Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May,
1897
I, THOMAS RICHARD ALMOND, Manufacturer, of Dunwoodie Heights,
Westchester County, in the 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:-
.
1
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which
Figure 1 represents a vertical transverse section of my improved rotary engine,
the line 1-1 in Figure 2 indicating the plane of section.
Figure 2 is practically a vertical longitudinal section on the plane of the
line 2-2 Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a substantially horizontal section of the engine on the plane of the
line 3-3 Figure 1.
and
Figure 4 is a detail inner face view of a part of one head of the engine case,
Figure 5 is a small detail cross section on the line 5-5 Figure 4.
This invention relates to certain improvements on that class of rotary engines in
which tangential cylinders carried by a shaft and provided with outwardly movable
pistons are contained within an eccentric casing or housing.
The invention consists, first, in providing each of said outwardly movable pistons
with a pivoted shoe which is adapted to contact with the inner face of the eccentric
housing and which is perforated for the admission of steam or other active
expansive fluid to a space between said shoe and said housing. The object of this
improvement is to avoid friction between said shoe and said eccentric housing at
the time the piston which carries the shoe is pressed outwardly.
The invention consists, secondly, in combining the main shaft of the engine
where the same is provided with a coliar on the outer side of the case or housing,
with a cushioned contact ring, which is pressed against the outer wall of the case or
housing, and with means for admitting steam to the space between the collar that is
embraced by said spring-pressed ring and the external face of the housing. The
object of this improvement is to ensure a steamtight contact between the head
or body of the engine and the external housing at the place or along those faces
where steam is admitted, thereby preventing steam from entering those parts of
the engine to which it is not intended that it should be admitted.
The invention consists, thirdly, in providing a hub of the stationary casing
where it embraces the rotating shaft with an annular space around said shaft, in
which space water and oil may accumulate for lubricating purposes.
Finally, the invention cousists in providing the head or end wall of the casing on
its inner side with substantially radial grooves for the purpose of carrying any oil
which may come in contact with said head towards the central part of the engine
where it will exert its best effect for lubricating purposes.
In the accompanying drawings, the letter A represents the housing or shell of
my rotary engine. This housing is stationary, being provided with suitable
feet or flanges a whereby it can be safely secured in a stationary position to a
support of suitable kind. The housing proper A is of cylindrical form consisting
B is a shaft carried
of the circular rim band of the two heads d and e.

page_text: which
eccentrically on said housing A and so supported as to be free to rotate within
bearings provided in said housing and within suitable other bearings which may
be provided for the purpose. The bearings provided by the housing as
represented in Figures 2 and 3, are first those contained in the head d,
those contained in a cap f which is bolted to the outer face of said head d
at g, as shown in Figure 3, and secondly, in an extension hub
is formed on the outer side of the head e. Within this extension hub h
is formed an annular chamber which embraces the shaft B and which serves
to collect any water or oil that may leak outwardly along the shaft B,
holding it as a lubricating means in position on the shaft. To the shaft B is
rigidly secured within the shell or housing A the head proper of the engine.
This head proper consists of four (more or less) tangentially arranged
cylinders C, D, E and F, each provided with a piston C, D, E and F.
The outer end of each of said cylinders is open to allow the piston which it
carries to protrude as shown. The inner end of each cylinder has a port for
the admission and exhaust of the steam or analogous operative fluid. These
different ports in the cylinders are indicated at in the drawing. Steam is
admitted by a pipe G to an inlet port formed in the head d. Steam is exhausted
through the pipe H from an outlet port which is also formed in the head d. The
inlet port k is of such length (see dotted lines in Fig. 1) as to allow the cylinder F
as soon as it moves from about the position shown in Figure 1 in the direction of
the arrow m in said figure, to receive steam and to continue so to receive steam
until it reaches a position represented by the cylinder D, Figure. 1.
The outlet
port is of such size and extent as to allow a cylinder to exhaust when it reaches
about the position of D and to continue so to do until it reaches nearly the position
of the cylinder F in the same figure. It will be observed that each of the
pistons C, D, E² and F2 carries on a tubular central stem na pivoted shoe J.
This pivoted shoe has a steam passage o in its pivotal portion, which steam passage
communicates with a space p which is formed between the shoe and the cylindrical
shell b of the housing A. The tube n within each piston is open to the steam
space in the inner portion of the corresponding cylinder. It follows that while
steam is admitted to a cylinder such steam also passes through the tubular stem n
and shoe passage o into the confined space p on the outer side of each shoe, forming
a cushion, which counteracts the outward pressure of the steam on the piston, thus
avoiding friction.
It has heretofore been proposed to supply pistons of this character on the
outer portions with anti-friction rollers, but experience has shown that such
rollers even if effective as anti-frictional devices to some extent, yet are incapable
of balancing the outward pressure of the steam against the pistons, and moreover
they produce so much noise as to render their employment very objectionable.
By my improved arrangement of shoe with outer steam chamber or cushion, all
these objections are overcome. Of course, when a piston in my engine is in
communication with the exhaust, there is no further outward pressure against
such piston and consequently the confined space p may also be brought in
communication with the exhaust without injury to the operation of the parts. I
have shown the shoes J socketed in enlargements of the tubular stems n, and
I regard this as one of the most effective means for the purpose. But other
means for pivoting the shoes and supplying steam thereto or of supplying steam
to the space between said shoes and the shell may be substituted for the
preferred means which I have shown without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
Within the cap the shaft B carries a collar L which is rigidly secured to
it, the cap being suitably hollowed for the purpose. This collar L has an
outer enlargement at s to form a shoulder against which springs tor analogous
cushions are adapted to press, said springs holding a loose ring u close against
the outer surface of the stationary head d. Steam is admitted through a
passage (see dotted lines in Figure 3) to the space formed between the

page_text: collar L, the movable ring u, the head d and the shaft B. The movable spring-
pressed ring u confines this steam in that space and causes it to force the collar L
as far as feasible away from the stationary head d. The collar L being rigidly
secured to the shaft B it follows that this action of the steam tends to move shaft B
and with it the engine head within the case or housing towards the head d, thereby
making a tight joint at w, where steam is admitted, and preventing any steam from
leaking into the space around the head of the engine. The space within the cap f
which surrounds the collar L and the ring u should communicate with the exhaust,
as at or with the outer air.
In order to collect for lubricating purposes any of the water or oil that may be
admitted into the engine and distribute the same where most needed, I have
grooved the inner face of the head e (and may apply similar grooving to the inner
face of the head d) as shown at in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. These grooves are inclined
as shown and may most appropriately be produced by drilling into the head from
the outer edge as indicated in Fig. 2, and then cutting into the drilled hole to the
inner face of the head as far as necessary to produce the required crease or groove.
Any oil or water reaching the head will in these grooves be conducted towards the
shaft B, and thence reach the chamber i.
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 :-
1. In a rotary engine, having stationary case or housing A and tangential
cylinders C, D, E, F, the combination of said cylinders with their respective
pistons C, D, E, F and with shoes J pivoted to said pistons, and with a steam
passage to and through each shoe, as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination of the cylinder C with the piston C, tube n carried by said
piston, shoe J pivoted to said tube, steam conduit o within said shoe, steam
chamber p on the outer side of said shoe, and with the stationary shell b, all as and
for the purpose described.
3. The combination in a rotary engine of outwardly movable pistons with shoes
pivoted thereto, means substantially as described for admitting steam to and
exhausting steam from chambers formed in said shoes, and with the outer shell b
against which said shoes are pressed by steam admitted to the engine, as and for
the purpose described.
4. The combination of the stationary casing A with the shaft B supported by
said casing, with the engine body carried on said shaft within said casing, with the
collar. L carried on said shaft outside of said casing within a hollow cap fand
with the cushioned ring u and steam inlet v, all arranged to hold the engine body
in close contact with the head of the casing, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. The stationary head e provided on its inner side with substantially
radiating inclined grooves x, in combination with the shaft B from which
said grooves radiate and to which they directly extend, as and for the purpose
described.
6. The combination of the housing A having inner radiating inclined groove or
grooves, with the shaft B supported in said housing and with the hub h formed
on said housing and having the chamber i around the shaft, said chamber being
open on its inner side only, all arranged to conduct to and collect in said chamber i
water and oil flowing in the groove or grooves x, as specified.
ed this 20th day of April 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.