IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC ENGINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Buckett and William Thomas Buckett, both of
Gravel Lane, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineers, for the Invention.
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC ENGINES."
Sealed the 5th January 1877, and dated the 14th November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Buckett and William
Thomas Buckett at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th
November 1876.
JOHN BUCKETT and WILLIAM THOMAS BUCKETT, both of Gravel Lane, South
wark, in the County of Surrey, Engineers.. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC ENGINES'-
Our Invention has for its object the production of a powerful caloric engine
working with greater regularity than has heretofore been obtained, so that it may
be employed in substitution for the steam engine in all its various applications.
One part of our Invention relates to the general arrangement of the engine as
regards stability and durability, and consists in mounting the whole of the parts
herein-after mentioned on a single base plate, also in the employment of a wrought-
iron retort, and in arranging different the airways in such a manner as to admit
of their being cleaned out without difficulty.
The regularity of the motion of the engine is obtained by employing two work.
ing cylinders, the pistons acting alternately on each end of a rocking beam, at the
same time these pistons and cylinders are so arranged as to feed the retort with the
necessary quantity of cold air to be heated therein.
In addition to the general arrangements herein-before referred to our Invention
consists of the special improvements hereunder mentioned, viz. :-
1. Providing manholes in each of the working cylinders to enable them to be
cleaned out without removing the pistons.
2. An improved form of governor valve consisting of a hollow piston which by
the action of the governor directs a portion or the whole of the air which is being
pumped into the retort so as to pass through or over the fire in order to regulate
the heat and hence the speed of the engine.
3. The replacing the usual leather packings of the pistons (which are soon burnt)
by metallic rings.

page_text: 4. A new and improved arrangement of the inlet and exhaust valves which
consists in working them by means of eccentrics.
5. Placing the crank shaft low down between the working cylinder in order to
increase the stability and economise space.
6. An improved form of the inner feed valve which is constructed in the shape of
a cone of a sufficient angle to prevent the dust of the fuel lodging on it, which
would impede its closing air tight.
7. The fixing an extra beam on the rocking shaft when the engine is intended
for pumping, which beam is parallel with the beam of the engine, and by the two
connecting rods, one fixed at each end of it, works the pumps by direct action; also
when the engine is intended for pumping we make one of the standards of the crank
shaft partially hollow so as to form an air vessel, and the top surfaces on each side
of the bearing of the crank shaft are planed level and contain the delivery valves of
the pumps, which pumps are bolted on to such level surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Buckett and William Thomas Buckett in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th May 1877.
JOHN BUCKETT and WILLIAM THOMAS BUCKETT, both of Gravel Lane, South-
wark, in the County of Surrey, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC ENGINES."
Our said Invention has for its object the production of a powerful caloric engine
which shall possess increased stability and durability and work with greater
regularity than has heretofore been obtained so as to render it capable of being
employed in substitution for the steam engine in all its various applications. This
object is effected by the improvements both in the general arrangement and com-
bination of the parts of the engine and in the details of construction herein-after
described and illustrated on the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, to which
we shall now proceed to refer.
Figure 1, Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, represents a side elevation of
an engine constructed and arranged in accordance with our said Invention.
Figure 2 is a plan. Figure 3, Sheet 2, a longitudinal section; and Figure 4 an
end view of the same.
Figure 5 is an end view of the engine with the pumps, which may be combined
therewith, as herein-after described assumed to have been removed. Similar letters
indicate like parts in all the Figures.
In carrying out our said Invention we provide a base plate A, on which the
whole of the parts composing the engine are carried. At one end of the base plate
is situate the retort B, the exterior shell or casing a of which we construct of
wrought iron. Into this retort, which is heated by a fire at b, air is introduced by
any suitable pump when starting the engine, which air thus becomes highly heated
and is conducted from the retort along the pipe A¹ and thence through the inlet
valves c, c, into the lower part of the working cylinders C, C, and there acts upon
the pistons D so as to elevate the same. At or shortly before the completion of the
up stroke of the said pistons the exhaust valves d, d, are opened and the heated air
then escapes from the cylinders C, C, and the pistons D descend to be again elevated
by the readmission of heated air to their under side, and so on in succession. The
engine having thus been set in motion the supply of air to the retort B is main-
tained by the action of the pistons D, which are provided with trunks D', D', the
upper portions C of the said cylinders around the trunks constituting the air-pump
barrels as is well understood. The air drawn into the pump barrels C', C¹, during
the down stroke of the pistons D, and forced out during their up stroke is con-
ducted on its way to the retort B by a pipe e, which is divided at its upper part
into two branches e¹, e², one of which, viz., that e¹, directs the air into the chamber

page_text: B, situate below the fire bars b, whence it passes in a heated condition into the
interior of the retort B, whilst the other pipe e² opens directly into the interior of
the retort B at the upper portion thereof. At the point where the bifurcation of
the pipe e takes place we fit a governor valve f, which is of peculiar construction,
the same consisting of a hollow piston which, by its elevation and depression under
the action of the governor, is caused to open to a greater or less extent the port f
of the pipe el, and close to a corresponding extent the port 2 of the pipe e³ or vice
versa, thereby directing a portion or the whole of the cold air pumped by the
pistons D, D, either through the fire at b into the retort B or immediately into the
upper portion of the said retort, and regulating the temperature of the retort
according as the acceleration or diminution of the speed may render necessary.
The pistons D are attached by their rods E, E, to opposite ends of a rocking beam
E', mounted on a shaft F, which is supported in bearings at F1, F2, in the frame of
the engine and actuates through the intervention of a connecting rod y and cranks
gg, the driving shaft G, on which the fly wheel H is carried. The driving shaft
is arranged between the cylinders C, C, at a low elevation, as shewn, whereby
space is economized and increased stability is obtained. It is supported in bearings
G1, G2, in standards, one G only of which is shewn in our Drawings carried on the
base plate A. The inlet valves c, c, and exhaust valves d, d, are actuated by means
of eccentrics I, I, mounted on the driving shaft G, whence motion is transmitted
through the intervention of connecting rods i, ¹, and cranks le, k, to four shafts 1, 1,
supported in bearing at m, m³, in standards n, n, the rods c¹, c', of the inlet valves
c, c, being connected to the shafts and the rods d, d¹ of the exhaust valves d, d,
being attached to the shafts so as to effect the opening and closing of the
respective valves at the requisite periods. If desired in lieu of employing eccentrics
the valves may be actuated by ineans of a toothed crank disc engaging with a
spur wheel mounted on the crank shaft.
One or more manholes closed by covers K is or are provided in each of the
cylinders C, C, so as to enable them to be cleaned out without removing the
pistons. The packing of the pistons consists of a series of split metallic (by pre-.
ference cast iron) rings arranged side by side, as shewn at o, which are sprung into
an annular groove surrounding the piston and form a durable substitute for the
ordinary leather packing, the latter being rapidly destroyed under the influence of
the heat to which it is subjected.
Another feature of our Invention relates to the inner feed valve for the supply
of the fuel to the grate b of the retort B. L (Figure 3) is the valve which we construct
in the shape of a cone of a sufficient angle to prevent the dust of the fuel from collect-
ing upon it, and thereby impeding its closing air-tight. The cone L is suspended
by a chain p passing round and attached to a pulley q fast on a spindle i, and the
latter which passes through the fuel box or casing 8 carries on the exterior thereof
another pulley t, around which is passed a chain 8', extending downwards to within
reach of the attendant. The box s having been supplied with fuel, when it is
desired to feed the retort the attendant slackens the chain s¹, whereby the cone L
is lowered, as shewn by dotted lines, and the requisite quantity of fuel is allowed
to descend through the annular space into the retort, after which, by the act of
the attendant drawing down the chain 8¹ the cone L is re-elevated into contact
with an annular projection 2, as shewn by full lines in the Drawing, so as to
prevent the escape of air, the angular sides of the cone having the effect of main-
taining the surface clear and free from any particles of fuel which would prevent
an air-tight closure of the valve.
When the engine is intended to be employed for pumping air we fix on the
rocking shaft F an additional beam M parallel with the engine beam E¹, and we
add a pair of pumps N, N, the piston rods u, u, of which are attached to opposite
ends of the beam M, the air pumps being thus combined with the engine and
worked by direct action. In this case the standard G* of the crane shaft G may
be made partially hollow so as to form air vessels, as shewn at 0, 0, (Figures 3 and
+), and the delivery valves v be fitted thereto; the top surfaces w, w, on each side of

page_text: the bearing G2 of the shaft G are also planed level so as to admit of the pumps
N, N, resting thereon and being firmly bolted to the standard G¹
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,
_
First. Providing man-holes in each of the working cylinders for the purpose of
enabling them to be cleaned out without removing the pistons, substantially as
herein-before described.
Second. The peculiar construction of governor valve, consisting of a hollow
piston, which, by the action of the governor, directs a portion or the whole of the
air which is being pumped into the retort so as to cause such air to pass either
through or over the fire for the purpose of regulating the heat, and consequently
the speed of the engine, substantially as herein-before described.
Third. Arranging the crank or driving shaft at a low elevation between the
working cylinders for the purpose of obtaining increased stability and economizing
space, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. Constructing the inner feed valve for charging the retort of a.conical
form, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described.
"
Fifth. The combination with the caloric engine of additional air pumps worked
by direct action in conjunction or not with air valves constructed in the frame of
the engine and fitted with the delivery valves, all substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before described.
Sixth. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
improved caloric engine, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Buckett and William Thomas Buckett,
have to this our Specification set our hands and seals, this Second day
of May, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A