Improvements in Machinery for Starting Engines, commonly termed "Barring Engines."
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1890-Accepted, 27th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SUTARIATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Starting Engines, commonly termed
"Barring Engines."
We, JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT, of St. Georges Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists, do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to a small steam engine and gearing and arrangements to
be used for starting large engines into rotary motion by turning the fly or driving
wheel.
The mechanism according to our invention is automatic, that is to say, when the
mechanism is brought into gear and the steam is turned on to the small engine, it
gives rotation to the main engine, and when the started engine, has attained a
sufficient speed, the driving pinion of the barring engine is automatically thrown out
of gear without risk of accident or damage.
Our invention consists in improved combinations and arrangements of mechanism
mounted on a suitable bed and framing, viz., a horizontal steam cylinder with piston,
piston rod and guide and guide ways, and a connecting rod working upon a crank pin
in a crank at the upper end of a vertical shaft in suitable bearings.
The slide valve is worked by a crank pin in an overhanging arm from the crank
pin for the connecting rod from the piston rod, or by other means.
There is a worm upon the vertical crank shaft that gears with a worm wheel secured
near one end of a horizontal shaft, the bearing for this end of the shaft being partly
spherical or it may be in a swivel block to allow the other end of the shaft to move to
and fro, the bearing for which end can slide to and fro in a horizontal slot in the
framing, this sliding bearing or block being also arranged so as to be able to lift up
and down to a limited extent.
The lower side of the sliding block bearing is sustained by a pulley in a trough
which can rise and fall in a slot in the framing, the trough being carried by the end
of a flat or other spring.
There is a toothed pinion on the end of the horizontal shaft which can be brought
into gear with the teeth upon the fly or driving wheel of the main engine, and when
the slide block is slided to one end of the horizontal slot, the pinion is then in gear
and the block catches upon a ledge in the horizontal slot being pushed upwards by the
said spring, acting upon the trough and pulley or roller.
There is a helical or other spring arranged to act upon the slide block so as to force
it when the slide block is released, along the horizontal slot and thus withdraw the
toothed pinion from the teeth upon the driving or fly wheel.
There is also a lever for moving the slide block to its position when in gear and
another lever to push down the slide block against the action of the lifting spring
when the pinion is to be put out of gear by hand.
When the pinion is put into gear with the teeth upon the fly or driving wheel of
the main engine, and the steam is turned on to the "barring engine," the direction of
motion is such that the driving pressure or strain keeps the slide block in its highest
position and when the main engine has attained sufficient speed, the teeth of the fly
or driving wheel begin to drive the pinion instead of being driven by it, this pressure
then acting upon the pinion pushes the slide block down against the pressure of the
spring holding it up and releases the slide block from the ledge in the horizontal slot
and the spring acting horizontally forces the slide block to one side and the pinion out
of gear. If desired this movement of the slide block may also be made to act upon a
valve to shut off the supply of steam to the "barring engine."

page_text: Our invention may be varied by using a cylinder with a vertical cylinder instead of
a horizontal cylinder.
Dated this Ninataouth don of Manal 1000
PETER J. LIVSEY,
A gant
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Starting Engines, commonly termed
Barring Engines."
66
We. JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT, of St. Georges Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists, 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:—
Our invention relates to a small steam engine and gearing, and arrangements to be
used for starting large engines into rotary motion by turning the fly or driving wheel.
The mechanism according to our invention is automatic, that is to say, when the
mechanism is brought into gear, and the steam is turned on to the small engine, it
gives rotation to the main engine, and when the started engine, has attained a
sufficient speed, the driving pinion of the barring engine is automatically thrown out
of gear without risk of accident or damage.
Our invention consists in improved combinations and arrangements of mechanism
mounted on a suitable bed and framing, viz., a horizontal steam cylinder with piston,
piston rod and guide and guide ways, and a connecting rod working upon a
crank pin in a crank at the upper end of a vertical shaft in suitable bearings.
The slide valve is worked by a crank pin in an overhanging arm from the crank pin
for the connecting rod, from the piston rod, or by other means.
There is a worin upon the vertical crank shaft that gears with a worm wheel secured
near one end of a horizontal shaft, the bearing for this end of the shaft being partly
spherical, or it may be in a swivel block to allow the other end of the shaft to move to
and fro, the bearing for which end can slide to and fro in a horizontal slot in the
framing, this sliding bearing or block being also arranged so as to be able to lift up
and down to a limited extent.
The lower side of the sliding block bearing is sustained by a pulley in a trough
which can rise and fall in a slot in the framing, the trough being carried by the end
of a flat or other spring.
There is a toothed pinion on the end of the horizontal shaft which can be brought
into gear with the teeth upon the fly or driving wheel of the main engine, and when
the slide block is slided to one end of the horizontal slot, the pinion is then in gear
and the block catches upon a ledge in the horizontal slot being pushed upwards by the
said spring, acting upon the trough and pulley or roller.
There is a helical or other spring arranged to act upon the slide block so as to force
it, when the slide block is released, along the horizontal slot and thus withdraw the
toothed pinion from the teeth upon the driving or fly wheel.
There is also a lever for moving the slide block to its position when in gear, and
another lever to push down the slide block against the action of the lifting spring
when the pinion is to be put out of gear by hand.
When the pinion is put into gear with the teeth upon the fly or driving wheel of
the main engine, and the steam is turned on to the "barring engine" the direction of
motion is such that the driving pressure or strain keeps the slide block in its highest
position and when the main engine has attained sufficient speed the teeth of the Hy or
driving wheel begin to drive the pinion instead of being driven by it, this pressure
then acting upon the pinion pushes the slide block down against the pressure of the
spring holding it up and releases the slide block from the ledge in the horizontal slot
and the spring acting horizontally forces the slide block to one side and the pinion out
of gear.
It desired this movement of the slide block may also be made to act upon a valve
to shut off the supply of steam to the "barring engine."

page_text: Our invention may be varied by using an engine, with a vertical cylinder instead of
a horizontal cylinder.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation.
Fig. 2 is an elevation looking towards the worm wheel and of the horizontal shaft.
Fig. 3 is a plan view, and
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation in the plane of Fig. 2, the section being on a
line A B Figs. 1 and 2 below and excluding the steam cylinder.
a is a base plate or bed, to which a stand a', is secured by bolts, which stand s
prepared to receive the steam cylinder b, which is secured thereto.
The steam cylinder, valve box and valves and connected parts are or may be of
ordinary construction.
is
The piston rod 1, is connected with a slide block 2, working in guide ways a²,
formed upon the stand a', and to the slide block, one end of the connecting rod
jointed, the other end being jointed with a crank pin c¹, secured in a disc upon the
upper end of a vertical shaft c, having its bearings at the upper end in the stand a',
and at its lower end in a foot step bearing a³, secured by bolts to the base plate a.
The main crank pin e', is made to carry an arm 3, having a small crank pin e, in
it, to which one end of a connecting rod, is jointed, the other end of which is
jointed to a stud 65, which is secured in a hole in the flattened end of the spindle 6
for working the slide valve, which spindle 6, passes through and is guided in a
stuffing box in the valve chest at one end, and the flattened end of the spindle
works in a guide at attached to the guides a², for the slide block of the piston rod ¹.
The small crank pin e', is as is well understood in such position in relation to the
main crank pin c', for the piston in the steam cylinder, as will work the slide valve at
the proper times and to the extent required for admitting the steam to and exhausting
it from the cylinder.
Upon the vertical-crank shaft c, there is a fly wheel c', and also a worm c, which
gears with a worn wheel d', secured upon one end of a horizontal shaft d, the form
of the journal for which at the worm wheel end is partly spherical and fits a corre-
sponding pedestal in a stand aº, bolted to the base plate a.
The partly spherical journal permits the other end of the shaft d, to be moved either
horizontally or vertically as hereinafter described, which other end of the shaft d, has
its bearings in a part e, shown best in Fig. 4.
This bearing part e, is flat upon its upper and lower sides and has an arm e', from
one side with an enlarged curved end, that fits a slot or opening in the stand aº, bolted
to the bed for carrying the bearing of that end of the horizontal shaft d.
The curved surfaces at the upper and lower parts of the end of the arm e', are parts
of the segment of a circle having the width of the slot or opening in the stand a, for
its diameter, and consequently this end of the arm e', allows of movement in the
shaft d, both horizontally and vertically.
'
It will be seen that the flat surface on the under side of the part e, forining the
bearing of the shaft d. rests upon an anti-friction pulley d², having its bearings in a
box, that is arranged to slide up and down vertically in a hole or slot in the stand
(made clear by showing part of the stand a, in section in Fig. 4) and there is a
rounded projection from the lower side of the box d³, which rests upon one end of a
flat steel spring d', the other end of which is jointed upon a stud d secured in the side
of the stand a³.
The flat spring d. is supported upon the point of a set screw de, screwing through
a projection from the side of the stand a, by which means the pressure of the flat
spring upon the box d³, may be adjusted, which must be sufficient to lift the weight of
the Fearing and that end of the shaft d.
Upon one side of the upper side of the bearing there is a surface which may be
faced with a piece of hard metal, secured thereto, which when the bearing is in the
position shown in Fig. 4 comes against a ledge upon the stand aº, or against a hard
metal plate, secured to the stand a, and thus the bearing e, is retained in the
position shown in Fig. 4, as long as it is held up by the flat spring.d..
On one side of the stand a, a cylinder g, is secured, with its axis horizontal, and

page_text: there is a helical spring g³, one end of which comes against a disc in the cylinder acted
upon by a screw g, screwing through a cap plate or cover forming the other end of
the cylinder.
The other end of the helical spring g', acts upon a disc plate on a stem or rod g³,
that slides through a hole in the stand as, the end of which stem or rod comes against
the side of the bearing e.
By means of the screw g², the tension of the helical spring g', may be adjusted to
give pressure enough to slide the bearing e, when released, to one side, to bring the
spur pinion d, on the end of the horizontal shaft d, out of gear with the teeth upon
the fly or driving wheel h, partly represented in Figs. 1 and 2.
There is a stem, sliding through a hole in the stand aº, the lower end of which
acts against the upper side of the bearing e, the upper end of this stem, being
jointed to one end of a hand lever i, having its fulcrum ¿², on a part screwed into the
stand aº.
By lifting the handle end of this lever i, the bearing e, can be released so as to
move the spur pinion d', out of gear with the teeth on the fly or driving wheel h, at
any time.
There is a two armed lever j, having its fulcrum 12, on a stand secured to the bed or
base plate a, the vertical arm of which lever, comes upon one side of the horizontal
shaft d, so that by lifting the horizontal handle end of the lever j, the pinion d', can
be brought into gear with the teeth of the driving or fly wheel 4, and held in gear as
shown in Fig. 4.
The small spur wheel d', rotates in the direction shown by the curved arrow on
Fig. 2 consequently when the pinion d', is driving the fly or driving wheel h, the
pressure upon its bearing will be upwards, but when the main steam engine attains
sufficient speed from the steam in its own cylinders, it will drive the spur pinion d',
and the pressure on the bearing e, will then be downwards, and will be such as to
overcome the pressure of the flat spring dª, when the bearing e, will be released from
the notch, and the helical spring g', will force the spur pinion d', out of gear with
the teeth of the fly or driving wheel.
It is obvious that if the steam to supply the cylinder b, is arranged to pass through
a valve or tap and the stem of this valve or lever from the tap is connected with one
arm of a lever having its fulcrum upon a bracket on the stand a", and the other arm
of the lever is connected with the end of the arm e', that when the arm el, is in the
position shown in Fig. 4 the steam valve may be arranged to be open, and when in
the position after the helical spring g', has acted to force the pinion d', out of gear,
the steam valve will then be shut and the barring engine will be stopped.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is.
1. The combination and arrangement of mechanism substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. The arrangement of the shaft having the spur pinion upon it which can be
brought into and out of gear with the spur wheel upon the driving or fly wheel of the
main engine in a swivel bearing at one end, and so as to allow it to be moved both
horizontally and vertically at the other end, and so that in one position the pinion
will be held in gear with the teeth on the fly or driving wheel and will be released
and put out of gear automatically when the main engine has attained sufficient speed,
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
Dated this Twentieth day of Novrumbon 1890.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.