IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN BOILERS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bury, of Portman Street, Marylebone, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN BOILERS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 11th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bury at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
April 1861.
I, WILLIAM BURY, of Portman Street, Marylebone, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN BOILERS FOR THE SAME," to be as
follows:-
My Invention, with reference to steam engines, has for its object an increased
economy in the use of steam employed expansively to work the same, and
consists in the arrangement of slide valves and the motion for working them
herein-after described. There are two main slide valves applied to each
cylinder and intended to be moved alternately, the one for admitting steam on
the upper side of the piston and opening the exhaust at the lower side thereof,
and the other for admitting steam on the lower side and opening the exhaust
at the upper side. These main slide valves are worked by means of a grooved
cam on the crank shaft, within the groove of which are confined rollers on the

page_text: ends of the levers which respectively communicate with each slide valve. By
this means on the revolution of the cam the excentric or operative part of the
groove will be made to act on each valve alternately by acting on the roller of
the lever communicating therewith, the other valve at the same time re-
maining without action by the roller of the lever communicating with it being
in the concentric or inoperative part of the groove. By this arrangement the
extent to which it is intended to use the steam expansively is determined by
the form of the operative part of the groove of the cam.
The form of engine which I prefer for the purpose is that of a marine
engine with four cylinders, two of which are placed on each side of the vessel,
the opposite cylinders not being in the same straight line horizontally, although
they work on to the same crank pin. The inclined position of the cylinders is
obtained by fixing them on the condensers which extend under each pair of
them, and are so formed at their upper-part as to give the required inclination
to the cylinders. The condensers contain the air pumps.
And my Invention, with reference to steam boilers, consists in forming
passages in the ordinary water spaces at the sides or back of the back smoke
box at the inner end of the furnaces, for the purpose of conveying the steam
from the steam chest into additional contact with the heat of the furnace or
furnaces, in order that the steam on its passage from the chest to the steam
pipe may become superheated. The passages by which the steam descends from
the steam chest lead into a horizontal pipe or pipes below the furnaces, which
pipe again leads into vertical passages between the furnaces, by which the
steam ascends in a superheated state to the steam pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bury in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BURY, of Portman Street, Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Bury, Her special licence that: I, the 'said William Bury,
my executors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as 1, the said

page_text: William Bury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND IN BOILERS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Bury, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be perforined, and cause the
samo to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bury, do hereby declare
the nature, of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Steam Engines and in Boilers for the
same" has for its object, with reference to steam engines, an increased economy
in the use of steam employed expansively to work the same, and consists in
the arrangement of slide valves and the motion for working them herein-after
described. There are two main slide valves applied to each cylinder and
intended to be moved alternately, the one for admitting steam on the upper
side of the piston and opening the exhaust at the lower side thereof, and the
other for admitting steam on the lower side and opening the exhaust at the
upper side. These main slide valves are worked by means of a grooved cam
on the crank shaft, within the groove of which are confined rollers on the ends
of the levers which respectively communicate with each slide valve. By this
means on the revolution of the cani the operative part of the groove, viz., that
farthest from: the centre of the shaft, will be made to act on each valve
alternately by acting on the roller of the lever communicating therewith, the
other valve at the same time remaining without action by the roller of the
lever communicating with it being in the concentric or inoperative part of the
groove of the cam..
The form of engine which I prefer for marine purposes is that of marine
engine with four cylinders, two of which are placed on each side of the vessel,
the opposite cylinders not being in the same straight line horizontally, although
they work on to the same crank pin. The inclined position of the cylinders is
obtained by fixing them on the condensers which extend under each pair of

page_text: them, and are so formed at their upper part as to give the required inclination
to the cylinders. The condensers contain the air pumps.
And my Invention with reference to steam boilers consists in forming
passages in the ordinary water spaces at the sides or back of the back smoke
box at the inner end of the furnaces, for the purpose of conveying the steam
from the steam chest into additional contact with the heat of the furnace or
furnaces; in order that the steam in its passage from the chest to the steam pipe
may become superheated. The passages by which the steam descends from
the steam chest lead into a horizontal pipe or pipes below the furnaces, which
pipe again leads into vertical passages between the furnaces by which the
steam ascends in a superheated state to the steam pipe.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented the parts above
referred to.
:.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a set of marine engines intended to carry
out the principle of expansion to its fullest extent, and shewing the arrange-
ment of slide valves and gear proposed for effecting the same; Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal section through the cylinders and condensers; Fig. 3 is a plan or
horizontal view of the engines on the line a, b, c, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents
the crank shaft, shewing the position of the cams; Fig. 5 is a side view of
one of the cams, In these several Figures the same letters of reference indi-
cate corresponding parts.
This arrangement of engines which I prefer as best adapted for expanding the
steam the most perfectly consists of four cylinders A, A, A, A, two cylinders
being placed on each side of the vessel opposite to one another. The opposite
cylinders are not in the same straight line horizontally, although they work to
the same crank pin. The object in placing the cylinders at an angle as shewn
in Fig. 1 is to balance the engines by not having the greatest pressure of steam
in the opposite cylinders at the same time, and thereby preventing also the
extreme strain that would be thrown on the main shaft B. This angular
position of the cylinders is obtained by fixing them on the condensers C, C,
C, C, which extend in a fore and aft direction under the cylinders, and con-
tain the air pumps D, D. The opposite cylinders and condensers are connected
together by the four side frames E, E, E, E, see Fig. 3, which carry the same
shaft B, on which are the two cams F, F, for giving motion to the slide valves
G and H on each of the four cylinders A, A, A, A, the slide valve G being in-

page_text: tended for admitting the steam on the upper side of the piston, and opening
the exhaust at the lower side thereof, and the slide valve II for admitting
steam on the bottom side of the piston, and opening the exhaust at the upper
side thereof. The slide valves G and H on each side of the cylinders A, A, A, A,
are worked from the cams F, F, by means of the four levers I, I, and I*, I*,
having at one end rollers confined within the grooves of the camis F, F, and
connected at their other end to the levers K, K, K, K, which are again con-
nected to the sectors L, L, L, L, which work the slide valves G and H through
the levers M, M, M, M, to which the valve rods are jointed.
the required connection is formed between the grooved cams F, F, and the
slide valves G and H.
In this manner
The cam. F, Fig. 5, is formed of a disc of cast iron or other metal in two
halves or portions, for fitting over the shaft where necessary, and has on each
side two rings N, N, and N*, N*, of wrought iron, case-hardened steel, or
other material. These inner rings N and outer rings N* are placed so as to
form a groove or grooved race between them, in which the rollers on the
ends of the levers I, I, I, I*, are confined, and are made to travel, and they
are formed so as to make the groove of the shape represented in Fig. 5,
whereof one portion is at a greater distance from the centre of the shaft B than
the other portion, the former portion being operative in working the slide
valves, and the latter inoperative. By the rollers of the levers I, I, I, I, being
confined within the groove there is no necessity for counterbalance weights,
vacuum pumps, or springs, and by their being thus always in contact with tho
cam, much noise and injurious action on the gear will be prevented. The
inner rings N, N, are for opening the slide valves, and the outer rings N*, N*,
are for closing them. The rings are fitted and secured on each side of the disc
for the purpose of facilitating the reversing of the engines. This reversing
can be effected by fitting the rings on only one side, and making the cam
capable of being shifted on the shaft as is the case with an ordinary excentric..
The action of the cam may be thus described:-The nose O on the ring N
is brought into contact alternately with the rollers on the levers I, I, and with
those on the levers I*, I*, as the main shaft B revolves, thereby increasing the.
distance between the centre of the shaft and the centre of the respective roller
by an amount equal to the depth of the nose O, which should be proportioned
to the extent of the travel required to be given to the slide valves G and H.
When the nose O comes in contact with the roller ou the lever I, the slide
valve G (which admits steam to the upper side of the piston, and opens the
exhaust of the lower side thereof) is made to open; it is kept open during
the required portion of the stroke, and is subsequently closed when the nose O

page_text: has passed out of contact with the roller by the outer ring N* drawing the
roller into that part of the groove which brings the centre of the roller nearer to
the centre of the main shaft. During this time the slide valve H is stationary,
and remains so until the nose O in the course of the revolution of the cam F
comes into contact with the roller on the end of the lever 1, which occurs
when the piston is ready for the upward course; the slide valve H is then
opened, and admits steam to the cylinder at the under side of the piston, and
opensithe exhaust at the upper end of the cylinder, and the same motion-
takes place with the slide valve H as with the slide valve G on the downward
course of the piston. If necessary the exhaust can be made to remain open
after the steam passage is closed. It will thus be seen that the slide valves G
and H' on each respective cylinder move alternately, but never at the same
time, and they have distinct passages P, P, and Q, Q, to the upper and lower
ends of the cylinders. R, R, R, R, Fig. 2, are the exhaust pipes leading
into the condensers C, C, C, C; S, S, S, S, are steam chambers common to
the slide valves G and H. The reversing of the engines is effected in the
usual manner by raising or lowering simultaneously the sectors L, L, L, L,
an arrangement for doing which is shewn in Fig. 3, and by dotted lines
in Fig. 1.
I proceed now to describe my improvements with reference to steam boilers.
Fig. 6. is a front elevation; Fig. 7 a side elevation; and Fig. 8 a plan or
horizontal view of the boiler. A, A, A, are the furnaces; B, B, B, is the
back smoke box at the end of the furnaces; C, C, are passages formed at
the sides of the back smoke box for conveying the steam downwards from
the steam chest; D, D, D, are pipes connecting the passages C, C, with the
passages E, E, formed between the furnaces at the inner end, and leading
upwards to the steam pipe F, by which the steam is conveyed to the cylinder;
G is a cock fixed to the outside of the boiler for supplying the passages C, D,
and E with water whilst steam is being raised. These passages can just
before the engines are started be blown out by the steam through the separate
blow-off cock H. The sides of the passages C and E may be protected by
shield plates, or a lining of fire-bricks should it be found requisite.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would remark that I do not claim as
of my Invention any of the parts represented in the Drawings, and herein-
before described, otherwise than as in connection with the parts herein-after
stated to be claimed, but what I claim is, with reference to steam engines,―
First, the construction of cylinders for steam engines with two slide valves
intended to move alternately, one for admitting steam on the upper side of the

page_text: piston, and opening the exhaust at the lower side thereof, and the other for
admitting steam on the lower side of the piston, and opening the exhaust on
the upper side thereof as herein-before described.
Secondly, the adaptation and application to the main shaft of a cam for
working the slide valves, such cam consisting of a disc with loose or separate
inner and outer rings, these rings, portions of which form the operating parts
of the cam, being intended to be fitted and fixed on one or both sides of the
disc as required as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the arrangement of marine engines herein-before described as
adapted for carrying out the improvements in the mode of using the steam
expansively in the manner herein-before described.
And, with reference to steam boilers, I claim the formation of passages at
the back or inner end of the furnaces, either at the sides or the back of the
back smoke box (the spaces occupied by these passages being usually water
spaces for the purpose of conveying the steam downwards from the steam
chest so as to bring it in contact with the heat of the furnaces, in order that
the steam may become superheated, and then be led upwards to the ordinary
steam pipe as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bury, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Bury, in
the presence of
F. COMBE,
Sol', Staple Inn.
WILLIAM BURY. (L.S.)