Improvements in and relating to Hydrocarbon-engines Working in a Four-stroke-cycle.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1895-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Hydrocarbon-engines Working in a
Four-stroke-cycle.
I, WILHELM LORENZ, 57, Kriegstrasse, of Karlsruhe, in the Grand Duchy
of Baden, German Empire, Engineer and Counsellor of Commerce, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention refers to hydrocarbon engines, such as gas-motors and petroleum-
motors, in which each cycle consists of four strokes, and in which two or more
cylinders are combined so as to act all on one and the same shaft. My
improvements in engines of said sort relate to the arrangement of an eccentric,
cam or equivalent organ adapted to operate the valve-motions of all the cylinders;
that is to say, the several valve-motions are to be actuated all from one and the
same eccentric, cam or equivalent organ, whereas up to now a special organ has
been employed for each of the valve-motions in question.
Referring to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawing, a designates the cranked
main-shaft of the engine, and b a wheel-like worm fixed to said shaft. Said worm b
gears with a worm-wheel c secured to a shaft d. This shaft carries upon its outer
projecting end the eccentric, cam or equivalent organe, the projection e' of which
operates the several valve-motions ff by the mediation of suitable mechanisms,
for instance by slides g and levers (Fig. 2), or by bell crank levers h' h and
connecting-rods g' (Fig. 3).
If the shaft a does not extend in the line of connection of the two or more.
cylinders, but rectangularly thereto, I prefer to employ instead of the worm band
the worm-wheel c a cog-wheel 6' (Fig. 4) with outer toothing, and an annular cog-
wheel with inner toothing, and gearing with said cog-wheel 6. The projection e¹
forms part of said annular wheel 2 and operates the valve-motion ff1 by the
mediation of the levers and the rod g².
As my novel arrangement is intended especially for motors working in a four-
stroke-cycle, the pitch of the worn b with regard to the pitch of the worm-wheel c,
and the inner circumference of the cog-wheel with regard to the outer circum-
ference of the annular cog-wheel 2 is so chosen, that the driving wheel (b or b¹)
moves twice as fast as the driven wheel (c or e²).
I wish it to be understood, that my novel arrangement may be used not only
with vertical engines, but also with horizontal ones.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a hydrocarbon-engine having two or more cylinders acting all on one shaft,
and working each in a four-stroke-cycle, the combination with the valve-motions of
said cylinders, of a common eccentric, cam, cam-disk, cam-wheel or equivalent
organ adapted to be driven from said shaft, and to operate all said valve-motions,
substantially as described.
2. In a hydrocarbon-engine having two or more cylinders acting all on one shaft,
and working each in a four-stroke cycle, the combination with the valve-motions of
said cylinders, of a common eccentric, cam, cam-disk, cam-wheel, or equivalent

page_text: organ adapted to operate all said valve-motions; said eccentric, cam, cam-disk,
cam-wheel or equivalent organ being secured to a shaft having a worm-wheel
gearing with a worm arranged upon said shaft, substantially as described.
3. In a hydrocarbon-engine having two or more cylinders acting all on one shaft,
and working each in a four-stroke-cycle, the combination with the valve-motions of
said cylinders, of a common eccentric, cam, cam-disk, cam-wheel or equivalent
organ adapted to operate all said valve-motions; said eccentric, cam, cam-disk,
cam-wheel, or equivalent organ being combined, or made integrally, with a toothed
wheel gearing with another toothed wheel fixed to said shaft, substantially as
described.
4. In a hydrocarbon-engine having two or more cylinders acting all on one shaft,
and working each in a four-stroke-cycle, the combination with the valve-motions of
said cylinders, of a common eccentric, cam, cam-disk, cam-wheel or equivalent
organ adapted to operate all said valve-motions; said eccentric, cam, cam-disk,
cain-wheel, or equivalent organ being combined, or made integrally, with a cog-
wheel having inner toothing, and gearing with a cog-wheel having outer toothing,
and fixed to said shaft, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of July 1895.
WILHELM LORENZ,
By Geo. Thos. Hyde,
Agent for the Applicant.