IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY STEAM ENGINES, APPLICABLE IN PART TO PUMPS FOR RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS.
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY
STEAM ENGINES, APPLICABLE IN PART TO PUMPS FOR RAISING AND FORCING
FLUIDS. A communication from John Broughton, of the City of Chicago,
. in the United States of America.
Sealed the 26th September 1856, and dated the 2nd April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd April 1856.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY
STEAM ENGINES, APPLICABLE IN PART TO PUMPS FOR RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS,
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates mainly to a mode of combining the rotary and oscil-
lating principles in the same engine. The steam cylinders (one or more may
be employed) are supported by oscillating arms which rock upon a common
fulcrum. These cylinders are made oblong, with semicylindrical ends and with
atljustable side plates, and within the cylinders are fitted excentric cylindrical.

page_text: pistons. These pistons are attached to a hollow main shaft, which passes
through the sides of the steam cylinders, and supplies steam to the engine by
means of suitable ports, with which the hollow shaft is provided. These ports
are closed by rotating valves contained within the shaft, and carried by an
internal axle driven by gearing outside the shaft. The pistons are made
hollow, and are each provided with a curved steam passage, leading from the
port of the hollow shaft to the periphery of the piston; the steam, therefore,
in rushing from the curved passage will impart an axial motion to the excentric
piston, and the main shaft which carries it, the cylinder in the meanwhile oscil-
lating to permit of this movement. The exhaust steam is conducted from the
cylinders either through a port in the periphery of the pistons leading to a
chamber which is open to the exhaust steam box, or it escapes directly from
the cylinder to the exhaust box, which is situate between the cylinders. By
forming the sides of the steam cylinders of adjustable plates (as above men-
tioned) which bear against the periphery of the rotating pistons, it will be
understood that the pistons may be readily kept steam-tight.
In applying this construction of engine to the raising and forcing of fluids,
it will be understood that a slight modification is required. The piston is
provided with two passages, which lead from opposite sides of a partition in the
main shaft, through which water or other fluid is supplied to and discharged
from the engine in a continuous stream, and the rotating valves are of course
dispensed with.
The barrel of the pump is provided, like the steam cylinder, with adjustable
plates, for the purpose of enabling the wear and tear of the periphery of the
piston to be compensated for without packing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license, that I, the said Alfred Vincent

page_text: Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROTARY STEAM ENGINES, APPLICABLE IN PART TO
PUMPS FOR RAISING AND FORCING FLUIDS," being a communication from John
Broughton, of the City of Chicago, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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) :-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates
mainly to a mode of combining in the same engine the well-known rotary and
oscillating principles, on one or other of which engines and pumps have hereto-
fore been constructed. In applying this Invention to the construction of steam
engines, the steam cylinders (one or more may be employed) are supported
by oscillating arms which rock upon a common fulcrum. These cylinders are
made oblong, with semicylindrical ends and with adjustable side plates, and
within these cylinders are fitted excentric cylindrical pistons. These pistons
are attached to a hollow main shaft, which passes through the sides of the
steam cylinders and supplies steam to the engine by means of suitable ports,
with which the hollow shaft is provided. These ports are closed by rotating
valves contained within the shaft, and carried by an internal axle driven by
gearing outside the shaft. The pistons are made hollow, and are each provided
with a curved steam passage, leading from the port of the hollow shaft to the
periphery of the piston; steam, therefore, in rushing from the curved passage
will impart an axial motion to the excentric piston, and the main shaft which
carries it, the cylinder in the meanwhile oscillating to permit of this movement.
The exhaust steam is conducted from the cylinders either through a port in
the periphery of the pistons leading to a chamber which is open to the exhaust

page_text: steam box, or it escapes direct from the cylinder to the exhaust box, which is
situate between the cylinders.
In applying this Invention to the construction of engines for raising and
forcing water and other fluids a slight modification is required. The piston
is provided with two passages, which lead from opposite sides of a partition in
the main shaft, through which water or other fluid is supplied to and dis-
charged from the engine in a continuous stream, and the rotating valves are of
course dispensed with.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of
a rotary oscillating engine with two cylinders, whose pistons are attached to
the same shaft; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical
section of same, taken in a plane passing through the axis of the main shaft;
Fig. 4 is a vertical section through one of the oscillating cylinders B, its
revolving excentric piston C, and main shaft D, on which the pistons are
secured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the main shaft; Fig. 5 is a
similar section to Fig. 4, with the piston turned a quarter of a revolution from
the position in which it is represented in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an external side
view of the cylinder; Fig. 7 will be explained in the further description of the
engine. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
:
A is the frame of the engine, constructed of iron or other material, having
at its upper part suitable plummer blocks or bearings a, a, to receive the
journals of the main shaft. D, and containing at its lower part a fixed shaft H,
whose axis is parallel with that of the main shaft D, and vertically below it,
and whose duty is to serve as the axis of oscillation of the cylinders B, .which
are rigidly attached to long arms G, fitted to oscillate on the said shaft H.
The term cylinder is not here employed to represent the geometrical figure of
the part of the engine so termed, but merely because that part corresponds in
its action with what is known as the cylinder in the common form of the.steam
engine. The form of a section of the cylinder taken perpendicularly to the
axis of the main shaft is that of an oblong parallel-sided figure: with arched
ends, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5; but a section taken in a plane passing
through or parallel with the axis in any direction is that of a parallelogram,
as shown in Fig. 3. The pistons are in the form of cylinders, and they receive
the main shaft excentrically to but parallel with their axis, as is illustrated. in
Figures 3, 4, and 5, being fitted to the said shaft by boring and turning, and
secured by keying or otherwise in any convenient manner. Each is of such
diameter and length as to fit steam-tight within its cylinder B, and may be
packed at its ends; but packing is rendered unnecessary on its periphery by the

page_text: construction of the cylinders, as herein-after described. The cylinders are
each formed in six pieces,viz, the two arched end pieces b, b, shewn in
Figures 3, 4, 'and 5; the two flat side plates c, c, shewn in Figures 4 and 5;
and the two face plates d, d, shewn in Fig. 3;. the arched end pieces b, b, and
side plates 'd, d, being secured between the face'plates d, d, by bolts. The side
plates c, c, and face plates d, d, are planed or otherwise faced truly. The
side plates c, c, in contact with which works the periphery of the piston, are
capable of adjustment by means of screws 'e, e, in the flanches of the arched
pieces b, b, so as to fit accurately to the pistons, as shown in Figure 4, and
to compensate for wear. The face plates d, d, of the cylinders are provided
with slots f, in the form of arcs, described from the centre. H, for the
main shaft to pass through, and to admit of the oscillation of the cylinder.
Rebates are formed around these slots f to receive metal packing g, shewn
in Figures 3 and 6, which fits up against stationary face plates Q, which are
similar in form. to the arched upper portion of the framing A, and are made
adjustable by screws R, R, shewn in Figures 1 and 2, screwing through the
framing. Before putting the metal packing 9 into its place, thin india-rubber
or other elastic packing h (see. Fig. 3) is put in, which serves to hold the
packing 9 up to the face plates Q, and prevents steam escaping from the
cylinder through the slots of to the atmosphere.
The main shaft D is made hollow from one end as far as it extends into the
pistons C, in order that it may serve as an induction pipe to convey steam into
the cylinders B to produce a rotary movement of the pistons. The open end
of this shaft is fitted with a steam-tight joint O to a stationary hollow head-
picce N (see Figures 1 and 3,) which is bolted through wings or flanges to the
framing A, and which has connected with it the steam pipe E." The hollow
part of the main shaft communicates with the cylinders by means of a curved
passage T in each. piston, which is opened and closed twice during every
revolution of the piston, to admit steam and cut it off on opposite sides of the
piston alternately by means of valves J, J, of the form of segments of cylinders,
which are fitted to the interior of the main shaft, and are caused to receive
therefrom a rotary motion at the same speed, but in the opposite direction to
the said shaft, by being attached to a small shaft I, which fits into the centre
of the main shaft, and is geared therewith by three bevil wheels K, L, M.
F, Fig. 3, is the exhaust pipe, connecting with a stationary chamber W,
which surrounds the main shaft, and fits closely up to one of the stationary
face plates Q of each cylinder. A section of the exhaust pipe F, chamber W,
and main shaft D, taken perpendicularly to the latter, is given in Fig. 7, which
also shows one of the stationary face plates Q, and exhibits an opening

page_text: which is made in the said plate around the main shaft, for the escape of the
exhaust steam from the cylinder and from the interior of the piston, the latter
being hollow and open at the ends, and the whole of its interior V not occu-
pied by the steam passage T serving as an exhaust chamber, which is always
in communication with the chamber W, and receiving the exhaust steam
through an orifice i (see Figures 4 and 5), which is diametrically opposite the
mouth of the passage T.
The operation of the engine is as follows:-Steam being admitted into the
pipe E, enters the hollow shaft D, thence by the open valve J through the
passage T into either cylinder, where it acts alternately on each side of
the excentric piston as on a lever, and causes it to rotate and carry round the
main shaft, the cylinder oscillating as the excentric pistons rotate, and the
pistons working towards and from the ends b, b, of the cylinders. The open-
ing of the valve J, by the combined revolutions of the main shaft and the
shaft I, commences at the time the piston has arrived nearest to one end b of
the of the cylinder, and at the time the induction port j, and eduction port i
of the piston will just be in advance of the points of contact of the cylinder
and piston, as shown in Fig. 4; the former being in communication with the
end of the cylinder to receive the steam, and the latter with the end to be
exhausted. The same conditions occur at opposite ends of the cylinder alter-
nately. At the time when the piston is nearest to either end of the cylinder, as
shewn in Fig. 4, the engine is in a condition corresponding with that condition
of the common reciprocating engine termed by engineers "on the centre," and
the direct force of the steam, acting equally on both sides of the axis of the
piston, exerts no tendency to produce rotary motion; but from the curved
direction of the passage T, the steam is caused at that time to re-act upon the
piston in such a way as to carry it past that position, or "over the centre."
The steam is exhausted for the most part through the port i and chamber v
of the piston, but if the excentric pistons are hung on the main shaft at points
very near to their peripheries, a corner at each end of the slot f will be left
open directly to the cylinder, as shewn at 8, 8, in Fig. 6, overy time the
piston arrives at its position of nearest proximity to either end of the cylinder,
and the steam will for a time exhaust directly from the cylinder through the
slot to the chamber W, but the motion of the piston in the return stroke
soon cuts off these corners and closes the slots f, except to the interior of the
piston, through which the exhaust continues. The piston may be so propor-
tioned as not to make any communication directly from the cylinder through
the slots f.
The rotary motion of the valves J in the opposite direction to that of the

page_text: shaft D makes one valve to each cylinder perform a duty that would require
two valves if they were stationary, besides which it has the effect of opening
and closing the ports in the shortest possible space of time. By making the
valves greater or less portions of circles, the steam may be cut off sooner or
later to use the steam more or less expansively.
This engine may be modified in many ways; as, for instance, it may have
only one cylinder and piston instead of two, as in the example represented; or
it may have more than two cylinders with pistons on the same shaft, the said
pistons being set at any angle to each other; or it may have two cylinders
with the pistons set at any other angle to each other than those in the example
represcuted, which are supposed to be at a right angle. The relative positions
of the main shafts D and shaft H may be inverted from the position shown,
the latter being then above instead of below the former; or the two shafts
may be arranged in the same plane otherwise than in a vertical plane, as
represented. By a proper arrangement of steam passages and valves the
engine may be made to reverse and run both ways.
Under this head of the Invention I claim,-
First, the rotary oscillating engine consisting of one or more excentric
pistons combined with one or more oscillating cylinders, to operate substantially
as herein described.
.
Second, the rotating induction and cut-off valvo or valves J, arranged
and operating within the hollow main shaft D, to induct the steam to and
cut it off from the cylinder or cylinders, substantially as herein specified.
Third, the method of exhausting the steam from each cylinder through the
pistons, the slots f in the cylinder, and the opening u in the face plate,
communicating with the chamber W of the exhaust pipe, substantially as
described.
Fourth, constructing the cylinder with adjustable side plates c, c, for the
purpose of regulating the contact of the surfaces of the periphery of piston
and sides of the cylinder, and compensating for wear between the said sur-
faces, as herein described.
In Sheet II., Fig. 1 shews in side elevation the improved pump adapted
to the raising of water from a well; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken in a plane passing through the axis of rota-
tion of the piston; Fig. 4 is a vertical section, through the oscillating barrel B
and piston A, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the piston;
Fig. 5 is a similar section with the piston in a different position; Fig. 6 is an
external side view of the barrel. Similar letters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts in the several Figures.

page_text: .
A is the piston, which is of metal, of cylindrical form, hollow, and with open
ends, secured to a hollow shaft B, which is excentric to. but parallel with its
axis, and is supported or fitted to rotate in stationary bearings supported on
standards F, F. The shaft B is hollow, and has a transverse partition d at
about the middle of the piston, which separates one portion, which is to serve
as an inlet from the suction pipe G to the barrel C from the other portion,
which is to serve as an outlet from the barrel C to the discharge pipe I. The
inlet portion of the shaft is closed at its extremity to make it solid, to attach a
hand crank J, or other suitable means of driving it, and its communication
with the suction pipe G. is made by forming a chamber H around one of its
bearings, and cutting slots in the shaft, as shewn at e, e, Fig. 3, and attaching
the suction pipe to the said chamber, the ends of which are packed around
the shaft with stuffing boxes h, h, as shewn in Fig. 8. The open extremity
of the outlet portion of the shaft is connected by a stuffing box connection
with the discharge pipe I. The inlet portion of the shaft connects with a
hollow arm or passage L, running through the piston and terminating in the
periphery thereof, and the outlet portion connects with an air chamber N, cast
within the piston, and from this air chamber there is à passage M; terminating
in the periphery of the piston diametrically opposite the termination of the
passage L.
The barrel C, which contains, the piston B, is of metal. It is in its trans-
verse section, or in its section taken in any plane parallel with the axis of
rotation of the piston, of quadrangular form, as shown in Fig. 3; but in its
section perpendicular to the axis of the piston it is of the form of a figure
having two parallel sides and two arched ends, as shown in Fig. 4. It is
firmly attached to an arm D, which is fitted to oscillate freely on a fixed pivot
or shaft E, secured in the standards F, F. It is made in six parts, viz*, the
two parallel side plates a, a, the arched ends b, b, and the face plates c, c, all
bolted together.. The face plates c, c, are provided each with a slot g, described
from the centre of oscillation E of the barrel, to allow the shaft B of the piston
to pass through and admit of the oscillation of the barrel. The piston fits
between the side plates a, a, and face plates c, c, which are all faced truly, the
periphery of the piston being in contact with the plates a, a, and the ends thereof
with the face plates c, c. The periphery of the piston does not require to be
fitted with packing, as the side plates a, a, may be adjusted to compensate for
but the ends of the piston are fitted with metal packing rings e', e', as
shewn in Fig. 3, to work in contact with the face plates c, c, and rings of
india-rubber or springs may be placed behind these rings to keep them in
contact with the face plates with very little friction.
wear;

page_text: Figures 7 and 8 are side and front elevations of the pump, adapted for
forcing water into a steam boiler, or for forcing water for other purposes. The
bearings for the main shaft are supported on cast-iron brackets 0, 0, secured
to a board R, which is to be bolted to a wall, and the pivot or shaft E is
carried by another pair of cast-iron brackets S, S, bolted to the same, board R.
The discharge pipe of this pump is fitted with a check valve at P.
The operation of the pump is as follows:-Rotary motion being commu-
nicated to the piston by power applied to its shaft, it gives to the barrel an
oscillating motion, and makes a reciprocating movement within the barrel,
alternately enlarging and contracting the space between it and either end of
the barrel at each stroke, forming on one side of the piston a vacuum, into
which the water is drawn through the suction pipe, and driving out from the
barrel on the other side of the piston the water which was drawn on at the
previous stroke. Supposing the piston in rotating in the direction of the arrow,
shewn in Figure 4, to have arrived at the upper end of its stroke, or at its
position nearest the top of the barrel, as shown in that Figure, the lower por-
tion of the barrel will be filled with water which came in through the hollow
arm or passage L as the piston moved up in the barrel. The opening of the
said hollow arm or passage L is just below the point of contact of the straight
portion of the barrel and the periphery of the piston, while the opening of the
passage M in the other side of the piston is just above the point of contact;
consequently, a slight motion of the piston beyond this position cuts off the
communication of L with the lower part of the barrel, and brings it in com-
munication with the upper part thereof as the piston moves down, while the
same motion brings the opening of the arm M in communication with the
water below the piston, and as the piston moves down, water is drawn into
the upper part of the barrel through the suction pipe and the passage L, and
forced out of the lower part through the passage M and chamber N to the
discharge pipe. When the piston has made half a revolution, and arrived at
its position nearest the bottom of the barrel, the ports of ingress and egress
assume relatively the same position as when it was at the top; and as the
piston moves up in the barrel by its continued revolution, the action of the
pump is exactly the same as when it moves down, with the exception that
the water enters below and is discharged from above.
The position of the barrel of the pump may be the reverse of that repre-
sented in the Drawings, (that is to say,) the barrel may be suspended below its
centre of oscillation like a pendulum.
Under this head of the Invention I claim a rotary pump, composed of a
rotating excentric piston working within an oscillating barrel (with any suitable

page_text: arrangement of inlet and outlet passages), substantially as herein specified..
And I also claim, in this kind of pump, constructing the barrel with adjustable
plates a, a, for the purpose of enabling the wear of the periphery of the piston
to be compensated for without packing, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)