Improvements in Rotary Engines, Applicable also to Meters, Pumps, and Blowers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1990
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines, Applicable also to Meters, Pumps,
and Blowers.
I DAVID WILLIAMSON of 633 Baltic Street, Brooklyn, State of New York, United
States of America, 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 and accompanying drawings :-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines and especially to that
class of engines which are operated by a fluid, as water, and which with slight
adaptations can be used for meter, pump or blower purposes.
In the present specification my apparatus will be spoken of, for convenience, as an
engine or motor.
My engine is very simple in construction, consisting broadly of a shaft, a casing
and revolving disc or wheel carrying the vanes.
My present invention is especially concerned with providing simple and efficient
means for feathering the vanes, and also with preventing shock to the working parts
of the apparatus and keeping them free from clogging and wearing substances. My
invention involves other details which will be particularly pointed out in the claims
which follow the description.
I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents an elevation of my engine or motor with one half of the casing
removed;
Fig. 2 represents a central section taken in the plane of the shaft, along line xx
in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows one of the casing halves by an interior view.
Figs. 4 and 5 show details of one of the vanes, Fig. 5 being a section along line y y
in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of the casing showing a cam for feathering the
vanes;
Fig. 7 shows an interior view of one half of the casing of a modified form of my
motor;
Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the center of this form of motor;
Figure 9 is an elevation of the disc which carries the vanes, a part thereof being
broken away;
Fig. 10 is an elevation of the same taken at right angles to the view shown in
Fig. 9 and
Figs. 11 & 12 represent details.
Referring to the drawings by letter, A and B represent two similar halves of my
casing. The two halves are secured together by suitable bolts passing through their
rims: In each half there is a semicircular groove, extending as an annulus almost
entirely around the casing. When the halves are put together properly, these two
grooves coincide in position and form an interior annular chamber or fluid passage.
I prefer to use grooves which are semicircular in form, although the shape may be
varied at will. The groove in each half of the casing is interrupted by an
abutment, or division wall, the abutment in one half being marked a and in the
other b.
Now, when the parts are together there is a space between the abutments and
within the rims through which the parts are joined, large enough to admit the disc or
wheel C which is secured in any suitable manner to the shaft D. This wheel or disc
carries, as shown, vanes E. The number of these vanes may be varied to suit different
uses or conditions, but in Fig. 1 I have shown three such vanes and 1 find that a
convenient number, especially for meter purposes. In the modification I show four

page_text: vanes. The vanes correspond in shape to the shape of the chamber and practically
close the same when set across it.
On opposite sides of the abutment are the inlet and exit ports F and G one half of
each port being formed in each casing half. I find it advantageous to locate the
ports in such relation that axial lines running through them will form a right
angle.
In using the apparatus as an engine or motor, it is of course necessary that the
incoming fluid should find a vane set and that the vanes should be feathered to pass
through the abutment. For accomplishing these results I have devised a construction
which will now be described.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 6 it will be seen that each casing half contains a center
box H and that within each box is a cam I. When put together a double faced cam
is formed, the shape of which appears in Fig. 6.
Between the faces of the cam are
located anti-friction rollers e, e, e, whose movements control the position of the
vanes E.
The vanes play in openings in the disc C pivots being provided at each end as will
appear hereinafter. At one end the pivot e¹ extends through into an opening J in
the disc and has attached to it a crank j. The rollers e are pivoted on pins projecting
from these cranks.
Now it is clear that the rollers travelling between the cam faces will be raised and
lowered, thereby altering the position of the vanes. The parts are so related that the
vanes will be feathered at the abutment as shown.
The details of the construction at the vanes are apparent from an inspection of
Figs. 4 and 5.
Between the aperture J and the vane opening the disc is cut through centrally
and two pieces k and k¹ are filled into the opening and secured together by screws
and . The pieces when together leave an opening for the pin or pivot e¹ to turn
in. The pieces are flanged at the top and joined to the body of the disc (which is cut
away to form a good joint) by screws m. m³.
At the opposite end a single angular piece O is set into the disc and screwed to it.
On the piece O is a shoulder o which is traversed by a hole that also passes entirely
through the piece. Pivot pin e turns in this hole.
Thus at each end a long bearing is formed and hurtful wear is accordingly reduced
to a minimum.
It will he understood that a second or a third vane may come into range to be
operated upon by the incoming fluid before the first gets around to the point of
feathering. In other words, some one vane is certain to be in a position where the
force of the fluid will be most effective.
To the casing halves within the inlet ports, I secure half wedges w and w; when
in place they form a wedge for throwing the fluid, such as water, to both sides of the
disk with little shock or friction. This saves jar and raking of the parts. Moreover
as the back of the wedge fits closely against the rim of the wheel or disk, C, it
prevents dirt from getting in outside the said rim and grinding and clogging.
The axes of the vanes are not, as will be seen, centered at the shaft D, as, in that
case, the rollers would be thrown at an angle with the line of their motion. By
placing the vanes at a slight angle, this is avoided and all the parts work without
strain.
Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 while illustrating the same principle as the first six
figures of the drawings show a somewhat modified form of motor, however, the
modification consisting mainly in the novel means for rendering the motor compact
and little liable to injurious wear and also in a very simple arrangement for feathering
the vanes.
It will be observed that there is on each side of the disk C a nut P surrounding
the shaft, or rather, surrounding a sleeve R within which the shaft is adapted to
rotate. The construction is such that the. sleeve screws into the nut and holds.
between the nut and a shoulder i, on the sleeve the central boss of the casing half.
The construction on both sides of the disk is identical. It is evident that a

page_text: perfectly tight joint is thus made whereby leakage around the shaft is prevented and
thus one difficulty with motors of this kind is obviated. In case of wear, it can
be taken up by simply turning the sleeve and drawing the nut tighter. I have
shown a cap at the outer end of one of the sleeves, but that is a mere detail.
Projecting from the exterior of one of the nuts is a. pair of pins h, h¹ the purpose
of which will presently be explained. It will be seen that they project into the
centre box H. Now the shafts or pivots e¹ of the vanes E, E' project over the same
box and carry at their inner ends square blocks S, S. These blocks are slotted at
the corners on the side farthest removed from the vanes so as to cut those ends of the
squares into the form of Maltese Crosses. The sides of these slots engage with the
pins and and so operate the vanes.
I prefer to reinforce the Maltese Cross by the square block, both for the additional
strength and because a longer bearing surface is formed to counteract the tendency
of the vanes to tilt. The Cross might be formed on the other end of the block
if preferred. In that case, the tripping pins would be correspondingly changed.
The pins and crosses are so related that the vanes will be feathered at the abutment
and set again after passing it.
In some instances it will be sufficient to make slots in two of the corners of the
square, making one half of a Maltese Cross.
It is obvious that the machine I have described as an engine might be used as a
fluid meter, pump, or blower.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A rotary engine, motor or meter, substantially such as described.
2nd. In a rotary engine, a disc or wheel-carrying vanes, the axis of each vane
being out of line with the axis of the disc in combination with rollers joined
by crank arms to the said vane axes and a device co-operating with the rollers to
feather the vanes, as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. A rotary engine consisting of a suitable casing provided with a fluid chamber
and inlet and exit ports in combination with a disc or wheel carrying vanes and
a double faced cam for feathering the vanes, one half the cam being formed on
one half the casing and the other half on the other, as and for the purpose
set forth.
4th. A casing for a rotary engine, provided with a fluid chamber and inlet and
exit ports, in combination with a disc or wheel carrying vanes and a wedge in the
inlet port baving its butt closed to the rim of the disc or wheel and forcing its sharp
edge to the entering fluid whereby the fluid may enter without shock or jar and
clogging is prevented, as and for the purpose set forth.
5th. A rotating disc carrying vanes, a casing provided with a fluid chamber,
surrounding the said disc blocks on the axes of the vanes, the said blocks being
shaped into the form of a Maltese Cross, and tripping devices co-operating with the
blocks to feather the vanes, as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. In a rotary engine, the combination with the casing thereof and a center box
in the casing, a part of the center box being removable, of tripping devices attached
to the removable portion, as and for the purpose set forth.
7th. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft and a shouldered screw-
sleeve, traversing the casing of the engine, of a nut with which the sleeve engages,
the nut and the shoulder being on opposite sides of the casing, as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 25th day of November 1980.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.