Improvements in Fluid Pressure Motors.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fluid Pressure Motors.
I, GEORGE MARIE CAPELL, of Passenham Rectory, in the County of
Northampton, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate principally to what are known as single acting engines
but are applicable also to double acting engines. I use an outer cylinder closed at
one or both ends and having a piston and trunk working in it.
The trunk usually form of such a size that its capacity bears the same relation
to the cylinder in which it works, as a high pressure to the low pressure cylinder
of a compound engine. The trunk passes through the cylinder cover. On this I
place a fluid chamber for the trunk to rise into. This chamber has in it a smaller
trunk with a stopper or piston fitting into the large trunk and the stopper or piston
has a valve formed in it and connected with the smaller trunk which forms a fluid
passage connected with a fluid inlet. I form a chamber for the trunk to rise in and
at the top of this chamber I form a smaller cylinder with a stuffing box to carry a
balance valve on the rod connected with the valve on the fixed piston or stopper
on which the main trunk with the piston fitting the cylinder works. At a suitable
point in the main trunk I pierce holes to form fluid passages.
In some cases I form a second set of holes close to the piston attached to the
trunk and on these I may place a ring fitting the trunk accurately with holes
corresponding to those in the trunk.
It is obvious that when the ring and the holes in it correspond, when fluid is
admitted to the trunk the engine is a simple pressure engine but if I move round
the ring the fluid passages are closed. In this case the holes pierced say midway
in the trunk will only pass the fluid from the trunk when it is half way down in its
stroke and the first part of the stroke will be performed by fluid at high pressure
in the trunk the holes being above the fixed piston or stopper in the trunk while
the rest of the stroke is performed by the fluid expan ling through the holes in the
trunk and the whole piston area is submitted to expansive fluid.
In single acting engines, it is desirable to have the pressure in one direction, viz.:
on the downward stroke.
This
To obtain a vacuum below the piston I form a passage in the piston itself.
passage is so formed that just before the end of the stroke, fluid is admitted below
the piston through a valve. This valve is closed at the end of the stroke
imprisoning the fluid which expands below the piston on the up stroke. The same
valve connects the underside of the piston with the condenser as soon as the piston
reaches the top of its stroke and forms a vacuum below the piston.
The cylinder and trunk are exhausted by a suitable valve.
The admission valve is raised by a lever which may be connected to the exhaust
valve having a slot and a pin on the valve lever to get the quick admission or it
may have a separate trip motion to perform the admission.
I use a connecting rod attached to the piston of the cylinder to transmit motion
to a crank and an eccentric or cam to work the valves. If I use two cylinders I
form one with trunk as described, the exhaust from the cylinder is connected with
the chamber in which the trunk of the second and larger cylinder works.
The trunk of this cylinder will have its fluid passages or holes formed close up
to the piston working in the cylinder.

page_text: The small trunk in this case may be dispensed with or else it will be to carry
the balanced valve. The chamber on the cylinder cover will be then an inter-
mediate fluid chamber.
In the case of quadruple expansion the sliding trunk will have the fluid passages
about midway of its stroke as before described.
In such an engine I may use a double ended lever connected with the admission
valves or exhaust valves of both engines.
It is obvious that if a vacuum is to be formed below the main or sliding piston
that both ends of the cylinders must have covers.
It is to be understood that my invention does not limit me in respect of the fluid
pressure which is made use of, inasmuch as I may use steam, air, gas, or explosive
mixture or any other suitably resilient one.
Dated this 11th day of October 1893.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fluid Pressure Motors.
I, GEORGE MARIE CAPELL of Passenham Rectory in the County of
Northampton, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements relate principally to what are known as single acting engines
but are applicable to double acting engines as well.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this
Specification and read therewith:-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of a double acting engine.
Figure 6 is a plan of Figure 5.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, A is the working or containing cylinder; D', the
working piston; L, the connecting rod, and K, the crank shaft. The rod L and
the crank shaft are shewn working in the usual splash box M but may work in
ordinary framing. The figures represent the piston at the outer end of its stroke,
the exhaust valve G' having partially opened the working or containing cylinder A
to the exhaust O. The working or containing cylinder A may be closed at both
ends by covers as shewn in Figure or closed at one end only as shewn in
Figure 1.
To the working piston D¹ is attached, or cast in one piece with it, a hollow
trunk B, into the outer end of which projects a fixed piston D having also a hollow
trunk F. This trunk F acts as a steam passage from the inlet O. The fixed
piston D and trunk Fare, preferably, cast in one piece, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
Jis a valve balanced by a piston G fixed on the valve spindle ;, the said valve
fitting and working within the fixed piston D to control the steam passages next
mentioned., care steam passages communicating with the hollow trunk B of
the working piston D₁ and the sliding balance valve J. In the hollow trunk B of
the working piston, I pierce two series of holes c, c', preferably in circles, one
circle c near or close to the working piston D' and a second circle c' about midway
of the trunk.
Around the first mentioned circle of holes c, I place a closely fitting ring P
perforated with holes p', p' (as shewn in Figure 4) corresponding with the boles o

page_text: n the trunk B. R is a pinion, or it may be a quadrant, whose teeth engage with
corresponding teeth p² on the ring P (also shewn in Figure 4). The spindle of
the pinion R is prolonged through the piston D' so that it can he turned to wholly
or partially close or open the holes c. It is the position of this ring P that makes
the engine either compound or simple.
An engine constructed according to Figures 1 and 2 works as follows, taking the
working piston to be at the commencement of its stroke:-
The steam or other fluid pressure being admitted by the valve J in the fixed
piston D, drives the working piston D' downwards. The holes c being closed
from the outer cylinder A by the ring P by means of the pinion R, and the
holes e midway of the trunk B not having passed the fixed piston D, the first
portion of the downward stroke is performed under high pressure, but as soon as
the holes c¹ pass the fixed piston D they are opened, and the high pressure steam
doing its work in the trunk B, is put in communication with the outer cylinder A,
when it expands and exerts pressure on the piston D' outside the trunk B, so
enabling the remainder of the stroke to be performed under low pressure, thus
forming a single acting compound engine.
The power is transmitted to the crank shaft K by the usual connecting rod L.
The balance and exhaust valves are worked by "ams, and levers r, which are
connected by rods 16, 17, with levers 1, 13, respectively. These levers are provided
with anti-friction rollers, P. The levers are pivotted as at to the casing M of
the splash box. The rods 1º, are connected to the levers 1, so that motion
communicated to the said levers by the cams 1, l, will be transferred to the
respective valves. The anti-friction pulleys, are kept in contact with the cams
by springs 1, 1º.
As the trunk B of the working piston rises, on its return stroke, into the
chamber H, between the trunk F of the fixed piston and the cylinder of the said
chamber, it is continually heated by radiation through the trunk F which acts as
the steam inlet, thus preventing loss by the steam being cooled after it enters the
trunk B.
By using two such cylinders as above described, side by side, a triple or
quadruple expansion engine is obtained, the exhaust from the first or smallest set
of cylinders being carried into the trunk F through openings formed therein. Thus
the trunk F of the second series of cylinders acts as an intermediate chamber
between the high and low pressure cylinders.
If
Referring to Figures 3 and 4, Figure 3 shews a method of using my engine
either with a vacuum below the working piston or as a condensing engine. In all
single acting engines, difficulty has been found in working with a vacuum.
the steam is condensed above the piston, then the vacuum changes the direction of
pressure on the crank, as in the case of all double acting engines, the vacuum
further causing a shock at each end of the stroke. The arrangement here shewn
obviates these difficulties.
A is the working cylinder closed at both its ends; D', its piston, and L, its
piston rod. B is the hollow trunk of the working piston, and is perforated with
two series of holes c, c¹. D is the fixed piston with its hollow trunk F and valve J,
the latter balanced by a piston fixed to the upper end of its spindle and
working therewith. P is the closely fitting ring perforated with holes p¹ and
corresponding with the holes c in the trunk and adapted to cut off, when the holes o
are closed, communication with the low pressure cylinder during the first half of
its stroke, when working compound. The holes care open in a simple engine.
N' is a screw plug screwed into the cylinder cover, its function being to give access
to the spindle p³ for turning the piuion R for opening and closing the holes c in the
trunk B.
H is a port formed in the working piston D. H', H' are two ports formed in
the cylinder side. The lower port H* communicates with the bottom of the
cylinder, the two ports being connected and controlled by a valve G. The
ports H, H and Hand valve G allow steam to pass from the upper part of

page_text: the piston to the underside where it serves a double purpose which purpose is
described further on. G' is the exhaust valve to the exhaust O¹. The valve G
also controls the outlet 0 to the condenser. Both the valves G and G' are
actuated by any suitable mechanism, such, for instance, as that illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2.
It is obvious that when the piston D' and valve G' are in the position shewn in
Figure 3, the outer containing cylinder A having steam in it, and the piston
approaching the bottom of its stroke, steam will pass through the ports H¹ and H³
into the space k below the said piston, thus forming a cushion. On the return
stroke, the valve G' imprisons the steam in the space k, and which expands as the
piston rises. When the steam is again admitted by the valve J, the valve G'
connects the port H with the condenser through the outlet O, thereby forming a
vacuum below the pisten and this with the steam above the piston keeps the
pressure always in one direction.
With only a portion of the steam being used to form the vacuum, a great
economy in the consumption of condensing water will be effected.
Referring to Figures 5 and 6. The figures illustrate a double acting compound
engine made according to my invention. A, A is the working or containing
cylinder D', the working piston; B, B, its perforated trunks, one on each side of
it. The containing cylinder has covers, at each end, through which the
trunks B, B pass.
On the said covers x, a, I fix chambers L, L, into which the
trunks protrude. O, O, are the steam inlets to the chambers L, L. D, D, are
the fixed pistons. They are supported in the chambers L, L by trunks y, y
extending from the ends of the chambers L, L.
The valve spindle m, instead of ending with the valve J passes through it and
its fixed piston D, through the working piston D' and the opposite fixed piston D,
and terminates with the valve J¹.
In some cases, instead of the admission valve spindle passing through the working
piston D and fixed pistons D, the valves J and J' may be connected together and
worked from outside the cylinders.
The perforated trunks B on each side of the working piston D', sliding
perforated ring P for controlling the steam passages or perforations in said trunk,
fixed piston D, steam admission valves J, J', which in this case also act as balance
pistons, are merely duplicated, and may work precisely as described in Figures 1
and 2.
Q, Qare the piston rods fixed to the working piston and connected to a cross
head R' which may work on the usual guides. t is the connecting rod.
The exhaust is shewn as controlled by an ordinary D valve but I may use any
other that is found most convenient. I do not confine myself to the use of steam
only, for it will be seen that my invention can be worked by any fluid pressure or
explosive mixture with any suitable igniting arrangement for exploding the charge.
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 :-
:-
1. In engines, the use of an outer containing cylinder having piston with trunk
attached, sliding on a fixed piston with admission valve formed in it, said trunk
being pierced with holes near the working piston and about midway of its stroke to
form admission ports for fluid from the trunk to containing cylinder and exhaust
valve, as set forth.
2. In engines as above described having working piston with trunk attached,
the use of an annular band or ring closely fitting the said trunk and pierced with
holes, adapted to be turned in either direction to open or close the openings in said
trunk, as set forth.
3. The use of a sliding or annular band with holes pierced in it and with teeth
cut on edge and pinion with shank passing through the piston to move the same to
open and close the holes in the trunk, as set forth.

page_text: 4. In engines having outer containing cylinder and two cylinder covers, sliding
piston and trunk pierced with holes for fluid, using a passage through the piston, a
side port and valve in cylinder side near end of stroke to admit steam below piston
to form a cushion and fill cylinder to form a vacuum, as set forth.
5. In engines having a containing cylinder, piston and trunk moving on fixed
piston with valve in it, the use of hollow port to valve in fixed piston having an
inlet at one end, and the whole enclosed in a chamber to prevent radiation, as
shewn.
6. In engines having a working piston with perforated trunks attached on either
side, said trunks working on fixed pistons having inlet valves in them, said cylinder
provided with exhaust passages connecting the valves in the fixed pistons by a rod
passing through the working piston, as set forth.
Dated this 13th day of August 1894.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.