IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE- POWER ENGINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Timmins, of Stourport, in the County of
Worcester, Engineer, for the Iuvention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-
POWER ENGINES"
Sealed the 12th June 1868, and dated the 18th January 1868.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Timmins at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on
the 18th January 1868.
I, DANIEL TIMMINS, of Stourport, in the County of Worcester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a motive-power engine, the parts of which
are constructed and arranged essentially in the manner herein-after
explained.
My, motive-power engine is especially applicable to the propulsion of
ships and vessels on water but may also be used as a motive-power
engine generally.

page_text: I will describe my Invention as arranged for propelling vessels
The motive-power engine is fixed at the bottom and stern end of the
vessel. The said motive-power engine consists essentially of two
cylinders situated in the same line and at a short distance apart. The
said cylinders are of different diameters, the larger one I will herein
after call the motive-power cylinder and the smaller one the vacuum
cylinder. Each cylinder is provided with a piston, and the said pistons
are connected together by a piston rod, between the two cylinders and
concentric therewith is a cylindrical chamber for effecting the con-
densation of steam, which chamber I will herein-after call the condenser.
The piston rod herein-before described passes through and works air-
tight in a tube passing through the axis of the condenser. The said
condenser is furnished at its ends with valves, by means of which
communication may be opened between it and the vacuum cylinder.
The motive-power cylinder is open at its outer end, which end is in com-
munication with the water on which the vessel is floating, the said water
filling the said cylinder up to the piston. The vacuum cylinder is in
communication at its outer end by means of a pipe and valve opening
outwards with ports opening laterally into the outer end of the motive-
power cylinder. The said vacuum cylinder also communicates at its
end with the atmosphere by means of a valve opening inwards. The
valves and the mechanical arrangements by which they and the other
accessaries are worked, I do not think it necessary here to describe.
The action of the motive-power engine is as follows:-Steam being
admitted into the condenser, air is expelled therefrom, and a vacuum
produced therein, by means of which the vacuum cylinder is exhausted.
A small quantity of steam is admitted into the motive-power cylinder
and acts on the piston of the said cylinder. The steam pressure on the
piston of the motive-power cylinder and the atmospheric pressure on the
vacuum piston urge the said pistons forward, the motive-power piston
forcing the water out of the open end of its cylinder and thereby pro-
pelling the vessel. The motion of the pistons is reversed by the opening
of the exhaust valve of the motive-power cylinder, the steam in the said
cylinder thereby passes into the condenser into which a small injection
of water is admitted. A vacuum is thus produced in the motive-power
cylinder and the pressure of the air and water against the piston of the
said motive-power cylinder propels it backwards to the end of the said
cylinder. The piston of the vacuum cylinder partaking of the same
motion expels all the air and gas from that cylinder leaving a vacuum

page_text: behind the piston. The steam in the motive-power cylinder may be
used expansively by being cut off at any part of the stroke of the piston
of the said cylinder; by the reciprocating motion of the two pistons the
propulsion of the vessel is effected. The particular construction of the
steam valve and top valve stuffing boxes and metallic packing are
matters of detail which I do not think it necessary to explain in this
Specification.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Daniel Timmins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
TIMMINS, of Stourport, in the County of Worcester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Daniel Timmins, Her special licence that I,
the said Daniel Timmins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Daniel Timmins, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Daniel Timmins, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Daniel Timmius, 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 thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: My Invention consists of a motive-power engine the parts of which
are constructed and arranged essentially in the manner herein-after
explained. My motive-power engine is especially applicable to the
propulsion of ships or vessels on water, but may also be used as a motive-
power engine generally.
I will describe my Invention as arranged for propelling vessels. The
motive-power engine is fixed at the bottom and stern end of the vessel.
The said motive-power engine consists essentially of two cylinders
situated in the same line and at a short distance apart. The said
cylinders are of different diameters, the larger one I will herein-after
call the motive-power cylinder and the smaller one the vacuum cylinder.
Each cylinder is provided with a piston and the said pistons are con-
nected together by a piston rod. Between the two cylinders and con-
centric therewith is a cylindrical chamber for effecting the condensation
of steam, which chamber I will herein-after call the condenser. The
piston rod herein-before described passes through and works air-tight
in a tube passing through the axis of the condenser. The said con-
denser is furnished at its ends with valves, by means of which communica-
tion may be opened between it and the vacuum cylinder. The motive-
power cylinder is open at its outer end, which end is in communication
with the water on which the vessel is floating, the said water filling the
said cylinder up to the piston. The vacuum cylinder is in communication
at its outer end by means of a pipe and valve opening outwards with
ports opening laterally into the outer end of the motive-power cylinder.
The said vacuum cylinder also communicates at its end with the atmo-
sphere by a valve opening inwards.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in which the
same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan a motive-power engine for propelling ships
or vessels on water constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is
a longitudinal vertical section of the same; and Figure 3 is a side
'elevation of the same; Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are details of the same as
herein-after explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
a is the motive-power cylinder, and b the vacuum cylinder; c is the
piston of the cylinder a, and d is the piston of the cylinder 6, the said
pistons being connected together by the piston rod e, The piston d of

page_text: Between the cylinders
the piston rode work-
the vacuum cylinder is provided with valves f. f.
a, b, and concentric therewith is a condenser g,
ing air-tight through a tube h situated in the axis of the said condenser.
The said tube h is provided with flanges i, k, at each end which fit
tightly against the ends of the cylinders a, b, as represented. The
tube his represented separately in section in Figure 4, elevation of one
end in Figure 5, and elevation of other end in Figure 6, each of the
flanges i, k, is provided with ports or openings as represented. On one
end of the tube h an exhaust valve k works and the other end is
furnished with valves. A front elevation of the exhaust valve is
represented in Figure 7. By means of the ports and valves described
the condenser g may communicate both with the motive-power cylinder a
and the vacuum cylinder b. The motive-power cylinder a is open at
its outer end marked a³, which end a is in communication with the
water on which the vessel is floating, the said water filling the said
cylinder up to its piston c, the outer end of the vacuum cylinder bis
in communication with the outer end of the motive-power cylinder a
by means of the air passage opening, by the lateral port m into the
said cylinder a; n is a hot-water pipe opening into the rear end of the
motive-power cylinder by the lateral port; o and p is a hot water pump
in connection with the said pipe n. The vacuum cylinder 6 com-
municates at its outer end with the atmosphere by means of a valve q
opening inwards; r is the steam port opening into the motive-power
cylinder a; and s is an injection pipe opening into the condenser g.
The steam is admitted to and cut off from the steam port r, the pump p
worked, and the exhaust valve, and the injection valve of the pipe s, are
opened and closed by the following mechanism:-t is a rocking shaft
connected by the lever and rod u with the end of the piston rod e;
l
is a second rocking shaft connected by the lever v2 and rod w with
the first rocking shaft t. An arm or lever x on one end of the rocking
shaft works the pump p, and a lever y on the other end of the shaft
connected by the rod z with the lever 2 works the valve of the injection
pipe s. On the axis of the lever 2 is an arm 3 which works the exhaust
valve. The valve of the steam port r is operated by pins w³, w³
on the connecting rod w acting on the tappets 4, 4, and the latter on
the connecting rod 5 jointed to the lever of the said valve 2.
The action of the motive-power engine is as follows:-Steam being
admitted into the condenser g air is expelled therefrom and a vacuum
produced therein, by means of which the vacuum cylinder b is exhausted.

page_text: A small quantity of steam is admitted into the motive-power cylinder a
through the steam port r, and acts on the piston c of the said cylinder a
The steam pressure on the piston c of the motive-power cylinder a, and
the atmospheric pressure on the vacuum piston d, urge the said
pistons c, d, forward, the motive-power piston forcing the water out of
the open end a³ of its cylinder, and thereby propelling the vessel.
The motion of the pistons c, d, is reversed by the opening of the
exhaust valve of the motive-power cylinder a. The steam in the
said cylinder a thereby passes into the condenser g, into which a small
injection of water is admitted by the pipe s. A vacuum is thus pro-
duced in the motive-power cylinder a, and the pressure of the air and
water against the piston c of the said cylinder a propels it backwards
to the end of the said cylinder. The piston d of the vacuum cylinder
partaking of the same motion expels all the air and gas from that
cylinder, leaving a vacuum behind the piston d. The mixture of air
and gas expelled from the cylinder 6 passes by the valve 68 along the
passage and is discharged through the port m at the end a³ of the
cylinder a, and thereby aids in the propulsion of the vessel. By the
reciprocating motion of the two pistons as described the propulsion of
the vessel is effected.
Although I have only described and represented my improved engine
as applied to the propulsion of a vessel yet it may be applied to other
purposes. When used on land the piston rod e is connected by a
crank rod similar to the rod u, but of greater length, to the crank of
the shaft to which rotation is to be given. Or the said piston rod e
when the engine is used as a direct action engine is connected with the
pump rods or other things to which motion is to be given.
Figure 8 represents in horizontal section, and Figure 9 in elevation,
an equilibrium valve to be used for the communication passages at
the open end of the motive-power cylinder for steering or stopping the
vessel without stopping the engine. The said valve may also be used
for other purposes.
a is the casing of the valve; b, the valve; and c,
the frame.
Figure 10 represents in section, and Figure 11 in elevation, a tap
valve to be used in the injection pipe s, or for other similar purposes.
e is the valve spindle; f, the lid of the valve; g, the web of the valve;
and h, the water passages through the tap.
Figure 12 represents in section, and Figure 13 in elevation, a metallic

page_text: stuffing box for the piston rod of the engine or other piston rod. i is
a metallic ring or case; j, the metallic packing bars pressed up against
the piston rod by the coiled springs k.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,
Firstly. The construction and arrangement or combination of the parts
of motive-power engines herein-before described and illustrated in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The construction herein-before described and illustrated in
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the accompanying Drawings of valves
and metallic stuffing boxes for motive-power engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Timmins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
THOMAS PRIESTLY,
Stourport,
Worcestershire.
DANIEL TIMMINS. (L.S.)