Improvements in Steam Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Steam Engines.
I, JAMES THOMAS ROSSITER, of Tynwald, Grove Park Road, Chiswick, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention'
to be as follows:
This invention has reference to single acting compound and multiple expansion
steam engine of the kind wherein the admission and exhaust of high pressure:
steam to and from the upper or outer end of one cylinder, say the high pressure
cylinder, and the passage of such steam from that end of the cylinder to the opposite:
end thereof, to the upper or outer end of the next cylinder, say the low or lower
pressure cylinder, and to an exhaust pipe in communication with the opposite end'
of such cylinder, are controlled by separate valves arranged with their axes at
right angles to the axes of the cylinders, or to a plane containing such axes.
According to my present invention instead of driving one or some of such
valves from an expansion governor and the other or others from an eccentric as
heretofore, the two valves or two sets of valves are connected together through a
lever, or equivalent and driven from a governor common to them.
When there are two or more high pressure cylinders, each arranged in line
with a low pressure cylinder, or with lower pressure cylinders, the high pressure
valves for such cylinders may be connected together and worked by a rod common'
to them as also may the valves for the low pressure cylinders or for each set of
lower pressure valves.
In one arrangement of this kind suitable for an engine comprising two sets
of high and low pressure cylinders arranged side by side with the two sets
of pistons working onto oppositely arranged cranks in a closed crank chamber,
there are two connected high pressure valves and two connected low pressure
valves, the two sets of valves being connected to the opposite arms of a lever
pivoted at its middle portion and worked by a third lever arm through a coupling
rod from an expansion governor on the engine shaft. The high pressure valves
are of the piston type arranged to work in a horizontally arranged cylindrical valve
chest the central portion of which, constituting a steam chamber, is provided with
an inlet for high pressure steam, and the end portions of which are each con-
nected through a vertical passage to a steam receiver located between the corre-
sponding high and low pressure cylinders and in constant communication with
the lower end of the former cylinder. The two low pressure valves are also of
the piston type, arranged to work in a horizontal cylindrical valve chamber
that is connected at its central portion to a vertical exhaust pipe and at its ends
with the steam receivers. The arrangement is such that the inner ends of the
high pressure valves control the admission of steam to the high pressure cylinders
and their outer ends control the exhaust of steam from such cylinders to the
receivers, and the outer ends of the low pressure valves. control the admission
of steam from the receivers to the low pressure cylinders and their inner ends
control the exhaust from such cylinders, the two sets of valves moving in opposite

page_text: directions during the working of the engine. The valves and their connections
are or may be so arranged that each high pressure valve opens the top of its
high pressure cylinder to the steam chest after the corresponding low pressure
valve places the top of its low pressure cylinder in communication with the
corresponding receiver, and opens communication with the receiver after the
low pressure valve has closed the communication between such receiver and
the low pressure cylinder,
The high pressure valve chest may be arranged centrally over the cylinders
and the low pressure valve chest to one side of the two receivers, the vertical
exhaust pipe from the latter valve chest communicating by an upwardly extending
pipe or passage with the lower end of each low pressure cylinder, and with a com-
mon exhaust pipe into which the lower ends of the two. cylinders can readily
drain. The three armed or tee shaped lever for working the valves may be
formed by three separate arms fixed on a spindle journalled in a box or casing
arranged at one end of the engine and connected to a lower box or casing, enclos-
ing the expansion governor, by a tubular connecting piece in which works the
coupling rod that connects the governor to the lever. The connections between
the lever and the projecting ends of the valve rods may be pin and slot con-
nections with sliding blocks, and those between the rod and the governor and
lever may be ball and socket joints. Each pair of valves may be formed in one
piece with a connecting sleeve fixed upon the valve rod.
For an engine having only one high pressure cylinder and one low pressure
cylinder the arrangement is or may be similar to that herein before described
except of course that one of the high and one of the low pressure valves are
dispensed with and the valve chests shortened.
For a triple expansion engine having three cylinders arranged in line, two
levers may be used arranged one above the other, the upper valve being con-
nected to the upper end of the upper lever, the lower valve to the lower end
of the lower lever and the intermediate valve to the adjacent end of the two
levers, one or other of which is connected to the governor.
For a quadruple engine having four cylinders in line the two upper valves may
be connected to the opposite end of one lever and the two other valves to the
opposite ends of a second lever, both levers being connected by a lever arm to a
coupling rod common to them worked from the governor.
For an engine having three or more sets of two or more cylinders arranged in
tandem or line, the valves of the high pressure cylinders are or may be con-
nected together and worked from one rod, the valves of the low pressure cylinders
or each set of lower pressure cylinders being similarly connected together and
worked by another rod. High pressure steam may be admitted to the high
pressure valve chests between the high pressure valves therein, and lower pressure
steam exhausted from between the valves of the next lower pressure valves, the
valve rods being worked from the governor in the manner hereinbefore described.
The expansion governor may be variously constructed. According to one
construction it comprises a pair of weighted arms pivoted at one end to a plate
or drum fixed on the crank shaft and connected by links to a plate that is pivoted
eccentrically to the plate or drum and is acted upon by one or more springs.
The centre of connection of the coupling rod to the eccentrically pivoted plate is
such that as the pivoted weights move outward or inward the said centre of
connection moves in such a way as to respectively reduce and increase the travel
and lead of the valves.

page_text: Improvements in Steam Engines.
I, JAMES THOMAS ROSSITER, of Tynwald, Grove Park Road, Chiswick, in the
County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention has reference to single acting compound and multiple expansion
steam engine of the kind wherein the admission and exhaust of high pressure
steam to and from the upper or outer end of one cylinder, say the high pressure
cylinder, and the passage of such steam from that end of the cylinder to the opposite
end thereof, to the upper or outer end of the next cylinder, say the low or lower
pressure cylinder, and to an exhaust pipe in communication with the opposite end
of such cylinder, are controlled by separate valves arranged with their axes at
right angles to the axes of the cylinders, or to a plane containing such axes.
Engines of the kind referred to are described in the Specification of another
Application for Letters Patent filed by me No. 19538 of 1898.
According to my present invention instead of driving one or some of such
valves from an expansion governor and the other or others from an eccentric as
heretofore, the two valves or two sets of valves are connected together through a
lever or, in the case of rotary valves, through cranks and connecting rods, and
driven from a governor common to them.
When there are two or more high pressure cylinders each arranged in line
with a low pressure cylinder, or with lower pressure cylinders, the high pressure
valves for such cylinders may be connected together and worked by a rod common
to them as also may the valves for the low pressure cylinders, or for each set of
lower pressure valves.
In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 shows in vertical section on
the line A A of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 in vertical section on the line B B of Fig. 1,
one construction of compound engine according to this invention. Fig. 3 is
horizontal section, the left and right hand portions of the figure being on the
line C C and D D respectively of Fig. 2.
The engine shown in these figures is constructed with two sets of cylinders
each comprising a high pressure cylinder 1 and a low pressure cylinder 2 arranged
in line with each other, the two sets of cylinders being arranged side by side with
the two sets of pistons 3 working onto oppositely arranged cranks 4 in a closed
crank chamber 5. 6. 6, are two connected high pressure valves, and there are
two similar connected low pressure valves 7. of which only one is seen in Fig. 3,
the two sets of valves being connected by their spindles 8 and 9 respectively to
the opposite arms of a lever 10 pivoted at 11 and worked by a third lever arm 12
through a coupling rod 13 from an expansion drum governor 14 on the engine
shaft 15. The high pressure valves 6 are of the piston type arranged to work
in a horizontally arranged cylindrical valve chest 16, the central portion of
which, constituting a steam chamber, is provided with an inlet 17 for high
pressure steam, and the end portions of which, beyond the valves, are each con-
nected through a vertical passage 18 (Fig. 3) to a steam receiver 19 which is
located between the corresponding high and low pressure cylinders 1 and 2
respectively and is in constant communication with the lower end of the former
cylinder, iz. 1. The two low pressure valves 7 are also of the piston type and
are arranged to work in a horizontal cylindrical valve chamber 20 that is con-
nected at its central portion to a vertical exhaust pipe 21 and at its ends with
the two steam receivers 19. The arrangement is such that the inner end of each
of the high pressure valves 6 controls the admission of high pressure steam to

page_text: the corresponding high pressure cylinder 1 through a port 22, and the outer
end of such valve controls the exhaust of steam from such cylinder through the
port 22 and vertical passage 18 to the corresponding receiver 19, and the outer
end of each of the low pressure valves 7 controls the admission of steam from
the corresponding receiver 19 to the corresponding low pressure cylinder 2 through
a passage 23, and the inner end of each of such valves controls the exhaust from
such cylinder through the said passage 23 to the exhaust pipe 21, the two sets
of valves moving in opposite directions during the working of the engine. The
valves and their connections are or may advantageously be so arranged that each
high pressure valve 6 opens the top of its high pressure cylinder 1 to the steam
chest 16 after the corresponding low pressure valve places the top of its low
pressure cylinder in communication with the corresponding receiver 19, and opens
communication with the said receiver after the low pressure valve has closed the
communication between such receiver and the low pressure cylinder 2. There
being two sets of cylinders and pistons, the valves are arranged so as to cause
one set of pistons to commence their active downstrokes whilst the pistons of
the other set are making their idle upstroke at which time the pressure on the
two sides of each of the two ascending pistons is nearly balanced.
The high pressure valve chest 16 may, as shown, be arranged centrally over
the cylinders 1 and 2, and the low pressure valve chest 20 to one side of the
two receivers 19, the vertical exhaust pipe 21 from the latter valve chest com-
municating by an upwardly extending pipe or passage 24 with the lower end of
each low pressure cylinder, and with a common exhaust pipe 25 into which the
lower ends of the two cylinders can readily drain. The three armed or tee-shaped
lever 10-12 for working the valves 6 and 7 may, as shown, be formed by three
separate arms fixed on a spindle 11 journalled in a box or casing 26 arranged at
one end of the engine and connected to a lower box or casing 27 enclosing the
expansion governor, by a tubular connecting piece 28 in which works the coup-
ling rod 13 that connects the governor to the lever. The connections between
the lever 10 and the projecting ends of the valve rods S and 9 may be pin and
slot connections with sliding blocks 29, as shown, and those between the rod 13
and the governor 14 and lever arm 12 may be hall and socket joints 30. Each
pair of valves 6, 6 and 7, 7, may be formed in one piece with a connecting sleeve 31
or 32 respectively fixed upon the corresponding valve rod 8 or 9.
The left hand valves 6 and 7 are made of larger diameter than the right hand
valves for the purpose of putting the valve rods S and 9 in tension and com-
pression respectively, thereby preventing backlash in the joints 29 and 30.
For a triple expansion engine having three cylinders arranged in line, two
leyers may be used pivoted one above the other, the upper valve being connected
to the upper end of the upper lever, the lower valve to the lower end of the lower
lever, and the intermediate valve to the adjacent end of the two levers, one or
other of which is connected to the governor.
Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive show a triple expansion engine having three sets of
cylinders with the valves coupled up as just mentioned, Figs. 4 and 5 being
vertical sections at right angles to each other, Fig. 4 being taken on the line E E
of Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 on the line F F of Fig. 4. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are horizontal
sections on the line GG, H H and I I respectively of Figs. 4 and 5. In this
construction of engine, each set of cylinders comprises a high pressure cylinder 1,
an intermediate pressure cylinder 2 and a low pressure cylinder 2, the three
sets of pistons working on to three cranks whereof the middle one is set at 180° from
the other two so that the pistons 3 connected thereto make their up and down
strokes whilst the other two sets of pistons respectively make their down and
up strokes. The three high pressure piston valves 6 which control the ports 22
of the three high pressure cylinders 1, are connected together by a hollow'
sleeve 31 which is formed with holes 33 whereby high pressure steam can pass
through the sleeve from the part of the valve chest 16 in connection with the
steam inlet 17 to the left hand end of the said valve chest; or there, may be an

page_text: external passage for the steam. The said hollow sleeve is also formed with a
piston-like partition 34 arranged to work steam tight in a guide 35 and separate
the part of the steam chest in which the two right hand valves & work from
that in which the left hand valve 6 works so that steam can exhaust separately
from each high pressure cylinder 1 through its corresponding passage 18 into the
receiver 19 below.
The intermediate pressure valves 7, which control the ports 23 communicating
with the upper ends of the intermediate pressure cylinders 2, are located in a
valve chest 20 that is divided into three separate parts by piston-like partitions 34
fixed on the valve rod 9 between each adjacent pair of valves 7 and working
steam tight in guides 35 so that steam can be separately admitted to each of the
intermediate pressure cylinders 2 by the corresponding port 23 and afterwards
separately exhausted therefrom through a vertical passage 36 into a receiver 38
that is located between the corresponding intermediate and low pressure cylin-
ders 2 and 2 and is in free communication with the lower end of the former
cylinder 2.
39 are the lower pressure valves that control the passage of steam from the
receivers 38 through passages 40 into the upper ends of the low pressure
cylinders 2. These valves 39 are arranged to work in a valve chest 41 that is
divided by a partition 34 like the others into two parts that are in communication
by connected vertical exhaust passages 21 with the lower end of each low
pressure cylinder 2* through an upwardly extending branch 24 and with a common
exhaust pipe 25.
The valves 6, 7 and 39 with piston-like partition or partitions 34 are made of
such diameters that each set forms practically one body that can be readily
inserted within or withdrawn from their corresponding valve chest through one
end 42 thereof, the rod to which the valves and partition or partitions are fixed,
working through a stuffing box at the other end of the valve chest. The valve
rods 8 and 9 are connected by a pin and slot connection to the respective ends
of the lever 10, and the valve rod 43 is similarly jointed to the lower end of a
second lever 10 that has its upper end jointed in a like manner to the lever 10
and valve rod 9 and is connected to an arm 12 by which the several valve rods
are worked from an expansion governor through a coupling rod 13 as in Figs. 1, 2
and 3, the two valve rods 8 and 43 moving inward whilst the valve rod 9 is
moving outward and vice versa.
In the working of this engine the left hand ends of the two outer valves 6 and
the right hand end of the intermediate valve 6 control the admission of high
pressure steam from the valve chest 16 to the high pressure cylinders 1, the
opposite ends of the said valves controlling the exhaust of such steam from the
said cylinders to the receivers 19. The right hand ends of the two outer valves 7
and the left hand end of the intermediate valve 7 control the admission of steam
from the receivers 19 through the passage 23 to the intermediate pressure cylin-
ders 2, the opposite ends of these valves controlling the exhaust from such
cylinders through the passages 23 and the passages 36 to the receivers 38. The
left hand ends of the outer valves 39 and the right hand end of the intermediate
valve 39 control the admission of steam from the receivers 38 through the
passages 40 to the low pressure cylinders, the opposite ends of such valves con-
trolling the exhaust of steam from such cylinders to the exhaust passages 21.
For a quadruple engine having four cylinders 1, 2, 2, 2 in line, as shown
diagrammatically in Fig. 9, the two upper valves 6 and 7 (or sets of valves) may
be connected by their rods 8 and 9 to the opposite ends of one lever 10 and the
two other valves 39 and 39* (or sets of valves) to the opposite ends of a second
lever 10, each lever being connected by a lever arm 12 to a coupling rod 13
common to them and worked from the governor.
The pair of receivers 19 in Fig. 1 may in some cases be placed in free com-
munication with one another by a connecting passage. In like manner, in the
engine shown in Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive, the partitions or divisions 34 may be

page_text: omitted and the centre and right hand receivers 19 be connected by an external
passage in order to place the three receivers 19 in free communication with each
other, the centre and left hand receivers 38 being also connected by an external
passage so as to place the three receivers 38. in free communication with one
another.
In the engine shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and in Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive, the slide
valves 6, 7 and 39 may be replaced by rotary valves adapted to control suitably
arranged ports, the valves of like pressure being connected to a spindle provided
with a crank arm jointed to a connecting rod worked from an expansion governor
common to all the valves and rods.
The expansion governor 14 may be variously constructed. Figs. 1 and 10
show. one construction that may advantageously be used. It comprises a pair of
weighted arms 44 that are pivoted at one end 45 to a plate or drum 46 fixed, on
the crank shaft 15 and are connected by links 47 to a plate 48 that is pivoted
eccentrically at 49 to the plate or drum 46 and is acted upon by a spring 50. The
centre of connection 30 of the coupling rod 13 to the eccentrically pivoted plate 48
is, as shown, such that as the pivoted weights 44 move outward or inward, the
said centre of connection will be moved in such a way as to respectively reduce
and increase the travel and lead of the valves 6 and 7, or 6, 7, and 39 controlled
by the governor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Single acting compound or multiple expansion engines of the kind described
and shown in Specification No. 19538 of 1898 wherein the separate high and
low pressure valves for controlling the passage of steain to and from the high and
low pressure cylinders and intermediate receiver or receivers and to the exhaust,
are connected together through one or more levers 10 in the case of slide
valves, and through cranks and connecting rods in the case of rotary valves and
are worked from an expansion governor common to all of them, substantially
as herein described with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. A single acting compound or multiple expansion engine of the kind herein
referred to having the high and low pressure valves, the means for opeating
them, and the steam passages to and from the high and low pressure cylinders
and intermediate receiver or receivers and to the exhaust, constructed and
arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in
Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive; and in Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive; or modified according to
Fig. 9, of the drawings annexed.
1
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improved single-
acting compound steam engines hereinbefore described with reference to and
shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, and in Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive of the drawings
annexed.
4. In a single acting compound or multiple expansion engine, the combination
with valves and valve operating mechanism constructed and arranged as herein-
before described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive; in Figs. 4
to S inclusive; and in Fig. 9, of the accompanying drawings, of an expansion
governor connected to and common to all the valves, substantially as described.
D
SA
A
THIS way
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.