AN IMPROVED ROTARY STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Goodwin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th March
1866.
I, WILLIAM GOODWIN, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States
of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED ROTARY STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal and vertical section, and Figure 2 a side elevation
of an engine of my improved construction; Figure 3 is a vertical section of
the said engine, the said section being taken in a plane at right angles to tho
main shaft of the engine.
In such Drawings A denotes the case of the engine, it being formed with
an annular steam chamber B, and also so as to receive a disc or wheel C fixed:
on a main shaft D, which is placed concentrically through the engine. A
piston D. to travel within the chamber B is fixed to the circumference of the
disc. A gate E arranged in the space F opening laterally out of the case plays
across the steani chamber B and into and out of it, such gate being attached
to a slider G, which is arranged on the outside of the case A, and is moved
vertically by two, cams H, I, applied to the shaft D, one of the said cams
serving to raise and the other to depress the slide during each entire revo-
lution of the shaft. A valve chest K is placed on the top of the case A, and
is provided with two ports a, a, to lead from it into the annular chamber B;
the said ports being arranged on opposite sides of the gate E in manner as
represented in Figure 3. There are also two other ports b, b, leading out of

page_text: the steam chamber K, and alongside of the ports a, a, and into an annular
eduction passage L formed within the case A, and arranged concentrically
within the annular steam chaniber B. An opening M arranged at the. lower
part of the passage L conducts the waste steam therefrom. A reversing
valve N formed, as shown in Figure 8, viz., with two arched chambers e, f,
and two steam passages c, d, arranged with respect to one another, as shown
in Figure 3, is placed within the chamber K. By moving the valve within
the chamber by means of a lever L suitably applied to such valve, it will
either cause the passage c to open into one of the ports a, or the passage d to
open into the other port a, in which case steam from the chest K may be
introduced into either port a so as to put the piston in movement, the waste
steam being discharged from the other port a and through one of the valve
chambers and into the passage. The valve N is simply for the purpose of
effecting a reverse motion of the piston within the annular cylinder; the valve
chest K being situated in advance of the main valve chamber O and its
valve P, and made to communicate with the chamber O by means of a
conduit R. The valve chamber O is cylindrical, and contains a tubular valve P,
tlie common axis of the said valve and chamber being arranged vertically.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the said valve P and its chamber and
the steam conduits T, R, leading out of the same. The said P valve has a
port h made through it to operate with a port i leading from the chest O into.
the conduct R. An opening 9 made through the valve P serves to convey
into the valve P steam from the induction pipe T, which should lead from a
steam generator into the chamber O. While the gate E may be in motion,
and the piston D may be in the act of passing it, no steam should pass from
the valve chest O into the valve chest K, and therefore during such time the
passage or port h should be beyond the passage or port g, or not in conjunction
with it. The mechanism for operating the valve P, that is, for turning it a
short distance in one direction, and afterwards or next moving it back to
place, so that the parts h, i, may be in conjuntion, consists of three bevilled
tappet wheels U, V, W, the said wheel U being applied to the lower end of
the shaft S of the valve P. The upper wheel U contains two teeth or tappets
k, 1, each of the other wheels V, W, having but one tooth or tappet m; the
whole being as shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7, which are side views of such
tappet wheels. The wheels V, W, are fastened on the main shaft D, and
arranged with respect to the wheel U in manner as represented; the tappets
of the wheels V, W, being so arranged that during each revolution of the
shaft they may be caused to act on the tappets k, l, in such manner as to
produce the necessary opening and closing of the valve P. I contemplate

page_text: applying two of such engines as above described on one shaft, and with their
pistons so arranged with respect to one another that each may be operated by
steam, while steam is cut off from the other. In this way each engine will
aid the piston of the other in passing its gate.
In Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings I have represented another mode, in
which I have contemplated the working of the valve supported by the shaft s,
the same being accomplished not only by means of a lever u fixed on the lower
end of the shaft, but by two cams V, W, fixed on the shaft D, and arranged
with their edges against the two arms of the lever. During each revolution
of the shaft the cams are alternately brought into action, so to produce a
reciprocating motion of the lever and shaft.
I do not claim the gate E, the annular cylinder B, the wheel C, and the
piston D to be combined, and to operate together as a rotary engine; but
what I do claim as my Invention is as follows:-
I claim the arrangement of the two sets of inlet and outlet ports a, b, the
annular eduction passage L, and the reversing valve N, with the chamber K,
the annular cylinder B, the wheel C, the piston D, and gate E, the whole
being to oporate together substantially as herein-before explained.
I also claim the combination as well as the arrangement of the bevilled
tappet wheels U, V, W, and the main valve P and its chest O, with the
shaft D and the rotary engine made and applied to such shaft, substantially
as above described, the two steam chests O, K, being connected by a conduit R,
as explained.