IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
60, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Francis Marion Roots and Philander Highley,
..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th May 1866.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane;.
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of tho said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the revolving abut-
ments of a rotary blower. These abutments, of which there are two, are
composed each of two pistons which form arcs of circles in combination with
intervening recesses, which also form arcs of circles, so that four points are
formed at which the abutments come in contact during their revolution, and
by rendering the contact at these points air tight the revolving abutments are
cnabled to produce the desired effect. The Invention consists also in con,

page_text: structing the revolving abutments, each of two or more metallic cross heads
fastened on a suitable shaft, and made square, polygonal, or in any other
desirable form or shape in combination with wooden lugs or staves which are
bolted to the cross heads, and then dressed to the proper shape, so that the
construction of the abutment is rendered cheap and comparatively easy.
The Invention consists, finally, in the peculiar construction of the case which
encloses the revolving abutments, and which is of oval or elliptical form in its
transverso section, and is made of cast-iron so that it may be bored out
true. It is provided with faced or planed flanges at its ends to receive the
end plates, and the whole forms a neat and perfect case at a moderate cost of
construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting. .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence, that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS," being a commu-
nication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):—
This Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the revolving
abutments of a rotary blower. These abutments, of which there are two, are
composed cach of two pistons which form arcs of circles in combination with
intervening recesses which also form arcs of circles, so that four points are
formed at which the abutments come in contact during their revolution, and
by rendering the contact at these points air-tight the revolving abutments
are enabled to produce the desired effect.
The Invention consists also in constructing the revolving abutments each
of two or more metallic cross heads fastened on a suitable shaft and made
square, polygonal, or in any other desirable form or shape in combination with
wooden lugs or staves which are bolted to the cross heads and then dressed
to the proper shape so that the construction of the abutment is rendered
cheap and comparatively easy.
The Invention consists, finally, in the poculiar construction of the case
which encloses the revolving abutments, and which is of oval or clliptical
form in its transverse section, and is made of cast iron so that it may be
bored out truc. It is provided with faced or planed flanges at its cnds to
receive the end plates, and the whole forms a neat and perfect case at a
moderate cost of construction.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical
section of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same; Figures 3
and 4 are diagrams for the purpose of explaining the construction of the
revolving abutments; M, N, represent two double-acting rotating abutments
which are mounted on shafts O, O, and provided each with two pistons P,
and with two recesses Q as shewn in Fig. 1. The pistons P are all alike,
and so are the recesses, and they work in a concave or case A extending round
so as just to clear the pistons as the same revolve; H and G are the induction
and discharge openings, both of which may be made of a size adapted to tho
uses to which the machine is to be applied.
The method in which the pistons and recesses are constructed will be
readily understood by referring to the diagrams shown in Figures 3 and 4 of
the Drawing, from the centres of the shafts O, O, two circles o, o', are
described, which may be made to touch cach other as shewn in Fig. 4,
the distance being more or less according to the degree of reduction in the

page_text: a
depth of the recesses desired. The centres of the two circles are connected
by a right line p, q, and on this line perpendicular lines 1, 8, 1³, 81, are erected
and pass through the centres of the circles o, o'. After this has been
accomplished point in the periphery of the circle o¹ is found, which is
equidistant from the point of intersection between the perpendicular
linc ', 8, with the periphery of the circle o', and from the point of inter-
section between the line p, q, and the periphery of the circle o, and the
lincs v, t, and u, t, form the radii, one for the pistons P, and the other for the
recesses Q. If the circles o, o¹, touch cach other, as shewn in Fig. 3, the
circles o, o, are divided in four equal parts, and each of the pistons as well
às cach of the recesses, comprises an arc of exactly ninety degrees, but if the
circles o, o', do not touch, as shown in Fig. 4, the arcs of the circles which are
embraced by the pistons P are larger than ninety degrees, and those embraced
by the recesses Q are smaller, and furthermore by increasing the distance
between the peripheries of the circles o, o', in proportion to their diameters
the depth of the recesses is reduced. This reduction may be carried on to á
considerable degree without perceptibly reducing the effect of the pump. The
abutments M, N, are composed each of two or more cross heads c¹, made of cast
iron, brass, or any other suitable material in the form shewn in Fig. 1 of tho
Drawing, although it must be remarked that the cross heads instead of being
hexagonal might be square, polygonal, round, or of any other suitable form
or shape according to the size of the abutment to be made. These cross
heads are firmly keyed or otherwise secured to the shafts O, O', at the proper
distance apart, and then they are covered by wooden lags or staves d', which
are secured to their surfaces by means of bolts or screws or in any other
suitable manner. If desired suitable sleeves or thimbles e¹ may be placed on
the shaft between the cross heads to steady the same and keep them at the
proper distance apart. The lags or staves d, after having been fastened to
the cross heads c, aro dressed to the required shape by planes properly
shaped, or by any other suitable means. In this manner abutments for
rotary blowers can be constructed at a comparatively small expense of labor
and material and such abutments are better adapted for the purposes: intended
than if made entirely of metal. The shafts o, o', are geared together by
suitable cog wheels, and in order to have the parts operate tightly, as in the
case of a blower suitable metallic or other packing is to be inserted in the
piston at the points g³, g', such points being the only ones of positive contact
which are experienced during the revolution of the abutments. When very
dense fluids are operated it will be desirable to remove so much of cach
piston as to allow the free escapo of the fluids as cach piston passes its

page_text: recesses. The same arrangement will be useful for high velocities when the
fluids are not very dense, for when a dense fluid is suddenly forced out of
the recess a concussion is the result similar to striking upon a solid substance,
whereas by allowing a sufficient outlet all such concussion is avoided and
the fluid escapes at such reduced velocity through the enlarged opening that
the operation is easy. The case A in which the two abutments work is
constructed of two semicircular shells of equal dimensions made of cast iron,
each shell is cast separately and with a flange a at each end, and a longitudinal
flange b at their top and bottom. These parts or shells A, A, arc bolted and
secured together and are bored out truc in a latho at their inner concavo
sides, and the outer surfaces of the flanges a, b, arc faced or planed properly
true. The two shells or parts A, A, are connected together at the proper or
desired distances apart by means of plates B, B, which are provided with
flanges c at cach side, the outer surfaces of these flanges are faced or planed
perfectly true so that they may abut tightly or snugly against the flanges b
to which they are secured by bolts a; C, C, represent the end plates of the
case, which are of cast iron, and have cach a semicircular bead e at each
side, and within these beads the flanges a of the shells A, A, fit and aro
secured by bolts f. The edges of the flanges a arc turned as well as the
inner surfaces of the beads e, and hence the ond plates may be accurately
fitted to the shells or parts A, A, as will bo readily understood by reforring to
the Drawing. At the centre of cach. semicircular part of the end plates C, C,
are the bearings to receive the two shafts of the blower, and the distanco
between these shafts determines the width of the plates B, B, by which tho
two shells A, A, are separated the required distance apart, while the beads e
on the end plates C, C, and the flanges a on the ends of the semi-cylindrical
shells A, A, ensure the concentric position of the latter with the shafts of tho
blower. Thus, by this simple arrangement a cast-iron case is obtained which
may be bored out truc and fitted truly and snugly together in a desirable
manner.
The operation is as follows:-When the abutments M, N, are mado to
revolve the air or water or whatever fluid is acted upon will be carried
forward as the pistons approach together, and it is forced through the dis-
charge pipe G, and as the pistons P fill the recess Q there can be no
backward escapement. In this manner the device will act as a blower or
pump. By reversing the operation, and acting upon the pistons by steam or
water, the device becomes a rotary steam engine or a pressure water wheel.
As the peripheries of all the internal parts are in perfect circles, either convex
or concave, it will be comparatively casy to construct them with accuracy.

page_text: Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Rotary Blowers,"
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
The mode herein set forth of constructing and arranging the several parts of
the rotary blowing engine above described. I claim particularly the use of
the rotary abutments M, N, each composed of two pistons P, and two
recesses Q, and provided with four essential points or points of contact as and
for the purpose set forth.
Second. I claim the method herein described of forming the pistons P and
recesses Q with radii u, t, v, t, from points u and on the peripheries of two
circles o, o¹, substantially as set forth.
Third. The cross heads c¹ secured to the shafts O, O', in combination with
strips of wood or other suitable material to form the abutments M, N,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Fourth. A case for blowers and other machines composed of two semi-
cylindrical shells A, A, connected at the desired distance apart by plates B, B,
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, the Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lanc.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)