IMPROVE- MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Alfred Clough, of Stockton-on-Tees, in
the County of Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 16th October 1875, and dated the 19th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Alfred Clough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th April 1875.
I, GEORGE ALFRED CLOUGH, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the County of
Durham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to arranging the valves for actuating the
piston within the piston itself, and giving them the necessary motion by
the connecting rod. For this purpose I arrange two, three, or more
cylinders over a two, three, or multiple-throw crank, or each cylinder
may radiate from the centre of the crank shaft at angles, but I generally
arrange the three cylinders over a three-throw crank. The cylinders are

page_text: open into a box or chamber, such chamber being at its upper part in
communication with the atmosphere, so that each piston is single acting;
the crank shaft bearings are carried by the ends of the box, and the
cranks revolve inside it; the box is provided with a door for adjusting
the brasses and parts. The interior of the box is in communication
with a space or cavity that surrounds the three cylinders; such cavity
is for the purpose of causing the exhaust steam to circulate round the
cylinders and keeping the heat in.
The pistons are cach made hollow, and are provided with a cover
having a pipe or stem, such stem or pipe being for the purpose of
admitting steam into the interior of the piston which thus becomes a
steam chest, having its valve face and a steam port communicating with
the top of the piston, and an exhaust port communicating with the
exhaust chamber or box.
Each valve is actuated by the oscillation of the connecting rods as
follows: The connecting rods vibrato from a centre or gudgeon a little
below the valve face, the lower end of the rod engaging on to the crank
pin, while above the centre or gudgeon it is provided with a tongue,
which fits into a space provided for it in the valve, thus cach revolution
of the crank shaft imparts a motion to the valve, opening it for the
admission of steam alternately. The pipes or stems on the pistons work
through a gland (the packing of which is kept down by a spiral spring)
into a chamber charged with steam.
I cut stcam off at a determined part of the stroke by either stopping
the upper
end of the tube up and making holes in its sides, such holes
coming on the downward stroke into the interior of a bush provided
above the gland, or by making the back of the valve shut the steam off
from admission into the steam chest just where it enters from the tube
or stem. I do not however confine myself to this form, as the method
of operating is susceptible of various modifications, and in some cases
the gudgeon or fulcrum of the connecting rod may itself form the valvo
by the required passages being formed through or round it, the steam
being admitted at the side of the cylinder and exhausted into the
chamber or box.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Alfred Clough in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ALFRED CLOUGH, of Stockton-on-Tecs, in the County of Durham,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Alfred Clough,
Her special license that I, the said George Alfred Clough, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Alfred Clough, 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 law-
fully 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 STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Alfred Clough, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 George Alfred Clough, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to arranging the valves for actuating the
piston within the piston itself, and giving them the necessary motion by
the connecting rod.
But that the Invention may be better understood I will by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me
in carrying the same into effect.

page_text: Figure 1 shows by a longitudinal sectional view an arrangement of
parts according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section of
Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an external elevation. In each of these
Figures the same letters indicate corresponding parts.
As shown by these Figures there are three cylinders a, a, a, applied
over a three-throw crank b, but other number of cylinders may be
employed, and each cylinder may radiate from the centre of the crank
shaft at angles to each other, but I gencrally arrange the three cylinders
as shown, over the crank. Each cylinder a opens into a box or
chamber c, and such chamber c is at its upper part in communication
with the atmosphere by means of the outlet passage d, so that cach
piston is single acting; the crank shaft bearings are carried by the ends
of the box c, in which the cranks 6' revolve; the box is also provided
with a door c¹ to give access to the interior thereof, and thereby afford
facility for the adjustment of the brasses and parts, or for other purposes.
The interior of' this box c is in communication with a space or cavity e
that surrounds the three cylinders, and this cavity is for the purpose of
causing the exhaust steam to circulate round the cylinders a, a, in its
passage to the outlet d, and thereby aid in keeping the heat in.
The pistons ff. f, are each made hollow, and are each provided with
a cover, to each of which is attached one end of a pipe or tube g, such
tube or pipe being for the purpose of admitting steam into the interior
of the piston, which thus becomes a steam chest having its valve face 2
and a steam port 3 communicating with the top of the piston, and an
exhaust port 4 communicating with the exhaust chamber or box c.
Each valve is actuated by the oscillation of its connecting rod has
follows: Each connecting rod vibrates from a centre or gudgeon h³,
which is the point of connection with its valve, and is situated a little
below the valve face 2, the lower end of the rod being engaged with the
crank pin, while above. the centre or gudgeon ¹ it is provided with a
tongue ³, which fits into a space provided for it in the valve i, by which
each revolution of the crank shaft imparts a motion to the valve i,
opening it for the admission and escape of steam alternately. The pipes
or stems on the pistons work through glands j (the packing of which

page_text: is kept down by a spiral spring j¹) into a chamber charged with steam
by the inlet passage k.
I cut steam off at a determined part of the stroke by either stopping
the upper end of the tube g up and making holes g* in its side, as
shown by Figure 4, such holes coming on the downward stroke into the
interior of a bush provided above the gland j, or by making the back ƒ¹
of the valve f shut the steam off from admission into the steam chest
just where it enters from the tube or stem y. I do not however confino
myself to the form and operation of parts as thus described as the In-
vention is susceptible of various modifications, and Figure 5 shows a
modification applied to a two-cylinder engine. In this case the gudgeon
or fulcrum of the connecting rod connecting that rod with the
piston f forms the valve by the required passages 1, 1, being formed
therethrough. The steam in this case is admitted at m in the side of
the cylinder, and is exhausted into the chamber or box c.
Having thus described my Invention and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details referred to so long as the peculiar
character of the Invention be retained, but what I do claim is, the
arranging or combining parts of steam engines whereby the valves for
regulating the passage and flow of the steam are applied within the
pistons, and are operated by the connecting rods substantially as
described.
In witness whereof. I. the said George Alfred Clough, have here-