AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
ROTARY ENGINE."-A communication from abroad by William Owen,
of Toronto, Canada.
Sealed the 22nd May 1869, and dated the 12th February 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th February 1869.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Ohancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION
OF ROTARY ENGINE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of rotary engine the
object of which is to obtain a perfect balance in the moving parts. The
cylinder covers are made hollow, and the hollow space in each cover is
formed by dividing walls into a steam supply passage and an exhaust,
steam, chamber. The form of the steam passage is peculiar. In the

page_text: inner face of the cover near the periphery is a port which conducts steam
from the supply passage in the cylinder to a straight passage formed
radially with respect to the central shaft of the engine. This straight
passage opens into a semicircular passage (concentric with the central
shaft) and terminating at its extremities in ports for admitting the steam
to steam passages formed in the ends of the rotating piston block and
leading behind the hinged pistons or wings carried by that block. There
arc, say, four of these steam passages in the piston block, one for cach
piston, and they are made concentric for a portion of their length, and
they then turn off to open behind their respective pistons. While the
concentric portion is passing over a port the supply of steam will continue,
but on leaving the port the steam will be gradually cut off. The supply
of steam behind the pistons will (as is well understood) impart rotary
motion to the piston block, and consequently to the shaft to which it is
keyed. The cylinder is provided at its opposite ends and at opposite
sides of the packing pieces against which the piston block is fitted with
two exhaust ports, corresponding with which are exhaust ports in the
cylinder covers. These ports in the cylinder connect by segment and
transverse passages with the exhaust pipe, and thus as an exhaust port is
laid open to the steam, which has exerted its propelling force on a piston,
it will escape by one or other of the exhaust passages from the engine.
The engine, although described as worked by steam, is capable of
working with water or gas or other elastic fluid as a motive power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent 25
Office on the 12th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, 3

page_text: administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, 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 "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY ENGINE," being a 'com-
munication to me from William Owen, of Toronto, Canada, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors or administrators, 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 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of rotary engine the
object of which is to obtain a perfect balance in the moving parts. In
its general character the improved engine resembles the ordinary con-
struction of rotary engine, that is to say, the case or cylinder (the
interior of which is oblong in the transverse direction) is fitted with a
rotary piston block carrying at its periphery hinged leaves or pistons
to receive the pressure of the impelling fluid. This piston block is
keyed fast to the central shaft, which has its bearings in the heads or
covers of the case or cylinder; but these covers, besides serving to closo
the ends of the case, also provide (as will hereafter be fully explained)
steam supply passages and exhaust chambers for the engine..
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews the improved engine,
one half in side elevation and one half in section, the section being
taken through the centre of the case or cylinder and one cover; Fig. 2
is a transverse vertical section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 8
is a plan view partly in section, the section being taken through the
centre of the rotating piston block; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through

page_text: the right-hand cylinder cover in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a
horizontal section of the same taken in the line 5, 6, of Fig. 4; Fig. 6
shews the inner face of the left-hand cylinder cover; and Fig. 7 is an
elevation of the end of the case or cylinder against which that cover
fits.
A is the cylinder or case cast with a steam supply passage B and an
exhaust passage C, which latter extends round about one-third of the
case and opens into the opposite ends thereof, as shewn in Fig. 7 at c;
D, D', are the cylinder heads or covers cast with extended journals to
receive the shaft E; and F is the piston block keyed upon the shaft E.
This piston block is fitted with leaves or pistons ff, which lie in
recesses in the periphery of the block and are free to swing in sockets
formed for them as on a fulcrum. These leaves or pistons extend the
whole length of the block and form steam-tight joints with the
cylinder heads or covers, like the pistons of ordinary rotary engines.
The cylinder covers are counterparts one of the other; they are mado
hollow, and the hollow space in each cover is formed by dividing walls
(see Figures 4 and 5) into a steam supply passage d and an exhaust
steam chamber d*. The form of the steam passage is peculiar. In the
inner face of the cover near the periphery is a port b, which conducts
steam from the supply passage B to the passage d, the straight portion
of which is formed radially with respect to the central shaft of the
engine. This straight portion opens into a semicircular passage (con-
centric with the central shaft) and terminating at its extremities in
ports d', d, for admitting the steam to steam passages formed in
the ends of the rotating piston block F.. The form of these passages
is shewn at Fig. 8, which is an end elevation of the block F. These
passages severally lead behind the hinged pistons or leaves f, as shewn
by dots at Fig. 2. The Drawing shews four of these steam passages
in the piston block, one for each piston; they are made concentric for
a portion of their length, and they then turn off to open behind their
respective pistons. While the concentric portion is passing over a port d
the supply of steam will continue, but on leaving the port the steam
will be gradually cut off. The supply of steam behind the pistons will
(as is well understood) impart rotary motion to the piston block, and
consequently to the shaft to which it is keyed. G, G, are packing
pieces which fit closely against the periphery of the piston block. The
cylinder is provided at its opposite ends and at opposite sides of the

page_text: packing pieces G, G, with two exhaust ports c, c, corresponding with
which are openings d³, d³, in the cylinder covers D, D', in communication
with the exhaust chambers d*. The steam from these chambers will enter
the segment-shaped passage C, as shewn by the arrow Fig. 2, whence it
will
pass off by the exhaust pipe. It will now be understood that the
steam admitted to the back of the pistons may be made to act expan-
sively, the supply being cut off by the curved passages in the piston
block, leaving the ports d', d', as the block rotates under the pressure
of the steam on the back of the pistons. As the exhaust ports &³ are
severally laid open to the steam, which has exerted its propelling force
on acting pistons, it will escape either directly into the exhaust passage O
or into the exhaust chamber d*, and thence to the passage C, from
which it will pass out of the engine.
The engine, although described as worked by steam, is capable of
working with water or gas or other elastic fluid as a motive power.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of an improved
construction of rotary engine, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim, the arrangement of ports and steam passages
above described for the admission of steam to and its discharge from
the engine, whereby the moving parts are balanced and an economy in
the working of rotary engines is obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)