Improvements in Motors Driven by Combustible Petroleum or any other suitable Gas or Vapour.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th May, 1898--Accepted, 2nd July, 1898
[Communicated from abroad by BENOIT JOSEPH XAVIER GOSSELIN, No. 22,
Boulevard Poissonniere, Paris, Republic of France.]
Improvements in Motors Driven by Combustible Petroleum or any
other suitable Gas or Vapour.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
F.I. Inst., practising as Phillips & Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The present invention relates to improvements in motors, driven by combustible
petroleum or any other suitable gas or vapour.
My apparatus is constructed and acts in the following manner:-
A single-acting driving piston works with slight friction in a cylinder. This
piston is, on the one hand, keyed to a connecting rod, which in turn is connected
to a crank, and on the other hand there is screwed on to its back or top end a
rod or shank, to the end of which there is fixed a small piston. This piston
moves in a cylinder which is fixed to the upper portion of the motive cylinder.
This small cylinder which I will call the admission cylinder has:-
1st. An orifice, constantly in connection with the motive medium or fuel.
2nd. An ignition arrangement which may be electrical but I reserve the right
to employ any other of the well-known methods of lighting by means of a flame
or an incandescent tube.
3rd. Ports communicating with the bottom of the motive cylinder by means
of openings. The motive cylinder has lateral orifices; the ports or openings
between these are connected by means of a union. The axis of the holes is
situated in such a way that the bottom of the piston uncovers them when it
has traversed about one half of its forward stroke.
Let us examine the effect of these various arrangements upon the running of
the motor suppose the driving piston at the end of its backward stroke. Let
us suppose further that the cylinder of admission is at this moment filled with
compressed combustible gases. The igniting apparatus is uncovered by the
piston, the gas is ignited, and the driving piston is thrust forwards. When the
forward stroke is about half accomplished, the bottom of the driving piston
liberates the holes the burnt gases pass into the lantern and from there through
the holes, they escape through a point or valve in the side of the cylinder. The
pressure in the motive cylinder falls in ratio to the atmospheric pressure. The
driving piston is carried along by the fly-wheel, and continues its course forwards.
The edge then blocks up the holes and the interior capacity of the motive cylinder
is thus also closed.
The driving piston on advancing produces a partial vacuum in the cylinder-
the vacuum being accentuated by the cooling of the burnt gases which remain
in the cylinder. This vacuum attains its maximum when the forward stroke is

page_text: about to terminate.
Now, at this moment the small piston which has been
carried along by the main piston has reached the lower end of the cylinder of
admission. It has thus liberated the openings at the bottom of the small cylinder
and it has opened up communication between the orifice of admission and the
motive cylinder per the same openings and the cylindrical lantern.
A new
charge of inflammable gas is thus drawn into the bottom of the motive cylinder.
The piston then commences its back stroke; it produces a compression of the
gases contained in the cylinder. When the edge of the cylinder liberates the
exhaust holes the residue of the burnt gases, contained in the cylindrical chamber
is expelled. The back stroke of the piston continues, and its base blocks up the
port openings near the top of main cylinder. A compression of the com-
bustible gases is then produced and attains its maximum at the moment when
the back stroke has terminated. Then the motive mechanism returns to its
initial position as shown in the drawing, and the phases just described are repeated.
The height, following the axis of the cylinder, of the orifices near the bottom of
the small cylinder as well as those of the orifices, is naturally chosen in such a
way as to leave free circulation to the gases entering, and to the gases escaping
from, the cylinder.
My system possesses many advantages, chief amongst which
mentioned:—
may
be
1st. The total absence of all cocks and slide-valves properly so-called, and
provides a silent motor capable of running at considerable angular velocity.
2nd. The working parts are absolutely gas tight and the distribution is main-
tained without difficulty. The orifices of admission and escape are cleansed
automatically at each stroke of the piston.
3rd. The construction of the motor is reduced to the utmost simplicity. All
the parts are strong, and have few wearing surfaces.
It is of course understood that I reserve the right to couple two or more motors
on to the same shaft, and to effect this coupling in the way that may be best
suited to the exigencies of the case.
Dated this 5th day of October 1897.
Improvements in Motors Driven by Combustible Petroleum or any
other suitable Gas or Vapour.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A.,
F.I. Inst., practising as Phillips & Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent
Agent, 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:-
-
The present invention relates to improvements in motors driven by inflammable
gas, petroleum, or any other suitable olefiant gas or gaseous fluid.
My apparatus acts in the following manner:-
A single-acting driving piston P works with slight friction in a cylinder A.
This piston is, on the one hand, keyed to a connecting rod B' which in turn is
connected to a crank, and on the other hand there is screwed on to its back or
top end a rod or shank t, to the end of which there is fixed a small piston p.

page_text: This piston moves in a cylinder D which is fixed to the upper portion of the
motive cylinder A. This small cylinder which I will call the admission cylinder
has-
-
1st, an orifice C, constantly in connection with the motive mediuin or fuel.
2nd, an ignition arrangement 6 (in the sketch the arrangement shown is electric,
but I reserve the right to employ any other of the well-known methods of lighting
by means of a flame or an incandescent tube); 3rd ports d, d communicating with
the bottom of the motive cylinder by means of the opening s, s.
The motive
cylinder has lateral orifices m, m and n, n; the ports or openings between these
are connected by means of the union S, S. The axis of the holes m, m is situated
in such a way that the bottom of the piston P¹ uncovers them when it has traversed
about one half of its forward stroke.
The
Let us examine the effect of these various arrangements upon the running of
the motor. Suppose the driving piston at the end of its backward stroke takes
the position shown in the drawing. Let us suppose further that the cylinder of
admission is at this moment filled with compressed combustible gases.
igniting apparatus is uncovered by the piston p, the gas is ignited, and the
driving piston is thrust forwards. When the forward stroke is about half accom-
plished, the end P₁ of the driving piston P liberates the holes m, m, the burnt
gases pass into the lantern S, S and from there through the holes n, n they escape
at the point shown at E in the figure. The pressure in the motive cylinder
falls in ratio to the atmospheric pressure. The driving piston P is carried along
by the fly wheel, and continues its course forwards. The edge u, v then blocks
up the holes n, n and the interior capacity of the motive cylinder A is thus also
closed.
The driving piston on advancing produces a partial vacuum in the cylinder-
the vacuum being accentuated by the cooling of the burnt gases which remain
in the cylinder. This vacuum attains its maximum when the forward stroke
is about to terminate. Now, at this moment the piston 2, which has been carried
along by the main piston P, has reached, the lower end of the cylinder of
admission D. It has thus liberated the openings d, and it has opened up
communication between the orifice of admission C and the motive cylinder per
the openings d, d and the cylindrical lantern s, s. A new charge of inflammable
gas is thus drawn into the bottom of the motive cylinder A. The Piston P then
commences its back stroke; it produces a compression of the gases contained in
the cylinder. When the edge u, v liberates the holes n, n the residue of the burnt
gases, contained in the cylindrical chamber S, S, is expelled. The back stroke
of the piston F continues, and its base P₁ blocks up the openings m, m.
compression of the inflammable gases is then produced and attains its maxi-
mum at the moment when the back stroke has terminated. Then the motive
mechanism returns to its initial position as shown in the drawing, and the phases
just described are repeated. The height, following the axis of the cylinder of
the orifices dd, as well as those of the orifices m, m, and n, n, is naturally chosen
in such a way as to leave free circulation to the gases entering, and to the gases
escaping from, the cylinder.
A
My system possesses many advantages, chief amongst which may be
mentioned.
1st. The total absence of all cocks and slide valves properly so-called and
provides a silent motor capable of running at considerable angular velocity.
2nd. The working parts are absolutely steam-tight and the distribution is main-
tained without difficulty. The orifices of admission and escape are cleansed
automatically at each stroke of the piston.
3rd. The construction of the motor is reduced to the utmost simplicity. All
the parts are strong and have few wearing surfaces.
It is of course understood that I reserve the right to couple two or more motors
on to the same shaft, and to effect this coupling in the way that may be best
suited to the exigencies of the case.

page_text: 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:-
In motors driven by any inflammable or combustible gas or gaseous fluid
pressure the combination of the inlet C, the cylinders D and A, the pistons P
and 2 connected by the rod t, the openings d, d, m, m, and n, n the lanterns S, S
and the escape E, in order to secure a perfectly automatic distribution without the
aid of cocks, eccentrics, gearing, levers, or any motive gear whatsoever.
Dated the 7th day of Nov 1800