US586497A - Compound rotary engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 ySmeets-She@ 1.

R. H. ISBBLL, l v GvoMPoUND ROTARY ENGINE.

N0.586,497, Patented Ju1y13,1897.f

UNITED STATES PATENT* OFFICE.,

uonER'rn. ISBELL, or, WooDLAWN, NEWXEK.

coMPouNo ROTARY ENGINE. 'f

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,497, dated July 13, 1897.

Application il'sd December 4, 1896. ISerial-No. 614,425., (No medel.)

T LIZ 'whom it may conccn):

lle it known that I, ROBERT II. ISBELL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at lVoodlawn,v in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventeda Compound Rotarylilngine, of which the following is aspeciiication.

This engine is made for using the steam eX- u pansively, and with' this object in view the pistons arc compound 'and pivoted, theinner leaf of each piston resting at its edge against a stationaryhub that is approximately round,

and the outer leaf of the pistontravels against t-he interior 'surface of the ease, andthese pistons, preferably three in4 number, are connected with a cylinder that is supported by a head and av shaft from which the power is taken, and the hub and case are eccentric to the rotary cylinder, so that there are inner and outer steamehambers, the inner leaves of the pistons: being acted upon within the inner steam-chamber by high-pressure steam and the outer leaves of the pistons being acted upon in the out-er chamber by the steam as it expands, and the same finally passes off at the exhaust. In this engine the two steamchambers are crescent-shaped and stand in reverse directions.

In theV drawings, Figure l is a cross-section through the engine. Fig. 2 is a sect-ion upon the line 2 2.of Fig. l. Fig. 3 shows the interior surface of the case with the inlet-steam port and the transfer-port. Fig. #i is a side view oJf the cylinder and outer pistons. Fig. 5 is an end view of the shaft and cylinder.

Fig. G shows the inner side of the removable head, and Fig. '7 is a sectional illustration ofthe passage for the steam that first acts on the outer piston.

The case of the engine is made with a stationary head A and a nearly cylindrical or barrel portion B, and there is a removable head C, that is bolted upon the case at 5, and this removable head O carries the huhl).

The main shaf t E passes through the gland or stufiing-box' and is supported in a socket. within vthe hub D, and there is advantageously an axjial hole for the inscrtionof oil. lfrojectin'g frointhe main shaft E and preferably made with the sanie is thehcadF, ,l ioavhic'li vis permanently connected the cylinjder (i,".wliiclris made up of threefparts permanently connected at one end'to the head ,as thcc'ylin'der passes t'li ring 8 is supported by and travels in acircular groove in the removable head C, and in consequenceof lthe interiorrof the'barrel'B being eccentric to the shaft E andapproximately circular there is a crescent-shaped steam-chamber 9 between the outer surface of the cylinder G and the interior of the barrel or case B, the cylinder 4Gr setting closely against the interior surface of the case B at one side and the hub D setting closely against the interior surface of thecylinder G at the other ,side,landsuch hub being eccentricfto the cylinderV G there .is a crescent-shaped; steamchamber lvbetweenthe hub D Iandthe i F and at the other end to the yring 8, which l interior of the cylinder G, audit is now tobe l l understood that` theV chamber lO is 4for .high

pressure and the chamber 9 for lowipressure,

the steam actinglexpansiyely,in the latter. i-

The pistons; `H are each-v advantageouslyin made With'aninner leafll and -ann 'outer leaf 12 and supported upon apivot-pin 13, and this pivot-pinl 13 passes through the lring 8 into the head F, andtheseipistonsset closelygf: so as to b e substantially'steainftight:at'the cylindrical or hinge portionrof' each piston, and the inner leaf ll is smallerthan the outer leaf 12, thechamber 9 beingiugi'der than the chamber l0, and it is tolbe,.understoody;:that

:thev

the distance between the',outei-edge ,l Y leaf l2 and the inner edgeof `the .leafll corresponds, or nearly so',- to` thedistancebetvveen the innersurface of the case B `andtheouter surface kof the hub D atthe plaeesof contact,

so that as the'pistons travel around-withthe cylinder- G their. edges remain incontact, yor

, nearly so, with the .surfaces named.

The outer surfaces of theV cylinderl Gare recessed, so as to allow theoutfer leaves'l of the pistons H to passim-to suchrecessesas the cylinder moves pastthegab'utnient.14,l or point of contact of the cylinde 'f lftheinterior of the case B, andf tl ,inner surfaces into them-the inner leaves lof th y point vof contact jbetjweent inner surface ofthe cylindei The live steain. under tl'ie4 is admitted bythejpipe' i of 'the said crescent-'shaped' chamber. The

IOO

inlet-steam pipe I opens into a port 19, which is in the'stationa-ry head A and extends part way around the same 'as an arc o f a circle, and there is a similar-shaped transfer-port 17 in the head A, and a branch 1S, passing from -such transfer-port and opening intoithe case B near the opposite end of the steam-chamthe ports'19 from .the steam-ports 1b', and the high-pressure steam acts between the abutment 15 andone of the inner'leaves '11 to carry the pistons and cylinders in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the pressure continues active within the high -pressure chamber 10 until another pistonis brought around into position for steam to be admitted by the next port 19 to act upon such inner leaf 11 and continue the movement, and the 4high-pressure steam is cut off from the first- 'named piston when its port 19 reaches the end of the steam-port 16, and the port 19 passes overthe inner surface 2O between the end of the steam-port 16 and the commencef ment of the transfer-port 17, and as soon as such port 19 reaches the transfer-port the ,high-pressure steam in the inner chamber .10 passes through such transfer-port 17 and the branchlS into the steam-chamber 9 to act upon the outer leaf 12 of one of the pistons, which at this moment has been brought into proper position for the 'force of the expanding steam to be exerted upon the larger and outer leaf of the piston to carry the same around to the exhaust-pipeIQand one piston is fully in operation by the expanding` steam when the piston that isa-in front of it reaches the exhaustport, so thatlthere is `no back pressure behind the piston that. is in full operation, and so also the pressure acts in its full power upon the inner leaf of onefpiston during the time that the high-pressure steam is passing out from the preceding high-pressure-steam chamber through the transfer? port, and by using three pistons, each havin g, two leavesthe circle is advantageously divided up into sections of onehundred and twenty degrees, and the outer leaf of one of the three pistons is at the .point of greatest power at the time the inner leaf of the next succeeding piston is going out of actionand the inner leaf of. the third piston is coming into action, the inner leaves of the pistons exerting their greatest force as the outer leaf of one pistonis coming into action and the outer leaf of the otherpiston is going out of action, so that the power exerted all around the 'main shaft E to rotate the same is uniform, or nearly so, at all places.

In some instances I have used the engines with only the parts hereinbefore described; but I find it advantageous to employ in addition ports for admitting steam to act between th'e cylinder G and the outer leaf to 4press the edge of such outervleaf against the leaves into contact with the exterior surface I' y 75 of the hub D and thereby prevent the escape of steam at the respective places and prevent any hammering action that might arise from looseness of the respective parts; and with this object inview I provide channels or ports d in the inner surfaces of the cylinder G'at the bottom of the recesses into which theinner leaves 11-of the pistons are received, and these channels a open at their ends by lateral holes into the ports 19, so that steam will pass through these ports 19 and channels (c and act to press the inner leaves of the pistons in succession, so that they rest against the outer surface of the hub I) before the full force of thesteam admitted through one of the ports 19 acts between the inner leaf and the abutment. VI also provide a channel or port e in the bottom of each of the recesses receiving the outer leaves ofthe pistons, and these y channels c openyat their ends through the head F, and it isimportant to admit lv`e steam to act in these channels c, and with this object in view I make a U-shaped port 21 in the stationary head A between the end of the steam-port 16 and the beginning of the transfer-port 17, and the parts are soproportioned that as soon asone port 19 passesthe end of the steam-port 1G, so that the surface roo 20 closes the port 19, the confined high-presy i sure steam may pass through that port 19 and through the U-shaped port 21 andback through and into the h'ole at the end of the vleaf ofthe piston; which has by the aforesaid moveme'nt been brought into position for the` stealn to expand and exert its force against that piston in continuing the movement of the cylinder G and its shaft.

The aforesaid operations being performed in succession the full force of the expanding higlrpressure steam upon the inner loaves diminishes and the eiliciencyV of the highpressure steam upon the inner leaves of the pistons increases as the elicicncy of theek-` panding pressure diminishes on. the outer leaves, thus equalizing the power exertedto rotate the main shaft, and either. the high pressure or the lowpressure is always opera- 1 steamvis in operation, as the efficiency of the tive on each piston, there being two pistons acted upon by high 'pressure and one by low pressure, or the reverse. Hence power is always acting all around the shaft to equalize strain and wear.

The engine is very simple, as there are but few parts to construct, and they are not liable to get out of order or to wear rapidly, and the full benefit of expansion is obtained.

I claim as my inventionl. In a rotary engine, the combination with the case and its heads and a stationary hub carried by one of the heads, of a main shaft and its head, a cylinder carried by the head and pistons at equal distances around the cylinder each having a leaf projecting inward and a leaf projecting outward, there being a port for the high-pressure-steam ports in the revolving head through which the high-pressuresteam passes to act upon the inner leaves of the pistons, a transfer-port for the highpressure steam to pass from the inner chamber to the outer chamber, and act upon the outer leaves of the pistons, and an exhaustport from the outer as set forth.

2. The combination in a rotary engine, of an outer case and its heads, a hub carried by one of its heads, a shaft eccentric to the hub and a head upon such shaft, a cylinder composed of sections and intermediate pistons having inner and outer leaves, a ring for connecting the sections of. the cylinder together and pivot-pins passing through the ring and head and upon which the pistons swing, a steam-inlet port, and ports through the head to which the cylinder is connected, a segmental transfer-port and branch for allowing high-pressu re steam from the inner chamber to pass into the outer chamber, and an exhaust' pipe or port from the outer chamber, substantially as set forth.

The combination in a rotary engine, of

by suchI head and pivoted pistons in the cyl-1 chamber, substantially a main shaft and head, a cylinder supported- 4s inder having inner andouter leaves, the cylinder being recessed for the reception-of such leaves, and ports or pipes for allowing steam to pass into the recesses andbeneath therespective leaves of the pistons for moving such 5o leaves outward or inward to bring their edges vintov contact with the interior surface-of the case or the exterior surface ofthe hub, substantially as set forth. l

4. The combination with the case and its heads,.of a hub. carried by one of theh'eads, a main shaft, cylinder and pistonscarried by' such shaft, the pistons having inner and outer leaves to act within the crescent shaped steam-spaces between the cylinder and the case, and the cylinder and the hub respectively, the cylinder being recessed for receiving the leaves of the pistons, steam-ports for admitting pressure into the recesses for swinging the respective pistons out of such recesses and a U-shaped port in the head of the case for allowing such steam-pressure to act in moving the outer leaves of the pistons out of their recesses, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination in aprotary engine, of a stationary case and a stationary central hub, an intermediate cylinder placed eccentric and pistons passing through and pivoted, upon the said cylinder and having one leaf acted upon by pressure in the inner chamber and the other leaf by pressure in the outer chamber, there being recesses into which one leaf of each piston is swung while the other leaf is in action, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 30th day of November, 8o 1896.

ROBERT H. ISBELL.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, S. T. HAvILAND.

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