IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE RAISING AND FORCING OF FLUIDS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inu
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE
RAISING AND FORCING OF FLUIDS."-A communication from abroad by
Albert Schmid, of Zurich, Switzerland, Engineer.
Scaled the 11th July 1871, and dated the 5th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th April 1871.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES, APPLICABLE
ALSO TO THE RAISING AND FORCING OF FLUIDS," a communication from
abroad by Albert Schmid, of Zurich, Switzerland, Engineer, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a simple and effective construction and

page_text: by hydraulic pressure, although capable of being driven by steam or
compressed air. This engine when actuated or driven by manual labor
or other power may be used as a force pump for raising and forcing
fluids generally.
The improved engine consists of an oscillating cylinder moving on
trunnions and formed with a convex curved port face, the curve of
which is struck from the centre line of the trunnions. This cylinder
and curved port face rests and fits accurately upon a corresponding
stationary concave supporting surface containing three inlet and outlet
ports or openings communicating alternately during the oscillation or
rocking of the cylinder with two ports or passages cut in the cylinder
and opening into the opposite ends thereof, their orifices being formed
in the convex curved port face. The inlet port is the centre one of
the three in the concave bed or surface, and communicates by a lateral
branch pipe with the source of supply of the pressure or of the fluid to
be raised and forced, as the case may be. The other two ports in the
same surface are outlet ports and communicate with an outlet passage
surrounding the inlet pipe or passage and leading to an outlet branch
or nozzle. The ports or passages cast in the cylinder are alternately
inlet and outlet ports according to the direction of motion of the piston
which is fitted to work accurately inside the cylinder. The piston rod
is coupled directly to a crank on a driving shaft, and thus imparts the
oscillations to the cylinder when at work. The trunnions are coupled
by connecting rods to the crank shaft, and these rods are held down
by adjusting screws screwed into the foundation plate in order to
maintain an easy but tight junction between the convex and concave
rubbing surfaces. A fly wheel is provided and driving pullies whereby
the engine may transmit its power or be driven by external power as
the case may bc.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Offico on the 4th October 1871.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said Jolin Henry Johnson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Jolinson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any timo
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
makc, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO
THE RAISING AND FORCING OF FLUIDS," a communication to me from abroad
by Albert Schmid, of Zurich, Switzerland, Engineer, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):—
The said Invention relates to a simple and effective construction and
arrangement of motive-power engine chiefly designed to be worked by
hydraulic pressure although capable of being driven by steam or com-
pressed air. This engine when actuated or driven by manual labour
or other power may be used as a pump for raising and forcing fluids
generally.
The improved engine consists of an oscillating cylinder moving on
trunnions and formed with a convex curved slide face, the curve of
which is struck from the centre line of the trunnions and forms the

page_text: segment of a cylinder. This cylinder with its curved slide face rests
and fits accurately upon a corresponding stationary concave supporting
surface, which also forms a segment of a hollow cylinder, and contains
three ports or openings communicating alternately with two ports or
passages cast in the convex curved slide face on the cylinder during the
oscillation or rocking of the latter, the said two ports opening into
the opposite ends of the said cylinder. The inlet port is the centre
one of the three in the concave bed or surface and communicates by a
lateral branch pipe with the source of supply of the pressure, or of the
fluid to be raised and forced, as the case may be. The other two ports
in the same concave surface are outlet ports and communicate with an
outlet passage common to the two which surrounds the inlet pipe or
passage and leads to an outlet branch or nozzle. The ports or passages
cast in the cylinder are alternately inlet and outlet ports according to
the direction of motion of the piston which is fitted to work accurately
inside the cylinder. The piston rod is coupled directly to a crank on a
driving shaft, and thus imparts the oscillations to the cylinder when at
work. The trunnions are coupled by connecting rods or levers to the
crank shaft, and these rods which are connected at their opposite ends
to a cross head are held down by an adjusting screw or screws screwed
into the foundation plate in order to maintain an easy but tight junction
between the convex and concave rubbing surfaces. A fly wheel is
provided and driving pulleys are mounted upon the crank shaft so that
the engine may be enabled either to transmit its
power to any other
machinery, or to be driven by external power according as it is to be
used as a prime mover, or as a pump.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same lotters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation and partial
longitudinal section of the improved motive-power engine or pump;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same; Figure 3 is an elevation of that and
of the engine opposite to the driving shaft, and Figure 4 is a detached
plan of the base or foundation plate with the cylinder and working parts
removed to shew more clearly the concave curved bed, on which the
convex slide face of the main cylinder works.

page_text: A is the cast-iron bed plate, upon which the entire engine is mounted.
Across this bed plate, near one end thereof, there is cast the concave
curved face a, b, forming a segment of a hollow cylinder, in which are
formed the three ports 1, 2, 3. The centre port 1 communicates directly
with a central chamber B, one end of which may be closed, or may if
desired open into an air vessel C when worked as
a pump, the
chamber B being in that case used as the outlet for the fluid. The
opposite end of this central chamber B communicates with a pipe D,
which in the case of a motive-power engine is the inlet pipe, and leads
either to a steam generator, to a head of water, or to a compressed air
reservoir, according as the engine is intended to be driven by steam,
hydraulic power, or air. Round the exterior of the central chamber B
there is cast another chamber E, with which the two ports 2 and 3 com-
municate direct, and to which is cast the branch or nozzle F forming the
exhaust or eduction pipe of the motive-power engine or the suction pipe
of the pump, as the case may be. G is the working cylinder or pump
barrel, having cast upon the under side thereof the convex curved slido
face c, d, forming a segment of a cylinder of the same diameter as the
hollow cylinder, of which the surface a, b, also forms a segment. The
axis of the imaginary cylinder of which these two surfaces a, b, and c, d,
form a part is situate transversely to the axis of the main working
cylinder G, and forms in fact the axial centre line of the two trunnions
H, H, on which the cylinder oscillates, as herein-after described. The
two rubbing surfaces are of course made smooth and true, as is well
understood, so that when the slide face c, d, rests upon the face a, b, it
will form a tight junction therewith, and still be free to slide or work
easily thereon. In the convex curved slide face c, d, there are cast two
passages 4 and 5 of equal length, leading to opposite ends of the
cylinder, the distance between the ports or orifices of such passages
corresponding exactly with the distance between either two adjoining
ports 1, 2, or 1, 3, in the concave face a, b. The piston I is connected
directly by its rod K to the crank on the crank shaft L, which works in
bearings formed in brackets M bolted to the bed plate, and consequently
as the shaft rotates the cylinder G receives an oscillating motion on the
axis of its two trunnions. In order to couple or tie the cylinder to the
crank shaft two side levers N, N, are employed provided with suitable
eyes O, O, which are slipped on to the bearings of the main shaft L, and
also with other eyes P, P, which are slipped over the trunnions. These
side levers are extended beyond the trunnions, and are provided with

page_text: eyes Q, Q, which fit on to the ends of a cross head R carried on a central
pillar or support S screwed into the main casting of the engine. The
upper end of this pillar S has a head e formed thercon above the cross
head so that on screwing down the pillar S the cross head with the ends
of the two side levers will be depressed and the curved slide face c, d,
brought into closer contact with the port face a, b. Thus by properly
adjusting the pillar S an easy but tight junction between the two curved
rubbing surfaces may be constantly maintained, and any wear and tear
thereof compensated for.
In the arrangement of engine herein-before described one great
advantage arises from the fact of every point of the convex rubbing
surface c, d, having the same velocity; the wear of this face is equal
throughout.
Another advantage is that the two passages 4 and 5 in the cylinders
are both of the same length and the sectional area of their ports can 1
be greatly increased in size, so as to be equal even to the piston arca
if desired without increasing the friction of the two surfaces. Moreover
the pressure between the two rubbing surfaces is perfectly independent
of the fluid pressure in the cylinder, it being regulated solely by the
adjusting pillar S. If desired two such engines may be coupled to one
crank shaft having its cranks at right angles.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I am aware
that convex curved slide faces have been worked in conjunction with 2
concave curved port faces so as to obviate the necessity for a separato
slide or distribution valve, and therefore I lay no claim to such an
arrangement generally; but what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The construction and use of oscillating motive power engines or
pumps wherein the working cylinder or barrel has formed upon one side
thereof a convex curved slide face containing two ports and passages of
equal length communicating with opposite ends of the cylinder, when
such convex curved slide face works upon and is supported by a corre- 3
sponding concave port face, the two curved surfaces constituting a
segment of a cylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of the trunnions

page_text: on which the working cylinder oscillates, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second. The application and use in a motive-power engine or pump
of the construction herein referred to of side levers or their equivalents
in connection with the trunnions for coupling the cylinder or barrel to
the crank shaft or its bearings, as herein-before described.
Third. The maintaining a tight junction between the curved rubbing
surfaces by means of screws or their equivalent in connection with the
side levers, substantially as hercin-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification. set my hand and seal. this Twentieth day of
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)