ROTARY ENGINES & PUMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM BROOKS SAYERS Electrical Engineer 67 Belgrave Road Birmingham
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for ROTARY ENGINES & PUMPS to
be as follows:-
The Engine or pump is composed of an annular chamber of the form shown in
Figures 1 & 2 (part of the caseing is removed to show the interior) in which a a is
a spherical surface and b b conical surfaces; passing through the centre & touching
the conical sides of the chamber is a disc or diaphragm shown at h h in Figures 1
& 2 which divides the chamber into two compartments and is slotted in one or
more places to allow a piston or pistons c Figures & 2, which fit the aunular
chamber, to pass through it, the edges of the slot or slots being suitably packed.
The conical sides of the chamber are flattened and also suitably packed where the
disc touches them.
The shafts & Figures 1 & 2 may pass through the axis of the conical surfaces
as shown in Figure 1 in which case the piston or pistons are fixed rigidly to it and
the disc is mounted on a spherical enlargement of the shaft so as to allow it to
rotate in its own plane, or it may be perpendicular to the plane of the disc as
shown in Figure 2 in which case it is fixed rigidly to it & the piston (or pistons if
more than one) is pivoted to allow it to follow the path of the chamber.
The ports for steam or fluid under pressure and exhaust are formed in the
conical caseing one on either side of the places where the disc touches it, there aro
thus two steam or pressure & two exhaust ports shown at f¹ f¹ƒª f* Figures 1
and 2, sometimes, as when two or more pistons are used, there may be more.
Suppose steam to be admitted at ports f¹, f¹, Figures 1 and 2, the steam filling
the space E. Figures 1 & 2 enclosed by the surface of the chamber b part of the
dise and part of the piston c, forces the piston in the direction shown by the
arrow, the disc h moving in a circular plane intersecting the circle in which the
piston moves as shown by the arrows; port f¹ which is behind f' being open to
the atmosphere & ports f³ &f being respectively exhaust & steam ports & the
actions identical with those described with reference to ports f' & ƒ',
The edge of the disc may be extended beyond the chamber in which the piston
or pistons work d d Figures 1 & 2 and steam or other pressure brought to bear
upon it in such a manner as to balance or nearly so, the pressures it sustains when
the engine or pump is at work; or, when the disc is mounted upon a shaft, recesses

page_text: may be provided in the bearings in which the shaft works & hydraulic or other
fluid pressure brought to bear upon it. in such manner as to take the pressure off
the wearing surfaces.
'
In another form of the Invention the engine or pump is made with only one
compartment as shown in Figure 3 (in which part of the caseing is removed to
show the interior) and the piston may be in the form of a half disc part of the
semicircular edge of which is shown at c Figure 3, pivoted in an extension of the
conical caseing at d Figure 3 & the flat edge of which slides on the inclined
surface of the disc h and works through the conical caseing bb Figure 3. The
dise h is fixed rigidly to another disc g g Figure 3 which fits against the surface of
the caseing & is provided with shallow recessesik k into which steam or other fluid
or liquid under pressure may be forced in order to balance the pressure upon the
oblique disc.
Two ports f¹ƒ2 Figure 3 are shown & two others are similarly placed where
the half disc comes through the conical caseing on the other side. If steam is
admitted by port f¹ the pressure upon the inclined surface of the disc h forces it
round in the direction of the arrow and the half disc or piston c turns backwards &
forwards through a small angle upon its centre, its edge, which is suitably packed,
lying flat upon the surface of h and making a steamtight joint at all points in a
revolution.
Two engines or pumps may be mounted together & the discs or diaphragms of
each connected rigidly, the relative positions of the pistons being such that the
pressure on one disc is balanced by the pressure on the other, in which case the
extension of the disc beyond the chamber is dispensed with.

page_text: I, WILLIAM BROOKS SAYERS Electrical Engineer, of 67 Belgrave Road,
Birmingham do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "ROTARY
ENGINES AND PUMPS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
The engine or pump consists of an annular chamber formed by the conjunction
of two similar conical and a spherical part arranged symmetrically, the smaller
ends of the conical parts being directed towards each other and their continued
axes forming a right line, a disc or diaphragm having a radial slot in it and of
diameter equal to, or greater than the diameter of the chamber, the centre of which
coincides with the centre of the spherical part, lies across from one conical surface
to the other, and the angles of the conical parts and the configuration and
thickness of the disc or diaphragm are so arranged that the disc may touch the
conical surfaces evenly from the point nearest the centre of the casing to that part
farthest from it-In practice the conical surfaces are flattened where the dise
touches them in order to obtain sufficient breadth of surface in contact to ensure a
liquid or fluid tight joint-The shaft of the engine passes through the centre of the
casing, but may be either at right angles to the disc, or it may pass through the
axes of the conical parts, in either case it is provided with a spherical enlargement
in the centre of the casing on which either the disc, or the vane or piston (herein-
after to be described) is free to move, so as to allow them to rotate in intersecting
planes The vane or piston passes through the slot in the disc and fits the annual
chamber; if the shaft is mounted at right angles to the disc the latter is mounted
rigidly on the spherical part of the shaft and the vane or piston is pivoted in the
centre so as to allow it to slide through the slot in the disc and follow the path of
the chamber-If the shaft is arranged to pass through the axes of the conical parts
the vane or piston is mounted on it rigidly and the edge of the dise lies in a
circular groove formed in the chamber, its axis is thus maintained at a fixed angle
to the axis of rotation of the shaft the centre being fitted to the spherical part of
the shaft If the shaft is rotated the vane or piston and the disc move round in
the annular chamber in intersecting planes and two expanding and two contracting
chambers are formed in each revolution, and if suitable ports are provided for the
admission and discharge of liquids or fluids the device becomes either a pump or a
motor.
The disc may be of larger diameter than the chambers in which the vane or
piston works, and steam or other pressure brought to bear upon it in such a
manner as to balance, or nearly so, the pressure it sustains when the engine or
pump is at work, or, when the disc is fixed rigidly to the shaft, recessess may be
provided in the bearings in which the shaft works and hydraulic or other pressure
brought to bear upon it in such a manner as to take the pressure off the wearing
surfaces of the bearings.
In another form of the invention one of the conical surfaces is replaced by a
flat surface and the disc is fixed rigidly to the shaft at an angle corresponding to
the angle of the conical part against which part of the disc from the centre out-
wards on one side takes a bearing-A second disc is fixed rigidly to the first, and

page_text: at right angles to the shaft, and takes a bearing against the flat part of the casing-
A semi-circular plate lies in a slot in the conical part dividing the latter into two
halves and is pivoted in an extension of the conical part and the straight edge of
the semi-circular plate lies upon the surface of the obliquely placed disc and is
provided with a movable packing piece which accommodates itself to the varying
angle which the disc and plate make one with the other-If the shaft is rotated
the semi-circular plate oscillates through an angle equal to twice the angle which
the conical surface makes with the shaft and expanding and contracting chambers
are formed.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents a side view of the engine with the near half of the spherical
part of the casing removed. a, a, are visible parts of the spherical surface b, b, b, b,
are visible parts of the conical surfaces-s, s, is the shaft mounted in bearings and
passing through stuffing boxes where it enters the casing-c is is the vane or piston
which has a hole drilled up the centre to receive a stud or pivot which is itself
pivoted in the centre of the spherical part of the shaft i as shown by the dotted
lines h, h, represents the edge of the disc, which is provided with packing rings
after the manner of an ordinary piston-The edges of the slot through which the
vane or piston works are provided with buffers jj, the ends of which may be fitted
with half cylindrical pieces so that they may accommodate themselves to the
varying angle which the surface of the vane or piston takes up relatively to the
disc-These buffers serve the double purpose of allowing for the varying width of
slot required when the engine is at work and of preventing knocking between the
edges of the slot and the disc which would otherwise take place from the alternate
acceleration and retardation which must occur to the vane or piston and the disc
relatively to each other. f f f f are ports for admission and discharge of
liquids or fluids (ports f and flie directly behind ports f¹ and ƒ³) Suppose
steam to be admitted at port f¹ and port f2 open to the atmosphere the steam
filling the space e enclosed by the conical surface of the chamber b part of the disc h
and part of the vane or piston C forces the latter in the direction indicated by the
arrow, the vane or piston c following the path of the chamber and sliding back-
ward and forward through the slot in the disc once in a revolution. f will be a
steam port, and f³ open to the atmosphere and the actions identical with those
described in relation to ports f¹ and ƒ³.
2
Figure 2 represents an end view of the same arrangement with the near conical
part of the casing removed. 8 represents the shaft. c the vane or piston h the
disc the buffers (with the half cylindrical pieces l. 1.) and f³ and f* the ports
(shown in dotted lines) situated on the conical surface behind the disc h.
Figure 3 represents a side view and figure 4 an end view of the shaft, disc, and
vane or piston removed from the casing. And figure 5 the vane and shaft in
another position.
Figure 6 represents an engine in which the shaft is mounted in the axes of the
cones; the near half of the spherical part of the casing is removed. a a are visible
parts of the spherical portion of the casing. b b b are visible parts of the
conical portions. s is the shaft passing through stuffing boxes where it enters the
casing.. c is the vane or piston which is fixed rigidly to the spherical part of the
shaft. h represents the disc the edge of which runs in a circular groove or
channel formed in the casing, which serves to keep the plane of the disc at a fixed
angle to the shaft..
The edges of the slot in the disc are provided with buffers as in figure 1 (see
description). Shallow recesses are formed in the sides of the groove in which the
edge of the disc rotates, two of which are shown in section at k k and steam is
admitted to, and allowed to escape from them by a number of passages (four of
which are shown at m m m m) formed through the disc in a slanting direction so
that the recesses on one side of the disc lying within the same radii as the
expanding or contracting chamber on the other side, are in. communication and

page_text: >
consequently the pressures on the disc are nearly balanced. The ports ƒ'', ƒ³, ƒ³,ƒ^
are arranged the same as in Figure 1 and the description of the action of figure 1
applies to figure 6.
Figure 7 represents an end view of the same arrangement as figure 6 The right
half of the front of the casing is removed the casing being parted in the central
plane of the disc. h is the disc, c the vane or piston, 8 the shaft ƒ³ ƒ two of the
ports.
Figure 8 represents a side view of the arrangement, in which only one set of
expanding and contracting chambers are formed with the near half of the spherical
part of the casing removed. a a are visible parts of the spherical surface. b b are
visible parts of a conical surface. h is a disc which is fixed rigidly at an angle to
the disc g.
8 is the shaft and c the oscillating half disc. f1faf3f* are the ports,
kk are recesses in the face of the casing, against which the disc bears, which are
in communication with the expanding and contracting chambers, by means of
passages shown at m m.
Valves worked by excentrics or other gearing may be employed to make the
engine work expansively and when no valves are employed, the vane or piston is,
in the first and second cases, or the bearing surface of the disc in the third of
sufficient thickness to cover in passing both ports at once.
Two engines of the form represented in figures 1 and 2 may be mounted together
and the discs mounted rigidly upon the same shaft, the vanes or pistons being
arranged in line with each other and the planes in which they respectively rotate
inclined to the plane of rotation of the discs in reversed directions, so that the
pressures to which one disc is subjected when the engine is at work may balance
the pressures to which the other disc is subjected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is
First. The construction of a rotary engine or pump consisting of an annular
chamber formed by the conjunction of a spherical part and two similar conical
parts in combination with a sector shaped piece and a slotted disc mounted so as to
be capable of rotation in intersecting planes and to form when rotating within the
casing expanding and contracting chambers, substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
Secondly. The construction of a rotary engine or pump consisting of an annular
chamber formed by the conjunction of a spherical and a conical part in combination
with a disc mounted obliquely upon an axis and a pivotted half disc. The rotation
of the obliquely placed disc causing the half disc to oscillate and the inter-action
of the disc and half dise within the casing forming contracting and expanding
chambers substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in figure 8
of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. Connecting together rigidly the discs of two engines or pumps of the
form described in such a manner that the pressures on one disc may balance or
nearly so the pressures on the other.