Rotary Engine. Page: 3 of 5
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UNITED STATESPATERNTOFFICj
WILLIAM LEE ANDREW WRIGHT, OF DIANA, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY'.
D. KNIGHT, OF DIANA, TEXAS.
ROTARY ENGINE.
No. 861,344. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented yuly 30, 1907.
Application filed October 24, 1906. Serial No. 340,391.
To all whom it may concern: being outwardly tapered in cross section, as illustrated 55
Be it known that I, WILLIAM LEE ANDREW WRIGHT, in Fig. 4.
a citizen of the United States, residing at Diana, in the Secured to the side walls 13 of the outer casing are
county of Upshur and State of Texas, have invented a suitable boxings 1.8, in which is journaled a tubular
5 new and useful Rotary Engine. of which the following shaft 19 that extends centrally across the piston chain-
is a specification. ber, and carries a circular rotary piston body 20 that 60
One of the important objects of this invention is to is arranged within the chamber. This body is pro-
provide a novel and simple structure that will secure a vided with radially disposed slots 21 in which wings
high degree of power from the steam or motive fluid, or blades 22 are slidably mounted. The outer ends of
10 will automatically take up wear, and is so construct- the wings or blades are tapered as shown at 23 in Fig. 4,
ed that the parts can be readily adjusted to prevent the said outer ends corresponding to the shape of and oper- 65
escape of steam and the consequent loss of power. eating in the channel 16. The inner ends of the blades
A further object is to provide an engine which can have inwardly projecting pins 24 that operate in sock-
be readily reversed, and when the motive fluid is cut ets 25, formed at the inner ends of the slots 21, and sur-
15 off, will produce no vacuum in the cylinder or piston rounding these pins are springs 26 that urge the blades
chamber to resist the movement of the piston under its outwardly. Standards 27 are located on opposite sides 70
own momentum. of the casing, and have boxings 28 at their upper ends,
A still further object is to provide, in an engine of in which is journaled a driving shaft 29, the said driv-
this type, driving mechanism so constructed that the ing shaft loosely passing through the tubular shaft 19,
20 piston will be relieved of the "spring" of the driving and thus being supported independently thereof.
shaft, and consequently of the wear and strain upon the Drive wheels 30 have hubs 31, fixed to the shaft 29 be- 75
parts, due thereto. tween the boxings 28 and boxings 18. The hubs of
The preferred form of construction is illustrated in these wheels have loose clutch connections with the
the accompanying drawings, wherein:- ends of the tubular shaft. Thus in the present embodi-
25 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine. Fig. 2 is ment, said hubs have inwardly projecting lugs 32,
an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on which engage in sockets 33 formed in the ends of the 80
the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on shaft 19.
the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig..5 is a detail sectional view Interposed between the sections 14 of the cylinder
on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view on an member are packing devices. Each of these packing
30 enlarged scale of one of the boxings for the piston shaft. devices consists of a substantially U-shaped metallic
Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the pack- casing 34, in which is slidably mounted a packing 85
ing devices. Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 block 35. The casing 34 has its rear end bearing
of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view through one against the adjacent portion of the end wall 10 of the
of the steam chests, illustrating the relation of the con- outer casing,.while the inner end of the packing block
35 trolling valve when the motive fluid is entirely cut off bears against the periphery of the piston body, being
from the piston chamber. preferably provided with projections 36 that engage in 90
Similar reference numerals designate correspond- grooves 37 formed insaid body. The casing sections 14
ing parts in all the figures of the drawings. also have ribs 38 that engage in said grooves, as shown
In the embodiment illustrated, an outer casing is em- in Fig. 4, and furthermore have grooves 39 to receive
40 ployed, comprising upright end walls 10, a bottom 11, the ribs 40 formed upon the periphery of the piston
a top 12, and detachable side walls 13. Within this body. Plates 41, detachably secured to the opposite 95
casing is located a cylinder member consisting of sec- ends of the block 35 by screws, 42, are borne against by
tions-14 that are urged toward each other by set screws the sections 14, as shown in Fig. 5.
15 threaded through the bottom and top 11 and 12 of the Steam chests 43 are located on the ends of the outer
45 casing and having their inner ends bearing against the casing, and have inlet ports 44 that extend through the
central portions of said sections. The cylinder mem- ends of the sections 14, and communicate with the pis- 100
ber is provided with a piston chamber 16, that is sub- ton chamber on opposite sides of the packing devices.
stantially elliptical, as shown in Fig. 3, its minor axis The steam chests are supplied with motive fluid from
being disposed in the plane of the joint between the sec- a suitable pipe 46, having branches 47 that communi-
50 tions 14. The elliptical shape of the chamber is due cate with the chests on one side of the engine, and an
to the formation of an outer channel 17 of less width exhaust conduit 48 has branches 49 connected to the .105
than the cylinder member, which channel gradually steam chests on the opposite side of the engine. The
increases in depth from the joint between the sections ends of the branches 49 communicate with the chests14 to the central portions of said sections, the Channel. through ports 491 between the ports 44, as shown in
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Wright, William Lee Andrew. Rotary Engine., patent, July 30, 1907; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth512915/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.