US1100605A - Fluid-motor. - Google Patents

Description

A. G. L. NEIGHBOUR.

FLUID MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 19, 1911.

Patented June 16,1914.

m H PEQW Z''ze e s es lilNlT STATES PATENT GFFCE,

ARTHUR GEORGE LLOYD NEIGHBOUR, OF BEAUMARIS, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

FLUID-MOTOR.

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T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that l, ARTHUR GEORGE LLOYD NEIGHBOUR, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Cromer Road,`

ldeauinaris, in the State of Victoria, Cominoiiwealth of Australia, civil and mechanical engineer, have invented an Improved which reduction of weight and space are ofl primary importance.

llhis invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings whereof- Figure 1 is a section through the motor showing portion of a shaft to be driven thereby, Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line lli-ll, Fig. 1, Fig. 3 an enlarged section on line lll-lll of Figs. 1 and 2, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the fixed spindle.

According to this invention a pluralityv of cylinders 1, together with their pistons 2 and other coacting parts hereinafter described, revolve about a fixed spindle 3 preferably attached to the casing C, thus constituting an evenly balanced Hy wheel which enables the motor to be driven by motive fluid at a comparatively low pressure and at the same time reduces the'vibration inherent with motors lwherein fiy wheels are not employed.

Preferably three single acting cylinders l, closed at one end, are employed, and they are arranged in the saine plane, tangentially and equally spaced around a central hub 4, with which they are integrally cast or joined, with their open ends in the saine direction as illustrated in the drawings. The hub may be detachable from the cylinders so as to facilitate repair. The said central hub has a longitudinal hole 5 through it, perpendicular to the plane in which the 'cylinders lie` and through this hole the fixed spindle 8 is passed upon which the cylinders, pistons, and ccacting parts and the hub are free to rotate. ln the said spindle (Figsl, 2 and i) two oppositely disposed slots 6, 7,

. are cut, the former being the inlet portto Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 19, 1911.

Patented J une 16, 1914:.

Serial No. 666,646.

supply motive fluid to the said cylinders and .the latter the exhaust port. The closed end `of each cylinder is provided with a port 8 communicating with the hole 5 in the said central hub. The said ports 8 are equally spaced around the hole in the said central hub and are arranged in such a position that they face and, when revolving, pass over the ports (i, 7 in the said spindle, thus admitting motive fluid to and alternately exhausting it'from the cylinders as they rotate. Each of the said cylinders contains a piston 2 of the trunk type which is connected by means of a connecting rod 9 to a tie-rod 10 joining the ends of a pair of oscillatory levers 1l arranged respectively on the sides of each of said cylinders. The pairs of levers are car- ;ried on fixed or rotatable pins 12 mounted in the closed ends of the cylinders and placed parallel to the axis of the fixed spindle 3,

so that they are in front of the open ends of the cylinders. One end 12ZL of each of ,said pins is extended on one side of the cyllindcrs in a longitudinal direction and serves .to transmit rotary power from the motor to the driving shaft 13 of the machine to be driven, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The ends 14 of the said levers remote from the said vtie rods have rigidly attached thereto pins 15, upon each of which is carried a roller 16. One or preferably two eccentric disks 17 lare rigidly attached to the aforesaid spindle, and in the case of two as illustrated, one is removable in order that the cylinders may be placed on the spindle, and said removable disk is prevented from rotating by means of v a key. Said disks are fixed on opposite sides 'of the cylinders with their axes collinear and upon same said rollers revolve as the cylinders rotate, thus causing the aforesaid levers to oscillate simultaneously with the .movement of the pistons.

It will be seen, from the foregoing that the cylinders, and with them the pistons, levers and rollers, revolve about the fixed l spindle, the whole thus forming a fly-wheel which may be accurately balanced so as to reduce vibration to a minimum.

The manner in which the motor operates,

vand the advantages peculiar to it may be in each cylinder successively, for the salie 'of 1 clearness the description will be confined to a single cylinder as the engine rotates. Motive fluid enters the cylinder and its pressure acts upon the piston and also upon the cylinder end, these being the only forces which can produce rotation. By balancing the turning e'ect of one or the other of these forces by a force having an equal and opposite turning eect, and leaving the other unbalanced, rotation will take place in the direction in which the latter force is applied. This third force is the reaction of the pressure of the rollers 16 on the stationary eccentric disks 17. The turning effect of such reaction may be caused to balance either the force due to the pressure of the motive fluid against the piston, or that due to its pressure against the cylinder end, by forming the ports 6 and 7 in lsuitable positions in the spindle 3 relatively to the eccentrics 17, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to Fig. 2, the positionV of the ports 6 and 7 is such that the cylinders will rotate in a clockwise direction, the closed ends of the cylinders moving forward. Motive fluid is entering the right-hand cylinder and is just about to enter the uppermost cylinder, the piston in the latter cylinder being at the end of its in-stroke; the left-hand cyl-Y inder is open to the exhaust port 7. If the ports 6 and 7 were altered relatively to the eccentrics, so that motive fluid would enter the left-hand cylinder and just commence to enter the uppermost cylinder at the other edge of the port 8, the motor would revolve in the opposite direction, the right-hand cylinder being then in communication with the exhaust port, and the open ends of the cylinders moving forward. The port 6 is formed in the spindle in such a position that it just commences to admit motive fluid to a cylinder when the piston contained therein is at the commencement of its working stroke and the rollers working in conjunction therewith are at the highest part of the eccentrics, as is the case in the uppermost cylinder in Fig. 2. During the outward or working stroke of the piston, the rollers working in conjunction therewith are held upon the eccentric disks 17 by the pressure exerted on the said piston, while during the inward or exhaust stroke they are kept upon the said disks in the manner now to be described. Again referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that no matter in which direction the engine rotates, as the piston makes its outward or working stroke, the pin 12 moves away from the peripheral surfaces of the eccentric disks, and that during the inward or exhaust stroke the said pin is continually approaching the peripheral surfaces of the said disks. Thus it will be seen that at the commencement of the working stroke the pin l2 occupies its closest position to the said surfaces, being adjacent to the highest part of the eccentric disks, while at the end of the said stroke it is at its greatest distance from the said surfaces, being then adjacent to the lowest part of the said disks. As the pin 12 approaches the disks, it carries the levers and, with them, the rollers continually nearer to the surfaces of the disks 17, thus pressing the rollers upon the said surfaces and, through the levers, producing the exhaust or return stroke of the piston. No special means are necessary, therefore, to produce the exhaust or return strokes of the pistons, each of the latter and its lever forming a separate and distinct system.

Owing to the construction of this engine, no pressure other than that due to centrifugal force, which is small, as previously pointed out, can be exerted upon the piston in a transverse direction, since the reaction on the rollers can, through themedium of the levers and connecting rods, only reach the pistons in the direction of their length, in consequence whereof, no guides are needed to resist such pressure.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is z- 1. In a rotary, fluid motor, the combination of a fixed, hollow spindle; a plurality of connected cylinders, each of which is open at one end and closed at the other, rotatable about said spindle and having their axes tangential to the same, the open end of each cylinder being adjacent to the closed end of the next cylinder; a fulcrum pin mounted in the closed end of each cylinder parallel with said spindle; a pair of levers fulcrumed centrally upon the ends of each pin; a tie-rod extending across the open end of each cylinder parallel with the adjacent fulcrum pin and connecting the presented ends of the adjacent pair of levers; a pison reciprocating in each cylinder and connected with the adjacent tie-rod; a pair of rollers provided upon each pair of levers at their free ends; and a pair of eccentrics fixed to said spindle at opposite sides of said cylinders, with their axes collinear, around the peripheries of which eccentrics said rollers are adapted to travel during the rotation of the cylinders, to produce movement of the pistons in one direction.

2. In a rotary, fluid motor, the combination of a iixed, hollow spindle, adapted for connection with a source of motivelluid supply and provided with central inlet and exhaust ports communicating, respectively, with its ends; a plurality of connected cylinders, each of which is open at one end and closed at the other, rotatable about said spindle and having their axes tangential to the same, the open end of each cylinder being adjacent to the closed end of the next cylinder, and the latter end thereof being provided with a port which communicates alternately with the spindle ports as the cylinder rotates; a fulcrum pin mounted in the closed end of each cylinder parallel with said spindle; a pair of levers fulcrumed centrally upon the ends of each pin; a tie-rod extending across the open end of each cylinder parallel with the adjacent fulcrum pin and connecting the presented ends of the adjacent pair of levers; a piston reciprocating in each cylinder and connected with the adjacent tie-rod; a pair of outwardly-pro jecting lateral pins attached to the free ends of each pair orp levers; a pair of rollers revolubly mounted upon each pair of lateral pins; and a pair of eccentrics fixed to said spindle at opposite sides of said cylinders, with their axes collinear, around the peripheries of which eccentrics said rollers are adapted to travel during the rotation of the cylinders, to produce movement of the pistons in one direction.

3. In a rotary, iuid motor, the combination of a fixed, hollow spindle; a hollow hub revoluble thereon; a plurality of cylinders, each of which is open at one end and closed at the other, rigidly connected to the hub for rotation therewith and having their axes tangential to the spindle, the open end of each cylinder being adjacent to the closed end of the next cylinder, and the said spindle forming a valve for admission and exhaust of motive fluid to and from the cylinders; a fulcrum pin mounted in the closed end of each cylinder parallel with said spindle; a pair of levers fulcrumed centrally upon the ends of each pin; a tie-rod extending across the open end of each cylinder parallel with the adjacent fulcrum pin and connecting the presented ends of the adjacent pair of levers; a piston reciprocating in each cylinder and connected with the adjacent tie-rod; a pair of rollers provided upon each pair of levers at their free ends; and a pair of eccentrics fixed to said spindle at opposite ends of said hub, around the peripheries of which eccentrics the said rollers are adapted to travel during the rotation of the cylinders, to produce movement of the pistons in one direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR GEORGE LLOYD NEIGHBOUR.

Witnesses:

EDWARD N. WATERS, WILLIAM H. WATERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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