IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND IN PROPELLERS ADAPTED TO PROPELLING VESSELS IN WATER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Onion, of Calais, in the Empire of France,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY STEAM ENGINES
AND IN PROPELLERS ADAPTED TO PROPELLING VESSELS IN WATER."
Sealed the 28th January 1868, and dated the 2nd August 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Onion at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd August 1862.
I, THOMAS ONION, of Calais, in the Empire of France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY STEAM
ENGINES AND IN PROPELLERS ADAPTED TO PROPELLING VESSELS IN WATER," to be as
follows:-
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to ine, dated the Twenty-first
day of January 1847, No. 11,539, 1 described a rotary engine with a revolving
piston, in a stationary case, having two wings or vanes upon which the steam
alternately acted to produce rotary motion to the main shaft, upon which the
revolving piston was fixed, there being a single abutment with an inlet or
outlet passage on each side thereof; but by such arrangement I have found
that the pressure exerted by the steam on the parts as they rotate is unequal,
which, when applying such engine to the purpose of propelling, is especially
prejudicial, and an object of the present. improvements is to remedy this evil.

page_text: For this purpose I apply two abutments and two inlet and outlet passages for
the steam on opposite sides of the case, and I employ four sliding vanes or wings
to the revolving piston, by which the effect of the pressure of the steam as well
as of the exhaust will be always acting equally on opposite sides of the shaft.
I also give additional support to the wings or vanes to lessen friction on their 5
surfaces as they move to and from their axis, by causing them to slide in
flanges or projections at the ends of the rotating piston into the case.
As screw propellers are at prosent arranged the water is acted upon and
thrown off therefrom, when they are in motion, at an angle to the line of the
shaft and the direction of motion of the vessel, which is found materially to
interfere with the correct action of the steering apparatus. To remedy this.
I apply a flange or flanges standing out from the face of such propellers to
cause the water, in their rotation, to be thrown off them in a line corresponding
with that of the propeller shaft, or directly opposite to the direction of motion
of the vessel, by which the rudder will have frec action on the water in either
direction for the proper steering of the vessel, whilst a considerable advantage
will also be gained in counteracting the slip through the water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Onion in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ONION, of Calais, in the Empire of France, Engineer, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Onion, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Onion, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Onion, 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
ROTARY STEAM ENGINES AND IN PROPELLERS ADAPTED TO PROPELLING VESSELS IN
WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Thomas Onion,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or

page_text: 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 Thomas Onion, 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 :-
. In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, dated the 21st day
of January 1847, No. 11,589, I described a rotary engine with a revolving
piston, in a stationary case, having two wings or vanes upon which the steam
alternately acted to produce rotary motion to the main shaft, upon which the
revolving piston was fixed, there being a single abutment with an inlet or
outlet passago on cach side thereof; but by such arrangement I have found
that the pressure exerted by the steam on the parts as they rotate is unequal,
which, when applying such engine to the purpose of propelling, is especially
prejudicial, and an object of the first part of the present improvements is to
remedy this evil. For this purpose I apply two abutments and two inlet and
outlet passages for the steam on opposite sides of the case, and I employ
four sliding vancs or wings to the revolving piston, by which the effect of tho
pressure of the steam as well as of the exhaust will be always acting equally
on opposite sides of the shaft. I also givo additional support to the wings or
vanes to lessen friction on their surfaces, as they move to and from their. axis,
by causing them to slide in flanges or projections at the ends of the rotating
piston in the case.
As screw propellers are at present arranged the water is acted upon and
thrown off therefrom, when they are in motion, at an angle to the line of the
shaft and the direction of motion of the vessel, which is found materially to
interfere with the correct action of the steering apparatus. To remedy this
evil, according to the second part of my Invention, I apply a flange or flanges,
standing out from the face of such propellers, to cause the water, in their
rotation, to be thrown off them in a line corresponding with that of the pro-
peller shaft, or directly opposite to the direction of motion of the vessel, by
which the rudder will have free action on the water in either direction for the
proper steering of the vessel, whilst a considerable advantage will also be
gained in counteracting the slip through the water.
But that. the Invention may be better understood I will, by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, proceed more fully to describe the same.

page_text: Figure 1 shews an external side view, and Figure 2, an edge view, of an
engine constructed according to the first part of my improvements; Figure 3
shews (by one of the covers of the outer casing being removed) an internal
view of the engine; and Figure 4, a transverse section thereof. In each of
these views the same letters are employed to indicate corresponding parts
wherever they occur.
a, a, is the outer cylinder or casing of the engine; b, b, the covers or
ends thereof; c is the revolving piston, having wings or vanes c', c², c³, c²,
against which the steam acts to cause the piston c to revolve; d, d, being
abutments for the steam; and e, e', es, e, inlet and outlet passages for the
steam in its passage into and from the chambers formed between the wings or
vanes c, c³, c³, c, and the abutments d, d; f is a pipe for the supply of steam
from a suitable boiler; and g is the escape passage. The steam having entered
the chamber h from the passage f, is controlled to pass thence by one or other
of the passages e, e', by the valve i, as operated by means of the handle; for
reversing the direction of motion of the engine or for stopping it. By the
position of the parts, as shewn, the steam is entering by the passage e¹ to the
chamber 1, and also by the passages e and ³ to the chamber 8, by which the
steam acting on the two wings or vanes c', c³, and the abutments d, d, will
cause the piston c to revolve in the direction of the arrow, whilst, supposing
the engine to have been in operation, the steam will be passing away from the
chambers 2 and 4 by the passages e, es, and e³, and so on; c, c³, are rollers
applied to the wings or vanes c³, c, c, c, by which those wings or vanes are
drawn in to pass the abutments d, d, and are forced out again, such rollers
passing into curved courses b' formed in the covers b; c, c, are flanges to the
piston c to give steadiness and additional support to the wings or vanes.
Figure 5 shews a side view, and Figure 6, a plan view, of a screw propeller
arranged according to the second part of my improvements, j, j, being the
flanges applied for the purpose of throwing the water, as acted upon by such
propellers in their rotation, in a direction parallel to their axes. If desired,
there may be other of these flanges applied between the axis and the outer
rim of the propeller.
Having thus described my said 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 shewn, as these may be.varied; but what I do
claim, is the adaptation or combination of means, substantially as described
under the first head of Invention.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the application of a flange or flanges j, j, substantially as
described under the second head of Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Onion, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THOS. ONION. (L.S.)