Improvements in Starting and Igniting Apparatus for Gas or Oil Motor Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starting and Igniting Apparatus for Gas or Oil
Motor Engines.
_We, FRANCIS WILLIAM CROSSLEY, of Openshaw, Manchester, and HENRY
WENTWORTH BRADLEY, of High Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
Our invention relates to apparatus for the starting of gas or oil motor engines
and to means of igniting the combustible charge in such engines, the igniting
apparatus being so arranged as to be suitable not only for the starting but also for
the continuous working of the engine. We provide a hand pump by which com-
bustible mixture, or it may be gas only, is forced into the charge chamber of the
cylinder past a check valve and also past a shut off valve which can be closed by
hand when the starting of the engine has been effected. In the passage leading to
this shut off valve there is a flap valve opening inwards.
When the pump has forced a charge into the cylinder, a light is applied by a
match at this Hap valve and the charge being thus ignited the piston is propelled
with sufficient force to cause a movement of the engine whereby a farther charge is
drawn into the cylinder in the usual way and partly compressed. The amount of
compression however is not sufficient to allow ignition to be effected with certainty
by the heated tube in the usual way. We therefore employ an ignition valve
arrangement of a kind such as was described in the previous Specification
No. 3756 of 1888 in reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings annexed to the said
Specification, altering the action of this so that it operates as follows.
We so arrange the cam which works the lever L to open this valve that the
valve is not raised from its scat till the compression of the cylinder charge has
proceded to a considerable extent. When the valve is raised, the plug above the
valve closing the passage from the cylinder to the hot tube, the first portion of the
compressed or partially compressed charge which before the raising of the valve
had approached or entered the heated tube is allowed to escape to the atmosphere.
The valve being kept open only for a moment by the cam, closes again with-
drawing its plug from the cylinder passage, so that a second portion of the cylinder
charge passes into the hot tube T and rising in the tube to its heated zone becomes
ignited, communicating ignition to the rest of the cylinder charge.
By the admission of the first portion of charge to the tube or its passages their
incombustible contents resulting from previous ignition are cleared out, and, con-
sequently, when the second portion of charge enters the tube, ignition is effected
even when the compression of the charge is much below that produced in the
ordinary working of the engine.
Owing to this timing of the movement of the valve, the igniting tube operating
both in starting and in continuous working may be much shorter than the tubes
usually employed. The compression of the charge is reduced at starting by a
second cam operating on the exhaust valve in the usual way.
In charging the cylinder by hand in the first instance, the air valve of the engine
may be opened so as to admit combustible mixture from the hand pump through
the cylinders into the pipe or chamber connected with this valve, or the combustible
mixture may be admitted directly into this pipe or chamber which in either case is
thus charged with properly proportioned combustible. This, on the first suction
stroke of the engine, is drawn into the cylinder charging it with mixture more
certainly explosive than can always be obtained by drawing from the gas main in
the usual way.

page_text: When, for starting, both the cylinder and air supply chamber and passages are
charged by the pump we prefer to relieve compression by holding the charging
valve open during a part of the compression stroke rather than the exhaust valve.
Thus the combustible instead of being wasted through the exhaust, is retained
available for the next charging stroke. The main gas supply is not opened till
after the combustible pumped in is used up.
In starting twin or multiple cylinder engines the pump is used for charging each
cylinder, the engine being in such position, that one piston has made about half
what would be its working stroke. Each cylinder and its air chamber and passage
is then charged by the pump. The ignition is effected in one of these by hand,
and afterwards it is self-acting, in the usual way.
While the charge is pumped in, the igniter valve may be kept a little open by a
cam specially formed for starting, so that combustible can fill the passage close up
to the igniting tube, making more certain the first ignition by the tube. This cam
may be kept acting in the same way during a few ignitions after starting.
Instead of a pump, a fan may be used for charging, and an arrangement of gas
and air injector like a Bunsen burner may be employed to deliver these fluids to
the cylinder in combustible proportions.
Dated this 13th day of February 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starting and Igniting Apparatus for Gas or Oil
Motor Engines.
We, FRANCIS WILLIAM CROSSLEY, of Openshaw, Manchester, and HENRY
WENTWORTH BRADLEY, of High Street, Chorlton-on Medlock, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to apparatus for starting and igniting gas or oil motor
engines, as we shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a part longitudinal section of the cylinder A of a gas or oil motor engine
with apparatus according to our invention applied to it.
Fig. 2 shews a plan and elevation of the cam which works the lever of the
admission valve.
According to our invention, we provide a hand pump B, preferably double acting
as shewn, with suction valves D at each end drawing in air as the deep piston E
is moved to and fro, with an inlet port F for gas at the middle of the pump, so that
when the pistou passes this port gas flows in and mixes with the air already drawn
in, the proportion of the mixture being determined by the relation which the first
part of the stroke, made before the piston passes the gas port, bears to the
last part afterwards performed during which mostly gas enters the pump. The
mixture is forced through discharge valves C into the cylinder A past a shut
off valve G which is opened while the pump is worked but is closed during the
ordinary working of the engine.
Into the box of the valve G there is an opening provided with a lightly hung flap
valve H which can be pushed open inwards by pressing on its externally pro-
jecting stem. The main piston being somewhat advanced in its outstroke, the
space in the cylinder A behind it is charged by working the pump B with com-
bustible mixture, then the valve H is opened and a light is applied which ignites
the charge, and the piston is thus propelled with sufficient force to cause such move-
ment of the engine that a succeeding charge is drawn into the cylinder_and_fired_in
the usual way.

page_text: may be opened to allow passage of combustible mixture from the cylinder into the
pipe or chamber connected with the air valve; or the pump may directly supply
this pipe or chamber with combustible mixture, so that on the first suction stroke of
the engine, when it has been started, a charge shall be drawn into the cylinder more
certainly explosive than that which sometimes is obtained by drawing from the gas
main in the usual way.
In starting gas or oil motor engines which act on the Otto cycle, it is usual to
relieve more or less the back pressure on the piston during its compressing stroke
by opening the exhaust valve during part of that stroke, a certain amount of the
combustible charge being thus wasted. Instead of effecting relief by thus opening
the exhaust valve, we hold the admission or charging valve open for a time so that
the combustible mixture passing from the cylinder is retained in the valve chamber
and passages, ready to form part of the next charge drawn in. For this purpose,
we make the cam which acts on the roller K of the admission valve lever as shewn
in Fig. 2 with two steps, the lower I for use in the ordinary working of the engine,
and another J with an increased dwell to be employed during several strokes at
starting, to hold the admission valve open, not only during the suction stroke but
also during part of the compressing stroke. The change of action is effected by
shifting the roller K along the pin L, or, obviously, it might be by shifting the
double stepped cam along its shaft, the roller K remaining stationary.
For starting twin or multiple cylinder engines the pump is employed for charging
cach of the cylinders and their supply chambers and passages, the engine being
in such position that one of the pistons is about midway in what would be
its working stroke. The ignition of the charge in one of the cylinders is then
effected as above described, and after the engine is thus started it goes on in the
usual way.
As the charge is introduced into the cylinder at moderate pressure, a fan may be
employed instead of a pump, or instead of either of these a gas and air injector may
be employed to introduce the mixture as in the passage to the flame of a Bunsen
burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of starting a gas or oil motor engine by charging
by a pump or its equivalent the space in the cylinder behind the piston in a some-
what advanced position with gaseous combustible mixture and igniting the charge
by a light applied at an aperture provided with a check valve.
2. In the starting of a gas or oil motor engine working on the Otto cycle,
relieving back pressure during several compressing strokes by allowing escape of
part of the charge undergoing compression into the chamber and passage of the supply
valve, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In starting by the method set forth in the first claim, charging not only the
cylinder space but also the chamber and passage of the supply valve with combustible
mixture ready to form part of the supply during the next suction stroke, as and for
the purpose set forth..
4. As starting apparatus, in combination with the engine cylinder a charging
pump, shut off valve and igniting opening and valve substantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of December 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.