IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES."-A communication
from abroad by Alfred James Works and Paul Porter Todd, both of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 15th December 1874, and dated the 26th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th October 1874.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," South-
ampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES," a communi-
cation, to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to that class of rotary engines in which an
excentric hollow abutment is employed in combination with a piston
extending through the wall of the abutment and rotating therewith.

page_text: The said Invention consists in attaching the piston rigidly to the shaft
of the engine, so as to operate as a lever to move the shaft, the latter
being arranged at the centre of the cylinder within the abutment.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 represents an end elevation.
of the said Invention, one-half of the cylinder being removed; Figure 2
is a longitudinal vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a transverse
vertical section on the line x, x, of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a section
of the piston and abutment drawn to an enlarged scale.
C is the cylinder, constructed in two sections, properly secured
together by bolts in the usual manner; A is the main shaft, arranged
in the axial line of the cylinder; e is the live steam port; and S, the
exhaust port or pipe; M is a rotary tubular abutment arranged within
the cylinder C, and eccentric thereto. One side of this abutment is in
contact with the concave wall of the cylinder, and the ends project into
the end walls of the cylinder beyond the steam chamber B, so as to have
a firm steam-tight bearing therein. The main shaft A passes excentrically
through this abutment, and has its bearings beyond the ends of the
abutment in suitable boxes provided in the side walls of the cylinder for
that purpose.
a is a flat arm or crank cast upon the shaft or rigidly
secured thereto, so as to extend through the wall of the abutment. The
lateral edges of this arm fit steam-tight between the end walls of the
stcam chamber B, while its terminal edge fits steam-tight against the
concave periphery of said chamber. The steam entering the chamber
on one side of this arm and exhausting on the other side causes it to
operate as a rotary piston, the abutment M completely filling the space
behind the piston, and preventing the steam from backing around in that
direction.
The Drawing above referred to and hereto annexed represents a single
engine, but I prefer two or more arms or pistons instead of one, for the
purpose of avoiding a dead point, these arms may be arranged dia-
metrically opposite to or at right angles with cach other.
The end of the piston a may be provided with a suitable packing, or a
curved plate a¹ may be arranged to fit the concave wall of the steam
chamber B, which by its spring power will ensure a perfectly steam-tight
joint.
The inner corners of the slot in the wall of the abutment, through
which the piston a passes, are beveled off. or friction rollers may be

page_text: | applied to the walls of the slot to accommodate the varying inclination
of the piston with relation to the slot.
When friction rollers are not used an oscillating stuffing box N may
be employed, arranged within the slot in the manner clearly represented
in the Drawing.
.
The face of the abutment in the immediate neighbourhood of the slot
must be cut away to countersink the plate a¹ while passing the steam
ports, and the outer face of the oscillating block must be cut away at
the sides of the piston for the same purpose.
The great advantage of this improved engine arises from the fact that
all the rotary parts revolve in a fixed position, and under no circumstances
vary from that position. The piston is merely a crank arm attached to
the main shaft, and therefore does not slide, and cannot get out of order,
but partakes of all the firmness, strength, and positiveness of action that
distinguish the shaft itself.
Another advantage of this engine is that the power of the steam is
applied directly to the shaft itself, which is in line with the centre of the
cylinder, and not to the shaft in line with and connected to the abutments.
The difference in economizing power and preventing wear and tear is
very great.
The steam is applied at the greatest advantage at the long arm of a
lever connected directly to the working shaft. The power therefore
depends simply upon the size and length of the arm or piston, and the
economy of steam is as great as in any other form of engine that has
ever been devised.
.SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
-
filed by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
30 HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton Buildings,
London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Haseltine, Her
special licence that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES," a communication to me from
abroad by Alfred James Works and Paul Porter Todd, both of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my Invention, one-half of the cylinder
having been removed; Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the
same; Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 2.
O is the cylinder, consisting of the steam chamber B and the chamber
D, D, on each side of the steam chamber and eccentric thereto. This
cylinder is constructed in two sections, which fit together steam-tight,
and are properly secured by bolts in the usual manner. A is the main
shaft, arranged in the axial line of the steam cylinder B. Within tho
cylinder and eccentric thereto is arranged a rotary tubular abutment M.
One side of this abutment is in contact with the concave wall of the
steam chamber B, and the ends of said abutment project into the
chambers D, D, beyond the steam chamber B, so as to have a firm
steam-tight bearing therein. The main shaft A passes eccentrically
through this abutment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and has its bearings
beyond the ends of the abutments in suitable boxes provided for that
purpose. Cast upon the shaft A or rigidly secured thereto is a flat arm
or crank a. This arm or crank extends through the wall of the
abutment M, and its lateral edges are made to fit steam-tight between
the end walls of the steam chamber B, while its terminal edge fits
steam-tight against the concave periphery of said chamber. Suitable
packing may be arranged in the lateral and terminal edges or surfaces to
ensure a perfectly steam-tight fit, if desired. On the terminal end of this
crank or piston a a curved plate a', extending on both sides of the
piston, is arranged, its outer periphery fitting the concave wall of the
steam chamber, and of such a length as to cover both steam ports v
and when the piston is vertical. By this arrangement the escape of
any steam through the exhaust ports will be prevented until the plate
or valve a' has partially passed the said port, and the piston a is in
vertical position. The steam is thus allowed to operate for a longer
time upon the piston, or until it has reached a vertical position, after
which the gravity of the piston will assist in giving it a motion of
rotation on its axis. This curved plate or valve may be packed in any
suitable manner, if desired. and s are the steam ports, covered by a
suitable slide valve R, to direct the steam into the one or the other port,
a

page_text: as may be desired, to cause the piston to rotate in either one or the
other direction; w is the passage for the exhaust steam to escape. The
steam entering the chamber on one side of the arm or piston a and
exhausting on the other side causes it to operate as a rotary piston, the
abutment M completely filling the space behind the piston, and pre-
venting the steam from backing around in that direction.
The Drawing represents a single engine, but two or more arms or
pistons may be employed instead of one, as here represented, for the
purpose of avoiding a dead point, and when thus employed they may be
arranged diametrically opposite to or at right angles with cach other, or
in any other relative position that will enable them to accomplish the
desired purpose.
The rotation of the shaft within the excentric abutment will cause a
sliding movement of the piston'a in the slot, which permits it to pass
through the abutment, and the inclination of the piston with relation to
the slot will vary at different parts of their revolution, the piston being
perpendicular to the plane of the slot when at the points shewn in
Figure 3, but inclined to said plane when at any other point in its
revolution, as shown in Figure 1. To accomodate this varying inclination
the inner corners of the slot are beveled, or the piston may be passed
between friction rollers applied to the walls of the slot. When these
friction rollers are employed they will, if properly constructed and
adjusted, serve to pack the piston to prevent leakage around it, but I
prefer to use an oscillating stuffing box or block N arranged within the
slot in the manner clearly represented in Figures 1 and 3.
The face of the abutment in the immediate vicinity of the slot must
be cut away to countersink the plate a¹ while passing the steam ports,
and the outer face of the oscillating block must be cut away at the sides
of the piston for the same purpose, but at the lateral edges of the piston
care must be taken to prevent the passing of the steam around it, and
the ends of the oscillating block N which project up through the slot in
the abutment must be so constructed that the surface of the said block
will come flush with the convex surface of the abutment, and thereby
prevent the possibility of any escape of the steam around the edge of the
piston. The piston a being rigidly attached to the shaft A and passing
through the abutment M the movement of the piston will rotate tho
said shaft and drum or abutment M about their separate axes. The

page_text: .
eccentricity of the drum M and shaft A with respect to each other, and
the location of the steam ports with respect to said axes, gives more
space for the steam as it expands, this space being the greatest when the
piston is at the side of the cylinder, or the steam chamber B is opposite to
the steam ports.
If desired, the piston a may be made with detachable top and edge
plates to ensure a tight fit. These plates may be kept in place by dowel
pieces, and held out against the end plates of the oscillating block N, and
the ends or sides of the steam chamber B by coiled springs. At the
same time the end flanges a¹ may be made separate, and secured to it by
screws. By this arrangement the head or the end flanges a' may be
detached, and the stem inserted and withdrawn through the interior of
the drum or abutment M; or a portion of one end of this abutment M
around the hole for the block N may be cut out and replaced by a piece
so secured by screws as to be readily detached and replaced. The slot
in the oscillating block N may in this case be extended out through
one end and closed, when the piston a is inserted by a suitable block
fitted into this open end, and secured by a pin. The outer edges of
the flanges a¹ of the piston a may be made parallel with the sides of
the piston stem, or they may be inclined to cut off and admit the steam
eccentricity of the drum M and shaft A with respect to each other, and
the location of the steam ports with respect to said axes, gives more
space for the steam as it expands, this space being the greatest when the
piston is at the side of the cylinder, or the steam chamber B is opposite to
the steam ports.
If desired, the piston a may be made with detachable top and edge
plates to ensure a tight fit. These plates may be kept in place by dowel
pieces, and held out against the end plates of the oscillating block N, and
the ends or sides of the steam chamber B by coiled springs. At the
same time the end flanges a' may be made separate, and secured to it by
screws. By this arrangement the head or the end flanges a' may be
detached, and the stem inserted and withdrawn through the interior of
the drum or abutment M; or a portion of one end of this abutment M
around the hole for the block N may be cut out and replaced by a piece
so secured by screws as to be readily detached and replaced. The slot
in the oscillating block N may in this case be extended out through
one end and closed, when the piston a is inserted by a suitable block
fitted into this open end, and secured by a pin. The outer edges of
the flanges a¹ of the piston a may be made parallel with the sides of
the piston stem, or they may be inclined to cut off and admit the steam
gradually.
One great advantage of this improved engine aries from the fact that
all the rotary parts revolve in a certain position, and under no circum-
stances vary from that position.
Another advantage of this engine is that the power of the steam is
applied directly to the shaft itself, which is in line with the centre of
the cylinders, and not to the shaft in line with and connected to the
drums or abutments. The friction is easily reduced to a minimum by the
appliances herein described, so that the engine works smoothly, easily,
and without any material wear.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,—
First. A recessed hollow drum or abutment M operating eccentrically
and a working shaft A rotating in the central line of the steam chamber,
the latter being provided with suitable steam ports arranged as set forth,

page_text: in combination with a piston a attached to the working shaft and
provided with flanges a¹, as above described.
Second. The slotted oscillating stuffing box or block N, either with or
without a detachable piece in its end, as herein set forth and for the
purpose described.
Third. The hollow drum or abutment M. made with a detachable piece
at one end to allow the stem of the piston to be removed from the said
drum edgewisc, as above specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
HY. JAS. NOONE.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)