New or Improved Machinery for Working Swing Boats by Steam.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 11th May, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Working Swing Boats by Steam.
We WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT of Bromford Lano West Bromwich in the County
of Stafford Mechanical Engineer and HENRY CRACKNELL of Burton Street West
Bromwich aforesaid Musician do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
The said invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner herein
after described the parts of-machinery for working swing boats by steam.
To one or both ends of the shaft to which the swing boat is affixed and on which it
swings or oscillates we affix a disc the said disc constituting a crank plate and in
the said disc or crank plate we fix a crank pin the said crank pin being either
stationary or capable of adjustment to a greater or less distance from the centre of
motion. Under the said disc and near the ground we attach to the framing which
supports the shaft or axis on which the swing boat works a sinall steam boiler and
vertical steam cylinder. The piston rod of the steam cylinder works in guides which
preserve its rectilinear motion and to the summit of the piston rod the lower end
of a connecting rod is jointed the said connecting rod extending upwards to the
crank plate on the shaft. The upper end of the said connecting rod is jointed to
the crank pin of the crank plate.
The steam cylinder is provided with slide valves tappets and appliances differing in
no essential respect. from those in common use the slide valve being worked by tappet
levers operated by the piston rod in its rising and falling motion. A hand lever is
provided for working the slide valve by hand that independently of the tappet
levers. By means of the said hand lever the starting and stopping of the swing boat
and the regulation of its motion can be readily effected. The stroke of the piston rod
is equal to twice the radius of the arc described by the motion of the crank pin. The
motion of the crank plate and crank pin and consequently that of the shaft on which
the swing boat oscillates is limited to a semi-circle that is to a half circle on the right
or left of a vertical line passing through the axis of oscillation.

page_text: The action of the parts is as follows:-When the swing boat is at rest. the crank
pin is at its middle point and when the swing boat has described nearly a quadrant on
either side its lowest point the crauk pin is at its highest or lowest point.
In starting the swing boat the slide valve is worked by hand but when the boat is
in full swing the slide valve is worked automatically that is by the motion of the
piston rod. By the reversal of the slide valve when the swing boat is at its highest
and lowest points it is drawn downwards in its desconding motion and pressed
upwards in its ascending motion.
Two swing boats may be operated from the samo steam engine.
Dated this 27th day of June 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Working Swing Boats by Steam.
We WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT of Bromford Lane, West Bromwich in the County
of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer and HENRY CRACKNELL of Burton Street, West
Bromwich aforesaid Musician do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following stateinent :-
The said invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of machinery for working swing boats by steam. To one or both
ends of the shaft to which the swing boat is affixed and on which it swings or
oscillates, we affix a disc the said disc constituting a crank plate and in the said disc
or crank plate we fix a crank pin the said crank pin being either stationary or capable
of adjustment to a greater or less distance from the centre of motion. Under the said
dise and near the ground wo either attach to the framing which supports the shaft or
axis on which the swing boat works, or support on wheels, a small steam boiler and
vertical steam cylinder. The piston rod of the steam cylinder works in guides which
preserve its rectilinear motion and to the summit of the piston rod the lower end of a
connecting rod is jointed the said connecting rod extending upwards to the crank
plate on the shaft. The upper end of the said connecting rod is jointed to the crank
pin of the crank plate.
The steam cylinder is provided with slide valves, tappets and appliances differing in
no essential respect from those in common use the slide valve being worked by tappet
levers operated by the piston rod in its rising and falling motion. A hand lever is
provided for working the slide valve by hand that is independently of the tappet
levers. By means of the said hand lever the starting and stopping of the swing boat
and the regulation of its motion can be readily effected. The stroke of the piston rcd
is equal to twice the radius of the are described by the motion of the crank pin. The
motion of the crank plate and crank pin and consequently that of the shaft on which
the swing boat oscillates is limited to a semi-circle, that is, to a half circle on the
right or left of a vertical line passing through the axis of oscillation.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the swing boat is at rest the crank
pin is at its middle point and when the swing boat has described nearly a quadrant on
either side its lowest point the crank pin is at its highest or lowest point.
In starting the swing boat the slide valve is worked by hand but when the boat is in
full swing the slide valve is worked automatically, that is, by the notion of the piston
rod. By the reversal of the slide valve when the swing hoat is at its highest and
lowest points it is drawn downwards in its descending motion and pressed upwards in
its ascending motion.
Two swing boats may be operated from the same steam engine.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation and Figure 2
in plan machinery constructed according to this invention for working swing boats
by steam.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation of a portion of the same drawn to a larger
scale.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the said Figures 1, 2
and 3.
a is the swing boat and is the horizontal axis or shaft to which the said hont is
suspended and on which it oscillates the said axis or shaft turning in bearings at c, c
carried by the supports d, d. The said boat a is suspended to the driving axis or
shaft by the tie rods e, e secured to the blocks fixed on the said axis or shaft. The
swinging or oscillating motion is given to the axis or shaft b and through the said
shaft to the bout suspended to it by the following mechanism.
On one end of the axis or shaft is a disc or crank plate y carrying a crnuk pin k
either fixed or adjustable on the said crank plate. To the crank pin the upper end
of the connecting rod i is jointed the lower end of the said rod i being jointed to the
cross head on the top of the piston rod the piston of which works in the steam
cylinder m on the side of the boiler a which is supported on wheels p, phut the
combined steam engine and boiler may be supported by the framing carrying the
supports of the swing boat.
tho
The cross head is furnished with slippers which work upon vertical guides for
preserving the rectilinear motion of the piston rod as us. By the reciprocating
motion of the piston rod actuating the connecting rod an alternating motion
through a semi-circle is given to the crank plate gatud crank pin 4 and consequently
to the shaft and the required oscillating motion thereby given to the boat
stroke of the said piston rod / being twice the radius of the are described by the crank
pin . In the drawing the swing boat a is represented at rest or in its middle
position und the crank pin at its iniddle point and when the swing boat a has nearly
described a quadrant on either side its lowest point the crank pin is at its highest or
lowest point or at one or other end of the semi-circular path indicated by the arrows
on the crank plate g represented in Figure 3. In the drawing the crank pin his
represented at its middle point. When the piston red 7 makes its upward stroke from
the middle position represented, tho crank pin h moves in the direction of the upper
arrow on the crank plate and when the piston rod unkes its downward stroke from
the middle position represented it moves in the direction of the lower arrow on
the said crank plate. When the boat is fully at work the crank pin describes a
quadrant above and below its middle point or has an alternating motion through
a semi-circle.
When the crank pin & has reached the end of its semi-circular stroke in either
direction the motion of the piston of the steam engine is automatically reversed
by the mechanism which we will now proceed to describe.
9.
In the steam chest or valve hox m² an ordinary slide valve works, the valve rod of
which is carried upwards parallel to the guides of the cross head & of the piston rod:
m is the steam pipe conveying steam to the valve box m² and m is the pipe con-
veying the exhaust from the said valve box to the chimney of the boiler; are
tappet levers jointed to one of the uprights on which the slippers of the cross head
work the short arms of the said tappet levers being jointed to the slide valve rol
On the cross head k is a projecting arm carrying an anti-friction roller. By means
of the arm the tappet levers, are actuated and the slide valve reversed as the
piston rod makes its rising and falling motions, that is, when the piston rod Z
approaches the end of its down stroke the arm strikes the tappet lovers and reverses
the slide valve and when the piston rod approaches the end of its upstroke, the said
arm strikes against the tappet lever and again reverses the motion of the slide
valve. In this way the alternating motion through a semi-circle of the disc or crank
plate g and swing boat connected to the axis or shaft h is automatically effected. By
the reversing of the slide valve when the swing boat is at its highest and lowest
points it is drawn downwards in its descending motion and pressed upwards in its
asconding motion. The steam in the cylinder m may be worked oxpansively but the
appliances for doing this are similar to those ordinarily employed.
"'
t is a hand lever connected by the rod and crank lever with the slide valve
rod. By means of the said hand lever and its connections the slido valve is
worked for starting and stopping the boat.

page_text: Although we prefer to employ the tappet arrangement represented for reversing
the motion of the steam piston and the transmitting mechanism yet other means
of reversing the motion of the said parts may be employed.
Instead of the vertical steam engine represented and described, a horizontal steam
engine may be employed. In this case the piston rod of the engine drives a crank
plate carrying a pulley, a strap or band on which transmits the reciprocating motion
to the shaft b on which the boat swings.
A steam engine may be arranged on either side the boiler n for working two
crank plates at the ends of the shaft on which the boat oscillates or for working
two independent swing boats placed side by side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as the said invention of "New or improved machinery for working swing boats by
steam" =
Working swing boats by steam by giving an alternating motion through a semi-
circle to the axis or shaft to which the boat is suspended and on which it swings
by means of a disc or crank plate fixed on one or on each end of the shaft the
disc or crank plate being worked from a connecting rod actuated by the reciprocating
motion of a steam piston the reversal of the slide valve of the steam engine and
consequently the motion of the steam piston and connecting rod of the crank plate
and the boat being so arranged that when the swing boat is at its highest and lowest
points it is drawn downwards in its descending motion and pressed upwards in its
ascending motion the several parts of the machinery being constructed arranged and
worked substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated the Eighth day of March 1889.
WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT.
HENRY CRACKNELL.