Improvements in Rotary Engines and Pumps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 15th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines and Pumps.
I, JOHN MORGAN, of No. 2 Turkey Lane, Queen's Park, Manchester, Mechanic, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to that class of rotary engines in which the rotary motion of
the engine shaft is produced by the action of the steam in entering spaces in a casing
formed between a revolving part fixed to the said shaft and a part carried by an axis
placed at an angle to the shaft.
According to my invention 1 construct such engines as follows. Within a closed
casing is a cylinder fixed to the engine shaft in such a position that its axis is at right
angles to that of the shaft, it being formed with a flat face on the part of its side
to which the shaft is attached, and in this flat face are formed steam ports that
work against steam and exhaust ports in a corresponding flat face formed in the casing
so that by the rotation of the cylinder and shaft its ports are alternately made to
communicate with the steam and exhaust ports of the casing. The steam port of the
latter is connected by a pipe with the steam supply while the exhaust port communi-
cates with the interior of the casing which has an opening either connected to a
condenser or communicating with the atmosphere. The ends of the cylinder are
closed by covers and within it is a disc or piston, the plane of which passes through
the longitudinal axis of the cylinder so that the piston is of rectangular form, two of
its sides fitting with packing against the circular walls of the cylinder, while the
other two fit against the two end covers. This piston has two opposite trunnions
fitting into corresponding bushed recesses formed in the cylinder covers, so that the
cylinder in revolving carries the piston round with it. The piston has a semi-
cylindrical boss in line with the said trunnions on that side which is presented to the
steam ports, and the cylinder has at that point a longitudinal ridge shaped projection
at the apex of which is a longitudinal recess containing a packing piece which is
pressed by springs against the said boss on the piston so as to form a steam-tight
joint therewith, thereby forming the space within the cylinder into two separate
chambers, and the before mentioned steain ports pass through the angular faces of the
ridge on each side of such steam-tight joint so as to admit steam into and exhaust
the same from each of the chambers.
The piston is maintained in an angular position relatively to the engine shaft by
means of an axis, one end of which enters a recess in the casing in which it is by
preference provided with a ball and socket bearing, while at the other end it has
a T head fitting with a hollow upon a pin carried on the outer part of the piston in
a position at right angles to the before mentioned trunnions.
The angular position of the piston is such that at the end of each semirevolution
of the cylinder and shaft, the one or the other angular faces of the ridge, with its
steam port will fit close against the piston, and the parts are in this relative position
when the steam port is just about to communicate with the steam port of the
casing.
It will be seen from the above described construction that the steam in entering
between the face of the ridge and the piston and tending to force these apart will
cause the cylinder and shaft, and also the piston to revolve, in forming a gradually
increasing space between the piston and ridge face, and this will continue until, on
the completion of a semirevolution, the other inclined face of the ridge will have
come close against the other part of the piston's face. The port of the chamber into
which steam has been admitted will now communicate with the exhaust port of the
casing, while the port of the other chamber will communicate with the steam port,

page_text: and the above described action will be repeated with respect to the second chamber so
as to complete the revolution.
The ports may be so formed as to cut off steam at any point of the revolution,
so as to act expansively and the exhaust steam may be made to pass from the casing
to the steam port of a second and third cylinder, so as to act as a compound or triple
or quadruple expansive engine. The engine as described is single acting but it may
be coupled with one or more other engines so as to be double acting and reversible.
By rotating the shaft and cylinder by power and connecting the ports to supply
and discharge pipes for fluid, the engine can also be made to act as a pump.
The casing is formed in two halves, being divided longitudinally, and the lower
part acts as a reservoir of lubricant which is carried round by the revolving cylinder,
and thus effects the perfect lubrication of the working parts.
Instead of making the revolving part of the engine cylindrical, it may be made
spherical, in which case the piston would be circular instead of square. It will be
understood that on the side of the cylinder opposite that where the ports are situated
it has an opening formed in it for the inclined axis of the piston to pass through.
Dated this 18th day of November 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines and Pumps.
I, JOHN MORGAN of No. 2 Turkey Lane, Queen's Park, Manchester, Mechanic, 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:
My invention relates to a construction of rotary engine in which the rotary motion
of the engine shaft is produced by the action of the steam in entering spaces in a
casing formed between a revolving part fixed to the said shaft and a part or piston
carried by an axis placed at an angle to the shaft.
I will proceed to describe the construction of the said improved engine with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shews a longitudinal section,
and Fig. 2 a cross section of the complete engine; Fig. 3 a plan, and Fig. 4 an end
view of the piston detached; Fig. 5 a plan and Fig. 6 a side view of the piston rod or
shaft detached, and Fig. 7 a front view and Fig. 8 a side view of the stationary slide
valve face.
Within the closed casing a is a cylinder 6 fixed to the engine shaft i in such a
position that its longitudinal axis is at right angles to that of the shaft. On the
shaft i is formed or fixed a plate i¹, and against this plate is fixed a flat face on the
cylinder b. The inner side of the flat face is made with a V shape projection, and in
it are formed two ports ff which are also formed through the plate 1, and which
correspond to ports g m formed in the face n of the casing a, of which ports g
communicates with the steam supply pipe g' while m communicates with the interior
of the casing a which communicates at a with the exhaust or with the steam supply
of a second engine working compound therewith. The cylinder bis by preference
screwed with a threaded hole on to the threaded end of shaft i, and is secured in
position on disc by setting screws, the outer face of the disc ¹ forming a revolving
valve face working against the fixed valve face n of the casing.
The ends of the cylinder bare closed by covers oo having at the axial line of
the cylinder projecting sockets o' lined with bushes h h, into which fit the trunnions c
of the piston c.
This piston is of rectangular form as shewn at Figs. 3 and 4, with a groove p all
round for the reception of spring packing which fits closely against the sides and
covers of the cylinder.
It has a cylindrical boss c² for the reception of the trunnions.c¹, which are fixed therein

page_text: by keying pins as shewn; on the side of the piston next the ports f f¹ this boss
extends right across the piston, as shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 3, and into a groove
in the apex of the V surface 61 is fitted a spring packing s having its edge formed to
fit closely against the cylindrical surface of the boss and thus form a steam tight
separation between the spaces formed on either side of the boss between the surfaces
of the piston, the cylinder, and the covers.
On the other side of the piston the bosses c² extend only part of the way across, to
admit between them of the attachment of the piston rod or shaft d. This is held in
the angular position shewn at Fig. 1 by fitting with its end into a bush e held by a
spherical outer surface in a socket a² formed or fixed on the casing a.
The other end of the rod d is formed with a cross head d¹ of the shape shewn more
clearly at Figs. 5 and 6, which crosshead has a hole formed through it, through which
passes a cylindrical rod or pin e³ fixed transversely across the piston as shewn at
Fig. 3; the crosshead d' fits with flanged ends between flanges et formed on the
piston, so that while the piston in being carried round by the revolving cylinder, is
free to alter its angular position relatively to the rod & in turning on the pin c
in a plane passing through the trunnions c', the rod cannot shift relatively to the
piston in the direction of the pivot rod c³.
The cylinder is formed with an opening at 6² sufficiently large to allow of its.
free rotation with the piston rod passing through it in the angular position shewn.
From the above described construction it will be seen that the action of the engine
is as follows:-
Assuming the cylinder and piston to be in the relative positions shewn in Fig. 1,
and that rotation of the cylinder and shaft is taking place in the direction of the
arrow Fig. 2, the port has just opened to the steam inlet port g, and consequently
steam entering between the surface of the piston and the lower angular surface b¹ of
the cylinder, which are close together, the thrust exerted by the steam in tending to.
enlarge the space between the said surfaces will force the cylinder to revolve in the
direction of the arrow. Steam will continue to enter until the right hand edge of
portFig. 2 has passed beyond the upper edge of port g, whereupon the supply
being cut off the steam will continue to act by expansion until, by the rotation of the
cylinder, the port will have reached the uppermost position f¹ Fig. 2, at which time
the space between the piston and cylinder surfaces will have expanded to the full
extent shewn in the upper space at Fig. 1.
On the cylinder moving beyond this position, the edge of the cylinder port f will
move beyond the edge of the plate n, and consequently the steam will escape from
the said space into the casing a from which it will pass to the condenser or atmosphere
through the opening a¹.
At the same time the port f¹, which will have arrived in the lowest position
will have begun to take steam from port g, and the above described action will
be repeated.
The casing a is divided longitudinally into two halves bolted together as shewn.
Its lower part is charged with lubricant, and the sockets o' of the trunnions are
made with a longitudinal slot on one side, with wings o², so that on the rotation of
the cylinder the wings o dip into the lubricant and lift up a certain quantity which
passes through the slot to the interior of the bearing, thus keeping the trunnions well
lubricated. The lubricant will also find its way into the socket a² so as to keep the
rod d well lubricated.
The casing a is supported on feet a³ a³. It is advantageous to couple two such
engines together on one and the same shaft in such relative positions that the axis of
the sockets ol of the one cylinder is at right angles to that of the other, thus avoiding
any inequality of motion that might arise from the fact that each engine is single
acting. The second engine might be worked by the exhaust steam of the first one
on the compound system.
Or a series of two or more engines might be connected together on the compound
or multiple expansion principle in such a manner that the mainshaft of the one

page_text: engine is connected by a universal coupling to the dummy shaft or rod d of the next
one which in that case would project through the casing a.
Instead of making the revolving part b cylindrical, it might obviously also be made
spherical, in which case the piston would be circular.
It will be evident that the above described engine instead of acting as a motor, can
also be used as a pump, by driving the shaft i.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A rotary motor engine or pump wherein a cylindrical or spherical casing fixed
to the engine shaft so as to revolve with it, contains a piston carried firstly by
trunnions fitted in bearings in the casing at right angles to the axis of the engine
shaft, and secondly by a rod or shaft situated at an angle to the engine shaft and
carried in a stationary bearing in an outer chamber enclosing the cylindrical or
spherical casing, the latter being provided firstly with an internal partition in contact
with a boss on the piston so as to divide the interior into two separate compartments,
and secondly with a valve face having ports communicating with the said compart-
ments and revolving against a stationary valve face, in the outer chamber, having
inlet and discharge ports, substantially as herein described.
2. In a rotary engine or pump, the combination of an engine shaft i working in
bearings in an outer chamber or casing a, a cylinder b fixed to the shaft with its axis
at right angles to the latter and working with a slide face having ports ff' in
contact with a stationary slide face n having inlet and discharge ports, a piston c
working with trunnions c¹ in bearings in the axial line of the cylinder and a rod d
passing through an opening in the cylinder connected at one end to the piston by a
hinged connection d³ and held at the other end in a socket a² of the casing a so as
to lie at an angle to the shaft i substantially as described with reference to the
drawings.
3. In combination with the cylinder b referred to in the preceding claim, the slotted
sockets o for the trunnions c¹ with wings o² for taking up lubricant from the
bottom of the casing a and supplying the same to the trunnions, substantially as
described.
Dated this 17th day of September 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.