Im- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE AS A MOTIVE-POWER ENGINE, A PUMP, OR FLUID METER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE AS A MOTIVE-POWER ENGINE, A PUMP,
OR FLUID METER."A communication from abroad by Francis Bernard de
Civil Engineer of 20 Bonlovert St Martin Paris
Sealed the 26th January 1866, and dated the 4th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th August 1865.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE AS A MOTIVE-POWER
ENGINE, A PUMP, OR FLUID METER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved rotary engine which may also be
used as a pump, meter, or blowing apparatus.
The improvements consists, 1st, in the employment of an eccentric serving

page_text: as a piston and for communicating motion to the driving shaft; 2ndly, in the
arrangement of the slide valve which serves both for admitting steam into the
cylinder and for forming an abutment in said cylinder; 3rdly, in the particular
arrangement for producing a constant and perfect contact between the slide
valve and eccentric so as to prevent concussion, and considerably reduce the
duration of the dead point.
One example of these improvements is represented in the accompanying
Drawings, Fig. 1, of which shows an elevation of the apparatus, one side of the
cylinder being removed, and Fig. 2 a side elevation taken on the line, 1, 2,
Fig. 1. Fig. 3, shows an elevation of the same apparatus, one side being
removed, containing modifications of the system of expansion, and in the mode of
effecting contact between the slide valve and, the eccentric; Fig. 4 shows a
side elevation of this latter arrangement taken on the line, 3, 4, Fig. 3; lastly,
Fig. 5 shows the apparatus arranged as a pump, the same letters apply for all
the Figures.
a, cylinder, the various parts of which it is formed are truly turned in a
lathe; b, valve box formed with or otherwise connected to cylinder a, having
an opening c through which the steam enters from pipe d; e, escape pipe com-
municating with an opening made in the circular side of cylinder a, which is
placed as near as possible to the valve box in order to diminish the extent of
the duration of the dead point; f, slide valve formed of a parallelo piped hollow
in the interior, and receiving steam from pipe d, which is thence admitted into the
cylinder. The solid part of said slide also forms at same time an abutment
on which the steam acts; being caused to bear constantly on the periphery of
the eccentric as herein-after described; 9, orifice of the slide valve, of T-form for
the purpose of permitting the introduction of steam throughout the whole
stroke of the slide valve. The base of the slide valve terminates in a jointed
part f, which bears constantly on the periphery of an eccentric h, keyed on a
shaft i, passing through the cylinder a, the eccentric rotates in said cylinder in
steam-tight contact without pressure with the flat sides of the cylinder; j, stuff-
ing box of shaft i, on which are keyed a fly wheel and driving pullies not
shown; k, expansion valve regulated by stem of slide valve f, which for
this purpose is provided with a tappet m, working between two small tappets,
n, fixed to the stem of the expansion valve; o, small channel, made in slide
valve for admitting steam into the valve box above the valve, with the object
of effecting perfect contact (by the pressure exerted) between said slide valve
and eccentric. It will be readily understood that by this arrangement of the
parts the eccentric will successively assume the different positions shown by
the dotted lines, and that the slide valve will rise and fall with it, at same time

page_text: maintaining perfect contact. In order to produce the descent of the slide valve
I may instead of having a channel o, as above mentioned, employ the following
arrangement, that is, I may place at the lower part of the cylinder a stem or
piston p to be kept in contact with the eccentric by a jointed part q, similar to
part, and unite the two stems and p by tie rods r, s. It is evident that the
distance between parts f¹ and q being equal to the diameter of eccentric h, the
slide valve and stem p will rise and fall together, one imparting motion to the
other. Instead of the expansion arrangement k I may employ that represented
in Figs. 3 and 4, which consists of a secondary slide valve t for regulating
the expansion of the steam by closing more or less the steam inlet orifice g
of the slide valve. The plate or slide t is regulated by hand by means of a
screwed rod u, supported in a bridge piece v, fixed to the slide valve h. Further
in order to ensure perfect contact between the eccentric and the slide valve
during its up-and-down motion, I may employ two parts x, y, Figs. 3 and 4.
fitting on the periphery of a hollow eccentric z. These two parts x, y, are
jointed to plates 1, screwed on the slide valve, and rising and falling in two
vertical grooves, 2, made in the valve box of the cylinder.
Fig. 5 represents the apparatus arranged as a pump, in which case the
slide valve is made solid and so simply forms an abutment in the cylinder,
the latter is also furnished with two openings 3, 4, for the inlet and escape
of water. It will be also understood that by the application of a train of
wheels on the driving shaft acting on one or more index bands, the amount
of water or other liquid or fluid passing through the apparatus may be readily
ascertained and indicated. By the use of two slide valves the apparatus may
also be rendered double acting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd.
February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAMI"
CLARE, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark, my execu

page_text: tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Clark,
niy 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 there-
in 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 APPARATUS APPLICABLE AS
A MOTIVE-POWER ENGINE, A PUMP, OR FLUID METER," a communication to
me from abroad by François Bernard de Keravenan, of 29, Boulevart
St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the, said
William Clark, iny 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
shid Letters Patent.
'NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the three Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to an improved rotary engine, which may also be used
as a pump meter or blowing apparatus.
This apparatus may be variously arranged; its chief features consisting,
1st, in the employment of an eccentric as a piston and for communicating motion:
to the driving shaft; 2ndly, in the arrangement of the slide valve which serves
both for admitting steam into the cylinder, and for forming an abutment in said
cylinder. The slide valve may be variously arranged, and may work in a slide or
be made to oscillate; 3rdly, in the particular arrangements for producing a
constant and perfect contact between the slide valve and eccentric so as to
prevent concussion, and at same time to considerably reduce the extent of the
dead point.
These improvements are illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1
of which shows an elevation of the apparatus, one side of the cylinder being
removed, and Fig. 2 a side elevation taken on the line 1, 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3
shows an elevation of the same apparatus, one side being removed containing
modifications in the system of expansion, and in the mode of effecting contact
between the slide valve and the eccentric; Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of
this latter arrangement taken on the line 3, 4, Fig. 3; lastly, Fig. 5 shows
the apparatus arranged as a pump. The same letters apply to all the Figures.

page_text: a, cylinder, the various parts of which it is, formed are truly turned in a
lathe; b, valve box, formed with or otherwise connected to cylinder a, having
an opening c, through which the steam enters from pipe, d; e, escape pipe:
communicating with an opening made in the circular side of cylinder a, which
is placed as near as possible to the valve box in order to diminish the extent
of dead point; f, slide valve, formed of a parallelo piped, hollow in its interior,
and receiving steam from pipe d, which is thence admitted into the cylinder..
The solid part of said slide also forms at same time an abutment on which
the steam acts, being caused to bear constantly on the periphery of the
eccentric as herein-after described; g, orifice of the slide valve of a T form,
for the purpose of permitting the introduction of steam throughout the whole
stroke of the slide valve. The base of the slide valve terminates in a jointed
part f, which bears constantly on the periphery of the eccentric h, keyed on a
shaft i, passing through cylinder a; the eccentric rotates in, said cylinder in
steam-tight contact with very slight pressure against the flat sides of the cylinder;
j, stuffing box of shaft i, on which are keyed a fly wheel and driving: pullies
not shown; k, expansion valve, regulated by stem 1 of slide valve f, which for
this purpose is provided with a tappet m, working between two small tappets n,
fixed to the stem of the expansion valve; o, small channel made in slide
valve for admitting steam into the valve box above the valve with the object
of effecting perfect contact.by the pressure, exerted between said, slide valve and
eccentric. It will be readily understood that by this arrangement of parts the
eccentric will successively assume the different positions shown by the dotted
lines, and that the slide valve will rise and fall with it,.at. same time main-
taining perfect contact. In order to produce the descent of the slide valve I
may, instead of having a channel.o as above mentioned, employ the following
arrangement, that is, I may place at the lower part of cylinder astem or piston p,
to be kept in contact with the eccentric by a jointed part q similar to part f,
and unite the two stems and p, by tie rods r, s. It is evident that the dis-
tance between parts f¹ and q being equal to the diameter of eccentric h,
the slide valve and stem p will rise and fall together, one imparting motion to
the other. Instead of the arrangement of expansion gear k I may employ
that represented in Figs. 3 and 4, which consists of a secondary slide valve t for
regulating the expansion of the steam. by closing more or less, the steam inlet
orifice g of the slide valve. The plate or slide t is regulated by hand by means
of a screwed rod u, supported in a bridge piece v fixed to the slide valve h.
Further, in order to ensure perfect contact between the eccentric and the:slide
valve during its up-and-down motion, I may employ two parts x, y, Figs. 3
and 4, fitting on the periphery of a hollow eccentric z. These two parts., y,

page_text: are jointed to plates 1 screwed on the slide valve, and rising and falling in
two vertical grooves 2 made in the valve box of the cylinder.
Fig. 5 represents the apparatus arranged as a pump, in which case the slide
valve is made solid, and so simply forms an abutment in the cylinder, the
. latter is also furnished. with two openings 3, 4, for the inlet and escape of
. water.
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It will be understood that by the application of a train of wheels on the
driving shaft acting on one or more index hands the amount of water or other
• liquid or fluid passing through the apparatus may be readily ascertained and
.indicated. By the use of two slide valves the apparatus may be rendered
double acting..
Fig. 6 shows a front elevation of a third arrangement of rotary engine, one
side of the cylinder being removed; Fig. 7 a section on line 1, 2, Fig. 6 of
the same; Fig. 8 shows details. The same letters apply to these three
.Figures.
In this arrangement the engine is composed of three principal parts, viz.,
a cylinder a, eccentric b, valve c, forming a. diaphragm which opens and
closes a passage for the steam, and serves the purpose of a slidé valve. The
cylinder in which works the eccentric serving at same time as a piston, and
for actuating valve c; has at its upper part a square chamber d for containing
the valve, on the top of which is an air-tight cover e. The cylinder is formed
in one with the valve chamber, and furnished with flanges, to which are fixed
the plates forming the top and bottom of the cylinder. On each side and at
the base of the valve box are two orifices, the one ƒ serving for the intro-
duction of the steam, and the other 9 for the escape. The valve box d is
placed in communication with the cylinder. by an opening h of oblong formi
adjoining the steam inlet. This serves both for introducing steam into the
cylinder and for its escape after it has been utilized; lastly, it permits of the
free action of the valve, which is so placed that during its motion it divides
this opening into two nearly equal parts, and thus forms, passages for the
introduction and discharge of the steam. On the escape side the valve is
strengthened at one part for the reception of a small movable metallic piece i,
which being applied so as to bear on the rounded base of the valve serves to
compensate for any wear of the latter. As above mentioned the cylinder is
closed by two cast-iron plates, the flanges of which are bolted to those of the
cylinder, being recessed into the latter to a depth of about one-tenth of an inch
all round in order to obtain and ensure a perfect adjustment. These plates
have central orifices, provided with stuffing. boxes j for the reception of the
driving shaft k

page_text: Piston. On shaft k is mounted a hollow balanced eccentric, closed at all
parts, this eccentric works in the cylinder, it point of greatest eccentricity
being always in contact therewith, it has two functions, firstly, it forms a piston,
and, secondly, it serves to act on the diaphragm valve c, which is regulated in
its motion thereby, and is at all times in contact therewith.
Diaphragm valve. The valve box contains a curved valve c, jointed therein
at nearly a right angle; this valve passes through from box d into cylinder 'a,
at opening A, which it divides centrally into two parts for.the admission: and
escape of the steam. The steam contained in the valve box
presses the valve
constantly against the eccentric with which it is always in perfect.contact
during its motion; I have before mentioned that this valve is rendered steam-
tight at its base, while laterally it is the same, as will be seen under these
conditions, it forms an effective separation between the steam that is acting
and that which has acted: The steam admitted into the valve box at the front
side of the valve moves the eccentric, before it, which having completed::its
course in the cylinder uncovers the orifice at back of the valve when the: steam
will pass into the space between it and the side of the cylinder, and passes
out at the exit orifice before referred to. The eccentric is furnished at its
points of greatest eccentricity with a flattened part of sufficient extent to cover
at same time both the admission and emission 'orifices of the steam when
passing under the valve, that is to say, at the dead point. For the purpose of
rendering the valve perfectly steam-tight on its lateral surface, and compensate
for the wear which may take place of the different parts, and also to facilitate
the fitting of the eccentric and valve in the cylinder from the outside, in the
interior of said cylinder between the eccentric and valve, and the two plates
before mentioned as near as possible to the latter, I place two movable platės
1, 1, seen separately on a small scale at Fig. 8 of plate iron or steel, rendered
perfectly smooth on their inner surfaces, and adapted as near as possible.'in
form to that of the cylinder and valve box. These plates are kept in constant
contact with the eccentric and valve by a series of set screws in passing through
the cast-iron casing.
Framing. It is unnecessary to enter here into details of this part of the
apparatus, as such may be varied according to the nature of the application,
the only conditions are that the bearings should be as broad as possible and
that abutments are required to prevent the cylinder from turning with the
eccentric, The fly wheel, as regards weight and size, is the same as in other
engines.
Lubrication. This improved engine being without friction caused by any
pressure, the motion will be perfectly smooth still the shaft in its bearings and

page_text: '
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where passing through stuffing boxes will require lubrication; this may be
readily done from the: interior, by the simple application of taps in any
.desired position.. With regard to starting the engine, care should first be
taken to havé a mark or index on the fly wheel, such as by the application of
a copper button or stud, for example, to indicate the position of the extreme
point of the eccentric in the cylinder, this being done the eccentric is set at
the dead point under the valve and steam admitted; the fly wheel being started
in the direction of the motion required. This improved engine may be readily
fitted with expansion gearing, and is especially suited for working at high
speeds. In this manner it furnishes a means of readily increasing the power
at any moment in a great proportion by taking the simple precaution of
employing a sufficiently powerful boiler for the purpose.
:
Rotary force and suction pump. This improved rotary engine may also
serve as a pump, its construction in this case is precisely the same, except that
:the dimensions of the inlet and outlet' passages are varied, it serves at once
both as a force or suction pump without requiring valves of any kind.
High pressure blowing engine. This, rotary apparatus is also applicable as
a blowing engine as well as a pump, the only difference being that air is sub-
stituted for the water while the parts are made much lighter, for instance, the
eccentric may.consist of a drum with arms by which to mount it on a shaft
while the valve might be furnished, with a friction roller bearing on the
eccentric. In the water or blowing engines. the admission pipe may be placed
cat any point of the valve box d deemed most convenient for the purpose.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, an improved rotary engine
serving also as a pump, water meter, or blower, and which may be arranged in
the different manners shown in the accompanying Drawings, the chief features
being
1st, the use of an eccentric, serving the double purpose of a piston and for
communicating motion to the driving shaft.
2ndly, in the application of a slidė valve of the several arrangements shewn,
.serving the double purpose of admitting steam into the cylinder and forming
an abutment in said cylinder. What I more particularly claim is, the arrange-
ment of rotary engine represented at Figs. 6, 7, and 8, as distinguished, 1st, by
the arrangement. of eccentric; 2ndly, the valve acting as a slide valve, and
actuated by the eccentric for covering and uncovering the admission and
>emission passages of the steam, and thus forming a separation between that
! acting and that which has acted on the cylinder.

page_text: 3rdly, the movable plates 1, 1, by means of which a steam-tight joint is,
ensured and regulated in the manner described, so as to compensate for any
wear of the parts. I also reserve the right of employing this latter arrangement
of rotary engine as a water meter or blower.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (Ls.)