IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agents
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES Communicated to him
from abroad by Jakob Schweizer of Paris, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th September 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and W. Clark of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex Patent Agents "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS ENGINES." [Communicated to him from abroad by Jakob Schweizer of
Paris, France]
This Invention relates to an improved gas engine the essential feature of which
is that the working of the piston is due to the alternate action of the expansion
(produced by the combustion of the explosive-mixture) and of the resulting
vacuum, the said expansion and vacuum acting directly upon the piston and
causing it to perform its outward and inward stroke. The engine provided
with regulating devices whereby the phases of explosion and vacuum are caused to
occur exactly at the proper times in order that the resulting expansion and
exhaustion shall produce their proper effect upon the piston. It is also furnished
with a governor by which the admission of gas is modified inversely as the the
speed of the engine, in order that this speed shall be maintained constant.
In the accompanying drawings I have represented an example of a gas engine
of my Invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
Figure 3 is a top plan.
Figure 5 is a section of the motor drum in the compartments of which are
successively produced the explosions and vacuum whereby the piston is operated.
Figures 4 and 6 are end views of the engine.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all these figures.
The engine consists mainly of the chambered drum A, the piston B and the
regulating apparatus whereby the drum A is supplied with the gas necessary for
its operation. The engine is furnished with two burners of which the one directs

page_text: its flame into the drum to produce the explosion and the other serves to relight the
first should it become accidentally extinguished. It is also provided with an
exhaust fan for extracting the gaseous products of combustion from the drum,
The chambered drum A is mounted upon a shaft b and rotated by gearing z z.
The drum is enclosed within a casing c and rotates between and in close contact
with the two end covers d in the upper part of which are two apertures at which
the several compartments of the drum are presented in succession. These apertures
are opposite one another and of such size that a certain number of the compart-
ments of the drum will during its rotation be directly open to the atmosphere
through them. Those of the compartments of the drum which for the time being
are not in communication with the atmosphere are supplied with gas furnished
under constant pressure by a tubulature C and conveyed by a tube e which opens
within the drum A through an orifice in one of the ends d of the outer casing.
The admission of gas is regulated by a valve 8 which is raised more or less by
a governor and levert the amount of rise of the valve being inversely as the
speed of the machine. This speed is regulated by a double threaded screw by
which the pressure upon the valve is varied.
Each compartment of the drum is thus filled in succession with a mixture of air
and gas, and after receiving the explosive gas is brought by the continued
revolution of the drum, opposite to an orifice f closed by a valve opening inwards
and which closes the end of a tube in which is contained a flame for igniting the
explosive mixture. A second flame directed perpendicularly to the first serves to
relight it should it be accidentally extinguished.
If now the piston, which is opposite the other extremity of the compartment
containing the explosive mixture, commences to recede, an aspirating effect is
produced in the compartment by the increase in its capacity, whereby the valve is
opened and the flame is sucked in and brought into contact with the explosive
mixture. The expansion caused by the explosion of the gases again closes the
valve and drives the piston to the end of its cylinder. By the continued rotation
of the drum a compartment in which the mixture has already been exploded and
has acted by its expansion upon the piston and driven it back and in which a
partial vacuum is consequently produced now comes opposite to the piston which
is moved in the opposite direction by the unbalanced pressure behind it. The
relative vacuum produced in each compartment by the effect of the explosion is
rendered more complete by the injection of water through an orifice g communi-
cating by a pipe with a resevoir forming the base. This injection takes place in
the space which separates the two apertures f¹ and f² the end of the drum A
working like a valve over the two ports f1 and 2 communicating with the
cylinder. The compartment containing the gases of combustion is then brought
by the further rotation of the drum, opposite to the apertures in the upper part of
the end cover d whereat the products of combustion are extracted by the exhaust
fan D and expelled through the chimney E whilst fresh air is admitted at the
other side. The fan is driven by a pulley h fast on a shaft i and in gear with a
large pulley j fast on the shaft k which actuates the governor 7 and the gear z.
The shaft k is driven through a pinion m gearing with a pinion n on a shaft o
which is itself driven by a crank q to which is coupled the connecting rod p.
.
The phenomena above described are repeated continuously in the same order.
The combination of gearing z z above specified has for its object to equalize the
rotary motion of the drum A so that the compartments in which the expansion
and the vacuum occur shall come at the proper moment opposite the ports f1f2
communicating with the cylinder for producing the to and fro movement of the
piston.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th March 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of
53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Patent Agents "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS ENGINES A communication to me from abroad by Jakob Schweizer of
Paris France.
"
.
This Invention relates to an improved gas engine the essential feature of which
is that the working of the piston is due to the alternate action of the expansion
produced by the combustion of the explosive mixture and of the resulting vacuum,
the said expansion and vacuum acting directly upon the piston and causing it to
perform its outward and inward stroke. The engine is provided with regulating
devices whereby the phases of explosion and vacuum are caused to occur exactly
at the proper times in order that the resulting expansion and exhaustion shall
produce their proper effect upon the piston. It is also furnished with a governor
by which the admission of gas is modified inversely as the speed of the engine in
order that this speed shall be maintained constant.
In the accompanying drawings I have represented an example of the gas engine
of this Invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
Figure 3 is a top plan..
Figure 5 is a section of the motor drum in the compartments of which are
successively produced the explosions and vacuum whereby the piston is operated.
Figures 4 and 6 are end views of the engine.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all these figures
The engine consists mainly of the chambered drum A, the piston B and the
regulating apparatus whereby the drum A is supplied with the gas necessary for
its operation. The engine is furnished with two burners of which the one directs
its flame into the drum to produce the explosion and the other serves to relight
the first should it become accidentally extinguished. It is also provided with
an exhaust fan for extracting the gaseous products of combustion from the drum.
The chambered drum A is mounted upon a shaft b and rotated by gearing z z.
The drum is enclosed within a casing c and rotates between and in close contact
with the two end covers d in the upper part of which are two apertures at which
the several compartments of the drum are presented in succession. These apertures
are opposite one another and of such size that a certain number of the compart-
ments of the drum will during its rotation be directly open to the atmosphere
through them Those of the compartments of the drum which for the time being
are not in communication with the atmosphere are supplied with gas furnished
under constant pressure through a tubulature C and conveyed by a tube e
which opens within the drum A through an orifice in one of the ends d of the
outer casing.
The admission of gas is regulated by a valve s which is raised more or less by
a governor and lever t the amount of rise of the valve being inversely as the
speed of the engine. This speed is regulated by a double threaded screw by which
the pressure upon the valve is varied.
Each compartment of the drum is thus filled in succession with a mixture of
air and gas, and after receiving the explosive gas is brought by the continued
revolution of the drum, opposite to an orifice ƒ closed by a valve opening inwards
and which closes the end of a tube in which is contained a flame for igniting the
explosive mixture. A second flame directed perpendicularly to the first serves to
relight it should it be accidentally extinguished.

page_text: If now the piston, which is opposite the other extremity of the compartment
containing the explosive mixture, commences to recede, an aspirating effect is
produced in the compartment by the increase in its capacity, whereby the valve
is opened and the flame is sucked in and brought into contact with the explosive
mixture. The expansion caused by the explosion of the gases again closes the
valve and drives the piston to the end of its cylinder. By the continued rotation
of the drum a compartment in which the mixture has already been exploded and
has acted by its expansion upon the piston and driven it back and in which
a partial vacuum is consequently produced now comes opposite to the piston which
is moved in the opposite direction by the unbalanced pressure behind it. The
relative vacuum produced in each compartment by the effect of the explosion is
rendered more complete by the injection of water through an orifice g com-
municating by a pipe with a reservoir forming the base. This injection takes
place in the space which separates the two apertures f' and the end of the
drum A working like a valve over the two ports f¹ and f communicating with
the cylinder. The compartment containing the gases of combustion is then brought
by the further rotation of drum, opposite to the apertures in the upper part
of the end cover d whereat the products of combustion are extracted by the
exhaust fan D and expelled through the chimney E whilst fresh air is admitted
at the other side. The fan is driven by a pulley h fast on a shaft i and in gear
with a large pulley j fast on the shaft which actuates the governor 7 and
the gear z.
The shaft is driven through a pinion m gearing with a pinion n
on a shaft o which is itself driven by a crank q to which is coupled the connecting
rod p.
The phenomena above described are repeated continuously in the same order.
The combination of gearing z z above specified has for its object to equalize
the rotary motion of the drum A. so that the compartments in which the
expansion and the vacuum occur shall come at the proper moment opposite the
ports f¹f communicating with the cylinder for producing the to and fro
movement of the piston.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
1st The gas engine herein described, both in its general combination and
arrangement and mode of working, of which the essential feature is that the
motion of the piston in its cylinder is produced by the alternate action of the
expansion resulting from the combustion of an explosive mixture and the con-
sequent vacuum, such action being produced in a rotary chambered drum separate
from but connected with the cylinder, substantially in the manner described.
2nd The method of bringing the flame into contact with the gas by the exhaustion
produced automatically by the working of the engine and the means described
of immediately re-igniting the flame by a supplementary flame directed towards
the first one.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
11 h dan of Mouch A 1100D