Improvements in Rotary Engines, Pumps, and Blowers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines, Pumps, and Blowers.
I, ALEXANDER FRANCIS GARDEN BROWN of Swindridge Muir, Dalry in the
County of Ayr, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention which relates to rotary engines, pumps and blowers more especially
of the types described in the Specifications of Letters Patent Nos. 1555 of 1888,
16913 of 1889 1163 of 1891 and 13336 of 1891 has for its object mainly the simpli-
fication of the engine by placing the distributing valve or valves within the cylinder
casing and automatically operating it or them directly from the rotating piston and
also the improved method of packing the shaft carrying the piston at the point
where the said shaft passes through the ends of the cylinder.
Under one modification of the improved engine in which the piston is preferably
of eccentric form the abutment is composed of an oscillating arm or door centred
in a recess in the cylinder casing as in the engines described in the several Specifi-
cations of Patents above referred to, but instead of bearing directly on the periphery
of the piston has near its free end a segmental piece pivoted or fitted to oscillate in
a seat formed in it the said segment bearing on and being rocked by the motion
of the piston. Steam or other fluid is admitted to a chamber formed at the back
of the abutment arm or door and passes through a port therein and through a port
in the pivot on which the segment oscillates when the latter port is brought in line
with the first port by the motion of the segment due to the travel of the piston the
oscillating segment thus acting as a steam admission valve; and from these ports
the steam enters the cylinder in front of the oscillating segment and impels the
piston. By the travel of the piston the motion imparted to the segment is such as
to completely open the ports and close them during each revolution, steam being
admitted on one side and being exhausted on the opposite side of the segment the
exhaust taking place through a port in the pivot of the oscillating abutment. In
this arrangement steam is admitted once for each revolution of the engine and may
be cut off at any part of the revolution; but two or more abutment arms constructed
as above described may be fitted at intervals around the cylinder in which case
steam may be admitted twice or oftener during each rotation. The engine is made
reversible by duplicating the abutment arm or arms and valve arrangements, and
cutting off the steam supply from the one valve whilst the other receives steam.
The steam may also be expanded through a series of cylinders on the same or on
separate shafts or a single cylinder may be employed and fitted with a multiple
throw piston constructed as described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 13336 of 1891, abutment arms provided with the distributing valve arrange-
ments above described being fitted to each division of the cylinder.
The shaft or shafts carrying the piston or pistons is or are where it or they
passes or pass through the ends of the cylinder packed steam tight by a sleeve
contained within a gland both sleeve and gland having in their lengths two different
diameters a soft metal, asbestos or other packing ring being inserted where the
greater diameter of the sleeve meets the part of lesser diameter of the gland, the inuer
end of the sleeve which is of the lesser diameter abuts against the piston or that part of
the shaft carrying the piston and which is of greater diameter than the part passing
through the sleeve and around the said inner end a ring is so placed that whilst
the passage through it bears upon the sleeve the inner face of the ring bears upon
the end of the piston against which it is maintained steam tight by a series of spiral
or other springs let into the inner end of the gland. Opposite the ring, the boss of

page_text: the piston has or may have a series of grooves for the admission of lubricating
material which is or may be supplied from a cup screwed into the gland.
In another modification of the engine the abutment or abutments is or are made
in the form of one or more pistons or plungers having a reciprocating motion in a
chamber extending radially from the top or side of the cylinder and having formed
at its or their inner end or ends a pivot seat for an oscillating segment bearing on
the periphery of the piston and oscillated thereby. The radial piston or plunger
is hollow and is divided by a web or partition on one side of which steam is
admitted through a port or passage extending through the pivot piece on which the
segment oscillates, and thence the steam enters the cylinder to impel forward the
piston. On the opposite side of the segment the exhaust steam escapes by a second
port in the pivot piece of the segment and through a port into the hollow plunger
on the side of the web opposite that on which the live steam enters, the ports being so
arranged that the steam and exhaust passages are opened and closed at the proper
times by the action of the engine piston on the oscillating segment.
In this modification, which is also adapted to be compounded or operated as a
multiple expansion engine in any of the ways before referred to, reversal of the
engine is effected either by duplicating the abutment or by admitting the steam by
the exhaust passage and exhausting through the steam inlet.
Dated this Thirteenth day of July 1892.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Engines, Pumps, and Blowers.
I, ALEXANDER FRANCIS GARDEN BROWN of Swindridge Muir Dalry in the
County of Ayr, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention which relates to rotary engines, pumps and blowers more especially
of the types described in the Specifications of Letters Patent Nos. 1555 of 1888,
16913 of 1889, 1163 of 1891 and 13336 of 1891 has for its object mainly the
simplification of such engines by placing the distributing valve or valves within
the cylinder casing and automatically operating it or them directly from the
rotating piston and also the improved method of packing the shaft carrying the
piston at the point where the said shaft passes through the ends of the cylinder.
Under a modification of the improved engine represented in the accompanying
drawings in transverse vertical section at Figure. 1 and in longitudinal vertical
section at Figure 2 the piston A is preferably of eccentric form but the abutment
is composed of an oscillating arm or door B centred in a recess C in the cylinder
casing D but instead of bearing directly on the periphery of the piston as is usual
the said abutment has near its free end a segmental piece B₁ pivotted or fitted to
oscillate in a seat B² formed in it the said segment B₁ bearing on and being rocked
by the motion of the piston A. Steam or other fluid is admitted to a chamber C¹
formed at the back of the abutment arm or door B and passes through a port h
therein and through a port 6' in the pivot on which the segment oscillates when the
latter port is brought in line with the first port 6 by the motion of the segment
due to the travel of the piston A, the oscillating segment thus acting as a steam
admission valve, and from the ports b, the steam enters the cylinder D in front
of the oscillating segment B₁ and impels the piston in the direction indicated by
the arrow. By the travel of the piston A the motion imparted to the segment B'
is such as to completely open the ports b, 6' and close them during each revolution,
steam being admitted on one side and being exhausted on the opposite side of the
segment the exhaust taking place through a port 62 in the pivot of the oscillating

page_text: abutment B. In this arrangement steam is admitted once for each revolution of
the engine and may be cut off at any part of the revolution, but two or more abut-
ment arms constructed as above described may be fitted at intervals around the
cylinder in which case steam may be admitted twice or oftener during each rotation.
The engine is made reversible by duplicating the abutment arm or arms and valve
arrangements and cutting off the steam supply from the one valve whilst the other
receives steam. The steam may also be expanded through a series of cylinders
the pistons of which may be on the same or on separate shafts, abutment arms
furnished with the distributing valve arrangements above described being provided
for each piston.
The shaft E carrying the piston or pistons where it passes through the ends of
the cylinder D is packed steam tight by a sleeve G contained within a gland G
both sleeve and gland having in their lengths two different diameters, a soft
metal, asbestos or other packing ring H being inserted where the greater diameter of
the sleeve meets the part of lesser diameter of the gland. The inner end of the
sleeve G which is of the lesser diameter abuts against the piston A or that part of
the shaft E carrying the piston and which is of greater diameter than the part
passing through the sleeve G and around the said inner end a ring I is so placed
that it bears upon the end of the piston A against which it is maintained steam
tight by a series of spiral or other springs J let into the inner end of the glands G¹.
Opposite the ring I the boss a of the piston has or may have a series of grooves
formed as indicated at Figure 3 for the admission of lubricating material which is
or may be supplied from a cup screwed into the gland.
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 :-
1. In a rotary engine, pump or blower the combination with a piston rotating
within a cylinder of an oscillating abutment carrying an oscillating segment bearing
on the piston the steam distributing valves being formed thereby and automatically
operated by the rotation of the piston substantially as described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
2. In a rotary engine, pump or blower the combination of a series of pistons
rotating within a cylinder and a corresponding series of abutments each carrying an
oscillating segment bearing on one of the pistons and operated thereby to automati-
cally open and close steam and exhaust ports formed in the abutment and segment
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings
annexed.
3. In a rotary engine, pump or blower a combined packing and lubricating
distributor composed of a packing ring surrounding the engine shaft and pressed
by springs against the boss of the rotating piston, in conjunction with grooves
formed on the face of said boss substantially as described with reference to Figures 2
and 3 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this Sixteenth day of February 1893.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.