IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES, IN THE METHOD OF REGULATING PRO
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dougill, of Earnest Street, Broughton Lane,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Concreter, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES, IN THE METHOD OF REGULATING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dougill at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th May 1881.
JOHN DOUGILL, of Earnest Street, Broughton Lane, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Concreter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES,
IN THE METHOD OF REGULATING THE SPEED THEREOF, AND OF ADMITTING
COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL INTO THE CYLINDER, AND ALLOWING THE ESCAPE OF
OTHER
THE EXHAUSTED PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION, APPLICABLE IN PART TO
ENGINES,"
My Invention consists in the first place, in the construction and application in
combination of a spring and a clutch or break, as hereinafter described, for the
purpose of utilizing and distributing the force or power derived from the ignition
of combustible material in a cylinder, acting upon a piston or crank in a motor
engine, especially gas engines.
In the second place, my Invention consists of a valve so constructed as to
regulate the speed of the engine.
And in the third place, my Invention consists of another valve which performs
the three-fold purpose of admitting combustible materials, igniting the same, and
permitting the escape of the exhausted products of combustion in motor engines,
especially gas engines.
In describing my Invention relating to the spring and the clutch or break,
I depart from the usual manner of connecting the piston rigidly with the crank
and Hy wheel, and connect them by or through the medium of a spring in such a
way that when the piston is violently shot forward in obedience to the explosion or

page_text: ignition in the cylinder, it (the piston) communicates the force or power so received
to the spring, and the spring conveys it to the fly wheel and driving pulley.
Immediately the piston and spring give motion to the pulley, the clutch or break
operates upon it to prevent the effect of the rebounding or backward movement of
the piston.
The clutch or break is self acting, and consists of a metal strip passed round the
pulley or disc with both ends of the strip attached to a lever fixed to the engine
bed and regulated by a screw. The clutch or break permits the pulley or disc to
move freely in the direction of the impetus first communicated by the piston, but
the instant the rebounding motion of the piston acts upon the pulley or disc, as
before described, the break or clutch presses against the pulley sufficiently to
prevent the rebound or backward movement before referred to.
The clutch or break can be adapted to any size of pulley or disc.
My Invention relates, secondly, to an addition to or improvement in the ordinary
flap valve, so constructed as to govern the speed of a gas engine. The speed of
engines is ordinarily governed by means of an apparatus termed a ball or pendulum
governor.
By means of my Invention I dispense altogether with the ball or pendulum
governor, and in lieu thereof I attach to the back of the ordinary flap of the flap
valve a strip of steel or other material to act upon the aperture of the pipe which
supplies gas to the cylinder. The instant the engine runs off at a greater speed
than desired, the demand for air or air and gas becomes greater; the effect of this
demand is to open the flap valve wider and admit into the cylinder a greater
quantity of air, and at the same time to close in a corresponding degree the
aperture of the gas pipe by means of the strip of steel or other material aforesaid,
the combined effect being to govern or control the speed of the engine.
My Invention relates, thirdly, to a valve which performs the threefold purpose
of (a) admitting combustible materials (such as gas, gas and air, and air), into the
cylinder of a gas engine (b), igniting the same and (c) permitting the exhausted
products of combustion to escape. The valve referred to is of the ordinary sliding
flat type, with port holes to take in the combustible material and to light the same.
I introduce into this valve a block or inner sliding valve, so constructed as to work
on the same surface and to operate upon the supply port to cylinder, and the
exhaust port from cylinder. This block or inner valve is worked by means of a
cam on the crank shaft, or it may be worked without.
The action of the valve is as follows:-When the inner valve moves forward by
the action of the cam and uncovers the passage through which the combustible
material passes from the supply port into the cylinder, this forward movement of
the inner valve forces forward in the same direction the outer portion of the valve,
and in doing so ignites the combustible material just admitted. The cam on the
crank shaft forces back both portions of the valve to their respective original
positions, and in doing so the exhaust port above mentioned is reopened and the
exhaust allowed to escape. This process is repeated as often as an explosion takes
place.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Dougill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th November
1881.
JOHN DOUGILL, formerly of Earnest Street, Broughton Lane, Manchester, in the
County Palatine of Lancaster, but now of Choir Street, Broughton Lane, in
Manchester aforesaid, Concreter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES,
IN THE METHOD OF REGULATING THE SPEED THEREOF, AND OF ADMITTING
COMBUSTIBLE AND INCOMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL INTO THE CYLINDER, AND ALLOWING
THE ESCAPE OF THE EXHAUSTED PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION, APPLICABLE IN PART
TO OTHER ENGINES."
My Invention consists in the first place, in the application in combination of a
spring and a clutch or brake, as hereinafter described, for the purpose of utilizing
and distributing the force or power derived from the ignition of combustible
material in a cylinder acting upon a piston or crank in a motor engine, especially
gas engines.
In the second place, my Invention consists of the valves so constructed as to
regulate the speed of the engine.
In the third place, my Invention consists of a valve or valves which performs
the threefold purpose of admitting combustible and incombustible materials,
igniting the same, and permitting the escape of the exhausted products of
combustion in motor engines, especially gas engines.
I will now proceed to describe my Invention relating to the spring and the
clutch or brake. In the first place, I depart from the usual method of connecting
the piston rigidly with the fly wheel through the crank, and I connect it by or
through the medium of a spring in the following manner :-I place a spring within
the driving pulley, being part of the fly wheel, one end of which is attached to the
boss near the centre of the fly wheel and pulley, and the other end of the spring is
hooked or otherwise attached to the arm upon the disc, the disc being keyed firmly
to the crank shaft. The power is first communicated to the spring by the explosion
in the cylinder giving movement to the crank shaft, thereby turning round the
disc, and by these means winds up the spring; the spring then gives movement to
the fly wheel and driving pulley, by which a regular and uniform motion is obtained.
The clutch or brake, hereinafter more particularly described, acting upon the
periphery of the pulley or disc prevents the backward movement of the crank shift
caused by the spring. I do not bind myself to this particular form, nor to the
position of the spring and clutch, as the same result may be obtained by placing
them in several other positions.
My Invention relates, secondly, to a combination of valves so applied as to
regulate the speed of a gas engine in lieu of the usual method of a ball or pendulum
governor. To effect this purpose I place at the end of the gas supply a valve, either
of a mushroom or slide construction, this valve being acted upon by an arrangement
at the back of the valve which admits the atmosphere. Should the engine move at
a greater speed than desired, the valve which admits the air will open wider, and
in so doing reduces the gas supply, and by which means the explosions are varied,
causing a reduction in the speed of the engine.
My Invention relates, thirdly, to a valve or valves which performs the threefold
purpose of admitting combustible and incombustible materials (such as gas, gas and
air, and air) into the cylinder of a gas engine, igniting the combustible gases,
permitting the escape of the exbausted products of combustion, and allowing the
air to enter the cylinder. The valves referred to are the ordinary slide and
mushroom valves with requisite portholes.

page_text: .
Fig. 2 is a plan of the general arrangement of a gas motor engine with my
improvements shown partly in sections.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the cylinder and mixing box, governing valve,
slide and mushroom valves.
Fig. 4 is an horizontal section through the cylinder and admission and exhaust
valves.
Fig. 5 & 6 are elevations and sectional plan of outer slide valve for admission and
fireing combustibles.
Fig. 7 and 8 are elevations and sectional plan of inner slide valve for allowing
the exhausted products of combustion to escape and cutting off the supply of gas
and air.
Fig. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, are enlarged views of my combined spring clutch pulley
and discs.
Fig. 15 & 16 is another form of spring I may use in combination with the
clutch.
And the mode of operations of my Inventions are as follows:-
Piston A, Fig. 2, moves forward, drawing into the cylinder B a mixture of
explosive material through mixing box m, passage r, and valve P, Fig. 3, and
port r, Fig. 4. When the piston A reaches the proper place, the valve P, Fig. 4,
moves in the same direction, bringing the small gas flame p" within it until it is
opposite port X, as shown, Fig. 4, which ignites the mixture just admitted. The
force of the explosion suddenly moves the piston A to the far end of its stroke,
moving the crank and crank shaft b, Fig. 2, with it, but not the fly wheel fnor driving
pulley e, which are firmly attached to each other from the fact that the fly and
driving pulley are loose upon the crank shaft, and are attached to it by or through
the medium of the metal spring d, Fig. 2 and 9. But in order to allow the piston
free action immediately after the explosion I admit air through the small valve W,
Fig. 3. To the crank shaft the disc a, Fig. 2 and 11, is firmly fixed. One end of
the spring d, Fig. 2 and 9, is attached to this disc and consequently to the crank
shaft, the other end being attached to the boss of the fly wheel and driving pulley,
which are as one at the place marked e, Fig. 9, so that the sudden movement of
the piston A and crank shaft b serves to twist or wind up or unwind or bend the
spring, depending upon which way the spring is applied, but according to the
spring shown in the accompanying Drawing the result would be to coil or wind up
such a spring so fixed. Upon the crank shaft also is fixed firmly a pulley or disc
marked h, Fig. 13, upon the periphery of which a brake or clutch g, Fig. 13,
operates. The clutch or brake is selfacting, and consists of a metal strip passed
round the pulley or disc h, Fig. 13 and 14, with both ends of the strip attached
to a lever J and regulated by a screw k. The lever being fixed to the engine bed C,
Fig. 1, the arm which reaches towards the centre of the disc h, Fig. 13, causes a
runner, which is operated by the cam for the purpose of relieving the engine of
the friction caused by clutch when not required, to be in operation. This clutch
allows the disc and crank shaft to move freely in the direction of the impetus first
communicated by the piston A, but the moment the crank shaft has a tendancy to
move backwards the clutch g presses against the disc h and prevents the back
running of the crank shaft and piston A; the result is that the spring then pulls
round the fly wheel and driving pulley.
When the boss of the fly wheel of pulley e, Fig. 9, again overtakes the arm of
the disc a¹, Fig. 11 and 12, the cushioning apparatus marked e¹, Fig. 9, in boss of
fly wheel or pulley, which is formed by allowing a piece of metal to work in a recess.
At the bottom of this recess a piece of india rubber, leather, or any elastic substance
is placed, which is operated upon by the piece of metal referred to and coming in
contact with arm a on disc a, Fig. 11, prevents any noise when the contact

page_text: referred to takes place; the crank shaft and piston are now taken forward and the
revolution completed by the momentum of the fly wheel.
Previous to piston A commencing its return stroke, the valves, Fig. 5, 6, 7, and 8,
move back together. The inner valve, first covering gas passage r, Fig. 4, at the
same time reopens exhaust passage 8, whilst at the same time the valve p, Fig. 2,
reestablishes the fireing flame pl, Fig. 4 and 6. The piston A at the same time
or during the whole of its return stroke forces out the products of combustion
which pass through x' and valve q, Fig. 4, and thence to exhaust pipe through 8.
By this time a complete revolution of the crank shaft has been performed.
At the time the charge is being taken into the cylinder the air passes into the
mixing chamber m, Fig. 3, shown by arrow, raising the flat valve m¹ or mushroom
valve if placed there for the same purpose, the gas comes in at pipe o and mixes
with the air, and then pass together through valve p into cylinder.
When the piston A imoves too fast, drawing in more charge than required, the
demand for air, or air and gas, becomes more sudden, the result of which is to open
wide the flat, Fig. 3, which by means of projection m' comes into contact with the
small valve n regulating the aperture of gas passage o and reduces the supply of
gas, thereby lessening the power of explosive material admitted to the cylinder,
and in this way controls the speed of the engine. The seat of the valve is
adjustable by means of the screwed end n', Fig. 3, which raises and lowers the seat
to any required position.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same may be carried into effect, I claim,-
1st. The application in combination of a spring and a clutch or brake for the
purpose set forth and described.
2nd. The combination of the air valve m on Drawings, Fig. 3, operating upon
the mushroom valve n, Fig. 3, regulating the gas supply and thus governing the
speed of a motor engine, as set forth and described.
3rd. The slide valves for the purpose of admitting combustible material to the
cylinder, igniting the same, and permitting the escape of the products of combustion,
as set forth and described.
4th. The application in combination of the air valve W, Fig. 3, with the cylinder
of a gas motor engine, for the purpose set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dougill, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
CHARLES B. BESWICK,
Clerk with Messieurs Simpson and Hockin,
Solicitors,
Oldham.
JOHN DOUGILL. (L.S.)