IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolphe Nicole, of 80, Dean Street, Soho
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES."
Sealed the 22nd July 1853, and dated the 15th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolphe Nicole at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th February 1853.
I, ADOLPHE NICOLE, of 80, Dean Street, Soho Square, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a mode of combining two cylinders, an
outer one and an inner one. The outer cylinder is fixed; the inner
cylinder acts as a piston, and is constantly excentric to the outer
one, so that there is constantly a lunate space between the two
cylinders, which, however, in itself, is not new; but the inner cylinder
in this engine is mounted on a crank or excentric, by which the
inner cylinder moves to and fro, and only partially rotates within
the outer cylinder. The abutment or stop is fixed within the outer

page_text: cylinder, and passes through an opening into the inner cylinder, and
the induction and eduction ways are on either side of the stop or
abutment, and may be reversed as in other engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Adolphe Nicole in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ADOLPHE NICOLE, of 80, Dean Street, Soho Square, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Adolphe Nicole, Her special
licence that I, the said Adolphe Nicole, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Adolphe Nicole, my exe-
cutors, 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 ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Adolphe Nicole, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adolphe Nicole, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
:
This Invention consists of a mode of combining two cylinders, an
outside one, and an inner one. The outer cylinder is fixed, the
inner cylinder acts as a piston, and is constantly excentric to the
outer one, so that there is constantly a lunate space between the two
cylinders, which, however, in itself, is not new; but the inner cylinder
in this engine is mounted on a crank or excentric, by which the
inner cylinder moves to and fro, and only partially rotates within
the outer cylinder. The abutment or stop is fixed within the outer
cylinder, and passes through an opening into the inner cylinder, and
the induction and eduction ways are on either side of the stop or
abutment, and may be reversed as in other engines.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I will proceed
to explain the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, shews a longitudinal section of the single rotary engine;
Figure 2, shows a cross section of the same. A, A, outer cylinder;
B, B, inner cylinder, revolving on the crank D, and acting as a piston;
this inner cylinder is constantly excentric to the outer one. The
stop C, is fixed to the outer cylinder, and passes through the open-
ing F, of the inner cylinder. E, is a four way cock, which, by being
turned right or left, allows the steam to enter the cylinder either in
the part G, or H, to reverse the motion; a, is the supplying pipe;
b, b', steam ports. Figure 3, end view of the cylinder, and section
of the expanding valve. Figure 4, longitudinal section of cylinder,
and a valve when the steam is used expansively. Figure 5, shows a
section of part of the valve or disc, which being put in motion by
the crank D, stops the supply of steam during a part of the revo-
lution of the inner cylinder; E, is a four way cock to reverse the
motion. Figure 3, shows the motion of the engine from right to
left; a, being open, and a¹; shut the revolving disc. Figure 5, is
in the position just about to stop the supply of steam.
The inner

page_text: cylinder will make nearly half a revolution by the force of expansion,
more or less according to the opening left to the disc on the-posi--
tion of the steam ports a¹, a¹¹. When the engine is reversed, the
steam port a¹, is open and gives admission to the steam. Figures
6, and 7, show the application of the expansion valves to a double
cylinder, when required to have the shaft working on both sides of
the engine. The disc I, is revolving in the frame K, and is con-
centric to the shaft; the coupling L, fixed to the shaft causes the
disc I, to revolve. In this double engine, besides the set of steam
passages, similar to those described at Figures 3, 4, and 5, there is
another set above, on which the four way cock acts in the same way;
these steam passages bring the steam in the cylinder A¹, it passing
through the passage a¹¹¹, or all, according to the position of the
four way cock E. These figures shew the engine acting from right
to left; the steam enters through the steam port, al11, acting on the
cylinder B¹, and a¹¹, on the cylinder B. The disc I, in the position
marked in dotted lines in Figure 7, stops the steam to the steam
port al, but by revolving the pipe a111, is open before the pipe a",
is shut, and reciprocally giving thus a constant pressure on the
shaft. By reversing the steam, the steam ports a¹, a¹¹11, are open,
and give to the engine a motion from left to right.
In the Figure 2, the stopper C, it will be seen, requires a certain
shape of epicycloidal surface, which may be avoided by the means
shewn at Figure 8, where part of the stopper C, is cylindrical at c;
the friction of the piston B, which has half round grooves b, b, to
receive the cylindrical parts c, c, of the stop C. On the crank pin
D¹, Figures 8, and 9, is placed an excentric rim d, maintained in its
proper place by means of a screw e, or a spring; this is to ensure
an accurate and constant adjustment of the inner cylinder even in
the case of its being a little worn out, for it will be easily under-
stood that by turning the excentric rim the radius of the crank D;
'will be lengthened when required.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would wish it to be understood.
that I do not claim the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to

page_text: the precise details; but what I claim is, the combination of parts
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolphe Nicole, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three
Witness,
FRED. HARRIS.
ADOLPHE NICOLE. (L.S.)