Seller’s Patent Model of an Oscillating Steam Engine – ca 1872
Seller’s Patent Model of an Oscillating Steam Engine – ca 1872
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 127,928 issued to William Sellers of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 11, 1872. The patent was for improvements in oscillating steam engines. An oscillating steam engine differs from a standard engine in that the steam cylinder is pivoted on the engine frame and oscillates back and forth about the pivot as its connecting rod operates the crankshaft of the engine. In a standard engine, the cylinder is fixed in orientation, and the piston rod is connected to a crosshead which moves fore and aft within a set of guides. The crosshead in turn is coupled via a pin to the connecting rod which allows it to pivot independently as the crankshaft revolves. One advantage of the oscillating cylinder design is the engine occupies less space than a standard engine.
- Other patents for oscillating engines with similar valve arrangements predated Mr. Sellers’ patent. He claimed the objectives of his invention were to improve the operation of the steam valve for an oscillating engine and to reduce the wear on the seals for the piston rod. In the image of the model the steam valve is the brass box on top of the cylinder. Mr. Sellers’ improvement in the valve design deals with the mechanism for controlling the timing of the steam cut-off in the valve. His improvement for the piston rod seal consists of a bearing placed in a sleeve which could be adjusted by a nut to compensate for wear of the rod. This can be seen in the rear center of the image.
- Mr. Sellers was a prolific inventor, and his most notable work was in the area of standardized screw and bolt threads.
- The patent model is made of brass and other metal and mounted on a wood base. It is highly detailed and illustrates all of the key details of the Sellers patent. The model was built as a working model to demonstrate the operation of the engine. A full description of the operation of the engine along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.
- Object Name
- engine, steam, oscillating, model
- engine, steam, oscillating, patent model
- patent model, engine, oscillating steam
- date made
- 1872
- patent date
- 1872-06-11
- inventor
- Sellers, William
- place made
- United States: Pennsylvania
- associated place
- United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Physical Description
- brass (overall material)
- wood (base material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 1/2 in x 4 3/4 in x 7 in; 8.89 cm x 12.065 cm x 17.78 cm
- ID Number
- MC.251296
- catalog number
- 251296
- patent number
- 127,928
- accession number
- 48865
- subject
- Patent Models
- Steam Engines
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
- Engineering, Building, and Architecture
- Work
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Patent Models
- Exhibition
- Power Machinery
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
