US29149A - Engine eor employing steam ob any other aeriform or gaseous body under - Google Patents

Description

No. 29,149. PATDNTED JULY 17, 1860.

J. W. DURHAM. ENGINE PON DMPLOYINGSTEAM 0R ANY OTHER ADRIPDRM 0R GASECUS BODY UNDER PRESSURE To OBTAIN MDTIYE PDWBD..

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J. XV. DURHAM, OF DUIHIAMVILLE, TENNESSEE.

ENGINE FOR EMPLOYING STEAM OR ANY OTHER AERIFORLI OR GASEOUS BODY UNDER PRESSURE TO OBTAIN MOTIVE POWER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,149, dated July 1'?, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. 1V. DURHAM, of Durhamville, in the county of Lauderdale and' State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Engine for Employing Steam or any other Aeriform or Gaseous Body Under Pressure to Obtain Motive Power; and I do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which-- Figures l, and 2, are vertical sections at right angles to each other of my improved engine adapted for the use of steam as the motive agent.

Similar letters of reference indicate cor responding parts in both figures.

My invention consists in an upright endless chain of buckets arranged within a suitable box which is filled with water to a suitable level and to which steam or other gaseous or aeriform body at a pressure greater than the atmosphere is introduced by a pipe or pipes in such a manner as to enter the bucket-s below the surface of the water and to displace the water therefrom and to give motion to the chain of buckets by its tendency to rise to the surface of the water.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the box made of wood or metal and having suitable bearings in or attached to its sides for two horizontal shafts B, C, arranged one above the other, the lower one B, not projecting through the sides of the box but the upper one C, projecting through one or both sides to carry a driving gear or pulley by which to transmit the power. To each shaft there are attached two chain wheels D, D, having notches at uniform and suitable distances apart to receive the ends of the transverse rods a, a, which connect the links b, b, of the two endless chains to which the buckets E, E, are attached. The buckets are of open box form and so arranged as to present their open sides upward on one side of the chains and downward on the other side as shown in Fig. 1.

F, is a pipe entering the box near the top` to supply it with water.

Gr, is a pipe for the water toflow o from the box when it reaches a certain level above the upper shaft.

H, is afpipe which supplies the steam or other motive agent from the boiler or generator, entering the box near the bottom of that side toward which the buckets present themselves with their mouths downward.

I, is a pipe which is only used when steam or other co-ndensable vapor is used as the motive agent, entering the box near the bottom on the opposite side to H, for the purpose of keeping the water hot while the engine is at rest to enable the engine to be easily started. Another pipe may be used when steam is the motive agent to convey hot water from the box A, to the boiler.

J, is an opening in the top of the box for the escape of the steam or other motive agent from the box A, after it has performed its duty.

K, is a stationary block which may be either solid or hollow arranged between the sides of the box within the chains to fill up a portion of the useless space within the box and reduce the necessary quantity of water.

The operation of the engine is as follows: The steam or other motive agent, suppose steam for example, entering the box by the pipe H, at first condenses, but as soon as the water is heated to the boiling point, condensation ceases, and the steam begins to rise toward the surface of the water and in so doing displaces the water from the bucket which is presented with its mouth open in a downward direction over the said pipe H,

and fills or partly fills the said bucket and by its continuing to rise lifts the bucket and sets the whole chain of buckets in motion in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, and every bucket as it is in its turn presented over the mouth of the said pipe is filled in a similar manner and caused to rise and in this way the endless chain of buckets is kept continuously in motion and caused to give rotary motion to the chain wheels E, E, and shaft C, D; and the shaft C, transmits the power developed bythe action of the steam to any machinery With Which it may be connected. The steam, as fast as the mouths of the buckets arrive above the surface of the Water, escapes from them into the upper part of the box A, and from thence by the opening J, to the atmosphere.

This engine possesses many advantages over the ordinary steam engine among which may be mentioned its eXtreme simplicity of construction, its freedom from friction, the absence of its liability to get out of order and the 10W pressure Which is suflicient to Work it.

I do not conine myself to the precise details of construction herein described, as

such may be varied or modified Without de- J. W. DURHAM.

Witnesses:

W. W. VAUGHAN, JAS. L. GAUSE.

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