An Improved Oscillating Piston Steam Engine.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Oscillating Piston Steam Engine.
FLORYAN VON GRUBINSKI, of No. 3, Bracka Warschau, Russian Poland,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement;
The steam engine forming the object of this invention is chiefly characterized
by the to and fro motion of the piston travelling in an open circular path, this
motion being transmitted to the main shaft by means of a connecting rod fitted
with universal joints connecting a crank on the piston axis with the main
driving shaft, the crank on the main shaft revolving in a plane at right angles
to that of the piston. The advantage derived from this construction and mode
of transmission is the reduction of the length of the engine to a minimum,
while, owing to the peculiar arrangement of the steam admission ports as well
as of the exhaust ports between the initial and final position of the piston a very
great expansion of the steam is provided for. The packing of the piston is
effected by means of spring rings having a cuniform cross section, an interval
being left between each pair of rings, which interval or gap communicates with
the steam boiler. Live steam enters between the rings and tends to separate
them, so that in consequence of the conical or, cuneiform cross-section of the
said rings leakage is prevented. During the transmission of power from the
vibrating piston crank to the main shaft it is necessary to drive the valve gear
rods, not directly from the main shaft but from an auxiliary shaft, this being
effected by means of two toothed wheels working in the proportion of 2 to 1.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and aseer-
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings illustrating the
application of my invention to a horizontal engine, from which its application
to vertical and otherwise arranged engines will be readily understood, and in
which drawings similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through the vibrating piston and its casing.
Fig. 2 is another section at right angles to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan of
the whole engine. Fig. 4 being a side view of the same.
As already stated the piston a oscillates or vibrates horizontally to and fro
in an open circular path or direction, the crank c being keyed on the upper
end of its vertical axis b and participating in this to and fro motion. This
crank is connected to the horizontal main crank shaft f by the connecting rod d,
and, as the crank oscillates horizontally while the crank of the main shaft
rotates in a vertical plane, the connecting rod is coupled by means of an universal
joint to the journal of the crank c. In consequence of such a transmission of
power, it is possible to greatly reduce the length of the engine as above men-
tioned. Below the main shaft f is arranged the valve gear or auxiliary shaft m
which is rotated by the former with the aid of the toothed wheels" and h
working in the proportion of 2 to 1. Upon this valve gear shaft m are keyed
the cams m¹ m² (see Figs. 3 & 4), the cam m² actuating, by the aid of the con-

page_text: necting rod 2, the steam inlet mechanism r and s, while the cam m¹ acts by
means of the rod t¹ upon the valve gear piston u controlling the steam outlets a
and z.
The steam inlet ports and s, with their passages are situated in the
central cylinder casting, while the exhaust passages and z, which are arranged
in the small cylinder, are operated by the piston u, and lead the exhaust
steam to the exhaust pipe j.
To thoroughly confine the live steam, that is to say, to prevent the same from
leaking past the piston the upper and lower edges of the piston are each provided
with two cast iron flexible rings ee of conical or cuniform cross-section, in such
a manner as to leave a gap between them. This interval is in communication,
by means of pipes of small diameter and of the passages 7 and n (see Fig. 1 on
the left hand side) with the steam boiler, so that live steam may enter the
spaces or gaps between the rings ee, and that the latter may, on account of
their cuniform cross-sections, press against the grooves of corresponding shape
in the periphery of the piston, as well as against the walls of the cylinder in
such a manner as to secure a perfectly steam-tight piston.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
―:
1. A steam engine wherein the piston a vibrates to and fro in an open circular
path, and transmits this motion by means of an universal jointed connecting rod
fitted to a crank c, mounted on the piston rod b, to a main shaft f, rotating
with its crank, in order to reduce the length of the engine, while at the same
time in consequence of the arrangement of the steam inlet ports as well as of
those of the steam outlet, between the initial and final position of the piston, a
very high expansion can be obtained substantially as described.
2. The arrangement, in order to prevent leakage of the live steam, of two
flexible rings ee of cuniform cross-section fitted to the periphery of the piston,
and separated by an interval wherein fresh steam enters from the boiler, in
order to press against the surfaces of corresponding shape of the piston grooves
as well as against the walls of the cylinder substantially as described.
7"
3. The construction of the engine above claimed, characterized by the opera-
tion, of the steam inlet ports and s, as well as of the valve gear pison, for
the steam outlet ports and z by the cams m¹ m2 with the aid of lever connections,
these cams being mounted on a special shaft m driven by the main shaft f with
the aid of toothed wheels g and h made to revolve at relative speeds of 2 to 1
substantially as described.
1000
GEORGE DOWNING & SONS,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Patent Agents.