US278841A - wells - Google Patents

Description

(lfIo Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

J. R. WELLS.

GOMPOUND BALANCED STEAM ENGINE. No. 278,841. v Patented June 5,1883.

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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheen 2.

J. R. WELLS.

COMPOUND BALANGED STEAMENGINE.

No. 278,841. Patented June 5,1883.

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(N fl Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. I

J. R. WELLS.

COMPOUND BALANCED STEAM ENGINE.

No. 278,841. Patented June 5,1883.

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JUSTIN R. ELLS, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK.

COMPOUNDBALANCED STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,841, dated June 5, 1883.

V Application filed December 15, 1882. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JUsTIN R. WELLs, of Brooklyn, Kings county, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Balanced Steam- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

I make an engine which is compact and may be conveniently portable, if desired, and which is compound, by which I mean working the steam first in a small cylinder and expanding afteiward in a larger 011e, the steam-pressure, momentum, and weight of its pistons and connections are perfectly balanced.

My invention consists in so arranging the cylinders and transmitting the power to the crank-shaft of a compound engine that all of the strains, either from steam-pressure or momentum of moving parts, are balanced, and by this means all the, friction the crank-shaft encounters in revolving in its bearings is that due to the force of gravity. The bedplate, columns, &c., are also largely relieved from strain, and the vibration or throb caused by the falling mass of one piston, piston-rod, and.

connecting-rod is entirely obviated by reason of the balance maintained by the simultane. ously and equally ascending mass of the other piston and connected parts. By reason of this relief from strain my engine can be constructed much lighter for the same power than any other form of engine, and on account of balanced momentum of moving parts I can attain a much higher piston speed, thereby reducing the engine in size, weight, and cost below any at present constructed. I accomplish this in the following manner: The high and low pressure cylinders are placed in line, one'on the top of the other, and rigidly connected. A rigid partition separates the high-pressure cylinder from the low-pressure cylinder. The highpressure piston connects by a pistonrod and eonnectingrod to a central crank. The lowpressure piston connects by two piston-rods and connecting-rods to two cranks, which latter are set directly opposite to the crank for the high-pressure piston, one 011 each side thereof. As the pistons work always in opposite directions, the valves of the two cylinders can be correspondingly worked in opposite directions. I connect both to a single lever, so

fixed to the main shaft 0.

that the weight of the valves is perfectly balanced. I employ a link-motion so arranged that a single link and actuating-eccentrics opvention.

The accompanyingdrawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation viewed in the line of the shaft, which shows the novel parts, with so much of the ordinary parts as is required to indicate their relation thereto. Fig. 1 is a perspective detail, showing the relative positions of the cranks. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan, showing the two cylinders and the adjacent parts. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line .9 s,Fig. 2. Fig. 4' is a vertical section on the broken line it 2, Fig. 2, showing the two cylinders with their respective pistons, piston-rods, and connecting-rods.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.-

A is the smaller and higlrpi'essure cylinder, and A is the steam-chest therefor. B is the larger or low-pressure cylinder, and B is the steam-chest therefor. The small piston traversing in the high-pressure cylinder is marked a. A single piston-rod, a, fixed in the center thereof, connects to a cross-head, a'-, which, by means of a connecting-rod, a, actuates one of the main cranks, a", formed in or rigidly The larger piston 7) in the low-pressure cylinder has two pistonrods, 1) b, fixed as near the rim as will allow for suitable packing-s. These two pistoirrods I) connect by two cross-heads, I) If, and two connecting' rods, I) I), with two main cranks, I)" 1)", formed in or keyed to the main shaft 0. The two cranks b* are parallel to each other, and are arranged on the shaft 0, on the oppo sit-c side from the single crank a".

O is the frame. 0 C are the outer slides. O C are the inner slides. These slides guide the cross-heads. The slides C serve both for the central croSshead, a, and for the two outer cross-heads, 1) b D is a lever turning on a fixed axis, (7, and receiving a vibrating motion through a pin, D, by means to be presently described. One end of the lever D actuates a valve, which controls the action of the steam in the highpressure cylinder A through a valve-stem. a, having a slot, which receives a pin, a, fixed on the lever D. The other end of the lever D actuates the valve b which controls the action of the steam'in the lowpressure cylinder B. It is actuated by a stem, I), hav ing a slot, 1), which receives a pin, 11*, fixed in the lever D, and vibrating therewith.

The steam discharged from the exhaust-port in the steam-chest A of the high-pressure cylinder-flows through a pipe, la, and serves as the live steam for the low-pressure cylinder B.

The spent steam from the low-pressure cylinder'is discharged through a pipe, F, into the atmosphere, or into a condenser. (Not represented.) The shaft 0 carries two eccentrics, O O", which receive straps O, actuating eccentric-rods 0, connecting to a link, P. This is the open Stevenson link, well known in steam-engineering, actuating the lever D by meansof a link;block, D", which fits tightly and easily in the curved slot in the link, and embraces the pin D, so as to communicate the motion of that portion of the link P to the pin 1), and consequently to the lever D. The link P receives a liberal rocking motion and a slight bodily motion from the two eccentrics O O", which are set nearly opposite to each other, and is controlled in position laterally by a link, R, which connects to a handdever, R, turning on a fixed center, and adjustable by any ordinary or suitable means, so that it may cause the link I to work in all the posi tions required in practice for going ahead with full steam, going backward with full steam, or

going in either direction with various degreesof expansion of the live steam and of compression of the exhaust.

The pistons and their connections should be of equal weightthat is to say, -the small piston a and its single piston-rod u, with its cross-- head and connections, should be made heavy,.

and the large piston b, its two piston-rods, 1), its two cross-heads, b-,two connecting-rods, I), and two cranks, b, should be made as light as consistent with strength, so that the parts will exactly balance each other, and the pistons will stand indifferently in any position in which they may be placed. hen the engine is running rapidly and the momentum of the parts becomes an important element, instead of, as in most engines, tending to violently shake the machine and its foundation, my en gine will run with any required degree of speed without any tendency to shake at all. My engine will run successfully in any position withoutv being fastened to its foundation.

The valves (1 b should be of equal weight, and the actuating-pins a and I) should be equidistant from the center (I of the lever D. The valves thus perfectly balance each other; or,

if the valves be of different size and weight, the spaces between the ports should be correspondingly modified, and the distance of the actuating-pins from the center (I of the lever D may be arranged so that the moment of their inertia will, be equal and the balance thus preserved.

The valves are actuated in equal times and to equal extents, always in opposite directions the one to the other., The motion is derived through the link P, and the shifting thereof produces the usual effect of giving more or less movement to the valves. When there is a large movement the steam follows for both in the large and small cylinder, and does not cushion in either. \Vhen the link is shifted to give less motion to the valves, the steam is cut off shorter and the exhaust is cushioned. My arrangement insures that the changes shall be equal in. both cylinders under all circumstances. sequently thelink P, from one extreme position to the other instantly reverses the action in both cylinders. I

Modifications may be made in the forms and proportions. I can use flat ordinary slides with corresponding flat cylinder-faces, instead of the pistonvalves and small cylinders for them to work in, which are shown. I can employ other means for connecting the lever D to the valve stems. I'can locate the pin D nearer the end of the lever I). I can work the link I at a point intermediate between the le ver D and the eccentrics, and employ a link from the lever l) to the link block. In such case I shall make the curvature of the link the reverse of that shown and shift the block instead of the link, such arrangement being what is known in locomotives as shifting-block, as distinguished from; the shifting-link, 7 mo tion.

One modification to which I attach much importance is to put the large cylinder below the small one, thus working the engine in the reversed position to that shown. An objection to such arrangement is that the single piston-rod of the small piston would in such case have to pass through two stuffing boxes or equivalent steam-tight devices, one in the fixed partition between the small cylinder and the large one, and another in the center of the large Throwing the hand-lever R, and conpiston, either of which would be difficult of ac cess for adj ustmcnt or repacking. I prefer the precise arrangement shown, for the reason, among others, that only three stuffing boxes are required for the three piston-rods, so that any leaks would instantly be discovered, and that each is easy of access for examination, adj ustment, or repacking.

I propose in ordinary cases to employ a sleeve or casing which shall cover that portion of each of the two piston-rods I) b where it runs close the-short distance shown; or, all such embracing and protection may be omitted, it being of course understood that those piston rods are necessarily stiff enough to maintain themselves, and that they are guided mainly or entirely by the cross heads b b running in the substantial slides O G O? 0".

Parts of the invention may be used without the whole. I can realize some of the advantages of the invention by other means of actuating the valves.

I claim as my invention- 1. The small cylinder A and larger cylinder B, arranged in line, as shown, in combination with the two pistons a 1), moving in opposite directions, and with three piston-rods, cross-heads, connecting-rods, and cranks, arranged for joint operation as and for the pun poses herein specified.

2. The valves (4 b and lever D, in combination with each other and suitable actuating means, and with the small cylinder A and large cylinder B and their respective pistons and connections, arranged in line and adapted to serve as herein specified.

3. The compound engine described, having the small cylinder A and larger cylinder B, arranged in line as shown, in combination with the eccentrics O O eccentric-rods 0*, link P, adjusting means R R,and lever D, operating the two valves (4 b so as to regulate and reverse the action in both cylinders by the movement of a single member, R, as and for the purposes herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, NewYork, this 4th day of December, 1882, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JUSTIN R. ELLS.

ll' itnesses:

A. E. FIRMIN, CHARLES R. SEARLE.

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