Improvements in Oil Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 31st Mar., 1900
Communicated from abroad by FEODOR CARL HIRSCH, 612, East 134th Street,
City, County and State of New York, Mechanical Engineer.
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M.Inst.C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A., F.I.Inst.
practising as Phillips and Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent Agent, 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 engines designed to be operated by the combustion
of vaporized fuel, such as kerosene oil, in an ignition chamber containing an
expansion medium, such as air, the ignition chamber communicating directly
with the power cylinder.
The object of the invention is to provide an engine of this character in which
the highest and most efficient pressure of the expansion medium is attained and
the full value of the charge is utilized at the beginning of the outward or
working stroke of the piston, and to these ends my invention consists in an oil
engine constructed and arranged substantially as described whereby these objects
are attained.
The distinguishing feature of my invention consists in the fact that the engine
is so constructed and arranged that the necessary quantity of expansion medium,
such as air, is taken into the ignition chamber and practically compressed
therein before the fuel or oil is introduced, and this is introduced at once so
that the compression takes place immediately after the expansion medium is
impregnated with the fuel and is practically completed just before the com-
pletion of the inward stroke of the piston, so that the highest and most effective
pressure of the expansion medium can be utilized at the beginning of the out-
ward or working stroke of the piston. I thus produce a practically complete
combustion of the fuel prior to or at the beginning of the outward or working
stroke of the piston and thus not only attain the highest and most effective
pressure at the instant the piston commences its outward or working stroke,
thus utilizing the full value of the charge in driving the piston at the beginning
of the outward stroke, but also avoid the objections resulting from a prolonga-
tion of the feed of the fuel after the piston has commenced its outward or
working stroke, resulting in incomplete combustion and fouling of the engine.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1, is a plan of my improved engine;
Fig. 2, is a sectional elevation taken upon plane of line 2, 2, Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, is a similar view taken upon plane of line 3, 3, Fig. 1;
Fig. 4, is a front elevation of the engine.
Fig. 5, is a vertical section upon plane of line 5, 5, Fig. 1;
Fig. 6, a similar view upon plane of line 6, 6, Fig. 1;
is a havizontal coation unan alana of live
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page_text: Fig. 8, is a sectional view showing the position of the piston at the time
when the oil is injected into the ignitor;.
Fig. 9, is a sectional view showing the position of the piston at the completion
of its stroke; .
Fig. 10, is an enlarged view of the ignitor chamber and adjoining parts.
The lower part of the crank chamber C, consists of a semi-circular casting c,
mounted upon suitable pillow blocks B. The upper part c¹, of the crank cham-
ber C, is preferably cast in one piece with the cylinder D, to the upper end
of which is bolted the cylinder head D', in which are set the inlet and exhaust
valves. The cylinder is formed with the water jacket d, through which a cir-
culation of water is maintained, during the operation of the engine, through
the medium of the connections 7, and pump P¹, operated by a crank disc
on the countershaft a. A, is the main or power shaft, formed with the crank A',
connected with the piston E, by means of the pitman F. Upon the power
shaft A, is mounted the usual fly-wheel W. A gear wheel G, upon the power
shaft A, transmits motion, through the intermediate gears g, g', g², to the
larger gear 3, upon the countershaft, the relative diameter of the wheels
being such that the countershaft a, is timed to make one revolution while the
power shaft is making two revolutions.
The countershaft a, is mounted in bearings on the brackets, projecting
from the casing c. Between the brackets, are mounted, upon the shaft a,
cams H, I, I¹. The first of these, H, is rigidly attached to the shaft a and acts
upon a roller , upon the pivoted carrier ¹, which is connected by the rod ²,
with the arm h³, upon the rock-shaft, to which is secured the arm, by
which the air valve K, is depressed, against the resistance of the spring .
Feathered to the countershaft a, is the sleeve L, carrying the cams I, I', and
formed with the annular flanges 1, 1, which engage with the pin, upon the
hand lever L, by which the sleeve L, may be moved longitudinally upon the
shaft x.
Above the path of the cams I, I', is pivoted the carrier i, provided with
the roller, for engagement with the said cams, and connected by the rod ²,
with the rock lever, by which the exhaust valve M, is opened against the
resistance of the spring . M³, is the exhaust passage.
N, is the ignition chamber, communicating with the upper end of the cylin-
der D, through the port n. The ignition chamber is supplied with suitable
charges of oil through the spray n', which receives the oil from the duct o, with
which the supply pipe o', communicates. The pipe_o', connects with
the oil pump O, communicating by a pipe with at suitable oil
reservoir, and operated by a cam Q, upon the countershaft a, said
cam Q, depressing a rock lever Q', against the resistance of a spring q
and thereby depressing the piston rods o¹³, o³, and forcing a quantity of oil into
the duct o. Interposed between the duct o, and spray n, is a spring valve o³,
which yields under the pressure of the pump, and closes automatically when the
pump is released.
A check valve o when operated by a centrifugal governor R
on shaft a through the rod and lever and allows excess of oil to return
through the pipe 07, to the reservoir.
As before said the countershaft a, makes one revolution to every two revolu-
tions of the power shaft A. The cams upon the said countershaft u, are so
timed with relation to each other and to the other operative parts that when in
use the engine operates as follows:
The ignition chamber N, being heated externally to the proper temperature,
the cam I, is slid under the roller ¹, so as to limit the closing movement of the
exhaust valve M, until the engine has attained the required speed, when it is
again returned to its normal position by means of a lever L¹, thus bringing the
main exhaust cam I, into position under the roller . The exhaust valve M is thus
held partially open temporarily in order to allow part of the charge to escape
during the compression stroke to avoid resistance in starting the engine.
Supposing the last upward stroke of the piston E, to have been completed, as

page_text: it starts downward, the cam H, and its connections open the air valve K, and
hold it open during the completion of the downward stroke of the piston. During
the upward stroke of the piston the air is compressed. When the piston has
nearly completed its upward stroke (nine-tenths of the stroke or thereabout
more or less) and is in the position, approximately shown in Fig. 8, the cam Q',
operates the oil pump O, so that a small quantity of oil is injected through the
valve o, and into and through the spray ¹, which delivers it to the compressed
air in the ignitor N, the heat of which causes its combustion, just prior to the
completion of the upward stroke of the piston and the passage of the crank
over the dead center. The expansion thus caused forces the piston downward.
As the piston again starts upward the cam I', acts through its connections to
open the exhaust valve M³, for the discharge of the products of combustion.
It will be seen that these operations involve two reciprocations of the piston,
and consequently two revolutions of the power shaft, and these operations are
repeated consecutively and continuously throughout the operation of the engine.
Should the speed of the engine exceed that required for any reason, the
centrifugal governor R, acts on the rocker arm r, and through the connecting
rod, upon the stem of the valve ", so as to depress the latter and open the
passage to the pipe 07, until such time as the speed is sufficiently slackened to
require the admission of more fuel to the ignition chamber N.
In order to insure smooth running of the crank and cylinder, lubricating oil
is introduced into the lower part of the crank chamber C, so that the crank
dips therein and distributes the oil freely. In order to still further insure the
ample lubrication of the piston E, the casing e, is formed with an annular
recess s, closed by the outer end of the piston during the latter part of its
stroke) which is fed with oil from the lubricating cup S, or other suitable source
of supply.
The valve, acts as a check valve to prevent back pressure when the explosion
takes place in the ignitor N.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be operated, I declare that what I
claim is-
First. In an oil engine, the combination with the cylinder, piston and ignition
chamber, of means for automatically admitting an expansion medium into the
cylinder and compressing it in the ignition chamber, and means for at once
and completely injecting the fuel into the compressed expansion medium and
igniting the same just prior to the completion of the compression stroke of the
piston, whereby the full value of the charge is utilized at the beginning of the
outward or working stroke of the piston and the disadvantages of a prolonged
injection of the fuel avoided, substantially as described.
Second. In an oil engine, the combination with the ignition chamber N,
cylinder D, piston E, pitmen F, crank shaft A, and crank A', of the counter-
shaft, geared to make one revolution to two of the power shaft and provided
with the cams H, I, I, and Q, for operating the exhaust and air valves,. and
the oil pump, together with said exhaust and air valves and with the oil pump
and connections, the whole arranged and operaung substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described.