francis Howlett, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton,
junior, and Francis Howlett, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in compound recipro-
cating engines to be worked by steam or compressed air, and relates
especially to improved modes of actuating the valves of compound
reciprocating engines in which the high and low pressure cylinders aro
arranged one within the other, or otherwise directly connected and
working together.
In one well-known arrangement of such engines there are two pistons,
and they are situate at the two ends of a trunk or cylinder working
steam tight or nearly so through a ring or partition. Thus in such
engines the cylinder is divided into four working chambers, one of the
two annular intermediate chambers contiguous to the ring or partition first
receives the high-pressure steam, and after working in this chamber the
steam is allowed to expand into the low pressure cnd chamber, this
action taking place alternately at each end. Now in such engines we
actuate the valve in the following manner:-The valve is of the piston
form and is arranged to work steam tight in a valve chamber, having a
passage from each end thereof communicating with the corresponding
extremity of the cylinder.
The passages by which steam is alternately admitted to and from
the low-pressure chambers enter the cylinder, each at a short distance
from the end, so that the piston approaching the outer end of the
cylinder overruns the mouth of the passage and is cushioned upon
the steam which is so confined in the cylinder. The steam is thus
compressed by the combined power of the high pressure, and tho
expanding steam as well as the momentum of the pistons, and the
pressure is conveyed by the small passage already referred to to the
valve chamber, and acts upon one end of the valve and moves it over the
other end, being at that time open to the expanding steam only at its
lowest pressure.
The mode of actuating the valve by the formation of a cushion at cach
end of the cylinder alternately in connection with high and low pressure
engines, arranged as above described, may also be applied by suitable.

page_text: steam ports. The low-pressure valve f is connected to the high-pressure
valve g by the links and lever h, h, h, so that when the valve c is caused
to move by the compression of the steam the movement is also imparted
to the high-pressure valve. i, i, i, is the pipe for conveying the steam
from the high-pressure to the low-pressure cylinder.