AN IMPROVED POWER ENGINE TO BE WORKED
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Shipwright and Surveyor to "American Lloyds,"
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED POWER ENGINE TO BE WORKED BY
Sealed the 16th May 1865, and dated the 22nd November 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Makdougall
Brisbane at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 22nd November 1864.
I, THOMAS MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Shipwright and Surveyor to "American Lloyds," do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED POWER ENGINE TO BE WORKED BY
STEAM OR OTHER ELASTIC FLUID," to be as follows:-
This engine, which I have denominated the "rotating revolving power
engine," is provided with strong framework of any suitable form to carry or
support the main shaft in suitable bearings, and to maintain in position one
or more fixed and stationary toothed or other wheels which surround the
main shaft, and have it for its or their centre. Around the said wheel or
every of them one or more toothed or other wheels are caused to revolve or
travel by the means herein-after described, and at the same time to rotate with
their axes, which are the crank shafts. Secured on the main shaft are one
or more beams or levers, the ends of which project outwards far enough to be
in line with the centres of the revolving and rotating wheels, and the crank

page_text: shafts therein, so as to allow the said crank shaft or shafts to work through or
in them. The cylinders, any desired number may be used, are attached to
the beam or beams, lever or levers above mentioned, and rotate with them,
the ends of the piston rods being connected to the crank shafts above named
in the ordinary way. I greatly prefer, however, to employ two double cylinders,
that is, those where two are placed end to end, and the pistons and their rods
travel first towards and then from each other, made to oscillate on the main
shaft, around which they also rotate, by communicating motion to the crank
shaft or shafts, and causing the revolving and rotating wheels to travel around
the stationary wheel or wheels. The beam or beams, lever or levers are
carried round at the same time, and motion is in this way communicated or
given to the main shaft or shafts from which the power is taken. In any
case the steam or other elastic fluid is conveyed to the cylinders through the
main shaft, or through an annular passage or passages surrounding the same,
and passes slide or other valves for regulating the supply, whilst the exhaust
ways are by annular passages, or in any other convenient way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Shipwright
and Surveyor to "American Lloyds," send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Her special licence that I, the
said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, my executors,
administrators, 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 "AN IMPROVED POWER ENGINE TO BE WORKED BY
STEAM OR OTHER ELASTIC FLUID," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, my executors or administrators,

page_text: 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 Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 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 (that is to say) :-
This engine, which I have denominated the "rotating revolving power
engine," is provided with strong framework of any suitable form to carry or
support the main shaft in suitable bearings, and to maintain in position one or
more fixed and stationary toothed or other wheels which surround the main
shaft, and have it for its or their centre. Around the said wheel or every of
them one or more toothed or other wheels are caused to revolve or travel by
the means herein-after described, and at the same time to rotate with their
axes, which are the crank shafts. Secured on the main shaft are one or more
beams or levers, the ends of which project outwards far enough to be in line
with the centres of the revolving and rotating wheels and the crank shafts
therein, so as to allow the said crank shaft or shafts to work through or in
them. The cylinders, any desired number may be used, are attached to the
beam or beams, lever or levers above mentioned, and rotate with them, the
ends of the piston rods being connected to the crank shafts above named in
the ordinary way. I greatly prefer, however, to employ two double cylinders,
that is, those where two are placed end to end, and the pistons and their rods
travel first towards and then from each other, made to oscillate on the main
shaft, along with which they also rotate, by commuicating motion to the crank
shaft or shafts, and causing the revolving and rotating wheels to travel around
the stationary wheel or wheels. The beam or beams, lever or levers are
carried round at the same time, and motion is in this way communicated or
given to the main shaft or shafts from which the power is taken. In any case
the steam or other elastic fluid is conveyed to the cylinders through the main
shaft, or through an annular passage or passages surrounding the same, and
passes slide or other valves for regulating the supply, whilst the exhaust ways
are by annular passages, or in any other convenient way.
That the arrangement and disposition of the several parts which constitute
that engine with two double oscillating cylinders, and which, as herein-before
stated, I prefer, may be clearly seen and understood, I have hereunto
appended a Sheet of explanatory Drawings, on which Fig. 1 represents a

page_text: longitudinal elevation; Fig. 2, a longitudinal and vertical section; Fig. 3, a
transverse section at about the line A, B, looking on the cylinders; Fig. 4,
another transverse section in the same line looking on the beam or lever;
Fig. 5, a horizontal section drawn to a larger scale, to some extent showing
the ingress and egress ways; and Figs. 6 and 7, side and edge views of the
circular ring valve which I prefer. In all these views like letters denote the
same parts.
a denotes the framework to which the toothed wheels bare secured and
thereby made stationary; c, the main shaft, on which the levers d are secured
by keys or otherwise, the said main shaft is free to rotate on its bearings;
e, the cylinders, shown divided and in reality in this arrangement making four
cylinders, the divisions between the pistons might, however, be removed, and in
that case there would be three steam spaces in each of the so-called double
cylinders; f, the pistons with rods g connected or coupled to the cranks h of
the shafts i. These shafts pass through bushes in the ends of the beams or
levers d, and through the bosses of the rotating wheels j, to which they are
secured. Friction or other wheels might be used in the place of the toothed
wheels, and eccentrics or other means in the place of the cranks; k are the
steam or other elastic fluid ingress pipes, which terminate in the chambers
surrounding the main shaft c. From these chambers 7 the steam is conveyed
by passages m to the steam chests n, in which the circular ring valve o is
placed. The steam therefore prèsses on or against the said ring valve o and
keeps it against its working face; during the oscillation of the cylinders the
steam or other fluid is admitted through openings or ports p in the said ring
valve o into openings or ports q in the cylinders to move the pistons. The
exhaust ports or ways are marked r; these by the passages & lead to chambers t,
from whence the steam or other fluid is conveyed by the pipe u into the air or
elsewhere as may be arranged.
When steam or other elastic fluid is "turned on" to this engine, the
pistons and their rods are forced to reciprocate or move back and forth, and
the cranks to which the latter are connected convert the reciprocating into a
rotatory motion, as will be readily understood by any mechanician at a glance.
As, however, the crank shafts do not rest in fixed bearings, but are secured in
or to the wheels j, it will be seen that the rotatory motions of the said crank
shafts cause the wheels j to rotate and travel round the fixed wheels b, and as
the said crank shafts are coupled or connected to the ends of the beams or
levers, and these are in their turn secured on or to the main shaft, it is
apparent that the motion given in the first instance to the pistons by the
elastic fluid is conveyed to the crank shafts, thence through the beams or

page_text: levers to the main shaft, and from this latter power may be taken for operating
windlasses, winches, or other apparatus on board ship or elsewhere, or for
any other purpose.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and particularized
the most practicable details with which I am at present acquainted, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the oscillating cylinders
shown, nor to any particular arrangement of cylinders, nor of valves for
regulating the admission of steam thereto, as various modifications, such as an
arrangement of slide or other valves with reversing gear, causing the wheels j
to make a partial revolution only, might be adopted without departing from
the leading features of my Invention; what I claim is, in steam or other
elastic fluid engines where a reciprocating motion is converted into a rotatory
motion, causing the shaft or shafts which receive such rotatory motion to
carry toothed or other wheels, so fitted or arranged that they will revolve or
travel around or on stationary wheels, substantially as herein described and
shown on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE. (L.8.)
In the presence of
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
4, Clayton Square,
Liverpool.