248 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHlTECrS JOURNAL. 



[A.UGUST, 



the pin A can be got at for screwing up or tightening brasses of such joint 

 when the engine is stopped. Fig. 1 is supposed to be in every other respect 

 exactly like other direct acting engines, which, being well kiiDwn, need not 

 be described. The air pump may be worked by means uf another short crank 

 or an eccentric upon the main revolving axis. Such an engine may iiave 

 the tly wheel on its main axis, and may be applied for actuating any ma- 

 chinery requiring a continuous rotary motion , or may be applieil in steam 

 vessels, in which case the main axis would be prolonged eai.-h way across the 

 vessel to serve as the axis for wheels on each side of muMiip line of vessel 

 with the main axis of both engines in the same horiz mtal line across the 

 •vessel, the air pump or pumps being amidship in a spai'C left for the purpose 

 between the two engines, and the air pump or pumps inay be >orked liy a 

 short crank or cranks, or eccentric or eccentrics on the main axis, all which 

 being the same as iu direct acting engines need not further be described; 

 and in consequence of the effectual guidance of the piston during its motion 

 in the cylinder, which results from the long hollow piston rod passing 

 through stuffing boxes in both ends of the cylinder as above described, such 

 an engine is well qualified for working with the centre line of the cylinder 

 in a horizontal position, as in fig. 1, because the weight of the piston and its 

 hollow piston rod is effectually sustained by the fitting of long hollow piston 

 rods into and through the stuffing boxes at both ends of the cylinder, and 

 therefore that weight will not cause the circumference of the piston to rest 

 with any more force at the lowest part of the internal surface of the cylin- 

 der than at the upper or other part of that internal surface. Engines of 

 this description are well adapted for steam vessels having revolving propel- 

 lers at the stern under water, or nearly so, operating in water by an oblique 

 or spiral screw, or windmill-shaped propeller, that require their axis to be 

 low down within the vessel, and to be turned round with a rapid motion. 



Several different engines are given in the drawings attached to the specifi- 

 cation,— some vertical, others with the connecting rod projecting from the 

 lower part of the hollow piston rod, with the cylinder at right angles to 

 each other, and attached to the same crank, or the end of the propeller 

 shaft. 



Another part of the said improvements in steam engines relates to the air 

 pump, or rather to the valves of the air pump in cases where the air pump 

 is placed in a central line in a horizontal position, and is double acting, so as 

 to draw water and air from condensers, when the piston of the air pump is 

 moved either backwards or forwards in its horizontal barrel ; an air pump, 

 disposed in a horizontal position, double acting, as aforesaid, must have four 

 valves and a solid piston ; such air pumps have been proposed, and are not 

 new, but, according to this part of the improvements, those valves, and the 

 seats to which they fit, are so dispoi^ed with respect to the barrel of the 

 pump, as to be able to be removed with ease, and spare valves and seats sub- 

 stituted when required. Fig. 1 contains a longitudinal section of a conden- 

 ser and air pump, or a pair of condensers and air pumps, suitable for a 

 steam engine or pair of steam engines, as already described, y. y is a me- 

 tallic vessel, serving for condenser and hot water cistern. It may be divided 

 with a vertical partition to divide its internal capacity into separate conden- 

 sers for the two engines, or else may be two separate vessels, disposed side 

 bv side. In either case, the air-pump barrel, r, r, extends in a horizontal 

 direction through the inside of each compartment (or of each condenser), 

 with an opening into an end of the barrel, whereof one opening may be 

 closed bv a door, q. and the other by an air-pump cover, U, U, which has, as 

 usual, a'shifting box at the centre of it, for the rod, s, of an air-pump, to 

 pass through the piston, /, of the air-pump, wliich is fastened on the rod s, 

 > is solid. The space left within vessel y, q around the extent of each hori- 

 zontal air-pump barrel is further divided by a horizontal partition not shown 

 in drawing, but it is nearly at the level of the upper part of eacli barrel, r, r, 

 and so much of the upper space as is beneath the level of the horizontal 

 partition is the actual capacity of the condenser for reception of steam that 

 is to be condimsed, and of the injection of cold water by which the conden- 

 sation is to be effected. The eduction pipe, K, from the cylindir of the en- 

 gine, joins by a side branch to that lower part or condenser; the space above 

 the level of such horizontal portion is for the hot water cistern or hot well, 

 into which the air-pump is to discharge the hot water, and air is extracted 

 by it from the condenser, and the surplus of which hot water will pass away 

 as usual by the overllow pipe, v. 



The air-pump, btiiig double-acting, requires to be constructed with four 

 valves, two at each end of barrel, r, one of these valves being a foot-valve, 

 for admitting water and air to pass from the condenser into the baricl, r, 

 when the air-pump piston, i, is moving away from that end of barrel, r, at 

 which such foot-valve is situate, and the oilier of the said two valves being 

 a discharge valve for allowing air and water to pass out frum liarrel, r, into 

 hot well, u', when air-pump piston, /, is movinn towards that end of barrel, 

 )-, at which such discharge-valve is situated. This part of the improvements 

 consists in disposing the said two valves, which are at the same I'lid of the 

 barrel of air-pump with said discharge-valve, exactly over foot-valve, so that 

 the same upri:;lit spindle or guide rod will serve for both valves, and will 

 also serve to keep seats for bnth valves in tnnir respective olices in the 

 metal work at the end of pump-barrel, into which places the said valvcseats 

 are accoratelv fitted, lint when the guide-rod is withdrawn, then the valves 

 become loose', and can he taken out for exaniin:itlnn or repair, and the valve 

 seats can also be removed out of their said places, if necessary, and other 

 spare valve seats put in, and valves thereon. 0, and 4, are the lower or foot- 

 valves, and 5, upper or disih.argc at caetuwidwf air-pump barrel, r, li and 7 

 being their respective valve seats, accurately fitted into recesses in the luetal 



at end of barrel, r, those recesses being bored correctly circular, and slightly 

 conical, so as to be correctly concentric with upright guide rod or spindle, 



8, which passes through central hole of upper valve seat, 7, and into central 

 hole of lower valve seat, G, and has suitable shoulders formed upon it, for 

 confining both seats, 6 and 7, down in their respective places, when rod 8 is 

 forced and held down end-ways, by a cover, g, screwed down over a bole in 

 upper part of hot water cistern, q, and which cistern bears on the upper end 

 of the rod, 8, so as to press and hold the same down, and consequently 

 fasten down the tv>o valve seats, 6 and 7. Valves 4 and 5 have central 

 holes through which the rod 8 passes, so as to allow the valves to fall and 

 rise on the rod which guides them when so rising and falling, and the rod 

 has suitable slip shoulders formed or fastened u;)on it, to limit the height to 

 which the valves shall be allowed to rise. Valves 4 and 5 may be fitted to 

 their seats, G and 7, with llat surfaces, or with conical fittings, when the 

 door, q, or air-pump cover, R, is also eorrespomling with the door, in same 

 end of hot water cistern, \V, or one door on the top thereof, and likewise 

 the Co 9 ; then the upright r^id. 8, being withdrawn upwards tnrough hole 



9, will leave valves 4 and 5 loose, and at liberty to be removed through 

 doors or openings aforesaid ; and the valve seats, 6 and 7, may be also lifted 

 out of their respective recesses into which they are fitted, with a sutScient 

 tapering to be tight, hut without any other fastening than by means of rod 

 8, as aforesaid. And the upper valte seat, 7, may be made so much larger 

 than the lower valve seat, C, as well as the upper one, through the hot 

 water cistern, w, and its doors, a? aforesaid. The upright spindle, 8, of two 

 valves, .'i and (J, which are at the same end of the barrel, r, as its cover, 

 R. is so much on one side of the central line of the barrel as to avoid any 

 interference with the air pump rod, *. But s can be disconnected, and, 

 together with the air pump present, can he withdrawn frimi the barrel, r, 

 through the door, q or R, and the packing of piston /, can be performed at 

 those doors. The reces-es into which the valve seats for the foot valves, 6, 6, 

 are lodged, should be continued downwards, as at s, s, near toward the bot- 

 tom of the condenser, in order that water may be effnctually dra»n up from 

 the lowest part of the condenser by the action of the pump; and as to cur 

 said improvements for propelling and other purposes, the same are, for the 

 most part, applicable to vessels, with revolving screw propellers for diminishing 

 friction and wearing which takes place at that extremity of the horizontal 

 axis of the revolving propeller within the vessel, and which extremity, at the 

 same time it is turning r.'pidly round, must press endways against some suit- 

 a'de fixed end bearing in the vessel, so as to transmit to that bearing the 

 whole endway force of the propeller, by which the vessel is to be urged on 

 through the water. This part of the improvements relates to such fixed end 

 bearing or extremity of revolving axis, or any other end bearing for quick 

 revolving axis in mill work or machinery of any kind, and consists in apply- 

 ing a flat circular disc of hardened steel or other hard metal, in a vertical 

 plane at the proper place for receiving the flat end of the revolving axis, 

 which end is also to be hardened steel, the said disc being larger in diameter 

 than the said flat end, and being lodged in a cell at the central part of a 

 toothed wheel, which is mounted at the end of a short horizontal axis, sus- 

 tained in some suitably fixed socket, so as to be somewhat eccentric to (be 

 central line of the axis of the propeller, and the said toothed wheel being 

 turned round by means of other wheel work, carries the steel disc slowly 

 round with it in the same direction as the end of the axis of the propeller is, 

 at the same time, revolving with a rapid motion ; and owing to the said slow 

 revolving motion of the disc being eccentric to the quick revolving motion 

 of the end of the axis, fresh parts of the said surface of steel iii>c are con- 

 tinually brought opposite to, and in contact with, the same end, in order to 

 avoid any tendency to wearing the rubbing surfaces into rings, as usually 

 takes place, and also to introduce oil or water more effectually between the 

 rubbing surfaces. 



Figs. 2, 3, 4, show some of the improvements by way of example, but the 

 details of construction there represented may he greatly varied. Fig. 2 is a 

 longitudinal vertical section; fig. 3 a plan view, and fig. 4 a horizontal sec- 

 tion taken at the propeller shaft. The box A, A, is to be securely fastened 

 in the vessel, so that a spindle, H, will correspond with the direction of cen- 

 tre line of the axis of the propeller, the said spindle, H, being inserted and 

 fastened into the end of the axis; but there is another suitable bearing not 

 shuwn, which sustains the axis laterally on its intended place as it revolve*. 

 The spindle, 11. passes through a hole in one end of the box. A, A, whieli 

 has partition across it at A, through which the spindle, II, also passes in a 

 stutling box, b, the smaller compartment of which box contains the circular 

 steel disc before mentioned, and filled with oil or water for keeping rubbing 

 surfaces cool. This is better shown in fig. 2. B circular disc, and Z* is a 

 tootheil wheel into the cell, at the centre wheteof the steel disc, B. is inlaid 

 and fastened, so as to be held on vertical plane, and so as to be carried round 

 with slow revolving motion of wheel, D, which is sustained by means of 

 prominent central boss, e, e, on opposite side of it, to that side on which 

 disc, li, is fastened, which boss, e, e, is received in, and fitted to, correspond- 

 ing circular cell, y,/", which may for the present be considered as immoveably 

 fixed, with its centre somewhat eccentric to centre line of spindle, H, as is 

 apparent in tig. 3. 



I'lie toothed wheel D, is capable of turning round in said CR\\f,f, as 

 though it were mounted on the end of the horizontal axis, and revolving 

 therewith in a vertical plane, and carrying the disc B, round with it in such 

 miition, and there may he a horizontal centre pin at ^, in centre of the said 

 ell. A/, fixed to or part thereof, and fitted into the central hole of the wheel 

 1). arouud its prominent boss t, e, applies with close contact against tht Oat 



