US376459A - Multiple-cylinder steam-engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I' '8 i MULTIPLE CYLINDER STEAM ENGINE.

No. 376,459. Patented Jan. 17, 1888.

Snom/Lto@ `UNITED STATES DAN WILKINSON, OF PERU, INDIANA.

PATENT Grimes..

MULTIPLE-CYUNDER STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 376,459, dated January 17, 1888.

Application filed August 23, 18H7. Serial No. 217,652.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAN VVI'LKINSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Peru, in the county of Miami and Stateot' Indiana, have invented certain new and use ful Improvementsin Multiple-Cylinder Steam- Engiues, of which the following is a specifica tion, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to steam-engines of the class termed multiple-cylinder, and it has for its object to provide an engine of this class whose crankshaft, by reason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of itself and connected parts, shall be perfectly balanced at all points in its revolution, thus avoiding friction and admitting of a high rate of speed.

The invention will lirst be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective View of a two-cylinder steam-engine illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the pistons at full stroke.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the bed-plate resting-on standards a and support ing the cylinders, guides, cross-heads, counecting-rods, crank, iy-wheel, eccentrics, and valve-stems. Midway of the bed-plate there is a transverse opening or depression, a', to allow of the rotationot' the crank-shaft.

B B are the steam-cylinders, placed opposite each other on the bedplate, as shown, and secured theretoin any suitable manner, and G C are the steam-chests, D D the steam-supply pipes, and E E' the exhaust-pipes.

F'represents the piston-rods; G, the cross. heads; H, the guides for'the cross-heads, and I I the connecting-rods, one of which, I, is forked, as shown, and both of which are pivoted to the cross-heads in direct alignment with the pistonrods.'

.I represents the crank-shaft, journaled in pillow-blocksj on the bed-plateA midway between the cylinders. This shaft is constructed with four arms, 1 2 3 4, joined together by integrally-formed round portions, (not seem) on which the forward ends of the connectingrods are j ournaled, the forked rod I being journalcd between arms l and Zand 3 and 4, and

(No model.)

the straight rod I between arms 2 and 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, it being understood that the fork of rod I is of sufficient length and width to allow arms 2 and 3 to pass through it in the revolution of the shaft. The arms are of proper weight to balance the shaft with the ily-wheel and eccentrics attached.

K is the fly-wheel.

The cylinders are exact duplicates, as are also the valves, ports, and piston-rods, and y the connecting-rods andeccentrics are of equal weight, uniformly distributed along their en tire length. Now, with the y-wheel accurately balanced the crank-shaft will be equally balanced at any and all points in its revolution, and as the connecting-rods exert their power in direct lines with the piston-rods ex cessi ve friction and all lateral strains on t-he moving parts are avoided, and as a consequence a high rate of speed is attainable with safety to the engine.

I am aware that a two cylinder engine whose cylinders are each the counterpart of the other mounted opposite each other on a continuous bed-plate, and whose connecting-rods operate on a common crank-shaft located midway between the cylinders, is not new; but, so far as I am aware, while the pistons connect centrally with the cross heads, the connecting rods are set to one side of this center, and also connect correspondingly with the crank-shaft. Such construction results in a continuons transverse strain on the stuffing-boxes ofthe cylinders, the connections of the pistons and the connecting-rods at the cross-heads, and onthe boxiugs supporting the crank-shaft; and it also results, when a high speed is attempted, in un due friction and heating, which can be obviated only .by running at ordinary speed.

Y Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is t 1. In a multiple-cylinder engine, the combination, with acontinnous bed-plate, of two cylinders of equal size set opposite each other on said plate, two pistons, two guides, two erossheads to which the pistons are centrally attached, a crank-shaft having three points of attach ment'for the connectingrods and located in bearings on the said bed-plate midway between the cylinders, and two connecting-rods,

ICO

one of which is forked and the other straight, straight connecting-rods attached to the crossattaehed at their rear ends to the cross-heads heads and to the crank-shaft, in the manner in alignment with the pistons and at their forshown and described.

ward ends to the crankshaft, all constructed In testimony whereof I nfx my signature in 5 in the manner described. presence of two witnesses.

2. In an engine of the class described mount- T ed on a continuous bed-p1ate, the crank-shaft DAN VVILKID SON' mounted midway between the cylinders and having four arms, in combination with the 1o y-wheel, the eccentrics, and the forked and Witnesses:

J AMEs M. BROWN, NATT N. ANTRIM.

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