Improvements connected with Gas and like Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Gas and like Engines.
I RICHARD SIMON of The Trent Gas Engine Company Limited, Duke Street,
New Basford, Nottingham, Managing Director, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to novel means or appliances affixable to gas engines for
obviating or diminishing the usual and unnecessary labour exerted by an attendant
in starting such an engine.
It is usual in starting a gas engine that the fly wheel be turned a number of
times to overcome the weight and the resistance and to enable the operation of
turning the fly wheel to be lessened the exhaust valve has to sett open" and
various means have been adopted to the end, all, more or less involving great
labour on the part of the attendant.
Now the object I seek is to further reduce said labour in such manner that the
starting becomes an easy task.
For the purpose of my invention employ a swing lever or its equivalent in
combination with a rotating worm wheel on the driving axle or other rotating part
of the engine and gearing therein a runner carried on a swinging frame or lever
affixed to the frame or bed of the engine.
The runner works in the worm wheel and a pin on the frame or lever keeps the
exhaust valve open by means of a lever or in any other convenient way.
When it is desired to start the engine the swinging frame is pushed back to
allow the runner to enter the worm wheel. In this position the exhaust valve is
held open.
If the fly wheel he now turned, there being no resistance from
compression in the cylinder, it is easy to turn it round several times to acquire
momentum so that when the runner runs off the worm wheel, the fly wheel has
sufficient momentum to perform the necessary return stroke with little exertion of
strength on the part of the attendant, and the engine will start.
The same effect may be obtained in various ways, the exhaust valve may be
held open more or less wide according to the depth of the grooves in the worm
wheel and the number of such grooves may be varied to determine the number of
turns the fly wheel is to make before commencing compression.
The essential part of the invention is a rotating worm wheel in combination with
mechanical arrangements to hold the exhaust valve open.
I also purpose to let the bottom ends of the spindles of vertical valves of gas
engines rest in grease cups in order to diminish the noise of impact.
Dated this 16th day of January 1892.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said R. Simon.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Gas and like Engines.
1, RICHARD SIMON, of The Trent Gas Engine Company, Limited, Duke Street,
New Basford, Nottingham, Managing Director, 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 relates to novel means or appliances affixable to gas engines for
Price Rd

page_text: obviating or diminishing the usual and unnecessary labour exerted by an attendant
in starting such an engine.
It is usual in starting a gas engine that the fly wheel be turned a number of
times to overcome the weight and the resistance and to enable the operation of
turning the fly wheel to be lessened, the exhaust valve has to "sett open" and
various means have been adopted to the end, all more or less involving great labour
on the part of the. attendant.
Now the object I seek, is to further reduce said labour in such manner that the
starting becomes an easy task.
For the purpose of my invention, I employ a swing lever, or its equivalent in
combination with a rotating worm wheel on the driving axle or other rotating
part of the engine and gearing therein a runner, carried on a swinging frame or
fever affixed to the frame or bed of the engine.
The runner works in the worm wheel and a pin on the frame or lever keeps
the exhaust valve open by means of a lever or in any other convenient way.
When it is desired to start the engine, the swinging frame is pushed back to
allow the runner to enter the worm wheel. In this position, the exhaust valve is
held open. If the fly wheel be now turned there being no resistance from com-
pression in the cylinder, it is easy to turn it round several times to acquire
momentum so that when the runner runs off the worm wheel, the fly wheel has
sufficient momentum to perform the necessary return stroke with little exertion of
strength on the part of the attendant, and the engine will start.
The same effect may be obtained in various ways, the exhaust valve may be held
open more or less wide according to the depth of the grooves in the worm wheel
and the number of such grooves may be varied to determine the number of turns
the fly wheel is to make before commencing compression.
The essential part of the invention is a rotating worm wheel in combination with
mechanical arrangements to hold the exhaust valve open.
I also purpose to let the bottom ends of the spindles of vertical valves of gas
engines rest in grease cups in order to diminish the noise of impact.
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings, show a method of applying the
invention to engines having a side shaft as in those made on the Otto or Beau de
Rochas cycle.
Figure 1 is an end elevation and Figure
a side elevation. C is the rotating
side shaft, a cam F on which depresses the lever E by means of a runner D at its
end, and thus opens the exhaust valve on the exhaust stroke. In order to keep it
open for all or any desired part of the compression stroke, I place on the shaft C
the worn or grooved boss B and attach to the spindle of the runner D, a stud H,
on which runs the loose wheel or roller A.
When it is desired to start the engine, the fly wheel is turned so as to open the
exhaust valve, when the loose wheel A is slipped into any one of the grooves on B
which may be selected. These grooves are made of such number and of such
depth as may be found convenient to give a suitable number of turns and to hold
the exhaust valve entirely or only partly open, as is wished.
The grooves are made to terminate at any point of the stroke required, so that
the loose wheel A runs out and allows the exhaust valve to close automatically at
the point previously determined.
Figures 3 and 4 show a method of applying the invention to gas engines in
which the valves are worked direct from the crank shaft as in the "Trent" gas
engine.
Figure 3 is a side elevation and Figure 4 a plan of the invention as applied in
this instance. Here the loose wheel A is carried on a stud H affixed to the
swinging lever G fastened to the frame of the engine.
The worm or grooved boss B is fixed on the crank shaft C.
The fly wheel being turned as before to open the exhaust valve, the loose
wheel A is slipped into one of the grooves of B. Then the swinging frame or
arm G is pressed against the pin or lug K on the arm L of the exhaust lever E,

page_text: and the exhaust valve is thus held open. When the exhaust valve is thus held
open in either manner described, the engine may be turned by means of the fly
wheel with comparative ease, as there is now no resistance of compression, or only
such degree of compression as is thought desirable and practicable, to turn
against.
After several turns, the fly wheel has acquired sufficient momentum to make it
comparatively easy to give the necessary turn against compression when the loose
wheel has run itself out of its groove.
Another advantage of this invention is that by turning the fly wheel a number of
times which it makes easy, and in some instances, practicable the bad gas formed
in the gas supply pipe while the engine has been standing is drawn out and replaced
with good mixture suitable for igniting.
The invention also facilitates the use of what are called self starters.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction and employment of a rotating worm or spirally grooved boss
on a gas engine shaft for the purpose of holding open the exhaust valve and
of permitting such valve to close automatically after any desired number of
revolutions at any desired point of the cycle, substantially as described and
or
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Richard Simon.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Richard Simon.