US8345A - Equalizer ob power-regulator - Google Patents

Description

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED GREGORY, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

EQUALIZER OR POWER-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED GREGORY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements on the Apparatus known as an Equalizer for Steam and other Engines, which im roved apparatus I denominate a Poweregulator; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a side view of a beam condensing engine with the power regulator' attached, (the` cylinders being represented broken to show the position of the pistons). Fig. 2, is a plan of the same. `The same letters of reference point out similar parts in both figures,

The nature of my invention consists in causing the steam, gas, or other proliiellingv medium, contained in the boiler or reservoir, which supplies the engine, to operate (in lieu of air under ordinary atmospheric pressure as heretofore) upon the piston of the equalizer the said piston being connected with the engine or other mover and operating therewith in a similar manner as with former equalizers or in any other appropriate way.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation. Before however commencing so to do, and with reference to the arrangement selected for illustration, it may be advisable to state, that my improved apparatus is here intended to have for its object or performance, t-he reduction of irregularity in force of an engine, lwhen steam worked eXpansively is used, it being however also applicable to other prime, subsidiary or counter movers, deriving their effect from similar or other elastic force or pressure for the production of the same or similar results; and further, any suitable arrangement of parts may be adopted according to will or the description of engine or other mover, my improved apparatus is intended to be attached to, such arrangement or application producing no essential difference in the eifect and being substantially the same as the following example selected for illustration, in which my improved equalizer or what I denominate a power regulator is 8,345, dated September 9, 1851.

shown connected with an ordinary beam condensing steam engine, of which A is the cylinder, A1 the engine piston giving motion to the beam B, C the connecting rod,

the crank and E the driving shaft.

E is the steam boiler for supplying the engine, G the cold well containing the condenser H and air pump I.

J is the valve box which may carry any suitabler slide valve within it, or any other appropriate form of valve may be used and fixed or variable cut-off employed.

K is the pipe conveying the steam from the boiler to the engine and L is the escape pipe connected with the condenser.

M is the regulator (or equalizer cylinder, of any convenient depth, N a pipe establishing a communication between the steam capacity of the boiler and cylinder M at its top; O a pipe establishing a communication by passage a Fig. l, between the condenser and cylinder M at its bottom, which relative position of the pipes N, O, however, for a modified arrangement of working, may be reversed or otherwise varied, and1 the steam pipe N, only, if desired, be usec.

P is the regulator piston within the cylinder M, it is shown to receive its reciprocating motion of two strokes for one of the engine in the following manner.

Q is the rod of the piston P, guided in a perpendicular direct-ion by a block working in between guide pieces c, c, attached to the standard R.

S is a connecting rod for operating the pist-on P; the rod S is worked from an arm T, which together with another arm U, constitutes a bell crank, that is made to vibrate on a shaft V through means of a rod WV attached to the end of the engine-beam; the point of attachment of the rod S on the arm T may be varied through provision made by a slot d, the rod S being secured to the arm T by friction nuts e, e, and bolt passing through theslot (Z, so that by varying the point of attachment of the rod S on the' arm T a greater or less length of stroke is given to the piston P for the purpose of making more or less powerful, as required, the effect of the regulator or equalizer; any other mechanical arrangement however, for driving or working the piston P may be adopted. The piston P, it will be seen, by reference to the arcs described (shown in Fig. l) of the arms T and U, receives, in an easy manner, the necessary movement -of two strokesefor one of the engine piston. Y

In the operation of my improvedapparatus, supposing steam to be cut oii' early in the engine stroke, then 'the attendant' variableness of propelling power as caused by the expansion of the steam, is, by the adoption of an equalizer, as described, rendered less important, and a similar effeet, approximating toward an equality of driving force, produced, as is the case with other equalizers AWhere a vacuum vhas been employed, but by yconnecting theequalizer Withthe boiler, not only is the equalizer yrendered, for a given compactness', morevpowerful, by reason of, say steam at high pressure, operating upon it, but also a self'ad justing effect given it, which causesy itl to maintain a lxed relative force whatever may be the iiuctuation of the propellingmed ium driving the engine, Vby reason orl ,the piston P and engine piston both being operated upon by the same propelling `medium derived from the same boilerA or reservoir; which improvement I claim to be "nevi/,and to possess great advantage, for, where the apparatus is connected with, a condensing engine as represented, andl the vacuum 'of the condenser broughtl also to bear upon, the opposite face of 'thepiston P as shown, (whichlatter arrangement, of vacuum alone, without the assistance Aofthe steam lor propeiling medium is not new) then,iby the combination of Eforc'es as described, a fixed yrelative'eftect is given to the equalizer whatever may b'e the fluctuation in the boiler or condenser; or, if the apparatus beattached to a noncondensing engine, then thest'eam alone operating uponone lface of the piston .P whilexits,opposite face is exposed to the atmosphere,

feet of fequalizer Vwith the engine toube plies the engine.' y

'causes also a xed'relative ei?-` Y maintained, as is the case in the previous instance described, noamatterrwhat iiuctuation ofpropelling medium may occur, which advantage is for the most part the aim of my invention, and invests the equalizer with V`a more perfect selfadjusting proportionate eiiect than has hitherto been gained by the sole employment of a separate force to that which drives the engine.

The action otherwise of my apparatus, it will be seen diiers not materially, from that of otherequaliZerS, it acting alternately as avdrag andfauxiliary during a'performance of the, engine i StOI1SSr01i @thf Wely, for the' establishment of an equalization'of force or eEect approximatingthereto; 4which faction it is unnecessary further to describe, andalso equally runnecessary to specify'the vmany instances ofthe applicability oflsuch improved apparatus; but having thusfully set fort-h that ,which forms my invention,

4I will `proceed'distinctlylto state, that I do not claim `the mere employment,v as .an equalizer o r regulator, o f aqplston operated by', and' acting against pressure,'al

ternately, each stroke, the said piston vhaving two strokes for lone ofthe engine or other ,moverit ,works iny connection with,l as such has already been done, nor'do I, claim, separately, exposing the ,equalizer i piston togthe vacuumof the condenser. But-4" 'l f What I'A do olaimvajs my' invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

I ,Thel use of steam, or other gas, to operate upon the pistonA of theyjpower regulator-or f equalizerff. the said steam or'gas being 'derived Ifromthe same reservoir thatpsup- ALFRED Gandour'.Aj

.1Wtnesseso4 y u A. i, HENRY T. BrowlA e v, A.. Helem-

Images