IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES AND STEAM GENERATORS TO BE USED THEREWITH SUITABLE FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's lun Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES AND STEAM GENERATORS TO BE USED
THEREWITH SUITABLE FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES."-A communication from
abroad by Hippolyte Fontaine, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineer.
Sealed the 29th March 1870, and dated the 31st January 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Henry Jolitison
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 31st January 1870, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JoHS
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex.
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES AND STEAM GENERATORS TO BE USED THEREWITH SUITABLE
FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto
Price 3d 1

page_text: mc, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that the same is
communicated to me from abroad by Hippolyte Fontaine, of Paris, in
the Empire of France, Engineer.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnsen, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement.
and combination of boiler and steam engine more particularly adapted
as a substitute for male or female muscular power in driving machinery
for performing either light or heavy work, such, for example, as sewing 1
machines, lathes, saws, presses, pumps, blowers, or ventilators, kneaders,
grinding mills, and other like machines usually worked by hand or foot
power.
The combined elements which are necessary for the efficient working
of this Invention consist as follows:-
First. A steam generator of sufficient capacity to work a convenient
length of time without attention.
Second. The drying and superheating of the steam by the products
of combustion before their entrance into the chimney.
2
Third. A safety valve actuated by the pressure or the temperature ¿
of the boiler and acting directly upon the heating medium
Fourth. The automatic extinction of the heating medium so soon as
the water has descended to a given level.
Fifth. A small steam engine composed of the usual elements, but
arranged and constructed so as to utilize the steam economically and to a
the best advantage.
Sixth. An engine frame serving as the top of the boiler itself.
Seventh. A governor or regulator placed inside the fly wheel for
preventing or checking any excess of speed in the engine.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that pur-

page_text: pose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
corresponding Figures.
66
"
In Figures to 5 inclusive I have illustrated a domestic motor
consisting of a double cylinder steam engine fitted on to and partially
within its steam generator suitable for driving one or more sewing
machines.
A is the chimney; B is a gas burner; C is the body of the boiler;
D is the steam pipe; E, the framing of the engine forming at the same
time, the top of the boiler; F is the steam chest; G, the pressure
regulator H, the heating surface or fire-box; I, the counterweight
of a break; K, the feed water regulator; N, the outlet for the products
of combustion; O is the steam reservoir; P, a pulley; Q, the counter-
poise of the pressure regulator; R, the steam cock; T, the superheating
tube; V, the fly wheel and break;a is the crank shaft; b, b, are gas
burners; c, the cylinders;.d, the guide for the break; e, a head or boss
on the frame serving as the friction surface for the break to act upon;
f, a screwed plug or stopper for the feed water supply pipe; g, a gas
cock; ; the gas pipe supplying the central burner B; i, the frame for
holding the counterpoise of the break; j and are gas pipes; m, the
expansion rod of the feed regulator K; n, the water level; o," the gas
inlet; p are expansible or flexible capsule; 7, the rod of the counter-
poise Q;, the pipe leading to the manometer; ', the spring' of the
break; s, the jacket of the boiler; t, water tubes.
The main shaft is cylindrical and in one piece with the cranks, it is
introduced into the frame by an opening made on one side and after-
wards closed by a ring of steel. The lubrication of the journals is
effected by small cushions kept constantly in contact with the journals,
and always saturated with oil through the intervention of small wicks
immersed in a reservoir of oil. The cylinders are surrounded by steam.
The slide valves are semi-cylindrical, which facilitates their adjustment.
They are held against the cylinder faces by the steam pressure, thus
ensuring uniform wear. The stroke of the pistons and that of the slide
valves being very short no guides for the piston and valve rods are
necessary, but in cases where the length of stroke requires it I adopt a
circular guide, shown colored red at Figure 8. This Figure represents
alsó a single cylinder engine independent of the boiler. Its gencral
construction and arrangement remain the same, excepting that one of

page_text: the bearings or supports for the crank shaft is dispensed with, a cap
(Figure 9) being fitted over the bearing to keep the shaft in its place.
The speed regulator shown in section in Figure 1, and in elevation in
Figure 4, acts by friction upon one of the heads of the frame or pillow
block so soon as the centrifugal force impels outwards the counterweight,
and causes thereby the break, which is faced with leather, to press
against the projecting boss. It is controlled by a spring, so as not to
be brought into action until the speed exceeds a given maximum
Although a certain waste of power is thus involved the arrangement
is nevertheless advantageous on the score of simplicity. The steam
generator consists of a tube or main body and a removeable cast iron fire-
box, as shown in Figure 1, or a fire-box of wrought iron fitted with' tubes,
as shown in Figure 6. The products of combustion before entering the
chimney circulate round a tube filled with steam, into which descends
the steam pipe. Figure 1 shews a domestic motor intended to be
suspended from the machine which it is to operate. If the joint of the
neck of the fire-box becomes defective by reason of unequal expansion,
it may be made of bent wrought iron.
"
Figure 6 shews an independent "domestic motor" standing on its
base. The products of combustion pass either at once to the upper part,
shewn in red, or descend by return tube flues to a chimney placed in any
convenient situation. The water is fed in either through a lateral orifice
placed at a convenient height, or by a descending tube (Figure 6), or
by a receiver fitted with a descending tube introduced into the boiler.
The fuel shewn in the Drawings is ordinary lighting gas. The arrange-
ments for the use of liquid or solid fuel will be the same in principle,
the details only being modified. The gas first arrives at the upper part
of the boiler by a pipe which branches into two, the one supplying a
central burner, which may remain constantly lighted, either for the
purpose of keeping the boiler hot or for lighting the other burners.
The other gas pipe is connected with two regulators and supplies a
series of burners forming the heating medium. The upper safety valve
or regulator is composed of a flexible or folding capsule of any suitable
kind. I have found an annularly corrugated tube, as shewn in Figure 2,
to answer well in practice. This capsule is drawn downwards by a weight
adjusted so as to balance the maximum pressure required in the boiler.
On this pressure increasing the capsule rises and obstructs the passage
of the gas, and descends again to allow the gas to flow when the pressure

page_text: diminishes. The lower safety valve is also composed of a flexible or
folding capsule, which is expanded or moved outwards by the expansion
of a copper rod so soon as the water level descends sufficiently low to
uncover such rod.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The peculiar construction of steam generator and the mode of
combining a steam engine therewith to be used as a "domestic motor,"
as and for the purposes herein-before described and illustrated by
Figures 1 to 5 inclusive of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Second. The peculiar arrangement for drying or superheating the
steam, as herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 6 of
the Drawings.
Third. The peculiar construction and arrangement of valves actuated
by the steam pressure or by the temperature of the boiler for the
purpose of regulating or controlling the heating medium, as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Fourth. The mounting the engine on an engine frame, which at the
same time constitutes the top of the boiler itself, as herein-before
described and illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Fifth. The peculiar construction and arrangement of speed regulator or
governing break, as herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 1
and 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of
January One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)