Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 14th June, 1887.
I PAUL KIROHHOFF of Mithveida in the Kingdom of Saxony German Empire
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention relates to a rotary steam engine or motor in which the steam acts
upon pistons arranged radially upon a cylinder or disc mounted on a shaft and placed
excentrically to a cup shaped wheel or disc carried by another shaft and acted on by
connecting rods operated by the said pistons to which steam is admitted in rotation as
hereinafter explained.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed to
describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several figures on the
annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a section taken transversely to
the axis of an engine constructed according to my invention and figure 2 represents
another section of the same taken along the axis or axes of the discs.
Figure 3 represents a detail of an Oldhams coupling hereinafter referred to and
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate parts of the engine connected with the slide or distribution
valve and governor hereinafter referred to.
This engine is provided with two discs A and C. The cup shaped wheel or disc A
is carried by a shaft w, working in a support B, and the cylindrical disc C, provided
with four or more (6 in the arrangement illustrated) radiating steam cylinders c, is
carried by a shaft w, working in a support B,-The two shafts wo, wo, are not placed
in the same line and are connected together by an Oldham's coupling D (figure 3)
with cross slots sliding upon projections d and e attached respectively to the discs A
and C and causing the two shafts to rotate always with equal angular velocity.

page_text: The motion of the engine results from the pressure of steam entering at a₁
(figures 1, 4 and 5) and passing through the stationary valve or distributer S which
steam then passes through passages H figure 1 into the spaces under the pistons k.
Each of these pistons is jointed by a species of ball and socket joint l to one end of a
connecting rods provided at the other extremity with a head U in the form of a
segment of a cylinder which is capable of rolling upon a tangential surface on the
disc A as indicated in in figure 1. The heads U are retained in position relatively to
the disc A on four sides by suitable guides or supports. This rolling action of the
heads has the effect of causing the thrust of the pistons to be always exerted in the
same direction with the centrifugal force in a line with the axis of the cylinder. On
the return or inward stroke of the piston the steam is exhausted or discharged through
the distribution valve and escapes at a, figures 1. 4 and 5. The steam supply or
degree of expansion is controlled as hereinafter described by a psuedo astatic
governor R by means of an expansion valve or tongue Z pivoted on a pin or spindle
operated by the governor as hereinafter explained. The boss or central part N
figure 2 of the disc C is separated from the bases or ends of the steam cylinders by
an insulating or heat retaining layer i the whole of the disc C. with the exception of
the orifices connected with the cylinders being likewise encased with insulating
material i.
The distribution valve S figures 1 and 4 is pressed against its seat by springs F
(figure 5) bearing against a transverse bar or support T attached to the support B, and
the inlet orifice a, and exhaust orifice a, are connected with their respective pipes by
a telescopic connection provided with glands so as to admit of free motion in the
direction of the pressure. The distribution valve is prevented from moving on its
axis by plates n, fig. 2, which support or hold the inlet a, and exhaust a, and are
screwed to the support B₂;
The governor is provided with a sleeve m pinned to the governor spindle which
forms an extension of the shaft w₁. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of
this shaft and the governor spindle tends to cause the pendulum arms or bell crank
levers KB a to turn upon the centre a which is moveable perpendicularly to the
spindle in a fork on the sleeve m, whilst ẞ being a pin or pivot attached to the cap or
cover u of the governor moves in a direction parallel with the axis of the spindle.
These movements of the governor regulate the supply of steam to the pistons k by
the intervention of a collar q and lever p indicated in the drawing for example.
A casing R enclosing the action of the governor connects the cap or cover u with a
sleeve sliding on the spindle by a ring or flange ; which is secured to the sleeve f
by means of two nuts I and the sleeve f can be slidden on the spindle and be
adjusted relatively to the ring or flange j thereby regulating the tension of a spring f
bearing against the end of the sleeve as indicated in figure 2.
=
E
This governor is truly astatic in its action when K =ẞa and the angle
Kẞa 90°. The mutability of these two values renders it psuedo astatic. In order
to compensate for this to a certain degree the pin a is carried by an excentric pin of
relatively large diameter and secured in the end of the lever arm Bẞa by a set screw.
By turning this excentric the angle can be changed as well as the length of ẞ a
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 claim is.
1st. A rotary steam engine or motor consisting of the cup shaped wheel or disc A
working on a support B, and the cylindrical disc C. revolving excentrically to the
disc A on a support B, the two discs being connected by an Oldham's coupling D
with cross slots embracing the projections d and e on the two discs and further
consisting of the pistons with connecting rods & working on ball and socket joints in
the pistons and transmitting the pressure of the steam in the direction of the axes of
the cylinders through heads with a rolling action to the disc A, and further consisting
of the stationary annular distribution valve S with an enlargement or recess for the
reception of an expansion valve or tongue Z operated by the governor and capable of

page_text: obstructing or closing the steam supply passage the bottoms or ends of the cylinders
being separated from the boss or central part of the disc by a layer of nonconducting
or heat retaining materials all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
2nd. The rotary steam engine or motor herein before described and claimed in
combination with a governor consisting of bell crank levers or pendulums Kẞ a
pivoted on a pin ẞ in a moveable cap or cover u and having its point of support or
fulcrum on a pin a in a fork on the fixed sleeve m the pin a being carried by an
enlarged excentric pin fixed by set screws in the end of the lever arm ẞa and further
consisting of a pear shaped casing R with a flangej which by means of the nuts I
and connects the cap with the sleeve sliding on the spindle whereby the
movements of the said cap u are transmitted to the spring fall.substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London,
Agents.