Improvements in Compound Steam Engines and other Fluid-pressure Engines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound Steam Engines and other Fluid-pressure
Engines.
I, CLEMENS KIESSELBACH, Mechanical Engineer, of Duisburg, in the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The present invention relates to compound engines worked by steam or other
vapour or by gases, and has for its principal object, to utilize the expansion of the
gas or vapour in a more rational or convenient manner, than is the case in ordinary
compound steam engines.
I employ only one slide valve for the two cylinders, and place them at an angle
to each other, as indicated by Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.
In these drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the general arrangement of the cylinders and
valve chest.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the valve chest and adjoining cylinder.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the cylinders and valve chest.
Fig. 4 is a face view of the slide valve on a larger scale.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal and Fig. 6 a cross section of the same.
E indicates the valve chest (or a fresh-steam chamber). K, K, the steam ports
of the small or high pressure cylinder,
R, the receiver,
G, G the steam ports of the large or low pressure cylinder,
A, the exhaust chamber.
The two piston rods act on the same crank or on two parallel cranks;
consequently, the two pistons reach the ends of their respective strokes at different
times; in the example represented by the drawing, the large piston reaches the
end of its stroke (or its dead centre) before the small piston has completed its
stroke.
It follows, that the excentric which operates the slide valve has a greater lead in
relation to the large cylinder, and that consequently the small cylinder has a shorter
period of admission, than the large cylinder, which is generally required.
If the crank revolves in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 1 by the arrow,
or if the relative position of the cylinders is reversed, the large cylinder has a short
period of admission and the small cylinder a long period of admission, which
arrangement is sometimes desired, if the small cylinder is provided with a separate
expansion or cut-off mechanism.
The interior of the slide valve may be made large enough, to serve as a receiver,
or the interior of the valve may communicate with a chamber serving as a
receiver. The same arrangement may also be employed for triple expansion
engines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A compound steam or similar fluid pressure engine having cylinders placed at an
angle to each other, piston rods connected with a single crank or with two parallel
cranks, and a slide valve serving to distribute steam to both cylinders, so that at
any given moment the said valve occupies a different position in relation to each

page_text: cylinder, and produces different periods of admission in the same, substantially as
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 24th day of August 1891.
C. KIESSELBACH,
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.