Improvements in Kapiosion mugines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Kapiosion mugines.
I, ALFRED JAMES POOL, of Elmsgreen, Chipstable, in the County of Somerset,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to explosion engines and more particularly to engines of
the kind wherein oil for the explosive charges is vaporized internally and ignited
spontaneously and it comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
According to my invention the combustion chamber which is of spherical,
cylindrical or other suitable shape is connected with the cylinder by converging
passages so arranged that they conduct the explosion gases from the extremities
or outsides or nearly so of the combustion chamber to a common point (or nearly
so) of the working cylinder. Or these passages may be set at right angles to the
working cylinder and the valves placed at the back of same.
The vaporizer although situated within the combustion chamber can be readily
heated without the necessity for a hole in the combustion chamber or for passing
a flame through it. It advantageously consists of a U-shaped tube into one leg of
which the flame of the lamp is made to play the products of combustion escaping
by the other or two tubes united may be used.
I sometimes make the vaporizer of a bucket shape projecting into the combustion
chamber and provide it internally (if desired) with ribs and with a projecting tube
against which the flame of the lamp will be caused to impinge.
I can arrange a shield wholly or partly around the vaporizer a hole being pro-
vided if necessary for allowing the oil to pass into contact with the vaporizer.
When an air jacket is arranged in combination with the improved combustion
chamber for cooling the same I may employ means for producing the flow of ain
through the jacket and I advantageously utilize the exhaust. Whatever means are
employed, however, I prefer the air currents to pass over the combustion chamber in
a longitudinal direction. I can place this air current under the control of the governor
so as to admit more or less air according as more or less oil is being used. If a fan
is used for producing an air current it may be upon the crank shaft.
The working cylinder may be cooled with air the cylinder in this case being
provided with longitudinal ribs and with a shield to conduct the air between the
ribs.
The oil delivery into the cylinder is through a nipple easily removable for clean-
ing and attached to a disc and stem that passes through the combustion chamber.
The disc is provided with a stuffing box through which passes a small flexible pipe
for the oil. The size of the hole through which the oil is delivered into the
vaporizer can be increased or diminished by a conical pin. Or a series of holes
which can be more or less closed can be employed.
One or more of the valves of the oil delivery pump is loaded, for instance by a
spring or some elastic substance. The pump valves are arranged in pairs one over
the other.
I provide for varying the compression in the cylinder by adapting the cylinder

page_text: to slide so as to permit of arranging it nearer to or farther from the crank shaft. Or
the air valve is provided with steps so that the closing can be varied according to
the position of a roller or cam which can be shifted.
Between the piston or cylinder and the crank shaft means are provided to prevent
the waste of lubricating oil from the piston, for instance a shield or cover removable
or having a removable end and provided with a slot for the connecting rod to work
can be used. Or a shield of larger diameter than the piston or a removable cover
to enclose the whole the crank shaft and connecting rod may be used.
As it is desirable in some cases to obtain steam for instance for steaming fodder
I utilize the heat that is not converted into work for generating steam.
Over the exhaust pipe I place a cover to prevent rain from entering it this cover
being kept open when the engine is working by the pressure of the exhaust and
closing when the engine stops.
When it is important to maintain the combustion chamber at one temperature I
combine with the same what term a boiling jacket. The steam may pass into
the circulating water in which case a valve will be provided to prevent the circu-
lation of water in the jacket upon the steam condensing.
When an oil pump is actuated by the direct thrust of a cam and the oil passage
to the vaporizer becomes obstructed the oil pipe is liable to burst. In order to
prevent this I advantageously arrange a spring between the plunger of the pump
and the cam the said spring being so adjusted that when any obstacle gets in the
oil passage the spring yields and the pump stops.
When my improvements are applied to the engine described in the Specification
of my former Patent No. 10621 of 1895 I advantageously arrange in combination
with the set screw S described in the said specification for regulating the throw of
the pump means for indicating how far it has been turned. The governor may be
made to control the pump by sliding a roller in the path of the cam out of the said
path when the correct speed is exceeded. The cam may have two steps or may be
made to slide out of the path of the roller for the purpose described.
The exhaust or air cam may be arranged to do the double duty of actuating the
air or exhaust valves and also the oil pump lever.
As an improvement to the air pump of the lamp used at starting I place a valve.
at the bottom of the pump body which valve is held on its seat by a spring. The
stem to which the handle is attached is hollow and the hand of the operator acts
as a second valve for controlling the air ingress to the body of the air pump.
Dated the 15th day of May 1897
I, ALFRED JAMES POOL, of Elmsgreen, Chipstable, in the County of Somerset,
Engineer, 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: ---
My invention relates to explosion engines and more particularly to engines of
the kind wherein oil for the explosive charges is vapourized internally and ignited
spontaneously and it comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure
is a side elevation of an explosion engine having my improvements
applied thereto:

page_text: Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the same:
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the cylinder and the combustion chamber:
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views of details drawn to a larger scale:
Figure 10 is a sectional view showing the employment of a boiling-jacket around
the combustion chamber:
Figure 11 is a sectional end elevation of a modification wherein the combustion
chamber is at right angles to the cylinder; and,
Figure 12 is a vertical section illustrating a modified form of vapouriser and
shewing the cylinder provided with an arrangement for air cooling.
a is the bed of the engine, 6 the cylinder, e the piston, d the connecting rod, e the
crankshaft and f the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber f, which is
shewn cylindrical in shape although it may be hemispherical or of any other suit-
able shape, is in communication with the cylinder 6 by means of converging
passages f, f, (Figures 3 and 11) so arranged that they conduct the explosion gases
from the extremities or practically from the extremities of the said combustion;
chamber to a common point (or nearly so) of the working cylinder b. In the
arrangement shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 10 and 12 the combustion chamber f is shewn
fitted to the rear end of the cylinder and in alignment therewith whilst in the
arrangement shewn in Figure 11 the said combustion chamber f is illustrated as
fitted to the side of the rear end thereof. In this latter case the exhaust and air
inlet valves are shewn fitted to the rear end of the cylinder.
The vapouriser which I employ in my improved explosion engine although!
situated within the combustion chamber f can be readily heated without the
necessity for a hole in the combustion chamber or for passing the flame of the
lamp through the said chamber. In one form, namely, that illustrated in Figures 1,
2 and 3, the vapouriser comprises a U-shaped tube g into one leg of which the
flame from a lamp of ordinary construction is made to play whilst the products of
combustion escape by the other leg. The U-tube may be formed of two tubes
united, if desired. In another form, namely that illustrated in Figure 12, the said
vapouriser g is of a bucket shape and is provided internally with ribs g¹. These
ribs g¹ form an increased surface for receiving the heat of the flame of the lamp
which flame is caused to impinge against them. 92 is a shield which I advan-
tageously arrange wholly or partially around the vapouriser g, the said shield being
provided with a hole g³ (as shewn in Figures 3 and 9) through which the oil can
be injected so as to impinge against the vapouriser g.
The vapouriser shewn in Figure 11 is in the form of a ribbed plate g suspended
by rods g from the top of the combustion chamber, the oil being injected on to the
plate through the hole g5. In this case the vapouriser is heated by the flame of a
lamp through a hole provided in the combustion chamber or by heating the com-
bustion chamber by an external lamp until sufficient heat is generated by the
operation of the engine. My improved vapourisers can be made of thinner material
than usual thus enabling the motor to be more quickly started than engines of
ordinary construction.
When the combustion chamber f is to be cooled by air currents the said air
currents are caused to pass over the same in a longitudinal direction. h (Figures 1,
2 and 3) is a jacket enveloping the combustion chamber f and h¹, h¹ are ribs placed
longitudinally and radially to the combustion chamber between the said combustion
chamber and the jacket h so as to form a number of passages ho, ho through which
the air is conveyed along the combustion chamber from the main passage h² so as
to escape through the outlet pipe h³ into the exhaust chimney h* which is provided
with a hinged cover h5 (Figure 2) to keep out the rain, the said cover being closed,
when the engine is not running but being opened by the exhaust when
the engine is running. h, Figure 2, is the air inlet pipe through which
air is forced by a fan driven from the crankshaft of the engine or sucked by the
exhaust. The flow of air through the pipe he is regulated as hereinafter described.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, the working cylinder 6 is shewn
cooled by a water jacket 61 but in the arrangement shewn in Figure 12 the said

page_text: cylinder is provided with an air jacket 68 and longitudinal radial ribs or partitions 6³
forming passages, whereby a current of air can be forced or sucked into the jacket 63
through the inlet 64 and caused to flow in the direction of the arrows over the
cylinder and into the jacket h surrounding the combustion chamber f which in this
case is not supplied with a separate air inlet. h7 is a pipe connected to the jacket h
through which a portion of the air passing along the cylinder b may flow out.
The device for delivering oil into the cylinder, which device is shewn in section
in Figure 4, comprises a nipple i which is easily removable for cleaning purposes
and is screwed to a stem which passes through the wall of the combustion
chamber as shewn in Figure 3. is a disc upon the end of the stem ¹ the said
disc being provided for the stuffing-box through which passes a small flexible
tube for the oil. The size of the hole in the nozzle through which the oil is
delivered into the vapouriser can be regulated by the conical or pointed pin 5 which
passes through the stem ¹ and a stuffing box in the end thereof. In lieu of this
pin arrangement I can employ a series of holes which can be more or less closed.
as desired.
The novel arrangement of oil delivery pump which I employ is shewn in
sectional elevation in Figure 5. In this arrangement the suction and delivery valves
are arranged in pairs each pair having its two valves superposed as shewn at j, j¹,
k, k respectively. The valve k is loaded, the loading being effected by placing an
elastic disc 2, such as cork, between the upper face of the valve and the screw plug
closing the valve casing.
I provide for varying the compression in the cylinder 6 by arranging the said
cylinder so that it can slide upon the bed a whereby it can be adjusted nearer to or
farther from the crank shaft e and thereby vary the capacity of the clearance space.
To this end the feet of the said cylinder are provided with holes through which
pass bolts, the heads of which engage in slots in the said bed. With this
arrangement, by loosening the nuts 12 on the bolts 7, the cylinder can be slid upon
the bed a and then fixed in position by tightening the nuts 12, 12. To enable the
position of the cylinder to be adjusted to a nicety I provide on its underside lugs m
in which is mounted a cylindrical nut m¹ through which passes the screw-threaded
end of a rod m²; the other end of this rod passes through a boss m³ on the bed a
of the engine against which boss it is held by collars m, the projecting end of the
said rod being squared so that it can be turned by a suitable key or the like for
adjusting the position of the cylinder on the bed through the medium of the
nut m¹.
Or the compression may be varied by controlling the length of time for which
the air inlet valve is opened as hereinafter described.
Between the piston c and the crank shaft e I provide means for preventing the
waste of lubricating oil from the said piston, such means consisting, for example, 4
of a shield or cover n forming a removable end to the cylinder and having a slot n¹
in which the connecting rod can work.
o is the exhaust valve and p the air inlet valve, the said valves o and p being
actuated respectively from the cam shaft by means of the cams q¹, q², keyed to
the said shaft q, and levers o¹ and p¹ pivoted on a shaft p², as shewn in Figures 14
and 2. 93 is a cam also keyed to the said shaft q for actuating, through the medium'
of the lever r pivoted at rl, and having a roller the oil delivery pump herein before
described and shewn in Figure 5. When my improvements are applied to the
engine described in the Specification of my former Patent No. 10621 of 1895, (the
engine illustrated in the Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings being of 5
this type) the set screw S described in the said former specification and which is
designed for regulating the throw of the pump, is provided with means for indicat-
ing how far it has been turned for effecting the regulation. The said means
consist of a disc s illustrated in Figure 7 and provided on its outer periphery with
teeth or indentations s¹ in which a spring catch 2 can engage. The disc can be 5
graduated so that a visible indication is given of the angle through which the said
disc has been turned.

page_text: As above described the governor is provided with means for controlling the inlet
of air into the jacket h surrounding the combustion chamber f. This is effected
by means of a rod t connected at its upper end to the pivoted arm t¹ of the governor
and at its lower end to a bell-crank lever 2, the movement of which, by means of
the rod 3, controls a valve t* in the inlet pipe h6 for the air.
The said rod t is also provided with a slot 5 in which engages a pin to upon the
lever which operates the oil delivery pump, the said slot being of such a length
that the lever is raised by the governor when a certain predetermined speed is
exceeded so as to regulate the speed of the engine by controlling the supply of oil
to the combustion chamber. Or the speed of the engine can be governed through
the medium of the pump lever r by providing a stepped cam , as shown in
Figure 9, for actuating the said lever. The roller 2 is loosely mounted on a pin 3
secured to the lever r and is moved upon the said pin 3 by the rise and fall of the
governor by means of the forked end of the lever and is thus presented to the
different working faces of the cam g' as the speed of the engine varies.
When the oil pump is actuated by the direct thrust of a cam as in the type here
illustrated, the oil passage to the vapouriser sometimes becomes obstructed and
the oil pipe is therefore liable to burst. In order to prevent this I arrange a
spring Figures 1 and 2 between the pump plunger and the lever r, the said
spring being so adjusted that, when any obstacle gets in the oil passage, the
said spring yields and the pump stops operating.
To govern the air admission to the combustion chamber I provide, in lieu of
the ordinary cam g², a stepped cam g as illustrated in Figure 6. By adjusting
the position of the said stepped cam upon the cam shaft q any one of the steps
thereof can be brought into contact with the lever controlling the air inlet valve
thus varying the time during which air is admitted.
As an improvement in the ordinary air pump of the lamp used at starting, I place
a valve u at the bottom of the pump body u as illustrated in Figure 8, the said
valve being held on its seat by a spring u³. The stem v to which the handle v¹ is
attached is made hollow as clearly shown and the hand of the operator acts as a
second valve for controlling the air ingress to the body of the pump.
When it is desired to maintain the combustion chamber at a uniform temperature I
combine therewith what I term a boiling jacket, that is to say, a jacket containing
water which is vapourised at a constant pressure. Such an arrangement is illus-
trated in Figure 10 in which w is a water container which, in addition to supplying
the cylinder water jacket 61 through the pipes w¹ and w³, also feeds the boiling
jacket &, enveloping the combustion chamber f, through a pipe ¹ having a valve ra
The upper part of the jacket x is fitted with a pipe which passes into the water
container w so that any steam generated in the boiling jacket is conveyed into
the water in the container w and condensed. The pipe is fitted with an air inlet
valve to admit air into the pipe a³ when, on stopping the engine, a vacuum is
formed in the said pipe by the condensation of the steam.
If air were not so admitted, water from the container w would be forced by atmo
spheric pressure into the pipe a³.
I find it advantageous to utilize the heat of the exhaust for the generation of
steam for various purposes, notably for steaming fodder and to this end I preferably
convey the said gases into a coiled pipe arranged in a vessel containing water.
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. In explosion engines particularly of the kind wherein oil is vapourised inter-
nally and ignited spontaneously the employment of a combustion chamber con-
nected with the cylinder by converging passages, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described and as illustrated.
2. In an explosion engine the employment of a vapouriser comprising a U-shaped
tube, or of a bucket-shaped device, projecting into the combustion chamber and

page_text: provided with a shield having a hole through which the oil can be injected, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 and 12 respectively of the
accompanying drawings.
3. The combination with an explosion engine of the oil delivery device herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with an explosion engine of the improved oil delivery pump.
herein before described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In an explosion engine arranging the cylinder adjustably upon the bed so
that its position relatively to the crank shaft can be varied to regulate the degree
of compression of the explosive mixture, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated.
6. In an explosion engine, actuating the air inlet valve by means of a stepped
cam in connection with the governor in such a manner that the quantity of air
admitted into the cylinder varies with the speed of the engine, substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
7. In an explosion engine, providing the cylinder with a slotted detachable
cover n, substantially as, and for the purpose, herein before described and as illus-
trated.
8. In an explosion engine, providing the exhaust pipe with a cover, substantially
as, and for the purpose, herein before described and as illustrated.
9. In an explosion engine the combination with the combustion chamber of a
boiling jacket, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 10
of the accompanying drawings and for the purpose specified.
10. In an explosion engine of the kind wherein the oil pump is operated by the
direct action of a cam, providing a spring such as 5 between the pump plunger and
the cam lever, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings and for the purpose specified.
11. The improved air pump for feeding the lamp heating the vapouriser, herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
12. In an explosion engine the arrangement of combustion chamber and
vapouriser herein before described and illustrated in Figure 11 of the accompanying
drawings.
13. In an explosion engine the described means for varying and controlling the
operation of the pump by the governor hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
14. In an explosion engine the combination with the oil pump of a set screw
having a graduated toothed disc with which a spring engages, substantially as, and
for the purpose, herein before described and as illustrated in Figure 7 of the accom-
panying drawings.
15. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved explosion
engine herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings.