Improvement in Gas and Vapour Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvement in Gas and Vapour Engines.
I. MARK HEATON ROBINSON, of Ferry Works, Thames Ditton in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
In order to obtain pressure constantly in the same direction upon the brasses of
an engine working upon the Otto cycle, I use two single acting cylinders placed
tandem-wise, or one beyond the other in the same axial line, upon the same side of
the crank, and with the working end of each cylinder placed furthest from the
crank. In order to avoid the use of a piston rod passing through the working end
of one cylinder, I connect each piston or plunger to a crosshead, and connect both
crossheads rigidly together by rods or bars passing outside the cylinder nearest to
the crank. Explosion is arranged to occur in each cylinder alternately; thus, if
the engine is vertical, with the cylinders above the crank, then upon every upstroke
one or other of the pistons will be engaged in compressing a charge for explosion
upon the following downstroke, with the effect of cushioning, upon each upstroke,
the whole system of pistons and rods, in other words they are held in constant
thrust against the crank pin upon every non-effective stroke. Obviously a like
arrangement can be applied to work an engine in "constant tension "-i.e. having
its connecting rod in tension upon both the effective and the non-effective strokes.
In this case the working end of each cylinder is that nearest to the crank.
Dated thio Ofth day of Novemba 1904
MARK H. ROBINSON.
Improvement in Gas and Vapour Engines.
I, MARK HEATON ROBINSON, of Ferry Works, Thames Ditton, in the County
of Surrey, 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:-
In order to obtain pressure constantly in the same direction upon the brasses of
an engine working upon the Otto cycle I use two single acting cylinders placed
tandem wise or one beyond the other in the same axial line, upon the same side of
the crank, and with the working end of each cylinder placed furthest from the
crank. In order to avoid the use of a piston rod passing through the working end
of one cylinder, I connect each piston or plunger to a crosshead, and connect both
crossheads rigidly together by rods or bars passing outside the cylinder nearest to
the crank. Explosion is arranged to occur in each cylinder alternately; thus, if
the engine is vertical, with the cylinders above the crank, then upon every upstroke
one or other of the pistons will be engaged in compressing a charge for explosion
upon the following downstroke, with the effect of cushioning, upon each upstroke,
the whole system of pistons and rods, in other words they are held in constant
thrust against the crank pin upon every non-effective stroke. Obviously a like

page_text: arrangement can be applied to work an engine in "constant tension "i.e. having its
connecting rod in tension upon both the effective and the non-effective strokes. In
this case the working end of each cylinder is that nearest to the crank.
The drawing annexed is a vertical section of an engine arranged as above
described to keep the parts in constant thrust.
A and B are the two cylinders in which explosions occur alternately, and C
and D are their respective pistons. The two cylinders are placed tandemwise and
are separated by a distance piece E In the drawing the upper piston C is shown
with a piston rod and crosshead F, while the lower piston D is formed as a trunk
piston. It is obvious that it might if desired be also fitted with a crosshead similar
to C.
The two pistons are rigidly connected together by side rods G G which are
bolted to the crosshead F and to lugs H H upon the trunk piston D. These side
rods G G pass outside the lower cylinder B, the cover of which is solid.
In the case shown the connecting rods are maintained constantly in compression,
but it is obvious that by reversing the position of the working ends of the cylinders,
they may also be maintained constantly in tension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A gas or vapour engine in which there are two cylinders placed tandemwise
in the same axial line upon the same side of the crank shaft, the pistons whereof
are connected rigidly together by rods passing outside the cylinder nearest to the
crank shaft and by crossheads, or equivalent devices, upon the respective pistons
and in which the explosions in the two cylinders are made to occur upon alternate
working strokes and the corresponding compressions in alternate non-working
strokes whereby the combined system of pistons and rods are kept constantly
pressed in one direction either towards or away from the crank shaft.
2. The arrangement and construction of gas and vapour engines substantially as
herein before described.
Dated this 95th day of September 1805