Year: 1885

page_text: We GEORGE KINGDON, FRANCIS CHARLES SIMPSON, JOSEPH BASIL DENISON,
and EDWARD FANSHAWE DENISON all of Dartmouth, Devon, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is an improved construction and arrangement of
Rotary Engine or apparatus for obtaining motive power and converting reciprocating
into circular motion.
For the purpose of our invention we fit a disc on the inner end of a driver or
main shaft and we connect loosely therein a number of ball or spherical ends of
elbowed rods whose opposite ends carry pistons capable of moving to and fro in a
cylinder, itself having a rotary motion as the pistons move. The cylinder is set on
the bed or base plate at an angle and is supplied with steam simultaneously both
to the forward and the backward ends of the pistons which are diametrically
opposite to each other at a certain portion of the cylinders rotation so that the
pistons act in contrary directions.
The cylinder has any number of pistons (say six) and during the rotation of the
cylinder steam and exhaust ports are opened from one end of the cylinder this
having a tube fixed to it and supported by bearings. This tube which is the steam
tube has another tube within it for the exhaust and this can be turned by a key
or hand lever fitted to engage on its outer end to determine the direction of
rotation of the cylinder. The tubes are made steam tight by stuffing boxes and
both of them terminate within a fixed cap to which the steam and exhaust
branches are affixed.
The exhaust tube is provided with a lip valve against the face of which the
end of the cylinder revolves and as it does so it uncovers the ports in pairs in

page_text: succession. The piston chambers are arranged equidistant near the periphery of
the cylinder and the central part which is solid, except to the steam passages
which are also the exhaust passages when opposite the respective ports, is secured
preferably by central pin whose outer end has a ball working freely in a socket
of the disc on the driver shaft. The cylinder instead of being cast solid may be
built up..
Instead of the steam passages being in the central portion of the cylinder they
may be in the outer portion and in lieu of the spheres other means of connecting
the piston rods to the disc can be adopted so that plates may slide in the face of
the disc in which case the piston rods could be straight. The engine may be made
single acting one valve alone governing for either construction.

page_text: Apparatus Ior Obtaining топте rower апа
Reciprocating into Circular Motion.
Converting
We GEORGE KINGDON, FRANCIS CHARLES SIMPSON, JOSEPH BASIL DENISON,
and EDWARD FANSHAWE DENISON, all of Dartmouth, Devon, Engineers, 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:
The object of this invention an improved construction and arrangement of
Rotary Engine, or apparatus for obtaining motive power and converting reciprocating
into circular motion.
For the purpose of our invention, we fit a disc on the inner end of a driver or,
main shaft and we connect loosely therein a number of ball or spherical ends of
elbowed rods whose opposite ends carry pistons capable of moving to and fro in
a cylinder, itself having a rotary motion as the pistons. move. The cylinder is set
on the bed or base plate at an angle and is supplied with steam simultaneously
both to the forward and the backward ends the pistons which are diametrically
opposite to each other at a certain portion of the cylinders rotation so that the
pistons act in contrary directions.
The cylinder has any number of pistons, say six, and during the rotation of the
cylinder steam and exhaust ports are opened from one end of the cylinder, this
having a tube fixed to it and supported by bearings. This tube which is the
steam tube has another tube within it for the exhaust and this can be turned by a
key or hand lever fitted to engage on its outer end to determine the direction of
rotation of the cylinder. The tubes are made steam tight by stuffing boxes and
both of them terminate within a fixed cap to which the steam and exhaust branches
are affixed.
The exhaust tube is provided with a lip valve against the face of which the end
of the cylinder revolves and as it does so it uncovers the ports in pairs in
succession. The piston chambers are arranged equidistant near the periphery of
the cylinder and the central part which is solid, except to the steam passages,
which are also the exhaust passages when opposite the respective ports, is secured
preferably by central pin whose outer end has a ball working freely in a socket of
the disc on the driver shaft. The cylinder instead of being cast solid may be
built up.
Instead of the steam passages being in the central portion of the cylinder they
may be in the outer portion and in lieu of the spheres other means of connecting
the piston rods to the disc can be adopted so that plates may slide in the face
of the disc in which case the piston rods could be straight. The engine may be
made single acting, one valve alone governing for either construction.

page_text: Our invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings in which
at Figure 1 we show a sectional elevation and at Figure 2 a plan, Figures 3, 4, 5, 6
and 7 being detail views taken through the lines a, b etc: of the first two
Figures.
A is the driver or main shaft set horizontally in bearings B B on the base or bed
plate C. The outer end of the shaft A has a coupling block D to which other shafts
can be attached as desired.
The inner end of the shaft A has the disc E in which, near its periphery, are
apertures containing the bulbs or spheres F F of the piston rods G G the apertures
being otherwise closed by screw plugs H, H, against which the spheres press to
rotate the disc E. Each piston rod G G is kinked or elbowed at II corresponding
to the angle at which the cylinder J is arranged the after part of the bed plate
being preferably cast for the same angle.
The central portion of the disc E is provided with a cup socket K in which a
sphere of central pin or bolt L of the cylinder J has free oscillatory circular motion
serving also as a support to the outer end of the cylinder J.
M M are the steam chambers in which the pistons N N reciprocate, the cylinder J
having a rotation simultaneously and carrying the pistons round with it. The
body P of the cylinder has a series of grooves formed obliquely on it, which form
passages for conveying the steam from the port Q to the forward and backward
ends respectively of two chambers M, M, as indicated by the arrows in full lines
in Figure 1 said chambers being diametrically opposite each other and their pistons
working so to speak in pairs. The opposite ends of those two chambers are open
to the exhaust as indicated by the dotted arrows Figure 1.
It will be understood by the drawing that as the two pistons N, N, change their
respective position during the rotation of the cylinder Ja corresponding action by
the steam takes place, viz: each piston is "double acting" during each rotation
of the cylinder.
R is the steam tube affixed to the cylinder J so as to revolve with it, said tube
terminates within the cap S and takes its steam from the branch T leading from
a boiler. The steam tube R serves also as an axle to the cylinder J and rotates in
the bearing U fixed on the bed plate C, or the cylinder J may be itself supported
on the bed plate by a bearing. V is the exhaust tube within the tube R but
having no rotation with it. This tube V also terminates within the cap S but at
a different part being separated from the steam part by a stuffing box and is in
communication with the exhaust branch W. One end of the tube V is notched and
a key X fits it so that it can be turned to the right or to the left by the spring
catch hand lever Y to move the valve Z which is on its opposite end over the face
of the cylinder for the forward or for the reverse motion of the cylinder the parts
of which are all alike and are available by a simple shift of the valve for the
engine to rotate in either direction.
Figure 8 of the drawings show a sectional plan of a slightly modified arrange-
ment of engine, Figures 9 to 12 being details as indicated. The passages for the
steam are in the outer wall of the cylinder J instead of in the central body and in
lieu of having the cylinder and the disc E connected by the bolt L the two are
separate. Another difference is the cylinder and driver or main shaft are both in
the same horizontal plane but at the angle corresponding to the kink or elbow in
the piston roda.
The cylinder bolt L also is shown extended and set in thrust blocks and the
valve tube V has its hand lever between the end cap and the exhaust branch said
tube being made with a steam passage R for a portion of its length.
In the two examples shown on the drawings the engines are double acting but
by dispensing with the passages in the central block Figure 1 or those in the
cylinder Figure 8 the engine would be single acting, that is to say, for each
complete rotation of the cylinder each of the six pistons would take steam on one
side of their pistons only, and instead of the piston rods being kinked or elbowed

page_text: as shown they may be straight and the spheres F may be connected to plates F1
which can slide in slots F" in the face of the disc E as at Figure 13 to partake of
rotation from the reciprocating action of pistons fitted to work in a rotating
cylinder in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described.
We have referred to steam but air, gas, or water may be used in lieu thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The particular construction, arrangement and method of action of the Rotary
Engine herein before described and shown at Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed
drawings for converting reciprocating into circular motion in the manner set forth,
the operation being controlled by a single valve having no motion with the other
parts of the apparatus.
2. The particular construction, arrangement and method of action of the Rotary
Engine shown in sectional view at Figure 8 for converting reciprocating into
circular motion in the manner set forth, the operation being controlled by a single
valve having no motion with the other parts of the apparatus.
3. The spherical headed elbowed piston rods working against adjustable plugs
within a disc set at an angle to the axial line of the cylinder which along with the
disc has a rotary motion as set forth.
4. The modification referred to with reference to Figure 13 in which the
spherical headed pistons are arranged in plates free to slide in the face of the disc
whereby a reciprocating motion is converted into a circular motion as set forth.
5. In Rotary Engines of the kind above referred to and shown the employ-
ment of a single valve which is non rotating yet capable of reversing the engine as
Bet forth.