IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Yule, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ENGINES."
Sealed the 30th November 1866, and dated the 1st June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Yule at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st June
1866.
I, JOHN YULE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
XENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to steam engines, and in carrying it into effect in the
case, for example, of a single-cylinder horizontal land engine the cylinder
is made with two tubular or pipe-like passages, which are, by preference, on
diametrically opposite sides, and are parallel to the cylinder's axis. Each end
of each passage is bored out to receive a cylindrical bush or lining piece, and
there are four ports communicating with the interior of the cylinder, two at

page_text: each end, and each formed partly in the side of the cylinder and partly in
each of the bushes in the side passages. In each side passage there is a rod
baving formed or fixed on it two pistons fitted with or without packing rings,
and suitably situated on the rod for alternately uncovering the ports towards
the middle, as the rod reciprocates by the action of an eccentric on the crank
shaft. Gasket or other suitable compressible packing is applied between the
outside of each piston, and a ring or gland which can be tightened up by a nut
screwed upon the rod, and thus forms a steam-tight joint between the inside
of the passage and the atmosphere at each end. The passage on one side,
with its two pistons and ports, serves for the admission of steam into the
cylinder, the steam having access by a branch pipe to the middle part of the
passage. In a similar way the passage at the other side, with its pistons and
ports, serves for the exhaust steam which leaves that passage by a branch
pipe at its middle. The advantages of these improved arrangements are
simplicity and economy in construction, with easy working of the parts, whilst
the steam valves can be actuated so as to cut off steam at any desired point
without interfering with the exhaust valves, which are worked by a separate
eccentric.
The details are obviously susceptible of modification, and are equally
applicable with ordinary two-cylinder engines for land or marine purposes,
and with double cylinder expansion engines. In the last-mentioned case
there will be three passages with their pistons to each pair of cylinders, one
between the cylinders and one at each outer side. The improvements are
also applicable to vertical or inclined engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Yule in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JOHN
YULE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: me, the said John Yule, Her special licence that I, the said John
Yule, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as. I,
the said John Yule, my 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Yule, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.
;
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Yule, 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 Drawings,
that is to say-
:
My said Invention relates to steam engines, and the advantages of the
improved arrangements comprised in it are simplicity and economy in con-
struction, with easy working of the parts, whilst the steam valves being
separate from the exhaust valves can be actuated so as to cut off steam at
any desired point without interfering with the exhaust valves, which last are
worked by a separate eccentric.
.
And in order that my said Inventiou, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing a single-
cylinder land engine as constructed with my improved arrangements.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawing is a plan of the engine, partly in
horizontal section; Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section;
Figure 3 is a back end elevatiou; and Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section.
In this example the steam cylinder 1 is horizontal, and is made with two
tubular or pipe-like passages 2, 3, which are, by preference, on diametrically
opposite sides, as shown, and are parallel to the cylinder's axis, and in the
plane of the crank shaft 4. Each end of each passage 2, 3, is bored out to
receive a cylindrical busb or lining piece 5, 5, 6, 6, and there are four
ports 7, 7, 8, 8, communicating with the interior of the cylinder 1, two at

page_text: each end, and each formed partly in the side of the cylinder and partly in the
bush in the side passage. The bushes 5, 5, 6, 6, are fitted tightly into their
places, and being formed with shoulders externally, which are slightly over-
lapped by the end covers 9, 10, require no further fastening. In each side
passage 2, 3, there is a rod 11, 12, having formet or fixed on it two pistons
'S, 18, 14, 14, represented in this example as being without packing rings,
but which may have such packing rings if preferred. These pistons 13, 13,
or 14, 14, are suitably situated on their respective rods 11, 12, for alternately
uncovering the ports towards the middle as the rods reciprocate by the action of
eccentrics 15, 16, on the crank shaft 4. Gasket or other suitable compressible
packing is applied between the outside of each piston 18, 14, and a ring or
gland 17, which can be tightened up by nuts 18 screwed upon the rod 11
or 12, and thus forms a steam-tight joint between the inside of the passage
and the atmosphere at each end. The passage 2 on one side, with its two
pistons 18, 18, and ports 7, 7, serves for the admission of steam into the
cylinder 1, the steam having access by a branch pipe 19 to the middle part of
the passage. In a similar way the passage 3 at the other side, with its pistons
14, 14, and ports 8, 8, serves for the exhaust steam which leaves that passage
by a branch pipe 20 at its middle. The valve rods 11, 12, have forked eyes
fixed on their front ends, and are thereby directly jointed to the rods 21, 22,
of the eccentrics 15, 16. It is unnecessary to particularise any of the other
parts of the engine shown in the Drawing, as I do not make a claim respecting
any of them under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent.
The packing of the pistons 18, 14, at the back end of the cylinder may be
dispensed with and hollow covers may be fixed on the back ends of the
passages 2, 8, and, if preferred, stuffing boxes may be applied at the front
-ends.
The details of my improved arrangements are obviously susceptible of
modification, and are equally applicable with ordinary two-cylinder engines for
land or marine purposes and with double-cylinder expansion engines. In the
dast-mentioned case there will be three passages with their pistons to each pair
of cylinders, one between the cylinders, and one at each outer side. My
improvements are also applicable to vertical or inclined engines.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what
1 believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me
by the berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing of

page_text: steam engines with improved arrangements for the admission and exhaustion
of the steam, substantially such as are herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Yule, have hereunto, set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
HN
ULE. (L.S.)