NGI
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert Sumner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st March 1882.
HERBERT SUMNER of Manchester in the County of Lancaster
IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
"
"
• IMPROVEMENTS
In a gas motor engine according to my invention combustible gas or vapour and
air are drawn together into a suitable chamber by an outstroke of the engine, and
are there intimately mingled. They pass to the cylinder through or by a valve
operated by a suitable cam motion and are there compressed in the usual way.
After they have been ignited and have performed their office in propelling the
piston, the products resulting from, or remaining after, the combustion, or part of
them, are emitted by an exhaust or eduction valve placed beside the inlet valve on
the back cylinder cover, and also worked by a cam motion. The two cam motions
are placed side by side on one revolving piece or boss carried by a revolving shaft
and so connected to it as to be easily adjustable in the direction of its rotation.
By moving this piece with the cams either backwards or forwards the times or
periods of action of the inlet and outlet valves can be simultaneously set to
correspond to the motions of the piston whether the engine be running in one
direction or the other. The revolving shaft above mentioned is arranged longi-
tudinally of the engine and below the level of the crank shaft. Motion is conveyed
to it from the crank shaft by means of skew geared or helicoidal wheels whereby
noise is avoided.
To effect ignition of the charge I provide an igniting slide which is operated
from the above mentioned shaft and in such a manner that it can be readily set
for the motion of the engine in either direction. Upon the shaft is keyed a
driving plate and beside it there is placed an eccentric connected to the said plate
by a bolt or pin.

page_text: When
There is one bolt hole in the eccentric and there are two in the plate.
the bolt passes through one hole in the plate the eccentric is set for the forward
motion, and when the bolt is transferred to the second hole, the eccentric having
been suitably rotated to permit of the change, is set for the backward motion.
The igniting slide contains an igniting cell and has a vertical reciprocating
motion against a face formed on the cylinder. In this face there are two ports
communicating with the interior of the cylinder. One is the main or cylinder port
and the other a small passage. Just before the mouth of the igniting cell opens to
the mouth of the cylinder port to ignite the charge in the cylinder there is a com-
munication made from the cylinder by the above mentioned small passage not as
in engines heretofore constructed to the passage which feeds the igniting flame
with gas but to the centre of the igniting cell itself, behind the igniting flame and
directly opposite the mouth of the cell and the cylinder port, so that a small
portion of the compressed charge in the cylinder passes down the above named
passage and (acting somewhat after the manner of the propelling fluid in an
injector) blows or projects the igniting flame directly into the cylinder port and
thus ignites the compressed mixture of gas or vapour and air in the cylinder.

page_text: 141
VIIC
522 I atent Отсе on une
21st September 1882.
HERBERT SUMNER of Manchester in the County of Lancaster IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
In a gas motor engine according to my invention combustible gas or vapour and
air are drawn together into a suitable chamber by an outstroke of the engine, and
are there intimately mingled.
They pass to the cylinder through or by a valve operated by a suitable cam
motion, and are there compressed in the usual way.
After they have been ignited and have performed their office in propelling the
piston, the products resulting from, or remaining after, the combustion, or part of
them are emitted by an exhaust or an eduction valve placed beside the inlet
valve on the back cylinder cover, and also worked by a cani motion.
The two cam motions are placed side by side on one revolving piece or boss
carried by a revolving shaft and so connected to it as to be easily adjustable in the
direction of its rotation. By moving this piece and the cams either backwards or
forwards the times or periods of action of the inlet and outlet valves can be
simultaneously set to correspond to the motions of the piston whether the engine
be running in one direction or the other.
The revolving shaft above mentioned is arranged longitudinally of the engine
and below the level of the crank shaft. Motion is conveyed to it from the
crank shaft by means of skew geared or helicoidal wheels whereby noise is
avoided.
To effect ignition of the charge I provide an igniting slide which is operated
from the above mentioned shaft and in such a manner that it can be readily set
for the motion of the engine in either direction.
Upon the shaft is keyed a driving plate and beside it there is placed an eccentric
connected to the said plate by a bolt or pin.
There is one bolt hole in the eccentric and there are two in the plate. When
the bolt passes through one hole in the plate the eccentric is set for the forward
motion, and when the bolt is transferred to the second hole, the eccentric having
been suitably rotated to permit of the charge, is set for the backward motion.
The igniting slide contains an igniting cell and has a vertical reciprocating
motion against a face formed on the cylinder. In this face there is a port
communicating with the interior of the cylinder.
Just before the mouth of the igniting cell opens to the mouth of the cylinder
port to ignite the charge in the cylinder, there is a communication made from the
cylinder by a small passage not as in engines heretofore constructed to the passage
which feeds the igniting flame with gas but to the centre of the igniting cell itself
behind the igniting flame, and directly opposite the mouth of the cell and the
cylinder port so that a small portion of the compressed charge in the cylinder
passes down the above named passage and, (acting somewhat after the manner of
the propelling fluid in an injector), blows or projects the igniting flame directly
into the cylinder port, and thus ignites the compressed mixture of gas or vapour
and air in the cylinder.
Referring to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of the
rear end of a gas engine according to my invention; Fig 2 is a side elevation
shewing the cylinder and valves; Fig 3 is a plan of the same; Fig 4 shews two
elevations of the eccentric and rod for working the igniting slide; Fig 5 is a

page_text: general side elevation (to a smaller scale) of a gas engine constructed according to
my invention, and Fig. 6 is a plan of the same. Combustible gas or vapour and
air are drawn together by an outstroke of the engine into the chamber A the gas
entering by small holes A¹ by which the current is broken into fine streams that
facilitate its intimate admixture with the air. The misture passes to the cylinder E
through the valve B and passage D the former of which is raised in opposition to
the power of a spiral spring, B by a cam, as will be explained below. After the
combustible mixture has been compressed and ignited and has performed its office
in propelling the piston, the products resulting from or remaining after combustion,
or part of them, are emitted through an eduction or exhaust valve N in a casing F
placed beside the inlet valve on the back cover, so that the whole is easily
removable for cleaning, and both can be worked from one set of cams C. C. These
two cams are placed side by side on one revolving piece or boss H and are adjustable
with relation to one another. The boss H is carried by the side shaft I, which is
situated at a lower level than the centre of the cylinder, and is connected to the
shaft, so that it is easily adjustable in the direction of its rotation, and can be
fixed in either of two positions which correspond respectively with the motions of
the piston when the engine is running forward or when it is running backwards.
In the drawings the boss is represented as being driven by a key and kept in
position endwise by a washer and a set screw H¹ tapped into the shaft, but any
other convenient means may be adopted for effecting the same result. The shaft I,
upon which the boss H is placed, is arranged longitudinally of the engine below
the level of the centre line of the cylinder and is driven by wheels P with skew or
helicoidal teeth. This arrangement permits of a convenient disposition of the
mechanism for actuating the valves, and avoids the noise consequent on the
employment of bevel gear.
The ignition of the charge is effected by the igniting slide M. which is operated
from the shaft I by an eccentric L, eccentric strap L' and rod L².
This eccentric can also be readily set to bring the slide into operation at the
proper instant whether the engine be running in one direction or the other.
Upon the shaft I there is keyed a driving plate K, to which the eccentric is
connected by a bolt or pin 02. There is one bolt hole in the eccentric and there
are two, 0, 0, in the plate.
When the bolt passes through one hole say O the eccentric is set for the forward
motion of the engine, and when it is transferred to the second hole O' the eccentric
being moved through the necessary angle to permit of the change, the slide comes
into position for igniting the charge at a moment corresponding to the rotation
of the engine in the other direction. Thus by moving the eccentric L, the boss H,
and the cams C the engine can be easily and readily reversed.
The igniting slide M contains an igniting cell Q, and has a vertical reciprocating
motion against a face formed on the cylinder.
By this arrangement the flame is carried in the direction of its burning and not
horizontally as is usual.
In the cylinder face there is a port R communicating with the interior of tho
cylinder, and so situated that it comes opposite the igniting cell Q just when the
explosion is to take place.
In addition to the cell Q the valve has a passage S in it which opens at one end
into a groove S' in the cylinder face in such a position that it communicates with
the port R slightly before the cell Q comes opposite the same port. At the other
end the said passage S opens into a groove S cut in the valve cover T-This
groove forms a communication between the passage S and an inlet S³ opening into
the back of the cavity Q behind the igniting flame. With the parts in the
positions shewn in Fig. 1 the port S has just opened to the cylinder, and the cell Q
is just upon the point of doing so, when a small portion of the compressed charge
will pass down the groove S¹, passage S, groove S² and inlet S³, and will blow or
project the igniting flame directly into the cylinder E and thus fire the compressed
mixture.

page_text: In engines of this class made hitherto the small charge of mixture from the
cylinder has been admitted into the passage which feeds the igniting flame with
gas, and not directly across the flame to project it into the cylinder as in my
invention, which makes the ignition of the charge more sure and prompt.
+
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details as herein described and referred to, as many variations
may be made in detail without deviating from the principle or main features of my
invention; but what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim in a
gas motor engine is;-
1. Operating the inlet and outlet valves by two cams on one moveable boss the
arrangement being such that the action of the two valves can be adjusted for
backward or forward motion of rotation of the engine substantially as described.
2. The use in conjunction with reversible inlet and outlet valves of an igniting
slide operated by an eccentric capable of adjustment to accord with the action of
the said valves so as to bring the igniting slide into operation at the proper time
for forward motion of the engine or at the proper time for backward motion thereof
as the case may be substantially as described.
3. Projecting the igniting flame into the working cylinder by causing a small
portion of the compressed combustible charge from such cylinder to pass directly
across the igniting flame opposite the entrance to the cylinder port substantially
as described.
4. Operating the vertical igniting slide M. and inlet and outlet valves B and N
by the side shaft I (below the centre line of the cylinder) and wheels P as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Herbert Sumner have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 19th day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand
sight hundred and nighter trea
HERBERT SUMNER. (L.s.)