in Gas Engines
Year: 1886

page_text: I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been
communicated to me from abroad by Edouard Delamare Deboutteville and Leon
Paul Charles Malandin of Fontaine-le-Bourg Seine Inférieure in the Republic of
France, Manufacturers.
This Invention relating to improvements in Gas Engines is especially applicable
to gas engines of the class described in the Specification to former Letters Patent
granted to me and dated February 26th 1884 No. 3986.
In the said Specification the employment of a spark produced in the slide itself
by a continuous current is described but it has since been ascertained that it is
more convenient in practice to apply this spark in the cover of the slide. For this
purpose the conducting wires insulated by a porcelain tube terminate in two
platinum points in a recess formed in the slide cover. The slide intermittently
connects this recess with the cylinder by an oblique port or passage formed in the
slide. In order to clear the recess in the cover of the burned gases which fill it
after the ignition passages are arranged in the slide and its cover in such a manner
that when the oblique or firing port of the slide is in Communication with the
cylinder the compressed mixture rushes into the recess in the slide cover änd ä
Emall quantity of gas escapes or blows through the aforesaid passages and clears
out the burned gases.
At the moment when the gaseous mixture is drawn in by the piston the gas
inlet valve opens and admits gas to a passage or chainber communicating with the
atmosphere or air supply on the one hand and with the cylinder on the other. In
this chamber the gas and air are intimately mixed and then enter the working
cylinder through the usual passages or ports. The gas valve closes at the end of
the stroke of the piston.
The gas engines arranged according to this Invention are preferably employed
in combination with a governor constructed and operating as described in the.

page_text: Provisional Specification filed by me on the 21st December 1885 No. 15710.
The tappet operating the gas valve being connected to an arm or lever operated
by the connecting rod of the slide so as to open the valve at the required intervals.
With the object of overcoming the difficulty usually experienced in starting gas
engines owing to the resistance of the compressed mixture in the cylinder a passage
provided with a valve is formed in the cylinder cover and a passage provided with
a screwed plug or valve is also formed in the slide valve cover.
Before starting the engine the valve is opened and the plug is unscrewed. When
the fly wheel is turned no compression can then take place as the mixture escapes
through the aforesaid passages which are connected at the proper moment by the
port in the slide.
When this port in the slide has passed beyond these passages the spark ignites
the mixture and the piston is pushed outwards. The engine being thus started
gradually increases its speed and the plug is gradually screwed in thereby increasing
the compression of the gaseous mixture by diminishing the leakage at each stroke.
The plug being finally screwed home the valve in the cylinder cover is closed in
order to obviate the pressure of the gases on the slide.
The discharge or exhaust valve is operated by a cam working a lever which lifts
the valve at the required intervals a spring being employed to maintain the valve
closed when not acted on by the cam and lever.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Edouard Delamare Deboutteville and Leon Paul
Charles Malandin both of Fontaine le Bourg Seine Inférieure in the Republic of
France Manufacturers and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relating to improvements in Gas Engines is especially applicable
to gas engines of the class described in the Specification to former Letters Patent
granted to me and dated February 26th 1884 No. 3986.
The improvements forming the object of the present invention relate to the
arrangement of the conducting wires which are attached to the cover of the slide
and of the passages for the introduction of the gaseous mixture. The general

page_text: arrangement and construction of the parts is also improved as hereinafter described
and improved means are provided in connection with the slide valve and its cover
for facilitating the operation of starting the engine.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheets of Drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent respectively a side and
end elevation of an improved gas engine constructed according to this Invention.
Figures 3 and 4 drawn to a larger scale represent respectively an elevation
and horizontal section of the distribution valve and mechanism attached to the
cylinder.
Figure 5 represents a portion of the slide valve in plan and figure 6 shows the
inner side of the cover of this valve.
Figure 7 illustrates a detail of the said cover hereinafter referred to.
'
In the specification No. 3986 of 1884 herein before referred to the employment
of a spark, produced in the slide itself by a continuous current is described but it
is more convenient in practice to apply this spark to the cover of the slide. For
this purpose the arrangement next hereinafter described with reference to figures 3
and 4 is employed. The conducting wires + insulated by porcelain tubes h
terminate in two platinum points in a recess g in the cover of the slide as
indicated in figure 4.
-
The slide is provided with an oblique passage b and as the usual reciprocating
motion is imparted to the slide this passage momentarily connects the recess or
cavity g with a port c cominunicating with the interior of the engine cylinder A
and thereby produces the explosion. In order to clear the recess g of the burned
gases which fill it after each ignition of the mixture passages or orifices and 2 are
arranged in the slide and in the slide cover in such a manner that when the
oblique or firing port b of the slide is in communication with the orifice e commu-
nicating with the cylinder the compressed mixture rushes first through the orifice b
then through g which communicates with the passage b at this moment and a
small quantity of gas escapes or flows through the passages 2 and z and is discharged
at y figure 7. This clears out the burned gases which would otherwise interfere
with the ignition of the next charge. x is a small angular passage which commu-
nicates with the passage z, and y figure 7 is a small relief-passage in the cover to
enable the gases expelled through z and z to escape into the atmosphere.
The movement of the slide being rapid the aforesaid passages only allow just
the amount of gas to escape required to clear the recess or cavity g.
The gaseous mixture is introduced into the cylinder as next hereinafter described.
At the moment when the gaseous mixture is to be drawn in by the piston a gas
inlet valve k figure 4 opens and admits gas from a gas pipe j to a chamber L
communicating directly with an air supply passage and with the cylinder A
through the slide valve. In this chamber the gas and air are intimately mixed
and then enter the working cylinder A through port fin the slide valve, cover
port a in the slide and port e in the cylinder cover. The valve closes at the end
of the stroke of the piston.
The gas engines arranged according to this invention are preferably employed in
combination with the improved regulator or governor described in the Specification
of James Yate Johnson No. 15710 December 21st 1885. A governor of this
description is represented at S figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
An arm n connected to the pin of the slide valve carries a tappet m partaking
of the reciprocating motion of the slide. This tappet comes in contact at the
proper moment with a rod and thereby opens the gas inlet valve k.
This contact takes place at the commencement of the operation of drawing the
gaseous mixture to the cylinder.
The operation of starting the engine is greatly facilitated by the employment of
the means hereinafter described for relieving or reducing the resistance resulting

page_text: from the compression. By means of this arrangement the difficulty heretofore
experienced in starting compressing gas engines owing to the resistance of the
compressed mixture is entirely obviated. With this object a passage p (figure 4)
provided with a valve or stop cock c is formed in the cylinder cover and a passage q
provided with a screwed plug or valve d is also provided in the slide valve cover.
Before starting the engine the valve c is opened and the plug d is unscrewed so
as not to obstruct the passage q. When the fly wheel is turned under these
conditions no compression takes place in the cylinder as the gas or mixture escapes
through the passages p.g which are connected at the proper moment by the port a
in the slide. When, the port a has passed beyond the passages p q the spark
ignites the mixture and the piston is pushed outwards. The engine being thus
started gradually increases its speed and the plug & can then be gradually screwed
in thereby increasing the compression of the gaseous mixture by diminishing the
leakage at each stroke until the engine has attained its normal speed. The plug d
being finally screwed home the valve c is closed in order to obviate the friction
resulting from the pressure of the gases acting on the slide through the passage p.
The arrangement of the ports and of the discharge or exhaust valve as illustrated
in figures 1, 2, and 3 are of considerable importance.
According to this part of the invention a cam x¹ works a lever u pivoted on a
support v. This lever u lifts a valve at t at the required intervals this valve being
caused to return to its seat by a spring y figure 3 which maintains the said valve
closed when not acted on by the cam and lever. The action and arrangement of
the other parts of the engine will be readily understood by referring to figures 1
and 2 without further explanation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of this Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim iś:-
First The arrangement for effecting the ignition of the gaseous mixture by
means of a continuous electric spark in the slide valve cover the said ignition
being regulated by the motion of the slide substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second-The arrangement of apparatus for mixing the air with the gas
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Third Facilitating the starting of gas engines by the employment of means
for relieving the pressure or resistance of the gases in the cylinder substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth-The general arrangements and combinations of parts constituting an
improved gas engine with or without the improved arrangement of the exhaust
valve substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings..
Dated this 20th d.. of Cantambon 1000