IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER ELASTIC VAPOUR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wilde Barnsdall and Henry Grosvenor Barnsdall,
both of Newark, in the County of Nottinghain, Mineral Water Manufacturers,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR
OTHER ELASTIC VAPOUR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wilde Barnsdall and
Henry Grosvenor Barnsdall at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 20th February 1880.
THOMAS WILDE BARNSDALL and HENRY GROSVENOR BARNSDALL, both of Newark,
in the County of Nottingham, Mineral Water Manufacturers. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER ELASTIC VAPOUR."
The object of this Invention is to increase the power and speed of steam and
other similar engines.
In effecting this object, in a vertical engine, we make the working shaft of the
engine with three cranks, at suitable distances apart; the centre crank operates the
piston in the usual way. To each of the two outside cranks we connect a vertical
side arm; each such side arm is attached to a cross-head or other projection from
the cylinder, and thereby moves the said cylinder up and down similarly to the
motion of the piston.
The crank which operates the piston is formed in the oposite direction to that
of the two cranks which operate the cylinder.
Steam is admitted into the cylinder and is passed out of the exhaust by union
pipes or by moveable pipes attached to the cylinder and moving up and down
with it.
The slide valve is operated either by an ordinary eccentric or by being attached
to the said side arms connected to the cylinder and moved therewith.
By this arrangement the piston and cylinder are moved up and down in opposite
directions, so that the piston only travels half the usual distance in each stroke or
half revolution of the working shaft; consequently we only require half the usual
length of piston-rod inside the cylinder.
By thus dividing the length of the stroke we gain speed, and by the steam acting
between the piston and the cylinder at the top and bottom thereof alternately, and
so operating both at the same time, wo gain twice the power, or thereabouts, of a
similar engine having a fixed cylinder.
Our said improvements are equally applicable to horizontal engines, or those
working at any angle therewith.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Wilde Barnsdall and Henry Grosvenor Barnsdall in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th August 1880.
THOMAS WILDE BARNSDALL and HENRY GROSVENOR BARNSDALL, both of Newark,
in the County of Nottingham, Mineral Water Manufacturers.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER ELASTIC VAPOUR."
The object of this Invention is to increase the power and speed of steam and
other similar engines.
In order that our said Invention may be more fully understood and be more
readily performed we will explain the same with the aid of the accompanying
Drawing, which forms part of this Specification, which illustrates the application of
the Invention to a horizontal engine, reference being made thereto by the numerals
and letters marked thereon. The same index letters refer to the same parts in each
Figure of the said Drawing.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved arrangements; Fig. 2 is a plan thereof;
and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the same on the line A, B, Fig. 2; Fig. 2ª shows
the cranks of the working shaft in another position.
We make the working shaft n of the engine with three cranks g (more clearly
shown in Fig. 2a); the centre crank operates the piston e by its rod e¹ and the
connecting-rod f. To each of the two outside cranks g we connect one end of the
side arms i; the other ends of these side arms i are attached or geared to the cross-
head.o or other projection from the cylinder h. The centre crank 9, which operates
piston e, is formed in the opposite direction to that of the two outside cranks
which operate the cylinder h, see Figs. 2 and 2ª.
Steam is admitted into the chamber a, and passes thence through the hollow
slide-rod or tube b and valve chest d into the cylinder h; the exhaust steam is
conveyed from the said cylinder h by the tube k and the hollow rod or tube 6¹ to
the exhaust chamber c.
The hollow rods or tubes b, b¹, slide through suitable stuffing-boxes, as shown.
The slide-valve p is operated by the side-arms & through the levers 7 and cross-
bar m.
The cylinder h is moved to and fro on the slide-bars ; by the action of the two
outer cranks g operating the said side arms i. The valve-chest d being fixed to the
cylinder moves to and fro with the latter.
g
It will be seen that by this arrangement the piston e and cylinder h are moved
to and fro in opposite directions, so that the piston e only travels half the usual
distance in each stroke or half-revolution of the working shaft n (the centre crank
being proportionally shortened therefor), and is met half-way by the cylinder. By
thus dividing the stroke between the cylinder and its piston we gain speed, and by
the steam acting between the piston and moving cylinder at the top and bottom
thereof alternately, and so operating both at the same time to meet and to part
asunder by turns, we gain considerably greater power than the same steam would
produce in a similar engine having a fixed cylinder.
By our improved method of bringing the cylinder into useful action we utilize
a power which has not hitherto been made available, and which has required strong
and expensive foundations or other supports to resist it, which expense we mainly
save.
In applying our said Invention to railway locomotives we anticipate that the
trains will be run at a considerably increased speed with the same cost of fuel, or to
run trains at the same speed as at present with much less fuel.
The same remarks apply generally to sea-going steam-vessels with the additional
advantage of requiring, in the latter caso, less stowage room for fuel or a less
number of expensive coaling stations.

page_text: Our said improvements are also applicable to vertical engines, or to those
working at any angle therewith.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the method of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do
not restrict ourselves to the precise relative dimensions nor to the exact details now
given by way of illustration, as they admit of considerable variation without
departing from the main characteristics of the Invention; for instance, steam may
be conveyed to and from the cylinder / by union pipes direct from the boiler and
to the exhaust chamber, and also by a variety of other methods, but we claim, as
our Invention, and desire to secure by the herein before mentioned in part recited
Letters Patent,—
h
Firstly. The method of giving reciprocal motion to the cylinders and pistons of
steam-engines.
Secondly. The method of operating the steam-valves for the ingress of steam into
the moving cylinder and for its ogress therefrom.
The said claims are made substantially as herein described and shown in the
Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Wilde Barnsdall and Henry Grosvenor
Barnsdall, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
T. W. BARNSDALL.
HENRY GROSVENOR BARNSDALL
(L.S.)
(1.9)