Improvements in or connected with Oil or Gas Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900 ****
PROVISIONAL DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Oil or Gas Engines.
1:
I, GEORGE JOHN ALTHAM, of 104, Barnaby Street, Fall River, County of Bristol,
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to engines employing oil, gas or other hydro-carbon
fluid as the source of energy.
The chief object of my invention is to provide improved valve operating
mechanism; such mechanism also comprising, or being adapted to co-operate
with, means for regulating the speed of the engine by controlling the admission
of the explosive charges to the working cylinder.
According to my invention I employ one valve, preferably a piston valve,
which serves both for the admission of the explosive charges to the working
cylinder, and also for the admission of the compressed air which is blown through
the engine after each working stroke. I cause this valve to be operated only
when an impulse stroke is required; at all other times it remains stationary,
thereby avoiding vibration and wear of the working parts.
I employ a single valve operating shaft driven by any suitable rotating part of
the engine, and provided at one end with a centrifugal governor. This shaft
is hollow, and is slotted for the purpose of permitting the arms of the governor
to operate a spring controlled spindle arranged within the shaft. At its opposite
end this spindle is secured, by means of a pin or key passing through a second
slot in the shaft, to a sleeve capable of sliding longitudinally on the said shaft.
Upon this sleeve is a cam adapted to operate a spring-controlled lever. So long
as the speed of the engine is sufficiently high to cause the governor to hold the
spindle against the tension of its spring, this cam does not engage with the
lever; but when the speed slackens, the sleeve is permitted to move along the
shaft to a position where the cam thereon will operate the lever. The extremity
of one arm of this lever normally abuts against a spring controlled arm to which
is connected the rod of the aforesaid admission valve, and holds the said arm,
against the tension of its spring, in such a position that this valve is open to
admit compressed air to the working cylinder, the communication between said
cylinder and the chamber containing the charges of combustible fluid being
closed. The valve rod arm, when not held by the lever arm, is adapted to be
actuated by a cam secured on the valve operating shaft. This cam (which I
will call the valve cam) is of such a shape, and is so disposed angularly with
relation to the sleeve cam, that the valve rod arm is held thereby in its normal
position at the amount that the said arm is released by the lever arm.
rotation of the valve cam then immediately permits the valve rod arm to move,
under the action of its spring, so as to bring flie valve into its opposite or
charging" position, and afterwards pushes it back to a middle position in which
the valve closes the communication between the cylinder and both the charge
chamber and the compressed air reservoir while "compression" and "impulse
take place. At the end of the impulse stroke the valve rod is returned by the
cam to its normal position or that position wherein the valve admits the com-
pressed air to the cylinder. The lever arm will then re-engage the valve rod
arm and hold it in such position until a fresh impulse stroke is required. During
The

page_text: the operation of the valve rod arm its extremity bears upon an arc shaped surface
of the lever arm, the said are having a radius equal to the length of the valve
rod arm, thereby preventing the lever moving into the path of the valve rod
arm until the latter has returned to its normal position.
When a pump is
employed to force the combustible fluid into the charge chamber I prefer to
work the plunger of such pump from this lever.
In order to ensure that the sleeve cam shall engage the lever for a time
sufficient to effect the release of the valve rod arm, I provide on the sleeve a
cam having a knife edge, one side being approximately perpendicular and the
other inclined. This cam is adapted to be engaged by a similarly shaped roller
carried by the wall of the casing enclosing the mechanism. Normally the roller
does not touch the sleeve, but when said sleeve is permitted by the governor to
move so as to bring the sleeve cam near to, or into contact with, the lever, the
inclined surfaces of the said roller and knife cam will engage and will thereby
draw back the sleeve to, or will retain it in, such a position that the sleeve cam
will make a good contact with the lever; and the sleeve will not be released until
the lever has released the valve rod arm. I prefer to mount the said roller on a
spring controlled arm so as to permit it to move away from the sleeve if necessary.
The piston valve that I prefer to employ for admission of the explosive mixture
and the compressed air to the working cylinder, consists of a cylindrical piston
or plug working in a fixed sleeve or cylinder communicating at one end with
the chamber containing the charges of combustible fluid and at the other end
with the compressed air reservoir. At the middle of this sleeve are a number
of radial perforations opening into an annular chamber communicating with the
working cylinder. When the piston covers these perforations the working
cylinder is closed to both the aforesaid chamber, and the compressed air reservoir.
When the piston is moved toward the chamber compressed air is admitted to the
cylinder, and when it is moved toward the reservoir the explosive mixture is
admitted to the cylinder.
I employ an exhaust valve of any ordinary construction operated from the
aforesaid valve operating shaft.
Total 1
31 1
a T
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
*..
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Oil or Gas Engines.
I, GEORGE JOHN ALTHAM, of 104, Barnaby Street, Fall River, County of Bristol,
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to engines employing oil, gas or other hydro-carbon
fluid as the source of energy.
The chief object of my invention is to provide improved valve operating
mechanism; such mechanism also comprising, or being adapted to co-operate
with, means for regulating the speed of the engine by controlling the admission
of the explosive charges to the working cylinder or cylinders.
According to my invention I employ one valve, preferably a piston valve,
which serves both for the admission of the explosive charges to the working
cylinder, and also for the admission of the compressed air which is blown through
the engine after each working stroke. I cause this valve to be operated only

page_text: when an impulse stroke is required; at all other times it remains practically
stationary, thereby avoiding vibration and wear of the working parts. I employ
a single shaft to operate the aforesaid valve and the exhaust valve.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
5 effect I will describe the same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one example of valve operating mechanism
constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the mechanism taken through the valve operat-
ing shaft, and showing the parts in a different position from that illustrated in
Figure 1.
-
Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation on the line A-B of Figure 1; and
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 3, showing the parts in different
positions.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of my improved valve operating mechanism applied
to a two-cylinder engine; and
Figure 8 is a sectional end view taken on the line CD of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the aforesaid piston valve, its casing and
the end of the working cylinder; and
Figures 10 and 11 are respectively an elevation and a transverse section of the
valve casing or cylinder détached.
Referring first to Figures 1-6, a is the valve operating shaft, which is hollow
and is supported in bearings b. It is adapted to be driven by any suitable
rotating part of the engine through the pinion c. A centrifugal governor is
arranged at one end of this shaft, which latter is slotted at d for the purpose
of permitting the ends of the arms e of the bell crank levers carrying the governor
weights to engage with a recess in a spring controlled spindle y arranged within
the shaft. Near its opposite end this spindle is secured, by means of a pin or
key h passing through a second slot in the shaft a, to a sleeve capable of
sliding longitudinally on the said shaft (see Figure 2). Upon this sleeve is a
cam k adapted to engage with the arm m or a spring-controlled catch lever whose
pivot or spindle is mounted in bearings . So long as the speed of the engine
is sufficiently high to cause the governor to hold the spindle g against the tension
of its spring, this cam k is not brought into contact with the arm m, as will be
clearly seen on reference to Figure 2; but when the speed slackens, the sleeve
is permitted to move along the shaft to a position where the cam thereon will
operate the arm m so as to trip the lever, this latter position being shown in
Figure 1.
The catch lever has three arms, one of which, m, is arranged to come against
the cam k, and another, n, is pressed by the spring by which the lever is con-
trolled. The extremity of the third arm pabuts against a spring controlled
lever q to which is connected the rod r of the aforesaid admission valve s. The
arm p catches and holds the said lever y against the tension of its spring in such
a position that this valve s opens the working cylinder u of the engine to the
channel v, communicating with a reservoir containing compressed air; the
channel w, affording communication between said cylinder and the chamber con-
taining the charges of combustible fluid, being then closed. The cylinder u and
channels and c are shown clearly in Figure 9. The lever q, when not held
by the arm p, is adapted to be actuated by a cam a secured on the valve operating
shaft a.
This cam (which may be termed the valve cam) is of such a shape,
and is so disposed angularly with relation to the trip cam k on the sleeve j, that
the lever q is held thereby in its normal position at the moment that it is released
by the arm, P. The position of the parts at such time is shown in Figure 4.
to move,
The rotation of the valve cam then immediately permits the lever
under the action of its spring so as to bring the valve s into its opposite or
charging" position, as will be seen in Figure 5; and afterwards pushes said
lever back to a middle position in which the valve s closes communication

page_text: between the cylinder u and both the channel and the channel w (Figure 9)
while the "compression" and "impulse" strokes of the working piston take place.
The position of the parts toward the end of the compression stroke is shown in
Figure 6. At the end of the impulse stroke the valve rod lever is returnéil by
the cam to its normal position or, that position wherein the compressed' air is
admitted to the cylinder. The arm p of the catch lever will then re-engage the
extremity of the valve lever and hold it in such position until a fresh impulse
stroke is required; the cam shaft rotating, pending such requirement, without
operating the catch or valve levers, as will be understood from Figure 3.
1.
During the movement of the valve lever its extremity bears upon an arc
shaped surface y of the arm 2, the said are having a radius equal to the length
of the lever q, thereby preventing the arm p moving into the path of the said
lever until the latter has returned to. its normal position.
When a pump is employed to force the combustible fluid into the charge
chamber I prefer to work the plunger of such pump by a rod z connected to an
extension or lug.1 on this arm p of the catch lever.
In order to ensure that the cam shall engage the armn of the catch lever.
for a time sufficient to trip the same and effect the release of the lever q, I provide
on the sleeve.j a knife edged or bevel cam or ridge 2, one side of such cam being
approximately perpendicular and the other inclined. This cam 2 is adapted to
be engaged by a similarly shaped roller 3 carried by the wall of the casing 4
that encloses the mechanism. The roller 3 does not touch the sleeve j and
normally it does not touch the cam 2, but when said sleeve is permitted by the
governor to move so as to bring the cam k near to, or into contact with, the
arm m, the inclined surface of the said roller and knife cam will engage and
will thereby draw back the sleeve j to, or will retain it in, such a position that
the cam k will make a good contact with the arm m; and the cam 2 will not be
released by the roller 3 until the catch lever has released the valve lever
prefer to mount the said roller on an arm 5 held in position in a resilient manner
by the spring 6, or a similar device, so as to permit the said arm to move away
from the sleeve if necessary.
I
Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, which illustrate one form of my invention
applied to a two cylinder engine each cylinder being controlled by a separate
valve, it will be seen that the two valve rods r,, are disposed opposite to each
other and connected to valve levers q, q' arranged on either side of the valve
operating shaft a. A single cam operates the two valve levers. Two catch
levers are employed, mounted in bearings, ; and two trip cams k, k are also
employed one for each catch lever. Each trip cam is mounted on a separate
sleeve, j, one sleeve being arranged on each side of the valve canı The
construction of the catch levers is somewhat different to that illustrated in
Figures 1 to 6. Each catch lever comprises two arms one of which, m (or m')
carries the roller through which it is adapted to be actuated by the trip cam;
the said arm being prolonged in a curve approximately concentric to the cam
shaft and having pivoted to its extremity the rod z (or ¹) of the pump. for forcing
the combustible Huid into the charge chamber.
In order that the deflection of the pump rod in its reciprocating movement
may be as slight as possible it is so arranged that a line joining the pivot of the
catch lever and the point of its connection to the pump rod is approximately
at right angles to the pump rod itself. The pump operated by the rod supplies
the charging chamber of the working cylinder whose valve is controlled by the
rodr; and the pump operated by the rod z supplies the charging chamber of the
working cylinder whose valve is controlled by the rod r. The other arm p (or p¹)
of the catch lever is set off from the arm m (or m¹), is curved to escape the pivot
or fulcrum of 'the other catch lever, and is then further set off so that the end
of this arm having the arc shaped surface y (or y¹) may be in the plane of the
valve lever q, (or g¹). A compression spring o (or o¹) bearing against the

page_text: arm m (or m¹) tends to maintain the catch lever in its catch position. It will
be observed that in Figures 7 and S the same letters of reference are employed
for those parts having the same function as are employed in Figures 1 to ü, and
that while those parts connected with or serving to operate the valve rod r to
the left of Figure 7 are indicated by letters simply, the corresponding parts con-
nected with or serving to operate the valve rod to the right of Figure 7 are
indicated by the same letters modified by the sign 1. From the above, and the
explanation regarding Figures 1 to 6, the construction and operation of the
devices illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 will be readily understood.
Referring now to Figures 9 to 11, the piston valves that I prefer to employ
for admitting the explosive mixture and the compressed air to the working
cylinder u, consists of a cylindrical piston or plug working in a fixed casing or
cylinder 7 communicating at one end with the channel w, and hence with the
chamber containing the charges of combustible fluid, and at the other end with
the channel v, and hence with the compressed air reservoir. At or near the
middle of this cylinder 7 are a number of radial perforations 8 opening into an
annular chamber 9 communicating with the working cylinder u. When the
piston covers these perforations the working cylinder is closed to both the afore-
said chamber and the compressed air reservoir. When the piston is moved toward
the channel w, compressed air is admitted to the working cylinder; and when it
is moved toward the channel ₂ the explosive mixture is admitted to the working
cylinder.
I employ an exhaust valve of any ordinary construction operated from the
aforesaid valve operating shaft a by a cam or eccentric situated in the casing
marked 10.
As shown in the drawings I employ antifriction rollers on the parts of the
levers that come in contact with the cams.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that such invention
relates to oil or gas engines in which there is valve operating mechanism com-
prising a catch lever normally holding the valve or valves in the inoperative
position, and adapted to be actuated to release the same by means controlled by
a governor or speed regulator for the purposes described, and that in such engines
I claim:-
1. In valve mechanism of the kind referred to the combination of a valve
operating cam secured directly on the valve operating shaft and a valve releasing
cam capable of longitudinal motion on the said shaft under the control of the
governor substantially as described.
2. The combination with mechanism of the kind above referred to, of the
device for ensuring a proper actuation of the catch lever, comprising a cam and
roller having inclined faces adapted to engage with each other substantially as
described.
3. The combination with mechanism of the kind above referred to, of a valve
substantially as described for admitting the combustible fluid, and compressed air,
to the working cylinder.
4. In oil or gas engines, a valve and valve operating mechanism having the
parts thereof arranged and combined to operate substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 25th day of October 1990
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.