Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing Air.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 16th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing Air.
I, MERRILL ELBRIDGE CLARK, of 63 Windsor Street in the City and County:
of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer,
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 main object of my invention is to provide apparatus for the compression of
air, in which as large a proportion as possible of the power used may be exerted
directly upon the volume of air to be compressed, avoiding the loss of power
incident upon the use of the ordinary crank motion used in the transmission of
power.
In the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged, partial, vertical section, with the intermediate disc
omitted.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of said disc, the details of which will be more
fully explained later.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the disk and of part of the shaft connecting the piston of
a gas-engine with the piston in the air-compressor.
In the drawings, 1 is the cylinder of any desirable type of gas-engine; 2 is the
cylinder of the air-compressor; 3 is the chamber, in which the compressed air may
be stored 4 is a disk, which is revolved by the air-motor 5, through connecting
pinion 6 and gear 7, shown in Fig. 2.
8 is a shaft connecting the piston of the gas-engine with the piston of the air-
compressor. 9 is a rod connecting the roll 10, which moves in the cam-path 14 on
the outer face of the disk, with a pump for charging the cylinder of the gas-engine
with an explosive mixture.
11 is a rod on the inner side of the disk supported by the rocker arm 12, attached
to the bed of the machine, and connected with it, and the roller 13° which is
adapted to follow the cam-path 40; on the inner face of the disk the arm 11
operates the exhaust valve of the engine, and is restored to its normal position by
means of the spiral spring, 13.
15 is the piston of the gas engine; 16 the piston of the air-compressor, repre-
sented in the drawings at the completion of the compression stroke.
In the piston of the air-compressor are two valves 17 and 18, which are closed
by the pressure upon them when the piston of the compressor is travelling from
right to left, and are opened by the pressure on the opposite side, when the piston
in the compressor is moving from left to right.
19 is a supplemental cylinder-head, backed by the spiral springs 20 and yielding
to any impact upon it by the piston 16, so that if for any reason the piston is
carried beyond the end of the normal stroke, the compressor may not be subjected
to any excessive strain.
21 is a valve in the supplemental head 19, which is opened by the pressure of the
air upon it, when the piston is moving from right to left, and is closed by the
air-pressure behind it, and the spring 22, when the piston is moving from left to
right.
23 is an outlet-pipe from the compressor to the storage chamber, and 24 is a
Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of said disc, the details of which will be more
fully explained later.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the disk and of part of the shaft connecting the piston of
a gas-engine with the piston in the air-compressor.
In the drawings, 1 is the cylinder of any desirable type of gas-engine; 2 is the
cylinder of the air-compressor; 3 is the chamber, in which the compressed air may
be stored 4 is a disk, which is revolved by the air-motor 5, through connecting
pinion 6 and gear 7, shown in Fig. 2.
8 is a shaft connecting the piston of the gas-engine with the piston of the air-
compressor. 9 is a rod connecting the roll 10, which moves in the cam-path 14 on
the outer face of the disk, with a pump for charging the cylinder of the gas-engine
with an explosive mixture.
11 is a rod on the inner side of the disk supported by the rocker arm 12, attached
to the bed of the machine, and connected with it, and the roller 13° which is
adapted to follow the cam-path 40; on the inner face of the disk the arm 11
operates the exhaust valve of the engine, and is restored to its normal position by
means of the spiral spring, 13.
15 is the piston of the gas engine; 16 the piston of the air-compressor, repre-
sented in the drawings at the completion of the compression stroke.
In the piston of the air-compressor are two valves 17 and 18, which are closed
by the pressure upon them when the piston of the compressor is travelling from
right to left, and are opened by the pressure on the opposite side, when the piston
in the compressor is moving from left to right.
19 is a supplemental cylinder-head, backed by the spiral springs 20 and yielding
to any impact upon it by the piston 16, so that if for any reason the piston is
carried beyond the end of the normal stroke, the compressor may not be subjected
to any excessive strain.
21 is a valve in the supplemental head 19, which is opened by the pressure of the
air upon it, when the piston is moving from right to left, and is closed by the
air-pressure behind it, and the spring 22, when the piston is moving from left to
right.
23 is an outlet-pipe from the compressor to the storage chamber, and 24 is a

page_text: check-valve placed therein.. 25 is a pipe through which a supply of air may be
taken into the compressor, and 26 is a pipe through which the water-jacket
surrounding the compressor is supplied, the water being discharged through the
pipe 27.
28 and 29 are studs securely fastened to the inner head of the compressor, and
mounted upon them are the jaws 30 and 31, held in place by a spring shown in
Fig. 1.
Depending from the extremity of stud 28 is a roll 32, adapted to travel in the
cam-path 33 on the inner face of the disk, so that, at the proper time, the
connecting-bar 34 shown in Fig. 1, which is attached to the wheel 32, and
the jaws 30 and 31 may be thrust forward, forcing the jaws apart, and liberating
the shaft 8, which otherwise would be prevented from moving from left to
right.
Rigidly attached to the shaft 8 is a downwardly projecting bar 35, placed in the
path of the roll 36, so that the shaft 8 may, after the completion of its movement
from right to left, be returned to its initial position.
37 is a cam, secured to the disk, and having a regular, reciprocating motion in a
plane parallel to the axis of the disk, such motion being governed by the cam-
path 38 on one of the boxes, in which the shaft on which the disk runs, is mounted,
and which is clearly shown in Fig. 5.
As the cam 37 travels away from the shaft 8, it compresses spring 39, which
forces cam 37 back to its initial position, when the cam-path permits it to resume
such position.
The reciprocating motion of the cam is necessary so as to permit the roll 41,
which is rigidly attached to the shaft 8, to return with the shaft to its initial
position.
The function of the cam 37 is to force the shaft 8 to a full completion of the
stroke, when, for any reason, the explosion in the cylinder of the gas-engine fails
to do its full work. When the apparatus acts normally, the cam 37 has no work
to perform.
42 is a pipe leading from the storage chamber 3 to the air-motor 5, the position
of which is indicated, but none of the details of which are shown, as any form of
motor may conveniently be used, and the function the motor performs is to revolve
the disk, which regulates the supply and exhaust valves of the cylinder of the gas-
engine, which returns shaft 8 to its initial position, which completes the full stroke,
when the explosion fails to act with its full efficiency, and which disengages the
gripping-arms 30 and 31 at the proper time.
These gripping arms are particularly designed to hold the shaft 8 after the
explosion has ceased to act, and until the cam 37 may come in contact with the
roll 41, whenever it may happen that the explosion does not result in a complete
stroke.
Having now described the details of my mechanism, I will indicate the mode of
operation:
The explosion having been ignited in any well-known manner, if the apparatus is
working normally, the piston in the cylinder of the gas-engine and in the air-com-
pressor will be forced forward into the position shown in Fig. 3, and the air in front
of the piston 16 will he forced through the valve 21 and check-valve 24, through
the pipe 23, and into the air receiver 3.
Meantime, the roll 13° is carried by the cam-path 40 into such a position as to
open the exhaust; the revolution of the disk 4 brings the roll 36 into contact with
the arm 35, and returns shaft 8 to its initial position, and, at the proper time, the
roll 10 actuates the rod 9 which pumps the explosive into the cylinder of the engine,
and the operation is repeated.
Should it happen that the apparatus is not working normally and the piston
should fail to be carried through the full stroke, the cam 37 being properly timed
to reach the plane of the roll 41 contacts with the latter and completes the stroke,
and during the time between the action of the explosion and the action of the

page_text: cam 37 upon the roll 41, the shaft 8 is prevented from auy retrograde movement by
the action of the jaws 30, 31, and at the completion of the stroke, the action of
these jaws is released by the thrust imparted to the bar 34 by the roll 32, which
travels in the cam-path 33.
It is to be observed that the impulse received by the piston 15, need not,.
necessarily be derived from a gas-engine, but energy produced in any desirable way
may be utilized for this purpose. Nor, is it necessary that the disk 4 should be
driven from the storage-chamber, but only that it shall be revolved in some."
manner to enable it to perform the function for which it is calculated.
The purpose which my apparatus is intended to serve is to exert in the air-
compressor as large a proportion as possible of the force of the impact received at
the opposite end of the shaft 8, and I believe that this apparatus is calculated to
produce this result in the most efficient, reliable and economical manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained my said invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I clain is-
1. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one end
a piston adapted to be moved, and a pistou at the opposite end of said shaft adapted
to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor, and an inter-
mediate disk, and mechanism for imparting motion to said disk, whereby said
pistons may be returned to their initial positions after the completion of the
stroke substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one
end a piston adapted to be moved, and a piston at the opposite end of said shaft.
adapted to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor, and an
intermediate disk provided with a projection adapted to contact with an arm
attached to said shaft, and mechanism for imparting motion to said disk, whereby
said pistons may be returned to their initial positions, after the completion of the
stroke, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one
end a piston adapted to be moved, and at the opposite end of said shaft a piston
adapted to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor, and
an intermediate disk provided with a cam adapted to contact with a roll on said
shaft, and provided with a projection adapted to contact with an arm attached to
said shaft, and mechanism for imparting motion to said disk, whereby an incomplete
stroke may be completed, and said pistons returned to their initial positions after
the completion of the stroke, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one
end a piston adapted to be moved, and at the opposite end of said shaft a piston
adapted to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor, mechanism
for gripping said shaft, and an intermediate disk provided with a cam adapted to
contact with a roll on said shaft and provided with a projection adapted to contact
with an arm attached to said shaft, and a cam-path adapted to actuate a roll which
imparts a thrust to a bar connected with said gripping mechanism, and mechanism
for imparting motion to said disk, whereby said shaft may be gripped, and an
incomplete stroke may be completed, and the grip upon said shaft may be
released, and said pistons returned to their initial positions, substantially as
described.
5. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft having at one
end a piston adapted to be propelled by an explosion, and at the opposite end, a
piston adapted to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor,
and an intermediate disk provided with suitable cam-paths, and rolls adapted to
travel in said cam-paths, said disk being provided with a projection adapted to
contact with an arm attached to said shaft and suitably connected with the exhaust
and supply valves of an engine, and properly timed, and mechanism for imparting
motion to said disk, whereby the exhaust valve may be opened by the progress of
a roll through one of said cam-paths, and said pistous returned to their initial

page_text: positions, and the explosive supplied to the cylinder of the engine, by the progress
of a roll through another of said cam-paths, substantially as described.
6. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one
end a piston adapted to be propelled by an explosion, and at the opposite end a
piston adapted to act upon a volume of air in the cylinder of an air-compressor, and
an intermediate disk, provided with suitable cam-paths, and provided with a cam
adapted to contact with a roll on said shaft and provided with a projection adapted
to contact with an arm attached to said shaft, said disk being suitably connected
with the exhaust and supply valves and properly timed, and mechanism for imparting
motion to said disk whereby an incomplete stroke may be completed, the exhaust
valve opened, said pistons returned to their initial positions, and the explosive
supplied to the cylinder of the engine, substantially as described.
7. In apparatus for compressing air, the combination of a shaft, having at one
end a piston adapted to be propelled by an explosion, and at the opposite end a
piston adapted to act upon a volume of air, in the cylinder of an air-compressor,
to which cylinder is secured mechanism for gripping said shaft, and an inter-
mediate disk provided with suitable cam-paths, and provided with a cam adapted
to contact with a roll on said shaft, and provided with a projection adapted to
contact with an arm attached to said shaft, and a cam-path adapted to actuate a
roll, which imparts a thrust to a bar connected with said gripping mechanism, said
disk being suitably connected with the exhaust and supply valves and properly
timed, and mechanism for imparting motion to said disk, whereby said shaft may
be gripped, an incomplete stroke may be completed, the gripping mechanism
disengaged, the exhaust valve opened, said pistons returned to their initial
positions, and the explosive supplied to the cylinder of the engine, substantially
as described.
Dated this 13th day of April 1896.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17 St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.