IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT CLASS OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES KNOWN AS GAS OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foulis, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT
CLASS OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES KNOWN AS GAS OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINES."
Sealed the 21st November 1879, and dated the 24th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foulis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1879.
WILLIAM FOULIS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT CLASS OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES KNOWN AS
GAS OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINES."
This Invention, which relates to improvements in that class of motive power
engines known as gas or hydro-carbon engines is a further developement of that
arrangement or construction of such engines for which Letters Patent were granted
to the said William Foulis, dated 28th day of November, A.D. 1878, and numbered
4843.
According to the first part of the present improvements, flat, conical, or spherical
lift valves or piston valves are substituted for the cylindrical rotating valves
included in the Specification of the aforesaid Letters Patent.
The air and gas are drawn in during the up stroke of the piston through a lift
valve so arranged as to admit the gas and air in proper proportions. For this
purpose the valve which opens the air passage may be furnished with a second
valve which at the same time, and to a proportionate extent, opens the gas way.
The compressed mixture of air and gas is admitted to the combustion chamber
by a piston valve arranged to admit it for the acting stroke. The exhaust valve
is or may be a ball valve seated upon an asbestos seating. Piston valves may be
however used for admitting gas and air during the inactive stroke and for the
exhaust. The valves are or may be driven from eccentrics on the driving shaft of
the engine which may be conveniently effected as follows:-The rods or straps are
coupled to levers, each on one end of tubular shafts, that is to say, three shafts
situated concentrically or inside one another, and two of which are tubes, these
D....631

page_text: said concentric shafts being horizontal and situated immediately beneath the
valve casings. By means of this concentric and tubular arrangement of these shafts
each piston valve is operated independently of and without interfering with the
operation of the other valves.
The improvements consist further in forming the combustion chamber so as to
project from the upper part of the cylinders into the interior thereof. The upper
side of the piston is protected by fire clay or other refractory material, and has in
it a recess to receive the aforesaid combustion chamber on the up stroke.
According to another improvement the upper part of the cylinder itself forms a
non-conducting combustion chamber being lined at that part with fire clay, asbetos,
or other refractory non conducting material, and the piston top being covered with
the same.
Instead of diminishing the capacity of the space under the piston between the
cylinders and piston rods by the use of thick piston rods or trunks, as described in
the aforesaid Specification, cylinders of less capacity fitted with pistons for com-
pressing the air may be substituted, in which case the cylinders of the engine
may be made double acting, and less than three such cylinders may be employed.
The engines may be constructed so as to be reversible. This is effected by
having double eccentrics working a second set of valves, which can be brought into
operation whilst the others are thrown out of action; these valves opening the ports
in the necessary order to admit the compressed air and gases to the cylinders at
the time necessary to give the reverse action, or the same valves may be used and
the cylinders provided with a double set of pipes, so that admission from the
under side of the pistons of either two cylinders may be opened to the upper side
of the other. The eccentrics may have the necessary alteration in their position
given to them by any of the known means for effecting this object.
In the case of working the engine hereinbefore described, by hydrocarbon the
liquid may be admitted into the cylinders in small quantities, the down stroke of
the pistons in this case compressing only air, and this compressed air on its passage
may blow across the mouth of a small pipe from the liquid reservoir, thus producing
a spray which the cylinder immediately converts into vapour; or such liquid may
be injected into the cylinder or into the compressed air pipe.