IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS, A PORTION OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS OR AXLES AND OTHER ROTATING BODIES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bindley, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, and Joseph Lester Hinks, of Birmingham, afore-
said, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY
STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS, A PORTION OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE
APPLIED TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS OR AXLES AND OTHER ROTATING BODIES."
Scaled the 26th July 1859, and dated the 8th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bindley and Joseph
Lester Hinks at tho Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 8th April 1859.
We, JOHN BINDLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
and JOSEPH LESTER HINKS, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROTATORY STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS, A PORTION OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY
ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS OR AXLES AND OTHER ROTATING
BODIES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a rotatory steam engine which may also be used
as a pump, in which the improvements herein-after described are combined.
That portion of our Invention which consists of an adjustable bearing for tho
shaft of the engine may also be used as a bearing for shafts in general and
for other rotating bodies. Our engine consists of a hollow cylinder or drum,
in the axis of which a shaft is situated, the said shaft passing through and

page_text: working in the closed ends of the cylinder. The said shaft carries in the
interior of the drum a second or smaller drum, the diameter of which is about
one-half that of the outer drum. On the said smaller drum a plate or vane is
situated, which forms a partition or diaphragm extending on one sido across
the annular space enclosed between the two drums. On the upper side of the
outer drum a slide valve is situated, which when depressed bears upon the
inner drum, and closes the space between it and the outer drum. When
steam is admitted between the said slide valve and the plate or vane on the
inner drum, the said steam pressing upon the said plate or vane causes it to
turn and to communicate a rotatory motion to the shaft of the engine. When
the vane has nearly performed a revolution, a cam at its back, having a wedge-
like form, is brought under the edge of the slide valve, and lifting the said
valve both shuts off the steam and permits the vane to pass the said valve.
After the passage of the vane the slido valve descends, and steam is again
admitted to act on the vane. The steam escapes after each revolution by an
opening near the slide valve. When it is wished to have the power of
reversing the direction of the engine's motion, we employ a double slide valve.
The main shaft of the engine is supported in bearings made in four pieces,
which said pieces are acted upon by three wedges and screws in such a
manner that the bearing may be made to contract upon the neck of the shaft
in four directions, and thus compensate for wear both in the shaft and bearing.
The adjustable bearing may be applied to shafts and rotating bodies in general.
Our rotatory engine may be used as a pump by applying motive power to the
main shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Bindley and Joseph Lester Hinks in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Jonn
BINDLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, and Joseri
LESTER HINKS, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Bindley and Joseph Lester Hinks, Her special licence that we, the said
John Bindley and Joseph Lester Hinks, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as we, the said John Bindley and Joseph Lester.
Hinks, our 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY
STEAM ENGINES AND PUMP3, A PORTION OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE
APPLIED TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS OR AXLES AND OTHER ROTATING BODIES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Bindley and Joseph Lester
Hinks, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
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 we, the said John Bindley and Joseph Lester
Hinks, 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 :-
Our Invention consists, firstly, of a rotatory steam engine or pump con-
structed in the manner herein-after particularly described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a rotatory steam engine constructed
according to our Invention; Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same,
and Figure 3 represents an end elevation of the same; Figures 4 and 5
represent portions of the same, as herein-after described.
Our said new or improved rotatory steam engine consists of a hollow cylinder
or drum a, in the axis of which a shaft 6 is situated, the said shaft passing
through and working in the closed ends a³, a³, of the drum or cylinder a.
The said drum a is fixed by screws and nuts to the base plate or bed c of tho
engine, and is fixed laterally by the uprights or pillars d, d. The said shaft b
carries in the interior of the drum a a second or smaller drum e, the diameter
of which is about half that of the outer drum a. On the smaller drum e a
vane is situated, which forms a partition or diaphragm extending on one
side across the annular space 9, enclosed between the two drums a and e, as
represented in Figure 1. The sides of the said drum e, and the sides and end
of the vane f, work steamtight against the ends of the drum a, and the
interior of the said drum, as herein-after explained. We make the drum e
and vane fin one piece, as shown by the separate view of the said drum and

page_text: vane represented in transverse vertical section at h, and longitudinal vertical
section at i, in Figure 4, the said vane f being merely a prolongation of the
drum c.
On the upper side of the drum a, a case or chest k is affixed, in the
interior of which case or chest the slide valve works; when the said slide
valve is in the position represented in Figure 1, that is to say, in its
depressed position, the lower end thereof bears upon the exterior of the
smaller drum e, and closes the space between the vane f and outer drum a.
Steam is admitted to the interior of the drum a through the pipe m, the said
stean entering into the drum through a passage n in the valve 1, the said
passage n being formed by cutting away a portion of one face of tho said
valve 7, the said channel being taper as best seen in the section Figure 1.
The said valve is shown separately in front elevation, side elevation, and plan
in Figure 5. The steam admitted through the said passage n enters the space
between the valve l, drum a, and vane f, on the inner drum; the said steam
expanding presses upon the said vane f, and causes it to turn and to commu-
nicate a rotatory motion to the shaft b, keyed to the <lrum e. When the vane
has nearly performed a revolution, one of its curved surfaces acts as a camb,
and strikes against the edge of the slide valve 1, and lifting the said valve
into its case, both shuts off the steam and permits the vanc f to pass the
said valve. The steam is not admitted in a continuous stream by the slide
valve 1, but is cut off when the shoulder has by the descent of the valvo
The steam in the druni expands until
When
passed the lower edge of the pipe m.
the vane has so far advanced as to partially lift the slide valve 7, when steam
is again admitted, and an additional impulse is given to the said vane.
the edge is raised to the inner surface of the drum, the steam is again cut
off. After the vane f has passed the valve 1, the said valve descends by its
own weight, and the steam is again admitted into the drum, and acts upon
the vane f, in the manner hercin-before explained. The steam escapes after
each revolution by an opening o, near the slide valve. The rotatory motion
of the shaft 6 may be transmitted to the machine or mechanism to be actuated
by bevil gearing or by any other convenient means.
When it is wished to have the power of reversing the engine's motion, we
employ a double slide valve, that is to say, a slide valve on either side of
which the steam may be admitted at pleasure. We also use an additional
waste pipe on the side opposite that of the pipe o, and close the said pipo o
when the additional pipe is in use. The edges or ends of the slide valve are
furnished with bars of steel p, the said bars being inserted in grooves formed
in the said edges or ends, as represented in the plan of the said slide valve,
Figure 5.

page_text: The said bars p are pressed outwards, so as to bear firmly against the sides
of the case or chest & by the coiled springs 9. By this means the said slide
valve works steamtight in the case or chest k. The sides and face of the
vanef which bear against the drum a are also provided with steel bars or
plates r,, pressed against the drum by the coiled springs s, s, so that the
said vane works steamtight in the drum a. We also provide the sides of the
smaller drum e, which bear against the closed ends of the larger drum ȧ,
with rings of steel t, which are pressed against the said ends by the coiled
springs u.
Our rotatory engine may be used as a pump by applying to the shaft b suitable
motive power, and connecting the pipe m with the well or reservoir from which
the water is to be raised. The pipe o is the delivery pipe. The passage nin
the slide valve is made much larger when our Invention is used as a pump
than is required when it is used as a steam engine, and we apply to the pipe m
an ordinary or pulse valve opening inwards, and we apply a similar valve
opening outwards to the pipe o.
Our Invention consists, secondly, in supporting the shaft of the rotatory
steam engine or punip herein-before described and constituting the first part
of our Invention, upon bearings constructed in the manner, berein-after
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. This part of our
Invention may also be used as a bearing for shafts in general and other
rotating bodies. The shaft b is supported and works in bearings at v, w, fixed
to the pedestals x, x. One of the said bearings is shown separately in front
elevation in Figure 6, horizontal section in Figure 7, and vertical section in
Figure 8 of tho Drawing. The said bearings or brasses, are mado in four
pieces y, z, 1, 2, shown separately in side elevation in Figure 9, the said pieces
having the relative positions on the pedestal x, represented in Figures 3 and 8.
The lower piece or brass y rests upon a wedge 3, working in a slot in the
pedestal, which said wedge is capable of advancing in a horizontal direction by
turning the nut 4 on the screwed end of the said wedge, and thereby, to raise
the said piece or brass y. The said wedgo 3 is shewn separately in plan and
edge view in Figure 10. The side pieces, 1, of the bearing are acted upon
by the vertical wedges 5, 6, which wedges work in vertical slots in the pedestal,
and also pass through slots in the lower wedge 8, as represented. By
unscrewing the lower nuts 7, 7, and by turning the upper nuts 8, 8, passing
through the gland 9 in a proper direction, the said wedges may be raised and
made to bear against the pieces, 1, and press them against the shaft b. The
wedges 5 and 6 may be made in one piece, with the pins 8', 8', as repre-
sented in Figure 11. The upper piece 2 is acted upon by the gland 9 being

page_text: screwed down upon the said piece. By the arrangement described and
represented, the bearing may bo made to contract upon the neck of the
shaft in four directions, and thus compensate for the wear both in the shaft
and bearing.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not
limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention; but
we claim as our Invention,-
Firstly, the improvements in rotatory steam engines and pumps herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, a rotatory steam engine or pump consisting of two concentric drums, the
annular space between the said drums being closed on one side by a rotating
vane carried by the smaller of the two drums, the steam or water being
admitted and cut off by the descent and ascent of a slide valve of the
kind described and represented, the ascending motion of which slide valvo
is effected by the vane, and the descending motion by its own weight.
Secondly, the improvements in bearings for the shafts of rotatory steain
engines and pumps, and for other rotating bodies herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the said
bearings in four pieces, the said pieces being made to contract upon the
neck of the shaft by the action of wedges and screws, as described and
represented.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Bindley and Joseph Lester
Hinks, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty nine
Witness,.
GEORGE.SHAW.
JOHN BINDLEY.
(L.S.)
JOSEPH LESTER HINKS. (L.S.)