US478271A - Rotary engine - Google Patents

Description

NO MOael.) sheets-sheet 1. A. BEARD. ROTARY ENGINE. No. 478,271. APatented July 5, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. BEARD. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 478,271. Patented July 5, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

ANDREV BEARD, OF VVOODLAWN, ALABAMA.

- 'RoTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent NO. 478,271, dated July .5, 1892.

U Application filed January 25,1892. Serial No. 419,114. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I', ANDREW BEARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodlawn, in thel county of Jefferson and State of- Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, in which a piston head or heads are secured to a driving-shaft and revolve within an annular chamber, said piston head or heads being provided with pistons, which reciprocate in grooves formed in the heads, and the steam acting against the pistons causes the heads to rotate.

The object of my invention is to procure an eflicient and cheap engine of the above-namedconstruction which Will be balanced in its running parts. The steam being admitted between annular walls on the inside of the headpresses equally on all sides and does not force thehead and shaft to one side of. the bearing, as in the case of engines whicht-ake the steam on the outside of the head.

It is also an object of my invention to make an engine that can be easily reversed, which is accomplished by a simple appliance in the steam-chest, which is worked byl a convenient hand-lever that admits steam to the cylinder, cuts steam oft, and reverses the movement of the engine by diiferent movements of the lever. l attain these objects by the construction and arrangement of the parts fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical sectional View of the engine with one side of the casing and part of the central -partition removed to show the relative position of the heads and other internal appliances. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View through. the line a b. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one of the heads. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of one of the heads. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the steam chest and valves. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of one of the pistons, and Fig. 7 av plan View of the same.

strips.

Similarletters referto similar parts throughout the several views. A is the base or bed of the engine to secure lit to its foundation, consisting of two metal ycastings boltedsecurely to B, the central partition extending through the engine, dividingA it into two parts: In this central partition are the steam-'passages Y Y from the steamchest and the steam-ports H H, admitting the steam to the heads C C at each side of the partition. On both sides of the partition, secured by screws between the ports, are abutments or steam-stops Q Q, that fit in the annular spaces 1of the head C C and are made steam-tight by the metallic packing-strips R R, set out by springs inserted in recesses underneath the In the central partition B are metallic packing-rings I I to make a steam-joint to the .annular walls of the heads C C. They are fitted in annular grooves and set out by springs `inserted in recesses underneath them. tcentral partition B is the passage Z for oil, to

In the be fitted with any suitable oil-cup or lubricator, and by which the inner space of the heads vcan be kept filled with oil,.all inside working heads are the annular walls O O, andsome distance inside are second annular walls O O', leaving a space P P between them, in which the steam is admitted through the ports H H. Each head is fitted with two pistons T T, working in grooves in the heads C C. These pistons are reciprocated by cams formed on their inner ends working against rollersX X on the ends of a shaft or studsW W, secured in the central partition B. Onthe lower half of the revolution of the heads the cams hold the pistons out against the outer Walls of the heads O O. The pistons in this position form a stop against which the steam acts to rotate the heads. On the upper half of the revolution the cams Withdraw the pistons T T from too the outer walls of the heads to let the exhauststeam escape and to allow the pistons to pass the steam-abutments Q Q. Secured to the cen tral partition by this arrangement, one of the pistons is always against the `outer wall of the head, and the steam acting on it continues the engine in rotation.

The outer casings D D are recessed to inclose the heads and provided with flanges on their outer edges and are secured together by bolting them through the central partition B. The casings do not touch the heads at any part thereof and are provided with hubs or extensions on the outer sides for boxes or bearings for the shaft to work in, and on the outer ends are stuffing-boxes or glands E E. throughthe bearings in the casings and the central partition and revolves freely, and secured iirmly to the shaft are the heads C C, the revolving of the heads by the steamtcomm unieating a similar motion to the shaft. Secured on the upper end of the central partition is the steam-chest andvalves to control the starting, stopping, and reversing of the engine. The steam enters at G into cylinder J and through the cross-passage N to the vertical passage Y, leading to the engine.` Passing through the engine, it returns through the passage Y' to the cross-passage N', to the cylinder J', and to the exhaust-opening I. The admission of steam, starting and stopping, and reversing of the engine are performed by the workin g of the plungers K K, working in cylinder J .II and operated by rods L L and the hand-lever M. From the cylinder J J are cross-passages N N, in whichthe vertical passages Y Y to the engine are located. Then the plnngers K K are at opposite ends ofthe cylinder there is only one of the passages to the engine open` to the inletsteam and the other one opens to the exhaust. Then the plungers are in the center of the cylinders, steam is cut olf, and when the plunger-s are reversed it reverses the engine.

The operation of the engine is as follows: If the parts are in the position shown inthe drawings, the steam will be admitted by the inletopening G to the cylinder J and crosspassage N will enter the vertical passage Y and through the ports I-l l'I to the annular steam-space P P in the heads C C, and, press ing against the pistons T T, will cause the head and shaft to rotate when the pistons assume a horizontal position. The one in advance draws away from the outer wall of the The main drivingshaft F passes head and allows the steam behind it to escape through the ports I-I H and steampassage Y and the cross-passage N to the cylinder J and through the exhaust-opening I. versing the hand-lever to run the engine in the opposite direction the operation is the same, the inlet passages and ports becoming the exhaust and the exhaust passages and ports the inlet.

I am aware that prior to my invention rotary engines have been constructedwith heads and reciprocating pistons, and I do not claim such invention, broadly; but

IVhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isf l. In a rotary engine, the combination of the base with a central partition and heads on both sides, having casings on the outside recessed tovinclose the headsand secured together by bolts passing through flanges on their outer edges and the central partition, said heads having pistons with cam-loops on their inner ends working over rollers on the By re- 6o ends of shafts or studs secured in the central 8o partition to reciprocate the said pistons in grooves in the heads, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of the base with a central partition and heads `on both sides having casings on the outside` recessed to inclose the heads and secured: to gether by bolts passing through 'flanges on their outer edges and the central partition, and heads having pistons with ca1n1oops on their inner ends working over rollers on the ends of shafts or studs secured in the central partition to reciprocate the said` pistons in grooves in the heads and having a steam chest with reversing -lever and valves secured to the said central partition, with two steam-passages extending downwardly from the steam-chest through the central partition and opening on both sides and having abutments secured to both sides of the central partition between the ports, the said abutments filling the annular spaces in the piston-heads, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix iny signature in presence of two witnesses.

his ANDREW X BEARD.

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