Improvements in Explosion Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application (in the United Kingdom), 14th Dec., 1879
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
Improvements in Explosion Engines.
We, THE COMPAGNIE DES MOTEURS DUPLEX, of 130, Rue Lafayette, Paris, France,
Manufacturers, 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:-
The improvements forming the subject of this invention relate:
1) To the feed of the motor, when the motive agent consists of a liquid hydro-
carbon, the essential feature of this first improvement being, the utilisation of
compressed air compressed in a hermetically closed crank or gear casing of the motor
so as to keep the liquid which may be contained in the base of the motor under a
constant pressure, sufficient to ensure a regular feed to the carburetter and burner.
2) To the valve gear of the motor, when the latter is of the four-stroke-cycle type,
the object of this second improvement being to dispense with the distributing shaft
and the transmission devices intervening between the main shaft and the distributing
shaft, and which consists briefly of a device by which the distribution is effected
directly from the main-shaft.
3) To the regulation of the liquid fuel feed, the improved regulator or governor
forming the third part of the invention acting by leaving the exhaust valve in a lifted
position during the period of suction; so that the motor, instead of sucking an
explosive mixture will only draw in air.
It is evident, that the first improvement is applicable to explosion engines,
irrespective of their type and system provided that the motive agent is a liquid
hydrocarbon.
On the other hand, it is evident that the second improvement is applicable to all
explosion motors working on the four-stroke-cycle principle, irrespective of the nature
of the motive agent, or type of motor.
Lastly the regulating device is applicable in general to all explosion engines.
We have represented in the accompanying drawings the three improvements as
applied to a vertical stationary engine working on the four-stroke-cycle principle.
In the drawings, in which the scale varies-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the motor.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the base and of the crank or gear casing of the

page_text: Fig. 4 is a sectional front elevation illustrating the distributing and regulating
device.
Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of same.
Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation thereof.
Fig. 7 is a detail shewing the essential parts of the distributing device in another
position.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 and especially Fig. 2 of the drawing:
A is the cylinder, B the main shaft, C the crank or gear casing which is hermetically
closed, D the base of the motor. As will be seen the base forms a reservoir d for the
liquid hydrocarbon and has a partition wall d¹ which forms another chamber d², serving
as an exhaust chamber, so that a portion of the exhaust heat may be utilised for
heating beforehand the fuel contained in the chamber d.
The casing C is provided with an air admission valve c and a discharge valve c¹.
A pipe c² conveys the air from this valve c¹ into the reservoir d.
It will be understood that when the gear casing is closed, the alternating move-
ment of the piston produces, in the casing and the adjacent part of the motor
cylinder, a pumping effect, by which the air, admitted through the valve c, is forced
through the non-return valve c¹ and the pipe c², into the chamber d.
Thus when the machine is working, a pressure is produced above the surface of the
liquid which is substantially constant and sufficiently high to force the liquid through
the pipe finto the carburetter F (Fig. 1).
The distributing device is represented in Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
The distributing cam 1 is keyed directly on to the main shaft B and is provided
with a cam face 2 and with a tooth 3 which are on different planes as seen in Fig. 5.
The tooth 3 acts upon a disc or part 4 shaped somewhat like a Maltese cross and
having a sleeve through which passes a rod 5 carried by an arm 5ª having a sleeve 5b
capable of rocking on a spindle 5c. The part 4 under the action of the tooth 3 can
turn to the extent of one fourth of a revolution at each revolution of the cam 1; it
is provided with a slot 6 with which engages a projection 7 of a stud 8 on which is
mounted a roller 9 the stud being carried by an arm 10 having a sleeve 10ª capable
of rocking on the spindle 5º.
When the part 4 occupies the position represented in Fig. 7, it is lifted by the
projection 7 through the roller 9, which is acted on by the face 2 of the cam, so that
the rod 5 is lifted and will act as hereinafter described upon the exhaust valve so as
to lift the latter. When the part 4 occupies the position represented in Fig. 4, it is
not lifted by the projection 7 owing to the position of the slot 6 in which the pro-
jection is now capable of moving without acting upon the part and consequently the
exhaust valve will not be lifted. Thus as the cam 1 turns in the direction of the
arrow, Fig. 4, its tooth 3 at each revolution of the cam will turn the part 4 to
the extent of one fourth of a revolution; thus at the first turn of the cam, the slot 6
will be for instance, in the position where the lifting of the part 4 may be effected;
at the second turn of the cam, the slot 6 will occupy the position in which the part 4
will not be lifted, at the third turn of the cam the part 4 will again be in position in
which it may be lifted and at the fourth turn it will be in the opposite position and
so forth.
It is thus clear that by the aid of this device, the lifting of the part 4 and
consequently of the valve takes place at every other turn of the cam so that the
device is suitable for serving as a distributing apparatus for four-stroke-cycle
motors.
Fig. 4 represents the cam 1 and the part 4 in the position corresponding to the
period of explosion, the piston of the motor being at the top of the cylinder. (For
the sake of clearness, the roller 9 is omitted in this Figure and in Fig. 7.)
As the cam turns in the direction of the arrow, the tooth 3 meets the notch 12
of the part 4 and carries the latter round to the extent of one fourth of a revolution,
thus bringing it in the position shewn in Fig. 7.
The face 2 of the cam 1 is then situated as shewn in this Figure. This is the
moment when the exhaust commences, and which lasts as long as the face takes to
pass along the roller 9. The projection 7 lifts the part 4 by acting on the part 13 of

page_text: the slot 6. The exhaust valve which is connected to the part 4, for instance, through
the intermediary of the governor, is thus lifted and allows of the escape of the gases
which were burnt during the whole time in which the piston was rising. This is the
period of escape.
After the piston has returned to the top of the cylinder, it again descends, and in
doing so, draws in the explosive mixture. In point of fact the moment it commences
to descend, the tooth 3 having again met the notch 14 (Fig. 7), will displace the
part 4 to the extent of one fourth of a revolution, thus bringing it in the position Fig. 4.
After the cam has then executed a half turn, the suction is completed. The cam
occupying the position represented in dotted lines in Fig. 4, will again lift the roller 9
and projection 7, but this time the exhaust valve will not open during the return
stroke of the piston, and the projection 7 rises freely in the slot 6 (Fig. 4). This is
the period of compression.
The piston having then returned to the bottom of its stroke, is forced forward by
the explosion and recommences the different phases above explained. In the interior
of the arm 5 is a small tappet 15 pressed by a spring 16 behind it which bears
against the side of a square formed on the sleeve of the part 4 and serves to prevent
the latter moving too far under the action of the tooth 3.
As the part 4 is loose upon its rod 5, it might be thought at first that by an
accidental or other displacement of the part 4 to the extent of a quarter revolution,
the apparatus might be thrown out of order, but this is not so, and such relative
displacement of the part 4 would not involve a disarrangement of the motor.
We will now describe the improvements applied to the governor.
The governor acts upon the movement of the motor by leaving the exhaust valve
lifted during the period of suction, so that instead of drawing in an explosive mixture,
the motor only draws in air, as we have already stated.
The arrangement consists in the squared part 20 provided with an arm having a
counterweight 21 which acts against the spring 22 and a blade 23 and a tappet 24.
The square 20 is mounted on the sleeve of the part 4 and is capable of slightly
rotating thereon.
Above the square 20 the engaging bolt of the exhaust valve is located. This
consists of a bolt piece 25 pivoted on a pin 27 between the two ears 26ª of a part 26
so that the bolt part 25 can rock in said part 26. The part 26 is capable of a
movement vertically in a bracket 26.
The governor acts in the following manner :-
Whenever the motor requires a driving impulse for maintaining its normal speed,
the blade 23 passes into a notch of the bolt 25 and the tappet 24 at the same time
lifts up the whole of the bolt by acting upon the two ears 26" of the part 26. As the
bolt falls the exhaust valve which is connected thereto by the rod 28 redescends and
the subsequent suction takes place in the ordinary manner.
If on the contrary the motor shows a tendency to race, the action of the spring 22,
exerting a pull upon the square 20, becomes weaker than the action exerted in the
opposite direction upon this piece by its counterweight 21, this action resulting from
the abrupt displacement of the centre of oscillation of this piece and from the inertia
in the position of rest of the counterweight, so that the blade 23 moves away from
the notch or bolt 25 and passes outside of a second blade 29. The tappet 24 then
lifts the bolt 25 in the ordinary manner, but when the off-set 30 of the bolt 25 passes
beyond the extremity of the blade 29, the bolt (which is no longer supported at its
corner by the blade 23) is pushed by a small spring 31 so that it is caught on the top
edge of blade 29 and maintains the valve in its lifted position. The square 20
redescends and the motor, instead of admitting the explosive mixture at the following
suction, only admits air. This takes place as long as the motor has not resumed its
normal speed.
When another explosion becomes necessary the blade 23 again passes inside the
blade 29 and again engages with the notch of bolt 25 and holds it up at the corner
so as to unhook it. The whole redescends, the valve closes and the subsequent suction
supplies the motor with another explosive mixture.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. In an explosion engine, the employment of an air pressure produced by the
engine, upon the surface of a liquid motive agent contained in a receptacle, so as to
ensure the feed of such liquid to the carburetter, substantially as described.
2. In an explosion engine of the four stroke cycle type, a distributing device
operating directly from the main shaft, constructed substantially as described.
3. In an explosion engine, a regulating or governing device adapted to leave the
exhaust valve in a lifted position during the suction period, so that air may be drawn
in instead of an explosive mixture, constructed substantially as described.
4. In an explosion engine, the construction and arrangement of parts for applying
an air pressure upon the liquid motive agent, as described and illustrated.
5. In an explosion engine, the construction and arrangement of parts of the dis-
tributing device, as described and illustrated.
6. In an explosion engine, the construction and arrangement of parts of the
regulating or governing device, as described and illustrated.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicants.