A. DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINE, SAID ENGING BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM HAMMERS, AND OTHER MACHINERY IN WHICH A DIRECT ACTING MOVEMENT IS REQUIRED
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Campbell Wilcox and Benjamin Franklin Baker,
of the City and County of San Francisco, in the State of California, one of the
United States of America, for the Invention of " A. DIRECT ACTING STEAM
ENGINE, SAID ENGING BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM HAMMERS,
AND OTHER MACHINERY IN WHICH A DIRECT ACTING MOVEMENT IS REQUIRED."
Scaled the 4th April 1876, and dated the 21st January 1876.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Campbell Wilcox and
Benjamin Franklin Baker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 21st January 1876.
WILLIAM CAMPBELL WILCOX and BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BAKER, of the City and
County of San Francisco, in the State of California, one of the United States of
America. "A DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINE, SAID ENGINE BEING APPLICABLE FOR
DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM HAMMERS, AND OTHER MACHINERY IN WHICH A DIRECT
ACTING MOVEMENT IS REQUIRED."
"
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in direct acting steam engines of
that class which are usually employed to drive a pump by means of the direct
connection of a single piston rod extending through the heads of the steain and
pump cylinder, and uniting the two pistons so that they move together. These
engines have usually a main valve to supply steam to the main piston, and this
valve is driven by a supplemental piston which receives steam to actuate it by
devices which vary in different engines.
Our Invention consists in a novel construction and operation of two rotary
supplemental valves which are so connected as to be operated simultaneously by
the main piston, and are provided by ports which admit and exhaust steam
alternately to and from the supplemental piston.
It also consists in a means for cushioning the main piston and supplying steam
to start it before the main steam ports are opened.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through W, W, Figure 6.
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2 is a vertical section taken through Z, Z, Figure 3,
3 is a transverse vertical section taken through X, X, Figure 5.
4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through V, V, Fig. 3.
5 is a plan view of valve face.
6 is a transverse vertical section taken through 1, 2, Figure 7.
7 is a horizontal section taken through t, t, Figure 3.
[Price d

page_text: :
Steam cyuner
the piston D moves; the piston rou
extends through one head of the cylinder and also through one head of the pump
cylinder, having the pump piston secured to its opposite end in the usual manner;
the piston B is driven by steam, which is admitted and exhausted through the
action of the main valve D; this valve is operated by a supplemental piston E
moving in its cylinder, and the steam to operate this valve is supplied by means of
two valves F, F. These valves are placed above and to one side of the steam
cylinder and near the ends, as shown. The valves are made conical and are fitted
to chambers which lie at right angles with the cylinder, so that the spindle or
stem G of each will extend above the bore of. this cylinder; this stem has an arın
or lever H which projects downward into the cylinder, and when the piston arrives
at one end it will strike the end of one of the arms, and when it reaches the other
end it will strike the other, thus rotating the valves slightly upon their axis; in
order to connect these valves so that both will be moved simultaneously whether
the lever at one end or the other be moved we provide an arın I, which we have
shown projecting upward from each of the valves, and a rod or bar J unites those
two arms, moving in a hole or channel K which is made for it.
It will be readily seen that the shafts G could be extended to the outside of the
valve chests, and be provided with arms and connected by a rod entirely outside
the chest, but this would necessitate stuffing boxes and would be more troublesome
and expensive.
The operation will then be as follows:-Steam being admitted to the main
valve chamber will fill the space around the valve and will pass along the channel K
to the valves F, and by its pressure upon their outer ends they will be held closely
to their seats. A small slot n extends along the surface of the valve to a point
where (when the valve is turned to the proper position) steam will be admitted to
the port o and pass behind the supplemental piston E, thus driving it to the
opposite end of its cylinder. This movement carries with it tho main valve, thus
admitting steam behind the main piston, which is forced to the opposite end of its
cylinder where it strikes the arm H, and by its movement rotates the valves so
as to open the other steam port o and reverse the motion of the piston E.
The exhausts ports 7,, of the valves F are bored directly through the valve, and
one end connects with a passage which opens the supplemental cylinder, while
the other end opens into the main exhaust port M, so that when one steam port o
is opened the opposite exhaust-port-r-will-be-opened.-
☑
The pressure of steam within the chambers of the valves F will be against their
ends in such a manner as to hold them to their seats and make them steam-
tight.
We have found that by placing the exhaust ports r¹ from the supplemental valve.
chamber a short distance from the end of the chamber a sufficient amount of
cushioning will be effected to prevent the piston E from striking the heads; but if
it is found desirable we can employ two cushion ports p upon the side of the main
valve face leading into the steam ports o, and alternately supplied with steam by a
hole in the main valve, this device being fully shown in Figure 5.
It will be seen that the main steam ports L, L, open into the cylinder A at some
distance from the ends, so that the piston B in completing its stroke will pass the
port and will be cushioned upon the steam thus confined between it and the end of
the cylinder. At the same time in completing its stroke it will strike the lever
arm H at that end of the cylinder and reverse the positions of the various valves so
as to admit live steam to the passage L for the purpose of returning the piston.
From its position however it will be seen that the steam cannot pass behind the
piston B until the latter has been started upon its return movement, and this we
accomplish by means of a small port S which opens through the rotary valve F
when the latter is turned, and communicates with the space within which the
lever H swings. As this space extends to the extreme end of the cylinder it will
be manifest that the piston can never hang at this point, and that its motion will
be regular. By this construction we are enabled to operate our valves with great

page_text: rapidity and with little friction or wear, while the steam passages are so short that
there is little liability to condense steam in the minute supplemental valve passages,
a difficulty often met with in this class of engines.
We are aware that rotary or oscillating valves have been used to admit and
exhaust steam in connection with steam cylinders, and we do not therefore claim
broadly a rotary valve; but what we do claim and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is,
First. The rotary or oscillating valves F having the exterior slotted steam
passages and the exhaust passages 7 passing through them in combination with
the chambers, having the connecting steam channel K for admitting steam to the
surface of the valves, and the steam ports o, substantially as herein described.
Second. The oscillating valves F having the arms or levers H extending into the
cylinder so as to be operated by the main piston, and provided with the connecting
rod J for ensuring simultaneous action, substantially as herein described.
Third. In combination with the piston B moving beyond the ports L in the
main cylinder we claim the valves F having the steam passages S opening into the
main cylinder for the purpose of starting the piston B in its stroke, substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Campbell Wilcox and Benjamin
Franklin Baker, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth
day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
5 Witnesses,
GEO. H. STRONG.
C. W. RICHARDSON.
WILLIAM CAMPBELL WILCOX. (L.S.)
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BAKER. (L.S.)