IMPROVE- MENTS IN AND RELATING TO GAS ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edmund Grace Wastfield at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th October 1882.
EDMUND GRACE WASTFIELD of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND RELATING TO GAS ENGINES
"
My Invention relates to that class of gas engines in which the combustible fluid
is ignited without compression namely a regulated quantity of combustible fluid
is drawn into the cylinder on the outstroke of the piston and is ignited at say
two fifths of the outstroke of the piston exerting the expansive force caused by
the combustion for the remaining three fifths of the outstroke, the products of
combustion being expelled by the instroke of the piston, an effective stroke being
obtained for every revolution of the crank.
A gas engine according to my Invention consists of a cylinder surrounded by a
water jacket, the sides of the cylinder being prolonged so as to form a frame or
entablature which carries the crank shaft. The cylinder is closed at the bottom
or back end and open at the top, or front end. I prefer to make the engine of
vertical form, the frame resembling in outward appearance a hollow column. The
column has an opening at the top on each side and the lower portion of the column
forms the cylinder with its water jacket. The connecting rod takes onto the
piston direct no guide being used. The underside of the piston is formed with a
bollow cavity, or cup equal to about one fifth of the stroke. The slide or
admission and ignition valve is situated at the side and bottom of the cylinder
and is worked by a cam on the crank shaft, depressing the valve spindle, the
return motion being obtained by a spring, or the valve may be worked by an
excentric. The valve consists of a flat plate, with a curved passage for the
admission of the combustible fluid to the cylinder the curved passage being provided
with a port for the gas supply and when in position for supplying the cylinder
bridges from the air supply to the cylinder inlet, the same time the gas port is then
opposite the gas supply: The gas supply is provided with a regulating valve of
the plug type The end of the plug forming the valve is operated by a spindle
passing through the plug and under the control of the governor. The gas supply
to the plug valve is through an elbow branch in the valve cover and a small hole
is bored from this elbow branch through the cover, so as to open into a groove in
the back of the slide valve from which groove there is a nipple opening into the
Price 2di

page_text: ignition passage of the slide valve, the object of which is that the light from the
nipple shall at the right moment ignite the charge in the cylinder. The gus
through the nipple is lighted by a.master flame in the usual way and air is supplied
to the ignition port through a suitable port opening into the chimney. The supply
of gas is sustained, to the nipple through an auxiliary port, which feeds the nipple
through the groove in the back of the valve, when such groove has passed the main
supply. At the moment of firing a portion of the waste gases is driven back
through the nipple and enters the gas supply. In consequence of this the first
portion of the charge that is next supplied to the cylinder is of less strength
through being diluted with such waste gases and hence the charge in the cylinder
is of different strengths, the first portion of the charge being weaker than the main
body of the charge. This dilution mitigates the violence of the combustion of the
fluid and prevents sudden blows and shocks on the engine and gives a more steady
pressure. This result is also assisted by the cupping of the piston previously
spoken of; as such cup holds a portion of waste gases which form a cushion. For
high speeds I employ a small pump which may be worked from the end of the
side valve and used for the purpose of supplying gas at high pressure to the
igniting flame before described This insures certainty of the ignition flame
entering the cylinder.
The exhaust valve is placed on the cylinder on the opposite side to the slide
valve and is of the ordinary piston valve type and is worked by a cam and eccentric
in like manner to the slide valve. If desired an ordinary mushroom valve may be
used for the exhaust..