IMPROVED MEANS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur William Lovell Reddie of the Office for Patents
"
66 Chancery Lane in the county of Middlesex Patent Agent for an Invention
of "IMPROVED MEANS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER.'
Communicated to
him from abroad by Thomas McMicking Wilson of Bergen in the Kingdom
of Norway
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur William Lovell
Reddie at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th June
1883.
ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. " IMPROVED MEANS FOR OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER [Communicated to him from abroad by Thomas M°Micking
Wilson of Bergen in the Kingdom of Norway
"
This invention relates to the obtaining of motive power from intermittent
hydraulic pressure communicated to a liquid confined in a closed curved tube in
connection with a cross head or its equivalent from which a reciprocating motion
may be taken.
The curved tube is mounted on a hollow trunnion which is brought into
communication with an air-tight vessel in which the contained air is compressed
by the pumping of water into the vessel.
The principle of action of this apparatus is the alternate imparting of pressure to
a body of water contained in the curved tube and releasing it from pressure, by
which means the resilient tube is straightened and then allowed to recover its
normal form.
The curved tube is free to move on its trunnion and its connection through the
trunnion with the compressed air vessel is controlled by a valve the opening and
closing of which imparts internal pressure to the tube, and frees it from such
pressure.
The free end of the tube being attached as before mentioned to a cross head is
by the straightening and recoil of the tube caused to impart a sliding motion to
the cross head. When the pressure is cut off a passage is opened for the escape of

page_text: BO much of the water as was forced into the tube to impart the internal pressure
thereto.
By the above described means there is communicated to the prime mover a
thrust proportionate to the pressure applied and a travel or stroke equal to the
movement of the end of the curved tube in its alternate change of position
resulting from the intermittent application of and release from pressure. Any
number of curved tubes may be placed in communication with the pressure
generator. In the construction of a machine it is preferred to use tubes made of
non-elastic flexible material and to work them in pairs, placed so as to actuate the
prime mover from opposite directions alternately.
As prime mover it is preferred to employ a cross-head sliding in guides which
cross head will actuate the inlet and relief valves or other connected mechanism
and also a pump or pumps for returning the escape water to the generator the
relief valves opening into the suction pipe of the pumps.
The pumps may be worked in pairs one being placed on each side of the cross
head and exhausting and forcing alternately with each other. At starting, pressure
is raised in the generator by hand or extraneous power. When desirable the
effects of the weight of the tubes with their attachments and contents may be
counteracted by working them immersed in water or by other means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th December 1883.
"
ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents, 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent IMPROVED MEANS FOR OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER" a Communication to me from Abroad by Thomas MºMicking
Wilson of Bergen in the Kingdom of Norway
The present Invention relates to improved means for obtaining Motive Power
and its nature is thus described by my Foreign Correspondent :-
In this Invention I apply a parent source of power or pressure and cause it to
reproduce and propagate itself to any extent producing by means of reproduction
and propagation a power greater than the parent power. I utilise the power
obtained as the result of reproduction and propagation of the parent power by
causing it to act with bursting energy in suitable apparatus in which the bursting
force produces change of shape and change of quality, the change of shape and
quality producing valuable power combined with travel or movement.-As the
source of power I use a supply of power or pressure which acts at one and the same
time with elastic and non-elastic properties. This is most conveniently and suitably
obtained by means of compressed air caused to act on the surface of a body of water
or other liquid which forms a water lock. Figs 1 show in sectional elevation and
plan view respectively a convenient form of apparatus in which to generate a
parent supply of power or pressure.-It consists of a strong iron vessel A on which
is fitted a dome or air chamber a. I connect to it a force pump leading the
connecting tube in at the bottom of the generator at a¹, and I generate pressure
by pumping water or other liquid into the lower part and compressing the contained
air into the dome or air chamber.--The outlet connection is also to be led from the
lower part of the generator at a² and is to be fitted with a suitable stop valve B.-
The generator may be fitted with all the usual fittings of a pressure reservoir such
as safety valve pressure gauge &°.-Suppose the stop valve to be closed and the
pressure to bave been generated in the way indicated and to stand at one hundred
pounds per square inch, and suppose that the internal surface of the generator is
equal to one thousand square inches, we have then a bursting power exerted in the
generator equal to One hundred thousand pounds caused by two different bodies
possessing the opposite qualities of elasticity and non-elasticity, but acting uniformly
on its internal surface. The elastic air cushion formed in the air chamber I call
the parent power and the non-elastic water lock I call the propagating power.-
The parent power may be obtained in other ways, but the foregoing illustration
and description show the principle upon which it is to be obtained and applied.
The parent power is reproduced and propagated in the following manner:
Suppose A¹ A¹ A¹ A¹ A¹ A¹ to be a series of half a dozen strong watertight cylinders
which communicate with the generator A. by means of a tube on which the stop-
valve B referred to in the description of Fig: 1 is fitted, and let the cylinders and
connecting tube be full of water and suppose that the internal surface of each of
the cylinders is equal to one thousand square inches.-When the stop valve B is
closed, the pressure of the generator is borne by the back of the valve, but on the
valve being opened the parent pressure is instantly reproduced and propagated in
each of the six cylinders and a bursting power is communicated to each cylinder.-
The cylinders being already full of liquid the energy of the parent pressure is
reproduced and propagated in them without any expansion or exhaustion of the
parent power in the generator,-Now the internal surface of each cylinder is

page_text: assumed to be one thousand square inches, the same as that of the generator; we
have therefore in this illustration a parent power reproduced and propagated six
times because whilst the bursting power in the generator was shown to be One
hundred thousand pounds we have a bursting power of six hundred thousand
pounds exerted in the cylinders and this effect is attained without any expendi-
ture of power but solely by reproduction and propagation. We have therefore
in the illustration a power producing without expenditure a power six times
greater than itself, and it is evident from the same illustration that the parent
power may be reproduced and propagated in the same manner to unlimited
extent. The illustration Fig: 2 and the foregoing description show the principle
on which I apply the parent power in the generator to reproduce and propagate
itself without expenditure or exhaustion, and by which a parent power is caused to
produce a power greater than itself. Thus far I have shown the nature of the
parent power I employ and a convenient means of generating it, and I have also
shown how I cause a parent power to reproduce by propagation a power greater
tban itself, but the power produced is a dead one and it remains to convert it into
a living power that is power combined with travel or movement.-I obtain this
effect by propagating the parent power in flexible cylinders or other equivalent
apparatus which is capable of changing its shape from a flexed line or position to
a straight line or position under the effect of bursting pressure, at the same time
changing the quality of flexibility into more or less complete rigidity in proportion
to the pressure applied.-Tho first tendency of a bursting pressure is to straighten
the vessel or apparatus in which it is applied by causing opposite surfaces to repel
each other until they become parallel, and to cause the vertical and longitudinal
axes of the vessel or apparatus to intersect perpendicular to each other.-I produce
this effect in utilising my Invention, and actual bursting is arrested at the
termination of the process as indicated, by using cylinders or apparatus of sufficient
strength to withstand bursting whilst sufficiently flexible to change their shape
from a flexed to a straight line and the quality of flexibility into rigidity under
the action of the bursting pressure propagated in them.
Referring now to Fig: 3 suppose that C is a flexible cylinder, and that its end c
is attached to a hollow trunnion through which it communicates with the stop
valve of a pressure generator. Let the opposite end c¹ be also attached to a hollow
but closed trunnion, Let the axes of the trunnions rest on guides DD upon which
they are free to slide, Let the trunnions vibrate with the movement of the
cylinder and let the cylinder be flexed in form of an arc and be full of water.-
Now open the generator stop valve and the pressure is instantly reproduced and
propagated in the cylinder C with the following effect.-The ends c and c¹ are
repelled from each other and pushed outwards sliding along the guides D D.-The
cylinder changes its shape from an arc to a chord or from the flexed to the straight
line and it changes its quality of flexibility into rigidity and becomes capable of
communicating a thrust through its ends, of equal power with the weight it is
capable of supporting when suspended from its centre combined with a travel
equal to the distance through which the ends c and care repelled. In Fig: 4
x y represents the line of direction of two opposite equal forces pulling against
each other as in the action of the cylinder whilst it changes its shape and quality
and w represents the weight the cylinder or beam, in passing from flexibility to
rigidity, is capable of lifting and supporting under the effect of propagated
pressure producing change of shape and quality.-Now it follows from Fig: 2 and
its description that any number of flexible cylinders with a common travel may be
simultaneously actuated from a small pressure generator, and the power multiplied
to an unlimited extent; and it will be understood from Figures 3 and 4 with the
corresponding descriptions that I utilise the reproduction and propagation of
pressure or power as explained by Figures 1 and 2 and their corresponding
descriptions to produce bursting pressure in suitable apparatus which is thereby
caused to change its shape from a flexed to a straight line and to change the
quality of flexibility into rigidity developing power combined with travel, and

page_text: that by these means I produce a power which is greater than the parent power
which therefore may be maintained unimpaired.
The internal cubical contents of a flexed cylinder is slightly less than the internal
cubical contents of the same cylinder when straight. This difference of cubical
contents must therefore pass into the cylinder from the generator to fill a corre-
sponding void caused during the change of shape and represents a corresponding
expansion of the parent power, but as the power developed by the cylinder in
changing its shape expressed in foot pounds is greater than the power which the
expansion in the generator represents also expressed in foot pounds, there is a
reserve power available to maintain the parent power unimpaired by pumping
sufficient liquid into the generator against its back pressure. By a compensating
arrangement which I employ in certain cases and which will be afterwards.
described the change of shape from the flexed to a straight line may be produced
with little or no change in the internal cubical contents of the cylinder or
apparatus. I have now shown the manner in which a flexible cylinder or other
suitable apparatus is made to develop power and travel, and give a thrust which
may be caused to actuate the prime mover of a suitable machine.-To repeat the
stroke it is only necessary to close the connection with the generator and then
open a small relief valve and permit just sufficient liquid to escape from the
cylinder or its equivalent apparatus, as will destroy its rigidity and permit it to be
reflexed in readiness for a repetition of the stroke.-In the foregoing description I
have shown the principles upon which my Invention is based and it now remains
to show how I carry the Invention into practical effect and actuate suitable
mechanism. This may be done in more ways than one, but I prefer to cause the
power and thrust developed by a cylinder such as I have described to actuate the
end of a vertical beam which is pivotted on its axis, generally called "a walking
beam," the opposite end of the beam being made to actuate a crank or I cause the
cylinder to actuate any prime mover in a machine such as a crosshead sliding in
guides or any kind of suitable mechanical prime mover which in turn actuates the
machinery connected to it.-By suitable connections I cause the machine to actuate
by self acting motions the necessary inlet and relief valves, and a feed pump or
pumps to replace escape water or liquid in the generator.-I also counterbalance
the weight of the actuated cylinders or their equivalent apparatus with the liquid
contents by immersing them in water or by balance weights, or by any other
convenient suitable means.
In constructing a machine according to my Invention I take a frame or bed-
plate like an ordinary engine bed-plate and having plummer blocks at each end to
support the vibrating trunnions.-At the middle of the bed-plate, on each side of
it, I fit suitable guides to receive a crosshead, if I use a crosshead. Over each
guide I erect a vertical frame to carry a vertical suspended "walking beam" and
a crank shaft. If I dispense with a crosshead I also dispense with the guides and
erect the vertical frames direct on the bed plate.-Figures 5 and 5* show such a
bed plate where D, D, D, D, are the plummer blocks in which the vibrating
trunnions are fitted one at each end of the bed plate, E the guides in which a cross-
head slides and F a vertical frame in which there are two bearings, the lower one
at G to receive the axle on which the walking beam is pivotted and the upper one
at H to receive a crank shaft.
Across each end of the bed-plate I fit in the plummer blocks a hollow trunnion
which is allowed to vibrate in the bearings and one or more of the flexible cylinders
or equivalent apparatus which I use is attached at one end to a trunnion.-Fig: 6
shows in section such a trunnion as I employ arranged for actuating four cylinders.
-Through the axis of the trunnion at one end of it, I; I connect the generator
and inlet valves to it by a length of strong india rubber insertion hose of suitable
diameter which while making a tight joint allows sufficient play for the vibration
of the trunnions. From the opposite end K of the axis of the trunnion I lead a
similar hose to the relief valves and to the suction valves of the feed pump or pumps

page_text: which I use to replace into the generator the water or liquid allowed to pass by the
relief valves.
As already stated the walking beam is pivotted on its centre by an axle passing
through the bearings G in the frames F.-At the top of the frames is fitted a crank
shaft in the bearings H, and this crank is actuated by the upper end of the vertical
walking beam.-The lower end of the beam is connected to and receives the
thrust of the end or ends of the cylinder or cylinders opposite the trunnions (see
Figures 5, 7, and 8.) The construction of the walking beam is clearly shown in
Fig: 8. Its upper end is formed with a slot equal to the throw of the crank I
employ, and which it actuates without the intervention of a connecting rod.—To
the lower end of the beam the ends of the cylinders opposite the ends which are
attached to the trunnions are connected by an attachment which permits them to
vibrate as the cylinders are flexed or extended.
I preferably use cylinders or their equivalents in pairs placing one of each pair
on opposite sides of the beam and causing them to actuate it from opposite
directions alternately by propagating and relieving the pressure alternately in
opposite cylinders.
If I use a cross head then I cause it to slide in guides on each side of the bed-
plate as in an ordinary steam engine and I connect the cylinders to the cross head
by a vibrating attachment. I attach the crosshead to the lower end of the
walking beam by a loose bearing sliding in a slot in the beam which allows a play
equal to the height of the arc which the end of the beam describes in its backward
and forward motion as will be readily understood.
In the top bearings H H Fig: 7 of the vertical frame I fit a double-ended crank
shaft the crank of which is actuated by the upper end of the vertical walking
beam, and on the crauk shaft I fit a suitable fly wheel.-From the crank shaft
actuate the inlet and relief valves by self acting motions produced by cams,
excentrics or other means, or I actuate the valves from any convenient part of the
constructed machine.
I prefer to construct the inlet and relief valves on the principle of ordinary
check valves, and fit them so that the valve is held tight against the seat by the
forward pressure and is opened as required by the action of the machine forcing
the valve open against the pressure. I construct them with a spindle which is
acted on by the cams or other means and causes them to open as required for inlet
or relief.
On each side of the walking beam or crosshead I place a small force pump and
actuate these pumps direct from the beam or crosshead.-I cause the relief valves
or tubes connected with them to open direct into the suction of the pumps, and I
proportion the area and stroke of the pumps so as to exhaust or pump no more
than the amount of liquid necessary to relieve the cylinders so as to permit of
their being reflexed. I actuate the pumps to exhaust and force alternately with
each set of cylinders according as they are extended or reflexed and I.cause the
pumps to pump the relief liquid back into the pressure generator.
As regards the cylinders or equivalent apparatus above referred to I prefer to
use cylinders, and for low pressures and small power I make them of a non-elastic
flexible material such as strong India rubber insertion hose, or wired suction hose
and I attach them to the trunnions and beam attachment by means of copper wire
or by metal bands with tightening screws.-
-For high pressures and large power I
use cylinders of metal which are caused to act in a different way in producing
their extension and reflexion.
These high pressure cylinders I construct of iron or other metal and make them
in two pieces which are jointed together in the middle.-In the ends of the pieces
at the joint I fit two loose hydraulic pistons or rams which under the influence of
the propagated pressure act against each other forcing the two pieces of the
cylinder apart, whilst they rotate on the joint.-The upper part of each piece of
the cylinder is joined to the other by a piece of flexible hose of sufficient length

page_text: to extend with the straightening of the cylinder.-In some cases I use a hydraulic
piston and ram in each piece of the cylinder with the effect of multiplying the
pressure on the rams acting at the joint-The ends of the rams which push against
each other at the joint are fitted with antifriction wheels fitted excentrically as a
compensating arrangement so that the rising action of the centre of the cylinder
which takes place during its extension causes the antifriction wheels to revolve
excentrically and compensate the height of the arc described by the ends of the
two parts of the cylinder as they pass from the flexed position to the straight
position. In Fig: 9, L are the two parts forming what I call the cylinder; M is
the joint connecting the two parts, c is the vibrating trunnion, c¹ is the vibrating
attachment to the beam or crosshead.-N N are the two rams which act against
each other and the ends of which are fitted with antifriction excentric wheels.―
o is the hose which connects the upper ends of the two parts of the cylinder.
PP are two loose hydraulic pistons and rams used in some cases to multiply the
pressure exerted on the rams N N.
A machine having been constructed on the principle above indicated, its action
will be as follows:
On the stop valve which shuts off the pressure generator being opened, one inlet
valve and one relief valve on opposite sides of the beam or crosshead will be open,
and the opposite inlet and relief valves will be closed. The cylinder or cylinders
on one side will then be extended whilst the cylinder or cylinders on the opposite
side will be reflexed, this action making one stroke forward and carrying the end
of the beam or the cross head with it-During this stroke the pump on one side
will relieve the reflexing cylinder or cylinders and the pump on the other side will
force the relief liquid from the previous stroke into the generator.-The upper end
of the walking beam will have moved the crank through half a revolution, the
momentum of the fly wheel carrying the crank over the dead centre. At the end
of the stroke the position of the valves is reversed with the effect that the stroke
of the machine is reversed and this causes the upper end of the beam to actuate
the crank through the second half of its revolution.-As long then as the com-
munication with the pressure generator remains open, the machine will maintain
continuous action by the alternate action of its self-acting inlet and relief valves
causing a reciprocating stroke and giving off power in proportion to the energy of
the parent pressure in the generator and in proportion to the extent to which the
parent pressure is propagated by increasing the number or area of the cylinders,
or the equivalent of the cylinders.
In Fig: 3 I have shown the action of a cylinder under the effect of bursting
pressure how it thrusts from both ends, but in constructing a machine to utilise
my Invention I prefer to retain one end of the cylinder in a fixed position, and
take the thrust from one end only but with the travel due to both ends.
In Fig: 10 of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn in side elevation a
motor constructed on the above principles.-The arrangement of pivotted cylinders
and trunnion guides being substantially the same as that described with reference
to Figure 9.
The cylinders are arranged in pairs and are balanced by counterpoises.
When rigid the cylinders exert an upward pull on one or other of the connecting
rods by which the fly wheel crank is driven, and when flexed they allow the
said crank to continue its rotation.-The cross heads of the connecting rods slide
in vertical guides.
The inlet and relief valves are driven by cams or excentrics on the crank shaft
and the valve boxes communicate by pipes with the several pairs of cylinders in
such a manner that the relief valve of one pair is opened at the moment when the
pressure inlet valve of the other pair is closed.
In Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the accompanying drawings a pair of jointed
cylinders are shewn arranged to operate simultaneously through a connecting rod
on the crank axle of the engine, each cylinder being simultaneously flexed or
stiffened:

page_text: Each cylinder consists of two valves fitted with loose pistons in the manner
above set forth and with antifriction bowles engaging with each other in the
manner clearly shown in the plan view.
My Correspondent says with reference to the arrangements shown in Figures 9,
11, 12, 13, and 14,
The method I propose of using a cylinder composed of two pieces jointed
together, and with loose pistons is undoubtedly the best.
A flexible cylinder in one piece (that is without loose pistons) acts exactly in
the same way as a cylinder with loose pistons (that is a cylinder composed of two
pieces). For practical reasons however he prefers to employ the double part
cylinder:
Having now described the nature of the said Invention of "Improved means for
obtaining motive power" as set forth in the communications received by me from
my Foreign Correspondent I wish it to be understood that what is claimed is:
First: The application of a parent supply of power or pressure which is
propagated and reproduced to any desired extent by means of a liquid propagating
medium in the manner herein above indicated.
Secondly: The intermittent application and relieving of the propagated power
or pressure in cylinders or equivalent apparatus full of liquid, to produce on the
body of the cylinder or equivalent apparatus intermittent flexibility and resilience
as hereinabove indicated.
Thirdly The application of excentric antifriction wheels or their equivalent
to compensate the difference of cubical contents between a cylinder flexed and the
same cylinder straight, as above set forth.
Fourthly: The apparatus for obtaining motive power described with reference
to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie have hereunto set
my hand and seal the eleventh day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
PROTO T
DETTE
W. L. REDDIE. (L.S.)