US592284A - Rotary engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. S. E. FERGUSON. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 592,284. Patented oct. 26, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.,

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,284, dated October 2G, 1897.

4 Application filed March 31, 1897. Serial No. 630.117. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: c

Be it known that I, SILVESTRE E. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka Springs,in the county of Carroll and State of Arkansas, have invented a new anduseful Rotary Engine, of which the following is specifica-tion. c c

My inventionl relates to rotary engines of object to provide a simple and efficient con# struction and arrangement of parts, including a fixed abutment adapted to recedeto allow the moving abutment or wing of the piston to pass without obstruction; to provide adjustable meansfor actuating or yieldinglyI holding the fixed abutment in its operative position; to provide actuating. means forthe fixed abutment whereby it may be locked in its repressed position, and, furthermore,to provide efficient means wherebythe piston may be reversed.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will. appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly, pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention, taken in the plane of and through one ofgthe cylinders, and reversed, fixed, and moving abutment-s of the other cylinder being indicated in dot`V ted lines. Fig. 2 is a transverse section in the plane of the axis'of the piston Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of one of the xed responding parts in all the iiguresof the draw;`

ings.

The casingl of the engine embodying my invention-incloses a'rotary piston 2, havinga peripheral web 3, by which the interior of the casing is divided to form independent cylinders 4 and 5, said piston having a shaft 6, fit* ted with any suitable means, as apulley 7, for

communicating power to mechanism; to. be driven. The preferred construction of piston is illustrated in the drawings, wherein the inner wall of the annular casing is formed by yto divide the interior of the casing, as above indicated, and being seated in a groove in the inner surface of the outer annular Wall of the f the concentric-piston type, and has for. its4 IO' casing, Vas clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thecasing is provided with an inlet-port 8 in communication with eachcylinder and controlled 'by a throttle-valve 9, arranged in a valve-chamber 10, said valve-casing being in communication' With a supply-.conductor 11 for steam, compressed air, or other motive agent. The stem 12 of the valve is attached .c te a reversing-lever 13. It will be understood that the valve, With its stemv and lever, is duplicated when the engine is constructed with twin cylinders, as above described.

14 represents the exhaust-port,

The piston carries a moving abutment 15, Which operates in the cylinder'to receive the pressure of the motive agent and communicate motion to the piston, the motive agent being confined betweenthis moving abutment and a fixed 'abutment 16, whichis mounted in a cavity or recessfl in the ,wall of the shell and isnormally and yieldingly held extended in therpath of thei moving abutment, said -moving abutment being beveled to form a cam-face A13, which bears against the upper ,surface ,of the fixed abutment to depress Vthe latter out of its path.

The means Which I have illustrated in the drawings f or yieldingly maintaining the fixed 'abutment in its operative position include a rocker 19, fulcrumed to any suitable portion of the frame of the mechanism, as at 20, and having an arm 21, which is connected to the exposed end of a stem 22, pivot-ally connected to the free end of the fixed abutment. The stem extends through a stufng-box 23.

The rocker is provided with oppositely-extending guides 24e and 25, upon which are mounted to slide the retracting and extending weights 26 and 27, connected for simultaneous movement, and adapted, by adjustment upon the arms 24 and 25, to actuate the Vrocker to hold the fixed abutment eitherV `extended or retracted. For instance, when the weights are arranged as illustrated in Fig. l. (the weight 2G being contiguous to the fulcruin of the rocker, while the weight 27 is at the outer extremity of the arin 25) the fixed abutment is yieldingly held in its extended position, whereas by reversing the position oi these weights, to arrange the weight 2G near the outer extieinity of the arm 2i and the weight 27 contiguous to the fulcruin ofthe rocker, the fixed abutment will be held in its retracted position, or out of the path of the moving abutment l5. The means which I have illustrated in the drawings for adjusting these weights includes a hand-lever 2Q and a rod or pitman 29.

It will be understood that with the double-cylinder construction hereinbefore nientioiied the moving abutment is arranged at opposite sides of the web 3 in reversed positions, as also is the fixed abutment, whereby the motive agent admitted respectively into t-lie cylinders will cause rotation of the piston in opposite directions. It will be understood, furthermore, that the above-described meehanisin for actuating the fixed abutment is duplicated, whereby when one abutment is arranged in operative position the other is retracted to enable the engine to be driven in either direction required.

In Fig. si I have shown an improved construction of operating device for the fixed abutment in which a sprintT 30 is employed in lieu of the yielding weignted lever shown in Figs. l and 3, one end of said spring being fixed to the base or bed plate of the casing and the other being attached to the projecting extremity of the stein 22, which is connected to the fixed abutment. The free end ot the spring preferably projects slightly beyond the plane of the stein and is engaged by one arm of a rocking trip 3l, of bell-crank construction, the other arm of said trip being connected by means of a rod 32 with a handlever 33. Any suitable means may be employed for securing the handlever at the desired adjustment, either with the fixed abutment depressed or released, such as a gravitylatch 34, having notches for engaging a lateral pin 30 on said lever.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is l. A rot-ary engine having a casing comprising side walls and an annular outer wall, having a continuous groove in its inner surface, a concentric piston having-a rim forming the inner of the concentric walls of the casing, and provided with a peripheral web projecting radially from the outer surface of its rim, and peripherally seated in said groove in the outer wall of the casing, to divide the interior of the casing into coaxial non-eoin miiuieatin g cylinders, moving abiitineiits earried by said web respectively at its opposite sides, to operate in said cylinders, the abutment in one cylinder being reversed in position to that in the other cylinder, relativelyreversed fixed abutmeiits disposed respectively in the cylinders and yieldiiigly held in their operative positions in the paths of the moving abutmeiits, means for securing either fixed abutment in a retracted position, out of the path of the cooperating moving abutments, and valve mechanism for controlling the admission ci". motive agent, whereby the same may be applied to either of said cyliiiders, substantially as specified.

2. 'A rotary engine having a casing, a concentric piston provided with a moving abutment having a cam-face, a fixed abutment arranged in the path of the moving abutment and capable of radial movement into and out of the path of said moving abutment, and means for yieldingly holding the fixed abutment in its operative position, said means including a rocker operatively connected with the fixed abutment and having adjustable opposing eoiinterpoises adapted to hold the abutment either extended or retracted, substantially as specified.

3. In a rotary engine, the coinbination with 'a cylinder, a concentric piston having a moving abutment, and a fixed abutment mounted in the cylinder for movement into and out et the path of the moving abutment, of a rocker operatively connected to said fixed abutment and having oppositely-extended guides, and connected weights mounted respectively upon said guides and adapted to be arranged at relatively different distances from the fulcru m of the rocker to vary the position of the fixed abutment, substantially as specified.

i. In a rotary engine, the combination with. a cylinder, a piston having a moving abutinent,and a pivotal fixed abutment, of a rocker having an adjustable actuating weight, a stem connecting the fixed abutment with an arm of said rocker, and means for securing the fixed abutment in its depressed position, substantially as specified.

5. In arotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, a piston having a moving abutment, and a fixed abutment mounted for movement into and out of the path of the moving abutment, of a rocker having oppositely-extendcd guides, connections between the fixed abutment and the rocker, connected weightsmountedrespectivelyupon the guides of the rocker, and means, as a hand-lever, for simultaneously shifting the weights to vary their positions with relation to the fulcruin of the rocker, substantially as specified.

C. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, a piston having a moving abutment, anda fixed abutment adapted to be extended to normally occupy a position in op erative relation with the pistoi'uand mounted for retraction or folding by gravity, of' actuating means, operatively connected with a stem of the fixed abutment, for holding the IIO fixed abutment yieldingiy extended in oppo- In testimony that I Claim the foregoing as sition to gravity, and4 devices operatively my own I have hereto afiixed my signature connected With said actuating means, for rein the presence of two Witnesses.

lieving the stem of the abutment of the pres- SILVESTER E. FERGUSON. sure thereof, whereby said abutment is al- Witnesses:

lowed to fold by gravity, substantially as J. N. HAGGARD,

specified. 1 v l J. A. DIoKsoN.

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