US145281A - Improvement in steam and air engines - Google Patents

Description

F. .I. CROUCH.

Steamand Air-Engines.

No.145,281. Patented Dec.9,1873.

'II'I'.

mitmsws. lawman UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

FRANK J. CROUCH, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND AlR ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 145,2S1, dated December 9, 1673; application filed September 27, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. CROUCH, of San Jose',.Santa Clara county, State of California, have invented an Improved Steam and Air Engine; and 1 do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled. in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment.

My invention consists in superheating ordinary steam at the instant of putting it under the piston of a steam-engine, so that the full value ,of the power developed by superheating it will be obtained in driving the piston. To do this, I construct an engine of a peculiar style, which is at once compact and cheap, and which can be run with very little expen e for fuel.

In'orfir to explain my invention so that others will understand its construction and operation, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which--- 7 Figure 1 is a perspective view of my engine. Fig. 2 is a section, showing the cylinders in position over the fire-place. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, in elevation, showing the relative position of the parts.

A is a furnace, which may be constructed of iron or masonry, and is provided with a fire-place, M. B is an upright boiler, which is mounted upon one end of the furnace A, so that the heat and products of combustion from the furnace will pass up through the boiler and stack and heat the water in the boiler in the manner of an ordinary upright engine and boiler. Upon the opposite end of the furnace, and directly over the fire-place, I set two upright open-top cylinders, C C, so that their lower ends extend down into the fire-place through the top of the furnace. The pistons D D each consist of a tube of the de sired length, having a partition or diaphragm passing across its middle, thus forming a double cup-shaped piston, the tube serving as a guide to the moving piston. The pitman F of each piston is secured to the center of the diaphragm at its lower end, while its upper end is secured to a crank on the crank or driving shaft g. The pistons move up and down in the open-topped cylinders, being connected by their pitmen to double cranks on the crankshaft, so that the upward movement forces the other down alternately.

If desired, the cylinders C C can each be constructed with an inner' tube, which is smaller than the cylinder, and inside of whichthe piston moves. In this case, the space between the upper end of the cylinder and tube will be closed, and the tube will not extend quite to the bottom of the cylinder, thus providing a space or jacket between the two which communicates below the tube with the space below the piston. Suitable packing is secured around the pistons in order to render them steam tight in the cylinders. A tube, 1), which is provided with a proper valve, connects either with the space below the piston or with the jacket between the cylinder and its inner tube, through which a quantity of air will be drawn by the pumping action of the piston after the exhaust-valve closes and before the steam-port is opened for the upstroke of the piston.

These air-valves can be used or not, as desired, my improvement in working steam not depending. upon them, further than to use them as accessories.

It is the steam-chest, into which the steam is conveyed from the boiler by the pipe S, and T is the exhaustpipe which conveys the ex haust-steam after each stroke of the piston to the smoke-stack. The steam-valve is operated by crank, U, connecting-link V, and eccentric W from the main driving-shaft g.

The fire which heats the water in the boiler also heats that portion of the cylinders C O which extends down into the fire-place, and when thus heated, the steam which is admitted below the pistons is suddenly superheated by coming in contact with the heated chamber, and its power is greatly multiplied at the very instant and in the exact situation in which it will work effectively.

Superheated steam has heretofore been used in steam-cylinders, but it has always been superheated in an intermediate heater between the boiler and engine, and introduced into the cylinder in a highly-heated condition. While the cylinder was at a much lower temperature,

and while much better results were obtained in this way than in using steam at ordinary temperatures, the conditions were such that y the cylinder and piston were soon destroyed by the action of the superheated steam; but by my plan the cylinders themselves are kept at the highest temperature and made to serve as superheaters, as well as cylinders, giving the additional advantage of utilizing the explosion or sudden expansion caused by superheating at the instant the expansion occurs. In the present case I have shown an ordinary slide-valve for working the steam, but

7 it is manifest that any of the known methods of admitting steam and cutting off at diii'erent parts of the stroke may be employed, as may be found most suitable for the style of engine to be used. By actual tests with my engine a resulting advantage of three to one is obtained by using steam superheated on cylinder-heaters, as above described, over the use of steam at ordinary temperatures.

I am aware that water has been injected into the cylinder and there converted into steam under the piston. I therefore do not 3. The cylinders C 0, either with or without the air-valves p, in combination with their double cup-shaped pistons D D, pitmen F, and crank-shaft g, substantially as and for the purpose above described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal.

FRANK J. CROUCH. Witnesses:

W. W. S'row, U. M. RICHARDSON.

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