IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES FOR OBTAINING POWER
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
GREENWOOD, of Liverpool, Millwright, and WILLIAM PICKERING, of Liverpool,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Lettors Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of November, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and assigns, give and grant unto us, the said
David Greenwood and William Pickering, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said David Greenwood and William
Pickering, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
David Greenwood and William Pickering, our exors, admors or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES FOR OBTAINING POWER;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said David
Greenwood and William Pickering, or one of us, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: will be found to work more advantageously than any previously constructed
engine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure represents an external end view of a rotatory engine, constructed
according to our Invention; Figure 2 is an external side view thereof;
Figure 3 represents a transverse section of- the engine; Figure 4 is a longi-
tudinal section of the engine; Figure 5 is a plan in section of the inside of the
lower part of the external cylinder; Figure 6 is a side view of the piston, shaft,
and cylinder separately; Figure 7 an end view of the piston, axis, cylinder,
and sliding levers or surfaces, which at all times divide the external cylinder
into two compartments, and make what we call a continuous lever action;
Figure 8 shews various views of the sliding levers or surfaces separately;
Figure 9 are packing bars for the sliding levers or surfaces, and Figure 10 are
the packing rings for the ends of the piston cylinder. In each of these Figures
the same letters indicate similar parts. a, a, is the external cylinder, which is
secured by screws and nuts to the framing b, b, the nature of which is clearly
shewn in the Drawing. The cylinder a, a, is accurately turned on the inside
in like manner to an ordinary steam engine cylinder, and it will be seen that
there are two ways or passages c, d, which are for admitting and emitting the
steam or other fluid employed, and there are channels or grooves c', d', down from
the passages c, d, nearly to the packing or stop e, which are clearly shewn in
the Drawings, and the passages c, d, can be changed in respect to their action
by proper slides. The cylinder a has two end levers ff, through which the
axis g of the piston cylinder passes, and there are proper stuffing boxes to keep
the axis fluid-tight where it passes through the levers f, f, and there are proper
bearings for the axis y carried by the framing of the engine, as are clearly
-shewn in the Drawings, and will readily be understood on inspecting the same.
g' is the piston cylinder affixed on or framed with the axis g, and it will be
seen that there is an opening through the cylinder g', in which the sliding
levers or surfaces work; the sliding levers or surfaces are each formed of
three angular parts, by which arrangement, as the outer surfaces wear, the lever

page_text: in
slides are kept fluid-tight. i, i, are springs, by which the sliding levers or sur-
faces are constantly pressed with a tendency outwards. h, h, are packing pieces,
with springs to force them against the sliding levers or surfaces g² to keep them
fluid-tight. j,j, are rings of metal, which are employed to pack the ends of
the cylinder g', and the same are kept up to the cylinder g' by means
of set screws g³. The engine is so arranged as to move its axle g
either direction according to the position of the slide k, as will be readily
understood on examining the Drawing. We will suppose that the engine
is to be employed as a steam engine; in such case 7 would be the steam
pipe from the steam boiler, and m would be the eduction steam pipe to carry
off the steam, after having actuated the engine and given motion to the axis.
In the section Figure 3, the arrows indicate the direction in which the steam is
working; but it will be evident that, if the position of the slide k were reversed,
the steam would enter into and leave the engine in the opposite direction to
that indicated by the Drawing; hence in working the engine, the engineer will
readily be able to change the direction of the working of the engine by simply
moving the slide k.
In place of applying the slide k, and the induction and
eduction ways at the upper part of the cylinder a, as shewn, we can apply the
induction and eduction ways at the lower part of the cylinder a in such manner
that they open into that cylinder on either side of the packing e, and we then
apply the slide k also at the lower part of the cylinder a, as is indicated by red
dotted lines at Figure 3; and it should be remarked that such is the peculiar
arrangement of the piston cylinder g', and the sliding levers or surfaces moving
therein, that they offer a constant lever for the steam to act on during the
whole revolution of the axis.
In thus describing our Invention, we have preferred to speak of it as a steam
engine, believing that steam is the most useful material for working the same;
but we do not confine ourselves thereto, as other fluids may be used, and it
will be found a most powerful engine when acting as a pump for raising and
forcing water and other fluids.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we would remark that
we do not claim any of the parts separately of which the engine is constructed.
But what we claim is, the mode in which such parts are combined together
into an engine, and whereby we obtain a constant lever action throughout the
revolution of the axis.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Greenwood and William Pickering,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
DAVID (L.s.) GREENWOOD. WILLIAM (L.S.) PICKERING.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid David Greenwood and William Pickering.
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the:
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,.
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.