IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND PUMPS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Miller and Henry Edward Skinner,
both of Shadwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND PUMPS."
Sealed the 12th February 1858, and dated the 18th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Miller
and Henry Edward Skinner at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th August 1857.
We, WILLIAM HENRY MILLER and HENRY EDWARD SKINNER, both of
Shadwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND
PUMPS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention, with reference to rotary engines, consists; in the first place,
in the combination of a piston working in a stationary circular steam way or
hollow ring, answering the purpose of a cylinder, with a slide worked in the
manner herein-after described.
The piston (which we prefer to be circular) is connected with a wheel or
disc, which is capable of revolving in a circular groove within the said hollow
ring (which we prefer to be circular in the cross section), and to this wheel or

page_text: disc the shaft is keyed so as to give rotary motion to the shaft by the travelling
of the piston within the circular steam way. The induction & eduction
passages are placed near together, one on each side of the slide, which is
made to form an abuttal for, the steam as required, by means of a small piston
worked within a cylinder by steam, admitted on either side respectively, through
a slide valve acted upon at the requisite intervals by suitable gear from the
said wheel or disc, or from the shaft. For this purpose the mechanism is
adapted to open the valve so as to admit steam on the proper side of the small
piston for withdrawing the slide or abuttal a little in advance of the travelling
piston, and to change the passages for the steam, so as to cause the return of
the slide immediately after the travelling piston has passed by it. In some
cases it may be found desirable to employ more than one travelling piston
and slide.
Our Invention, with reference to rotary engines, consists, in the second
place, in the combination of an excentric disc working in a cylinder, with a
slide pressed against the periphery of the excentric by means of steam acting
upon a small piston in another small cylinder, the piston being connected
to the slide. In this case metallic packing is inserted in that end of the
slide which works against the excentric and also in that part of the excentric
which works against the inside of the cylinder..
And our Invention with reference to pumps consists in the use of the
engine first described, by admitting water instead of steam to the hollow
ring, and discharging it therefrom by applying power to the shaft, and thereby
causing the piston to travel within the hollow ring. For this purpose the
power may be applied to the shaft by means of an engine, as described,
combined with the pump; but the power may be otherwise applied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Miller and Henry Edward Skinner in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY MILLER and HENRY EDWARD SKINNER, both of Shadwell, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Henry Miller and Henry Edward Skinner, Her special
license that we, the said William Henry Miller and Henry Edward Skinner,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Henry Miller and Henry Edward Skinner, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND PUMPS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said William Henry Miller and Henry
Edward Skinner, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Henry Miller and Henry
Edward Skinner, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
Our Invention of "Improvements in Rotary Engines and Pumps," consists
with reference to rotary engines, in the first place, in the combination of a
piston working or travelling in a stationary circular steam way or hollow
ring, answering the purpose of an ordinary cylinder, with a slide or abuttal
for the steam, worked in the manner herein-after described.
The piston (which we prefer to be circular) is connected to a wheel or disc,
which is capable of revolving in a circular groove within the said hollow ring
(which we prefer to be circular in the cross section), and to this wheel or disc
the working shaft is keyed. By this means rotary motion is imparted to the
shaft by the travelling of the piston within the hollow ring or circular steam
way. The induction and eduction passages are placed near together, on each
side of the groove or opening for the entrance of the slide or abuttal, or
sliding abuttal, which is brought into the required position to form an abuttal
for the steam at the required intervals by means of a small piston worked
within a cylinder, by steam admitted on either side thereof respectively through

page_text: an ordinary slide valve, acted upon at the requisite intervals by suitable gear
from the said wheel or disc, or from the shaft. For this purpose the
mechanism is adapted to open the valve, so as to admit steam on the proper
side of the small piston for withdrawing the slide or abuttal a little in advance
of the travelling piston, and to change the passages for the steam so as to
cause the return of the slide or abuttal immediately after the travelling piston
has passed by the opening for its entrance. In some cases it may be found
desirable to employ more than one travelling piston and slide or abuttal.
Our Invention with reference to rotary engines consists, in the second place,
in the combination of an excentric disc, working in a cylinder, with a slide or
abuttal placed against the periphery of the excentric, by means of steam acting
upon a small piston in another small cylinder, the piston rod being connected
to the slide or abuttal. In this case metallic packing is inserted in that end
of the slide which works against the excentric, and also in that part of the
excentric which works against the inside of the cylinder.
And our Invention, with reference to pumps, consists in the use of the engine
first described, by admitting water instead of steam to the hollow ring, and
discharging it therefrom, by applying power to the shaft, and thereby causing
the piston to travel within the hollow ring, and drive the water before it
through the eduction passage. For this purpose the power may be applied
to the driving shaft of the pump by means of an engine, as herein described,
combined therewith, but the power may be otherwise applied.
Such being the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe more
particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
pair of engines; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section, and Fig. 4, a plan or
horizontal view of the same; Fig. 5 represents an arrangement for working
the slide or abuttal without the small cylinder and piston; and Fig. 6 is a
section of an engine, with a cylinder and excentric disc combined with a slide
or abuttal. In all these Figures the same letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts.
A is the hollow ring or circular steam way suitably supported, as shewn ;
B is the travelling piston, connected to the wheel C by means of a piece of
metal C passed through a slot in the inner side of the hollow ring, and this
wheel C is keyed to the shaft D so as to be capable of transmitting the motion

page_text: of the piston to the shaft. The slot in the hollow ring is suitably packed to
prevent the escape of steam. E is the slide or abuttal, which is made to slide
through an opening between guides into the ring A, and form an abuttal for
the steam at the required intervals. The necessary sliding of this abuttal E
is effected by means of the piston F in the small cylinder G by admitting
steam through the ordinary slide valve H on the under side of the piston to
withdraw the abuttal, and on the upper side to force it into its position in the
hollow ring. And the slide valve H must be worked so as to admit the steam
to the under side of the piston F just before the travelling piston B arrives at
the opening for the abuttal to pass through, and immediately after it has
passed by this opening to reverse the passages and admit the steam to the
upper side of the piston F, so as to force the abuttal E into its position in the
hollow ring A behind the travelling piston B; or this sliding abuttal may be
made to pass into the ring A and be withdrawn at the required intervals
without the aid of the cylinder G and piston F by means of the arrangement
shewn in Fig. 5, wherein I is a cam, keyed to the shaft D, having its acting
part from to . This cam acts on a lever K, having its fulcrum at L
through the friction roller on the lever, which works in a groove on the face of
the cam.
At the end of the lever K is a connecting rod M, which is linked
to a cross shaft N, to which is fixed one end of the arm O, the reverse end
being connected to the upper end of the rod P, which is fixed to the slide or
abuttal E. By this arrangement it will be seen that, as the acting part i¹ to i²
of the groove on the cam I acts upon the roller of the lever K, this lever will
become raised, so as to bring the parts into the positions shewn in the Figure.
thereby raising the abuttal E out of the way of the travelling piston B, and
the parts will be made to fall into the positions indicated by dotted lines as
soon as the acting part of the groove on the cam has caused the roller of the
lever K to pass into the concentric or inoperative part 3 of the groove, thereby
lowering the abuttal into its required position behind the travelling piston.
And the sliding of the abuttal at the required intervals may be effected by
other means.
Qis the induction passage for the steam; and R the eduction
when the engine is driven in the direction of the arrow, but these passages
will be reversed when it is required to drive the engine in the opposite
direction. The slide valve in the valve box S, for admitting the steam into
these passages, will be worked through the rod T by hand gear in the ordinary
manner.
The working of the engine is as follows:-On steam being admitted
through the pipe U, it will pass into the valve box S, and through the slide

page_text: valve into the hollow ring A at the port or induction passage Q, between the
back of the travelling piston B and the abuttal E, which will have been
previously slidden into its position in the hollow ring. The abuttal E being
thus fixed behind the travelling piston B, the elastic force of the steam will
drive the latter forwards in the direction of the arrow until the piston has
passed the other port or eduction passage R, just before its arrival at which
the abuttal E will be withdrawn (by the action of the small steam piston For
of the cam I, or by other means,) suddenly out of the circular steam way and
race of the piston B, and returned to its position immediately after the piston
has passed the port or eduction passage Q, when the piston will receive a fresh
impulse in the direction of the arrow by the fresh steam entering at this port.
In this manner the travelling of the piston B within its circular race A will be
kept up, and rotary motion imparted to the wheel C and shaft D. And it
will be obvious that the engine will be reversed by admitting the steam at the
port R, and allowing it to pass out at the port Q by reversing the valve in the
box S.
In the Drawing the Invention is shewn as applied to a pair of condensing
engines, but it may be also applied to non-condensing engines.
Fig. 6 is a section of an engine in which the steam admitted at the port Q
into the cylinder A is made to act on an excentric B keyed to the shaft D and
drive it forwards in the direction of the arrow, the abuttal F being kept in
contact with the periphery of the excentric B by means of steam acting on the
upper side of a piston within the small cylinder G. The end of the slide or
abuttal E, in contact with the excentric B, is packed, and also that part of
the excentric in contact with the inside of the cylinder A.
In order to convert the engine first described into a rotary pump, power
would have to be applied to the shaft D, and the travelling piston made to
drive before it the water admitted into the bollow ring in front of it, the water
thus driven passing out of the hollow ring at the eduction port or passage.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we claim as
of our Invention,―
First, the use of the travelling piston within a hollow ring or circular
steam way combined with a sliding abuttal worked as described, such
travelling piston being connected to the shaft, so as to give rotary motion
thereto.
Secondly, the use of an excentric working in à cylinder in combination with
a sliding abuttal, as described.

page_text: And, lastly, the use of the engine first above described as a rotary pump,
by applying power to the shaft, and thereby driving the travelling piston and
causing it to drive the water before it, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Miller and Henry
Edward Skinner have hereunto set our hands and seal, the Fifteenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-eight.
0 Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
50, Chancery Lane,
Patent Agent.
WILLIAM H. MILLER. (L.S.)
HENRY E. SKINNER.
(L.S.)