US87928A - Improvement in rotary steam-ewgines - Google Patents

Description

anta s HAMILTON, OF BUSI-INELL, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 87,928, dated .Ma/rch 16,- 1869.

IIEPROVEMENT IN ROTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

The Schedule referred td in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all lwl'umi, it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. H. HAMmroN, of Bushnell, in the county of McDonough, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ro tary Engines; and AI do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters 4of reference marked thereon.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved engine, showing the piston-wheel, the pistons, the cam-shaped groove, and the steam-conduit, or passage, through wlhih the pistons pass, and in which the steam is ap- D le Figure 2 is a front elevation, showing the pistonwheel, an' end, or sectional view of the steam-passage, the cam-disk, and the frame.

Gor'respondin g letters represent corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an improvement in rotary steam-engines and It consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of its parts, as will be more fully described hereinafter. 4

A, in the drawings, represents the frame ofthe engine, which may he constructed as shown in the drawings, or of any other suitable forni, it being provided with suitable bearings for the .reception of the shaft of the revolving, or piston wheel, and with cross-bars, as shown at A', for securing in position the steam-passage, or conduit. These bars may be a component part of the frame, as shownin the drawings, or they maybe separate pieces, and bolted to the sides of said frame.

B represents the Shad upon which the piston-wheel is mounted, and to which it is to be firmly keyed, or otherwise secured. This shaft is to have journals formed upon it, to rest in the boxes formed in the upper portions of the iiame. One or both ends of this shaft may extend beyond the frame,- and may hare upon it pulleys for the reception of belts with which to transmit the power of the engine; or gearwheels may be used for that purpose; or, as is apparent, such devices, or either of them, may be placed upon the shalt, between the upghtportions of the frame.

O represents a piston-Wheel, which is secured to shaft B, and has a series of arms, or spokes radiating from its hub, to which, at any suitable distance from such hub, there is cast, or otherwise secured, a ring for the reception and guidance of the inner rounded ends of the pistons D D. To thel outer ends of the arms of this wheel there is attached a rim, which forms the periphery of said wheel, and which has formed in it longitudinal slots, for the reception of the pistons, upon which the steam acts in propelling the engine. This wheel is to be turned smooth upon its periphery, for the purpose of causing it to tit properly upon the edges of. the curved steam-conduit, and .thus prevent the escape of steam at that point.

' D D represent sliding pistons, which are to be inserted into the grooves formed in the periphery of wheel C, so that their outer attened end shall work easily therein, while their inner rounded ends work in the holes formed in the interior rim, or ring of said wheel. Those portions of these pistons which are outside of their shanks, or rounded portion, are to be rectangular, or of any other suitable form, and are made to fit the slots in the piston-wheel, and also to fit the recess formed in the steam-conduit, through which they pass, and may be packed, as shown in iig. 3, by inserting strips of any suitable material, such as brass or other composition in their edges and ends, and allowing steain to pass behind such packing-strips, thus keeping them in contact with such conduite To the inner edges of the rectangular portions ofr these pistons, or to that edge which is nearest the caindisk, there are to be attached friction-rollers, which are to project from such pistons for a distance equal to the depth of the groove in said disk. Ilhese rollers are for the purpose of traversing the cam-shaped groove, and thus giving the proper motion to the piston, which consists in causing them to protrude beyond the periphery of the pistou-wheel, soon ader they enter the steam-conduit, a distance suiiic-ient to cause their outer ends to work steam-tight against the surface ofthe recess in such conduit.

E E represent the rollers above referred to, which are to be placed upon an axle, or pivot which passes through the piston, and projects from the side thereof` for that purpose.

F represents a disk, of metal, which may have upon its lower portion a ange or feet for securing it to the cross-bar of the frame, ,or it may be securedthereto in any other suitable manner. Within that face of this disk which is nearest the piston-wheel,there is to be formed a cam-shaped groove, for the reception of the rollers, which are secured to the piston as above described.

The office of this cam-groove is lto give motion 'to the pistons, and cause them to be projected beyond the wheel at the proper time to receive the force of the steam while they are passing through the conduit G, and to bewithdrawn at the proper time to permit them to pass the abutments at the end of such conduit.

Gr represents a conduit, or passage, having a groove in which the pistons pass, and within which they receive the pressure of the steam. This conduit, or passage, consists ot' a piece of metal, which may be secured in position by being bolted to the frame of the engine. It is to be in the form of a segment of a cir'- cle, which may extend for any desired distance around the wheel C, and is to be provided with caps at each of its ends when it is desirable to provide for running the engine in both directions; but when it is constructed for running in only one direction, it is to be constructed as shown in fig. 1 of the drawings. The caps upon the ends of this conduit are to be held on by screws, and they serve as abutments for the steam to press against, exhaust-apertures being provided, as shown at a, in fig. 1, in case the engine is .made re versible.

By referring to iig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that'the groove in/this conduit is to be of the same form as the end of the piston, and that it may be provided with recesses for the reception of packing-strips,

to be pressed out with steam, as in thepiston itself, and it is apparent, thatin the event of its becoming necessary, such provision may be made for packing the edges of this conduit which come in contact withl the periphery of the piston-wheel.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. The construction of the conduit G, substantially as shown and described.

2.1The construction of the piston-,Wheel C, substantially as shown and described.

3: The combination of the pisto'rbwheel and the steam-conduit, when the conduit is constructed su b stautially in the manner shown and described.

4. The arrangement of the piston-wheel C, pistons D, and cam-wheel, or disk F, substantially as shown and described. l

5. The arrangement of the rollers which control the movement of the piston upon one side of such pistons, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

S. H. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

E. A. PAINE, D. P. HoLLoWAY.

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