Improvements in Steam Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Engines.
I WILLIAM WILSON of Oulton Broad near Lowestoft in the county of Suffolk,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in steam engines and is principally applicable
to that form of engine having cylinders working side by side with pistons operating
opposite cranks or a series of such cylinders placed in "tandem" form.
My object is to provide a cheap and simple form of engine with a facile means for
reversing which means may also be applied to existing engines of a similar type
which run in one direction only.
In order to apply my invention say to a triple expansion or compound engine, I
place a pair or pairs of cylinders facing each other and between these is a circular
chamber into which the ports from the said cylinders lead and in this chamber works
a valve, or valves, of peculiar form.
These valves have a single web on one side and double webs on the other side and
are hollowed out to form a Y in cross section.
The inside edges of the double web regulate the distribution of steam to one
cylinder and the single web regulates the distribution to the other.
The valve spindle is arranged to be moved to and fro by an eccentric, link, cam or
other motion causing the valves to run over the ports and can, either whilst running
or when stopped, by means of a ball and socket or other universal joint be given a
half turn which changes the distribution of steam from one cylinder or series of
cylinders to the other or others and so effects the reversal of the engine.
The steam enters above the valves and the exhaust takes place below.
In place of the valves before referred to I may use piston valves formed by rings
or flanges having a hollow stem to fit the valve spindle and connected together by
webs; In this form of valve I need not place the ports parallel to each other as
when one ring or flange of the piston valve or valves is shutting the induction port
or ports of one cylinder or cylinders the eduction port, or ports, of the other
cylinder, or cylinders is between two rings or flanges.
The reversal is effected by lengthening the eccentric rod or the valve spindle thus
raising the valve or valves.
I can apply my improved valve arrangement to single as well as to double acting
engines.
Dat this 4th day of Februa 1889
POPPLEWELL, COLTON & C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Engines.
1, WILLIAM WILSON, of Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft, in the County of Suffolk,
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 :-
My invention relates to steam engines having cylinders arranged side by side with
pistons operating opposite cranks, and has for its object to provide cheap and simple
forms of such engines with facile means for reversing.
Between two cylinders arranged side by side I provide a circular chamber into
which the ports from the said cylinders lead and in this chamber is a piston valve of

page_text: peculiar form which has a single web on one side, two webs (hureinafter called double
webs) on the other side and is hollowed out to approximately a Y form in cross
section.
The inside edges of the double web regulate the distribution of steam to one
cylinder and the single web regulates the distribution to the other.
The valve spindle is arranged to he moved to and fro by an eccentric, link, cam
or other motion causing the valve to run over the ports and cun, either whilst
running or when stopped, by means of a ball and socket or other universal joint, be
given a half turn which changes the distribution of steam from one cylinder to the
other and so effects the reversal of the engine.
The steam enters above the valve and the exhaust takes place bolow.
Another form of piston valve that can be used according to my invention is formed
by rings or flanges having a hollow stem to fit the valve spindle and connected
together by webs. In this form of valvo I need not place the ports parallel to each
other as when one ring or flange of the piston valve is shutting the induction port
of one cylinder the eduction port of the other cylinder is between two rings or
flanges.
The reversal is effected by lengthening the eccentric rod or the valve spindle thus
raising the valve.
I can apply my improved valve arrangements to double acting engines as well as
to single acting engine and my means for reversing may be adapted to existing
engines of the type referred to but which are not made for reversing.
As will be evident two or more valves of either of the constructions above referred
to can be placed on one spinille nccording to the number of cylinders to which the
distribution is to be effected, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.
For the purpose of enabling my invention to he fully understood I will now
describe it as applied in a pair of single neting compound engines having two sets or
series of cylinders arranged in tandem form to work side by side, the pistons of one
set acting upon one crank pin and the pistons of the other set acting upon an
opposite crank pin and the cylinders having one common valve chamber or steam
chest.
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section. A & A' are the two high pressure
cylinders, having steam ports 1 and 2, and theso two cylinders are arranged above
or behind (from the crank shaft) a pair of low pressure cylinders B and B having
steam ports 3 and 4. The pistons of A and B are connected as shewn to the crauk ('
by a connecting rod, and the pistons of A' and B' are connected in a similar manner
to the crank (which is opposite the crank ('. Between the two sets of cylinders
I form a circular chamber or valvo chest 1) as shewn in Fig. 2 which is a horizontal
section on the line ma Fig. 1 through the tops of the high pressure cylinders and
through the high pressure steam ports, and in which A is one high pressure cylinder,
and the other; D is the circular valve chamber; and 1 and 2 the ports lending
to their respective oylinders. This chamber is not solid all round, but has apertures
in its sides opening into chambers D' formed partly by the sides of the cylinders
at D' and partly by the walls D. This chamber is used as a receiver, but it is not
essential to have it; its space may be filled up and a mere passage left in it for the
ateam, loading from one side of the valve chamber to the other as shown by tho
dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2 where Da shows the dotted passages. The steam is
admitted to the upper end of the chamber D at S; and in order to effect the
distribution I place between each pair of ports a circular piston valve having the cross
sectional form shown at E (Fig. 1). It fits the chamber D and if necessary is made
tight by suitable piston rings; this valve I cause to pass over the ports by a cam,
crank, or eccentric, on the shaft connected to the valve by a rod 5 piston 5 and a
spindle 4*. In. Fig. 1 the eccentric K is shown arranged with an automatic
governor G of the Hartnell type. A valve of the same form is provided between the
ports of the low pressure cylinders, and is fixed on the same spindle 4, and actuated
by the same gear.

page_text: The method of operation is as follows:-
In Fig. 1 the pistons of cylinders A and B are shewn at the end of their upward or
inward stroke, and ready to commence the downward or outward stroke, and the
pistous of cylinders A' and B' are at the end of their outward stroke and are ready to
exhaust. I fix the eccentric K at such a position on the crank shaft as will give
when in motion a downward or outward motion of the valve E, when the cranks are
in the positions shewn in Fig. 1 and as they pass over the ports, the port 1 will be
uncovered and high pressure steam will pass into it and thence to the high pressure
cylinder A; at the same time the port 2 on the high pressure cylinder A will be put
into communication with the receiver D' by the inner edge of the valve passing from
the edge of the port 2; thus A' will be enabled to exhaust into the receiver D¹.
When the valve is at the bottom or outward end of its stroke, the position will be as
shewn in Fig. 3 which is a vertical longitudinal section of a part of the two high
pressure cylinders and their ports and valve; the arrow a shews the full admission of
the steam into the high pressure cylinder A, and the arrow b shews the high pressure
cylinder A' exhausting fully into the receiver D'.
As the crankshaft revolves the valve will pass up and will shut off the steam to
cylinder A and the exhaust from the cylinder A¹; and, passing on, the valve will open
the port 1 to exhaust into the receiver D', and the port 2 to admit steam; this will
occur as the inner edge of the valve clears the edge al of the port 2*. While these
operations are taking place for the high pressure cylinders, as is evident exactly
similar operations will be taking place for the low pressure cylinders, excepting that
the steam will be supplied from the receiver D' and the exhaust will take place into
the chamber D, from which there is communication by the passage E either with the
air or with a condenser.
It
As has been above mentioned, it is not essential that the receiver should be of the
form shewn in the drawing; it may be reduced until it is a mere passage or passages,
so long as the same purpose is served as is obtained by the use of the receiver.
will be seen that my invention is equally applicable to triple and quadruple expansion
engines, by (a) adding other pairs of cylinders upon the tops of the cylinders A
and A¹; (b) extending the valve chamber D so that the ports of the additional
cylinders may come into it in the manner already explained with reference to the
cylinders shewn, and (c) arranging the necessary valves upon a prolongation of the
same spindle. It is not absolutely necessary that the valve for each pair of cylinders
should be in a separate pieces as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. All the valves may be cast in
one, or in several pieces; as may be found most convenient or economical in any
particular case. When made in one it may be found desirable to arrange passages D
as shewn dotted in Figs. 1 and 2 and to allow the steam to flow from one side to the
other of the chambers D'.
Fig. 4 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, and
Fig. 5 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 4 of a set of valves cast in one.
With a valve or valves according to the above described arrangement in order to
adapt the engine to be readily reversed I fit the connexion between the eccentric and
valves with a joint such as will enable the valve or valves to be rotated in the chest
(in addition to the ordinary motion). With this arrangement by causing the valve
or valves to make a half turn and thereby causing that part of the valve (or of each
valve) which was covering steam port 1 in Fig. 1 to cover steam port 2, and so on,
the direction of the motion of the engine will be reversed. One arrangement for
doing this consists in providing a socket joint at L, continuing the spindle 4* through
the top of the chamber and fixing a suitable handle or lever on the protruding part of
the spindle as shewn in Fig. 1. When using a solid valve, the valve might be free
to rotate on its spindle and a sleeve be carried through a stuffing box at the top, a
handle or lever being provided on the sleeve, so that by a half turn of this handle the
valve would be caused to rotate on its spindle and thus the reversal of motion would
be effected.
In the arrangement already described the ports are brought into the valve
chamber D directly opposite each other, but I can vary the arrangement and the

page_text: form of valves, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 which are respectively a vertical longitudinal
section of part of a pair of single acting compound engines, and a horizontal section
on the line O, P Fig. 6. In this arrangement instead of the steam ports of the
opposite cylinders entering the chamber exactly opposite each other, the steam
port 1 leading to the high pressure cylinder A enters the chamber D at a distance,
measured along the central line of the valves from the crank shaft, greater than the
distance from the crank shaft to where steam port 2 enters the chamber D) from the
high pressure cylinder A' by the amount of the breadth of one of the edges of
the valves (say in Fig. 6) plus the width of one of the steam ports. This proportion
may be varied slightly according to the requirements of outside and inside lap wanted,
and is merely given as a guide for the amount of difference required. In this arrange
ment the piston valve employed has in one direction the cross sectional form shewn in
Fig. 6 instead of that shown in Fig. 1, and an elevation of this valve taken trans-
versely to the engine is represented in Fig. 8, where shew the face edges of the
valve corresponding to e in Fig. 6 and shew piston rings for the purpose of
making the valve steam tight; the strips e also assist in making the valve steam tight.
The admission to and exhaust from the cylinders are worked and regulated in a
similar manner to that described with reference to the arrangement illustrated in
Figs. 1 to 3. By arranging more cylinders in series with their ports and valves I can
obtain any multiple expansion I wish. Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of a triple
expansion engine in this manner. In these arrangements (Figs. 6 and 6º) as in that
previously described, it is not necessary that the valve for each pair of opposite
cylinders should be a separate piece. All the valves may be in one or in several
pieces as may be found most convenient or economical in any particular case.
Fig. 9 shews partly in elevation and partly in section a double valve made in one
piece.
Fig. 10 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 9 of such a valve. In these figures
shews the working faces or edges of the double valve, the packing rings and ev
the vertical packing strips as before. In this, as in the first described arrangement,
when using valves cast in solid form it will be found convenient to arrange passages
for the steam from one side of the receiver to the other, such as are shewn dotted in
Figs. 1 and 2 at 13 and also in Figs. 6 and 7.
For the purpose of enabling the engine to be reversed 1 provide an adjustable
connexion between the valve or valves and the eccentric that actuates them so that the
position of the valve or valves in relation to the eccentric can be readily altered; thus
when it is desired to reverse the engine the distance between the eccentric and the
valves can be increased by the amount of half the valve travel which is all that is
necessary. A convenient way of doing this is by slotting the eye of the eccentric rod
into the form of a link as shown in Fig. 11 and arranging a suitable lever and handle
so that according as it is pulled one way or the other the distance between the eccentric
and the valve or valves will be increased or diminished, and by so altoring the distance
in the way above mentioned the direction of motion of the engine will be reversed.
My invention is also applicable to quadruple expansion engines wherein four single
acting cylinders of different sizes are arranged in snch wise that two cylinders joined
in line in tandem form act on one crank and the other two cylinders in similar form
with their axis parallel to that of the first pair of cylinders act on another crank
opposite to the first crank there being one common valve chamber between the two
lines o cylinders with the ports coming into it in the manner before described. The
distribution of the steam in such a quadruple expansion engine is arranged as
follows:-
It will first go into the smallest cylinder and then will pass into a receiver; then it
will be admitted to the second cylinder which acts on the same crank; then the stoam
will pass through the valvo to the third cylinder which nets on the second crank and
on the return stroke of the piston of that cylinder the steam will pass into another
receiver and finally will be admitted to the fourth cylinder from which it will escape
into the atmosphere or a condenser. Thus it will be understood that throe and a half|
revolutions of the crankshaft, will be made during the passage of the steam through

page_text: the engine. If any ordinary throttling arrangement were used for governing, the
governing would only take effect at first on the first cylinder but from the form and
arrangement of the valve I am enabled to control the admission of the steam to all
the cylinders by using an automatic governor of the Hartnell or a similar kind upon
the crank shaft acting upon the eccentric that operates the valve as shewn at G Fig. 1.
To effect the distribution of the steam in the manner described 1 arrange the ports to
come into the valve chamber as described for my arrangement of compound engine
illustrated in Fig. 6 and I use in the chamber a valve whose surface and outline aro
similar to those shewn in my drawings of solid valves Figs. 9 and 10 but having an
opening on the top for main steam on one side only and on the bottom for exhaust on
one side only, and I make the valve hollow and arrange an opening into this hollow
for the exhaust from the second cylinder and another opening out of this hollow for
the steam to pass out into the third cylinder. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal cross section
and Fig. 13 a horizontal section on line Q, R of Fig. 12 of a quadruple engine in
which A, B, C, D are the cylinders, V is the circular valve chamber into which the
ports come as in my arrangement Fig. 6; V₁ is the valve and ce are the working
edges or faces of the valve which correspond with each other and the ports exactly as
in the corresponding arrangement. S is the inlet for main steam, and E the exhaust.
As shown the pistons of cylinders A and B are at the top of the stroke and ready for
admission of steam, the pistons of cylinders C and D are full out, and ready to begin
their exhaust stroke and the eccentric that actuates the valve is in such a position
that the valve is moving in a downward direction.
It will be seen that as the valve passes down main steam will pass from S into
cylinder A, and steam from R¹ will pass into B the second cylinder, the steam in
cylinder will exhaust into R2 and the steam in cylinder D will pass to the air or
to a condenser by E the final exhaust passage. When the pistons of cylinders A
and B have got to the bottom of their stroke and the pistons of cylinders C and D
to the top of their stroke, the shaft having made half a turn the valve will again be
in the position shewn, but will be passing upwards.
It will be seen that as the valve passes up cylinder A will be placed in communi-
cation with R, and cylinder B by means of the passage through the valve will exhaust
directly into cylinder C while cylinder D is supplied from R
Fig. 14 is a transverse elevation of the valve viewed from the left of Fig. 12
shewing the apertures which takes the steam as it exhausts from cylinder B and
also shewing the rings z and strips vas in Fig. 10.
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 :-
1. A steam engine in which cylinders are arranged side by side or facing one
another with their axes parallel, with an intervening valve chamber having oppositely
arranged ports leading to the respective cylinders, and a piston valve or valves
having or each having a single web on one side and double webs on the other side
the arrangement and operation of the valve or valves being substantially such as
hereinabove described with reference to the valve illustrated in Fig. 3 of the annexed
drawings.
2. A steam engine of the kind referred to in the preceding claim wherein the
reciprocating distributing valve or valves is or are made capable also of movement in
a rotary sense so that the engine can be reversed by turning the valve or valves as
described.
3. A steam engine in which cylinders are arranged side by side or facing one
another with their axes parallel with an intervening valve chamber having ports
leading to the respective cylinders, those leading to the cylinder at one side of the
valve chamber being at different points in the length of that chamber from those
leading to the cylinders at the other side, and a piston valve or valves having
cavities at opposite sides thereof with working faces the arrangement and operation
being substantially such as hereinabove described.

page_text: 4. In an engine of the kind referred to in the preceding claim, providing between
the valve or valves and the eccentric that actuates the same an adjustable connexion
whereby the distance between the eccentric and the valve or valves can be readily
altered and the engine be thereby reversed as described.
Dated this 1st day of November 1889.
W. Lloyd Wise,
45, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.('., Agent for the Applicant.