Improvements in Explosion Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1899
Improvements in Explosion Engines.
I, JOHN ALSTINE SECOR, of No. 248, Hancock Street, in the Borough of Brooklyn,
in the City of New York, in the State of New York, United States of America,
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 :-
This invention relates to engines of that class in which the propulsive force is
derived from the explosion of a hydro-carbon gas or gaseous mixture in the rear of
the piston, and more especially to engines in which the gas or vapor and air are
mingled in suitable proportions and the mixture then introduced into the cylinder or
explosion chamber. In such engines it has been proposed heretofore, instead of
shutting off altogether the supply of explosive mixture when the engine is running
too fast, to reduce the supply of gas and of air proportionately, so that a sinaller
quantity of explosive mixture shall be formed and the force of the explosion reduced
accordingly. It is one object of my present invention to improve the means for
regulating the supply of hydrocarbon and air, and especially with a view to per-
mitting the proportions of hydrocarbon and air to be varied at will, even while the
engine is in operation, so that the character of the explosive mixture may be con-
trolled and regulated according to the requirements or conditions under which the
engine may be operating at the time.
Another object of any invention is to provide improved means for feeding or
delivering the bydrocarbon, so that the quantity delivered for each charge can be
regulated to a nicety. The hydro-carbon or oil is commonly delivered in engines
heretofore constructed, by a force pump, the stroke of which is varied to increase or
diminish the quantity of oil supplied; it has also been proposed to deliver the oil by
gravity. The desirability of providing for a uniform delivery of the nil, at least to
the point where the engine governor regulates the delivery, in order that the speed
of the engine shall not be subject to variations, has been generally recognized.
Experience has shown, however, that the various methods hitherto employed of
feeding the oil by gravity, have failed to provide for an absolutely unvarying and
uniform head. In all of such cases, so far as I am aware, the oil has been delivered
from closed tanks under pressure, or from closed tanks from which the oil escapes
from time to time as the delivery openings of the tanks are uncovered by the with-
drawal of oil from another vessel and air is admitted to the closed vessels to displace
the oil therein. Without complicated, delicate and expensive devices it is impossible
to maintain absolutely uniform pressure upon the oil in the closed vessels, and in the
other class of devices referred to it is obvious that the level of the oil outside of the
closed vessels must change sufficiently to at least cover and uncover the delivery orifice
of the closed vessel. In view of the very small quantity of oil used at each explo-
sion, it is evident that even the slight variations of pressure or head thus occasioned
will produce a relatively great change in the quantity of oil actually delivered and will
affect the operation of the engine to a corresponding degree. It is the object of this

page_text: invention to provide for the maintenance of the oil in the delivery vessel at an
absolutely uniform level and under the same pressure at all times, the conductor
between such delivery vessel and the engine remaining always open and the flow
of oil therethrough being regulated as the load upon the engine varies, by the engine
governor.
The devices by which the desired objects are attained will be more fully described
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, an engine to
which the invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a detail view, on a larger scale, showing the governing mechanisin in 1
end view, and its connections to the valves.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the governing mechanisın.
Figure 4 is a detail view, in section and on a larger scale than that of Figure 2, of
one of the valves.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the valve shown in Figure 4 with some of its
connections.
The crank shaft C, in the engine shown in the drawing, is mounted in suitable
bearings up on the bed plate or pedestal A, while the cylinder E is supported by
standards D above the crank shaft, to which the piston (not shown) is connected by a
piston rod F as usual. The inlet and exhaust ports, represented at h and h¹, may be
controlled as usual by valves which may be operated by any suitable means such as
the links i², levers 2³ and grooved gear 1, which is engaged and driven by a pinion on
the crank shaft.
The hydro-carbon and air are delivered to the inlet port through independent
valve boxes M and M', with a valve m in each to control the corresponding port m³.
These valves are operated together under the influence of the governing mechanisın
to vary the quantity of the explosive mixture according to the speed of the engine,
and each is adjustable independently of the other in order to permit the quality of
the mixture to be varied as circumstances may require. Various arrangements might
be devised for permitting the simultaneous operation and the independent adjust-
ability of the valves, but I prefer that shown in the drawings, in which each valve is
a rotary oscillating valve mounted rigidly upon a shaft or stem m² which has bearings
in the ends of the valve box. Outside of the valve box each stem ma has fixed
thereto a toothed sector m³. An arın m¹ is mounted loosely upon each stem and
carries a worm m which engages the corresponding sector so that by rotation of the
worm the position of the sector m³, and consequently the position of the valve m with
respect to the arın m* can be varied at will, thereby varying also the position of the
valve with respect to the port m³, so that the valve shall open more or less during its
oscillation and shall vary the proportion of air or gas accordingly. The free ends
of the two arms m² are connected by a link me, and are shifted simultaneously,
through suitable intermediate devices, presently to be described, by the action of
the governor.
It will be obvious that so far as the action of the valves is concerned, any
form of governor mechanism which is adapted for the purpose may be employed,
As there represented the entire
but I prefer that shown in Figures 2 and 3.
governor mechanism is mounted upon a sleeve N which is secured to the crank
shaft C to rotate therewith. At one end of the sleeve N is a flange n upon
which are mounted the weighted bell cranks n¹, the weighted arms of said bell
cranks being held normally towards the axis of the shaft by springs n² which
may be provided with adjusting devices n³. The other arms of the bell cranks
engage a second sleeve which is movable longitudinally upon the sleeve N and i
grooved to be engaged by a forked or other lever n³ which is pivoted upon a suitable
support. The outer end of the lever n³ is connected to one arm of a bell crank n
the other arm of which is connected by an adjustable rod n³ with the link me abov
referred to. It will be obvious that when the speed of the engine increases so as t
throw outward the weighted arms of the bell cranks n³, the sleeve nt will be shifte
longitudinally and, through the described connections or other equivalent connection
5

page_text: which may be substituted therefor, will shift the valves m to reduce simultaneously
the area of the ports through which the hydro-carbon and air escape into the mixing
chamber, so that the quantity of the explosive mixture will be varied without varying
the proportion of the hydro-carbon and air.
Referring now to the second part of the invention, a suitable vessel K, having a
considerable capacity and serving as the main or supply vessel is supported at a suit-
able height above the cylinder, so as to insure a proper flow of the oil. It may have
a conical bottom k with a draw-off cock at the apex to facilitate the withdrawal of any
sediment that there may be in the vessel. At a proper distance above the bottom is
a feed pipe which is arranged to conduct the oil to a second vessel L, the said pipe
being provided with a needle or other suitable valve of ordinary construction,
indicated at, the said valve being controlled by a float 4 which rests upon the oil
in the second or delivery vessel L. Both of the vessels K and L are open to atmos-
pheric pressure, although the oil therein may be protected from dust and other
foreign substances by any suitable means. The delivery pipe communicates with
the delivery vessel L at a suitable height above its bottom and with the engine at a
point slightly in advance of the inlet valve h, preferably in the inlet pipe h² between
the air valve M and the inlet valve h. A sight glass may be inserted in the delivery
pipe, as at , to per it the flow of the oil to be observed. The delivery pipe is at no
time closed between its extremities, although the flow of the oil therethrough may be
regulated, according to the load upon the engine, by a suitable valve, as at M', the
two valves M and M¹ being connected together, but with capacity for independent
adjustment, and controlled, through suitable intermediate mechanism represented by
a lever and link n', by a suitable governor mechanism indicated at N.
It will be observed that as the oil in the two vessels K and L is always under
atmospheric pressure, which is practically constant, and as, by the float valve
described, the level of the oil in the delivery vessel L is maintained at a constant
height, the oil in the delivery pipe is always under a constant head and its flow is
uniform, except as it is changed with a change of load upon the engine. Under
given conditions of work, therefore, the flow of oil is constant and uniform, and for
each period of time represented by the complete cycle of the engine, a uniform
quantity of oil is delivered. In the operation of the engine represented the oil
falling into the air inlet pipe h³ is struck by the strong blast of air passing through
the same during the charging stroke of the engine, and is immediately converted
into spray and carried through the inlet valve h into the working cylinder of the
explosion chamber of the engine where it is vaporized and mixed with the air to form
the fresh charge. It will be evident that, by reason of the termination of the
delivery pipe at a point in front of or outside of the inlet valve h, the flow of the oil
is not affected by the pressure developed within the working cylinder, and it is there-
fore possible to supply and deliver the oil from vessels open to atmospheric
pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of iny said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performned, I declare that what I claim
is :-
1. In an explosion engine, the combination of independent, rotary oscillating
valves for admission of hydro-carbon and air separately, toothed sectors secured to the
stems of said valves respectively, arms mounted loosely on said steins respectively,
worms carried by said arms to engage said sectors respectively, a link connecting said
arms to inove together, a governor and a connection therefrom to said link, whereby
said valves are oscillated together by the governor and are separately adjustable about
the axis of oscillation to vary the relative proportions of hydro-carbon and air, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
2. The combination with the air inlet, inlet valve and valve operating mechanism
of an explosion engine, of an oil supply vessel and an oil delivery vessel open to
atmospheric pressure and communicating the one with the other, a valve in the com-

page_text: munication between said vessels, a float in the delivery vessel to control said valve,
and a delivery pipe from said delivery vessel terminating in said air inlet in advance
of the inlet valve, substantially as shown and described.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, For the Applicant.