Revolving Cylinder Oil or Gas Engine
Year: 1896

page_text: Revolving Cylinder Oil or Gas Engine.
JAMES WILLIAM PETAVEL Captain Royal Engineers Bolsterston Sheffield
Yorks do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An oil or gas engine in which the crank is fixed and the cylinder with is bed
plate or arrangement taking the place thereof pivotted to revolve about the axle of
the crank.
In working therefore the cylinder would fly round.
The object is (mainly with view to the application of such engines to autocars
where lightness is important).
Reduction of weight of the engine.
By elimination of the flywheel.
Simplification of the cooling the rapid motion of the cylinder itself cooling it.
The simplification perhaps of other parts of the mechanism as the revolving
cylinder as it arrives as the required points would catch "studs" which would
cause the opening of valves, ignition etc.
To balance the weight of the mass about its axis of revolution either two or
more cylinders could be used, or one, set with its centre of gravity in the axis of
revolution and a back acting connecting rod, or a counterpoise used, and the
moving parts of the different cylinders would be so set as to move simultaneously
to ballance each other in every position of the revolution, In case of one cylinder
the balancing moving parts would be "dummy."
Dated this 16th day of October 1896.
J. W. PETAVEL.
JAMES WILLIAM PETAVEL. Captain Royal Engineers Bolsterston Sheffield,
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:-
An oil or gas engine in which the cooling of the cylinders or cylinder and the
regularity of power are ensured or aided by the cylinders revolving about the
axis of their cranks.
Different kinds of oil or gas engines would derive advantage by being revolved
in that way.
With oil engines in which the vaporiser must be close to the cylinders it could,
if required to avoid unduly increasing the diameter of the revolving engine, be

page_text: "
placed as shewn in dotted lines by V Fig. 2. In such cases the oil could be
conveyed through the shaft and the frames of the cylinders by passages
as indicated by the dotted lines Fig. 3. With engines in which
the vaporising is done exteriorly, gas would be similarly admitted.
The gas could be ignited within the moving parts or if necessary or
convenient with some sorts of engines to do it externally the gas could be conveyed
through a collar as shewn in Fig. 3 within which are two thin cylindrical or
conical pieces S S Fig. 3 fitting close to the axle. On ne explosion of the gas
they would be pressed tightly against it preventing any escape. This collar would
be connected with the cylinder frame by means of a spiral tube shewn M M
Figs. 3, so that during the instant that the collar is thus stopped revolving the
elastic connection will give, and bring it back to its original position relatively
to the frame as soon as that, pressure ceases. The way of setting up the engine
would vary according to its kind and the purpose for which required.
Fig. 1 shews on the left, and continued by dotted lines on the right, a revolving
engine of two cylinders set up on a pair of brackets & bed plate.. The parts
shaded are in section through a central plane. U is the pulley rigid with the
revolving cylinders. The axle is fixed whilst working. All the valve connec-
tions could be similar as identical with those used in drdinary engines. The
governor also as the sum revolution would have but sníall and constant influence
but it could be more simply arranged as indicated G in Fig. 2 acting on the valve-
connections by the revolution of the cylinders only.
Fig. 1 shews firm on the right and continued in dotted lines on the left the the
driving wheel of an autocar driven by a pair of revolving cylinders D the wheel
connected by the hollow axle to the cylinders turns E, connected by the outer
hollow shaft with the wheel at the required ratio of speed and power by an inter-
mediate toothed wheel and pinion N N Fig. 1 or by any convenient system of con-
centric transmission of power. F is the fork or frame of the wheel to which the
axle is fixed during working.
Fig. 4 shews another way of fixing two revolving cylinders specially appro-
priate for this latter application. The shaded parts here also being in section
through a central plane. The toothed wheel D rigid with the revolving cylinders
turns which is keyed on the same shaft with R which gears to teeth in the
inner circumference of the drum H. Fig. 4.
The cylinders on revolving will therefore turn H so long as it is free to revolve
and when it is fixed it will cause the wheel to revolve, R¹ rolling round and round
inside H.
In this case therefore the axle itself revolves and the cylinders revolving round
it will therefore revolve with their own velocity plus that of the wheel, or minus
that of the wheel of R' geared to an ordinary fixed toothed wheel so that
the wheel wouldrevolve in a contrary direction to the cylinders. In Fig. i the
cylinders are shewn opposite each other & the piston rods not in the centre of the
pistons the side thrust thus occasioned might being always on the same side be
counteracted by a sliding or roller contact with the cylinder frames indicated by
W or they might be as Fig. 2 or each cylinder might be opposite its crank and
counterpoised to bring their centre of gravity opposite each other.
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 manner of cooling the cylinders that does not involve weighty parts.
2. A manner of ensuring regularity of power without the weight of a fly wheel.
Dated this 17th day of July 1897.
JAMES WILLIAM PETAVEL.