AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM, WATER, ATMOSPHERIC AIR, AND SIMILARLY ACTING MOTIVE POWERS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Vaile, of Queen Street, in the City of
Auckland, in the Province of Auckland, in the Colony of New
Zealand, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE FOR
APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM, WATER, ATMOSPHERIC AIR, AND
SIMILARLY ACTING MOTIVE POWERS."
Sealed the 20th December 1875, and dated the 9th July 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Vaile at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th July 1875.
I, ROBERT VALLE, of Queen Street, in the City of Auckland, in the
Province of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE FOR
APPLYING MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM, WATER, ATMOSPHERIC AIR, AND SIMILARLY
ACTING MOTIVE POWERS," to be as follows:-
"My Invention relates to rotary engines for applying motive power,
and consists of on amongement of mechanism for annlving the motive

page_text: power of steam, water, atmospheric air, and similarly acting motive
powers, so as to obtain a rotary motion direct from the power without
the use of the crank and its necessary parts, which are now used to
produce a rotary motion from the reciprocating engines at present in
general use. I obtain this result by causing a drum or cylinder attached
to a shaft to revolve within an external cylinder, the steam or other
motive power being confined between these two cylinders and acting on
slides caused to alternately project and recede from the surface of the
internal cylinder compels the internal cylinder and its shaft to revolve,
thus giving the rotary motion desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Vaile in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RORERT
VAILE, of Queen's Street, in the City of Auckland, in the Province of
Auckland, in the British Colony of New Zealand, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Vaile, Her
special licence that I, the said Robert Vaile, my exccutors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Vaile, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED ROTARY ENGINE FOR APPLYING THE MOTIVE POWER OF STEAM, WATER,
ATMOSPHERIC AIR, AND SIMILARLY ACTING MOTIVE POWERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Vaile, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to

page_text: be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Vaile, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed :-
My Invention relates to rotary engines for applying motive power,
and consists of an arrangement of mechanism for applying the motive
power of steam, water, atmospheric air, and similarly acting motive
powers so as to obtain a rotary motion direct from the power without
the use of the crank and its necessary parts, which are now used to
produce a rotary motion from the reciprocating engines at present in
general use. I obtain this result by causing a drum or cylinder
attached to a shaft to revolve within an external cylinder, the steam or
other motivo power being confined between these two cylinders and
acting on slides caused to alternately project and recede from the
surface of the internal cylinder, compels the internal cylinder and its
shaft to revolve, thus giving the rotary motion désired.
4
'
Figure 2 is a section through A, B, Fig. 1; a, a, a, a, is the external
cylinder; b, b, b; b, the internal cylinder; G, G, G, G, jacket covering
external cylinder; c, c, c, c, c, c, the steam or other motive power space
between these two cylinders; d, shaft of internal cylinder; e, e, e, slides
or pistons on which the motive power is acting; f, f, f, similar slides
or pistons passing abutments in external cylinder; 9, 9; 9; metal
tongues keeping joints between abutments in external cylinder and
surface of internal cylinder steam-tight, kept down by springs from
above, as shown in detail Drawing, Fig. 6; h, h, h, gun metal inlet
valves revolving in sockets i, i, i, which sockets are cast in one piece.
with the external cylinder; j, j, j, j, j; j, inlet and outlet ports to
engine, when the valves h, h, h, are in the direction of the black dotted>
lines drawn through their centres the engine is working forward, when
in direction of the red dotted lines, the motive power is shut off and
all the ports j, i, j, j,j,j, are open to the exhaust; when in the direction!
of the blue dotted lines the engine is reversed and working back-
wards. It will be observed by following the indications of these dotted>

page_text: lines, that the port which is the inlet when working forward becomes
the exhaust when working backward, and that port which is the inlet
when working backward becomes the exhaust when working forward;
when in the direction of the red dotted line the valve rests on its seat,
and the motive power is shut off, leaving all parts open to the exhaust;
k, k, k, exhaust chambers over valves; 1, 1, 1, 1, exhaust passages con-
necting exhaust chambers over valves with main exhaust pipe ; Q, Q,
plates closing opening by the removal of which the joint q, q, in
external cylinder, can be examined and proved steam-tight; q, q, joint
in external cylinder kept together by bolts and nuts r, r, r, r; 8, 8, 8, 8,
cast-iron bed to engine.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine; d, d, shaft of internal
cylinder; k, k, k, k, exhaust chambers over valves h, h, h, Fig. 2;
G, G, G, G, jacket covering external cylinder, and forming exhaust
passages connecting exhaust chambers k, k, k, k, with main exhaust
pipe m, m; t, t, t, t, inlet pipes conveying steam or other motive power
to valves h, h, h, Fig. 2; n, n, levers turning valves h, h, h, Fig. 2;
o, rod connecting these levers; p, handle operating levers; u, u, wheels
keyed on to shaft of internal cylinder, and revolving with it govern
the movements of the slides or pistons e, e, e, f, ƒ, ƒ, Fig. 2, by com-
pelling the studs v, v, v, v, v, v, v, v, to follow the eccentricities of the
guides to, to, which movements is more distinctly shown in the end
elevation Fig. 3, and the section Fig. 4; Q, plate covering joint q,
Fig. 2, through centre of external cylinder, kept together by bolts and
nuts r, r, r, r, r, r, r, r, r, r; by means of this joint the upper half of
the external cylinder can be removed and the interior of the engine
examined, and should it be desired to further examine, the whole of the
internal cylinder and its shaft can be lifted out by releasing the brasses
x, x, x, x, in which the shaft d, d, revolves; y, y, screw bolts, keeping
brasses x, x, x, x, in place; 2,,,, vulcanised india-rubber cushions
adjustable by screw nuts, keeping the slides or pistons on which the
motive power acts in proper contact with the internal face of external
cylinder; 8, 8, 8, 8, cast iron bed of engine; E, E, hand screws kceping
valves h, h, Fig. 2, up to face of seat and sockets; F, F, covers to
apertures for insertion of valves h, h, Fig. 2, through which the hand
screws E, E, work; these covers are bolted to the face of engine with
screw nuts and bolts, in the same manner as a cylinder cover is bolted
on in a reciprocating engine.

page_text: Figure 3 is an end elevation of the engine; k, k, k, exhaust chambers;
E, E, E, hand screws, keeping valves h, h, h, Fig. 2, up to scat and
sockets; 1, 1, 1, exhaust passages connecting exhaust chambers over
which main exhaust pipe m; n, n, n, levers operating valves h, h, h,
Fig. 2; o, o, rods connecting levers n, n, n, so that the handle p operates
the whole; w, w, w, w, continuous eccentric guide in which the studs
v, v, v, v, v, v, v, v, Fig. 1, are imprisoned and compelled to follow its
eccentricities by the revolution of the governing wheels u, u, Fig. 1,
and u, u, u, u, u, u, u, Fig. 3, combined with the sliding of these same
studs in slots made in the radii of these wheels for this purpose. These
wheels being firmly keyed to the shaft of the internal cylinder and
revolving with it while the eccentric guide w, w, w, w, is firmly bolted
to the immovable external cylinder. Thus it will be seen that the
studs v, v, v, v, v, v, v, v, must follow all the eccentricities of the guide
w, w, w, w, whether the engine works backwards or forwards, and these
studs being connected by rods and cross heads with the slides or pistons
on which the motive power acts in the interior of the engine, compels
these slides or pistons to assume a corresponding position to the studs,
thus causing these slides or pistons to alternately project and recede
from the face of the internal cylinder and so pass the abutments of the
engine at the proper moment, which movement is more distinctly shown
in Fig. 4; F, F, F, covers to apertures for inserting valves h, h, h, Fig. 2;
d, shaft of internal cylinder; q, q, joint opening engine; r, r,r, r, screw
bolts connecting joint q, q; x, x, brasses in which shaft d revolves;
y, y, screw bolts securing brasses x, x; 2, ≈, india-rubber cushions with
adjustable screw keeping those slides or pistons, on which the motive
power acts, close to internal face of external cylinder, more clearly shown
in Fig. 4; 8, 8, 8, cast-iron bed of engine.
Figure 4 is a section through C, D, Fig. 3 and Fig. 2, with the radii
of the governing wheel u, u, u, u, u, u, u, Fig. 3, turned so as to coincide
with the sectional line C, D; a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, external cylinder;
b, b, b, b, b, b, b, b, internal cylinder; c, c, steam or other motive power
space; d, d, shaft of internal cylinder; c, e, slides or pistons on which
the motive power is acting; ff, slides or pistons just past abutments
and coming into position of active slides or pistons; h, h, gun metal
inlet valve showing through section of exhaust chamber; i, i, i, sockets
cast solid with external cylinder in which valve h, h, revolves; k, k,
exhaust chamber over valve; 1, 1, exhaust passages connecting exhaust

page_text: chambers over valves with main exhaust pipe m, m; n, lever for turning
valve; p, handle for turning valves; 8, 8, 8, 8, cast-iron bed to engine;
t, t, t, inlet pipes to valves; u, u, u, u, governing wheels showing slot
in radii of same, in which block of studs v, v, v, v, and cross heads
H, X, H, H, H, H, H, I, slide; w, w, w, w, eccentric guide bolted to
external cylinder in which studs v, v, v, v, move; x, x, x, x, brasses in
which shaft d, d, revolve; y, y, screw bolts keeping brasses x, x, x, x,
in place;,,,, india-rubber cushions with adjustable screws keeping
slides or pistons f, f, and e, e, in proper contact with internal face of
external cylinder; K, K, K, K, rods connecting blocks of studs v, v, v, v,
with cross heads H, H, H, H, Á, Á, Á, Á; L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, rods
connecting cross heads H, H, H, Á, Á, Á, Á, H, with slides or pistons
ƒ, ƒ, and e, e, working through glands M, M, M, M. It will thus be
seen that the slides or pistons, f, f, and e, e, in the interior of the engine
are compelled to assume the position desired by means of the studs v,
the cross heads H, and the connecting rods K and L; N, N, set screws
keeping governing wheels u, u, u, u, in place. When it is desired to
disconnect the engine for examination, the set screws N, N, are taken
out and the governing wheels u, u, u, u, are drawn along the shaft d, d,
in a line with their keys P, P, close to the brasscs x, x, x, x, thus com-
pletely disconnecting the studs from the eccentric guide w, 10, 20, w,
and the cross heads H from the connecting rods L; T, T, T, T, metallic
spring packing closing on internal cylinder and pressing against back of
eccentric guide, thus keeping joint between internal and external
cylinders tight and compensating for wear, this packing is more dis-
tinctly shown in Fig. 5.
Figure 5, detail of end of engine; 26, U, U, U, U, U, u, u, u, u, portion of
governing wheel showing V shaped slots in which studs and cross
heads H travel, the back plates which retain them in the slots being
removed for this purpose. a, a, external cylinder; G, G, G, jacket
forming exhaust passages; b, b, b, b, b, b, internal cylinder; d, shaft of
internal cylinder; w, wo, w, w, w, eccentric guide bolted to external
cylinder; T, T, T, spring packing closing on internal cylinder, broken
through at W to show joint between internal and external cylinders;
V, V, screws to prevent spring packing, revolving with internal cylinder;
M, M, M, M, M, M, glands through which rods L, L, L, L, L, L, work,
connecting slides or pistons e and fin the interior of the engine with
cross heads H on the exterior; F, F, F, apertures for the insertion of
valves; 8, 8, cast-iron bed to engine.

page_text: Figure 6, section through inlet pipe, valve, tongue. keeping joint
between internal cylinder and abutment tight, and through slide or
piston passing abutment. h, h, gun metal valve h, h, h, Fig. 2; i, i, i,
sockets in which valves revolve; X, X, seat of valve; n, lever turning
valve; E, hand screw keeping valve h, h, up to sockets i, i, i, and
seat X, X; F, cover to aperture for the insertion of valve, in which hand
screw E works; 9, 9, metal tongue keeping joint between face of internal
cylinder and abutments in external cylinder tight and compensating for
wear, kept down by springs from the top, as shown in Drawing.
fff, slide or piston passing abutment; Y, Y, slots through slide or
piston so as to allow free circulation of steam round it while in the act
of projecting from and receding into the internal cylinder; L, L, rods
connecting slides or pistons with cross heads H; R, R, metal tongues
making ends of slides or pistons steam-tight and compensating for wear,
kept to its work by springs at back in the same manner as tongue g, g.
a, a, a, external cylinder; b, b, b, internal cylinder; T, T, spring
packing; t, t, inlet pipe; k, k, exhaust chamber over valve.
Figure 7, valve h, h, Fig. 6, withdrawn from sockets.
Figure 8, valve / on its seat showing motive power shut off. When
in the direction of the black dotted line the engine will be working
forward, and when in the direction of the blue it will be working back-
ward. g, metal tongue kept to its work by pressure of steam passing
through slots 2, 2, instead of springs.
Figure 9, section through cross head H, rod K, stud v and its block,
and india-rubber cushion z. H is the cross head; K, rod screwed into
same; 2, screw nut holding up stud and its block; z, india-rubber
cushions; 3, screw nut compressing india-rubber cushions. It will be
observed that as the stud v and the india-rubber cushion z slide freely
on the rod K, that by adjusting the screw nuts 2 and 3 any desired
pressure can be brought to bear on the face of the slides or pistons e
and when in contact with the external cylinder, as the india-rubber
cushion will yield a little while the stud vis passing over the highest
points of the eccentric guide, and thus lock the slide or piston steam-
tight with just sufficient pressure against the inside of the external
cylinder.

page_text: Figures 11 and 12, sections through end of slide or piston showing
triangular shaped metal packing kept to its work by the pressure of
steam instead of using springs.
Figure 13, detail Drawing of enlarged engine. G, jacket; a, external
cylinder; b, b, b, internal cylinder; T, T, metal spring packing;
W, joint between internal and external cylinders; A, A, guide to supply
place of slot in governing wheel; to, to, eccentric rib guide secured to
bed or other immovable part of engine; v, v, studs and rollers working
on guide w; M, gland; L, piston rod; 3, screw nut; z, z, india-rubber
cushions; 2, screw nut; d, shaft of internal cylinder.
When space will permit it would be more desirable, instead of using
the grooved eccentric guide, as shown in principal Drawings, to use a
single rib of metal bent to the same eccentricity as this guide, and lying
between double studs set in double blocks, as shown in detail Drawing,
Fig. 13.
When working engines of snfficiently large diameter the governing
wheels can be dispensed with by throwing down a slotted guide from
the sides of the glands M cast solid with the internal cylinder, and
fixing the studs v with their blocks and india-rubber cushions right on
to the ends of the piston rods L; the eccentric guido can then be con- 1
tracted in diameter so as to take these studs, and can be secured to
the bed or other immovable part of the engine, as shown in detail
Drawing, Fig. 13.
If desired instead of using india-rubbber for the cushions metal.
springs can be substituted.
Though in the accompanying Drawings three inlet valves are shown
and six slides or pistons I by no means confine myself to these numbers,
but work with these or more or less, according as I want steam surface
or wish to adapt the engine for working expansively.
When working expansively I either place expansion valves in the
inlet pipes t or cause the valves / to rock so as to admit and cut off the
steam or similar motive power at any period of the revolution desired,
in either case working such valves by a movement from the main
shaft.
TO
thara ausings of different connaity can be used on "

page_text: taking steam at a high pressure direct from the boiler into the smaller
engine, and from it expanding into the larger.
In some cases instead of jacketing the external cylinder with exhaust
steam I connect the exhaust chambers by pipes so as to complete the
circuit and convey the exhaust steam to the main exhaust pipe m.
When the jacket G is used and the length of cylinder will permit, I
prefer instead of using the inlet pipes t, as shown in Drawings, to take
a portion of the jacket G for the supply steam and the other portion for
the exhaust steam, connecting the main steam pipe with any convenient
part of the jacket, at the same time shortening the valves with their
sockets, and the ports of the engine to the breadth of that portion of
the jacket reserved for the exhaust steam, the end sockets of the valves h
being formed in the wall dividing the chambers containing the supply
and exhaust steam, thus taking in steam at their ends in the same
manner as shown in Drawings by the inlet pipes t.
I am aware that the principle of a rotary engine is not new, and I
therefore make no claim thereto; but I claim,―
First. The general combination of mechanism, as shown in the
accompanying Drawings and description, all acting substantially as
herein-before described, whereby a perfect rotary motion is obtained
direct from the motive power.
Second. Operating the slides or pistons on which the motive power
acts from the outside of the engine only, thus differing from previously
constructed rotary engines in which the slides or pistons are generally
compelled to assume the positions desired by rubbing against the inside
face of their cylinders.
Third. Causing the surfaces of the slides or pistons on which the
motive power acts to be of one uniform area during every period of the
revolution, thus giving a complete revolution with a single engine
without dead points and of uniform pressure.
Fourth. Forming a rotary engine by causing an internal drum or
cylinder to revolve within an external drum or cylinder in such a
manner as that any point of the extreme surface of the internal drum
or cylinder shall when in action always revolve at a uniform distance
from the centre of its shaft and at a uniform distance from any given

page_text: point in the radii of the external cylinder, thus giving a perfect and
uniform leverage during the whole period of the revolution.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Vaile, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Signed in the presence of
H. SHAW,
.
Accountant,
JOHN C. OGILVIE,
Draper.
ROBERT VAILE. (L.S.)