IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES." - A communication from abroad by
Wilhelm Heinrich Christian Voss, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
Engineer.
Sealed the 3rd May 1864, and dated the 24th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th November 1863.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES," a communication to me from
abroad by Wilhelm Heinrich Christian Voss, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to rotatory engines wherein two discs are employed
placed at an angle opposite to each other and rotated by the direct action
of cylinders and pistons connected by ball joints to the inner faces of the
discs.
According to these improvements the centres of the two discs are connected
by a shaft or carrier and universal joints so that the discs may work in concert.
To this central shaft or carrier is keyed the main driving pulley, its arms or
spokes passing out between the several cylinders so as not to interfere with

page_text: their action; or, if preferred, the driving pulley may be fitted on to one of the
shafts of the two discs. These engines may be made either single or double
acting by having the steam ports in one or both the discs and providing both
the discs, if for a double-acting engine, with a stationary slide valve, in the
centre of which the boss or nave of the disc rotates; against the face of this
valve the disc revolves steam-tight. Each of these valves is divided into three
compartments by three radial partitions, one of these compartments serving as
the steam inlet, another for the exhaust, and the third for the expansion or
cut-off, the amount of expansion depending on the length of the expansion
chamber. The cylinders and piston rods are both connected to the discs by
ball joints having steam ways made through them which communicate suc-
cessively with the corresponding radial steam passages made in the discs
themselves, and in some cases the engines may be constructed as condensing
engines, being provided for that purpose with condenser, air pump, cold water
pump, and feed pump. The friction of the discs against the stationary valve
or valves and the thrust of the journals against the bearings of the main shafts
is counteracted by employing adjustable steel or other counter points or pins
which are made to bear against the extreme outer ends of the two shafts and
thereby receive the whole of the thrust.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN.
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as my, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during 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

page_text: Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES," a communication to me
from abroad by Wilhelm Heinrich Christian Voss, of Berlin, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them,
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to rotatory engines, wherein two discs are
employed placed at an angle opposite to each other, and rotated by the direct
action of cylinders and pistons connected by ball joints to the inner faces of
the discs.
According to these improvements the centres of the two discs are connected
by a shaft or carrier and universal joints, so that the discs may work in
concert. To this central shaft or carrier is keyed the main driving pulley, its
arms or spokes passing out between the several cylinders, so as not to interfere
with their action, or, if preferred, the driving pulley may be fitted on to one
of the shafts of the two discs. These engines may be made either single or
double acting by having the steam ports in one or both the discs, and providing
both the discs, if for a double-acting engine, with a stationary slide valve, in
the centre of which the boss or nave of the disc rotates; against the face of
this valve the disc revolves steam-tight. Each of these valves is divided into
three compartments by three radial partitions, one of these compartments
serving as the steam inlet, another for the exhaust, and the third for the
expansion or cut-off, the amount of expansion depending on the length of the
expansion chamber. The cylinders and piston rods are both connected to
the discs by ball joints having steamways made through them, which commu-
nicate successively with the corresponding radial steam passages made in the
discs themselves, and in some cases the engines may be constructed as
condensing engines, being provided for that purpose with condenser, air pump,
cold water pump, and feed pump. The fiction of the discs against the
stationary valve or valves, and the thrust of the journals against the bearings
of the main shafts is counteracted by employing adjustablo steel or other

page_text: counterpoints or pins, which are made to bear against the extreme onter ends
of the two shafts, and thereby receive the whole of the thrust.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represent a horizontal section of the improved
rotatory engine complete; Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation thereof;
Figure 3 is a front and back view of one of the discs detached, one half being
shewn in front elevation and the other half in back elevation; and Figure 4
.is a detached front view of the valve.
A, A', are two vertical discs, keyed on to the two horizontal shafts B, B',
supported by and turning in the bearings C. The faces or planes of these
discs are so disposed that when prolonged they will intersect each other, as
shown. In the disc A are cast six radial steam passages D, each corre
sponding with a steam cylinder E. The connection between the steam
cylinders and disc is effected by perforated ball joints F fitting into corre-
sponding sockets on the disc A. Within each cylinder works a piston G, the
rod of which is also connected by means of a ball-and-socket joint F¹ to. the
disc A', which is not provided with steam passages. The longitudinal axes of
the several cylinders and piston rods are all parallel to each other, as shewn in
the Drawings, and are equidistant from each other round the discs. Although
I prefer to employ six cylinders, a greater or less number may be employed.
Towards the centre of the disc A the six radial steam passages terminate in
rectangular ports or openings a (Figure 3), which are in close contact with the
face of a valve H (Figure 4); this valve consists of a short hollow cylinder,
which is closed at one end, and is subdivided internally into three distinct
chambers b, c, d; the chamber b is connected with the steam pipe I, and the
chamber c with the exhaust or eduction pipe K. A central hollow boss is also
cast in this cylinder, within which the nave or central boss of the disc A
revolves freely, the contact faces of the disc and the valve or cylinder H being
ground together, so that the disc A may revolve perfectly steam-tight against
the face of the valve. In any position of the disc A two or one of the steam
ports or passages will be situate in front of the chamber 6 of the valve.
On opening the stop valve L (a portion of which being cut away by the
section is shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1) the steam enters through the
steam pipe M into the chamber 6 of the valve H, and thence passes through
any one or two of the radial passages D, the ports of which may happen to

page_text: coincide with or be opposite to the chamber b, and after passing through the
passage or passages the steam enters the corresponding cylinder or cylinders
through their respective ball jonts at F. A pressure will thus be exerted
against the piston or pistons and the end or ends of the respective cylinders,
which pressure being exerted on the inclined faces of the two opposed discs
A, A', causes them to rotate, and bring the next succeeding steam ports
opposite to the chamber 6 of the valve. In this manner the several cylinders
receive their steam in succession, and maintain the rotation of the two discs.
During the rotation of the discs each steam port leaves the chamber 6 after
having travelled over an angle of 90°, or thereabouts, and arrives in front of
the chamber d at the moment the piston has made the first half of its stroke
towards the opposite end of the cylinder, the inlet and outlet of the steam in
and from each cylinder is entirely cut off when the corresponding passage D is
in front of the chamber d, as this chamber is divided from the inlet and outlet
chambers b, c, by the radial partitions or divisions b', c', and consequently
whilst the steam port travels in front of the chamber d the steam is working
expansively, and completes the remainder of the stroke of the piston towards
the opposite end of the cylinder. It is obvious that any amount of expansion
may be obtained by increasing or diminishing the arc of the circle composing
the expansion chamber d, as represented in the Drawing, Figure 4, the steam
will be cut off at one-half the stroke of the piston. On the arrival of the
stean ports in front of the outlet or exhaust chamber c of the valve, the
steam escapes through the passage D into the chamber c, and out by the
pipe K, which may lead into the atmosphere, or into any well-known con-
denser, as preferred. In order to diminish the friction which would be
produced by the pressure of the disc A against the face of the valve H, and
of the disc A¹ against the collars of the journals of its shaft, it is proposed to
employ two steel set screws O, O', the points of which bear against the extreme
outer ends of the two shafts B, B', so that by setting up these screws or counter
points the friction on the surfaces above named may be wholly or partially
obviated. The main driving pulley P is keyed on to one or other of the
shafts B, B', and the transmission of the working power from one disc to the
other is effected by the carrier shaft Q, which is connected to the centres of
the two discs by universal joints, as shewn clearly in Figure 1. In some
cases it is proposed to attach toothed wheels to the discs themselves, which
gear directly into corresponding wheels keyed on to a second motion shaft,
which may carry also the driving pulley P. When so constructed the carrier
shaft may be replaced by a mere rod or stay, provided with a ball joint at
each end fitting into corresponding sockets in the centres of the two discs. It

page_text: is preferred, however, to key the main driving pulley P on to the carrier
shaft Q, in such a manner that the spokes or arms thereof may pass between
the cylinders, so as not to interfere. in any way with them. By this arrange
ment the transmission or second motion shaft may be disposed perfectly
parallel to the carrier shaft, which could not take place with the mode of
transmitting the power shewn in the Drawings. Although I have represented
the cylinders as being disposed with their axes horizontal, it is obvious that
they would work also with their axes in a vertical position, or at any vertical
angle. In the vertical arrangement the bed plate R would be bolted to the
'face of a strong wall, in lieu of being laid down horizontally upon a special
foundation, as shewn in the Drawings. In many cases these vertical or wall
engines are preferable to the horizontal arrangement.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
'original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
1st. The peculiar construction and arrangement of steam engine herein-
before described, wherein the main driving pulley is keyed on to the carrier
shaft which connects the two discs.
2nd. The application and use to and in steam engines of the peculiar con-
struction herein-before referred to of set screws or counterpoints for taking the
thrust of the two main shafts, and thereby reducing the friction of some of the
parts, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)