An Improved Rotary Engine.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1897
....
Complete Specification Left, 7th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 6th May, 1898
An Improved Rotary Engine.
I, ERNEST HICKSON, of 16, Cecil Avenue, Bradford, in the County of Yorks,
Aniline Dye Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My application for Letters Patent relates to an improved motor which may be
actuated by liquids or gases under pressure. It is therefore capable of being driven
by water, steam, compressed air, carbonic acid or by the explosion of coal or other
gas or vapour, or of explosives or by other like forces.
The invention consists essentially in utilising the pressure of liquids or gases
as aforesaid to induce motion in a cylinder having vanes or blades inclined to
and spiral around a central shaft towards which the said blades or vanes extend
and around which they revolve. The pressure of the actuating medium pushing
against these inclined and spiral blades or vanes causes the cylinder to revolve
at a speed proportionate to the pressure of the fluid and the resistance connected
with the cylinder. It is consequently a rotary apparatus for the conversion of
the energy of the motive force into rotary motion but is distinguished from the
ordinary turbine or vortex wheel in as much as the action of the motive force
upon the vanes of a turbine is in a direction more or less at right angles to the axis
of the centre shaft, whereas, in the motor of my invention the action of the motive
power is in a direction more or less parallel to the central axis.
In carrying my invention into effect I prefer to construct the machine broadly
as follows:-
-
A given number of vanes or blades are arranged around the interior of the
cylinder and converging upon the central axis and are given a spiral direction
similar to that of the rifling of a rifle barrel, the exact pitch and arrangenient of
the spiral thus produced will vary according to the precise requirements in view.
The front end of the cylinder is closed and provided with suitable inlets or ports
through which the steam, water or other source of power passes into the cylinder.
In addition to the spiral blades aforesaid I may provide straight blades or vanes"
running parallel to the axis of the shaft so as to divide the interior of the cylinder
into sets of triangular prismoidal or wedge shaped chambers. One face of each
such chamber is consequently parallel tothe shaft: one faco is at right angles to
the shaft, being formed by the end blade of the cylinder: and the third face is that?
of the inclined spiral surface of the vane on which the motive force acts. By:
means of these prismoidal chambers the steam or other source of power entering
through the face of the cylinder is pressed together in its passage towards the
narrow outlet at the other end the effect of which is to give increased pressure on
the vanes or blades by the back pressure against the face of the cylinder, thus
causing increased action against the inclined faces of the spiral vanes.
D
037

page_text: The above described apparatus possesses a great advantage in that it is capable of
being almost instantaneously reversed in action. For this purpose it suffices
to introduce the steam or other source of power at the opposite end and consequently
to obtain the motion of the cylinder in the opposite direction. The inlets and
outlets to and from the cylinder are suitably controlled by guiding valves or other
devices, and the working of the apparatus may be arranged in various ways to
suit special requirements, thus for instance a reversing motion can be obtained
by the use of two cylinders arranged to revolve in opposite directions on the
same shaft by the admission of steam, or the like at opposite ends, or the machine
can be constructed as a compound motor by placing two or more cylinders on one
shaft with suitable intermediate connecting devices.
By means of my invention I obtain a very compact and efficient motor capable
of developing great power with a minimum expenditure of motive force.
Dated the 6th day of May 1897.
I, ERNEST HICKSON, of 16, Cecil Avenue, Bradford, in the County of Yorks,
Aniline Dye Merchant, 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 application for Letters Patent relates to an improved motor which may
be actuated by liquids or gases under pressure. It is therefore capable of being
driven by water, steam, compressed air, carbonic acid, or by the explosion of coal
or other gas or vapour, or by explosives or by other like forces.
The invention consists essentially in admitting a motor fluid as aforesaid through
narrow inlet ports or pipes into prismoidal chambers having one side flat and one side
in the form of a helix in the interior of a hollow drum capable of rotation and rigidly
attached to a central shaft; the said chambers having outlet ports at the one end
of the drum varying in size with regard to the inlet ports at the other end of the
drum in proportion to the expansion of the motor fluid and of the work done.
The motor fluid passing into the chambers through the inlet ports and expanding
in the helical chambers and escaping therefrom through the said outlet ports
causes the drum to rotate, carrying the shaft with it, and thus constitutes a prime
motor.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 shews a plan of my improved rotary motor adapted for use with steam,
and duplicated for reversing.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of Figure 1.
Figure 3 shews the surface development of motor drums and diaphragms.
Figure 4 is a further diagram of a modified form of the chambers, having
inlet and outlet ports combined therewith, and forming part of the revolving
cylinder.
Figures 5 and 6 shew diagrams of the motor mechanism in end view and side
elevation respectively.
Figure 7 is a sectional plan of motor in one form.
Figure 8 is a section of fixed pressure diaphragm L M, shewing the inlet
norts e

page_text: Figure 9 front end elevation of motor shewing inlet ports cl.
Figure 10 section of exhaust diaphragm N shewing outlet ports.
Figure 11 longitudinal section of motor.
Figures 12 to 14 shew development of chambers at surface of matrix, Figure 12
being for motion in one direction only, whilst Figures 13 and 14 shew the diagram
for reversing.
Firure 15 is a diagram of a complete machine for reversing.

page_text: chest (A Figures 7, 11, and 15) containing the motor fluid, the compartment B
containing the revolving drum constituting the motor proper, and on the other side
the exhaust or condenser C. The motor wheel in the central compartment B
is shut off from the compartments A and C by the diaphragms L M and NO
respectively, except where there is a passage through the ports e¹ when these
latter are opposite to the revolving ports forming the inlets into the chambers
The admission of motor fluid and the amount thereof into the chambers may be
regulated by means of valves, or as shewn in Figures 2 and 15 by means of
dampers or slides with adjustable lever handles PQ, and the chambers alternately
fill and exhaust.
In l'igures 1 and 2 is shewn an improved arrangement for reversing and con-
densing with the compound motor, the details of which will be obvious from the
drawing and the foregoing description.
The apparatus may be constructed of any suitable material; the cylinder or
drum is preferably constructed of brass, and the shaft of steel or other tough metal,
whilst the diaphragms may be of brass, iron or other suitable material.
The condensation of steam in the motor chambers is minimised by the action
of the outer envelope in retaining the heat of the inner chamber. The shaft a
is retained in position relatively to the outer cover by thrust bearings indicated
at a. These bearings may be of any suitable construction, and are preferably
provided with balls or rollers to minimize friction.
I am aware that turbine or vortex wheels of various constructions are already
known, and I make no claim to such devices in general, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A rotary motor mechanism with co-axial ingress and egress of motive fluid,
in which the said motive fluid operates by expansion against the rotary chamber
walls as well as by direct jet pressure, substantially as described.
2. The improved rotary motor with co-axial ingress and egress of motive
fluid consisting essentially of an outer casing, a hollow drum or cylinder rigidly
attached to a central shaft, divisions in the said drum parallel to the axis and
combined with other divisions helically curved around the said axis so as to divide
the whole interior of the drum into a series of prismoidal chambers, and ports for
the admission and discharge of the motive fluid, substantially as described.
3. In combination with a rotary motor such as that set forth in Claim 2, adjust-
able inlet and outlet ports capable of being regulated according to the load and
the pressure of the motive fluid, substantially as described.
4. The improved rotary motor with fixed diaphragms L M and NO constructed
and operating substantially as described with reference to Figures 7, 11, and 15 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. The modification of the improved rotary motor constructed and operating
substantially as described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. The improved compound rotary motor with reversing mechanism constructed
and operating substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings.
Deted the 5th 1
ד
y of February 1098.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham.
Patent Agents for the Applicant.