Improvements in and relating to Motor-cars and to Means for Propelling the same.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in and relating to Motor-cars and to Means for
Propelling the same.
I, EDWARD HENRY JAMES CECIL GILLETT, of 12, The Terrace, Bath Road,
Hounslow, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to motor-cars and to means for propelling the same and
is chiefly designned to improve the construction and increase the efficiency of such
apparatus.
An important feature of my said invention consists in the means which I pro-
vide for compensating for motion of the parts of the engine relatively to each
other and to the vehicle, caused by the oscillation or vibration of the said vehicle
when passing along rough or uneven roads, in motor-cars in which the engine
is arranged to drive directly on to the driving-wheels of the vehicle.
For this purpose, I make the connecting-rod or rods in two parts which are
pivotally secured together so as to enable the crank-pin end of the said rod to
turn relatively to the cross-head end thereof when one end of the crank-shaft
is raised relatively to the other and to the vehicle, the said rod at the same time
having sufficient resistance to enable it to act efficiently in transmitting power
from the engine-piston to the crank-shaft in the usual manner.
In cases where Joy's valve-gear is employed, the bearing or bearings carrying
the adjustable grooved piece or pieces in which the block actuating the valve-
rod slides, are supported by means of compensating-bars or links pivotally con-
nected at one end to the adjacent axle-box and at the other end to the engine-
frame or to the body of the vehicle by means of a short link so that the said
grooved piece or pieces will rise and fall with the crank-shaft, but through a
shorter distance, depending upon the relative distances of the said crank shaft
and of the said grooved pieces from the point of oscillation of the said compen-
sating-bars or links, these relative distances being so chosen that the oscillatory
motion of the said grooved pieces due to the roughness or unevenness of the
road will be the same as that, due to the same causes, of the block sliding in the
said groove, thus keeping constant lead on the valve.
According to another part of my said invention, I provide an improved form
of balance- or differential-gear whereby I am enabled to use an undivided crank-
shaft extending from one side of the vehicle to the other. For this purpose,
the road-wheels are preferably mounted upon sleeves adapted to turn freely on
the driving crank-shaft and these sleeves are connected together through a train
of gearing comprising gear-wheels arranged on each side of each crank and
operatively connected together by pinions secured upon the ends of short shafts
or spindles passing through the crank-pins. Between one of the said gear-
wheels and its pinion an intermediate gear-wheel, preferably mounted on one
of the crank-webs, is intercalated so that, when either of the road-wheels is

page_text: In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice:-
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, and
-
Figure 2 a sectional plan with parts removed, showing a motor-car constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing a detail of construction.
Figure 4 is a side elevation,
Figure 5 a vertical section on the line C-D, Figure 6, and
Figure 6 a section on the line A-B, Figure 5, showing a cock for converting
the engine from a compound to a two-cylinder high-pressure engine or vice versa,
as desired.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
a is the body of the vehicle; b the boiler; the high-pressure cylinder and c¹
the low-pressure cylinder of the engine. d, d are the guide-bars for the cross-
heads e.
The connecting rods each comprise a rod f connected to the corresponding
cross-head e by suitable bearings in the usual manner and having at its other end
a frame carrying the bearings gl for engaging with the crank-pins on the
crank-shaft h. The frames g are provided at their inner ends with cross-pieces g²
having apertures therein adapted to fit over the rods f and to turn freely but
to be restrained from moving longitudinally thereon by means of a shoulder f
and a fixed collar f. The front end of the rods f are formed so as to fit into
suitable seats or recesses in the cross-piece g³ of the frame. By these means,
the bearings gare capable of turning freely relatively to the cross-heads c whilst
the said connecting-rods are capable of efficiently transmitting the power from
the said cross-heads to the crank-shaft h.
.
C
The piston-valves on the valve-rod j¹ are actuated by means of Joy's valve-
gear from an upwardly-extending arm or bracket f3 formed on the rod f and
pivotally connected at its upper end to one end of a link k, the other end of
which is pivotally connected to one end of a link k pivoted at its other end to a
fixed bracket. The link actuating the sliding-block 7 is pivotally connecte:l
to a suitable point on the link &, whilst the block is connected through a link ki
and double-armed lever pivoted at 6, to the valve-rod j'.
The adjustable grooved pieces m, in which the blocks / slide are united together.
to form a shaft adapted to turn in bearings which are themselves pivotally sup-
ported on brackets non compensating-bars p. These compensating-bars are
pivotally attached at one end to the corresponding axle-boxes and are sup-
ported at their other end by means of short links pivotally attached thereto
and to the body of the vehicle. By these means, it will be seen that, during
the oscillations of the vehicle due to roughness or unevenness of the road, the
grooved pieces m will rise and fall through distances equal to the distances
through which the blocks 7 are moved by reason of the oscillatory or vibratory
motion of the crank-shaft and thus the reciprocating motion of the blocks 7
in the grooved pieces m will not be affected by the vibration of the vehicle,
The adjustment of the pieces m is effected by means of a lever m³ pivoted at m²
and connected to the said pieces im by means of a link m³, a notched segment m
being provided for enabling the lever m² to be secured in any desired position.
The balance or differential-gear is arranged as follows:-On the ends of the

page_text: crank-shaft are sleeves r which are capable of turning freely thereon, bear the
road-wheels s and are provided with gear-wheels 1. The outer surfaces of these
sleeves form journals to receive the bearings a whereby the weight of the vehicle
is supported on the crank-shaft h.
A sleeve, which may conveniently be made in two parts united by bolts
passing through flanges, is mounted upon that part of the crank-shaft inter-
mediate to the cranks and is provided with gear-wheels arranged on the oppo-
site sides of the cranks to the gear-wheels provided on the sleeves r.
The crank-pins are made hollow and form channels or sleeve-bearings for
supporting the shafts or spindles t upon which gear-pinions are keyed or other-
wise secured. The said gear-pinions are adapted to engage with and operate in
conjunction with the shafts or spindles as a driving connection between the
gear-wheels 1 on either side of each crank.
By providing an arrangement of parts similar to that shown, at the parts
adjacent to the crank throughout the train, each sleeve r, rl, r would revolvo
in the same direction, therefore in order that the motion of one wheel relatively
to the crank-shaft may cause the movement of the other wheel in a contrary
direction, an idle pinion 2 is intercalated in the train of gearing at a convenient
part, for example, between a gear wheel 1, and the corresponding pinion tas
shown adjacent to the crank 2. The said idle pinion 2 is preferably supported
upon a pin 3 extending from one of the webs of the crank h²,
In order that the power transmitted to each of the wheels s when running
upon the road or other surface shall be equal, the relative diameters of the
several gear-wheels and pinions are so chosen that the said road-wheels,
when rotated in opposite directions, as above mentioned, will move at equal
velocities.
The steering of the vehicle is effected from the platform near the boiler 6 by
means of a pivotally-mounted steering-post u provided with a folding hand-
lever and a double-armed lever connected by means of links to a
similar double-armed lever v. The lever is mounted on a short vertical tele-
scopic shaft adapted to turn in suitable bearings in the frame of the vehicle
and bearing a triangular frame 2 which has one corner or angle secured to the
shaft whilst the other angles are connected by links to levers . The
levers are secured to the short axles of the steering-wheels w¹,
these axles being pivotally connected to the ends of a main axle w
on which the body a of the vehicle rests by means of springs r
By connecting the links to the triangular frame as above described, I am
enabled to cause the wheel which is at the inside of a curve passed through
by the vehicle, to be turned to a greater angle to the axis of the vehicle than the
wheel which is at the outside of the said curve. This due to the fact that;
as the frame 2 turns away from the position shown in Figure 2, the arm of the
said frame which actuates the wheel at the inside of the curve, moves toward's
its position of maximum leverage, whilst the arm of the said frame which actu-
ates the wheel w at the outside of the curve, moves towards its position of
minimum or zero leverage and thus the wheels are turned through different
angles as above described.
My improved motor-car is also provided with a brake which comprises a series
of brake-blocks. mounted on levers so as to engage with the driving-wheels s
of the vehicle and adapted to be actuated by means of a screw-threaded spindle y
provided with a hand-wheel at its upper end and arranged to be screwed up and
down in a nut y fixed to the body of the vehicle, the said spindle being con-
nected, by means of a pin and slot, bell-crank lever and links 3, to the
levers. If desired, a steam brake can also be provided which can act either
independently of, or in conjunction with, the hand-brake above described. z, z
are water-tanks.
In order to convert the engine from a compound into a two-cylinder high-
pressure engine, or vice versa, as desired, I provide a cock, the shell or casing, 1

page_text: of which is provided with an opening 2 connected to the steam-space of the boiler,
an opening 3 connected to the exhaust-passage of the high-pressure cylinder, an
opening 4 connected to the valve-chest of the low-pressure cylinder, and an open-
ing 5 leading to the exhaust. The plug 6 is made hollow and is divided into two
sections, of which the upper is closed at the top, is shut off at the bottom by a
transverse partition or wall 7, and is provided with two lateral apertures 8, 9,
whilst the lower section is open at the bottom and is provided with a lateral
aperture 10.
In the position of the plug shown in the drawing, the engine is arranged to
work as a two-cylinder high-pressure engine, for which purpose the passage 2
communicates through the apertures 8, 9 and the space in the upper section of
the plug 6, with the opening 4 leading to the valve-chest of the low-pressure
cylinder whilst the exhaust from the high-pressure cylinder passes through the
opening 3 and through a passage 11 in the shell 1 of the cock, and the open-
ing 10 in the plug 6 to the exhaust passage 5.
In order to enable the engine to work compound, the plug 6 is turned so that
the apertures 8, 9 therein register with the ports 4, 3 respectively so as to enable
the exhaust-steam from the high-pressure cylinder to pass directly to the valve-
chest of the low-pressure cylinder, the apertures 2 and 5 (11), being simulta-
neously closed by the imperforate parts of the plug 6.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:--
1. A motor-car in which the engine-crank-shaft which forms an axle of the
vehicle, is provided with means for compensating for the effects of vertical
movement of the said crank-shaft relatively to the other parts of the engine,
substantially as described.
2. A connecting-rod, constructed with bearings at its opposite ends capable
of turning relatively to each other, substantially as, and for the purposes, herein-
before described.
3. A connecting-rod comprising a rod pivotally connected to the cross-head,
and a frame consisting of longitudinal rods and cross-pieces secured around said
rod and capable of turning thereon but prevented from moving longitudinally
relatively thereto, and crank-pin bearings mounted in said frame, substantially
as described.
4. In a motor car, an engine fitted with Joy's valve-gear in which the grooved
piece or pieces for receiving the sliding block is or are mounted on one or more
compensating bars or links pivotally connected at one end to the adjacent axle-
box and at the other to the body of the vehicle, substantially as described.
5. The improved balance or differential gear constructed as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, for the purposes specified.
6. The improved cock for converting a compound engine into a two-cylinder
high-pressure engine and vice versa, constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
7. The improved motor-car constructed substantially as described with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings, for the purposes specified.
1000
EDWARD HENRY JAMES CECIL GILLETT.