MENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS PARKER, of Commercial Road, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for, IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES, to be as follows:-
A gas motor engine, constructed according to this invention, is provided with
three cylinders having pistons connected to the same cross-head, or otherwise
geared so as to work together, or approximately together. One of these cylinders
is the working or motor cylinder, and is formed with a space beyond the piston's
stroke, constituting a combustion chamber. Another of these cylinders is an air
cylinder, or pump; and the remaining one a gas cylinder or pump. During one
stroke of the three pistons, gas and air are drawn in through suction valves to the
gas and air cylinders, respectively; and, on the return stroke, the air and gas from
the two last mentioned cylinders are forced through delivery valves into the
working cylinder, at the end thereof (
ich the working piston is
travelling, that is at the combustion chamber of sucu-ad. The air and gas are
caused to mix thoroughly as they enter the combustion chamber, the relative
quantities being proportioned to give the best mixture for the purpose required.
An exhaust port is formed in the side of the working cylinder, through which the
burnt gases of the preceding stroke are discharged. The entering air and gas assist
in driving out such burnt gases, and, at a suitable point of .the returning stroke of
the piston, this exhaust port is closed, by means of any suitable valve, and gear for
actuating the same. As the three pistons continue to move towards the ends of
their respective strokes, the air and gas are compressed into, and in, the working
cylinder, and, at or about the end of the stroke, the mixed gases, which are then of
course compressed within the combustion chamber, are ignited by a gas flame or
electricity, and propel, the working piston through its reverse stroke, the gas and air
pistons being carried back, consequently, through their reverse strokes. This
engine may be single or double-acting, as required.
0
For the purpose of regulating the speed of the gas motor engine constructed as
above-described, the governors are geared so as to hold open the suction valve to
the gas cylinder, for as long as may be required during the forcing stroke of the
gas piston, and, of course, while this. valve is held open, the gas is forced back
again into the gas main instead of into the working cylinder; and, therefore, gas is
forced into the working cylinder only for any portion of the gas piston's stroke

page_text: remaining after the closing of the suction valve of the gas cylinder; and no gas is
forced in during any stroke of such piston in which such valve may remain open
for the entire stroke. Directly the suction valve is allowed by the governors to
close, the gas enters the working cylinder in combination with air from the air
cylinder, and in proper relative proportion therewith to form a suitable mixture.for
combustion.
.
Ports may be arranged in the side of the gas cylinder at different points of the
piston's stroke, and these ports made to communicate with the gas main, and be
provided with valves or plugs, so that, by leaving open one or more of such valves
or plugs, volumes of gas due to varying lengths of the piston's stroke, as desired,
may be forced into the working, cylinder. .
By this invention, a variable quantity of gas may be used with the advantage of
the regularity in working due to isochronous ignition.
A gas motor engine constructed as above described is very readily started, as the
gas and air are forced into the working cylinder, whether in the ordinary working
of the engine, or when, the initial motion is given by hand, in proper relative
proportions for combustion.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
1
Improvements in Gas Motor Engines.
I, THOMAS PARKER, of Commercial Road, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for, IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say).:-:
This
This invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the centre of
the motive power cylinder and air cylinder hereinafter described, and shewing also
sufficient of the connections with the other parts of the engine, to make the illus-
tration clear. Figure 2 is a sectional plan taken on line y¹ y¹ of figure 1.
figure, however, is not a perfectly true section, as some of the parts aré shewn in
plan for convenience of illustration. Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on
line xx of figure 1. Figure 4 is a transverse section on line y y of figure 1.
Figure 5 is a transverse section on line of figure 2, shewing a front elevation of
the motive power cylinder, and the other cylinders hereinafter described; and
figure 6 is a sectional plan of the back lid taken on line ³ ³ of figure 3, and shews
also the back end of the motive power cylinder casting.
Similar letters of reference occurring throughout the views indicate corresponding
parts.
A is the motive power cylinder, and A' the piston therein. B is an air cylinder,
and B¹ the piston therein. C is a gas cylinder. The piston is not shewn in the ⚫
gas cylinder, as neither of the views shew a full length section thereof, but it is a
plain piston and of about the same depth (or greater under certain conditions
hereinafter described) as the air piston B¹, occupying the same position in the gas
cylinder as the air piston does in the air cylinder, and which will be readily under-
stood without special illustration. These three cylinders are, preferably, formed
together in one main casting, as shewn. A water jacket D D surrounds the
cylinders, and pipes for the inlet and outlet of the water circulating through the
jacket are shewn at a a. In the illustration shewn, the three cylinders are each
open at their front ends, the engine being single-acting. G G is a frame projecting
forwards from the piston A', and terminating in a cross-head G' sliding within the
slide bars H H etc. upon the bed R. R. H³ is the ordinary connecting-rod to the
crank-pin. b and bare snugs or projections downwards from the cross-head G¹, to
which are connected the outer ends of the rods c aud c¹, respectively, which are,
respectively, the piston-rod for the air piston and the piston-rod for the gas piston.
The three pistons, consequently, have a simultaneous action in a corresponding
direction. The piston A¹ of the motive power cylinder, and the gas piston, are
both perfectly plain, having no valves therein. The piston B' of the air cylinder,
however, is fitted with a valve E, which is rigidly connected to the piston-rod c so
as to be moved thereby. This valve has a back faced capable of beating
against a face e e in the piston, and also a front face e¹ el capable of beating against

page_text: .
· a corresponding shoulder formed by the ring f¹ f1 fixed in the piston by means of
. rivets t t etc. The part of the valve-between its backward and forward faces is
turne to fit within, so as to be capable of sliding along, the inside of the piston,
and the ends of the miston are open, as-shewn, and so is also the front end of the,
valve. ff are openings through the wall of the valve for the passage of air when
the back face of the valve is off its seat. When the cross-head is travelling in the
direction shewn by the arrow d, the valve E is pulled forwards by the piston-rod c
so that the back face dd of the valve is drawn away from its seat e e in the
piston, and the face e¹ e¹ is drawn against the shoulder corresponding thereto, by
which latter means' the piston is drawn forwards by the valve. As this piston
advances, therefore, air readily passes through the openings ff into the space
within the cylinder behind the piston, so that the cylinder is full of air when the.
piston commences its return stroke. Upon the commencement of such return
stroke, the valve E is first pushed backwards against the seat e e, and the passage
of the air through such valve is consequently closed, and the piston is forced
back by the continued backward movement of the valve. The seat and shoulder
against which the valve E is pressed, alternately, are preferably faced with leather,
or other suitable material, for lessening the shock of the slight blow which is caused
on the reversal of each stroke. By arranging the valve to operate the piston as
described, the ready opening and closing of the valve at the respective ends of the
stroke is ensured, and thus the loss of efficiency is avoided which results from the
'ordinary method of actuating a pump valve, that is by the direct motion of
the piston, as such valve closes too sluggishly on the compression stroke if not pro-
vided with a spring, and closes too early in the suction stroke if provided with a
spring.
J is a cover or lid at the back of the cylinders, having a water jacket D¹, com-
municating through passages p p etc. with the water jacket D D, and in this cover
are seated an air valve g, a gas inlet valve g¹, and a gas outlet valve h. The valves
g and h are pressed against their seats by means of spiral springs, as shewn, the
tension of such springs being regulated by means of set-screws 7 and h¹ bearing
against discs at the back of the springs, and the valve gl is drawn against its seat
by a small spiral spring around the spindle of the valve and at the back of the
seating, as shewn. 1 is the gas inlet pipe from the main, and as the pistons are
travelling forwards (in the direction already indicated) gas is drawn through the
valve g¹ into the gas cylinder C at the same time that air is passing into the air
cylinder B through the valve E. Upon the return stroke of the pistons the valves E
and g' close, and gas is forced by the gas piston through the valve h and through a
.passage k into the space immediately in front of the air valve g; and the piston B¹
at the same time is forcing air through the valve g and through the passage k¹ into
the combustion chamber J, formed partly in the cylinder cover and partly in the
-back of the cylinder. The part of the cylinder forming part of the combustion
chamber is shewn to be of a slightly larger diameter than the part of the cylinder
in which the piston works. The gas mixes with the air in the space at the front
of the air valve g, and is consequently forced with the air into the combustion
chamber, and these combined gases in the combustion chamber are also compressed
simultaneously by the backward stroke of the piston A, and are consequently at
considerable pressure when the pistons are at the back end of their stroke.
At this point, or, preferably, shortly after the commencement of the forward
stroke of the pistons, the charge is ignited, and this is preferably accomplished by
means of the igniter K, which has a platinum wire carried within a niche, as
.shewn, and connected by means of wires m m³ with a battery or other source of
electricity, so that the platinum wire is always at a sufficiently high temperature
to ignite the charge. At the moment at which the charge is to be ignited, the
igniter is moved sufficiently far inwards through the end of the cover to bring the
platinum wire in contact with the charge, and the wire is of course drawn back
again from exposure to the interior of the combustion chamber previously to the
next charge commencing to be forced in,

page_text: K' is a valve box on the side of the motive power cylinder, and n is a valve
seated therein and pulled against its face by a spring n² around the valve spindle
which projects forward through the valve box. L is a passage leading from the
back of the valve into the combustion chamber J. L' is an eccentric-rod actuated
by an eccentric on the fly wheel shaft. M is a tappet rod carried through a guide M
on the bed-plate. This rod M receives a reciprocating motion from the rod L', and
is so moved thereby that when it is desired for the burnt gases to be discharged
from the cylinder A (say when the piston A² has travelled to the end of the out-
ward stroke, or preferably somewhat before) a tappet head N on the end of the
rod M comes in contact with the head N' on the end of the valve spindle, and
forces open the valve against the pressure of its spring, and thus places the com-
bustion chamber and interior of the cylinder A in communication with a passage O
(shewn by dotted lines only figures 2 and 4) passing up from the-valve box on the
front side of the valve into the exterior air. On the return or backward stroke of
the piston A¹, and before any of the combustible mixture of the fresh charge can
be forced out through the passage L and valve n, such valve is closed by its spring
on the return stroke of the rod M. O is a lever carried upon a stud projecting
from a boss P upon the guide M, and the top end of the lever is connected by
means of a pin o with the back end of the rod L', that is to say, the pin through
the joint of the rods L' and M passes also through the top end of the lever O¹, the
hole in such lever having sufficient vertical play to allow for the vibration of the
lever. To the lower end of this lever is connected a rod P₁, shewn in figure 1 by
dotted lines only. The back end of the rod P1 is connected to a lever Q. This
lever has a fulcrum o¹, and its inner end is connected with the back end of the
igniter K. The igniter is thus actuated by the rod L' to ignite the charge as such
rod L' is travelling forwards. One eccentric, therefore, on the engine shaft actuates,
alternately, the valve n for the discharge of the consumed gases, and the lighter K
for igniting a fresh charge.
The operation of the engine is as follows:-
As the piston A¹ is driven forwards by the combustion of the charge, and the
gas and air pistons are consequently drawn forwards therewith, gas and air are
drawn into the gas and air cylinders, respectively, behind the pistons therein.
Upon the piston A arriving at the end of its outward stroke, or preferably some-
what before, the communication through the passage L is opened for the escape of
the burnt gases. Upon the return stroke of the pistons, this communication
through the passage L is closed (preferably at about half stroke) and a mixture of
air and gas is forced, by the air and gas pistons, during their backward or inward
stroke, into the combustion chamber, and this mixture is compressed therein by
such pistons and by the motive power piston A¹; after the closing of the exhaust
valve, and upon the next forward stroke of the pistons, either at the commencement
of such stroke, or, preferably, when the pistons have travelled some short distance,
the compressed charge is ignited by the igniter K.
The eccentric giving motion to the eccentric rod L¹ must, of course, be set to
open and close the valve at the desired point, and also to enter the wire
within the combustion chamber at the proper time to ignite the charge, and also
withdraw it therefrom before the inflow of the next charge.
It will be seen that the valves g and h are seated through lids in the back of
the cover J. The lid for the valve h is screwed into the back of the lid J by means
of a hexagon projection t¹, as shewn. The valve g¹ is seated on the inner end of a
tubular piece p' inserted in the cover J through the back thereof, as shewn, and
thus the valve g¹ is readily drawn out of the cover J together with the tubular
part pl.
Combustion may take place behind the piston during each forward stroke and, if
desired, the engine may be made double-acting by forming the front end of the
cylinders similarly as the back end. In this case, however, a suction valve will be
required at each end of the air cylinder instead of a suction valve being provided
within the piston as shewn,

page_text: '
Referring to figures 1, 2, and 5, 79 are taps in branch pipes connecting the gas
main's with be sides of the gas cylinder at different points lengthways of such
cylinder. q' are levers upon the plugs of the taps and are connected with the
rod from the governor gear.. These taps are so arranged in relation to one
another that as the governor falls sufficiently by reason of the reduced speed of the
engine, they are both closed one after the other, and as the governor rises with the
increased speed of the engine, the forward tap, being that which was the latter to
be closed, is first opened and afterwards, upon a further increase of speed, the hinder
tap is also opened. When both these taps are closed, a cylinder full of gas is forced
from the gas cylinder into the combustion chamber, but when the forward one of
these taps is open, the gas is forced back from the gas cylinder into the gas main
until the gas piston has passed the opening with which such tap communicates in
the side of the gas cylinder, and only the gas in the remaining part of the capacity
of the cylinder is discharged into the combustion chamber. If both the taps are
open, a still less. quantity of gas is discharged into the combustion chamber.
Several of these taps may be employed, if desired, so as to divide the gas cylinder
into a greater number of spaces, and one of such taps may be placed close to the
back end of the cylinder, so that, when it is kept open by the governor, no gas
whatever is forced into the combustion chamber, and consequently the motive
power is cut off from the engine until the speed. is reduced. When this means of
regulating the supply of gas to the combustion chamber is employed, the gas piston
must of course be of such a length as will prevent the front tap communicating
with the cylinder in front of the piston, or other means for this purpose must be
employed. One tap only may be employed, if desired.
The taps may, of course, be controlled by hand, if desired, instead of by the
governor.
By this part of any invention, a variable quantity of gas may be used, with the
advantage of the regularity in working due to isochronous ignition.
The above-described method of varying the quantity of gas forced into the
combustion chamber, according to the speed of (that is the load on) the engine, may
be modified considerably, for instance, the ports in the side of the gas cylinder may
communicate with ports in the side of a parallel cylinder in which is contained a
hollow plug having holes in the side thereof so arranged as to open or close one or
more holes in its cylinder as may be necessary, either by being moved somewhat
endways, or axially, by the governor or by hand. The interior of such plug would,
of course, communicate with the gas main.
A gas motor engine constructed as above-described is very readily started, as the
gas and air are forced into the working cylinder, whether in the ordinary working
of the engine, or when the initial motion is given by hand, in proper relative
proportions for combustion.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate, respectively, a vertical longitudinal section through
the centre, and a top view, of an igniter which may be employed in lieu of the
igniter K. S is a tubular plug, closed in at its forward or inner end. S' is a
screwed plug closing in the back or outer end of the tubular plug S, and uu is a
bent tube carried by the plug S¹. One leg of this tube is open at its back end and
the other end terminates in a chimney u¹. vis a Bunsen burner supplied with gas
from a flexible tube v¹, and a flame is projected from the burner into the open end
of the tube u u, as shewn, and thus maintains the bent part of the tube within the
tubular plug S at a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the combustible charge
within the explosion chamber. wware holes through which communication takes
place between the combustible charge and the heated tube, when the igniter is
pushed sufficiently far into the combustion chamber. T is a snug on the plug S¹,
to which the lever Q (figure 2) is connected to actuate the igniter. ww is a
lining of asbestos-paper, or other non-conductor of heat, for the purpose of keeping
the hollow plug S cool and preventing the destruction of the lubricant. Any
convenient description of igniter may, however, be employed in lieu of the igniter K.

page_text: 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. A gas motor engine constructed and operating substantially as herein
described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
2. In a gas motor engine, the combination of a motive power cylinder, an air
cylinder, and a gas cylinder, and their respective pistons and valves, constructed
and operating substantially as herein described and shewn by the drawings
herowith.
3. In a gas motor engine, having a motive power cylinder, an air cylinder, and a
gas cylinder, operating the pistons of such cylinders direct from one cross-head, or
otherwise gearing such pistons together, that they may perform their outward and
inward strokes in unison, substantially as, and for the purpose, herein described,
and shewn by the drawings herewith.
4. In a gas engine, the motive power, air, and gas, cylinders, formed in one
casting, substantially as herein described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
5. In a gas motor engine, regulating the supply of gas forced into the combustion
chamber, by causing part of the gas within the gas cylinder or pump to be forced
back into the gas main, or other source of supply, for a part of the forcing stroke
or action of the gas piston or pump, substantially as herein described.
6. The means herein before described according to, which a varying supply of gas
is forced into the combustion chamber, that is to say, a port or ports arranged in
position, or at intervals, in the side of the gas cylinder, and controlled by means of
taps, or equivalent device, regulated by the governor, or by hand, so that such port,
or one or more of such ports, may be opened and closed in the manner, and for
the purpose, substantially as herein described, and shewn by the drawings
herewith.