AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINE TO BE ACTUATED. BY. THE EXPANSIVE FORCE OF EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
:
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINE TO BE
ACTUATED. BY. THE EXPANSIVE FORCE OF EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES."-A com-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th March 1855.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, C6, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINE TO BE
ACTUATED BY THE EXPANSIVE FORCE OF EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved apparatus for igniting the
explosive mixture of gases supplied to the cylinder or cylinders of the engine
for the purpose of driving the same'; and, secondly, to an improved arrange-
ment for cooling the working parts of the engine.
The ignition apparatus is applied in duplicate to the cylinder in order to
explode the gases, which are fed alternately to opposite sides of the piston. It
consists of a hollow metal box bolted to the cylinder of the engine by its flanges

page_text: and set over an opening near the end of the cylinder. The upper part of the
interior of this box is tapered slightly, so as to form a tight junction with a
hollow conical plug which is placed therein. To the lower end of the conical
plug a thimble-shaped piece of hard cast iron or other suitable metal is
attached. The lower extremity of this thimble juts into the opening through
the cylinder. The conical plug has a shoulder by which it rests upon and is
secured to the body of the box. A lateral opening is made through the box
and the plug to communicate with the interior of the thimble for the purpose
of firing the jet of gases introduced into the thimble through a blow pipe which
projects therein, and is carried by a cap that forms the cover for the box. By
the action of this ignited jet of gas the temperature of the thimble is raised to
a sufficient degree to explode the gases supplied to the cylinder immediately
they are brought into contact with the heated thimble.
In order to keep down an injurious degree of temperature in the engine, the
cylinder is surrounded with an external casing or jacket, through which a
constant stream of water is caused to pass from any convenient reservoir. The
water, having filled the jacket surrounding thecylinder, passes out at the upper
part of the jacket through branch tubes into a fixed tube on which the hollow
piston rod slides. The water then passes by the piston rod into the piston
through which it circulates, and returns back into the piston rod, and finally
escapes therefrom into any suitable receptacle or channel. By this peculiar
arrangement and combination of jacket, hollow piston, and piston rod, the
temperature is kept at a lower and more uniform point than in any previously
constructed gas engine, and a thorough lubrication can therefore be obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vinçent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said Alfred Viucent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred

page_text: Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINE TO BE ACTUATED BY THE EXPANSIVE
FORCE OF EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say): —.
This Invention of an improved construction of explosive engine consists,
firstly, in improved apparatus for igniting the explosive mixture of gases.
in the cylinder; and, secondly, in an improved arrangement for cooling the
working parts of the engine.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig.1 represents a top view of the improved
engine; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the cylinder, piston,
and piston rod, and showing the position of the ignition apparatus, and the
arrangement for cooling the parts; Fig. 3 is a side view of the air pump and
valves detached; Fig. 4 is a view of the top of the ignition apparatus; Fig. 5
is a vertical section through the ignition apparatus; Figures 6, 7, and 8
represent the detached parts composing the ignition apparatus.
A, B, C, D, (Fig. 2,) denote the cylinder of the gas engine constructed of
netal, in a manner similar to the cylinder of an ordinary steam engine. The
piston marked K, L, is made hollow, so as to contain water for cooling.
M, N, is the piston rod, which is also made hollow, for the purpose of con-
ducting to the piston a constant supply of cool water, and allowing the heated
water to escape. I,I,1,I,is a hollow metallic jacket surrounding the cylinder,
and communicating by the tubes t, t, with the piston and piston rod, so as to
maintain a constant circulation of cool water through the jacket, piston, and
piston rod, in the manner herein-after described. 0, 0, is a condensing air

page_text: pump operated by means of an arm p, p, attached to the piston rod. There
are two apertures 7 and 1, at the receiving end of the pump; opens to the
external atmosphere, and the opening is connected with the gasometer or
reservoir containing the hydrogen or hydro-carbon gas. A third opening is
connected with the tube r¹ passing down to the reservoir R of combined gases.
The cylinder is connected by tubes with any reservoir of hydro-carbon gas, and
with openings to the atmosphere, arranged and operating as described herein-
after. The respective eduction and induction valves are operated by a rock
shaft and an excentric, as in the ordinary steam engine, and it is not therefore
deemed necessary to refer minutely to these parts, nor to the manmer of con-
necting the piston rod with the crank. In constructing the improved engine
the general arrangements of the steam engine are made use of, the valves being
so placed as to tighten under the pressure within the cylinder, the induction
valves closing on the admission of an adequate supply of the explosive mixture
at any determined point, say, at one-fourth or one-sixth of the stroke. When
the proper charge is taken into the cylinder the induction valve is closed, and
the continued travel of the piston uncovers an opening e or el in the cylinder
communicating with the ignition apparatus. The ignition apparatus is shewn
on the outside at a, b, and a, b, in Fig. 1, and at a, b, c, d, and a, b,
c, d, in Fig. 2, and in Figures 5, 6, 7, and S, and consists of five pieces.
• a, b, c, d, and a¹, b, c, d, are precisely alike, and the description of one
will serve for both. a, b, c, d, is a metal box standing about three inches
high, with an internal opening of one and a quarter inches diameter. One
of these boxes is bolted to the cylinder of the engine by the flanges f, f,
over corresponding openings near each end of the cylinder. The upper part
of the interior of this box g, g, h, h, is tapered slightly, so as to form a
tight junction with the piece k, k', which is one and three quarter inches
long, and is also made correspondingly tapering on the outer side. To the
piece k, l, is attached the piece s, s¹, s1, which is thimble-shaped, made of
hard cast iron or other suitable metal, two and a quarter inches long, three
quarters of an inch internal diameter, and one-eighth of an inch thick. The
lower extremity of a juts into the openings in the cylinder at e and e. The
piece k, l,has a shoulder, by which itrests upon and is secured to the body of
the box a, b, c, d. At u is an aperture communicating with the interior of the
thimbles, 8, 8, half an inch in diameter, for the purpose of firing the jet of
gases introduced through the blow pipe yy. Upon ,, is secured a cape, v
having on its upper side an offset, to which is attached the pipe, for con-
veying to the engine the mixed gases from the reservoir R. To the under side
of v,v,is attached a tu bey, y', which is made of hard cast iron, two inches and

page_text: three quarters long, three-eighths of an inch thick, and one-eighth of an inch
in diameter, entering into the intererior of s, s², s", and forms the blow pipe
for the inflamed gases. O, O', is an air pump for forcing into the reservoir R,
above described, a proper supply of mixed gases for the jet of the blow pipe,
and for the starting of the engine. This supply is obtained in proper proportion
by having the valves to both the ignition supply pump and to the supply pipo
of the engine arranged so as to cover at the same time the opening r', which
communicates with the atmosphere, and also the opening of the pipe con-
veying the gas. This last pipe has a cock sɔ adjusted as to admit a definite
and proper supply of gas; for instance, in using ordinary bicarburetted
hydrogen gas, about one volume of the gas is required to make a saturating
mixture with nine volumes of atmospheric air, and if the cock is adjusted so as
to admit only one-tenth of the capacity of the joint openings under the valve,
a mixture is obtained which will ensure the greatest power: The power-or
force of the engine may be regulated by a throttle valve in the supply pipe of
the engine. In starting the engine it is necessary to throw into the reservoir R
by a pump worked by hand a sufficient quantity of air and gas to heat up the
igniting apparatus, and it is necessary also that the piston of the engine be so
placed as to expose the lower extremity st of one of the igniters. The cock /
attached to the supply pipe of the blow pipe is then opened,,and a taper is
applied to the opening u, and thus the trail is fired. The flame of the com-
pound blow pipe being directed against s¹,raises the temperature of the igniter
at s¹ to the exploding point. The first motion of the piston of the engine is
then given by throwing into the cylinder from the reservoir R an explosive
mixture, which being fired by the igniter impels the piston. The engine now
being in action the piston in its travel draws in a charge through the induction
valve at the opposite end. This charge is in turn fired by the exposed igniter
at the opposite end, and thus a reciprocating action is maintained.
In an engine impelled by gaseous matter inflamed in the cylinder it is
necessary to keep down an injurious degree of temperature, and also to be able
to use requisite lubrication. These objects are effected by surrounding the
cylinder with an external casing or jacket I, I, I, I, as above described, and
by causing a constant stream of water to pass, as follows:-The water from any
convenient reservoir or source is admitted into the jacket I, I, I, I, through
the aperture 1. The water then fills the jacket I, I, I, I, surrounding the
cylinder, and passes out at the upper part of the jacket through the tubes t, t,
into the fixed tube P, P1, on which the piston rod M, N, slides, and the water
fills up the piston rod M, N; the water thence passes into the piston K, L
through the aperture 3,circulates therein,and returns back into the piston rod

page_text: through the aperture 4,and finally escapes from the piston rod at the aperture
5. A small stuffing box,, ', packed with asbestos or fine wire, is placed in
the extremity of the piston rod, so as to surround the tube and form a tigh,
joint at that point. By this peculiar arrangement and combination of jackett
hollow piston, and piston rod, the temperature is kept at a lower and more
uniform point than in any previously constructed gas engine,and a thorough
lubrication can therefore be obtained.
Having thus described the Invention communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the employment
or application of explosive admixtures of gases to engines; but what I do claim
as the Invention secured to me by the above in part recited Letters Patent is,
Firstly, the ignition apparatus, composed of the thimble s, s, s", and the
interior tube or blow pipe, y, arranged and operating substantially as herein.
before described.
And, secondly, the arrangement and combination of the hollow piston rod,
piston, and jacket surrounding the cylinder, for the purpose of maintaining a
constantcirculationofwaterforcooling,substantiallyas herein-beforedescribed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JW. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)