IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HERBERT CUTTING, of Peddar's Lane, Beccles, in the County of Suffolk,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of steam engines having oscillating
double-acting cylinders, in which the oscillations of the cylinders regulate the
supply of steam thereto without the intervention of slide valves or eccentrics.
The said invention is applicable either to high pressure or compound engines.
In the case of a high pressure engine the shaft is driven through three cranks
at equal angles (120°) to each other, by the rods of pistons working in three
cylinders.
The cylinders of engines constructed in accordance with this invention are bored
transversely through solid cylindrical blocks which are arranged to oscillate in a
cylindrical chamber and are each bored with four suitable ports leading to the
cylinder, which ports, by the oscillations, alternately come into communication
with, and are cut off from, suitable corresponding fixed steam and exhaust ports
in the cylindrical chamber. These fixed steam and exhaust ports lead into pipes
on opposite sides of the cylindrical chamber, and the action of the engine may be
reversed by the functions of the steam and exhaust pipes being exchanged by
means of a two-way. cock, which is placed at the junction of the supply pipe from
the boiler and the waste steam pipe with the two alternate supply or exhaust pipes
already referred to, from both of which the supply may be cut off by turning the
cock into the necessary position for that purpose.
In a compound engine, three or more transversely bored cylinders, constructed
and arranged within cylindrical chambers as herein before described, are employed
and in one, or more, of the same the partly expanded steam from the high pressure
cylinders is utilised, as will be well understood.
Dated this twenty fourth day of February One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: I, HERBERT CUTTING, of Peddars Lane, Beccles, in the county of Suffolk,
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 stateinent:—
My said invention relates to the construction of steam engines having oscillating
double acting cylinders, in which the oscillations of the cylinders regulate the
supply of steam thereto without the intervention of the ordinary slide valves or
eccentrics. This invention is applicable either to high pressure or compound
engines.
The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in all the Figures.
Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. and 5. are views of a high pressure engine, having three cylin-
ders, constructed in accordance with this invention. Figure 1. is a side elevation;
Figure 2 a plan; Figure 3. is a longitudinal section; Figure 4. is an end elevation
with the end plate removed, and Figure 5. is a cross section through one of the
cylinders. The shaft a. is driven through three cranks b. b. b. at equal angles (120°)
to each other, by the rods of pistons c. c. c. working in three cylinders d. d. d. The
cylinders are bored transversely through solid cylindrical blocks e. e. e. which are
arranged to oscillate in a cylindrical chamber f. the outer cylinders are fitted with
trunnions x. x. xxl, the trunnions xx oscillate in recessed bearings in the end
plates of the cylindrical case and the trunnions ¹¹ oscillate in countersunk
recesses in the central cylindrical block and allow of the oscillation of the central
cylinder itself. Each cylindrical block is bored with four suitable ports e¹ e² €³ c¹
leading to the cylinder, which ports, by the oscillations, alternately come into
communication with, and are cut off from, suitable corresponding fixed steam and
exhaust ports g. g. g. and h. h. h. in the cylindrical chamber f. These fixed steam
and exhaust ports lead into pipes i. and k. on opposite sides of the cylindrical
chamber f. and the action of the engine may be reversed by the functions of the
steam and exhaust pipes i. and c. being exchanged by means of a two-way cock l.
which is placed at the junction of the supply pipe m. from the boiler and the waste
steam pipe n. with the two alternate supply or exhaust pipes i. and k. already
referred to, from both of which the supply may be cut off by turning the cock into
the necessary position for that purpose.
In applying this invention to compound engines three or more cylindrical blocks,
each bored transversely with steam cylinders of suitable diameters, are arranged
either within a single cylindrical chamber, as hereinbefore described, or, within
three or more separate cylindrical chambers. Figure 6. is a longitudinal section of
an engine, having three cylinders, constructed in accordance with this invention,
which may be used either as a high pressure or as a compound engine accordingly
as the steam is used directly or the feed valves are set to work expansively, as will
be well understood on reference to Figures 7. and 8. which show respectively the
setting of the supply valves for the utilisation of high pressure steam in all the

page_text: cylinders and for employing the steam successively in the manner known as com-
pound working. In lieu of the pipes i. and k. connected with the two way cock
the engine is provided with steam chests 2³ and k¹ k² k³; three on either side,
namely, one to each fixed port. The said chests are extended upwards or connected
by means of suitable passages with the controlling feed valves r. s. t. These valves
are bored with suitable passages, the valve r. with a passage which may be set so
as to connect the steam pipe with either the chest i¹ or k¹ or it may be set as to shut
off the steam, the valves s. and t. are provided respectively with the passages 81
82 83 and t¹³ and may be set as shown in Figure 7. to admit high pressure
from the chest ¹ through the chests 22 2³, or, the valves s. and t. may be set to work
expansively, as shown in Figure 8., where also the feed valve r. is set so as to
reverse the engine.
In working expansively it will be seen that the steam from the first exhaust
chest (when the valve r. is set as in Figure 8.) passes through the steam chest /²
the exhaust chest and the steam chest 3. The chests i³ and ³ are connected
with a valve P. which is opened automatically by the supply steam so as to allow
of the egress of the exhaust. The valves 7. 8. t. are controlled by levers which are
connected together and regulated by the lever handle u., as shown in Figures 7.
and 8.
The construction of the steam cylinders may be modified in the following manner.
Each cylinder instead of being bored through a solid cylindrical block as herein-
before described, is so constructed that the top and bottom and valve faces at the
sides alone come in contact with the internal cylindrical surface of the chamber,
and form, with the trunnions or recesses hereinbefore mentioned, the bearings of
the cylinder.
That portion of the driving shaft which is cranked is, by preference, enclosed in
a steam tight chamber, the shaft being borne in suitable bearings having packed
glands.
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
The construction of high pressure and compound steam engines having three or
more cylinders oscillating within one or more cylindrical chambers, in such a
manner that the supply and exhaust ports are automatically controlled by the
oscillations, substantially as herein before described and shown in the accompanying
drawings.