IMPROVED MEANS, OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, CONVERTING RECIPROCATORY INTO ROTATORY MOTION IN GAS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE ENGINES, AND IN HYDRAULIC, STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER FLUID MOTORS, ALSO FOR EFFECTING AND GOVERNING EXPLOSIONS. IN GAS AND. OTHER SUCH ENGINES, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE AS AIR AND OTHER FLUID COMPRESSORS PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry George Williams of Calvert Road East Greenwich
in the County of Kent, Mechanical Engineor for an Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS, OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, CONVERTING RECIPROCATORY INTO ROTATORY
MOTION IN GAS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE ENGINES, AND IN HYDRAULIC,
STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER FLUID MOTORS, ALSO FOR EFFECTING AND GOVERNING
EXPLOSIONS. IN GAS AND. OTHER SUCH ENGINES, PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE AS AIR AND OTHER FLUID COMPRESSORS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry George Williams at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1883.
HENRY GEORGE WILLIAMS of Calvert Road, East Greenwich in the County of
Kent Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVED MEANS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, CON-
VERTING RECIPROCATORY INTO ROTATORY MOTION IN GAS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE
ENGINES, AND IN HYDRAULIC, STEAM, AIR, OR OTHER FLUID MOTORS, ALSO FOR
EFFECTING AND GOVERNING EXPLOSIONS IN GAS AND OTHER SUCH ENGINES,
PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE AS AIR AND OTHER FLUID COMPRESSORS "
This invention has for its object improved means and apparatus for converting
reciprocatory into rotatory motion in gas and other explosive engines and in
hydraulic, steam, air, or other fluid motors, also for effecting and governing
explosions in gas and other explosive engines parts of which are also applicable
as air and fluid compressors and consists chiefly in my method of mounting the
cylinders rigidly, whereby connecting rods are dispensed with.
According to my invention I mount on each side of the axis of the main shaft,
cylinders, with their pistons connected by a bearing in which works the crank of
a friction or toothed wheel which is mounted eccentrically to the main shaft and
the said wheel is caused to rotate by the pistons around the internal periphery of
a toothed or frictional wheel, which latter is fixed and is of exactly twice the
diameter of the former, and concentric with the main shaft,

page_text: A stud or equivalent appliance fixed on the pitch line of the spur pinion makes
during a revolution of the said pinion a straight line through the centre line of the
cylinders, by reason of the said pinion being pivotted eccentrically of its axis, to
the bearing intermediate of, and joining the pistons.
The internally toothed or friction wheel is fixed, and the spur or friction pinion
caused to rotate by the pistons, the movement of the stud or crank by the inter-
mediate bearing being imparted reciprocally.
It will be obvious that instead of gearing I may employ in lieu of the inter-
mediate bearing a slotted link in which the pin or truck of the crank shaft works
by which motion is imparted to the crank shaft without the intervention of
connecting rods as in the previous example.
The cylinders.are.arranged opposite to each other, one on each side of the crank
shaft, and by this arrangement as applied to gas engines I utilize the space in
front of each cylinder, to drive atinospheric air into the back of the opposite
cylinder, to mix with the gas injected therein in a sufficient quantity or proportion
as to render the mixture explosive.
Four cylinders can be applied to a gas engine or other motor thus doubling its
power without materially increasing its general dimensions and enabling such
engines in almost any position to be self starting.
The explosion is or may be advantageously effected by a slide in the side or end
of each cylinder, and actuated by an eccentric or cam, or by an arrangement of
levers in any convenient manner
The supply of air is drawn by atmospheric pressure into the front of the one
cylinder in the backward stroke of its piston and in the outward stroke is ejected
to the back end of the opposite cylinder and so on alternately.
The admission of air is automatically effected by a clack or other suitable valve,
which is closed simultaneously with the forward motion of the piston whilst the
air passes through another valve before admission to the cylinder.
The supply of gas is effected by the descent of a plunger in a cylinder or receiver
for the purpose and of a capacity equal or nearly so to the necessary supply
required for admixture with atmospheric air for each explosion and the supply
forced by the said plunger through a suitable valve into the explosion chamber or
cylinders to mix with the supply of air therein.
By this arrangement when the engine is working to its maximum power I
secure one explosion to every half revolution of the main shaft thereby ensuring
an uniform speed or when four cylinders are used an explosion at every quarter
revolution of the main shaft.
The speed of the engine can advantageously be governed by an ordinary speed
governor which causes air only to be admitted when the engine is racing thereby
automatically regulating its speed. Hitherto the supply of gas has been attempted
to be governed for the purpose of regulating the speed of the engine when it had
a tendency to race but the fact of controlling the gas does not ensure a proper
admixture with the atmospheric air contained in the cylinder. The fact of
shutting off the gas supply and admitting air as above described obviates all
racing and prevents waste and smell.
It will be obvious that by a modification of the valves that engines of the
berein before described construction can be advantageously driven by hydraulic
pressure or compressed air and that inversely, that is to say, by driving such
engines by the same or another source of motive power they may be rendered
specially adapted for the purposes of compressing air or forcing or pumping water
or other fluids.
In the case of hydraulic engines I prefer to use four cylinders or rams mounted,
one pair at right angles to the other pair, and arranged on the opposite side of the
bed plate of the engine thus enabling the engine to be worked at a very slow
speed there being consequently no dead centres to be overcome and the general
arrangement of gearing or slotted link remaining the same as in the case of the
apparatus herein-before referred to.

page_text: In some cases I may arrange the cylinders side by side, the air in the front of
the one cylinder being forced into the back of the other by the forward stroke of
the piston and so on alternately. The same arrangement of gearing or apparatus
as before described may also be employed in this case as well as the ordinary
connecting rod arrangement when desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry George Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th Decomber 1883.
HENRY GEORGE WILLIAMS of Calvert Road East Greenwich in the County of
Kent Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVED MEANS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, CON-
VERTING RECIPROCATORY INTO ROTATORY MOTION IN GAS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE
ENGINES, AND IN HYDRAULIC STEAM AIR OR OTHER FLUID MOTORS, ALSO FOR
EFFECTING AND GOVERNING EXPLOSIONS IN GAS AND OTHER SUCH ENGINES,
PARTS OF WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE AS AIR AND FLUID COMPRESSORS
"
This invention has for its object improved means and apparatus for converting
reciprocatory into rotatory motion, in gas and other explosive engines, and in
hydraulic, steam, air or other fluid motors, also for effecting and governing
explosions in gas and other explosive engines, parts of which are also applicable as
air and fluid compressors, and consists chiefly in my method of mounting tho
cylinders rigidly, whereby connecting rods are dispensed with.
According to my invention I mount on each side of the axis of the main shaft
cylinders, A, A, as shown at Figure 1 with their pistons a. a. connected by a
bearing b in which works the crank c of a friction or toothed wheel d, which is
mounted eccentrically to the main shaft c, and the said wheel d is caused to rotatė
by the pistons around the internal periphery of a toothed or frictional wheel B.
which latter is fixed and is of exactly twice the diameter of the former wheel d
and concentric with the main shaft e.
A stud c¹ or equivalent appliance fixed on the pitch line of the spur pinion d,
makes during a revolution of the said pinion, a straight line through the centre
line of the cylinders, by reason of the said pinion being pivotted eccentrically of its
axis to the bearing b intermediate of and joining the pistons.
The internally toothed or friction wheel B is fixed and the spur or friction
pinion. d caused to rotate by the pistons a. a, the movement of the stud c' or
crank c by the intermediate bearing b being imparted reciprocally.
It will be obvious that instead of gearing, I may employ in lieu of the inter-
mediate bearing b, a slotted link of the ordinary type in which the pin or truck of
the crank shaft works, by which motion is imparted to the crank shaft without
the intervention of connecting rods, as in the previous example.
The cylinders A, A, are arranged opposite to each other one on each side of the
crank si.afte, and by this arrangement as applied to gas. engines, I utilize the

page_text: space C in the front end of each cylinder to drive atmospheric air into the back of
the opposite cylinder, by the pipes D, D', respectively, to mix with the gas injected
therein, in a sufficient quantity or proportion as to render the mixture explosive.
Air is admitted on the back stroke of each piston through an ordinary clack or
other suitable valve ƒ and in its admission to the opposite cylinder is directed by
the shield a* towards the piston.
Figure 2 is a plan of the gas engine shown in elevation at Figure 1. Figure 3
is an end view of one cylinder A a part section through line A. B. being shown
in the plan view Figure 2. Figure 4 is a transverse section through line F, G,
Figure 1. A is the cylinder and A¹ is the water jacket. g is the gas admission
pipe leading into the cylinder i through a clack valve h. In this cylinder i the
gus drawn by the descent of the piston-j-and-in-the-upward-stroke_is_thereby_
forced into the cylinder A by the cam n actuating lever n¹. n. The cam 0
actuating the levers o¹ opens the exhaust valves p. p. through the intervention of
a bell crank lever p², see Fig 2.
The ignition slide may be of any well known construction, and working in
grooves QQ, actuated from an eccentric or equivalent device from the main
shaft.
To a suitable part of the gas chamber past the clack valve h I place an air
admission valve m shown in Figure 4, which valve is opened by any ordinary
speed governor, causing air only to be admitted when the engine is racing thereby
automatically regulating its speed. Hitherto the supply of gas has been attempted
to be governed for the purpose of regulating the speed of the engine it: had a
tendency to race, but the fact of controlling the gas does not ensure a proper
admixture with the atmospheric air contained in the cylinder. The fact of
shutting off the gas supply and admitting air as above described obviates all racing
and prevents waste and smell.
Four cylinders can be applied to a gas engine or other motor as shown in the
hydraulic engine Figures 5 and 6, thus doubling its power without materially
increasing its general dimensions and enabling such engines in almost any position
to be self starting.
By this arrangement when the engine is working to its maximum power I secure
one explosion to every half revolution of the main shaft thereby ensuring an
uniform speed, or when four cylinders, are used an explosion at every quarter
revolution of the main shaft.
It will be obvious that by a modification of the valves engines of the herein
before described construction can be advantageously driven by hydraulic pressure
or compressed air, and that inversely, that is to say, by driving such engines by
the same or another source of motive power they may be rendered specially
adapted for the purposes of compressing air or forcing or pumping water or other
fluids.
In the case of hydraulic engines I prefer to use four cylinders or rams as shown
in Figures 5 and 6 mounted on one pair at right angles to the other pair, and
arranged on the opposite side of the bed plate of the engine thus enabling the
engine to be worked at a very slow speed there being consequently no dead centres
to be overcome and the general arrangement of gearing remaining the same as in
the case of the apparatus herein before referred to. I have shown this as a
winding engine but it can be obviously arranged for any other purpose.
In some cases I may arrange the cylinders side by side the air in the front of
the one cylinder being forced into the back of the other by the forward stroko of
the piston and so on alternately. The same arrangement of gearing or apparatus
as before described may also be employed in this case as well as the ordinary
connecting rod arrangement when desired.
In the foregoing figures with reference to the gas engine the gas and air are
shown admitted in the upper part of the cylinder but I would have it understood
that I may admit them in their relative proportions thoroughly mixed at the side
as shown at Figures 7 and 8, being elevation and plan respectively and at a point

page_text: near the ignition slide or it may be at the underside or other convenient part. The
gas and air being thoroughly mixed before admission in the chamber x.
Having thus described my invention and in what manner the same is carried
into effect I would have it understood that what I claim is :-
First-The means of and apparatus for converting reciprocatory into rotatory
motion in gas and other explosive engines or in hydraulic steam, air or other fluid
motors or compressors substantially as set forth and illustrated.
Second-In gas or other explosive engines the employment of the ono cylinder
and its piston to charge the explosive end or chamber of the opposite cylinder with
the necessary atmospheric air by the means herein set forth and illustrated.
Third. The governing of gas or other explosive engines by controlling the air
admission only, as herein set forth and illustrated.
Fourth In gas and explosive engines, steam, air, or other fluid motors, or
compressors, the coupling of two pairs of cylinders at right angles to each other,
substantially as set forth and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Henry George Williams have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eighteenth day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty throo.