Improvements in Engines operated by Gas, Vapour, Oil or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 5th April, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engines operated by Gas, Vapour, Oil or the like.
I, JAMES FREDERICK STILWELL of No. 1 Victoria Park, Dover, in the County of
Kent, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention refers to engines to be operated by gas, vapour, oil or the like.
These engines may be constructed with two, three or more cylinders. There is
in each cylinder a compressing and explosion space. The explosion space is at the
end of the cylinder furthest from the crank shaft and the compression space is
formed by the cylinder being bored out to a larger diameter at that end of the
cylinder nearest the crank shaft and that part of the piston or plunger working
therein is made correspondingly larger. All the pistons may conveniently be
connected to one crank on the crank shaft or there may be more than one crank
thereon. Each compression chamber is provided with a port or ports which is or
are adapted to be uncovered by the piston for the admission of air when the piston
is at the outer end of its stroke. There may also be a similar port for the admission
of gas in the case of a gas engine. When the piston returns it closes this port or
these ports and the explosive mixture or air is compressed within the annular space
in the cylinder and also in a pipe or conduit leading therefrom to the explosion
chamber of the other cylinder or of one of the other cylinders. When the piston
of that particular cylinder is near its lowest position it uncovers a port in said
conduit so that a charge of air and gas or other explosive may enter the explosion
chamber.
It will be understood that the charge of air and gas comes from the compression
chamber, but in the case of an oil engine the air preferably comes from the
compression chamber and the oil or other explosive passes in with the air from a
suitable port or opening at or near the inlet port in the combustion chamber.
As soon as the charge enters, the piston moves sufficiently far to close the inlet
port, cutting off all exit, and by the continued movement of the piston, the charge
is compressed and ignited by some suitable means at the inner end of the stroke.
The expansion of the gases formed by the explosion causes the piston to move
forward, and when it nears the end of its stroke it uncovers an exhaust port in the
side of the cylinder and the products of combustion escape, a fresh charge entering
at or about the same time by the inlet port as described before, and by the
construction of the piston it is deflected from the exhaust port.
The connections between the various cylinders and the gas or oil supply or the
like may be so arranged that one or more of the cylinders may be cut out from
operating whereby a saving will be obtained when the engine is running light or
with a diminished load.
When two or more cylinders operate one crank shaft the weight of the flywheel
inay be inuch reduced or the flywheel may even be dispensed with altogether in
the case of an engine with three or more cylinders.
Tl1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engines operated by Gas, Vapour, Oil or the like.
I, JAMES FREDERICK STILWELL of No. 1 Victoria Park, Dover, in the County of
Kent Mechanical Engineer 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.
My invention refers to engines to be operated by gas, vapour oil or the like.
These engines may be constructed with two, three or more cylinders. There is
in each cylinder a compressing and an explosion space. The explosion space is at the
end of the cylinder furthest from the crank shaft and the compression space is
formed by the cylinder being bored out to a larger diameter at that end of the
cylinder nearest the crank shaft and that part of the piston or plunger working
therein is made correspondingly larger. All the pistons may conveniently be
connected to one crank shaft or there may be more than one crank thereon. Each
compression chamber is provided with a port or ports which is or are adapted to be
uncovered, by the piston for the admission of air when the piston is at the outer end
of its stroke. There may also be a similar port for the admission of gas in the case
of a gas engine. When the piston returns it closes this port or these ports and the
explosive mixture or air is compressed within the annular space in the cylinder and
also in a pipe or conduit leading therefrom to the explosion chamber of the other
cylinder or of one of the other cylinders. When the piston of that particular
cylinder is near its lowest position it uncovers a port in said conduit so that a
charge of air and gas or other explosive may enter the explosion chamber. It will be
understood that the charge of air and gas comes from the compression chamber but
in the case of an oil engine the air preferably comes from the compression chamber
and the oil or other explosive passes in with the air from a suitable port. or opening
at or near the inlet port in the combustion chamber.
As soon as the charge enters, the piston moves sufficiently far to close the inlet
port, cutting off all exit, and by the continued movement of the piston, the charge
is compressed and ignited by some suitable means at the inner end of the stroke.
The expansion of the gases formed by the explosion causes the piston to move
forward and when it nears the end of its stroke it uncovers an exhaust port in the
side of the cylinder and the products of combustion escape, a fresh charge entering
at or about the same time by the inlet port as described before and by the
construction of the piston it is deflected from the exhaust port.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal sectional
elevation a two-cylinder oil engine constructed according to my invention.
Figure 1ª is a detail plan view of the crank and the connecting rods.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation of a three cylinder engine.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof.
Figure 4 is a transverse sectional elevation and
Figure 5 is a detail view partly in section on the line 5-5 Figure 4.
Referring to Figures 1 and 1, it will be seen that there is in each of the two
cylinders a compressing and an explosion space. The explosion spaces A A¹ are at
the end of each cylinder furthest from the crankshaft K, the compression spaces B B
are formed by each cylinder being bored out to a larger diameter at that end
of the cylinder nearest the crank shaft, and those parts C C of the pistons or
plungers CC¹ working therein are made correspondingly larger. Both pistons CC¹
are here shown connected to one crank on the crank K by connecting rods K' K²
one of which is made forked as shown in figure 1ª but it is evident that both the
connecting rods or one of them may be bent so as to permit of their working side
by side on the crank. Or instead of there being only one crank on the crank shaft
there may be two of opposite throws and in this case the cylinders would be
mounted side by side.

page_text: The compression chambers B B are provided respectively with ports B B which
are adapted to be uncovered by the pistons C and C for the admission of air when
they are at the end of the stroke as shown for instance on the left hand side of
Figure 1. There may also be a similar port for the admission of gas in the case
of a gas engine; When the piston C3 returns it closes this port B or these ports
(if there be more than one) and the air or explosive mixture is compressed within
the annular space B in the cylinder and also in a pipe or conduit D leading therefrom
to the explosion chamber A of the other cylinder. When the piston is at the
end of its forward stroke nearest to the crank shaft K it uncovers a port E¹ for the
admission of a regulated quantity of oil and a port D in the conduit D for the
air so that a charge of oil or vapour and air may enter the explosion chamber A¹.
It will be understood that in the case of a gas engine there will be no
oil inlet ports E and E and the complete charges of air and gas will come
from the compression chamber B or B to the explosion chamber A or A'.
D₁ is the pipe or conduit connecting the compression space B¹ with the port D
in the explosion chamber A. As soon as the charge enters, the piston C
moves back sufficiently far to close the air inlet port D' and oil inlet port E, cutting
off all exit, and by the continued movement of the piston, the charge is compressed
and ignited by some suitable means at the inner end of the stroke. The expansion
of the gases formed by the explosion causes the piston C to move forward, and when
it nears the end of its stroke it uncovers an exhaust port F in the side of the
cylinder and the products of combustion escape, a fresh charge entering at or about
the same time by the inlet ports D and E and by the construction of the piston or
by means of a deflector C thereon, as shown, the said charge is deflected from the
exhaust port F.
The other cylinder is similarly provided with an exhaust port F1 and the piston C'
has a deflector C like the deflector C before described.
The connections between the two cylinders and the gas, or oil supply or the like
may be so arranged that there is only one explosion in one of the cylinders during
a revolution whereby a saving will be obtained when the engine is running light or
with a diminished load.
The weight of the flywheel may also be much reduced in a two cylinder engine
of this construction.
Referring to figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 as compared with an engine having only one
cylinder which illustrate as an example a three cylinder engine, it will be seen that
there is in each cylinder a compressing and an explosion space as before described.
The explosion spaces A A¹ and A2 Figures 3 and 4 are at the end of the cylinder
furthest from the crankshaft K and the compression spaces B, B' and B2 Figure 3
are formed by the cylinders being bored out to a larger diameter at that end of the
cylinder nearest the crank shaft, and those parts C³, C and C of the pistons or
plungers C, C and C2 working therein are made correspondingly larger. All the
pistons may conveniently be connected to one crank on the crank shaft or instead
of there being only one crank on the crank shaft there may be more than one crank
thereon, and the cranks will be arranged to be equidistant in which case the
cylinders would be mounted side by side.
The compression chambers B B1 and B2 are provided respectively with ports
B³, B and B which are adapted to be uncovered by the pistons C C and C³ for
the admission of air from the crank chamber K in the case of an oil engine, and
in the case of a gas engine the oil admission ports E may be dispensed with or
blocked up and the gas will be admitted by the ports M, M and M shown in dotted
lines in Figure 3.7 In order however that gas may not escape into the crank
chamber K which is open to the atmosphere by a grating or other opening Ko, the
pistons CC and C are made long enough to always cover the said ports M, M' and
M' except when the said pistons are near the ends of their forward strokes. It is
evident in the present construction that the connecting rods would foul the
pistons if the latter were made much longer; I therefore only extend the pistons on

page_text: one side just sufficient to cover the said ports as shown at C° C10 and Cu Figure 3 and
at C Figure 4.
If desired the air inlet ports B³, B and B may also be made just like the gas
inlet ports M, M1 and M2 so as to have no communication whatever with the crank
chamber Kas long as the pistons are arranged to cover the said air ports exactly
as they do the gas inlet ports as before described and in that case the opening K
in the crank chamber K4 will not be necessary.
It is also evident if the engine described with reference to Figure 1 be used as
a gas engine and if it be supplied with gas inlet ports to open at or about the same
time as the air inlet ports B³ and B, that the pistons C3 and C4 would have to be
provided with extensions C and C10 as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.
When the piston C³ return, it closes this port B³ and the air or explosive mixture
is compressed within the annular space B in the cylinder and also in a pipe or
conduit D Figures 2, 4 and 5 leading therefrom to the explosion chamber A¹ of
the next cylinder. In order to conveniently make the connections from the
compression chambers B, B1 and B2 by the pipes, D, D and D to the explosion
chambers A, A¹ and A respectively, boxes H, Hand H are provided, which boxes
are divided by partitions H shewn only in Figures 4 and 5. The lower portion of
the box H communicates by round holes or a single port G with the compression
space Band with the pipe or conduit D by a port G¹. The upper portion of the box H
containing the rectangular port De supplies the air or mixture to the explosion
chamber A through the port D. The arrangement of the boxes H¹ and H2 is
precisely similar to that described with reference to the box H. When the piston C¹
is at the end of its forward stroke nearest to the crank shaft K it uncovers a port
similar to that marked E Figure 4 and E¹ Figure 1 for the admission of a regulated
quantity of oil and a port similar to D' Figure 4 in the conduit D for the air so that
a charge of oil or vapour and air may enter the explosion chamber A¹. As before
mentioned it will be understood that in the case of a gas engine there will be no oil
inlet ports E and the complete charges of air and gas will come from the compression
chambers B, B and B to the explosion chambers A, A¹ and A. The working of
the engine is generally precisely the same as that described with reference to
Figure 1 inasmuch as the compression chamber of one cylinder supplies the charge
of air or the like to the explosion chamber of the next cylinder, the pistons C, C¹
and C² serve to admit the charges and the exhaust ports F Figure 4 are uncovered
by the said pistons which latter are provided as before described with deflectors
C C7 and C8 see Figure 3. The cylinders are as is usual provided with water
jackets I and the, cooling water may conveniently enter by the inlet J and pass
off at J Figure 3.
The connecting rods K K and K are connected to the crank of the crank
shaft K very much in the same manner as described with reference to Figure 1
or as shown on Figures 3 and 4 the connecting rods are each made in the form of
a segment at the end and provided with similarly formed segmental bearing pieces
N N and N2, the whole being kept together by rings 0 and 0. The rings may
conveniently be made in halves as shown and the halves are keyed or bolted together.
The connections between the various cylinders and the gas or oil supply or the
like may be so arranged that one or more of the cylinders may be cut out from
operating whereby a saving will be obtained when the engine is running light or
with a diminished load.
Where three or more cylinders operate one crank shaft the weight of the flywheel
may be considerably reduced or the flywheel may even under some circumstances be
dispensed with altogether.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An engine operated by gas, vapour oil or the like provided with two or
more cylinders, each cylinder having an explosion chamber and a compression

page_text: space, pistons working in such spaces or chambers connected to a common crank
shaft, ports for the inlet of air or of air and gas to the compression chambers,
ports and pipes or conduits leading from the compression chamber of one cylinder to
the explosion chamber of the other or the next cylinder, ports for the inlet of oil
to the explosion chambers in the case of an oil engine and ports for the exhausting
of the products of combustion from the explosion chambers substantially as described
and shewn.
2. The construction of engines operated by gas, vapour, oil, or the like, shewn on
the drawings.