Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893

page_text: LUBRICATING. *
The lubricator consists of a chamber filled with oil. At the bottom of this
chamber and fitting into it is a plug which is turned slowly round by the engine.
In this plug is a passage into which oil may flow from the chamber when the plug
is in a certain position. When the plug turns round, the oil flows from this
passage into a receiver from whence it is carried to the part to be lubricated. If
more than one passage is made in cock and a like number of receivers made then
more than one part may be lubricated separately.
All these improvements may be applied to oil or other hydrocarbon engines
and the improvements relating to governing and starting and lubricating may also
be applied to engines of other cycles than that described.
Dated this 25th day of June 1892.
WILFRED LE PLASTRIER WEBB.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I, WILFRED LE PLASTRIER WEBB Engineer of 19 Tivoli Place Cheltenham
and 8 Southey Street Nottingham 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:—
My invention relates to an improved gas or oil engine with improved methods of
starting, governing and lubricating the same.
The engine is of the two cycle principle, that is, an impulse is given at every
revolution of the crank. If desired however it may work on the four cycle
principle when an impulse is given at each alternate revolution.
The cylinder is made of two diameters with a piston of two diameters working
therein. The smaller diameter is the motor cylinder and the larger diameter the
pump cylinder.
The cycle of operations in the two cycle engine is as follows:— On the forward
or out-stroke a compressed charge of air and gas is ignited in the motor cylinder A
(Fig. 1) driving the piston forward, which at the same time draws a charge of gas.
and air into the pump cylinder B. On the backward or in-stroke this charge is
forced through a non-return valve C fitted in the piston, into the motor cylinder A
driving out the products of the previous explosion through the exhaust valve D.
When the piston is about half-way back the exhaust valve is closed and the charge
compressed during the remainder of the stroke and is ignited when the crank has
passed over the dead centre, driving the piston forward as before, there thus being
an impulse at every revolution.
The piston is shewn at about half stroke in the figure.
As before stated the engine may work on the four cycle principle if desired. The
cycle of operations is then as follows:-
Stroke.
No. 1 Outstroke
Motor Cylinder.
Impulse
No. 2 Instroke
Exhaust
No. 3 Outstroke-
No Lusiraka
Draws in exhaust gas
through exhaust-
valve D
Commenczin
Pump Cylinder.
Sucks in air.
Forces air through valve C
and exhaust valve D with
exhaust gases.
Draws in a charge or gas
and air.
Compresses charge
into

page_text: Air only may be drawn into motor cylinder on stroke No. 3, instead of exhaust
gases, through either the valve C or another valve for the purpose in the motor
cylinder.
The exhaust valve may be kept open for part of stroke No. 4, and in this way
all the products of the previous explosion may, if desired, be got rid of and the
compressed charge composed of a pure mixture of air and gas.
The sizes of cylinders, the space in and behind the motor piston and the stroke
of the piston, may all be so proportioned as to give any desired compression and.
expansion.
The engine may be made to work on either the two or four cycle principle with
oil or other hydrocarbons instead of gas.
When working on the two cycle principle the gas, oil or oil vapour may, if
desired be pumped directly into the motor cylinder A. on the backward stroke by
a separate pump instead of being drawn or pumped into the pump cylinder B and
then pumped into the motor cylinder. The latter method is however preferable,
especially in the case of the oil engines as the pump cylinder receives a certain
amount of heat from the motor cylinder and from the water jacket, which helps to
vapourize the oil and thoroughly mix it with the air before being pumped into the
motor cylinder.
In the four cycle engine the gas oil or oil vapour may, if desired, be drawn or
pumped into the motor cylinder on stroke No. 3 or pumped into the motor cylinder
on stroke No. 4 instead of being drawn or pumped into the pump cylinder B on
stroke No. 3. The latter method is however preferable for the same reasons as
given above in reference to the two-cycle engine.
A shelf may be made on the piston as shewn at E to assist ignition by making the
new charge sweep directly past the igniter, (an ignition port is shown for example
at F) and to prevent any of the new mixture passing out through the exhaust
valve.
In the case of the four cycle engines the contents of pump cylinder may if desired
be pumped through a port leading from the pump cylinder to the back end of
motor cylinder instead of being pumped through the piston. A non-return valve
similar to C would be fitted in this port and worked either automatically or
mechanically. I do not claim this arrangement however in connection with the
two cycle engines.
STARTING.
To start the engine, the crank is set on the impulse stroke (see Fig. 10) somewhat
in advance of the dead centre and is fixed in that position by a brake or stop on
the flywheel, (a brake is shewn for example at M). Communication between the
cylinder A and igniter F is shut off and the cylinder filled or partly filled with gas
at atmospheric pressure, air is then pumped into the cylinder to any desired pressure
(a hand pump is shewn for example at N for doing this). The brake prevents the
piston from moving forward. Communication is then made between the cylinder
and igniter, the brake being removed about the same time, thus igniting the charge
and starting the engine, which at once resumes its ordinary cycle of operations.
If a hot tube igniter is used a cock may be placed on the top of the tube to allow
part of the mixture or any inert gas to escape, so as to get a proper mixture for
ignition.
The brake or stop may be so arranged as to be put out of gear automatically by
the explosion. A method of doing this is shewn at Fig. 11. Here the crank
is set as described in reference to Fig. 10. The notched lever is then slipped
into the slot or liole shewn in the periphery of the flywheel. The other end of
the lever, which is hinged at P, is connected to a piston Q working in a small
cylinder R. This cylinder at the time of starting is put in communication with
the main cylinder of the engine. When the explosion occurs in the main cylinder
it also acts on the small piston Q pushing it forward and pulling the notched
lever out of the slot or hole in the flywheel, which is then free to turn by the

page_text: This is effected in the following manner: -A (Fig. 2) is a cam rotated (in the
direction shewn by the arrow) by the engine. It has, comparatively, a gradual
rise and sudden fall or incline B. Working on this cam is one end of a lever C,
the other end of it being pivoted as shewn.
This lever is connected with a hit and miss device in connection with the gas
valve as shewn. The lever D and striker E are worked to and fro by another
cam F shewn in dotted lines. When the cam A lifts the lever C, this lever raises
the hit and miss striker E whilst the lever D is pushing this striker forward towards
the other striker G on gas valve. If the engine is running at or below its normal
speed the lever C will fall down the incline B on cam A and the striker E falling
with it will be just in time to engage with the striker G and open the gas valve.
thus allowing gas to be drawn into the engine cylinder. If, however, the speed of
engine is above the normal the lever C, owing to its own inertia and the insufficient
tension of the spring I will not fall down in time for strikers to engage, and the
striker E will fall on top of the striker G and the gas valve will not be opened,
and no gas being admitted to the engine cylinder, the speed of engine will decrease.
The normal speed of engine may be varied by altering the tension on the spring H
or by a weight on the lever.
The lever D may work either air, gas or both air and gas valves. The striker G
on gas valve may be stepped if desired so as to admit various quantities of gas to
the engine cylinder, just according on to which of the steps of the striker G, the
other striker E falls.
Fig. 3 shews the governor so arranged that if the speed of the engine falls below
a certain number of revolutions per minute (say twenty) then the gas valve will
not be opened and the engine will be brought to a standstill. Sometimes for
various reasons the engine may be pulled up to such an extent that the energy
stored in the flywheel will be insufficient to overcome the compression before
ignition in which case the engine would stop and (the gas cock being open) it may

page_text: stop in such a position that the gas valve may be open. The gas might then
escape into the air-chamber or engine-room.
The arrangement shewn in Fig. 3 is to prevent this happening. On the inclines
of the cam A and lever C are two catches J and K. The catch J works on a
pivot as shewn, its normal position being shewn by dotted lines. It is kept in
place by a spring (not shewn). The catch K is securely fixed to the end of the
lever C. The governor is set so that when the engine is running at its normal
speed, these catches will not engage with one another, but when the speed has got
below a certain number of revolutions per minute (say twenty) then these two catches
will engage, and in turning on its pivot the catch J will prevent the catch K, and
with it the striker E from falling in time to engage with the striker G as shewn.
The gas valve will therefore not be opened and the engine will come to a standstill.
The catches may be arranged in the opposite way to that shewn, that is, the
catch K may be pivotted to lever C and the catch securely fixed to the cain.
The catches may be put out of gear when desired by suitable means.
be necessary when starting the engine, so that although running slowly at first,
gas might be taken into the cylinder.
This would
This arrangement of catches may be fixed to the strikers E and Gif preferred,
as shewn in Fig. 7, or to other types of governors than the one described. Fig. 8
shews the catches arranged on an ordinary inertia governor and Fig. 9 on an
incline or momentum governor. In cach case the strikers have missed owing to
the catches coming into gear. The normal positions of the pivoted catch are
shewn in cach figure in dotted lines.
LUBRICATING.
a
The lubricator consists of a chamber G (Figs. 4 and 5). Under this chamber is
a plug H which is rotated by the engine. In the plug is a passage into which
oil may flow from the chamber when in the position shewn. When the plug is turned
round to the opposite position to that shewn, the port from the chamber G is closed
and the oil is free to flow down the port K and drip into pipe or other receptacle
and flow away to the part of the engine to he lubricated. An air port may be put
in chamber as shewn at L to allow the oil to flow out of plug more freely, a port
being made in the plug, as shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 5, to open to the air port L
when the plug is in the opposite position to that shewu.
The amount of oil used at each revolution of the plug may be varied by
throttling the passage either above or below the plug, or the air port, or by
varying the capacity of the passage in the plug. More than one set of passages
may be used so as to lubricate several parts. Thus one lubricator could supply
the oil required for lubricating a twin engine.
The plug may be made vertical and worked by a worm gear as shewn in Fig. 6.
The letters in this fig. correspond with those used in Figs. 4 and 5.
Either the starting, governing or the lubricating gears may be applied to gas
or oil motor engines of other types than those described.
1 do not limit myself to the exact ways in which any of these improvements
are shewn and described as they may be varied in many ways in detail, shape
and construction without materially affecting the nature of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. For a gas or oil motor engine to work on the two-cycle principle, constructed
with two differential cylinders and pistons and with non-return fitted in the piston
substantially as described.
2. For a gas or oil motor engine to work on the four-cycle principle constructed
with two differential cylinders and pistons and with non return valve fitted in the
piston or in a separate port substantially as described.

page_text: 3. For a shelf connected to the motor piston in such a way as to make the
incoming charge sweep past the igniter and to prevent the incoming charge from
passing out through the exhaust valve.
4. For starting gas or oil motor engines by first filling or partly filling the
motor cylinder with gas or oil vapour at atmospheric pressure; then pumping air
into the motor cylinder to the desired pressure, a brake or stop on the flywheel
preventing the piston from moving out; and then igniting the compressed mixture
and removing the brake or stop, substantially as described.
5. For compressing the air, or gas & air, or oil vapour and air, into the motor
cylinder for starting the engine, by igniting, at atmospheric pressure a mixture of
air and gas or air and oil vapour, in a separate starting cylinder, the latter being
fitted either with or without a piston.
6. For automatically releasing the brake or stop on the flywheel by means of
the explosion in the motor cylinder acting on the piston of a small cylinder.
7. For governing gas or oil motor engines by means of a hit and miss cam
governor substantially as described.
8. For the arrangement of catches in combination with either the hit and miss
governor described, or with other hit and miss governors, for preventing the gas
valve from opening when the engine is running at very slow speed substantially as
described.
9. For lubricating gas or oil motor engines in the manner described.
Dated this 24th day of March 1802
WILFRED LE PLASTRIER WEBB.