IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hathornthwaite Winder, of Sheffield, in the
County of York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS."
Sealed the 12th March 1858, and dated the 16th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hathornthwaite
Winder at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th September 1857.
I, JOHN HATHORNTHWAITE WINDER, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to engines of a rotary character to be propelled by
steam, and which may also be used for raising or putting in motion water or
other fluid.
Two oval pistons, each upon an axis, revolve together in a double case, and
they are so placed therein that one of the surfaces in the largest diameter of
each piston constantly forms a packing with the case, whilst the larger radii of
each piston alternately make contact with the smaller radii of the other.
In some cases I form the surfaces of these pistons with teeth, so that the
teeth of one (in the rotation of them) work into the teeth of the other and so
as to form close contact therewith, by which their correct relative motion will
be maintained..
In order to insure a close packing for steam, I form one or more of the
teeth at each larger radius moveable and acted upon by elastic pressure.

page_text: When the teeth are omitted from the surface of the pistons, I cause them
to rotate in correct relation by means of suitable gear, and apply packing to
the rubbing surfaces.
When using the apparatus as a pump, I sometimes cover the surface of
the pistons with vulcanized india-rubber, leather, or other suitable elastic
material to effect close contact of the parts.
In carrying out my Invention applied as a rotary steam engine, I sometimes
employ a supplemental pair of pistons to form a double-acting compound
engine by which the steam is a second time applied, and the power pro-
portionately increased. To effect condensation, I either exhaust into the dis-
charge or eduction pipe of the pump or directly into the body of the pump.
Exhaustion may also be effected in the usual way by discharging the steam
into a cistern or the atmosphere.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hathornthwaite Winder in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HATHORNTHWAITE WINDER, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Hathornthwaite Winder, Her special licence that I, the said
John Hathornthwaite Winder, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Hathornthwaite Winder, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Hathornthwaite
Winder, my 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Hathornthwaite Winder, 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, thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to engines of a rotary character to be propelled by.
steam, and which may also be used for raising or putting in motion water or:
other fluid.
Two oval pistons, each upon an axis, revolve together in a double case, and
they are so placed therein, that one of the surfaces in the largest diameter of
each piston constantly forms a packing with the case, whilst the larger radii of.
each piston alternately make contact with the smaller radii of the other.
.
In some cases I form the surfaces of these pistons with teeth, so that the.
teeth of one (in the relation of them) work into the teeth of the other, and so
as to form close contact therewith, by which their correct relative motion will
be maintained.
In order to insure a close, packing for steam I form one or more of the.
teeth at each larger radius moveable and acted upon by elastic pressure.
When the teeth are omitted from the surface of the pistons, I cause them:
to rotate in correct relation by means of suitable gear, and apply packing to
the rubbing surfaces.
When using the apparatus as a pump, I sometimes cover the surface of
the pistons with vulcanized india-rubber, leather, or other suitable elastic
material to effect close contact of the parts.
In carrying out my Invention applied as a rotary steam engine, I some-
times employ a supplemental pair of pistons to form a double-acting.com-
pound engine by which the steam is a second time applied, and the power,
proportionately increased. To effect condensation, I either exhaust into the
discharge or eduction pipe of the pump, or directly into the body of the pump..
Exhaustion may also be effected in the usual way by discharging the steam.
into a cistern or the atmosphere.
.
But that the nature of my said Invention and in what way I carry the
same into effect may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
Drawings annexed::
Figure 1 shows a vertical section of one, arrangement of engine acting as a
single engine, and Figure 2 a transverse section of the same, a, a, is the

page_text: casing; b, b, are the two oval pistons which are fixed upon and give motion
to the axes b¹, b', which pass through suitable stuffing boxes in the case, in
order to prevent the passage of steam at such parts, and they have applied to
each of them a toothed wheel 62, by which they are geared to rotate together.
c is the inlet passage for the steam, and d the outlet thereof, after it has
acted upon the pistons in causing them to rotate in the direction of the
arrows; 3 are sliding pieces in each piston acted upon from behind by
springs or other elastic pressure in order that they may preserve close contact
with the case. There is also suitable packing at the ends of such pistons to
prevent escape of steam at those parts.
Figure 3 shows another vertical section of a modification of the above in.
which the two pistons are caused to rotate together by teeth formed across
their surface, and two of the teeth 63, in each of these pistons are formed to
slide in order to preserve close contact of the parts.
Figure 4 shows a section of an arrangement of parts adapted as a pump
for raising or forcing water or other fluid.. In this case e is the supply or inlet
pipe and the outlet. The pistons are in like manner affixed to axes b', b',
one of which will have affixed to it a winch handle to be worked by hand, or
a drum or pulley for a strap or band, or a toothed wheel when to be worked
by power. In this case teeth are shown to the pistons by which they are
controlled, to move in correct relation the one to the other, but if such teeth
are omitted the axles 3, 6, will have to be geared together, and when the
pistons are without teeth I sometimes apply to their surfaces vulcanized india-
rubber, leather, or other suitable elastic material to insure close contact of the
parts.
Figure 5 shews a vertical section of a double acting compound engine
according to these improvements. In all the Figures the same letters indi-
cate corresponding parts, but in this case the steam after acting upon the
first pair of pistons b, passes by the piped to the second case a¹, a¹, to act
upon the second pair of pistons B, B, therein, and which rotate in the direc-
tion indicated by the arrows, and the steam having operated upon them passes
away to the atmosphere or to suitable exhaust by the pipe D.
In this arrangement, all the axes b', ', and B', B', may be geared together
so as to work uniformly, and although I have in Figure 5 shown the pistons
with teeth, they may be formed as in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 6 shows a
simple method of effecting condensation of the steam from engines according
to my improvements. A is a cold water pump fed from a well or other supply
by the suction pipe B; C is the discharge pipe therefrom conducting the
water to the hot water cistern D. E, indicates the discharge pipe for the

page_text: cistern D.
steam to be condensed from the rotary steam engine F. By the discharge
pipe C being kept fully supplied with fresh cold water in its passage to the
cistern D, the steam from the engine F passing along the pipe E, and within
the pipe C, so as to be surrounded by the cold water therein, will quickly
become condensed, and in that state will pass out of the pipe E by the
openings therein at E', mixing with the water from the pump A, whilst that
water will by the heat given off from the steam passing away by the pipe E,
become heated to supply the hot water
H, is another pump to
supply hot water from the cistern D to the
The pumps A and H are
operated from the shafts of the engine F. G is the bed plate of the engine,
or if desired, the discharge steam may escape into the atmosphere or into an
ordinary pump, or into a pump of a similar character to these improvements.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the means
which I adopt in carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood,
that I do not confine myself to the precise details shown and described, as
these may be varied, but what I do claim is,-
boilers.
First, the application to rotary steam engines of oval shaped pistons opera-
ting in manner substantially as explained in respect of Figures 1 and 2; also
I claim the application to rotary steam engines of oval shaped pistons formed
with teeth across their surface, operating in manner substantially as explained
in respect of Figure 3.
Secondly, I claim the application to rotary pumps of oval shaped pistons
operating in manner, substantially as explained.
And, thirdly, I claim the adaptation and combination of parts whereby I
obtain a compound engine, substantially as explained in respect of Figure 5.
Fourthly, I claim the mode of effecting the condensation of the escape steam
from such or other description of rotary steam engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hathornthwaite Winder, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JOHN HATHORNTHWAITE WINDER. (L.S.)
Witness,
ALBERT JOWITT,
Attercliffe Road, Sheffield.