Improvements in Compound Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1892—Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES NORRIS GAMBLE, of Daytona, Volucia
County, Florida, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Compound Engines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to the construction of compound engines having four
cylinders and in which the steam is used three times in as many separate cylinders-
my object being to provide an improved engine of this class and the novel features
which I desire to protect being hereinafter clearly set forth. The invention will be
best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which it is illustrated
and in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation taken on the vertical section y y of Figure 3, but showing
the links and cranks in full.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line of Figure 1.
Figure 3 a sectional elevation taken on the line a a of Figure 1.
Figure 4 a sectional plan taken on the line 1-2 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the shafts and cranks operating the valves of the low
pressure cylinders.
Figure 6 an elevation showing the angular position of the said cranks.
Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the bushing used in the valve chamber
situated between the two vertical cylinders.
Figure 8 is an end view of one of the valve seats taken on the section line 7–8
of Figure 9.
Figure 9 is a horizontal section through the valve seat taken on the line 5-6 of
Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a cross-section through one of the slide valves taken on the
line 11-12 of Figure 11.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of the slide valve taken on the line 9-10 of
Figure 12; and
Figure 12 a plan view of the said slide valve.
C is a casting in which are formed two parallel vertical cylinders A and B and
also a chamber D running parallel to the cylinders and which serves as a piston
valve chamber; the portion c c of the casting serves as the bottom head for the
cylinders A and B and also contains the transversely-running or horizontally
arranged steam passages L¹ L' L³ and L*; the valve-chamber D extends through
the casting and is preferably provided with a casing or bushing F through which
casing extend openings which correspond with the various ports leading to and from
the valve-chamber. E is a coupling for the steam-supply pipe by which the steam
enters a supply port E¹ passing to the interior of the valve-chamber through the
openings e in the casing F. G and G¹ are ports leading respectively to the upper
and lower ends of the cylinder A and connecting with the valve-chamber through
openings in casing F. At a somewhat greater distance from the port E
ports H H connect with the passages G G and with the valve-chamber through
openings and fe. I and I are ports leading respectively to the top and bottom
of cylinder B connecting with the valve-chamber through openings f³ and f'.
J Jare ports situated respectively at the top and bottom of the valve-chamber and
both opening into an accumulator chamber L-the port J' directly, and the port J
through a passage K. Connecting with the accumulator chamber L by means of

page_text: passages 11 are the transversely-arranged steam passages L' and L³ formed in the
lower portion c of the casting and opening on the lower portion thereof. Lying
parallel with these passages are exhaust ports L³ and L leading from the bottom of
the casting to the exhaust steam pipes N N. The passages L' and L³, &c., are
made of cylindrical form and in each of them is secured a valve-seat of the kind
indicated at M Figures 8 and 9, the circular end of the gridiron valve-seat being
preferably slightly tapered so as to fit in and fill the opening in the casting; as
shown for instance in Figure 4. The two valve-seats M and M² are placed so that
their face will be uppermost and the two marked M³ and M' in the reverse position
as best shown in Figure 1. On each of the gridiron valve-seats moves a valve the
character of which is shown in Figures 10 to 12 inclusive and which are marked
respectively O' 02 03 and 04. P and P¹ are cylinders opening at their lower ends
and secured at their tops to the portion c of the casing C which serves as their
head the two cylinders being arranged in line or tandem with the cylinders A
and B respectively-and the horizontal ports which I have already described
opening to and from their upper ends. Qindicates the main frame of the machine
on which the cylinders P and P₁ and through them the casting C is supported.
Below cylinders P P¹ this frame is in the form of a casing which encloses the shaft
and the links governor, &c., connected with it. R is the main or driving shaft of
the engine; R1 and R2 being cranks secured to the driving shaft situated at an
angle of 180 degrees to each other and placed respectively in line with the
cylinders A-P and B-P The crank R is connected by a rod R³ with the
piston R³ working in cylinder P; on this piston is connected by rod R' with
the piston R working in cylinder A. In like manner the crank R2 is connected by
rod R to the piston R working in the cylinder P¹ and this piston is connected by
rod R with the piston R¹ working in cylinder B. S is an eccentric; S₁ an eccentric
strap to which is attached the slotted link S-the link being pivotally connected
also to the frame by means of the pivoted lever S³; this being a familiar link-
motion the extent described need not be further specified. S is a sliding block
moving in the slotted link S and from this block leads a connecting rod S5;
attached at its end to a valve spindle T to which spindle is attached the spool
valve T working in the valve-chamber D by which the steam is admitted from the
passage E to the passages G and G₁ leading to the top and bottom of cylinder A.
The motion of this spool valve and the cut off of the steam by it are regulated by
the governor V which operates through the bell-crank lever V³, the rod V2, the
pivoted lever V and the connecting rod V, and the rod S changing the position
of the sliding block S in the link S' in accordance with the work thrown on
the engine.
Permanently pivoted to the link S2 is the rod S having at its end the two con-
necting points S and Ss. As shown in the drawings two rods S are provided one
extending on each side of the link S but both working as one. At S7 connection
is made through link S S₁ with the sleeve valve rod T2 which surrounds the rod T
and to which are attached the valves T3 T* T5 and T of which the valves T4 and T5.
regulate the opening of the ports H' H, and the valves T3 T6 the admission of
exhaust steam into the chambers J and J. The point Sa on rod Se is connected
with the bell-crank lever S, the other end of which lever is connected by rods $10.
and Swith the cranks U2 and U³ respectively; and these cranks in turn are con-
nected with the shafts U and U¹ (see Fig. 5). The shafts U and U are journaled
on a bracket extending out from the casting C, the shaft U being provided with the
additional cranks U and U and the shaft U¹ with the additional cranks U³ and U'.
The angular position of these cranks is best shown in Figure 6 and each crank.
is connected as shown with one of the horizontal valves through the valve
stems u¹³u² the crank U₁, for instance, connecting with the valve O¹, the
crank U with the valve O2, the crank U with the valve 0³, and the crank U
with the valve 04.
I will not in this application describe at length the passage of the steam from the
port E through the valve-chamber to the cylinder A thence back through the

page_text: valve-chamber to the cylinder B and thence to a point of escape: first, because
the operation of the valves can be readily followed by any one skilled in the art,
second, because the combination of the high and low pressure cylinders A and B
with the valve-chamber and valves by which their conjoint operation is effected has
been already described in a prior Patent. I will merely state then that the steam
first enters the cylinder A from which it is exhausted into the cylinder B-the
piston in which is moving in the opposite direction to that in cylinder A-and that
after having done its work in cylinder B the steam is exhausted therefrom into one
of the ports J or J¹ from which it passes to the accumulator L. From the accumu-
lator the steam passes through valves O¹ and 02 to the respective low pressure
cylinders P and P, these valves being of course open alternately so that the steam
is admitted first to one low pressure cylinder and then to the other and the opening
of the valves taking place simultaneously with the admission of steam to the upper
ends of the cylinders A and B respectively. After having done its work in the
cylinder P and P₁ the steam escapes through the exhaust valves 03 and 0-these
valves being opened alternately and simultaneously with the admission of steam to
the bottoms of the cylinders A and B respectively.
Among the leading features of my invention I would especially mention the
formation of the casting C containing the various cylinders, chambers, and ports
described and by which all of the said parts are compactly formed and the con-
struction of the engine simplified and cheapened. Another important feature of the
engine is the combination with the two sets of tandem cylinders and the frame
casing Q of the two cranks R and R2 set at an angle of 180 degrees to each other
by which arrangement the two sides of the engine are very perfectly balanced and
the air in the casing preserved at constant pressure. Another important feature is
the combination with the link S' of the various valves described and by which the
action of the governor upon the engine affects only the cut-off of steam admission to
the high pressure cylinder A while the exhaust from that cylinder, the admission
and exhaust in cylinder B, and the admission and exhaust of the cylinders P and P
remains constant and uniform although governed by the same link.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
:-
First The casting C having formed in it the parallel cylinders A and B, the
piston valve chamber D also lying parallel to said cylinders, the traversely-lying
valve chambers L L L L formed in the portion c of the casting which con-
stitutes the lower head of cylinders A and B, and the ports connecting the valve
chambers and cylinders as described.
Second The casting C having formed in it the parallel cylinders A and B, the
piston valve-chamber D also lying parallel to said cylinders, the traversely-lying
valve chambers L'L LL formed in the portion of the casting which constitutes
the lower head of cylinders A and B, and the ports connecting the valve-chambers
and cylinders as described, in combination with the cylinders P P¹ secured to the
portion e of the casting and in line respectively with cylinders A and B.
Third: In a compound engine substantially as described the combination of the
link S with the positively-connected rod S, the valves T3 T T T actuated by
rod S and governing the exhaust from cylinders A and B, the valves 01 02 03 0₁
governing the admission and exhaust of cylinders P P and also actuated by rod S",
the rod S adjustably connected with link S and the steam admission valve Ti
actuated by rod S³ all substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 30th day of August 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.