Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898

page_text: steam acts on the other, and the pressure on piston B is transmitted through rod band
pitman b to shaft D, while the pressure on piston B₁ is transmitted through rod bl
and pitman 65 to shaft D¹. But as the shafts D and D₁ are so connected (by means
shown in Figure 3, or otherwise) that they must revolve in unison, the power of both
pistons may be applied to either shaft, and the speed of the pistons must always be
the same. At the end of the outer strokes of the pistons B B₁ the steam is exhausted
from the middle of cylinder A and applied at each end, when its power is exerted in
forcing the pistons each to approach the other, but the pressure on the pistons is
again transmitted as before to the shafts D D₁; so that in this form of my invention
the pistons B B' always react each on the other directly during the outer stroke and
through the shafts D D¹ during the inner stroke of each piston, while in the form
shown in Figure 7, in which the pistons are in separate cylinders the pistons react
against each other through the connections between the crank shafts as will be clear
from the drawings; and this reacting of the pistons one against the other is the
main feature of my invention, and while its main advantage is that my engine may
be run at very high speed with marked smoothness and almost complete absence of
tremor or jar, it has other advantages, as will be apparent from the description of the
other features of my invention.
In Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, I show a compound engine composed of four
cylinders with two pistons in each, and it will be seen that the cylinders are arranged
in pairs with a supply and exhaust valve for each pair, as is best seen in Figure 5.
This is a wholly new construction which has many advantages which will be
apparent without detailed description; and this special combination of cylinders in
pairs with a supply valve and an exhaust valve for each pair, and a pair of pistons in
each cylinder is another feature of my invention. As shown in the drawings, the two
high pressure cylinders A A¹ are bores in a single casting A4, and this casting A¹ has
standards M, which are mounted on bed M³, which is also shown as one casting
provided with ribs for the standards M, and for the ways or guides m, of the
cross-heads b² b³.
Two other bores in the casting A* are lined with the tubes F F¹ Figures 4 and 5,
which fit steam tight and receive the supply valve fand the exhaust valve f¹. These
valves and f¹ are also tubes which are connected by spiders, as shown best in
Figure 5, with the valve rods f f which are reciprocated by eccentrics on shaft D¹
as will be clear from Figures 1 and 4. Tube F connects at one end to the supply
pipe which leads from the boiler, and tube F1 is connected at one end to the
pipe F3 which is the exhaust pipe from high pressure cylinders A A¹, and the
supply pipe for low pressure cylinders A² A³. The operation of the supply valve will
be plain from the left of Figure 6, and of the exhaust valve from the right of that
figure. On the left of Figure 6, the steam flows in through pipe F and fills tube F
and the interior of valve f, which when in the position shown has slightly opened the
supply ports leading to the ends of the cylinder A, and the further endwise motion of
valve f in the direction of arrow will open these end supply ports wide and the return
motion of valve f will close them to cut off the supply at about half stroke. Valve f
has also slightly opened the middle supply ports of cylinder A¹, and its further
endwise motion will also open these ports wide and its return motion close them to
cut off at about half stroke. The further return of valve f will open and close the
mille supply ports of eylinder A and the end supply ports of cylinder A¹.
The exhaust valve when in the position shown at the right of Figure 6, has
opened the middle exhaust ports of that cylinder, for the pistons B B' in cylinder A²
are then approaching each other; but has opened the end exhaust ports of
cylinder A3 and closed the middle exhaust port of that cylinder, for the pistons B B¹
of cylinder A3 are then moving away froin each other. This new construction of
valve, namely the combination of a tube as F or F¹, with an interior tube, as
f
or f, both tubes provided with suitable ports which are opened and closed by the
motion of the inner tube is also one feature of my invention, and while I have
shown it as applied only to my new engine it will be plain to all skilled in the art
that it is of general application in other engines. Its main advantages are the

page_text: perfect balance obtained and also the fact that a film of steam, when the valve is in
use, will force itself between the outer and inner tube, (for as the inner tube must be
a running fit in the outer tube there is room for that film of steam, although the
leakage is negligible when the tubes are properly fitted) and for that reason as well
as the perfect balance the power required to operate the valve is materially less than
in any other engine known to me.
The action and style of valves used on the modified form shown in Figure 7 are
similar to the action and style of the valves above described except that the ports
at the middle of the cylinder is done away with and the steam supplied and
exhausted alternately at each end of the cylinder as will be clear from Figure 8.
The exhaust steain from the high pressure cylinders A A¹ supplied the low
pressure cylinders A² A³ as will be plain; and the steam escapes into the open air, or
into a condenser, through exhaust pipe F4, Figure 6.
This four cylinder double compound engine rotates the two side shafts D D¹ in
unison, and I have shown those shafts as revolving in opposite directions, although
that is not material except that for the fact that I have shown in my drawings a
marine engine for driving two propellers which are right and left and must always
rotate in opposite directions, and for that reason, of course, shafts D D¹ must always
rotate in opposite directions. But a fourth feature of my invention consists in the
combination with my engine of two propellers, one on one shaft, the other on the
other shaft, and means to connect and disconnect the propellers at pleasure. By this
feature of my invention I attain the great advantage of throwing the total power of
the engine on one propeller by simply disconnecting the other, and thereby very
greatly facilitate turning, and this while maintaining speed; for I do not reverse the
engine of one propeller and thereby back with one and go ahead with the other, but
simply disconnect one and by that act throw all the power of the engine on the other.
This feature of my invention is shown in Figure 1, where P is a propeller shaft
connected to shaft D by clutch p, and P¹ a propeller shaft connected to shaft D¹ by
clutch p¹. These clutches are too well known to require detailed description and
are connected and disconnected by familiar means, indicated by the levers p
and p³.
The practical value of my new engine depends largely upon practical and efficient
means for connecting the shafts D and D₁ so that they must revolve in unison
but in opposite directions, and I show in Figures 1 and 3 a novel means of
connecting them which is also an important feature of my invention, and this
feature consists in the combination of those two shafts by means of a crank d whose
pitman d¹ reciprocates crosshead 2, which is connected by link d³ with one end
of lever d, the other end of that lever being connected by link 5 with a second
cross head do which is connected by pitman d with crank s on shaft D'. In
practice I use two of these connections with the wrist pins of their cranks 90° apart,
as this prevents all possibility of getting stuck on centres, and also renders the
transmission of the power of the engine through one shaft to the other more
perfect; and this is especially important where the total power of the engine is to
be delivered through one shaft only; for when both shafts are doing equal duty the
connecting means has much less strain than when one shaft only is doing the duty
of both; for then the two shafts are each doing equal duty the connecting means
simply keep the two shafts and all the pistons in unison.
While I have shown each of the pistons B B1 double acting it will be clear to all
skilled in the art that this is simply a matter of preference, and that the steam may
be supplied only between the two pistons B B¹, when the engine will be a single
acting engine, and at least two of them will be required, practically; although one
single acting engine with a very heavy fly wheel may be used in some cases.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what claim is
First. In an engine the combination of two pistons; two crank shafts, one for one

page_text: piston, the other for the other; and means for connecting the two crank shafts and
compelling them to revolve in unison one with the other.
Second. The engine above described made up of a cylinder, two pistons in that
cylinder, two crank shafts, one connected with one piston, the other with the other
piston; and means for connecting the two crank shafts and compelling them to
revolve in unison one with the other.
Third. In combination with the two crank shafts of an engine connecting means
consisting of a crank each crank shaft a cross head reciprocated by each crank, a
lever between the two cross heads, and a link connection between one end of that
lever and one cross head, and the other end of that lever and the other cross head,
substantially as described.
Fourth. In combination two cylinders side by side; and two valve chests side by
side and between the two cylinders, one valve chest for the supply valve the other for
the exhaust valve; both cylinders and both valve chests being arranged each
relatively to all the others substantially as described.
Fifth. In a steam engine a tubular valve chest with suitable ports in combination
with a tubular valve with suitable ports and means to move the tubular valve
endwise in the tubular valve chest, substantially as described.
Sixth. In combination a steam engine; two crank shafts, means for dividing
the power of the engine between the two shafts; means for applying the power
of the engine either one of the two shafts; two propellers one for each shaft;
and means for connecting and disconnecting each propeller with its driving shaft
whereby the whole power of the engine can be thrown on either propeller by
disconnecting the other, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of March 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.