IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Moy, of Clifford's Inn, in the City of
London, Law Stationer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF WORKING STEAM ENGINES,"
Sealed the 15th December 1857, and dated the 2nd July 1857
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Moy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd July 1857.
I, THOMAS MOY, of Clifford's Inn, in the City of London, Law Stationer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF WORKING STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in working the pistons of steam engines by means of
steam generated or formed on its admission into the cylinder, instead of being
supplied, as usual, by a steam pipe from the boiler. For this purpose, the
boiler, whether tubular or otherwise, is kept filled with water, so as to leave
no space for the formation of steam, and the necessary expansion of the water
may be provided for by the adaptation and application thereto of a piston,
safety valve, or other suitable apparatus. A slide valve or valves is or arc
fitted to the cylinder, and constructed so as to work in a valve box and admit
a certain quantity of heated water to pass through it or them from the valve
box to the cylinder at the commencement of each stroke of the piston, which
quantity is regulated so as to fill the cylinder with steam of the required
Price 7

page_text: density. The quantity of heated water withdrawn from the valve box by the
action of the valve at each stroke is supplied from the boiler by means of a
force pump. The heated water thus periodically admitted to the cylinder
is allowed to expand in the form of steam, and thereby to work the piston.
SPECIFICATION tú pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Moy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
Mor, of Clifford's Inn, in the City of London, Law Stationer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Moy, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Moy, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Moy, 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 THE
MODE OF WORKING STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Moy, 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
im nediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Moy, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Mode of Working Steam Engines"
consists in working the pistons of steam engines by means of steam generated
or formed on its admission into the cylinder, instead of being supplied, as usual,
by a steam pipe from the boiler. For this purpose, the boiler, whether tubular
or otherwise, is kept filled with water, so as to leave no space for the formation

page_text: of steam, and the necessary expansion of the water may be provided for by the
adaptation and application theroto of a piston, safety valve, or other suitable
apparatus. A slide valvo or valves is or are fitted to the cylinder, and con-
structed so as to work in a valve box and admit a cortain quantity of heated
water to pass through it or them from the valve box to the cylinder at the
commencement of each stroke of the piston, which quantity is regulated so as
to fill the cylinder with steam of the required density. The quantity of heated
water withdrawn from the valve box by the action of the valve at each stroke
is compensated by fresh water, supplied to the boiler by means of a force
pump. The heated water thus periodically admitted to the cylinder is
allowed to expand in the form of steam, and thereby to work the piston.
Such being the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe, by the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, the best mode or modes with which I am
acquainted of carrying the same into effect.
:
Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, represent two forms of boiler that may be used.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a continuous tube boiler; Fig. 2
is a horizontal section of the same, in the line A. B, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a
horizontal section, in the line C, D, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross section, near
the front of the furnace bars; Figures 5 and 6 shew an arrangement for a
boiler composed of a series of tubes, with taps at each end of each tube, so
that, in case of need, any particular tube can be shut off without stopping the
working of the boiler. In these several Figures, and those following, the same
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. a is the brickwork in which
the boiler is set; is the furnace; c, the continuous tube or boilor; d, d, are
the bars, which are tubular, and form part of the continuous water tube or
boiler; these bars are supported by bearers e fixed in the brickwork, as usual.
It will be seen, on reference to Figures 2 and 4, that the water will be
admitted at the lowerpart c¹of the continuous tubec, whence,after circulating
through the same, will be discharged in a highly heated state at the upper
part thereof " In Figures 5 and 6, the intermediate portions of the
tubing between the supply tube c' and the discharge tube c" aro arranged in
separate tubes, with a tapf at cach end, at or near the connection of the tube
with the supply and discharge tubes respectively. It will thus be seen,
that any one of these intermediate tubes may be shut off from communication
with the supply and discharge tubes by means of the taps f while such
communication remains open to the rest.

page_text: Fig. 7 is a diagram representing an arrangement for fitting up a set of
boilers in a steam vessel. The walls g are formed of iron, with space to allow
cold water to enter from outside of the vessel, the heat causing it to pass off,
as it becomes warm, through the pipes, as shewn by the arrows.
Figures 8 to 16, inclusive, represent two forms and constructions of slide
valves or apparatus for regulating the admission of the highly heated water
from the boiler to the cylinder of the engine in the manner required (that is to
say), so as to allow a suitable quantity to pass into the cylinder at the com-
mencement of each stroke of the piston.
Fig. S is a section, representing a regulating slide valve at full work, or
with the parts arranged to admit the greatest quantity of heated water to the
cylinder at each stroke. is the valve box; i, the regulating slide valvo;
j, the valve rod; h, k, pistons to regulate the quantity of water passed through
the valve; 1, 2, rods, by means of which the pistons are moved into their
required position in the valve; m, m, are the passages to the cylinder; and
n is the eduction passage. It will be seen, on reference to the Figure, that
the heated water from the boiler having free admission to the valve box 1,
will enter and fill the divisions or chambers of the valve alternately, as
indicated by the right-hand arrow, and the divisions or chambers will
alternately discharge their contents of heated water into the passages m, as
indicated by the left-hand arrow, the working of the slide valve changing the
passages in the ordinary manner. The regulated quantity of heated water
thus allowed to expand on its admission to the cylinder will forn steam of
the density required to work the piston in the ordinary manner. Fig. 9
represents the regulating slide valve i closed against the admission of any
licated water from the valve box by the pistons k, l, having been moved
into the position shewn in the Figure. Fig. 10 shews one of the pistons k
detached. Fig. 11 is a plan or horizontal view of the valvei; and Fig. 12
is a similar view of the same, as seen from the under side. Fig. 13 is
a section, representing another forin and construction of slide valve and
apparatus for regulating the admission of heated water to the cylinder.
is the valve box; i, the slide valve; is a regulator, for the passage
of the water from the valve box to the cylinder; k, k, are the pistons,
which may be moved so as to regulate the quantity of water passed at each
stroke to the cylinder. In this Figure the apparatus is shewn at full work, the
division or chamber i* on the right hand being open to receive the heated
water from the valve box h; and the division or chamber * on the left hand
being in open communication with one of the passages m leading to the
cylinder. The communications are changed by the sliding of the valve i over

page_text: the ports in the ordinary manner. Fig. 14 is a similar section, shewing the
pistons k, k, moved so as to close the two divisions or chambers i*, i*, of the
regulator. Fig. 15 represents the ports for the passage of the heated water;
,, are those leading into the divisions or chambers of the regulator;
m,m,are those leading to the cylinder; and nis that for the oduction passage.
Fig. 16 is a partial section, at right angles to Fig. 13, on the line E, F.
Fig. 17 represents a mode of working the force pump for supplying the
water to the boiler, to compensate for the quantity withdrawn for the supply of
the cylinder at each stroke of the engine. o is the plunger of an ordinary
force pump, which is worked by the ordinary link motion employed in
locomotive ongines from the shaft p,with the exception that the lower end of
the link has no motion, the motion from the shaft being alone applied to the
upper part. The pin on the end of the plunger rod being, as shewn in the
Figure, in or about the centre of the curved slot q, the plunger will be worked
at a inedium length of stroke. r is a vertical plunger or plug in the barrels,
which, as it rises or falls therein, according to the degree of pressure of the
water under it,will raise or lower the properly weighted balance lever t,and
with it the link, thereby causing the pin of the plunger rod o to occupy a
higher or lower position in the curved slot,and in this manner to regulate the
action of the plunger, when the pin is at the upper end of the slot working
the plunger at the full length of stroke, and when it is at the lower and
ceasing to work the same. is the feed pipe leading to the boiler.
Fig. 19 is a diagram, intended to shew one mode of connecting the boiler
with the engine. For this purpose the valve block before referred to in
Figures 13 and 14 is cast with two extra passages,making seven in all. The
hottest end of the boiler tube being connected with one of these passages,
the other passage carries the circulating water to the cylinder jacket,and to
the lower part of the jacket the return or coldest ende' of the boiler tube is
connected. The two extra passages above referred to are shown black in the
Figure. The mode of connecting the boiler to the engine may be varied, and
for this reason,as well as for greater clearness, it is not shown in the sections
of valves and regulating apparatus. The valves and passages may be divided
and placed at each end of the cylinder, if preferred, thereby making the
passages shorter.
The jacket may be formed with one chamber in the ordinary manner, or
with cells for the circulation of heated water, but I prefer for the purpose a
spiral worm cast in the thickness of the cylinder.
Fig.19 is a diagram, representing a mode of communicating motion from
single-acting steam pistons to the working shaft of the engine. v, v, v, are

page_text: disc wheels,connected to the respective piston rods;w is the working shaft,
on which are fixed as excentrics si nilar disc wheels e, x, a, so as to be in
contact with the wheels e,, v, respectively. By this means the outward
motions of the several piston rods will,by their action on the several excentrics
in succession, impart a rotary motion to the shaft, the excentrics as they are
made to revolve forcing the piston rods back again. In this manner the
reciprocating motion of the pistons will communicate a continuous rotary
motion to the shaft.
Fig. 20 shews the piston rods, with their discs, and the shaft with its
excentrics, in plan or horizontal view.
Fig. 21 represents a form of excentric which may be preferred to that
shewn in the two previous Figures.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention,and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I would have it understood that my Invention is not
confined to the precise forms and arrangements of the parts represented and
described; neither do I claim as of iny Invention the form or formis of boiler
and of slide valve and regulating apparatus, nor the mode of feeding the boiler
represented and described, otherwise than for the purpose described; but what
1 claim is,the working of steam engines by means of a regulated quantity of
heated water,supplied to the cylinder at each stroke of the piston and allowed
to expand into steam as it enters or after it has entered the cylinder,instead
of steam being formed in the boiler and supplied therefrom to the cylinder, as
usual.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Moy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
50, Chancery Lane,
Patent Agent.
THO. MOY. (L.S.)