An Improved Fluid-pressure Engine or Motor which is also Applicable for use as a Pump.
Year: 1896

page_text: An Improved Fluid-pressure Engine or Motor which is also
Applicable for use as a Pump.
I, ALFRED HENRY CROCKFORD, of 26 Overy Street, Dartford, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid-pressure engine or
motor which will occupy a comparatively small space in proportion to its power,
which can be run at a very high speed, and which will be otherwise advantageous
for use in horseless vehicles and for the driving of dynamo-electric machines and
also for the propulsion of torpedo-boats, launches and the like, and for various
other purposes. My improved motor is also applicable for use as a pump.
each
My improved engine or motor is constructed with one or more cylinders,
f which is provided with two pistons arranged on opposite sides of the crank-
shaft and so connected with the cranks that the said pistons will move towards
and away from each other, the said pistons acting upon cranks set at an angle to
each other of one hundred and eighty degrees, so that the force exerted upon the
pistons of each pair will always be equal and opposite, and consequently the force
will always be applied as a "couple" to the crauk-shaft.
My present invention also comprises the construction of the engine or motor in
such a manner that the cylinder can be turned by hand or otherwise about the
crank-shaft to bring the cranks to or away from their dead centre, or to place the
ey linder in any desired position between the horizontal and vertical.
I find it advantageous to so construct my improved engine or motor that the
crank-shaft extends transversely through the cylinder or cylinders, and works in
a bearing or bearings formed therein or in suitable stuffing-boxes at one or both
sides of the cylinder or cylinders as may be required. The crank-shaft thus serves
u a support for the cylinder and I am enabled, if desired, to dispense with the
usual bed-plate or entablature. In some instances, however, I construct the said
engine or motor with two or more cylinders and with the entire crank-shaft outside
of the said cylinders
The admission and exhaust-ports and the distribution-valves of the engine are
so constructed and arranged that the fluid is admitted alternately to the middle of
the cylinder between the nistons, and to the ends of the cylinder, and the ends
and middle of the cylinder are alternately put in communication with the exhaust.
The fluid-pressure, therefore, acts to move the pistons simultaneously, first away
from, and then towards each other.
I preferably construct the engine with a crank-shaft which extends through the
ovlinder and is provided with a pair of cranks at each side of the cylinder outside

page_text: the same; in this form of construction I provide each of the pistons with a tod
which extends through the adjacent end of the cylinder and is connected with a
cross-head coupled by connecting-rods respectively with one crank of each pair.
I can, if desired, dispense with piston-rods, by arranging the cranks and cou-
necting rods within the cylinder, and coupling each of the said cranks by means
of a connecting rod directly to a suitable pin secured in the corresponding piston.
According to another modification of my invention, I arrange two or more
cylinders provided with pistons as above mentioned, parallel to "ach other, and I
arrange the crunk-shaft so that it extends through the space between them, and I
connect the pistons at one end of the cylinders with one cross-head, and those at
the other end of the cylinders with another cross-heads, the said cross-heads being
coupled by connecting rods to the cranks respectively.
According to a further modification of my said invention, I connect the piston-
rods by suitable links with levers which are coupled by connecting-rods to the
cranks respectively.
I sometimes arrange one cylinder or pair of cylinders at an angle of ninety
degrees to another cylinder or pair of cylinders and couple all the pistons to a
single crank-shaft.
Moreover I sometimes construct compound or multiple expansion engines in the
manner above mentioned.
In constructing an engine according to my said invention I sometimes mount
the cylinder on the crank-shaft so that it is free to be turned about the same, to
permit of its being used at different angles between the horizontal and vertical or
to permit of shifting the cranks from or to their dead centre as desired, and in such
case I provide suitable means, such as a lover and a relatively fixed quadrant aud
a locking bolt, for turning the cylinder and for securing it in any desired position.
The steam-pipe and exhaust-pipe are made with flexible connections or in any
other convenient manner to permit such turning of the cylinder.
It is obvious that I can, if desired, modify the construction of my improved
motor to adapt it for use as a pump.
Dated this 29th day of August 1906
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Fluid-pressure Engine or Motor which is also
Applicable for use as a Pump.
I, ALFRED HENRY CROCKFORD, now of 76 Lowfield Street and formerly of 26
Overy Street, Dartford, in the County of Kent, Engineer, 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: -
The object of my invention is to provide an improved fluid-pressure engine or
motor which will occupy a comparatively small space in proportion to its power,
which can be run at a very high speed, and which will be otherwise advantageous
for use in horseless vehicles and for the driving of dynamo-electric machines and
also for the propulsion of torpedo-boats, launches and the like, and for various
other purposes. My improved motor is also applicable for use as a pump.
My present invention comprises the construction of an engine or motor in such
a manner that the cylinder or cylinders can be turned or adjusted by hand or other-
wise about the axis of the crank-shaft to bring the cranks to or away from their

page_text: dead centre, or to place the cylinder in any desired position between the horizontal
and vertical. It also comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
One form of my improved engine or motor is constructed as hereinafter described
with one or more cylinders, each of which is provided with two pistons arranged
on opposite sides of the crank-shaft and acting upon crauks set at an angle to cach
other of one-hundred-and-cighty degrees, so that the said pistous will move towards
and away from each other, and the force exerted thereon will always be equal and
opposite, and consequently the force will always be applied as a
crank-shaft.
couple" to the
I find it advantageous to 80 construct my improved engine or motor that the
crank-shaft extends transversely through the cylinder or cylinders, and works in
a bearing or bearings formed therein or in suitable stuffing-boxes at one or both
sides of the cylinder or cylinders as may be required. The crank-shaft thus serve
as a support for the cylinder and I am enabled, if desired, to dispense with the
usual bed-plate or entablature. In some instances, however, I construct the said
engine or motor as hereinafter described with two or more cylinders and with the
entiro orank-shaft outside of the said cylinders.
The admission and exhaust-ports and the distribution-valves of the engine are
so constructed and arranged that the fluid is admitted alternately to the middle of
the cylinder between the pistons, and to the ends of the cylinder, and the ends
and middle of the cylinder are alternately put in communication with the exhaust.
The fluid-pressure, therefore, acts to move the pistons simultaneously, first away
from, and then towards each other.
I can, if desired, dispense with piston-rods, by arranging the cranks and con-
necting rods within the cylinder, and coupling each of the said crauks by means
of a connecting-rod directly to a suitable pin secured in the corresponding piston.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may bo
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan, some of the parts being removed, and
Figure 2 a vertical longitudinal central section, showing one form of my im-
proved double-acting balanced engine.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line r, a, Figure 2, some of the parts
being removed
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the said engine, drawn to a reduced soale, showing
means for turning or adjusting the cylinder about the axis of the crank-shaft.
Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal central section, and
Figure 6 a plan, partly in horizontal section, showing another form or modifica-
tion of my improved double-acting balanced engine.
Figuro 7 is a side elevation showing another modification thereof, and
Figure 8 is a vertical longitudinal central section showing a compound engine
constructed according to my present improvements.
Referring to Figures 1 to 6a is the cylinder; b, b' are the pistons which work
therein in opposite directions; c is the crank-shaft.
In the form of construction shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cylinder a is divided
transversely into two halves or parts to permit the introduction of the crank-
shaft c, which extends transversely through the said cylinder, a bearing d for tho
said shaft being formed on the said halves or parts, and the latter being firmly
united by bolts passed through flanges a¹, a The pistons bare provided with
reds e,
e respectively, which extend through stuffing-boxes f, f, in opposite ends
of the cylinder a. On these rods are fixed cross-heads g, gl which are coupled by
connecting-rods h, h¹ respectively to cranks j, j of which there are a
pair at each
side of the cylinder. These cranks are set at an angle of one-hundred-and-eighty
degrees so as to ensure the working of the two pistons in opposite directions at all
times and thus obtain a properly balanced engine. I also construct the con-
neoting-rods h, has shown, so that I am enabled to make the cross-heads 9, 9' of
the same length, and thus equalize the weight of the parts which move in opposite
directions.

page_text: k is a rotary valve for distributing the steam or other fluid under pressure. This
valve is worked by means of an eccentric I on the crank-shaft c, the eccentric
rod being coupled to a lever on the valve-spindle A. The said valve distributes
the fluid under pressure alternately to the space between the pistons through the
port m and to the spaces at the ends of the cyunder simultaneously through
the ports m, m2. The pistons b, b' are made with semi-cylindrical recesses in
their inner ends so that they will fit over the crank-shaft bearing d and thus
reduce to appropriate dimensions the clearance-space between the pistons when at
the inner end of their stroke. The crauk-shaft c may be supported in suitable
bearings on a bed-plate, entablature or other suitable support or it may form the
axle of a pair of vehicle-wheels.
Heretofore it has been customary to rigidly secure the engine-cylinder to a bed-
plate, entablature or like support, so that its position cannot be varied.
In constructing an engino according to my present invention, I find it advan-
tageous to mount the cylinder a on the crank-shaft c as shown in Figures 1 to 4,
or in Figures 5 and 6, so that it is free to be turned or adjusted about the axis of
the said shaft, to permit of its being used at different angles between the horizontal
and vertical, or to permit of shifting the cranks from or to their dead centre as
desired; and in such case I provide suitable means for turning or adjusting the
said cylinder about the crank-shaft and for securing it in any desired position.
For instance I firmly attach to the cylinder a a lever n, Figure 4, combined with
a relatively fixed quadrant p and provided with a locking bolt q, the said quadrant
being firmly secured to any suitable support. Since the forces tending to rotate
the crank-shaft are always equal and opposite, the cylinder can be easily held in
any desired position by means of the lever n and bolt q. The steam-pipe and
exhaust-pipe are made with flexible connections or in any other convenient manner
to permit such turning or adjustment of the cylinder. Instead of the lever and
quadrant above described, I sometimes provide a screw working in a pivoted nut,
or a worm geared with a worm-segment attached to the cylinder a, for the purpose
of turning the said cylinder about the axis of the crank-shaft.
In the modification of my invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, the cranks j, j'
and connecting-rods h, h', are arranged within the cylinder a, the said connecting-
rods being coupled to bolts b, & fixed in the pistons b, b' respectively, and the
crank-shaft extending through stuffing-boxes r, on opposite sides of the
cylinder a. The pistons b, bare suitably recessed as shown so as to allow them to
closely approach each other when at the inner end of their stroke and thus reduce
the clearance-space to appropriate dimensions. The ports for the distribution of
the fluid under pressure are arranged substantially as above described with reference
to Figures 1, 2 and 3. In this arrangement I have shown a worm-segment s
attached to the cylinder a, and a worm geared with the said segment and fixed
upon a spindle which is to be mounted in a suitable support and provided with
any convenient means for rotating it about its axis. Other suitable means may,
however, be employed for turning or adjusting the cylinder about the axis of the
crank-shaft.
According to another modification of my invention shown in Figure 7, I arrange
two or more cylinders a each provided with two pistons as above described, parallel
with each other, and I arrange the crank-shaft c so that it extends through a
suitable bearing d' arranged between them; and I connect the pistons at one end
of the cylinders with one cross-head g, and those at the other end of the cylinders
with another cross-head g', the said cross-heads being coupled by connecting-
rods h, h¹ to the cranks j, j respectively. The cylinders may be arranged
horizontally one above the other as shown, or they may be arranged vertically side
by side, or at any desired inclination.
According to a further modification of my said invention, I connect the piston-
rods by suitable links with levers which are coupled by connecting-rods to the
cianks respectively.
I sometimes arrange one cylinder or pair of cylinders at an angle of ninety

page_text: degrees to another cylinder or pair of cylinders and couple all the pistons to a
single crank-shaft. When two pairs of engines such as are shown in Figures 1
to 4 or in Figures 5 and 6 are arranged with the cylinders at right angles to each
other and the pistons coupled to the same crank-shaft, it is evident that the said
engines will start easily from any position, and the cylinders may be rigidly
secured to a bed-plate or like support.
I can also construct compound or multiple-expansion engines according to my
present improvements.
a
In Figure 8, I have shown an arrangement of this kind, in which there are two
high-pressure cylinders brianged opposite each other, and two low-pressure
direction at right
cylinders arranged opposite each other and extending in
angles to the high pressure cylinders. The distribution of the fluid under pressure
to the high-pressure cylinders is effected by an oscillating valve k through the
ports m, m, m2. The exhaust w of the high-pressure cylinders is connected through
a passage u with the inlet of the casing of the valve whereby the exhaust-steam
from the high-pressure cylinders is distributed to the low-pressure cylinders
through the ports m³, m², m³. The pistons 63, 60 of the low-pressure cylinders
are connected by means of the piston-rods e, e, cross-heads g, and connecting
rods h2, h3 with the same cranks j j as the high-pressure pistons b, b¹ respectively.
The low-pressure valve-casing is provided with means for admitting steam directly
thereto for the purpose of starting the engine. It will be seen, therefore, that the
engine can be easily started from any position without the necessity for turning
the cylinders about the axis of the crank-shaft. The cylinders a, a3 are made
with flanges a, a, a, a whereby they are firmly united, the crauk-shaft c
extending through the central space between the said cylinders.
It is obvious that I can, if desired, modify the construction of my improved
motor to adapt it for use as a pump.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
ciaim is:-
1. A fluid-pressure engine in which the cylinder, instead of being rigidly secured
to a bed-plate, entablature or the like, is supported upon the crank-shaft and is
provided with suitable means for turning or adjusting it about the axis of the
said shaft, substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purposes specified.
2. A balanced engine in which the crank-shaft ex.ends transversely through tho
cylinder between the two pistons and the said cylinder is movable or adjustable
about the axis of the said shaft, for the purposes above specified.
3. A fluid-pressure engine in which a cylinder supported upon and movable or
adjustable about the axis of a crank-shaft extending transversely through it, is
provided with two pistous the rods whereof extend through opposite ends of the
said cylinder and are coupled by connecting-rods to cranks set at an angle of one-
hundred-and-eighty degrees to each other.
4. A double-acting balanced engine having the piston-rods extending through
01-posito ends of the cylinder and the cranks to which they are coupled set at an
angle of one-hundred-and-eighty degrees to each other, and constructed substan-
tially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, with or without
suitable means for adjusting the said cylinders about the axis of the crank-shaft.
5. The improved double-acting balanced engine constructed substantially as
described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings, with or without
suitable means for adjusting the cylinder about the axis of the crank-shaft.
6. The modification of my invention wherein the cylinders are arranged parallel
with each other with the crank-shaft extending through the space between them,
and the piston-rods at each ond are attached to a single cross-head coupled by
means of connecting-rods to the corresponding cranks, substantially as described.

page_text: 7. The improved balanced compound engine constructed substantially as
described with reference to Figure 8 of the drawings.
Dated the 31st day of May 1897.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.O.,
Agents for the Applicant.