in motor or horseless carriages or cycles
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
This invention for improvements in motor or horseless carriages or cycles has
for its object to provide an improved arrangement of steam boiler, furnace, and
engine that can readily be applied to light vehicles.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a motor bicycle constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan and Fig. 3 an elevation of the furnace.
Fig. 4 is a plan of a burner.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the boiler.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of a steam trap and valve.
Fig. 7 is an elevation of a motor tricycle constructed according to this
invention and
Figs. 8 and 9 are elevation and plan respectively of a furnace of modified
construction fixed to the frame of a bicycle.
The reservoir A for the fuel, which is preferably petroleum oil is connected with
the furnace a by a. pipe c controlled by a cock p. The furnace a and boiler b are
enclosed in a jacket B.
The piston with rod and connecting rod working in the jacketted cylinder-C
actuates the crank which rotates the toothed wheel d the movement being trans-
mitted by means of a chain to the bicycle wheel. A tauk D contains water for
supplying the boiler and also acts as a condenser. The cylinder B, in which are
fitted the furnace and the boiler, is open at the bottom to give access to the air for
combustion, and is covered at the top by a dome terminating in a tube E for
discharging the products of combustion.
The furnace shown in plan at Fig. 2 and in elevation Fig. 3, is composed of a
large tube e closed at both ends, which is fed by petroleum falling from the
reservoir A through the tube C. This tube is bored laterally with two rows
of small holes and communicates with smaller tubes iii... brazed transversely
above it, closed at each end but bored with a row of small holes on their upper
side. Below this furnace is arranged a burner of six jets g. 9... provided with
asbestos wicks which are supplied in the ordinary way by a small petroleum
container. These jets serve, on first starting to effect the preliminary vaporisation
of the petroleum which is necessary for lighting the furnace, and during the
lowering of the fire, or on momentary stoppages, to keep up the fire, so that
the restarting may be immediate. The burner, as shown in Fig. 3, is lowered
slightly from its normal position, so as to be more clearly seen.
From the reservoir A the petroleuin falls, in a thin stream, or drop by drop, into
the glass funnel placed in front of the rider, who himself regulates the feed by
means of the lever n situated close to the thumb of the right hand holding the
steering bar, and which lever controls the cock p through the rods K K jointed
with bell crank movements along the steering fork tube.

page_text: In
The boiler is composed of a copper tube coiled into several superposed spirals,
spaces being left between them for the passage of the flame from the furnace.
order that the spaces may be of equal and regular width such as are too wide are
lined with asbestos, this ensures greater regularity in the distribution of the fire.
The water enters the boiler through r, leaving as steam by to reach the
admission port, the valve t of which is controlled by a rod worked by a
lever which terminates under the left hand of the rider holding the handle
bar, thus enabling him to regulate at will the speed of the motor.
The feed-water is drawn from the tauk by means of a pump and is continuously
supplied to the boiler in proportion as used, whilst the excess returns into the tank.
The box containing the admission valve is provided with a safety valve.
The exhaust steam itself discharges into the tank through the pipe H which
terminates towards the upper part at T after dipping down to the bottom.
The noncondensed steam passes away through the pipe K which leads it into
the chimney E.
This small engine is thus provided with all essential parts, to which may be
added when it is applied in larger sizes, the steam trap, Fig. 6, which is then fixed
on the steam pipe at its exit from the boiler.
The steam enters at S and leaves at T after being freed from its water, which
is returned to the tank by opening the cock R when necessary which is shown by
the glass tube N open at the bottom like an ordinary gauge but closed at the top.
A. safety valve Z is fitted to the top of this chamber.
Fig. 1 shows a bicycle, provided with ordinary parts for driving by pedal, to
which our steam motor, arranged for this purpose, is adapted and fixed by means
allowing it to be easily attached or removed. The only modification made in the
frame is that the ordinary tube L carrying the saddle rod is replaced by two tubes
slightly removed from each other (only one of these is shown in the figure). The
frame which carries the working parts of the steam engine is fixed by bolts on
two crosspieces M and M which connect the two tubes beforementioned.
chimney passes between these tubes to the rear of the cycle.
The
The reservoir A is fitted on from the back towards the front so that the two
semi-cylindrical lugs P, P, with which it is provided clamp the converging tubes
of the frame. The third lug R is provided with a hinged collar, which is fastened
on the head stock by clamping with a fastening bolt.
The jacket B is fixed to the frame at V, and to the motor frame at Y. The
tank D is fixed to the bottom angle and bottom tube of the frame.
The tricycle for two persons shown in Fig. 7 is provided with a motor similar to
that of the bicycle, with the exception of a few modifications of detail and the
addition of the steam trap which has been described, and also a condensing
apparatus.
The body of the vehicle is formed of tubular frames X X, having a fork
head for the steering wheel in front, and the seat fixed on two suspension
springs for the two wheels behind. The steerer G is connected by two links to
the fork head.
The petroleum reservoir A is of cylindrical shape. The water tank D is also
cylindrical. The jacket B for the furnace and boiler is surmounted by the
chimney E. The piston working in the cylinder C actuates the crank ou the
wheel d which transmits the movement to the motor wheel. The steam trap U
which has been described and shown in Fig. 6, is placed directly under the
observation and in proximity to the hand of those occupying the seat, as also
the petroleum feed cock and the valve rod serving for hand regulation of the steam
admission.
The chimney E, and the ascending and descending tubes H, J, starting from the
exhaust and terminating at the tank act as supports to a cover, the framing of
which is thus formed of tubular windings constituting a condenser of large surface
by radiation and contact with the displaced air.
A saddle tricycle, for a single person, may be constructed like the bicycle

page_text: bereinbefore described, shown in Fig. 1 without any alteration, or by placing
the petroleum reservoir and the water tank behind the seat as shown in
Fig. 7.
Not desiring to restrict ourselves to heating by petroleum and other liquid
fuels we have arranged an apparatus utilising ordinary fuels and particularly
charcoal. When desirable to use other fuel than oils and the like such as charcoal
or coal the arrangement shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is employed to render the use of
these fuels easy and convenient with the small vehicles which we have principally
in view, but our invention being also applicable to carriages or motors of larger
dimensions, these arrangements could still be used with advantage, constructed on
a larger scale to burn all other fuels, such as charcoal, coal and the like.
In the furnace shown in Fig. 8, for consuming solid fuel, the jacket C, encloses
the steam motor and the boiler 6 is enclosed in a jacket surmounted by a
chimney E.
Fuel, (preferably wood charcoal broken in small pieces for these small vehicles) is
contained in the receptacle A. This receptacle is formed to a suitable shape for
its position, and serves as a hopper for the automatic supply of the furnace
contained in the jacket B, lined in the interior with a refractory substance and
provided with an ash pan F. The charcoal descends from the hopper by a wide
cylindrical conduit H.
The receptacle A, the furnace B, and the conduit H are connected in such
manner as to form together one single piece pivotted vertically at two points P. P.
and capable of being rotated in two sockets fixed to the frame.
In Fig. 9, which shows this arrangement in plan, the receptacle A is shown in
its normal position by dotted lines as in Fig. 8. The receptacle A, the furnace B,
and the conduit H are shown by full lines after being rotated, the receptacle to the
right and the furnace to the left.
The vibration causes the charcoal to descend from the hopper to the furnace in
which an upper grate of very refractory material maintains the upper level of the
fire constant and at a suitable height. A longitudinal slot c in the conduit H
allows it to be cleared, in case of necessity, by means of an iron bar.
At the upper part of the receptacle A there is a cover which is opened when
introducing fuel. The pivotting makes all parts of the furnace easily accessible,
for any purpose.
The chimney E is provided in front with an orifice and disc valve e by means of
which the draught produced by the exhaust into the chimney is moderated or
regulated at will.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A furnace and its method of supply, the tubular boiler with rapid evaporisa-
tion and its steam trap with indicator, the arrangement of these parts and
apparatuses in their application to a bicycle or to tricycles with or without
addition of condenser, the whole as described and shown by the annexed
drawings.
2. The improvements in motor or horseless carriages or cycles substantially as
described with reference to the drawings.
Dioul dan of Tune 1896
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.