Year: 1888

page_text: I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 :-
This invention relates to an Improved Rotary Motor and belongs to that class
wherein a revolving sectional piston is made to rotate within a spherical working
chamber.
This invention also relates more particularly to the construction of the revolving
piston and the necessary packing to prevent the loss of power due to leakage- of
steam; it consists of a cylindrical groove made through the centre of the central
section forming a part of the spherical piston, and at right angles to the groove-and
opposite to the side where it forms the elongated opening is also provided with a
groove beginning at the periphery of the central section and extending therefrom
to a suitable distance from the centre of the sphere where it abuts against the end
of a cylindrical projection. The inner edge of one of the outer sections forming a part
of the piston is provided with a bead clean across it and is adapted to fit the cylin-
drical groove passing through the central section; this bead is provided with a groove
which groove extends completely around the aforesaid outer section adapted to receive
suitable packing to prevent the escape of steam from one side to the other when in
operation. The other outer section is made in two parts and held together by means
of bolts; one of these parts has the shaft integral or connected therewith; each part
is provided with a bead which is adapted to fit the grooves abutting against the
cylindrical projection of the central section of the piston.
These short threads together with the surface working against the cylindrical
projection of the central section and the surfaces forming the joint of the bolted parts
are provided with grooves adapted to receive suitable packing."

page_text: This invention also relates to an improved dynamometrical Governor for Steam
Motors, the object being to provide mechanism which will automatically regulate the
supply of steam admitted to the cylinder.
It consists in dividing the transmitting shaft and coupling the two sections thereof
together end to end by means of a sliding sleeve as hereinafter described, so that the
power will be transmitted from the one section to the other through a screw thread
upon the connecting sleeve and act against a confined spiral spring so that any
increase in the load will compress the spring and slide the sleeve along upon the
shafts. This sliding movement of the sleeve being utilized to operate a valve to regulate
the steam supply.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a top view of motor complete.
Fig. 2 a perspective view of the revolving piston detailed.
Fig. 3 a view of the revolving piston partly in section to illustrate the joint and
packing.
. 4.
Fig. 4 a view of the revolving piston also partly in section and taken at right
angles to Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a view of motor complete.
Fig. 6 is a central vertical section through the same, and,
Fig. 7 is a top view of the lower half of the cylindrical working chamber with the
remaining parts detached.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the improved governor and its connections, partially
in section.
Figs. 9 and 10 are sections respectively on line - and y-y of Fig. 8.
A, A, is a spherical working chamber formed in two parts and joined together by
the flanges a a formed thereon, the lower portion A being secured to or made integral
with a base or bed plate. B. B, are journal bearings to receive the outwardly
projecting shafts from the revolving piston and they are located so that the projecting
shaft will form an obtuse angle the one with the other and the bearings are preferably
made through the flanges a, a as shown.-0, C; are steam channels leading respectively
to the parts c, ce and c¹, c¹, which serve as feed and exhaust parts for the steam,
and which are formed through the walls of the working chamber immediately over
and under the journal bearings B, B. The steam is admitted to the channel C, through
the supply pipe C, and its entrance is preferably governed by an autoniatic governor D)
shown and described in application filed by my foreign correspondent and now pending
in the U.S. Patent Office.
By this governor the amount of steam admitted is regulated by the load placed
upon the motor.
The piston is composed of three parts E, F, G.
The central part F is in the form of a sphere with two sections, each comprising
about one-third of the sphere cut away, the portions cut away being on opposite side
and at right angles the one with the other. The parts E and G are in the form of
spherical sections and each comprising less of the sphere than the section cut away
from the central part F.
The part G is hinged to the central part F by means of a cylindrical bead y formed
upon its straight edge at the intersection of its flat sides and this bead is fitted into
a cylindrical opening formed through the central part, F the axis of which passes
directly through the spherical centre of the said part F.
The part E of the piston is made of the same shape. and size as the part G and is
hinged to the central part F in the same manner except that the bead extends for
only a short distance from the outer ends of the edge upon which it is placed and the
cylindrical opening in the part F is made to correspond, and in the intervening space
the bead g is formed upon the part F and the part E is cut away to correspond. This
arrangement makes it necessary to make the part E in two pieces which are joined
and held together when in position by the screw bolts e e. Upon the convex sides
and projecting radially from the parts E G are the shafts H I, and these shafts are
mounted in and held in position by the journal bearings B, B, formed in the spherical
working chamber A. When these parts E. F and G,hinged together are mounted

page_text: within the spherical chamber A, A and revolved, the flat surfaces of the parts E and G
will alternately approach and recede from the central portion F and by a proper
admission of steam between the receding surfaces the pressure of the steam will force
the piston to rotate.
By placing the inlet parts as before described the convex parts E and G will serve
as cut off or slide valves for the proper admission of steam.
In the manufacture of the motor it will be necessary to provide against the passage
of steam through between the sliding faces and this is done by placing packing
rings upon the several parts as follows:
:'
Upon the parts G of the piston two rings h, h, are set into grooves upon the
spherical surface running from end to end near its edge and joining into one ring
ath, h, and a single groove and an enclosed or embedded ring his made to pass
down over the face of the cylindrical bead g as shown.
Similar rings e, e', are placed upon or embedded in the part E but these are made
separate for each sections of this part so that when the screws e, e are tightened the
joint held by them will be steam tight.
A single ring f is provided for and embedded in the central part F, and this ring
is shaped to pass around but to press against the projecting ends of the beads upon
the parts E, and G as shown.
As will be seen the shaft is divided into the two parts A A brought together
end to end and their abutting ends are preferably shaped to reduce the friction by
making the one A conical or partially so, as shown to reduce the bearing surface. At
the end of the part A, and extending a portion of its length is cut a spiral groove
or screw thread a'.
A cylindrical sleeve B is made to encircle the joint between the parts A, Al
and to extend a short distance along the parts either way and that portion of the
sleeve embracing the part A, has upon its inner surface a spiral thread to correspond
with and mesh into the spiral groove in said part A, so that a revolution of tho
shaft would cause the sleeve either to revolve therewith or be moved along longi-
tudinally thereon.
Projecting pins or lugs a², a² forming a cross head upon the end of the part A
of the shaft are made to project outward through longitudinal slots b, b in the sleeve B,
so as to allow a longitudinal movement of the sleeve upon said shaft but to prevent
a rotary motion thereon. A spiral spring C³ is made to surround the part of
the shaft preferably within the sleeve B and is made to abut at one end against a ring a³
integral with said shaft and at the other end against a ring 62 secured to the sleeve B*
and preferably made to form a screw cap upon the end thereof, as shown. Tho
tendency of this spring is to resist longitudinal movement of the sleeve upon the
shaft.
Let us
now suppose the power to be applied to the part A of the shaft and
the load arranged to retard the revolution of the part Af; it is evident that the
part A, by revolving, will by reason of the screw thread a', slide the sleeve B
along upon the shaft A and compress the spring C³ until its resistance is suffi-
cient to overcome the resistance of the load upon the shaft A, when both shafts
will revolve together.
If now the load should be lightened, the spring will expand until it is again
adjusted to the load, and the sleeve moving with it will assume its new position upon
the shaft.
It is this longitudinal movement of the sleeve B' which it is proposed to utilize to
regulate the steam supply by imparting its motion through a suitable arrangement of
levers to the stem of a valve in the steam supply pipe.
I accomplish this preferably as shown by means of a ring D³, working loosely in a
groove 6, formed upon the sleeve B, and having the pins d, diametrically opposite
the one to the other upon the ring D³, said pins being engaged by the arms of a
forked lever E. The free end of the lever E is connected by means of a second
fork e, and ring F³, to a threaded nut G³, mounted on the threaded stem of H*, of a
valve I, included in the steam supply pipe.

page_text: The nut G, is provided with a hand wheel g*, to facilitate its adjustment. The
lever E is pivoted at e*, to the frame of the motor or to a standard connected thero-
with and at such a distance relatively from the sleeve B³, and the valve stem H' as to
insure a proper relative motion of the two parts.
I am aware that heretofore a rotary motor has been made and patented wherein a
spherical working chamber has been made to enclose a rotating piston made in three
parts hinged together in the form of a universal joint, therefore this idea is not claimed
broadly; but what is claimed is :
1st. In a rotating spherical piston composed of the three sections E, F, G, the
combination of the cylindrical grooves through the central section F adapted to
receive the corresponding bead g, integral or connected with the section G, the
bead g, integral or connected with the section E bead g integral with the central
section F, scrow bolts e e; shafts H, I, packings 9, 9, 9, e, e, and f, tho whole forming
a complete piston substantially as shown and described.
2nd. A dynamometrical steam governor wherein the driving shaft of the engine is
divided into two parts, which are coupled together by a slotted sleeve, said sleeve being
connected to one part of the shaft by a screw thread and to the other part by a cross
head thereon, the longitudinal movement of said sleeve being resisted by a confined
spring, said sleeve being also connected by levers with the steam supply valve
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a steam governor the combination with a divided driving shaft of a sliding
sleeve, a screw thread upon one part of said shaft engaging the sleeve, a cross head
upon the other part of the shaft also engaging the sleeve and a confined spring
adapted to resist a longitudinal motion of said sleeve, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
4th. In a dynamometrical steam governor the combination with a driving shaft
and an automatically adjusted sliding sleeve thereon of a pivoted lever connected at
one end by means of a gimbal ring with said sleeve and at the other end by a gimbal
ring with an adjustable screw nut upon a valve stem substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.