US1389874A

US1389874A - Rotary steam-engine

Info

Publication number: US1389874A
Application number: US404749A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert C Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-08-20
Filing date: 1920-08-20
Publication date: 1921-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 1938-09-06

Description

A. C. JOHNSON. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 1920.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- F 7 .42 5 45 L m Wm 40 W 44 7 45 J4 J0 IE L W i 1'' -4 I R *1. ski Q HHUI] (7 2 I MIME flab/27245022 INVENTOR AITORNEY 5 A. c. JOHNSON. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-20, 1920. 1 89,874. PatentedSept. 6, 1921.

J4 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- o O r I. I O O Mach/away,

INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. C. JOHNSON.

ROTARY .STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION man AUG-20, 1920.

ATTORNEY A. C. JOHNSON.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATlON FILED AUG. 20. 192o.

PatentedSept. 6,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ATTORNEY 1 which UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

noTAitY STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

Application filed August 20, 1920. Serial No. 404,749.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT C. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stillwater, in the county of Washington and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, particularly to that type employing the eX- pansible action of fluids as driving means, and has for its object the provisionof a rotary steam engine in which the rotor is evenly balanced as the steamis admitted simultaneously at opposite sides and this balancing will result in elimination of the greater part of the vibration present in most engines.

Another object is the provision of an engine of this character in which the steam inlet and exhaust ports are widely separated and do not overlap, the advantage being that the different parts of the cylinder will be maintained at substantially an even temperature, thereby reducing condensation and obtaining the maximum effect of the "expansible power of the steam. V

An important object is the provision of an engine of this character provided withanautomatic centrifugal governorwhereby to automatically control the-inlet of steam to admit a greater or less amount thereof as required by different loads so that the action and speed of the enginewill be uniform.

An additional object is the provision of an engine of this character which will be comparatively simple in construction, highly efficient in use, positive in action, durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in thedetails of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated. in the accompanying drawings in Figure 1 is a. plan View of the complete engine,

2 is an elevationof one side thereof, Fig. 3, is an elevation of the opposite side with the fly-wheel removed,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section,

Fig. 5 is a central cross sectional view, taken'on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4:,

Fig. '6 is a cross sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. '1,

ings, the numeral 15 designates the base ofthe engine upon which is mounted a cylinder 16 which has formed upon its opposite sides extensions 17 constituting valve cages. The cylinder 16 is formed substantially ringlike and has journaled centrally therethrough a shaft 18 upon which is keyed a rotor 19 provided at diametrically opposite points with pistons 20 having the usual packing rings 21. The central portion 22 of the rotor is provided with concentric grooves 23 opposite similar grooves 24 in the opposite walls of the cylinder and these grooves cooperate to form traps for water of condensation and oil which will fill the grooves and serve as a seal for preventing leakage of compression from the interior of the cylinder to the slight space around the shaft.

Formed in one wall of the cylinder 16 adjacent the cages 17 are exhaust ports 25 which lead to any suitable pipes or to an exhaust manifold. Also formed in the wall of the cylinder 16 at each cage 17 is an arcuate inlet port 26 which is concentric with the center of the cage.

Located within each cage 17 is a rotary rotor when in a certain position. This valve 27 is provided at its other end with a flange 30,adapted to cover the adjacent inlet port 26 and this flange is formed with a cut-out portion 31 of less length than the port 26 but adapted to register therewith. The valve 27 is formed with shallow pockets 31 which communicate with the cylinder ports to exert a balancing action and to reduce friction during rotation of the valve under pressure. Carried by the stem 28 of each valve 27 is .a disk 32 having projecting therefrom a series of pins 33 arranged in a circular series eccentrio with respect to the stem 28.

Carried by one end of the shaft 18 is an elliptical gear 3 1 having a series of teeth 35, there being twice as many of these teeth 35 as pins 33 and the gear 34is of course so disposed with respect to the disks 32 carrying the pins that the pins will be successively engaged by the teeth. As the rotor 19 is rotated the gear 34 will also be roitated and will operate to rotate the valves out a portion of a revolution and will have their movement retarded during the remainder of the revolution, this retardation being necessary to permit the passage of the pistons 20 through the cut-out portions ,29 of the valves. 7 As the rotor carries two pistons itis obvious that theremust be twice as i many teeth 35 as pins 33 so that each valve 27 will make two revolutions to one revolution of the rotor.

Disposed within each cage17 and engaging the flange 30 of the valve 27, is a control disk 36 between which and the adjacent end of the cage is provided a chamber 37 into which extends the inlet pipe 38. This disk 36 is formed at its periphery'with a cut-out portion 39 adapted to register with the cut-out portion 31 of the flange 30 during rotation of the valve so as to control the admission of steam to the cylinder through the port 26. Each disk 36 carries a stem 40 upon which is secured a crank arm 41 and-these crank arms 41 are connected by links 42 with pins 43 extending from a dlsk 44 journaled upon a shaft 45. Connected with this disk 44, as shown at 46, is a link 47 which is connected with a fork 48 engaged by a sliding collar 49 on a vertical governor shaft 50 and this collar 49 has connected therewith links 51 which are in turn connected with arms 52 carrying .Weights 53 and pivoted upona ring 54 carried bythe governor shaft. This type of governor is well known and it will be seen that the outward or inward movement .of the weighted arms 52 will control the passage of the fork 48so as to move the disk 44 and The face of the disk 36 engaging the flange 30 is depressed, as indicated, so as to reduce the bearing area and consequently reduce friction. The end of the cage toward the valve 27 at the end thereof provided with u the stem 28, is formed with an annular channel 56 with which communicates a passage 57 leading into the cut-out portion 29 of the valve and the purpose of this channel is that steam at boiler pressure may enter thereln and serve'as an end thrust to hold the valve against the disk 36.

In-the operation of the device it will be seen that steam entering the chambers 37 as abutments and radial movement willthus v be imparted to the rotor 19. Spent steam in advance of the pistons20 will of course be forced out through the exhaust ports 25. As therotor 19 is keyed upon the shaft 18 and as the gear 34 is also keyedupon the shaftlS the gear 34 meshing with the eccen-V tric series of pins 33 will cause the proper rotation of the valves 27 to control the inlet of steam. When the engineis operating under different load conditions it will be seen that the governor mechanism will operate to shift the disk 44 and consequently the disks 36 so as to control the quantity of, steam en,- tering the cylinder. V i

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawingsv it will beapparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed rotary engine in which the action will be smooth and practically free from vibration as the inlet and exhaust occur simultaneously at both sides of-theengine at' diametrically opposite points so that a per;

fectly balanced action is obtained. It, will also be observed that the inlet and exhaust ports are comparatively widely separated so that the. heat throughout all parts of 'the engine will be substantially uniform-which will result in' minimizing the amount of condensation and in insuring more eflicient action.

While I have shown and describedthe preferred embodiment of my invention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes intheform,

construction, and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the inivention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my inventionr I claim:

1. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder formed at diametrically opposite sides with extensions constituting valve cages and formed at diametrically opposite points with intake ports leading-into theend portions of said extensions, inlet pipes leading into said extensions, said cylinder also being provided with outlet portsyashaft journaled through the cylinder, a rotor onsaid shaft and provided with diametrically opposite pistons, a rotary valve within each extension and having a cut-Way portion for the passage of said pistons at certain predetermined points in the relative rotation of the rotor and valve, each valve being provided with a port adapted to register with the associated intake port of the cylinder, a disk within eachextension having a port with which the port in said valve is adapted to register, means for rotating said valves simultaneously, said means comprising toothed wheels carried by said valves and mounted eccentrically thereon, and an elliptical toothed wheel carried by the shaft and meshing with said toothed wheels.

2. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder formed at diametrically opposite sides with extensions constituting valve cages and formed at diametrically opposite points with intake ports leading into the end portions of said extensions, inlet pipes leading into said extensions, said cylinder also being provided with outlet ports, a shaft journaled through the cylinder, a rotor on said shaft and provided with diametrically opposite pistons, a rotary valve within each extension and having a cut-away portion for the passage of said pistons at certain predetermined points in the relative rotation of the rotor and valves, each valve being provided with a port adapted to register with the associated intake port of the cylinder, a disk within each extension having a port with which the port in said valve is adapted to register, means for rotating said valves simultaneously, said means comprising toothed wheels carried by said valves and mounted eccentrically thereon, and an elliptical toothed wheel carried by the shaft and meshing with said toothed wheels, the number of teeth in said elliptical toothed wheel being double the number of the teeth in either of the first named toothed wheels.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALBERT C. JOHNSON.