CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES FOR ACTUATING MA- CHINERY, AND IN APPAPATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS ON WATER
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
HENRY FOURDRINIER and EDWARD NEWMAN FOURDRINIER, both of Hanley, in
the County of Stafford, Paper Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and forty, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said George Henry Fourdrinier and Edward
Newman Fourdrinier, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that we, the said George Henry Fourdrinier and Edward Newman Fourdri-
nier, our executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the said
George Henry Fourdrinier and Edward Newman Fourdrinier, our executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES FOR ACTUATING MA-
CHINERY, AND IN APPAPATUS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS ON WATER,"
being a communication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging us, the said George Henry Fourdrinier and
Edward Newman Fourdrinier, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court

page_text: of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully
fully and at large. appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that 'in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Newman Fourdrinier, on behalf of myself and of the said George
Henry Fourdrinier,do. hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following: description thereof; reference being
had to the Drawings.hereunto annexed, and to.the.letters, and figures marked
thereon; that is to say:-
This Invention may be divided into two parts, consisting, firstly, of improve-
ments in steam engines for actuating machinery; and secondly, for an improved
apparatus for propelling ships and other vessels on water.
this.
The improvements in steam engines consists in applying and working two
pistons in one cylinder, which pistons are simultaneously actuated by the
expansive force of the same volume of steam. The manner of effecting this is
extremely simple, and will be readily, understood by referring to the Drawings
hereunto annexed; in which Fig, represents a longitudinal section of the
engine, taken through the middle of the cylinder, which is made, to vibrate
on pivots, and Fig. 2 is a plan, or bird's eye view of the same, the cylinder
being represented in section, in this Figure, for the purpose of shewing the
manner in which the pistons work therein,. In each of these. Figures similar
letters of reference denote corresponding parts. The cylinder is shewn at a, a,
and the pistons at b, b; steam is admitted, into the box-c, and from thence
passes into the middle of the cylinder by the aperture d, where, by its expan
sive force, it drives the pistons to the ends of the cylinder, as shown in the
Figures. The pistons being thus driven to their greatest distance from each
other, on shifting the valve into the position. shewn in Fig. 2, steam will pass
from, the steam box c through the passages e, e, to the sides of the cylinder,
and thereby cause the pistons to approach each other towards the middle of the
cylinder. The partially condensed steam or vapour contained in the central
part of the cylinder marked, a,,,will be thereby forced out through the
aperture d.in the direction of the arrows, and proceeding through the valves f,f,
will escape by the exit, passages g, g. When the pistons have arrived at the
middle part of the cylinder, the valves f, fare again shifted, and steam
is admitted between the pistons, which are again impelled towards the ends, of
the cylinders as before described. The rod of the lower piston is connected
to the crank shaft h, and the rod of, the upper piston to the cross head bolted
to the lateral rods, which are also connected to the crank shaft.
4:
"

page_text: Figure 3 'represents a longitudinal section, and Figure 4a plan or bird's eye
view of a modification of the.before-described, engine. In this construction
the cylinder is, divided into two parts by a partition.j, and the pistons: do not
expand simultaneously as in the former construction;, but one piston, begins
to move when the other. is at the quarter stroke. This arrangement is made
for the purpose of overcoming the dead points. When one piston is at: the
dead point the other is exerting its full: force. This is easily effected by jan
arrangement of valves, as will be readily understood bystany competent
mechanic In Figure:3 the passageucommunicating with the part a of the
cylinder is represented as open, and the steam exerting its elastic force against
the under part of the piston 6, while the communication between the steam
box esand the part of the cylinder is cut off, and "steam is passing into the
cylinderat aby the passage k; and 'pressing against the other side of the
piston b, steam is now escaping from the part alanda of the cylinder
in the direction of the arrows, and will pass through the exit passages'g, J.
The motion of both pistons is communicated to thencrank shaft by means of
the connecting rods, in the same manner as in Figures 1 and 2
y
The apparatus. for propelling ships and other vessels on-water consists of
certain arrangements of mechanism, whereby a volume of air may be forced
against the water under the bottom of the vessel, in the direction of its stern,
for the purpose of impelling the vessel in an opposite direction: The arrange
ment of parts for effecting this object is shewn in the Drawings at Figures 5
and 6.
.f
info..
Figure 5 represents a cross section of a vessel with the improved apparatus
applied thereto, and Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the same. The air is
to be compressed by an air pump to the same density as the water' under the
ship's bottom, and is made to pass from the cylinder of the air pump through
a pipe or tube a into the 'air chamber (See Figure 6). In this air chamber a
hollow plug c is adapted to a peculiarly shaped valve d; d, in which the said plug
may be moved up or down for the purpose of closing the valve wlién required.
The compressed air occupying the chamber b, passes through the hollow plugc,
and down the tube e, in the direction of the arrow, and enters the water by. the
valve. The bottom of the vessel has two guards g g made of wood or other
suitable material. adapted to it, and running parallel to the keel. The air
when it passes through the valve fis guided under the bottom of the vessel
by the guards g, g, which prevent it from escaping up the sides, and by its
pressure against the water in the direction of the stern impels the head of the
yessel forward. When the vessel is required to be backed, the tumbling
16

page_text: valve f is brought into the position shewn by dots in Figure 6. This is effected
by turning the spindle h, on which there is mounted an endless screw i, taking
into a sector rack j. The sector rack is affixed to the valve f, and by its move-
ment causes the valve to tumble over; and one of its vanes to be brought to
abut against the projecting pieces k, and thereby cause the air to escape in the
opposite direction. When the vessel rolls about in a heavy sea, it may be
found desirable to force the air from the air pump under the most depressed
side of the vessel; and in order to effect this a pendulum regulator is con-
nected to the hollow plugs c, which, as it vibrates, raises or depresses the
plug c, and thereby opens or closes the air passage from the box or chamber b
to the tube c.
Figure 7 represents another method of applying the condensed air, the
principal difference between this construction and the last described being
the manner of effecting the backing astern. The compressed air is supplied in
a similar manner, and passes down a pipe or tube e, eventually escaping by the
sliding hollow valve f into the water. When required to back the vessel, it
will only be necessary to raise the valve f, and lower the other valve P, which
act simultaneously, by turning the pinion m gearing into two racks formed on
the rods n and o, to which the valves are connected. If it is considered
desirable, the compressed air may be supplied to the air chamber in separate
volumes by placing a valve in the supply pipe, and causing this valve to open
and shut by any convenient means; the effect of this method of supplying the
compressed air will be, that between every volume of air beneath the bottom
of the vessel there will be a body of water, against which the air will be forced,
and thereby cause the vessel to be impelled in an opposite direction.
In conclusion, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise arrangement of parts herein shewn, as they may be varied to suit
circumstances; but I claim as the Invention secured by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent,-
Firstly, the application of two pistons working in one cylinder, in the mauner
shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
And secondly, propelling vessels by forcing a volume of air against the
water beneath the bottom of the vessel, in the manner shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Newman Fourdrinier, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
EDWARD NEWMAN (L:s.) FOURDRINIER..

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of March, in the
fourth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Edward
Newman Fourdrinier came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth
year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.