US434364A - Engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

A. E. STEPHENSON.

ENGINE.

Pater ted Aug. 12. 1890.

A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI ADOLF F. STEPHENSON, OF STROMSBURG, NEBRASKA.

ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,364, dated August 12, 1890.

Application filed May 3, 1890. Serial No. 360,445. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLF F. STEPHENSON, of Stromsburg, in the county of Polk and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a I new and improved engine which is simple and durable in construction, very effective in operation, utilizes the steam to the greatest advantage, and is adapted to be run at a very high rate of speed.

The invention consists in certain parts and details, and combinations of the same, as will be described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of part of the improvement on the line a: 00 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of part of the improvement.

The improved engine is mounted on a suit-.

ably-constructed base A, supporting a ring B, having spokes O, on which and on the interior of the ring 13 are secured the cylinders D, D, and D placed equal distances apart and arranged radially, as is plainly shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

In the cylinders D, D, and D are fitted to slide the pistons E, E, and E respectively, provided with piston-rods F, F, and F respectively, connected with the pitmen G, G, and G respectively, of which the pitman G is provided with an enlargement G on which the other two pitmen G and G2 are pivoted, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. The enlargement or head G of the pitman G is pivotally connected with the crank H secured to the main driving-shaft I, mounted to turn with one end in a suitable bearing formed on the spokes O. The main driving-shaft I is also provided with the usual fly-wheel J.

On the outside of the ring B, near the cylinders D, D, and D are held the steam-chests K, K, and K respectively, of which the steam-chest K is connected with the steaminlet pipe L, leading to a suitable source of steam supply. The said steam-chest K" is also connected by the pipes N and N with the other steam-chests K and K so that live steam entering the pipe L can pass from the steam-chest K to the other steam-chests K and K so that all three steam-chests are continually filled with the motive agent.

In the several steam-chests are fitted to slide the ordinary slide-valves O, O, and 0 respectively, adapted to connect alternately the interior of the steam-chest with the steam-inlet port a leading to the respective cylinder, and the said valves are also adapted to connect the inlet-port a with the exhaust-port b, opening to the outside through the' ring B. The several valves 0, O, and 0 are operated by arms P P P, respectively, secured on the shafts P mounted to turn in the steamchests, and each carrying on its outer end an arm P pivotally connected with the eccentricrods Q, Q, and Q respectively, fastened on the eccentric-strap R, fitted onto the eccentric S, secured on one end of the main driving-shaft I.

The operation is as follows: Live steam enters the steam-inlet pipe L to fill the several steam-chests K, K, and K from which the steam passes alternately by the several valves 0, O, and 0 through the respective ports at alternately to the cylinders D, D, and D to force the pistons E, E ,and E inward. This movement of the first piston E causes the crank-arm H to turn in the direction of the arrow a, so that a rotary motion is imparted to the main driving-shaft I. At the same time the valve 0 is about to commence to open its port a. into the steam-chest K, so that live steam can pass from the said steam-chest K through the ports a into the outer end of the cylinder D to force piston E therein inward, thus assisting the piston E in turning the crank-arm II in the direction of the arrow a. At the same time that the piston E commences its inward movement the piston E moves outward and the valve 0 connects the ports a and b so that the steam in the cylinder D can escape to the outside. When the shaft I turns in the direction previously mentioned, the eccentric S causes a sliding movement of the valves 0, O, and 0 so that the several valves alternately open and close the inlet and outlet ports in the several steam-chests,

as previously described-that is, when the piston is at the end of its outermost stroke, the valves commence to connect the interior of the steam-chest with the inlet-port to allow the motive agent to pass into the cylinder, and when the respective piston is at its innermost stroke, the valves are in such a position as to connect ports a and b with each other, thereby permitting the steam (the piston being on its return-stroke) to exhaust from the cylinder. It will be seen that the motive agent acts at all times on two pistons to impart motion to the main driviugshaft I, so that no dead-center whatever is encountered. It will further be seen that the engine is very simple in construction, and hence not liable to get out of order easily.

Instead of moving the several valves in the manner described, two of the eccentric-rods may be omitted and only one employed, as shown in Fig. 4. In this case the arm P is connected by a link T with a ring U, pivotally connected with the several arms P on the other steam-chests, so that the movementimparted by the eccentric to the arm P" is transmitted simultaneously by the ring U to the other arms. The operation remains the same as previously described with reference to the other figures. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In an engine, the combination, with a support and a main shaft mounted therein, of radially-arranged cylinders within the frame, pistons working in the cylinders and connected to a single crank-arm of the shaft, steam chests mounted on the frame outside of the cylinders and communicating therewith and with each other, and valves in the steam- 4o chests and operated from an eccentric on the said shaft, substantially as described.

2. In an engine, the combination, with a supporting-frame and a shaft mounted therein and provided with a crank and an eeeentrio, of radially-arranged cylinders within the frame, pistons working in the cylinders and connected to the crank of the shaft, steamchests mounted on the frame outside of the cylinders and provided with ports leading to the cylinders and with exhaust-ports, pipes connecting the several chests, slide-valves in said chests, and connections between the slidevalves and the eccentric of the shaft, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In an engine, the combination, with a ring having radial spokes and a shaft mounted in said ring and provided with a crank-arm and an eccentric, of cylinders secured to the spokes and ring, pistons working in the cyl- 6o inders, pitmen pivotally connected together and one pivotally connected to the crank of the shaft, steam-chests outside of the ring and provided with ports leading to the cylinders and with exhaust-ports, pipes connecting the chests, slide-valves in the chests, shafts connected to the valves and provided with arms, and rods connected with the said arms and eccentric, substantially as herein shown and described.

ADOLF F. STEPHENSON. Witnesses:

G. B. DENNISON, O. NE'rsELL.

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