Improvements in Steam Engines or Motors.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Engines or Motors.
We, COUNT LOUIS DALLA DÉCIMAS, of Villa Sélika, Courbevoie, Département
de la Seine, ADOLPHE KÉCHEUR, 24, Avenue des Moulineaux, Billancourt,
Département de la Seine, Mechanician, and AUGUSTE CHAGNAUD, of Cognac,
Département de la Charente, Merchant, all in the Republic of France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has for its object an equilibrated steam engine or motor for self
propelled vehicles, stationary and other installations, the said motor being chiefly
distinguished by the symmetrical and radial arrangement of the cylinders around
the driving shaft, by the method of transmitting the energy of the pistons of the
cylinders to this shaft and by the distribution of the motive fluid to the different
cylinders.
According to the invention we construct the motor of a hollow metal frame
in the form of an equilateral triangular prism which has upon each of its lateral
faces a large opening or orifice, to which is adapted a double acting cylinder.
The three cylinders are fixed upon the three faces of the frame which is thereby
closed and is utilized to form a common steam chest for the cylinders.
In this chest three ordinary valves operate, the said valves being actuated
by a cam keyed upon the motor shaft through the medium of rods which pass
through the stuffing boxes in the frame or support and are provided at their
outer ends with antifriction rollers which make contact with the undulated
periphery of the cam. The said cam has three swells, that is to say, three pro-
jections and three hollows so as to simultaneously control the steam distribution
to the three cylinders.
Each cylinder is provided with an ordinary piston the rod of which passes
through a stuffing box in its cylinder and is formed at its outer end into a slotted
frame or slide in which works a crank pin connected to a toothed pinion mounted
loose upon a pivot in the frame. The three pinions simultaneously gear into a
toothed wheel keyed upon the driving shaft.
It will be obvious that the piston rods, being guided longitudinally by the
contact of the pistons with the cylinders, by the stuffing boxes which they pass
through, and further by metal supports fixed to the frame, communicate a
movement of rotation to the pinions through the medium of the slotted guides
and the crank pins.
The three pinions are of the same diameter, that is to say, a third that of the
main toothed wheel with which they gear.
To exactly proportion the work between the three cylinders the pistons are
arranged so that when the first is at the admission end of its stroke the second
is a third of its stroke from the admission end and is running outwards whilst
the third piston is a third of its stroke from the outer end and is moving inwards.
Consequently when the cam follower which controls the distribution of steam to
the first cylinder is in the middle of a swell on the cam the second follower is
a third up a corresponding swell measured from the bottom of the hollow or
recess and the third follower is a third of the height of its swell from the top
thereof. As the projections or swells are of the same height it results that the

page_text: followers are not equidistant upon the cam. Springs maintain these followers
constantly applied against the periphery of the cam and serve to raise the valves.
The driving shaft passes through a stuthing box in the lower end of the frame
and through the upper end into a chamber around which are formed holes for
the admission of stram obtained from the generator.
The number of cylinders can be varied and we can arrange the shaft vertical
or horizontal as will usually be the case when applying our motor to self-propelled
vehicles.
Furthermore we can dispense with the springs and employ a distributing cam
formed upon its periphery with an undulating groove in which the ends of the
valve rods engage.
11 . 10
T
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1000
Improvements in Steam Engines or Motors.
We, COUNT LOUIS DALLA DÉCIMAS, of Villa Sélika, Courbevoie, Département
de la Seine, ADOLPHIE KÉCHEUR, 24, Avenue des Moulineaux, Billancourt,
Département de la Seine, Mechanician, and AUGUSTE CHAGNAUD, of Cognac,
Département de la Charente, Merchant, all in the Republic of France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention has for its object an equilibrated steam engine or motor for self-
propelled vehicles, and stationary and other installations, the said motor being
chiefly distinguished by the symmetrical and radial arrangement of the cylinders
around the driving shaft, by the method of transmitting the energy of the pistons
of the cylinders to this shaft and by the distribution of the motive fluid to the
different cylinders.
To enable the invention to be fully understood we will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a steam engine constructed according to
the invention, the section being taken on the line 1-2 Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
The motor is constructed of a hollow metal frame A in the form of an
equilateral triangular prism which has upon each of its lateral faces a large
opening or orifice, to which is fitted a double acting cylinder. The three
cylinders a, b, c are fixed upon the three faces of the frame which is thereby
closed and is utilized to form a common steam chest for the cylinders.
In this chest three ordinary valves d, e, f operate, the said valves being actuated
by two cams C, C', keyed upon the motor shaft o, through the medium of
rods d, e, f which pass through the stuffing boxes in the frame or support A
and are provided at their outer ends with antifriction rollers 1, 2 and 3 respec-
tively which make contact with the undulating groove comprised between the
cams C, C. The said cams have three swells, that is to say, three projections
and three hollows so as to simultaneously control the steam distribution to the
three cylinders.
Each cylinder is provided with an ordinary piston a¹, b¹ or c¹ the rod of which
passes through a stuffing box in its cylinder and is formed at its outer end as a
slotted frame or slide a³, 6 or in which works a crank pin m, nor p connected
to a toothed pinion g, h or i mounted loosely upon a pivot in the frame. The

page_text: three pinions simultaneously gear into a toothed wheel R keyed upon the driving
shaft o which is mounted axially in the frame.
It will be obvious that the piston rods, being guided longitudinally by the
contact of the pistons with the cylinders, by the stuffing boxes through which
they pass, and further by metal supports q, r and s fixed to the frame, com-
municate a movement of rotation to the pinions g, h and i through the medium
of the slotted guides a², 62, 2 and the crank pins m, n, p.
The three pinions are of the same diameter, that is to say, a third that of the
main toothed wheel R with which they gear.
To exactly proportion the work between the three cylinders the pistons are
arranged so that when the first a is at the admission end of its stroke the second b
is a third of its stroke from the admission end and is running outwards in the
direction indicated by the arrow x, whilst the third piston c is a third of its stroke
from the outer end and is moving inwards in the direction indicated by the
arrow y. Consequently when the cam follower 1, which controls the distribution
of steam to the first cylinder a, is in the middle of a swell on the cam C the
second follower 2 is a third up a corresponding swell measured from the bottom
of the hollow or recess, and the third follower 3 is a third of the height of its
swell from the top thereof. As the projections or swells are of the same height
it results that the followers are not equidistant upon the cam. The followers 1,
2 and 3 are alternately guided by the cam C and the cam C¹ according as they
actuate the valves d, e, f downwards or upwards.
The driving shaft o passes through a stuffing-box in the lower end of the
frame and through the upper end into a chamber around which are formed
holes t, t for the admission of steam obtained from the generator through the
pipe v.
The number of cylinders can be varied and we can arrange the shaft vertically
or horizontally as shewn in the drawing and as will usually be the case when
applying our motor to self-propelled vehicles.
Furthermore, we can dispense with the cam C¹ and employ in lieu thereof
springs arranged upon the valve rods and adapted to raise the valves d, e, f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The described equilibrated steam engine or motor for self-propelled vehicles
and stationary and other installations, chiefly distinguished by the symmetrical
and radial arrangement of the cylinders with respect to the driving shaft, by
the employment of the central hollow frame or support as the steam chest, by
the arrangement for actuating the driving shaft of a large toothed wheel keyed
upon the said shaft and of toothed pinions gearing with the said wheel and
rotated by the rods of the motive pistons, and by the employment of a distributing
cam keyed upon the driving shaft and the swells of which actuate the rods of
the different valves in combination with a second cam also keyed upon the shaft,
or with springs arranged upon the valve rods, for effecting the return movement
of the valves, substantially as herein before described.
2. The improved steam engine having the three radially arranged cylinders
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1897-Accepted 29th Jan., 1898.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Rope and Cable Gripping Apparatus for Haulage and like purposes.
I, ROBERT HUDSON, of Gildersome Foundry, Gildersome, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer and Iron Founder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction of rope and cable gripping
apparatus as I shall now describe with reference to the accompanying illustrative
drawings wherein Fig. 1 shows such apparatus in side elevation, Fig. 2 in plan
and Fig. 3 in cross section on the line of Fig. 1. 1 is a stud provided at one
end with a flange 2 which is secured as by bolts and nuts 3, a flat plate 4 which is
fixed to the cross stay 5 or equivalent part of a travelling box or receptacle by means
of a couple of staple bolts 6, distance pieces 7 being interposed between the cross
Mounted to rotate freely
stay and plate to keep the former free from the flange 2.
on the stud 1 is a circular plate 8 provided on the side next the plate 1 with an
annular rib or projection 8* so as to form with the said plate an annular groove 9 for
The free end of the spindle I is screw
the reception of the haulage rope or cable 10.
threaded as shown at 1* and on it is fitted a nut 12 that is provided with a lever
arm 12ª and between which and a boss 8b on the circular plate 8 is interposed a ring
or collar 13 that is able to slide endways on the stud 1 but is prevented, as by a
key 14, from rotating on the said stud.
With the arrangement described it will be seen that by turning the lever arm 12"
in one direction, the circular plate 8 can be moved in a direction to firmly grip the
rope or cable 10 between it and the plate 4 so that the gripping apparatus and
connected box or receptacle will be caused to travel with the rope or cable, and by
turning the said lever arm in the opposite direction which can be done automatically,
by a fixed stop or by hand, whilst the apparatus is travelling, the said circular plate
will release its hold on the rope or cable so as to disconnect the said apparatus and
box or receptacle from the rope or cable which will then run idly on the circular plate
and rotate the same about the stud 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Rope and cable gripping apparatus constructed and operating substantially as
described with reference to the drawings annexed.