US111818A - Improvement in rotary steam-engines - Google Patents

Description

P. GRAMER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

N0. 111,818, 9 Patented Feb. 14. 1871.

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that Gtffitt P'HlLIPP GRAMER, 01F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 111,818, dated February 14,1871

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making put 0! the same ofthe same, is a true, clear, and exact deseri 'itionj thereof, reference being bad to the drawings.

Figure 1 represents, in cross-section, one of my ongines.

Figure .5 represents the samc, with one or its sides removed.

Figures 3 and 4 represent, in detail, a portion of the mechanism for controlling the operation 'ot' the valves.

The same letters of reli-rence are used in all the figures.

My engine is mounted upon a hollow-pipe shaft,

- through which steam is inducted to its interior. The

whole is ineased within a chamber into which exhaust steam is delivered and from which it is discharged.

For theqmrposes of illustration. 1 .have, prepared drawings which exhibit an engine ot' rectangular form, having upon opposit edges,-at or near each end, protrading chambers. I

I A represents the outer casing or chamber containiug the engine, and into which steam is discharged, and from \ghieh it escapes at a.

YB represents the main shaft, upon which the engine is mounted, and withwhich' it revolves. Its bearings are mounted in theilsidcs oi the chamber This main shaft is also the induction stoma-pipe, and at b the steam-pipe from the boiler is connected after the manner of such connections in oscillating engines.

0 represents the side and .oorrespoinling ends of the. exterior-of the engine.

1) represents the edges and. eorrespomling ends of .the same.

E is the main steam-chamber, into which steam is conducted direct from the boiler, by pipes, through pipe-shaft B, and in which the degree ol' steam press are is always the same as in the boiler, with which it has a direct connectitm.

F and F are auxiliary steanechambers, into which steam, at intervals, is alternately admitted from chamber E, and from which, at proper alternating mter *als, it is discharged into the outer chamber, within the walls or casing A, thence to space.

G is a slotted slide-block passing through a slotin the pipe-shaft B, and at right angles to it.

H and 11 are valve-rods,secured into the opposite ends of slide blocks G. Both operate valves in the main stezun-chambcr l5, rod 11 extending into auxililz u'y-chambci' 1?, and rod H extending into chamber I, and 1' are slide-valves, by which steam is per mittcd to escape through cductiou-ports c from themain into'the auxiliary-chambers. They are operated by the valve-rods H, to which they are attached,

in such a manner that when one valve is open the other is closed.

K and K are cylindrical chambers parallel with the valve-rod, and which form a port-ion of the partitions between the main and auxiliary steam-chambers. These chambers K have heads at their ends furthest from the pipe-shaft B, through which the valve-rods' pass in the usual manner oi piston-rods. A short distance from the inside of the heads, in the walls of these chambers, are several apertures (l, which open into the auxiliary chambers.

l) and L are plungers or pistons secured. to the. valve-rods, and fitted nicely to the interior of the cylindrical chambers K. These plungers are of a thickness greater thanthe diameter of the apertures 0, so that, when the plungers are opposite thereto, they are all completely closed. v

M and M are slide-valves in the auxiliary steamchambers. They are secured to and operated by the valve-rods 11, upon which they are so set that when UlI(-..,\'1\i\() is open the other is closed. J

These valves control auxiliary educt-ion-ports f, through which steam is permitted to escape into. space, or into the ii'iterior of the outer or-incasingchamber, and thence to space.

N is a pulley upon the main shaft 1%, from which power may be taken.

The operation oi'lhe ineehanism,tln1s i'ar described, is as follows:

Referring to fig. .3, main steam-chamber E, it will be observed that slide-valve I has closed the eduction-port 0, while the valve 1- is below its poi-t c,

which is, consequently, open.

In auxiliary steam-chamber l it will also be observed that its valve M, at port f, is open, while in chamber F valve 3 and portf are closed.

. Steam is let into the main chamber E, which freely.

escapes by port 0, valve 1, at right. angles to the line of the axis of the engine, into auxiliary chamberl",

thereby inducing a rotary motion of the engine in an opposite direction.

\Vhcn the pressure in the auxiliary chamber bc-. comes equal to that in the main, steam ceases to flow in that direction, and pressure is expended upon the piston L, which, having but ah atmospheric pressure at its back, gives way, movie the valve-mil in ,that direction. closing valve I am opening valve I permitting steam to flow through the port 0 into. aux- Mary-chamber F.

By this same action port f, by valve M, has been closed, while valve M, with its port, has been opened.

Auxiliar -chambcr F havin a )ressure eual to a c q.

that in the main chamber, discharges its .stearn through port f, at valve M, inducing by its action an accelerated rotary movement.

When the pressure in auxiliary-cliamber 1* equals that in the main chamber the pressure in chamber F has, become so reduced that the force of the steam'in.

its port f, as before described, contributing additional accelerated motion and power to the motor.

Each of the slide-valves is-provided with a spring, h, to secure proper engagement with its seat-.

It will be at once observed that, without some additional means to secure prompt action of the valverods H their motion would be-too sluggish, and the time occupied in effecting its changes of direction would be too great to secure a desirable aud'praetica-l result. I have, therefore, invented a means for securing the prompt action of the valves, which I will now proceed to describe.

O is a slide-rod,-extending nearly the length of the pipe-shaft B, in its interior.

Its inner end has abearing in a cross-piece secured to the inside of the pipe-shaft.-

It also has another bearing in the outer head of the pipe-shaft B, at 1', through which it extends.

- Its outer end is embraced with a sleeve, 7;, the ends of which are square, while the intermediate portion thereof is round. The square portion of the sleeve k is fitted to slide-bearings at each end.

Upon the outer end of the slide-rod 0 is a screwthread and nut. The latter is turned up on the rod until its inner face engages closely with the outer end of the sleeve k. 4

Upon the round portion of the sleeve It is mounted a conical loose pulley, Q, which has a vertical hearing at its inner end and a cam-face at its outer end.

A pin, set in the sleeve 7:, projects therefrom and engages with this cam-face in such a manner that, as the pulley revolves, the sleeve is thrown out, carrying with it the sliding rod 0, which, as the cam-face re-' cedes, follows it closely, being actuated by a spiral spring, I, which embraces the rod 0 within the pipe.- shaft B. 9 t

This rod 0, at the center of the engine, passes through the slot in the slide-block G, and at right angles thereto. j

On each side of the slide-block G there are correspondingshoulders,'as shown in figs. 3 and 4 more clearly.

Upon the sliding rod 0. are two stop-blocks, m and n, which, by means of spiral springs 1), are made to constantly press against the opposite-shouldered sides of the slide-block G.

- It is to be remembered that the stop-blocks m and n are so fitted to the slide-rod G as to slide freely thereon.

Betweerfitheir inner faces, securely pinned tothe rod 0, is a collar, shown in dotted lines in figs. '3 and 4, and marked 1".

Referring more particularly to fig. 5, it will -be ob served that the stop-block it engages with the shoulder in the slide-block G; consequently preventing the valve-rod from being moved in the direction of its ar- The lower valve being open and the upper closed. as shown in fig. 1, the pressure upon piston L is not permitted to move the red by reason of this stopblock a.

Upon drawing out the rod 0 in the direction of its arrow the collar 'r on the rod engages with the inner side of the block a and causes it to move with the rod and disengage from the'shoulder in the slide-block G. allowing the piston, valve-rods, and valves to move upward until the shoulder on the opposite side of the slide-block passes the stop-block m, which, by engaging therewith, (see fig. 4,) prevents any return action until the rod 0 is released and forced back by its spring, by which action the collar '1' engages. with the inner end of the stop-block m and forces it out from the shonlden'and so on at proper intervals, to be determiued by practice or as maybe required in each engine.

. Power may be applied to this conical pulley as it to an ordinary regulator or governor, towhich the usual devices may be attached for increasing or decreasing the speed thereof, and thus eflect the action of the rod 0, and thereby control the operation of the steamvalves.

Themotiou of the valves is very rapid, and the space in the cylinders L, between the apertures d and the inside of the cylinder-heads, is sufiicient to afford an air-cushion, upon which the force of the blow would be practically expended.

In practice, I. purpose to increase the number of the auxiliary-chambers to any-desired extent, in order that the power of the steam, when it shall pass from the final auxiliary-chamber into space, may be practically exhausted.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The main steam-chamber E,in combination with two or moreauxiliary steam-chambers F, mounted upon the pipe-shaft B, provided with suitable educ tion-valves, operated by the direct pressure of steam. and arranged to deliver twoor more columns 'or jets of steam into an interiororexterior-space at right angles to the line ofthe axis of the engine, substantiall-y as described.

2. In combination with a rotary steam-engine, barin g a main and two or more auiiliary steam-chambers, and valves operated by the direct pressure of steam, thesliding rod 0, stop-blocks m and a, sliding block G, and cam-pulley Q with sleeve k, the whole being arranged to control the action of the valves, substantially as shown and described.

PHILIPI ORAMER.

Witnesses:

WM. SANFORD,

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