IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND PUMPS
Year: 1885

page_text: HOMAN PRICE FENBY of 139 Belle Vue Road, Leeds in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROTARY ENGINES AND PUMPS to be as follows:
Placed excentriccally through a cylinder and parallel with the axis is a shaft
having an enlarged diameter within the cylinder, the periphery of such enlarged
diameter touching or nearly so one side of the cylinder. This enlarged part
within the cylinder is divided in halves by a slot in which a diaphragm plate or
plates work, dividing the cylinder into two parts. By admitting steam in at one
side of the cylinder and letting it out at the other a continuous or a reversing
engine is arrived at. My Improvements are also applicable to pumps for various
purposes.
My Invention relates to Improvements in rotary engines where steam, air,
gas or water is the motive power, the main object being to produce a motor at
once simple, durable and lasting in its parts, and thereby obviate the defects which
up to the present time have materially interfered with the general adoption of
engines of the rotary type.
My engine consists of a cylinder bored out truly from end to end and having
plain ends screwed on. Passing excentrically through this cylinder and through
packing glands in the end plates is the main shaft or hub of the engine, the part
within the cylinder being of a much larger diameter than the two ends which pass
out through the glands, and so arranged as to touch or nearly touch the inner
periphery of the cylinder. The outer ends of the main shaft or hub run in
suitable bearings on the base plate of the engine. The enlarged part of the main
shaft or hub which is within the cylinder is cut in two for its entire length by a
slot. In this slot I place two diaphragm plates which act as pistons, sliding
transversely through the hub, completely dividing the cylinder into halves. These
two diaphragm plates are kept apart and in contact with the cylinder by a spring
placed between them, or by admitting a small quantity of steam or air between
them to force them apart, or when in rapid motion by their own centrifugal force.
At opposite sides of the cylinder I provide ports through which the feed and
exhaust can take place and in the case of reversing engines I make these ports
changeable at will, from feed to exhaust by means of an ordinary slide valve.

page_text: Any kind of governor may be attached to throttle the steam off before passing
into the engine, or to work a cut-off valve if required.
Steam being admitted into one side of the cylinder, cannot escape except by
forcing the diaphragm plates round and with them the main shaft or hub, but each
time that a diaphragm plate passes the port which is acting as the exit port, all the
steam contained in the space between the two diaphragm plates is exhausted, there
being thus two exhausts per revolution.
More than two diaphragm plates may be used on this system, but I prefer the
two arranged as above described.
By making the cylinder of a slightly oval form I am enabled to use a solid
diaphragm plate reaching right across the cylinder and fitting it in all positions.
For packing the edges of the diaphragm plates I use square slips of steel or other
suitable metal let into grooves in the edges of the plates, and held in contact with
the cylinder by small springs.
In order to keep the cylinder in its proper working position in relation to the
main shaft or hub I provide a means of readily raising and lowering it by means
of screws. It is however obvious that the main shaft or hub may be made adjust-
able instead.

page_text: 1
Improvements in Rotary Engines and Pumps.
I, HOMAN PRICE FENBY, late of 139 Belle-vue Road, now of 13 Westfield
Place, Leeds, in the County of York Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN 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 :—
My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines wherein steam, air, gas
or water is the motive power, the main object being to produce a motor at once
simple and durable in its parts and thereby obviate the defects which heretofore
have materially interfered with the general adoption of engines of the rotary type.
My engine consists of a cylinder bored out truly from end to end, and having
ends or covers secured thereto.
Passing eccentrically through this cylinder and through packing glands in the
ends or covers, is the main shaft or hub of the engine, the part within the cylinder
being of a much larger diameter than the two ends which pass through the glands,
and so arranged as to touch or nearly touch the inner periphery of the cylinder..
The outer ends of the main shaft or hub run in suitable bearings on the base plate
of the engine.
The enlarged part of the main shaft or hub which is within the cylinder has a,
diametrically formed slot or mortice extending the length of such part. In this
slot I place two diaphragm plates which act as pistons and have a sliding movement
through the hub, thus dividing the cylinder into two compartments.
These diaphragm plates are kept apart and in contact with the interior of the
cylinder by a spring or springs placed between them, or by admitting steam or air
between them to force them apart, or when in rapid motion, by their centrifugal
force.
At opposite sides of the cylinder I provide ports through which the feed and
exhaust can take place, and in the case of reversing engines I make these ports
changeable at will from feed to exhaust, by means of an ordinary slide valve. Any
kind of governor may be employed to regulate the supply of steam to the cylinder
or to actuate a cut off valve if required.
Steam being admitted at one side of the cylinder cannot escape except by forcing
the diaphragm plates round and with them the main shaft or hub, but each time
that a diaphragm passes the port which is acting as the exit port, the steam
contained in the space between the two diaphragm plates, and now in connection
with the said exit port, becomes exhausted, thus an engine provided with two
diaphragm plates as just described, has two exhausts per revolution. More than
two diaphragm plates may be used on this system, but I prefer the above described
arrangement.
By making the cylinder of a slightly oval form I am enabled to use a solid
diaphragm plate reaching right across the cylinder and fitting it in all positions.
For packing the edges of the diaphragm plates I use slips of steel or other
material of suitable cross section fitted into grooves therein and held in contact
with the cylinder by springs.

page_text: In order to keep the cylinder in its proper working position in relation to the
hub or main shaft I provide means for readily adjusting it by screws or wedges.
It will however be obvious that the main shaft or hub may be made adjustable
instead.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a cross sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a
longitudinal sectional elevation of a rotary engine according to my invention, a, is
the base or foundation plate, b, the cylinder, b1, b2, the cylinder ends provided
with glands or stuffing boxes 63, and 64, c, c, is the main shaft, c1, the enlarged
part of c forming the hub, d, d, are the pedestals in which the main shaft c, c,
rotates, e, e, e, e, are screw studs provided with collars e 1, and nuts e 2, by which
the cylinder is adjusted and held in position, f, f, are the diaphragm plates which
form the piston and upon which the fluid pressure acts, and causes the main shaft c,
to rotate, g, g, are springs for pressing the diaphragm plates apart and causing
their outer edges to bear against the interior of the cylinder, h, is the feed or
induction pipe for admitting steam or other medium for actuating the piston and
main shaft, i, is the induction port, and j, the exhaust port, (when the slide
valve, is in the position shewn) j 1. being the exhaust port proper, and j 2 the
exhaust pipe. It will be obvious that the functions of the said ports i, and j,
are changed on the valve k, being moved so as to cover the ports i, and j, l, is the
valve spindle and m, a lever by which the valve k, is moved when it is desired to
reverse the motion of the piston, n, n, are adjustable packing slips on the edges
of the diaphragms, these may be pressed outward by means of springs so as to bear
against the interior of the cylinder, and are replaceable when worn out. When
these packing slips are used the diaphragms may if preferred be one solid piece
instead of in two parts as above described.
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
1. The combination with the oval cylinder, of the solid diaphragm plate with its
packing slips and springs as hereinabove described and shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
2. The method of adjusting the cylinder to the hub of the main-shaft by means
of screwed studs and nuts as shewn, or by wedges substantially as hereinabove
described.
3. The combination of the double diaphragm plates with either the oval or round
cylinder as hereinabove described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of January 1886