IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Allan, of Adelphi Terrace, in the City
of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Allan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd February 1855.
I, THOMAS ALLAN, of Adelphi Terrace, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do, hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER" to be as follows:-
This Invention is composed chiefly of improvements upon my former Patents
of 24th August 1852, and 20th October 1854, for applying electricity; and
consists,―
Firstly, in producing direct action in electro-magnetic and other engines;
for which purpose, in lieu of connecting rods I use double piston rods with
cross head slides acting direct with or without sliding bush or rollers on the
crank pins of two separate crank shafts rotating in reverse directions, so that
the crank pins are both acted on simultaneously; first, when respectively
towards the two extremes of the cross head slide, and afterwards when in their
respective positions towards the centre of the slide, and so on at each up and
down stroke of the piston rods. By this means complete and exact parallelism

page_text: will be obtained and maintained in the line of the force. The two shafts will
be connected together by cog wheels, or other gearing, for the better amalga-
mation of their combined power. This mode of communicating motive power,
by means of double piston rods with cross head slides acting on two crank
shafts at one time, and rotating reversely in combination with each other, may
be usefully applied to steam and all other motive power engines.
Secondly, my Invention consists in producing motion in a shaft by means
of one or more wheels or discs caused to rotate by the agency of electro-
magnetism; for which purpose I employ three wheels or discs, the two outer
being joined together and fixed, and the third or inner wheel free to rotate
within with the shaft; or the two outer dises conjoined together may be made
to rotate and the centre one fixed. Supposing the inner wheel to be made to
rotate, then on the inner sides of the two outer dises I place electro-magnets
in rows in the lines of the radii, and on the inner disc I place bars of iron or
keepers on both sides, also on the lines of the radii; or, what would be prefer-
able, I form the inner disc or wheel of spokes or radii only, so that by the
intermittent magnetization at the proper time of pairs of the rows of electro-
magnets placed on the insides of the two outer dises in juxtaposition to each
other, so as to act simultaneously on the same bar or spoke of the inner disc,
the spokes will be attracted successively, and so cause rotation of the shaft. It
will be found necessary, for the more advantageous development and expression
of the magnetic forces, that the electro-magnets on the interior of the outer
discs be placed.in exact juxtaposition to each other face to face, and that those
so placed be magnetized with similar polarity.
One wheel or disc, similarly constructed to the rotating wheel herein-before
described, may be employed with electro-magnets, arranged also as berein-
before described, fixed otherwise than on wheels or discs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Allan, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ALLAN, of Adelphi Terrace, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Allan, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Allan, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Allan, 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 OBTAINING AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Allan, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Allan, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say -
This Invention is composed chiefly of improvements upon my former Patents
of 24th August 1852, and 20th October 1854, for applying electricity.
Firstly, my Invention consists in a mode of producing direct action in
electro-magnetic and other engines, by the employment of double piston rods
with cross head slides, acting direct with or without sliding bushes or rollers on
the crank pins of two separate crank shafts rotating in reverse directions, so
that the crank pins are both acted on simultaneously; first, when respectively
towards the two extremes of the crosshead slide, and subsequently when in
their respective positions towards the centre of the slide, and so on at each
upward and downward stroke of the piston rods. By this means complete and
exact parallelism will be obtained and preserved in the line of application of
the force. The two shafts will be connected by cog wheels, or other gearing,
for the better amalgamation of their combined powers.
Figure I., of the Drawings hereunto annexed, represents this arrangement as
applied to an electro-magnetic engine, the side rods, bearings, and other gear-
ing being removed. P, P, are the piston rods; A, A, are the first of a series
of many-poled magnets, which draw the piston rods in. one direction by the

page_text: attractive forces of the magnets exerted on their respective keepers K, K; and
B, B, are the first..of another series of many-poled magnets, which draw the
piston rods in the reverse direction by the attractive forces of the magnets
exerted on their respective keepers K', K, thus creating a reciprocating motion
of the piston rods and cross head slide D,,D. S, S, are the two crank shafts;
and C, C, the respective cranks, rotating reversely in the courses indicated.by
the arrows.
The two crank shafts are coupled together by the
cog wheels 9.9.
The piston rods as shewn will work horizontally, this being an application suit-
able for a locomotive; but I do not confine myself to this arrangement. By
this combination a much greater force can be applied to much shorter cranks
or strokes, thereby acquiring a greatly increased velocity of rotation. This
mode of communicating motive power, by means of double piston rods with
cross head slides acting on two crank shafts at once, and rotating reversely in
combination with each other, may be usefully applied to steam and all other
motive power engines:
יי
Figures II. and III. shew arrangements applicable to steam engines, but I
do not confine myself to these simply, as they may be varied to suit a variety
of cases.
Secondly, my.Invention consists in a mode of producing motion in a shaft
by means of one or more wheels or discs caused to rotate by the agency of
electro-magnetism. For this purpose, I employ three wheels or discs, the two
outer being.. joined together and fixed, and the third or inner wheel free to
rotate within with the shaft; or the two outer discs conjoined together may
be made to rotate, the centre one being fixed. Supposing the inner wheel to be
made to rotate, then on the inner sides of the two outer discs I place electro-
magnets in rows in the lines of the radii, and on the inner disc I place bars of
iron or keepers on both sides, also on the lines of the radii; or, what would be
preferable, I form the inner disc or wheel of spokes or radii only, so that by
the intermittent magnetization at the proper time of pairs of the rows of
electro-magnets placed on the insides of the two. outer discs in juxtaposition
to each other, so as to act simultaneously on the same bar or spoke of the
inner disc, the spokes will be attracted successively, and so cause rotation of
the shaft..
Figure IV. is a side view, and Figure V. is an elevation, partly in section,
of an engine constructed according to the foregoing arrangement. In Figure
IV., one plate or outer disc is removed, shewing the inner or rotating wheel,
and the inside.of. the side plate, with the magnets placed in their relative posi-
tions with regard to the spokes of the rotating wheel. A, A, is the plate or

page_text: disc, forming one side of the engine; m, m, are the magnets, placed in rows
in the lines of the radii; S is the shaft; and D, the inner dise, which is fixed on
the shaft and rotates with it; P; P, P, are. the spokes or radii, attached to the
disc. D, and which act as keepers,, and are attracted successively by the magnets
placed in the lines of the radii of the circle. If the rows of magnets form an
even number, the spokes will form an uneven one, and vice versa. In the
Drawing there are twelve rows of magnets and thirteen spokes or keepers, so
that each row of magnets (or many-poled magnet) being magnetized in succes-
sion, will attract successively a spoke, and by this means motion will be pro-
duced in the shaft. The spokes may be supplied with a rim R, R, as shewn in
Figure IV., so as to act as a fly wheel; but this is not necessary. It will be
found necessary, for the more advantageous development of the magnetic forces,
that the poles of the electro-magnets on the interior of the outer discs should
be placed in exact juxtaposition to each other, face to face, and when so
placed, they may or may not be magnetized with similar polarity.
Figures VI. and VII. shew a method of construction in which the spoke or
keeper may be formed so as to embrace the magnetic curves more completely,
and thus take up or absorb a greater amount of the atmosphere of magnetic
force. These combinations and arrangements it will be seen enable the maxi-
mum effects only of the forces of the respective magnets and at short distances
to be exerted attractively upon the spokes or keepers, and so cause rotation of
the shaft, whilst the spokes or keepers, from their conformation, and froin their
being made to pass at right angles between the atmospheres of the electro-
magnets, placed in juxtaposition to each other, absorb a greater amount of the
magnetic effect; and moreover, from the magnets being placed in juxtaposition
to each other, and exerting their effect on the keeper while passing between
them, there can be no more than ordinary friction on the shaft and bearings,
and much less than would be the case if the attractive forces were applied on
the periphery of the disc. In this case each row of magnets or many-poled
magnet will have to be magnetized successively thirteen times to make one
rotation of the shaft. There are various other forms and arrangements of
engines involving the same main principles as herein-before described; for
instance, if it be desirable to have the inner wheel of large diameter, the rows
of magnets on the discs or sides of the engine need not extend beyond a seg-
ment of the circle, so as to throw the weight below the axis of the shaft, and
at the same time gain leverage and the advantages of a large fly wheel, as
shewn in Figure VIII. One wheel or disc, similarly constructed to the
rotating wheel herein-before described, may be employed with electro-magnets,

page_text: arranged also as herein-before described, but fixed otherwise than on wheels
or discs.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is as
follows:-
First, I claim the transmitting of motive power by means of cross head
slides acting on two crank shafts, rotating reversely, and caused to act in
combination, in the manner herein-before described.
And, second, I claim the mode of obtaining motive power in electro-
magnetic rotary engines by applying the attractive forces of magnets to the
sides of a rotating disc or wheel in lieu of the periphery, in the manner herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Allan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
THOMAS ALLAN.
(L.S.)