US902472A

US902472A - Rotary engine.

Info

Publication number: US902472A
Application number: US41556308A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry W N Cole
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1908-02-12
Filing date: 1908-02-12
Publication date: 1908-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 1925-10-27

Description

H. W. N. COLE, ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 12, 1908.

902,472, Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

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H. W. N. COLE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 12. 1908.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Ylllllllllllln WITNESSES:

HENRY W. N. COLE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 12, 1908.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Serial No. 415,563.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY W. N. COLE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines and particularly to improvements in the valve mechanism of rotary engines employing a cylinder or casing having a crank shaft j ournaled therein and a rotary piston freely mounted upon the cranked portion of the shaft within the said cylinder, together with sliding abutments which divide the steam space within the cylinder into several chambers.

The main objects of my invention are to simplify the valve mechanism of engines of this character and to reduce the long ports or passages commonly employed with the present valve system so as to economize upon the steam su ply.

A furt ier object of my invention is to provide for the simple Governing of the same so that the steam maybbe cut off at an earlier or later point in the cycle of operation in the engine in accordance with the load under which the engine is run.

To these ends I have designed a valve mechanism of substantially the Corliss type, each of the steam spaces of the cylinder being provided with an independent inlet and exhaust valve, the said valves being operated from an eccentric which is designed to revolve with the main shaft of the engine; and I have provided a centrifugal governor which is arranged inits operation to vary the distance of the said eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft in accordance with the speed at which it is driven.

My invention also consists in certain details of construction and novel combinations of parts as will hereinafter more fully appear, and in order that my invention may be fully understood I will now proceed to describe an embodiment thereof having reference to the accom anying drawings illustrating the same and w' then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an end view of such a rotary engine, portions thereof being broken away and other parts being shown I central vertical longitudinal section through the engine. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional view through the casing, substantially upon the line of 33. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the path of movement of the eccentric for the valve mechanism, as it is moved by the governor.

The engine comprises generally a cylinder or casing 5 which includes end heads 6, a transverse shaft 7 suitably journaled in bearings in the said end heads, the said shaft provided with a cranked portion 8 within the cylinder and a roller piston 9 loosely mounted upon the cranked portion of the shaft, the periphery of the piston being arranged to have a rolling contact with the inner cylindrical wall of the casing 5. The steam space within the casing is divided into several chambers by means of a plurality of radially disposed sliding abutments 10. These abutments are mounted in suitable housings 11 in the casing 5, being arranged to slide freely backwards and forwards therein, and at their inner ends the said abutments are provided with arms 12 which straddle the piston and are pivoted by means of pins 18 to shoes 14 which are mounted to slide freely in annular grooves 15 in the sides of the said piston. By this means, the piston in its planetary rotational movements within the casing, imparts the required radial movements to the said abutments.

Each of the chambers within the cylinder which are thus divided from each other by the said radial abutments is provided with an inlet port or passage 16 and with an outlet port or passage 17 and each of the said ports or passages is controlled by an individual valve. In the example of my invention illustrated, there are three chambers and hence there are three separate inlet valves provided and three corresponding exhaust valves, the said valves being arranged to control the said inlet and exhaust passages respectively. These valves are of the Corliss type, each said inlet valve 18 being disposed in a suitable chamber in the casing 5 and mounted upon a rock shaft 19, the said exhaust valves 20 being similarly disposed in suitable chambers in the casing and mounted upon rock shafts 21.

Steam is supplied to each of the inlet valves 19 from a common supply 22, suitable passages leading from the supply 22 to the said valves either in the form of a direct passage 23 where the valve is close to the supply,

in section. Fig. 2 is a view substantially in 1 or through crossover passages 24 and a chamber 25 inclosed within one of the headsn, the said chamber being closed by means of a cap 26, where the valves are at some distance from the said supply 22. Similarly there is a common exhaust or discharge pipe 27 to which similar passages connect from the several exhaust valves either in the form of a direct passage 28, or crossover passages and through a chamber 29 in the other said head 6.

Mounted fast upon the shaft 7 at the exterior of the casing is a disk 30, the said disk provided with a pin 31 near the outerl edge thereof, upon which is pivotedly mounted an arm or member 32, the said arm or member carrying at its inner' or free end a pin 33 which constitutes the eccentric for driving the inlet valves. The pin 33 is maintained in its proper relative position by means of two opposing forces, one of said forces being the centrifugal action generated by the revolution of a weighted portion 34 of the arm or member 32, and the other the retractile force of a leaf spring 35 which is secured at one end fast to the said disk 30, and is connected at the other end by means of a link 36 with the said arm or member 32. The path of movement of the eccentric pin 33 with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft 7 is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4, said path of movement being designated by the broken line 37. By examination of this figure, it will be readily understood that as the speed of the engine increases, the eccentricity of the pin 33 with respect to the shaft 7 will be decreased owing, of course, to the increase of centrifugal force of the weight 34.

Mounted upon the pin 33 is a hub 38 to which is connected a plurality of links 39, one for each inlet valve employed, the said links being pivotedly connected at their opposite or outer ends with arms 40 upon the rock shafts 19. By reason of this construction, as the shaft 7 revolves, rockin@ movements will be imparted to the several inlet valves 18 progressively to admit and cut off steam, and further, under the influence of the governor, movements thus imparted will be decreased or increased as the tendency of the engine is to run too fast or too slow.v Each of the said links 39 is provided with an adjusting collar 41 for the purpose of initially setting or adjusting the said valves 18.

. The exhaust valves 2() are driven 1n a manner similar to the manner in which the inlet valves are driven, except that no adjustment is provided for the eccentric therefor. This eccentric 42 is shown as secured to the rear of the disk 30 (see Fig. 2), the said eccentric being provided with an eccentric strap 43 which is connected by means of links 44 and adjusting collars 45, with arms 46 upon the exhaust valve shafts 21.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a rotary engine of the type specified with a valve mechanism of the Corliss type and that as a result of the particular construction, I have reduced the inner ports or passages to such a point as to necessarily effect a great saving of motive fluid; further that I have provided a simple and efficient governing device by which the engine may be economically run under varying degrees of load and that the entire construction is a simple one, is inexpensive to make, is composed of but few parts and the working parts therein are all of ready access so that repairs thereof and adjustments thereto may be readily made. It will also be noticed that the valve mechanism is substantially balanced as to all its moving parts and that the resistance to the movement of the valves is so nearly balanced that the governor is left free to act properly under the influence of centrifugal force opposed only by the spring. In other words, there is no tendency to destroy the accuracy of the governor due to variable resistance of the moving arts.

V hat I claim is:

1. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, an inlet ort for each such subdivision, an individua valve for each said inlet port, and common means for operating all the said valves.

2. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, an exhaust port for each such sub-division, an individual valve for each said exhaust port, and common means for operating all the said valves.

3. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, individual inlet and exhaust ports for each such sub-division, individual valves for each said inlet and exhaust port, common means for operating all of the said inlet valves, and common means for operating all of the said exhaust valves.

4. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, an inlet ort for each such sub-division, an individuall valve of the oscillatory type for each said -inlet port, and common means for imparting oscillatory movements to all of the said valves.

5. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion Within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, an exhaust port for each such sub-division, an individual valve of the oscillatory type for each said exhaust port, and common means for imparting oscillatory movements to all of the said valves.

6. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, inlet and exhaust ports for each such sub-division, an individual valve of the oscillatory type for each said inlet and exhaust ports, and common means for imparting oscillatory movements to all of the said valves.

7. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, a plurality of valves of the oscillatory type one for each of the said sub-divisions, arms carried by the said valves at a point exterior of the casing, an eccentric mounted to rotate with the said shaft, a hub mounted upon the said eccentric, and links connecting the said hub With the said valve arms.

8. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, a plurality of valves of the oscillatory type one for each of the said sub-divisions, an eccentric carried by the said shaft at a point exterior of the said casing, a centrifugal governing device for controlling the position of said eccentric, and means operated by the said eccentric for imparting oscillatory movements to the said valves.

9. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided witha crank portion arranged within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, a plurality of valves of the oscillatory type one for each of the said subdivisions, a crank pin carried by the said shaft at a point exterior ofthe said casing, an arm carried by the said crank pin, an eccentric mounted upon the said arm at a point thereon between the axial center of the said crank pin and the axial center of the said shaft, the said arm provided with a Weighted portion to constitute a centrifugal means, a spring for opposing movements of the said arm under the influence of the said weight, a hub mounted upon the said eccentric, and means connecting the said hub with the said valves to impart oscillatory movements thereto.

10. A rotary engine comprising a casing, a shaft provided with a crank portion arranged Within the casing, a rotary piston loosely mounted upon the said crank portion Within the casing, a plurality of sliding abutments dividing the space between the piston and the casing into a plurality of chambers, a plurality of valves of the oscillatory type one for each of the said subdivisions, a disk carried by the said shaft at the exterior of the said casing, a crank pin 31 carried thereby, an arm 32 pivotally mounted upon the said crank pin and provided with a Weighted portion 34, a spring 35 for opposing movements of the said arm due to the centrifugal action of the Weighted portion thereof, an eccentric 33 carried by the said arm, a hub mounted upon the said eccentric, connecting links secured to the said hub, and arms carried by the valves to which the said links are also connected.

1l. In a rotary engine the combination with a substantially cylindrical casing including an end head provided with a central projecting bearing hub, and having an annular recessed portion surrounding the said as set forth.

HENRY W. N. OGLE. Witnesses:

GEO. CAREY, EDNA FYFE.