An Improved Engine Reversing Gear.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1892
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⚫ PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Engine Reversing Gear.
1 WILLIAM WILSON HORN of the firm of Horn and Son of 151 Strand in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from John Barnes of Paxton. in the County of. Ford
and State of Illinois United States of America Inventor) to be as follows:-
This my invention relates to reversing gear for steam engines and it has for its
object to construct an apparatus for this purpose of simple construction and which
may readily and effectively be operated when required.
My invention consists in the construction arrangement and combination of the
several parts hereinafter described.
A block of rhomboidal shape is mounted so as to slide longitudinally upon the
main shaft of the engine the shaft passing through a perforation at right angles to
opposite sides of said block and the said block engaging in a slot in the eccentric
disk.
•
The eccentric and eccentric strap move in vertical guides secured to the base of
the engine to prevent their lateral movement, the said eccentric strap being
connected with the valve of the engine in the usual manner.
The rhomboidal block is mounted between uprights attach to a slide upon the
base of the engine the said slide being moved by means of a hand lever pivotted or
fulcrummed upon the base plate and it will be readily understood that by moving
the rhomboidal the centre of the eccentric may be instantly changed thus reversing
the movement of the slide valve of the engine.
The reversing lever is retained in position by a notched segment secured to the.
base of the engine.
Dated thie 28th day of February 1891.
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Engine Reversing Gear.
I WILLIAM WILSON HORN of the firm of Horn and Son of 151 Strand in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from John Barnes of Paxton in the County of Ford and
State of Illinois United States of America Inventor) 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 reversing gear for steam-engines; and it has for its
object to construct an apparatus of this class which shall possess superior advantages-
in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency, and which may be very
easily and quickly manipulated to reverse the position of the valve and to change
the direction of rotation.
With these ends in view the invention consists in the improved construction,
arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described,
and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings hereto annexed,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.
Fio 3ize horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

page_text: Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the main shaft of the
engine.
Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.
1 designates the base of the engine, and 2 is a cylinder, which is provided with
the valve chest 3. The piston rod 4 is connected at its front end with a crosshead 5,
which slides upon the guideways and which is connected by a pitman 7 with a
wrist pin 8 upon a wheel or disk 9, mounted upon the main shaft 10. The latter
carries the balance wheel 11, and it is obvious that the pitman may, if desired, be
connected direct with the balance-wheel without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
The base of the machine is provided with a lateral extension 12, which forms the
foundation for the bearings of the main shaft.
13 desiguates a frame composed of two uprights rising from the base in front and
in rear of the main shaft and connected at their upper ends by means of a cross
piece 14. The uprights of the frame 13 are provided with vertical slots 15, in
which is mounted a vertically-sliding frame 16, which constitutes the eccentric ring,
and which is connected with a valve-stem 17, the opposite end of which connects
with the valve, which is an ordinary slide-valve mounted to reciprocate in the
steam-chest 3.
18 designates a slide, which is mounted upon the lateral extension 12 of the base,
directly below the main shaft. Said slide is provided with uprights 19, having
perforations 20, that fit over the main shaft.
It will
21 designates a rhomboidal block, which is provided with a transverse perfora-
tion 22, formed at right angles to opposite sides of said block, and by means of
which it is mounted slidingly upon the main shaft between the uprights 19.
thus be seen that by moving the slide 18 laterally upon the base the rhomboidal
block 21 will be moved longitudinally upon the main shaft.
23 designates the eccentric disk, which is provided with a transverse slot 24
fitting over the opposite sides of the block 21, which are inclined or oblique with
relation to the main shaft. Said eccentric disk 23 is provided with an annular
groove 25, engaging the circular perforation or opening 26 in the frame 16, which
constitutes the eccentric band. Lateral movement of the said frame is prevented
by the frame 13, in the vertical slots of which it is confined, and lateral movement
of the eccentric disk is prevented by the groove 25 engaging the said frame.
Suitably pivoted to the lateral extension 12 of the base is a hand-lever 27, having
a lug or stud 28, which engages a slot 29 in the slide 18, which latter by means of
the said lever may be moved transversely upon the base.
having notches 31, in any one of which the hand lever may be adjusted for the
A segment 30 is provided
purpose of retaining the parts actuated by said hand lever in any position in which
it may be placed.
From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto
annexed, the operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood
by those skilled in the art to which it pertains. By manipulating the hand-lever 27
to slide the frame 18 so as to move the rhomboidal block 21 its full length, the
valve, if at the end of its stroke, will be instantly reversed, or if at the centre of its
stroke the direction of its movement will be reversed, thus instantly reversing the
direction of rotation. By manipulating the hand-lever to adjust the block 21
centrally with relation to the eccentric disk the operation of the valve will be
suspended, the eccentric disk having been centered with relation to the main shaft.
The construction of my improved reversing-gear is exceedingly simple, and it may 5
be readily applied to engines of ordinary construction.
The parts of the device are very few and simple, and it is therefore not liable to
get out of order.
By my invention rattling of the hand-lever in its notches, in case the latter should
become worn by long use, is also prevented inasmuch as the tendency will be to 5
throw the lever in contact with one side of the notch in which it may be adjusted
and to hold it there without vibration.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a reversing gear for steam engines, the combination, with the main shaft,
of a rhomboidal block mounted on said main shaft by a transverse perforation at
right angles to its opposite sides, a slide mounted upon the base and having uprights
provided with perforations fitting over the main shaft on opposite sides of said
rhomboidal block, the eccentric disk having a transverse slot mounted upon the said
block and an annular groove engaging the eccentric ring, the vertically-sliding
uprights forming bearings for the said eccentric ring to prevent lateral movement
of the latter, and the hand-lever for adjusting the transversely-movable slide,.
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a reversing gear for steam engines having the rhomboidal block mounted
slidingly upon the main shaft and engaging a transverse slot in the eccentric disk,
the slide mounted to move transversely upon the base and having uprights provided
with perforations admitting the main shaft and fitted against the opposite ends of
the rhomboidal block, which latter may thus be moved longitudinally upon the main
shaft, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of November 1891
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.