A New or Improved Apparatus to be used for the Starting of Gas or other Engines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus to be used for the Starting of Gas or
other Engines.
ALFRED DAWES 40 Wellington Street Kettering Millwright do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
To provide a safe & simple means of starting gas or other engines which require
that the crank or flywheel shaft shall be revolved several times before the power
generated in the cylinder puts them in motion, this at present is done by a man
pulling on the rim of fly wheel, as the engine starts suddenly such practice is
dangerous & to obviate which I provide a bush (bored to suit the shaft) with lugs
to which is pivoted a lever; a part of the bush between the lugs being cut away
to allow a projecting part of the lever to come in contact with the shaft, the
position of the pivot and projection are so arranged in relation to each other and to
the surface of shaft, that when the lever is pulled in the direction the shaft is to
revolve the lever by its gripping action carries the shaft round with it, the back
stroke of the lever releasing the grip, so that by a series of in and out strokes the
shaft is revolved.
This invention consists secondly in making the projection on the lever of such a
form that it will engage with the keyway in engine shaft in which case the direction
of motion of the lever or handle will be same as the shaft & continuous not
reciprocating as above specified, as the speed of shaft is accelerated the lever
disengages & will hang loosely on the shaft.
ALFRED DAWES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus to be used for the Starting of Gas or
other Engines.
I, ALFRED DAWES, of 40, Wellington Street, Kettering, in the County of
Northampton, Millwright, 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 apparatus for use in starting gas and other engines.
It is well known that in starting some engines and particularly gas engines it is
necessary to revolve the fly-wheel or crank-shaft several times before the motion is
produced by the power within the cylinder.
Hitherto it has been usual for a man to perform this initial starting by pulling
upon the rim or spokes of the fly-wheel, and as the engine starts suddenly such
practice is dangerous.
According to my invention I obviate the necessity for such dangerous practice,
by providing a bush or sleeve adapted to fit the end of the engine crank-shaft and
having a lever arranged in conjunction with it in such a manner that one end of the
said lever will bite against the crank shaft or engage with the key-way therein as
long as motion is being transmitted to the crank-shaft through the said lever, but
will release its hold upon the shaft directly the latter commences to move faster
than the lever.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figures 1, 2 and 3 shew in side elevation, plan and sectional elevation respectively
the apparatus as arranged for gripping the crank-shaft; and,

page_text: Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively of the
apparatus as arranged for engaging with the key-way of the crank-shaft.
indicates the bush or sleeve which is bored out to fit the shaft to which it is to
be applied and which has formed upon it lugs, and in it a slot between the
said lugs. is the lever which is pivotted at e between the lugs, and shaped
at its end, as shewn most clearly in Figure 3, that is to say, with a rounded
protuberance which will not damage the shaft and with a horn g to prevent the
end of the lever from moving too far through the opening c. indicates a bar
which is bolted to the lever d in order to increase the length thereof, the said bar
being fitted into a recess formed in the lever, as shewn most clearly in Figure 2.
With the arrangement hereinbefore described it is obvious that, when the bush
is applied to the crank-shaft and the lever is moved in the direction of the arrow in
Figure 3, the protuberance will bite against the said shaft with sufficient grip to
enable the same to be rotated: the grip being maintained as long as the movements
of the lever are quicker than those of the shaft. When, however, the shaft
commences to move under the impulse of the force within the power cylinder it is
obvious that the shaft will slip relatively to the said protuberance and without
imparting any movement to the lever.
In starting the engine it is only necessary to impart a backward and forward
motion to the lever, the said lever gripping the shaft when moving in one direction,
and slipping upon the shaft when moving in the opposite direction.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figures 4, 5 and 6 the arrangement
is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described, except that the end of the
lever d is provided with a horn or projection i adapted to engage with a key-way j
in the engine shaft, as shewn in Figure 6, the said horn being so shaped that when
moved in one direction it will bite against the walls of the shaft and when moved in
the other direction slip out of the said key-way. In this arrangement I advan-
tageously attach a crank-handle to the lever so that the engine can be started by a
rotary motion given to the lever.
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. An apparatus for use in starting gas and other engines comprising a bush
bored out to fit the engine-shaft and a lever pivotted to the said bush and with one
end adapted to grip the shaft or to engage with the key-way therein, substantially
as, and for the purpose, described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated the 12th day of June 1891.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.