US240482A - Steam-engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. H. WESTINGHOUSE.

7 Steam Engine.

No. 240,482. Patented April 19, I881.

NJETERS, PHOTOJ-ITHOGRAPNER. WASIINGTON. D C.

( Ho lilodeL) v I ZSheets-Sheet 2.

' H. H. WESTINGHOUSE. SteamBngine. v Neg 240,482. Patented April 19,1881.

A 6 its v S W4? 4/ M We PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. HERMAN l/VESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,482, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed February 15, 1881.

To all tphom it may concern Be it known that I, H. HERMAN WESTING- HOUSE, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or (liscovercd a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like parts Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a sectional elevation, looking to the right in the plane of the line X X of Fig. 3, Sheet 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustration to a reduced scale of the position of the crank-shaft in relation to the axial line of the cylinder. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a vertical sectional view through a plane in the center line of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view in the plane of the line X X, Fig. 5. Fig.5 is a longitudinal or vertical sectional view to an enlarged scale of the ported bushing employed in the valve-chamber; and Fig. 6 is a vertical or longitudinal sectional view to an enlarged scale of one of the'piston connecting-rods with its end connections, and particularly illustratin g its construction and use as pump in effecting the lubrication of its upper working-joint.

My present invention relates to certain features of improvement in the construction of an upright engine, in which are employed two or more single-acting cylinders and pistons, takin g and exhausting steam alternatelyfrom and through a common valve and exhaust-chamber.

The particular objects I have in view are to get a large and practically an instantaneous exhaust immediately on the completion of a piston-stroke also, a steam-supply port leading to each cylinder, which, being of annular form and extending around the valve-chamber, shall practically be equal in area to the inside diameter of the valve-chamber multiplied by the width of the port; also, to so construct the piston connecting-rod that, dipping at each downstroke into a vat of oil, not only will the lower bearings be lubricated, but also oil will thereby be pumped up the hollow connectingrod to its upper bearings, so as to keep the same properly lubricated; and I also secure an importantadvantage in arrangingthe valvechamber and piston-valve between the upright (No model.)

cylinders, whereby the construction is greatly simplified, and rendered more compact and more efficient in operation. I also include herein other details of construction and operation, substantiallyas hereinafter described and claimed. All these elements are of value in the building of an engine which is to run at a high speed, though some of them may be advantageously employed in other classes of engines.

In the drawings, A A represent two upright steam-cylinders arranged side by side and at such distance apart as to make room for an interposed valve-chamber, V. Each cylinder contains a piston, P, made of considerable length with reference to securing a steady, easy motion, especially at a high speed. Preferably each piston has a length a little in excess of its length of stroke, so that while it shall uncover the exhaust-ports at the lower end of its stroke it will leave such ports covered at the upper end of its stroke, thereby preventing escape of steam from the cylinders into the inclosed space below. Each piston is, by a coupling-pin, P, connected to a connecting-rod or pitman, R, which latter is properly secured on the wrist w of the main crank-shaft The connections are such that the pistons will move in opposite directions, and also so that by an intermediate eccentric, w, the proper motions will be given to a piston-valve, V, in the valve-chamber V.

Underneath the cranks and eccentrics is a vat, Y, for containing liquid lubricating material, and this vat is to contain at all times sufficient lubricant, so that at each downstroke the cranks and eccentrics will be immersed to such depth as may be necessary to effect thereby the proper lubrication of crank and eccentric wrist bearings, as hereinafter described.

The valve-chamber islined with a bushing, 02 11, made in two sections, of which the upper section, 11, with a portion of the lower, is shown in section to an enlarged scale in Fig. 5. The lower section, '0, is a duplicate of the other section, but is reversed, end for end, when inserted in its chamber. Eacl1 bushing has a series of ports, '0 which, when the bushings are inserted in the valve-chamber, come opposite to and open into annular chambers ac made in the valve-case. The ports 12 are made in a continuous series or succession around the bushing; as illustrated in Figs. 4. and 5,-

and they are made longer than the width of packing-rings 0 c in the valve-heads, the bridges c preventing the rings from expandin g into the ports. These bridges have, taken together, considerable surface area, so as to preventinjurious wear by thevalve; and, in order to secure a maximum area of port-opening with a minimum of valve-motion, I make the bridges V-shaped or triangular in form at one or both ends, as in Figs. 4 and 5. The length of such V or triangular part is less, however, than the width of rings 0 c, and their apices or inner edges are flattened slightly, as shown, so that they shall not present a knife-edge to the valve. When separate or independent exhaust-ports are provided, as herein shown, it will suftice to give such triangular form to the bridges at their ends toward the central supply-ports. But when the ports Q72 are used for exhaust as well as supply I make the bridges of such triangular form at both ends, with a broad bearing-face in their centers sufficient to carry the valve and its rings over the ports, as above stated. By such construction the largest possible area of port is opened between the surfaces of the valve-head and bushing, and the increased length of ports 12 affords the desired area of passage-way through the same, so that the thickening of the bases or outer surfaces of the bridges is not an obstruction, but, on the other hand, affords the requisite strength to the bridges. This feature of elongated ports with dividing bridges, having a triangular or V form at the end or ends, is an important one, and by it I get an area of port-openin g practically or approximately equal to theinner circumference of the bushing in which the ports are made, multiplied by the length of such ports uncovered by the valve, and in operation I get an almostinstantaneous opening and closing of the full capacity of the port.

The legs 0 at the abutting ends of the bushin gs 'v '0 also perform the function of carrying the packing-rin gs across the ports 21 formed between legs. These legs may comeend to end, if so desired; but I prefer to adjust them at a little distance apart, or leave a little space between their ends, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, so as to insure a steam-tight fitting at the shoulders 12 between the bushing and inner wall of the chamber; but this distance between the adjacent ends of the lugs a should be less than the breadth of the packing-rin gs c c for reasons already stated. The ports thus formed between the legs 0 and the leg ends constitute the steam-supply port, and take steam from steam-pipe l5 and annular steam-chamber a made around the valve-chamber.

The piston-valve V is mounted securely on a stem, 0, and at the lower end of the stem is a packed piston, V which plays in a supplemental cylinder,V and the latter is surrounded by a close diaphragm, V so as to exclude all steam from the oil-vat Y. The connectingrod V leads to the valve-movin g eccentric.

The piston valve proper consists of end plates, 6, made of spider form or having holes 8 through the same, open rings e ,'and open central section, 6 so that exhaust-steam may flow freely through the inside of the valve from the upper end to the exhaust P The central section, 0 is reduced in size or diameter inside its ends, as shown in Fig. 3, and such reduced part is long enough to simultaneously uncover the central steam supply ports, '0 and one or the other of the end ports, c and thereby give an annular steam port or passage for-the supply of steam alternately to the upper and lower ports 7:

From the annular chamber a, which surrounds the upper ports 11 a steam passage or port following the dotted lines at, on the back of the right-hand cylinder of Fig. 1, opens into an annular chamber, a, which surrounds the base end of the cylinder-cap A, and which thus gives a free and full opening to the cylinder around its entire end. The annular chamber a, which surrounds the lower ports,v has a port made in a rib, n, Fig. 3, and cap-connectionsat (the line of which follows the dotted lines a, Fig. 1,) so as to open into an annular space, 12 which surrounds the base end of the cap A of the other cylinder, and which opens into such cylinder around its entire upper end. Through the ports thus described steam is supplied alternately to the upper ends of the two cylinders.

The open rings a, which, with their packing-rings 0 c, constitute the valves proper or the valve-heads, are made of chilled castiron or steel, so that when accurately turned and fitted they will not only work true in their chambers, but also will possess such degree of durability as to be a material improvement in valves of this class. They are made separate from the central section, in order the more easily to insert the inner packing-rings, c, which occupy a groove at the joint, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In each cylinder, in a plane just above the upper end of each piston at the completion of its downstroke, I make a series of exhaustports, 2, in any desired number and size, but of a suflicientarea to afford practically an instantaneous exhaust of steam from each cylinderon the completion of the downstroke down to or nearly to atmospheric pressure. These ports, communicate by ports a, Fig. 3, with the exhaust-chamber V which opens directly to the steam-exhaust P Arranging the exhaustports in this manner with a direct communication to the exhaust-pipe I enables me to make exhaust-passages of any desired area, with reference to getting rid of the bulk of the steam which has done its work just as soon as its work is done, and in a practical sense instantaneously, and as a result of making the exhaust-ports separate from the supply-ports I am enabled to make the supplyports much smaller than would otherwise be necessary; and in describing them as having a maximum area I do not mean absolutely, but only as related to the valve motion, or, in

other words, with the shortest possible valvemotion in uncovering the supply-ports, I uncover a maximum area of supply-port opening. It is true that a small amount of steam at about atmospheric pressure will remain in the cylinder after the piston commences its upward stroke and passes the ports 2; but before this takes place this piston-valve will have been reversed, so that as regards the right-hand cylinder, Fig. 1, the line of ports by which such steam was supplied will be in communication, through the openings 8 of the valve, with the exhaust-chamber V, the piston-Valve then being down and as regards the left-hand cylinder, its line of supply-ports will on the PGXGISB stroke open directly into the exhaust-chamber V the piston-valve then be ing up.

I do not deem it necessary to describe in orderly succession the valve and piston motions, as from the description given and from the drawings they will be readily understood by the skilled engine-builder.

My particular object in arranging the cylinders vertically is to get the benefit of the action of gravity to keep the lower end of the connecting-rod always bearing on the upper side of the crank-pin, and the upper end of the connecting-rod bearing against the lower side of the cross-head pin, and thereby prevent all irregular or lost motion at those points. I am aware that this is not new, and I mention it only to say that I do not limit myself to an engine perfectly vertical; but, so far as the position of the cylinders enters into the present invention, I include all positions in which the cylinders are so far raised above or out of a horizontal plane as to secure the action of gravity for purposes thus referred to.

Another part of my invention relates to the arrangement of the axial line of the crank-shaft to one side of the prolongation of the axial line of the cylinder, a distance equal, or approximately equal, to one-halfthelength of the crank from center to center. This feature is particularlyillustrated by diagram in Fig. 2. The axial line of the cylinder is represented by theline g g. The position of the crank-shaft is illustrated at h, and the dead-points and half-way intermediate positions of the crank-pin are shown at h b 71, 11 It will be obvious that all effective steam propelling or moving action takes place while the crank-pin is moving from h to h It is usual to arrange the points h, g, and k in the line g p,- but I so construct the apparatus that these points shall be to. one side of said line a distance equal to one-half the length of the crank, or from k to g, measuring from center to center. The downward force exerted by the piston on its downstroke will then, in so far as it varies from the line 9 g, be distributed about equally on either side of said line 9 so as to be caused to act with the least possible degree of obliquity to the directionof piston-motion; and this will be true of both pistons. As no work is done by a piston on its up or return stroke the degree or amount of the obliquity of its connectingrod during such part of its motion is practically immaterial.

Another part of my engine consists of a pump for automatically oiling the bearings of theconnecting-rods. Astheengineisintended to run at'a comparatively high speed an automatic oiler is important. To this end I make each connecting-rod hollow, as illustrated in Fig. 6, or otherwise provide a tubular passage through the whole or any required part of its length, and at each end of the rod provide the proper bearings. The pump-tube (I thus made passes around beneath the crank-pin in the direction in which the lower end of the connecting-rod moves while turning, and its forward end, (1, is covered by a valve-plate, (1 wherein is a port, 61 closed by a weighted valve, at, which swings backward into an open position, as against a sufficient force acting from the outside through the port d but closes like a check-valve on the cessation of such force. Then as the lower end of each connecting-rod on its downstroke enters the oil in vat Y, and moves forward therein toward and past the point k of Fig. 2, the inertia of the oilin which it moves will open the valve 01", and a small quantity of oil will enter the tube d, and by the closing of the valve as the conmeeting-rod rises out of the oil in the vat, the oil so forced into the tube 01, Will be retained. By successive strokes the tube at will gradually be filled and kept full, so that the oil flowing through oil-passages r 1" Will supply the proper lubricant to both the upper and lower hearings, or to either of such bearings, as desired.

In making the tube d, I prefer to use a corebody of some size at the upper end, and if the opening left thereby be too large, I cover it partially or wholly by ap1ate,p, so that the oil may rise back of such plate high enough to enter the oil-opening 1'.

l/Vhile I prefer to use a check-valve, d of some kind at the lower end of tube or passage in the connecting-rods, yet I do not consider this an essential element, as the motion of the rods may in many cases suffice to force the oil upward therein the required distance.

The improvements herein shown and described may be applied to more than one pair of cylinders; but in so far as such use would involve anything more than a duplication or a repetition of the devices herein described, the same will form the subject-matter of one or more separate applications. Also, in so far as relates to the oiling devices herein shown and described for use generally in engines or machinery, the same will form the subjectmatter of a separate application to be hereafter filed, and the same are described herein, in order that the full structure and operation of the engine may be more readily understood.

I claim herein as my invention-- 1. In a pair of single-acting engines, a series of exhaust-ports, z, in each cylinder of suitable area for effecting, when uncovered, a practically instantaneous exhaust, and ports .2. leading therefrom to a common exhaustchamher, V7, in combination with a piston, P, in each cylinder, having a length in excess of thelength of stroke, and adapted to uncover such exhaust-ports at or near the ends of their downstrokes, and to cover the same at the end of their upstrokes, substantially as set forth.

2. The valve-chamber bushing o 1;, having a series of central supply-ports, 12 formed between the bridge-legs o, and two series of ports, '0 and suitable passages thence to the upper ends of the two cylinders, such ports v having through a part or the whole of their lengths an area practically equal to the inner circumference of the bushing multiplied by the lengths of the V-shaped bridges 0 substantially as set forth.

3. A series of ports, 12 divided one from another by bridges e, which latter are V- shaped or triangular in form -at one or both ends, having broad bearing-surfaces through a part of their length, substantially as set forth.

4. A piston-valve hating at each end an open head, 0 of chilled iron or steel, and packing-rings c c, in combination with open central section, 6 and perforated end plates, 6, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with two or more singleactingverticalengine-cylinders, a valve-chamber having steam-passages leading therefrom to either end of each cylinder for supply and exhaust of steam, a piston in each cylinder adapted to uncover the lower or main exhaust ports or passages at the end of its operative stroke, and a valve in the valve-chamber adapted to open and close steam-supply to the upper or supply ports of the cylinders, and also to afford passage from such ports to an exhaust when the lower or main exhaust and the steam-supply ports of any one cylinder are closed, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a pair of vertical single-acting steam-cylinders, a crank-shaft arranged to "one side of the axial lines of such cylinders, with direct connection from each piston to the crank-shaft, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

I-I. HERMAN WESTINGHOUSE.

Witnesses R. H. WHITTLESEY, O. S. PARKER.

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