Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 24th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 26th Apr., 1887
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M and Wm. Clark, of 53,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of beam engine, which is
designed to remedy the defects attending the working of such engines as ordinarily
constructed. These defects are due more particularly 1st to the wear and tear of the
parts, 2nd to the imperfect fitting of the cylinders in their jackets, 3rd to the exces-
sive weight of the reciprocating parts of the engine, 4th to the want of stability
consequent on the division of the bed plate, 5th to the complication and inability to
resist flexure of the parts interposed directly between the pistons and the transmission
of their power. 6th to the fact of the slide valves being placed at the side of the
cylinders. 7th to the large area of the dead spaces. All the above objections are
obviated in the improved steam engine of this Invention which will work with
perfect regularity and smoothness for a very long period.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation which give an illustration by way of example, of an engine combining the
several improvements of this Invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan of the engine. Figure 3 is a diagram
of the distributing valve gear which is also shown on a larger scale in section
Figure 4 on line 3-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a modification of the engine.
Figure 6 a vertical section and Figure 7 a horizontal section of the distributing valve
gear for this modified arrangement. The same letters of reference represent the same
parts in all the Figures.
The engine is vertical in arrangement, which is preferred both as regards the
working of the piston and its rings and the wear of the cylinders. The engine is of
the beam kind which as is well known is the best as regards the equilibrium of the

page_text: working parts. The cylinders are cast in one piece with their jackets which is the
simplest and least costly method so long as they are of such dimensions as to be easily
cast in foundries, but for those of larger dimensions, the cylinders and jackets would
be cast separately, and the joint fitted together by turning and boring without the use
of iron cement as in the case of heavy horizontal engines. The cylinder a instead of
being fixed by its bottom flange which is a very defective mode, especially when this
flange makes part of the joint, is attached to the framing b, almost its entire length as
in the case of a horizontal engine. In this manner the top and bottom covers fare
always readily accessible and in order to fix the cylinder still more firmly, it is secured
at the opposite side of frame b and in a similar manner to a strong column c mounted
upon the top of the condenser as shown in Figure 1 or upon the bed plate as in
Figure 5. The column c also serves to conduct the exhaust steam from the cylinder
to the condenser g with which it communicates either directly or by means of a pipe ;
or the engine may work without a condenser, in which case, a pipe would be fixed to
the top of the column in place of the cap d for exhausting into the open air.
The cylinder ports are so arranged (a) that the orifices may be made as large as
may be thought necessary. (1) the valve seats are plane and horizontal, the valves
resting upon and working freely thereon, instead of being placed or suspended at the
side of the cylinder.
(c) The steam and exhaust are completely independent, both as regards their ports,
valves, and motions.
(d) The escape of the water of condensation is ensured.
(e) Dead spaces are reduced to a minimum.
The beams and connecting rods instead of being made of cast iron as usual would,
if of the ordinary dimensions, be made of wrought iron or the beams might be of
cast steel or of angle-irons and plates rivetted together, or preferably of two plates
rivetted together around the centres of the beam which serve as cross ties in the
manner shown in Figure 5, this arrangement giving the maximum strength with a
minimum weight, besides which the plates are easily set out of the exact form required.
Under these conditions and by dispensing with the Watt parallel motion, and a special
arrangement of condensing pump this engine may be made to work at a speed at least
equal to that of the best horizontal engines much more smoothly and at a saving in
cost of construction of at least 20%. The bed for supporting the cylinders and beams is
formed of a single block i and also serves to carry the bearings k for the two plummer
blocks of the double fly-wheel shaft. The air pump m is worked directly from the
prolongation n of the piston rod as is also the feed pump p. This arrangement by
allowing the whole of the engine to be carried upon a single bed enables the air pump
to have the same stroke as the steam piston from which it is worked direct and this
long stroke permits of considerably reducing the area of the pump bucket and
consequently lessening the thumping of the beams in engines as now constructed.
The air-pump may be either single acting and work with a plunger or ordinary bucket,
or it may be double acting and have a valveless piston and double set of valves.
The shaft is supported in bearings least in one piece with their bed
q
whereby their
parallelism is secured. Two fly wheels s s' are employed instead of a single fly wheel
as usual. The advantages of this arrangement are:-(1) That separate cranks are
dispensed with, the crank pins t being fixed directly to the fly wheels, while it also
prevents all effects of torsion upon the shaft in working since the power is applied
directly by the pistons to the fly wheels without passing through any keying in fact
one can, ignoring for the moment the working of the slide valves and governor,
suppose the shaft to be fixed to the bed plate and the flywheels to turn loose upon the
shaft while still transmitting the total power of the engine. (2) Equality of efforts,
and equal distribution of strains upon the bearings, strength of the single bed, facility
of construction of two smaller fly-wheels, and reduction of cost.
In this engine I substitute for the Watt parallel motion, the chief objection to which
is that it is interposed between the pistons and the beam, a very simple arrangement
producing the same results as regards the rectilinear motion of the piston rod n but
without the intervention of any part between the piston head and the end centre of

page_text: the beam. This consists of a pair of radius links » working on fixed centres at u
carried by column e and jointed to the beam as shown these links being of such length
that the piston head will move in a right line which coincides with the axis of the
cylinder without any resolution of force or direction such as results from the constantly
varying obliquity of the links in the Watt motion. The beam 2 is fulcrumed upon
an oscillating radius link y. The governor may be placed above the fly-wheel shaft
as shown in Figure 1, or preferably near the cylinders in a suitable position for directly
controlling the cut off motion as shown in Figure 5. The governor in this latter
Figure is placed above the eccentric shaft (Figure 3).
In order to vary the speed of the engine while working without adjusting the
governor it may be actuated by cone gear or preferably by means of a pair of friction
discs, one of which, the driver, is keyed on but free to move along the horizontal shaft
so as to be capable of adjustment nearer to or further from the vertical axis of the
driven disc by a screw and hand wheel. The cut off is effected by means of a small
piston (Figure 4) upon the internal face of which the pressure of the steam
constantly acts to move the valve in the direction of closing while the opposite face of
the piston acts as an air compressor to cushion the valve under the pressure of the
steam.
I prefer to employ the method of distribution represented in Figures 6 and 7-the
valves el d ports and cut off motion are the same as in the other arrangement but a
spiral spring H is substituted for the steam piston an air compressor B being placed
at the outer ends of the valve rods for the purpose of cushioning it on the return-
motion. A stuffing box and bush CD prevents leakage and the spring A pressing
against the gland tightens the packing in the stuffing box. To renew this packing it
is only necessary to stick a steel pin into the hole E when it arrives at point E¹ opposite.
corresponding holes in the gland, the valve spring and gland then move as one, and
the packing can easily be inserted.
The bottom cover of the air compressing cylinder is provided with a socket F in
which is fitted a plug valve G having a central hole. The socket F and plug G
have a number of radial holes H which in the position shown admit air to the cylinder
the compression of the air on the return motion forces plug G outwards until it is
stopped by the screw adjusting cap I whereby the holes are closed to such an extent
as to produce the desired amount of compression which may be regulated by means of
the screw adjusting cap I while the engine is running.
The engine may be single or paired, and may be easily compounded, without
modifying the arrangement, in any suitable manner.
Dated this 29th day of March 1886.
A. M. CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark;
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Beam Engines.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by E. Fourlinnie, of Ronchin (Nord) France, Engineer), and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of beam engine, which is designed
to remedy the defects attending the working of such engines as ordinarily constructed.
These defects are due more particularly 1st to wear of the parts, 2nd to imperfect
fitting of the cylinders in their jackets, 3rd to excessive weight of the reciprocating
parts of the engine, 4th to want of stability consequent on the divison of the bed-
plate, 5th to complication of the parts interposed directly between the pistons and
the point to which their power is transmitted, and also to the little resistance of
those parts to strains of flexion. 6th to the slide valves being placed at the side of
the cylinders. 7th to the large volume of the dead spaces.
All the above objections are obviated in this improved steam engine which will work
with perfect regularity and smoothness for a very long period.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifica-
tion which illustrate an example of an engine combining the several improvements of
this invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan of the engine. Figure 3 is a diagram
of the distribution valve gear which is also shewn on a larger scale in Figure 4
in section on line 3-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a modification of the engine.
Figure 6 a vertical section and Figure 7 a horizontal section of the distribution valve
gear for this modified arrangement. The same letters of reference represent the
same parts in all the Figures.
The engine is vertical which is preferable both as regards the working of the piston
and its packing rings, and the wear of the cylinders.
The engine is of the beam kind which as is well known is the best as regards the
equilibrium of the working parts. The cylinders are cast in one with their jackets,
if they are of such dimensions as to be easily cast, but those of large size would be cast
separately, and the joints fitted together by turning and boring without the use of
iron cement.
The cylinder a instead of being fixed by its bottom flange, which is a very defective
mode, especially when this flange makes part of the joint, is attached to the bed-
frame b the attachment extending almost the entire length of the cylinder as in the
case of a horizontal engine, the top and bottom covers being consequently readily

page_text: accessible. In order to fix the cylinders still more firmly it is secured at the opposite
side to a strong column e mounted upon the top of the condenser as shewn in
Figure 1 or upon the bed plate as in Figure 5. The column c also serves to conduct
the exhaust steam from the cylinder to the condenser g with which it communicates
either directly or by means of a pipe; or the engine may work without a condenser,
in which case, a pipe would be fixed to the top of the column in place of the cap d,
for exhausting into the open air.
The cylinder ports h are so arranged that (a) the orifices may be made as large as
necessary (b) the valve seats are plane and horizontal, the valves resting, and working
freely thereon, instead of being placed at the side of the cylinder. (c) the live and
exhaust steam are completely independent both as regards their ports, valves and motion.
(d) the escape of the water of condensation is ensured.
(e) dead spaces are reduced to a minimum.
The beams and connecting rods instead of being made of cast iron as usual,
would, if of the ordinary dimensions, be made of wrought iron or the beams might be of
cast steel or of angle-irons and plates rivetted together, or preferably of two plates
rivetted together around the different centres of the beam which serve as cross ties as
shewn in Figure 5, this arrangement giving the maximum of strength with the
minimum of weight, besides which the plates are easily set out of the exact form
required.
Under these conditions and by dispensing with the Watt parallel motion, and the
employment of a special arrangement of air pump, this engine may be made to work
at a speed at least equal to that of the best horizontal engines and much more smoothly,
the saving in cost of construction being at least 20%.
The bed for supporting the cylinders and beams is formed of a single block i and
also serves to carry the bearings k for the two plummer blocks of the double fly-wheel
shaft. The air pump m is worked directly from the prolongation n of the piston rod, as is
also the feed pump p. This arrangement by allowing the whole of the engine to be
carried upon a single bed, enables the air pump to have the same stroke as the steam
piston from which it is worked direct and this long stroke permits of considerably
reducing the area of the pump bucket and consequently lessening the thumping of the
beams in engines as now constructed. The air pump may be either single acting and
work with a plunger or ordinary bucket, or it may be double acting and have a
valveless piston and double set of valves.
The shaft is supported in bearings cast in one piece with their bed whereby
their proper alignment is ensured. It has two fly wheels s, s¹ instead of a single one
as usual, the advantages of this arrangement being-
(1) That separate crank arms and their keys are dispensed with, the crank pins t
being fixed directly to the fly wheels, and torsional strains upon the shaft are avoided
since the power is applied directly to the fly wheels without passing through any
keying, in fact the shaft may, ignoring for the moment the working of the slide valves
and
governor, be considered as fixed to the bed plate and the fly wheels to turn loose
upon it, while still transmitting the total power of the engine.
(2) Equality of efforts, and equal distribution of strains upon the bearings, great
strength of the single bed, facility of construction of two small fly-wheels, and reduction
of cost.
In this engine I substitute for the Watt parallel motion (the chief objection to which
is that it is interposed between the pistons and the beam) a very simple arrangement
producing the same results as regards the rectilinear motion of the piston rod but
without the intervention of any part between the piston head and the end centre of
the beam. This consists of a pair of radius links working on fixed centres at u carried
by column c and jointed to the beam as shewn, the beam itself being fulcrumed upon
an oscillating radius link y pivoted at its lower end in a plummer block bearing upon
the bed-block b, the links c being of such length that the piston head will move in a
right line which coincides with the axis of the cylinder without any resolution of force.
or direction, such as results from the constantly varying obliquity of the links in the
Watt motion.

page_text: The governor may be placed above the fly-wheel shaft as shewn in Figure 1, or
preferably near the cylinders in a suitable position for directly controlling the cut-off
motion by means of. rod as shewn in Figure 5. The governor in this latter figure
is placed just above the cross-shaft (Figure 3) and close to the eccentrics keyed
thereon for working the slide valves c¹ d¹.
In order to enable the speed of the engine to be varied while working without
adjusting the governor it may be actuated by cone gear or preferably by means of a
pair of friction discs, one of which, the driver, is keyed on but free to move along the
horizontal shaft so as to be capable of adjustment nearer to or further from the vertical
axis of the driven disc by a screw and hand-wheel. The cut-off is effected by means
of a small piston ' (Figure 4) upon the internal face of which the pressure of the
steam constantly acts to move the valve in the direction of closing, while the opposite
face of the piston acts as an air compressor to cushion the valve under the pressure of
the steam.
.
I prefer to employ the method of distribution represented in Figures 6 and 7. The
valves c¹ d' ports and cut-off motion are the same as in the other arrangement, but a
spiral sping A is substituted for the steam piston b¹ and an air compressor B is placed
at the outer ends of the valve rods E for the purpose of cushioning the valves on the
return motion. A stuffing box and bush C. D prevent leakage, and the spring A
pressing against the gland, tightens the packing in the stuffing box. To insert or
renew this packing, a steel pin is placed in the hole E when it arrives at point E'
opposite corresponding holes in the gland, so that the valve, spring, and gland are
then caused to move as one; the packing can then be easily inserted. The bottom
cover of the air compressing cylinder is provided with a socket F in which is fitted a
plug valve G having a central hole.
The socket F and plug G have a number of radial holes H which in the position
shewn admit air to the cylinder. The compression of the air on the return motion
forces plug G outwards until it is stopped by the screw adjusting cap I, whereby the
holes H are closed to such an extent as to produce the desired amount of compression
which may be regulated by means of the screw adjusting cap I, while the engine is
running.
The cut-off motion is operated in the following manner -The port his opened
by moving point 1 of the gear represented in outline in figure and also on a
larger scale in figure 4, to the right as indicated by the arrow 2 in figure 6 by
which movement the trip lever J is caused to strike the roller K of lever L and
pass beneath said roller whereby the trip lever J is rocked on its centre from
the cross head N thus disengaging the catch M. The rod E and slide valve c¹
being thus disconnected from the gear, the port is immediately closed by the spring A
returning the slide valve and rod to their original position, in readiness for being
re-engaged.
The cut-off is thus regulated by the governor, the slide valve being released more
or less early according to the position in which the friction roller K is set by the
governor. Thus, if the axis of the roller be placed at 3, steam will be admitted until
after the port h is full open, that is to say, for about two-thirds of the stroke of the
piston if on the contrary it be placed at 4 the slide valve would be released before
the port begins to open at all, thus entirely shutting off the steam.
h
It will be evident that the spring A may be placed in any position desired.
The engine may be single or paired and may be easily compounded, without
modifying the general arrangement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what I claim is ;-
1st. Mounting the cylinder or cylinders of vertical engines upon the side of a column
or other support, so as to render their top and bottom covers easily accessible and
removable, as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. A beam engine wherein the piston rod is connected directly to the beam and
its rectilinear motion is ensured by mounting the beam fulcrum on a movable bearing

page_text: by the combination with a beam so mounted, of a radius link or links working on
ixed centre, as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawing.
Brd. A beam engine in which are combined the following distinctive features-viz :-
(a) a cylinder or cylinders fixed in the manner claimed under clause 1.
(b) a piston rod guide motion as claimed under clause 2.
(c) beams and connecting rods made of wrought iron, steel or riveted plates.
(d) an air pump placed in line with the steam cylinder.
two fly wheels upon the ends of the shaft, having crank pins in lieu of
separate cranks.
(f) the arrangement of the cylinder ports h relatively to the slide valves c¹ d' so
as to reduce dead spaces to a minimum, and enable the ports to be made as
large as necessary, the valves resting and working freely upon horizontal seats
and the admission and exhaust being completely independant.
(g) the mode of working the slide valves, all substantially as described and
represented in the drawings.
Dated this 24th day of Danamber 1006
A. MELVILLE CLARK,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.