IMPROVEMENTS IN.. MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Yule, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN..
MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES,"
Sealed the 24th March 1871, and dated the 1st October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Yule at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st October 1870.
I, John Yule, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," to be as follows, that is to.
say:
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement or
construction of steam engines, and particularly those which are employed
for pumping mines, or it may be applied for the purpose of auxiliating
existing steam engines, and it consists under one modification of a steam
cylinder and piston placed at an angle, the piston being connected to the.
bell crank over the mouth of the mine shaft, and to which the pump
rods are coupled. The valves for admitting the steam to the cylinder

page_text: placed at an angle are driven by means of one or more cams on the
revolving pumping shaft or on the crank shaft of the engine, and as the
said cams revolve they push a rod or rods connected to the valves,
thereby opening them, the valves being closed again by means of the
pressure of the steam acting upon a piston attached to them. The valves'
for admission of the steam may be either circular valves or flat valves.
The exhaust valve is, by preference, placed on the under side of the
cylinder and driven by an eccentric.
Under a second modification of this part of the Invention the auxiliary
cylinder in place of being connected to the bell cranks may be placed
behind, above, or below the pumping crank and the piston connected
thereto.
The Invention may be applied to engines wherein the pumping crank
is placed either on the crank shaft of the engine proper or on a second
motion pumping shaft.
It is to be understood that in other respects besides what are herein-
before referred to the engine proper is or may be constructed under or
according to existing arrangements, and the improvements comprised
under the present Invention are to be employed in addition to. already
existing arrangements of engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Yule in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
YULE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the 34th year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Yule, Her special license that I, the said John Yule, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Yule, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during

page_text: the term therein 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Yule, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 said Letters
Patent..
KNOW NOW YE, that I, the said Jolin Yule, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement
and construction of that class of steam engines employed for pumping
water from mines, and the said improvements are also to be applied for
the purpose of auxiliating existing pumping engines.
In the working of mines it is frequently found that the pumping
machinery originally applied is inadequate for the after drainage of the
mine, or the quantity of water in the shaft increases, and it is the
practice to substitute for the engine originally employed another engine
of increased power.
To avoid then the cost of providing a new engine or engines of
increased power is the object of the above-mentioned improvements
which consist under one modification in providing pumping engines.
with an additional steam cylinder and piston so placed and connected
with other parts of the existing engine, that the existing connecting rod
coupling the pumping crank and bell cranks controls the stroke of the
auxiliary piston. The piston of the auxiliary cylinder is connected to
the bell cranks over the mouth of the mine shaft, and to which the
pump rods and connecting rod from the ordinary pumping shaft are
also coupled. The valves for admitting the steam to the auxiliary.
cylinder are driven by means of one or more eccentrics or cams. on the
revolving pumping shaft, and as the said eccentrics or cams revolve they
actuate a rod or rods connected to the valves, thereby opening them, the

page_text: valves being closed again by the pressure of the steam acting upon
pistons attached to them, or the valves for the admission of the steam
may either be circular or ordinary slide valves driven by eccentrics or
tappets in the usual manner. The exhaust valve in the case of the
auxiliary cylinder being inclined is by preference placed on the under-
side of the cylinder and driven by an eccentric from the pumping
'shaft.
Under other modifications of the Invention the auxiliary cylinder
'may be situated behind, above, or below the bell cranks, and the piston
connected thereto by suitable coupling rods.
It is to be here understood that in other respects besides what are
herein-before referred to the engine proper is or may be constructed
under or according to existing arrangements, and the improvements
comprised under this present Invention are also to be employed in
addition to already existing arrangements of engines, and that more than
one auxiliary cylinder may be so employed.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the 2
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto appended, Figure 1 represents a
plan, and Figure 2 a side elevation of an arrangement of pumping
engine constructed in accordance with one modification of my said
Invention. On these Figures the fly wheel A, and part of the crank 2
'shaft B of the pumping engine proper only are shewn, and which engine
being of the ordinary type of construction need not be herein further
specified. On one end of the crank shaft B a spur pinion C is fixed and
geared with a corresponding spur wheel D' on the pumping shaft D, so
as to communicate a rotary motion thereto. On the shaft D the crank E
is situated, to which one end of the pumping connecting rod F is
coupled, the other end being coupled to one of the bell cranks G, by
means of a pin a as more particularly seen at Figure 2. The bell
cranks G and G¹ are situated so that their lower extremities H project
over the top of the mine shaft and have the pumping rods I attached a
thereto as shewn at Figure 2, and each of the bell cranks G and G³ is
supported in the usual manner on gudgeons 6 carried in pillow blocks c,
bolted on the bed or sole J as shewn. The upper extremities of the

page_text: bell cranks G and G₁are connected together by means of rods K, one
end of each of which is fixed on the pin a, passing through the upper
end of the crank G, and their opposite ends are fixed to the corresponding
extremity of the crank G', by a similar pin e, as shewn. The herein-
5 before described details of mechanism have all previously been employed
in conjunction with engines employed for pumping water from mines,
and as has been stated, when the shafts of the said mines get beyond
a certain depth or the quantity of water in the shaft is increasing the
power of the engine is frequently insufficient to efficiently actuate the
pumps, and hitherto it has been customary to remedy the defect by
supplying a new engine of greater power.
Under this Invention however, a steam cylinder M is provided as
shewn at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1 of the Drawings. The steam
cylinder M is placed at an angle as shewn, and it is formed with a
diagonal frame N, by which it is fixed to the sole J by means of
screw bolts or otherwise. The outer end of the piston rod O is pro-
vided with a cross head P sliding in guides Q, the lower ends of which
are secured to the cylinder cover, and their upper extremities are
supported by pillars R as shewn in side elevation at Figure 2. The
piston rod O of the auxiliary cylinder M is attached to the bell crank G
by means of two connecting links S, one end of each of which is
attached to the cross head P, and the other end to the pin a, as shewn.
The ports for the admission of steam to the cylinder M are situated at
the side as shewn in plan at Figure 1, and in dotted lines in side
elevation at Figure 2, and are provided with circular or piston valves g,
which are actuated by cams h situated on the revolving pumping
shaft D. As the cams h revolve they push against the rollers i, carried
in the ends of two rods j, as more particularly seen in plan at Figure 1.
The opposite end of each of the rods j is connected to a lever k, centred
on a stud 7, whereon other levers m attached to the valve spindles are
also fixed, as shewn in dotted lines at Figure 2, and as the cams h push
back the rods j the valves g are alternately opened by means of the
levers m, and steam is thereby admitted into the cylinder M. When the
cams h come out of contact with their respective rollers i, the valves
which they individually actuate are alternately closed by the steam in
the passages n and o, pressing and acting on the pistons p attached to
the valve spindles, as shewn at Figure 2, the pistons p being of larger
area than the valves g. This arrangement of valves facilitates the
°
I

page_text: Balancing of the engine when one of the pumps is larger or has a
greater lift than the other by enabling the valves g to be so set that a
greater quantity of steam is admitted to that side of the piston. which
has the greater lift.
In lieu of providing the cylinder M with circular steam valves as
herein-before described and shewn, it may be furnished with flat slide
valves, and in place of providing two cams to actuate the admission.
valves one such cam may be fixed on the pumping shaft D. with a
tappet formed on opposite sides thereof and in positions to actuate the
rods j alternately, or the steam valves may be worked by means of an
eccentric placed on the shaft D. The exhaust valves are by preference
placed on the under side of the cylinder M, and actuated from the shaft D,
by an eccentric r, the rod 8 of which is attached to a lever t, the other
end of which is fixed upon a stud w, supported in a bracket v; and on
'the stud u is also fixed another lever w, the outer end of which is
attached to the spindle x, of the exhaust valves through which the
into the exhaust pipe T. From the arrangement of
escapes
mechanism herein-before described and shewn at Figures 1 and 2,
Sheet 1 of the hereunto annexed Drawings, it is obvious that the
pumping connecting rod F will effectually prevent the piston of the
auxiliary cylinder M from moving either to the top or bottom of the
cylinder further than the throw of the crank E will allow. The steam
valves being driven by the cams h on the pumping shaft D, it is in the
power of the attendant to set the valves with as much lead as may be
necessary to make both engines work harmoniously together..
'steam
In lieu of connecting the piston of the auxiliary cylinder to the bell
crank G, as shewn at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1, it may be attached to.
the bell crank G³, by means of long connecting rods or links H, as
shewn in side elevation at Figure 3, Sheet 1.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a side
elevation of an arrangement of pumping engine, slightly different from
Under this modification the
that shewn at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1.
pumping shaft A is provided with pumping cranks B and C of different
lengths, as shewn at Figure 2, Sheet 2. By attaching the pumping
connecting rod D of the bell crank to one or other of these pumping
cranks the stroke of the pumps is regulated as required as is also the
stroke of the piston contained in the auxiliary cylinder E, coupled to
the bell crank F, by connecting links Gas shown. The cylinder E in

page_text: this modification is shewn furnished with an ordinary admission and
exhaust valve actuated by an eccentric from the pumping shaft A, but
it may be furnished with steam and exhaust valves and valve gearing
similar to that shewn at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1; X is the cylinder of
the original engine. In place of either of the arrangements herein-before
described a steam cylinder may be placed on both sides of the mine
shaft and attached to each of the bell cranks as shewn by the diagram
at Figure 3, Sheet 2, or steam cylinders supported on frames A may be
placed on each side of the mine shaft and attached to bell cranks of the
form shewn at Figure 4, Sheet 2 of the Drawings. In place of actuating
the slide valves of the auxiliary cylinder or cylinders by cams or
eccentrics on the pumping shaft as herein-before described they may be
driven by a tappet motion from the bell cranks or other suitable moving
part of the engine.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
various systems or modes in or under which it may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I make no claim
to the separate parts or details of engines which I have described and
shewn, but what I do consider novel and original, and therefore claim as
the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
First. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
engines as shewn at the several Figures upon the two appended Sheets
of Drawings wherein one or more steam cylinders are coupled direct
to the bell cranks and thence by the pumping connecting rod to the
pumping shaft.
Second. The auxiliating of existing pumping engines by applying
one or more cylinders coupled direct to the bell cranks in any of the
modes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Yule, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.