US 3,995,531 AGranted

Steam engine

OwnerJoseph Zibruninventor

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Abstract

A steam engine is provided including a piston having an upper end portion movable upwardly and downwardly within an internal cylindrical surface of a cylinder, toward and away from a top wall to define a first variable volume space while moving away from and toward annular means in sealing engagement with a lower reduced diameter portion of the piston to define a second variable volume space. A connecting rod has an upper end pivotally connected to the piston and a lower end pivotally connected to a crankshaft. A valve assembly is provided for flow of high pressure steam to the second space and for flow from the first space to an outlet during upward movement of the piston and for flow of steam from the second space to the first space during downward movement of the piston. Preferably, the piston has a lower end portion sealingly engaged with a second internal cylindrical surface of the cylinder to define a third space which is connected through breather passages to the exhaust outlet. Important features relate to the construction of the cylinder and piston to facilitate assembly and to the construction of the valve assembly to obtain highly efficient and reliable operation.

In a steam engine, cylinder means defining internal cylindrical surface means having a vertical axis, piston means reciprocably movable in said cylinder means, a crankshaft rotatable about a horizontal axis aligned with said vertical axis and below said piston means, a connecting rod having an upper end extending within and pivotally connected to said piston means and having a lower end pivotally connected to said crankshaft, said piston means including an upper end portion having external cylindrical surface means in sealing engagement with said internal cylindrical surface means and including a reduced diameter portion having an external cylindrical surface in concentric relation to said cylindrical surface means, annular means projecting inwardly from said cylinder means into sealing engagement with said external cylindrical surface of said reduced diameter portion, top wall means closing the upper end of said cylinder means, there being a first variable volume space between said annular means and said upper end portion of said piston means and a second variable volume space between said top wall means and said upper end portion of said piston means, a high pressure steam inlet, an exhaust steam outlet, and valve means operable in synchronized relation to rotation of said crankshaft between a first condition during upward movement of said piston means and a second condition during downward movement of said piston means, said valve means being operable in said first condition to introduce high pressure steam from said inlet to said first space and to permit flow from said second space to said outlet and being operable in said second condition to permit flow from said first space to said second space, said cylinder means including second internal cylindrical surface means along said vertical axis and below said annular means, said piston means including a lower end portion having external cylindrical surface means in sealing engagement with said second internal cylindrical surface means of said cylinder means, there being a third variable volume space between said second end portion of said piston means and said annular means.

Abstract

Claims11