Improvements in Compound or Multiple Expansion Locomotive, Marine, and other Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound or Multiple Expansion Locomotive,
Marine, and other Engines.
I, OWEN JONES, of. 68, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My invention relates to compound or multiple expansion locomotive, marine and
other engines, and its main object is to provide a simple and efficient high speed
compound or multiple expansion engine which will consist of very few parts and
will occupy, but a small,space in proportion to its power.
An important feature of,my, said invention is the construction of a compound or
multiple expansion; engine in such a manner that, the crank or, each of, the cranks
will be driven through, one, half of its revolution by the high-pressure, steam and
through the other, half of its revolution by the low-pressure steam, the piston areas.
upon which the steam, acts being suitably proportioned so as to equalize or, about
equalize the force, exerted, to turn the crank, through the two halves. of its
revolution.
I sometimes, construct, my, compound or multiple expansion engine in such a
manner that the high-pressure steam, will act upon, an, annular surface on one
side of the piston and the low-pressure steam will act, upou, a surface of much
larger area on the other side of the piston, in some instances, upon the whole
surface of the other side of the piston.
Another, feature of my said invention is a novel construction and arrangement of
mechanism, for operating the distributing, valve or valves, whereby, the openings or
ports for the admission. of steam to the cylinder and, its, egress, therefrom are
instantaneously opened to their full extent, and the cut-off, both, for steam, and
exhaust is very rapidly. performed, that is to say, the opening and closing of the
ports is completely performed., during a very, small, part. of the revolution of
the crank-shaft.
I sometimes make a single cylinder compound engine, in which the high pressure
steam acts upon an annular part of one side of the piston, the low pressure steam
preferably acting upon the whole of the other side of the piston; and the piston is
made, with a trunk which works in one end of the cylinder, or in a liner fitted
therein, suitable packing or packing-rings, being provided where necessary to
ensure fluid-tight joints between the parts. The high pressure steam is admitted
to the annular space surrounding the said trunk, and, after having driven the
piston in one direction, exhausts directly, into the, other end of the cylinder, where
it acts upon the entire area of the other side of the piston.
I find it advantageous to arrange.the.distributing valve to move to and fro at the
low pressure end of the cylinder transversely to the direction of movement of the
piston. I prefer to use a piston-valve for effecting the distribution of the fluid.
Slide or other distributing valves may however, be used if desired. The said valve
is preferably operated by the long arm of a lever having two short arms which are
acted upon alternately by means of cams or wipers on the crank-shaft, so that the
distributing valve is moved with great rapidity from end to end of its stroke or
travel. The ports, which are made of very large area, are, thus immediately
opened to their full extent, permitting. the steam to flow very freely into or out of
the cylinder. This improvement is also applicable to other, fluid-pressure engines.
The port at the high pressure end of the cylinder is sometimes. arranged at one
side thereof, its width being nearly, equal to the diameter of the cylinder. If

page_text: desired one or more holes or passages are made through the trunk of the piston to
permit the steam to flow more freely to the side of the cylinder opposite the port.
Or suitable ports are provided at opposite sides of the cylinder. The port at the
low pressure end of the cylinder is preferably made so that it extends diametrically
across the said end of the cylinder, so that the steam can enter and leave this end
of the cylinder very freely.
The valve can also be made to work vertically alongside of the cylinder if
desired, in which case the ports would be arrangel at the two ends of the
cylinder as heretofore.
The distributing valve, in a single cylinder compound engine, is preferably so
constructed and arranged that, when at one end of its stroke or travel, it opens
communication between the steam-supply and the high-pressure end of the cylinder,
and also between the low-pressure end of the cylinder and the exhaust; and, when
at the other end of its stroke or travel, it puts the high-pressure end of the
cylinder directly in communication with the low-pressure end thereof.
The crank-shaft is supported in suitable bearings in the lower part of a casing or
box forming an oil-well, the upper part of which casing is attached to the lower
end of the cylinder casting or castings and fits over the said crank-shaft, the two
parts of the said casing or box being firmly united in such a manner that the upper
part can be readily disconnected and lifted off with the cylinder.
The crank-pin may be overhung, or the crank-shaft may be made with journals
on either side of the crank as may be desired; and the crank-shaft is provided if
necessary with suitable counterweights to counterbalance the weight of the moving
parts.
The crank-pin is coupled directly to the trunk of the piston by a short
connecting rod. This connecting-rod I sometimes make as follows, that is to
say I provide an endless metal strap having rounded or semi-circular or other
suitably shaped ends, and in each end of this strap I fit a bearing made in halves.
I provide the inner half of the bearing at one end with a screw-threaded extension
on which is fitted a uut which bears against the inner part of the bearing at the
other end, so that by turning the said nut in one or the other direction, the bearings
can be tightened or slackened as desired, a suitable set-screw being provided for
locking the nut in any position to which it may be adjusted. Or I can make the
strap with an open end having one or more screw-threaded parts, over which is
fitted a cross-bar attached to the outer part of the bearing to prevent spreading of
the strap, and on, which suitable nuts are screwed to set up, t the bearing when
necessary.
Deted the 24th 1...
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,.
Agents for the Applicant..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound or Multiple Expansion Locomotive,
Marine, and other Engines.
1, OWEN JONES, of 68 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
London, 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 statement :-
My invention relates to locomotive, marine and other engines, and its main
object is to provide a simple and efficient high speed engine which will consist of
very few parts and will occupy but a small space in proportion to its power.
An important feature of my said invention is the construction of. a steam-engine
in the manner hereinafter described so that the crank or each of the cranks will be

page_text: driven through one half of its revolution by the high-pressure steam and through
the other half of its revolution by the low-pressure steam or by the expansion of
such high-pressure steam.
I construct my improved engine in such a manner that high-pressure steam
direct from the boiler will enter at one end of a cylinder having a bore of one
diameter, and, after acting therein upon an annular surface on one side of the piston,
will expand into and within the space on the. other side of the piston, which is of
much larger area, and in some instances will act upon the whole surface of the
other side of the piston..
Another feature of my said invention consists in a novel construction and
arrangement of the distributing valve or valves and the mechanism for operating:
the same, whereby the admission and exhaust ports will be instantaneously opened
to their full extent, and the cut-off both for steam and exhaust will be very rapidly
performed, that is to say, the opening and closing of the ports will be completely
performed during a very small part of the revolution of the crank-shaft.
My said invention; moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice:
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section, and
Figure 2 a transverse section on the line a, a, Figure 1, showing a single-cylinder
engine constructed according to my said invention.
Figure 3 is an end elevation illustrating parts of the mechanism for operating
the distributing valve, and
Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal central section, showing another form or
modification of my improved engine.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the base or base-casting of the engine; B is the crank-shaft which is
mounted in bearings C formed partly in the base-casting A and partly in the
cylinder casting D, which, in the arrangement shown, is formed integrally with
the valve-chest E. Into the lower end of the cylinder casting D is screwed or
otherwise suitably fitted a liner F which presses against a shoulder D in the
cylinder casting D and makes a steam-tight joint therewith, suitable packing
such for instance as asbestos sheet, being interposed if required. This liner
thus serves to close one end of the cylinder. The piston G is made with a
trunk G which works in the liner F, and is so formed that there is an annular
space a between the interior surface of the cylinder D and the exterior surface
of the said trunk G¹. If desired the piston G and trunk G' may be provided with
packing-rings or the like to more effectually ensure fluid-tightness of the joints
between these parts and the cylinder D and liner F respectively. The lower or
high-pressure end a of the cylinder is connected to the valve-chest or valve-
casing E by means of a port or passage b. The expansion or low-pressure end
of the cylinder is connected to the said valve-chest through a port or passage c.
H is the distributing-valve, which, in the arrangement shown, has the form of a
piston-valve.
In the engine illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, this valve is arranged to
mcve to and fro as hereinafter described above the expansion or low-pressure
end of the cylinder, transversely to the direction of movement of the piston,
and is formed with two circular ports or series of apertures d, e, which com-
municate with each other through the internal passage f. The ports d, e are..
arranged at such a distance apart that, in a certain position of the piston-valve H,
they simultaneously register with the ports b, c, respectively, and thus put the
high and low-pressure ends of the cylinder into communication with each other,
as shown in Figure 1. The piston-valve H is, if necessary, provided with
suitable packing-rings. An annular space or recess g around the piston-valve H
serves to put the port or passage b into communication with the steam inlet J
when the said valve is at one end of its stroke or travel. The exhaust-pipe K.
.

page_text: is so arranged that the port. or passage 'c, when uncovered, by the movement of
the said valve H to the other end of its stroke or travel, will be put into
communication with the said exhaust-pipe. By reason of this arrangement, the
distributing valve, when at one end of its stroke or travel, opens communication
between the steam-supply and the high-pressure end of the cylinder, and also
between the low-pressure end of the cylinder and the exhaust; and, when at
the other end of its stroke or travel, puts the high-pressure end of the cylinder
directly in communication with the low-pressure end thereof. The rod or stem
of the valve H extends through a stuffing-box in the end of the valve-casing,
and is provided with a slotted extension H in which works the end of the long
arm of a lever having a short arm L' and arranged to be operated through a
slide L, Figures 1 and 3, moving in guides in a bracket L³ secured to the base A,
which slide is worked, by a cam M fixed on the crank-shaft B, so that the
distributing valve will be moved with great rapidity from end to end of its
stroke or travel in either direction. The ports, which are made of very large
area, are thus immediately opened to their full extent, permitting the steam to
flow very freely into or out of the cylinder.
Or
The port 6 is arranged at one side of the cylinder as shown in Figure 1, its
width being nearly equal to the diameter of the cylinder. If desired one or
more holes or passages are' made through the trunk of the piston to permit the
steam, to flow more freely to the side of the cylinder opposite the port.
suitable ports are provided at opposite sides of the cylinder. I find, however, that
such arrangements are not absolutely necessary. The port c'extends diametrically
across the low-pressure end of the cylinder as shown in Figure 2, so that the
steam can enter and leave this end of the cylinder very freely, and to still
further facilitate the exhausting of the steam from the low-pressure end of the
cylinder, I make the said port c of greater width than the port e for the admission
of steam to this end of the cylinder.
The high-pressure steam is admitted to the annular space surrounding the
trunk G, and, after having driven the piston to the end of its upward or inward
stroke, is allowed to expand directly into the other end of the cylinder, where
it acts upon the entire area of the other side of the piston G, thus driving the
piston to the end of its downward or outward stroke. The steam from the low-
pressure end of the cylinder is then exhausted into the atmosphere or into a
suitable condenser, while the piston is again being driven upward or inward by
a further supply of high-pressure steam.
The crank-pin B' is coupled directly to the trunk G¹ of the piston by a short
connecting rod consisting of a metal strap j rounded at one end and closed at the
other end by means of gibs j; in each end of this strap is fitted a bearing made
in halves k, k', the inner halves or brasses k¹ of the said bearings being provided
with extensions 2, one of which is provided with a screw-thread on which is
fitted a nut l, the other extension k², in this case the lower, fitting into the lower
end of the nut 1 so that the said nut can turn freely thereon. Therefore by
turning the nut in one or the other direction, the bearings can be tightened or
slackened as desired, suitable means, such as a set-screw, being provided, if
desired, for locking the nut in any position to which it may be adjusted.
The crank-shaft B is provided with suitable counter weights B2 to counterbalance
the weight of the moving parts.
The crank-shaft bearings C are, as above stated, arranged partly in the base A
and partly in the cylinder casting D; the base and cylinder castings thus form
a casing or box which serves as an oil-well, in which the crank revolves, and
into which the end of the connecting-rod dips at each revolution of the crank-
shaft, the two parts of the said casing or box being firmly united by bolts h in
such a manner that the upper part can, when desired, be readily disconnected
and lifted off with the cylinder.
I provide for a supply of oil or other lubricant to the upper bearing of the
connecting rod by means of tubes m, which are secured in suitable grooves formed

page_text: for that purpose in the strap j, and are provided at their lower ends with conical,
bell-mouthed or enlarged ends m' which are adapted to be closed by means of
ball-valves m³. The upper ends of the said tubes open into an aperture formed
in the upper brass k. This lubricating device operates as follows:-When the
enlarged ends m¹ of the tubes m dip into the lubricant in the oil-well, a small
quantity of the said lubricant is forced up into them and retained therein by
means of the ball-valves m², so that some of the lubricant is supplied to the pin n
each time the crank descends.
I provide removable plugs 9 in the casting D whereby access may be conveniently
had to the nut or to the pin n. A plug is also fitted as a cover to the valve-
casing E to permit ready access to the valve H..
The pin n whereby the connecting-rod is secured to the piston G is made to fit
into a seat formed in the said piston, wherein it is held by means of a removable
plug n'.
In order to facilitate the removal of said pin n I form a tapped hole n
therein, into. which the screw-threaded end of a rod or key may be introduced
whereby the said pin may be readily withdrawn.
In the modification shown in Figure 4, the valve H is arranged to work vertically
alongside of the cylinder. The extension H' is provided with a pin H2 and is
connected with the slide L' by means of a lever L, L', the short arm L¹ of which
is coupled to. the said slide by means of a pin p, elongated holes or slots being
formed in the said lever to receive the said pins. The other parts of the engine
are constructed substantially as above described with reference to Figures 1; 2
and 3.
The areas of the two sides of the piston should be so proportioned as to ensure
equality or approximate equality between the forces exerted to turn the crank
through the two halves of its revolution.
A steam-engine constructed as above described, with either one or more cylinders
as desired, will serve very advantageously as a marine engine or as a stationary
engine for various purposes. My improved engine cau, moreover, be easily adapted
to serve as a locomotive engine. If desired the closed casing can be dispensed with
and the cylinder or cylinders and crank-shaft bearings be connected by a suitable
framework or bed-plate. And the length of the connecting rod and of the valve-
stem may be increased if necessary.
I have shown my improved engine constructed in such a manner that the annular
side of the piston will be subjected to the full pressure of the steam throughout.
substantially the whole of the inward stroke of the piston; and I prefer this form
of construction. The distributing valve may, however, be arranged to be operated
in such a manner as to cut off the steam at any désired fraction of the stroke or to
gradually close the admission-port so that the steam will expand more or less in the
high-pressure end of the cylinder before it expands into the low-pressure; end;
thereof. For instance the distributing-valve may, if desired, be operated by means:
of the usual eccentric or eccentrics.
"It is obvious that I can, if desired, somewhat further modify the construction of
my improved 'engine without departing from the nature of my said invention. For
example I can make the said engine with an overhung crank-pin. I can make the
connecting rod with an endless strap'rounded at both ends. Or I can make the
connecting rod with a strap having at its open end one or more screw-threaded
parts, over which is fitted a cross-bar attached to the outer part of the bearing to.
prevent spreading of the strap, and on which suitable nuts are screwed to set up.
the bearing when necessary. It is obvious, moreover, that two or more cylinders.
with their pistons and valves may be arranged as above described in combination
with a multiple-throw crank-shaft; and also, that a condenser of any suitable.
description may, if desired, be connected with the exhaust-pipe.
'
I can, if desired, bore the cylinder from the top and provide it with a suitable
cover, in which case the liner above referred to will be dispensed with and
the cylinder formed with an internal projection in lieu thereof for the trunk to.
work in.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that I
do not claim broadly or irrespectively of my improvements hereinbefore set forth,
an engine in which steam from the space in a cylinder on one side of the piston is
allowed to expand into the space in the said cylinder on the other side of the said
piston, as Iain aware that such an arrangement has been devised as a part of an
engine in which the steam from the boiler enters one cylinder and acts first upon
one side of a piston therein connected with one crank, then expands into another
cylinder on one side of a piston therein connected with another crank, and then
.further expands into the latter cylinder on the other side of the piston..
I am also aware that it has been proposed to make an engine, with a cylinder
having a middle section of enlarged diameter in which works an annular low-
pressure piston, and on each side of which are smaller sections in which work
high-pressure pistons formed as trunks to the low-pressure.. piston, the distribution
of the fluid being such that, after acting upon either of the said high-pressure
pistons, the fluid expands into the low-pressure cylinder and acts upon the annular
piston therein. I therefore make no claim to such form of construction.
declare that what I claim is.:-
1
But I
First. A compound or multiple expansion engine having a cylinder with a bore
of one diameter and with a single piston, and in which steam direct from the boiler
is admitted to an annular space in the said cylinder on one side of the piston, and,
after driving the piston to the end of its stroke, is allowed to exhaust into and
expand in the space in the said cylinder on the other side of the said piston, and to
exhaust thence into the atmosphere or a condenser, substantially as herein before
described.
Second. A compound or multiple-expansion engine comprising a cylinder having
its bore of one diameter, a piston working in the said cylinder aud having the
working area of one of its sides much larger than that of its other side, a crank-
shaft coupled to the said piston, and a distributing-valve whereby steam direct from
the boiler is first admitted to the cylinder on the side of the piston of smaller, area,
the space on the other side thereof being simultaneously opened to the atmosphere
or a condenser, and then both ends of the cylinder are put in communication with
each other, for the purposes above specified.
Third. The improved connecting rod comprising the strap, the bearings arranged
at each end thereof, and the means for adjusting the said bearings, substantially as
.described.
Fourth. The improved means, substantially as herein before described, whereby
I provide for the opening and closing of the admission and exhaust ports during a
very small part of the revolution of the crank-shaft, for the purposes above
specified.
Fifth. The combination of a base-casting, a cylinder casting rigidly united
thereto, a piston provided with a trunk and working in the said cylinder, a crank-
shaft supported in bearings formed partly in the said base casting and partly in the
cylinder casting, a connecting rod coupling the crank to the said piston, and suitable
means for distributing the fluid to the said cylinder, substantially as, and for the
purposes, above specified.
Sixth. The improved engine constructed substantially as described with reference
to Figures 1, 2 and 3 or to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings and operating
as and for the purposes above specified.
Dated the 24th day of October 1895
OWEN JONES.
D. Young. & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.