Improvements in Rotary Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left. 17th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 17th May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, ALEXANDRE JULES THOMAS-JÉSUPRET of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France,
Manufacturing Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The engine which forms the subject of this invention is single acting and may be
worked with or without condensation. It has an expansion which is either controlled.
by the governor or fixed, according to the speed that it is desired to attain.
The engine is composed of two half casings or shells connected together face to
face by means of bolts with or without the interposition of a suitable joint. They
form between them an annular space in which the piston works. The piston is
connected to the centre-piece or boss on the engine shaft by a tenon and mortise or
by being cast or formed in a piece therewith. The centre piece extends into the half
casings by two annular parts which project therefrom. Against these projections are
applied an annular segment, a joint of asbestos, caoutchouc and asbestos, or other
elastic substance which will resist the action of steam, and then another segment.
These parts and packing constitute a joint which prevents the steam (or other motive
fluid employed) escaping at the centre and also prevents lateral communication
between the front and back of the piston. The centre piece turns between the
segments which can only move parallel to the main shaft of the engine.
The segments and packing are pressed against the centre piece by springs and
regulating screws, or simply by regulating screws in order to compensate for any
wear which may take place.
The joint formed by these rings and packing should be as near as possible to the
annular space in which the piston works. For powerful engines it is well to have a
double packing with a provision for lubricating by means of a fatty liquid from a
reservoir above.
The ports or inlets for the admission and exhaust of the steam or other motive fluid
are separated by a movable partition or plate. This movable partition can have a
reciprocating turning movement, but the arrangement I prefer consists of a circular
plate having a part cut away to give passage to the piston. As soon as the piston
has passed and the cut away part is no longer in the annular space in which the piston
works, steam is admitted between the plate and the piston to propel the piston forward
the admission being either continuous or the steam acting expansively until the
piston passes the exhaust ports, through which the steam escapes freely.
The steam is admitted by a distributor and can be made to pass through the
movable partition itself if this be made hollow. For engines of slow or mean speed
the steam is admitted so as to work expansively, the expansion being varied by means
of the governor. There is a helicoidal cam fixed on the main shaft of the engine and
controlling a sliding clutch, which is itself controlled by the governor. The clutch in
turning moves two pinions which actuate the distributor. The return movement is
effected by means of a spring and an air piston.
For engines of great speed such as those employed for working dynamos, rotary
pumps and screw propellers the inlet of steam is effected simply by means of bevelled
pinions or through the hollow movable partition. The steam distributor is composed
of a box, cylindrical internally, and having a steam chamber. In this box is a lining
which is turned on its axis. The steam admitted to the chamber keeps the lining
against the wall of the box and forms a joint until a port or orifice of the lining corre-
sponds with a port or orifice in the box. The steam then passes into the annular or
27

page_text: piston space of the engine. As soon as the ports or orifices are no longer opposite
each other, expansion takes place; thus the expansion depends upon the size of these
orifices.
ן.
1000
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines.
I, ALEXANDRE JULES THOMAS-JESUPRET of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France
Manufacturing 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 :—
The engine which forms the subject of this invention is single acting and may be
worked with or without condensation. It has an expansion which is either controlled
by the governor or fixed according to the speed that it is desired to attain. Its
construction will be understood on reference to the accompanying drawings and the
following description thereof.
It is composed of two half casings or shells A and B (Figures 2, 4 and 8) connected
together face to face by means of bolts c with or without the interposition of a suitable
joint or packing. They form between them an annular space. T in which the piston P
works. The piston is connected to the centre piece or boss E on the engine shaft by
a tenon and mortise or by being cast or forined in a piece therewith. The centre
piece F extends into the balf casings A and B by two annular parts E J (Figure 4)
which project therefrom. Against these projections are applied an annular segment S
(Figure 3), a joint of asbestos, caoutchouc and asbestos, or other elastic substance
which will resist the action of steam, and then another segment H. These parts and
packing constitute a joint which prevents the steam (or other motive fluid employed)
escaping at the centre, and also prevents lateral communication between the front and
back of the piston. The centre piece F turns between the segments S S which.can
only move parallel to the main shaft of the engine.
The segments and packing are pressed against the centre piece by springs and
regulating screws; or simply by regulating screws in order to compensate for any
wear which may take place.
The joint formed by these rings and packing should be as near as possible to the
annular space in which the piston works; it can be modified in various ways, two of
which are shown by way of example in Figure 3. For powerful engines it is well to
have a double packing as shown in Figure 2, with a provision for lubricating by
means of a fatty liquid from a reservoir h above.
The ports or inlets for the admission and exhaust of the steam (or other motive
fluid) are separated by a movable partition or plate M. This movable partition can
have a reciprocating turning movement imparted to it as shown in Figure 7 (sheet 4)
in which 1 is a rod receiving alternately a downward motion from a-cam on the main
shaft and an upward motion from a spring. This rod is connected by a bell.crank 2
and link 3 to the plate M. When the cam acts at each revolution of the main shaft
the rod 1 is pushed down and the bell crank 2 and link 3 therefore move the plate M
away from the annular space in which the piston works; then when the action of the
cam ceases the spring returns the parts to their previous position, the plate M again
entering the piston space. But the arrangement I prefer is that shown in Figures 2
and 4 and consists of a circular plate P2 having a part cut away.to give passage to the
piston P. As soon as the piston has passed and the cut away part has moved away
from the annular space in which the piston works, steam. is admitted between, the
plate P and the piston to propel the piston forward, the admission being, either

page_text: continuous, or the steam acting expansively until the piston passes the exhaust port
or ports O through which the steam escapes freely.
The steam is admitted by a distributor D (Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5) and can be made
to pass through the movable partition itself if this be made hollow (as shown in
Figure 6). For engines of slow or mean speed the steam is admitted so as to work
expansively, the expansion being varied by means of the governor, see Figures 4
and 5, Sheet 3, and also Figures 4 and 5ª Sheet 4, which show the construction
more clearly. There is a helicoidal cam Z fixed on the main shaft of the engine, this
cam at each revolution meets a steel piece d on the projection e of a sliding clutch T
which is itself controlled by the governor. The clutch T¹ is mounted on a shaft f
mounted in bearings g, g¹; on the shaft fare fixed a pinion p and a lever
pinion p gears with the pinion p' which actuates the distributor.
9 ; the
When at each revolution of the main shaft the cam Z meets the piece d of the
clutch T it imparts a partial rotation to this clutch and also to the shaft / through
the intermediation of the key or feather r. The pinion p thus imparts rotation to
the pinion p' and to the distributor so as to admit steam into the annalar space of the
engine, while the lever 9 acts on a spring or air piston in the box X. The admission
of steam continues so long as the cam Z is in contact with the piece d, but as soon as
this contact ceases the spring in X acting through the lever q returns the shaft f,
clutch T, pinions p, p' and the distributor, to their former positions. The cam Z
being helicoidal the duration of its contact with the piece d of the clutch at each
revolution will vary with the position of this clutch on the shaft f, and this position
will be varied by the action of the governor, the limits being the pinion p on the one
side and the bearing g' on the other.
For engines of great speed such as those employed for working dynamos, rotary
pumps and screw propellers the inlet of steam is effected simply by means of bevelled
pinions C, C, Figure 2 or through the hollow movable partition, Figure 6.
The steam distributor represented in Figures 9 and 10 is composed of a box N
cylindrical internally and having a steam space or chamber V formed therein. In
this box is a lining Q which is turned on its axis a. The steam admitted to the
chamber V keeps the lining Q against the wall of the box N and forms a joint until a
port or orifice O¹ of the lining corresponds with a port or orifice O in the box. The
steam then passes into the annular or piston. space T of the engine. As soon as the
ports or orifices are no longer opposite each other expansion takes place; thus the
expansion depends upon the size of these orifices.
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. The construction of rotary engines substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a rotary engine the formation of a joint substantially such as hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying drawings to prevent escape of the
motive fluid at the centre and communication between the front and back of the
piston, as set forth.
3. In a rotary engine a movable partition or plate such as shown at P' having
a part cut away to give passage to the piston whether this plate be solid or be formed
hollow so as to serve for the admission of the motive fluid, as set forth.
4. In a rotary engine, the arrangement substantially as shown in Figures 4, 5,
4 and 5 and hereinbefore described for regulating the admission of the motive
fluid.
D
1
n
1000
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.