Year: 1885

page_text: I HENRY NIELD BICKERTON of Richmond Street, Ashton-under-Lyne in the
County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct a gas engine in which the whole of
the residuum is expelled from the cylinder prior to the introduction of the fresh
combustible charge by the back stroke of the piston itself and without the
addition of any mechanical means.
By preference I employ a single acting engine designed to make a working
stroke at every alternate revolution of the shaft the piston of which is arranged to
work as close as possible up to the back of the cylinder and thus to completely
clear it of its contents at every stroke. To this back end of the cylinder I attach
a receiver or closed vessel with suitable passages intervening and controlled by
valves.
.
The action of my improved engine is as follows:-The first out stroke of the
piston draws the combustible charge into the cylinder direct through the inlet
valve. The instroke will next compress this charge into the receiver then. for
about a sixth or thereabouts of the next outstroke this same charge is allowed to
expand back again into the cylinder, but at this point in the cycle the passage
between the cylinder and the receiver is timed to close by its valve and the charge
in the cylinder is then fired, the explosion taking effect on the piston and being
turned into work during the remainder of the stroke.
The next back stroke being used to expel the whole of the residuum as the
piston travels the entire length of the cylinder through the exhaust valve in the
ordinary way.
By placing a hand valve on the passage between the cylinder and receiver so as
to maintain the pressure from the time of stoppage to that of starting again, the
engine may be made into a self starting engine without any additional mechanism
being required.

page_text: I HENRY NIELD BICKERTON of Richmond Street, Ashton under Lyne in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of this invention is to construct a gas engine in which the whole of
the residuum is expelled from the cylinder prior to the introduction of the fresh
combustible charge by the back stroke of the piston itself and without the addition
of any mechanical means.,
In performing my invention I employ a single acting engine designed to make a
working stroke at every alternate revolution of the shaft, the piston of which is
arranged to work as close as possible up to the back of the cylinder and thus to
completely clear it of its contents at every stroke. To this back end of the
cylinder I attach a receiver or closed vessel with suitable passages intervening and
controlled by a valve or valves and so arranged as to receive the compressed
charge at each alternate stroke and whilst the crank is passing round the back
centre but to be cut off from the cylinder whilst the explosion takes place as
hereinafter described.
And in order that this my said invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a drawing of iny invention
and will now proceed to describe the same with the assistance of the letters of
reference marked upon both views.
Fig. 1. is a side exterior view and Fig. 2. a sectional plan of so much of a Gas
Motor Engine as is necessary to illustrate my improvements which are shewn
applied thereto.
In both views a. is the cylinder, b. the usual trunk piston connected to the crank
shaft c. and fitted with an ordinary air and gas inlet valve d. and exhaust valve e.
These valves are operated and the ignition takes place in the ordinary manner but
instead of the cylinder being long enough to form a chamber at the back of the
piston to receive the compressed charge as heretofore-in accordance with this
invention the piston is arranged to travel close up to the back cover of the cylinder
and thus to completely drive out the residuum at every alternate stroke and to
open a communication with a separate receiver f. (by preference of long tubular
form as illustrated) at every other alternate stroke. The communication between
the said receiver and cylinder being effected through any suitable valve for
instance a slide valve g. and as seen in sectional plan upon a large scale in Fig. 3.
and in which h. is the port leading from the cylinder and i. the port leading to the
receiver.
•
This slide valve is arranged to be operated by being connected to a crank pin j.
upon one extremity of a cross shaft k. geared by chain or other gearing to run at
half the speed of the main crank shaft whilst a crank pin l. upon the other
extremity of the same cross shaft operates the usual gas and air inlet valve d.
The action of my improved engine may be described as follows and will be
clearly understood from the indicator diagram Fig. 4. The first out stroke of the
piston draws the combustible charge into the cylinder a. direct through the inlet

page_text: valve d. The instroke will next compress this charge into the receiver f. then for
about a sixth or thereabouts of the next outstroke this same charge is allowed to
expand back again into the cylinder but at this point in the cycle, the passage
between the cylinder and the receiver f. is timed to close by its valve g. and the
charge in the cylinder is then fired-the explosion. taking effect on the piston b.
and being turned into work during the remainder of the stroke, the next back
stroke being used to expel the whole of the residuum as the piston travels the
entire length of the cylinder through the exhaust valve e. in the ordinary way.
It will thus be observed that fresh explosive mixture is always stored up in the
receiver f. but is cut off and isolated therein whilst the explosion takes place in
the cylinder-and that the explosion never extends to the receiver.
By placing a hand valve m on the passage between the cylinder and receiver so
as to maintain the pressure from the time of stoppage to that of starting again, the
engine may be made into a self-starting engine without any additional mechanism
being required.
I am aware that separate receivers have been hitherto used in Gas motor
engines and therefore I make no clain to a separate receiver save and except when
arranged and used as hereinbefore described and in connection with that class of
engine in which the same cylinder is alternately used as a Gas and air pump and
as a working cylinder.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. In a gas motor engine the application of a separate vessel or receiver to
receive the charge whilst the crank is passing round the back centre and at each
alternate or compressing stroke of the piston and which is isolated from the
cylinder during the explosion, substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described,
2nd. Utilising the same separate chamber or receiver as aforesaid and as a self-
starter, substantially as herein before described.