Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines.
JAMES ROOTS Engineer Manor Road Teddington do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Both ends of the cylinder are closed the piston rod works through a stuffing box.
On one side of the piston the usual series of operations, with one exception, of what
is known as the Otto cycle take place. The other or piston rod side of the piston
is supplied with an admission and exhaust valve, and a similar series of operations
take place, but no fuel is mixed with the air on the piston rod side and therefore
no ignition or explosion occurs. On the usual working or combustion side of the
piston, a valve is opened at about the same time that the exhaust valve usually
opens in an engine on this cycle, which permits the waste heat and pressure instead
of flowing away to the open air in the ordinary way to pass through to the other
side of the piston where the air is under compression. This air which is compressed
to say 20 lbs. is thus suddenly raised to 35 or 40 lbs. and is simultaneously heated
by the products of the combustion just terminating on the other side of the piston
and the air and products expand doing further work. This valve which permits
the products with frequently flame, to flow from the combustion side to the pure
air or piston rod side of the piston may be an ordinary mushroom valve in the
piston or preferably ports or channels opened or uncovered by the piston near the
end of the combustion stroke, or a mushroom valve opened by mechanism operated
by the crank shaft. Both sides of the piston work upon the four stroke cycle, only
upon one side there is no combustion.
A closed crank pit without a piston rod or gland provided with the necessary
valves may serve as the compressing chamber for the air to which the hot products
of combustion are admitted.
In some cases a small quantity of fuel might be mixed with the air on the piston
rod side of the piston a weak charge that would not fire in the ordinary way but
which is fired by the flame from the usual combustion side of the piston passing.
through the port to the other side. I prefer however that there should be air only
when the products flow in from the combustion side.
The intermediate or communicating valve opens or is opened at about the usual
time that the exhaust valve opens in au Otto cycle engine, but in this engine the
exhaust valve (the exception before referred to) is opened immediately the
communicating valve closes. Exhaust then proceeds in the usual manner followed
by suction compression and ignition.
The effect of the described working is not only another impulse from the piston
rod side of the piston giving greater uniformity of running but greater power from
a given quantity of fuel therefore greater economy and a quiet exhaust.
A considerable portion of the heat and pressure usually wasted is employed to
give power.
For producing internal combustion engines of extreme lightness for power given,
I make the cylinders and frame casing of seamless steel tube, the cylinder or
cylinders having an angle flange at each end which fits telescopically in the outer
frame casing.
Or the upper flange may be flat, not angle, and the cylinder flange
will then bolt flush over the outer casing flange or the inner flange may in the same
way as the angle flange fit telescopically inside the outer tube or casing both being
then bolted or screwed to the cast iron cover.

page_text: For supplying the burner in oil engines I add another groove to the grooved
spindle for feeding the oil to the engine, described in my Specification 19275", and
convey the air from a pump or fan, (in closed crank pit engines, the compressed air
from the crank box), to the oil feeder, where it sweeps the oil off this additional
groove to the burner, which may consist of a bend of pipe within the air heater the
end of which is directed upon the ignition tube.
An additional pocket to feed the burner may be added to the oscillating plug oil
feeder described in my Specification 9618 of 1893.
Dated September 10th 1894.
Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines.
JAMES ROOTS Engineer 13 Cedar Gardens Putney late of Manor Road
Teddington 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 :-
Both ends of the cylinder are closed, the piston rod works through a stuffing box.
On one side of the piston the usual series of operations, with one exception, of what
is known as the Otto cycle take place. The other or piston rod side of the piston
is supplied with an admission and exhaust valve and a similar series of operations
take place, but no fuel is mixed with the air on the pistón rod side and therefore no
ignition or explosion occurs. On the usual working or combustion side of the
piston, a valve is opened at about the same time that the exhaust valve usually
opens in an engine on this cycle, which permits the pressure and waste heat instead
of flowing away to the open air in the ordinary way to pass through to the other
side of the other side of the piston to where the air is under compression. This air
which is compressed to say 20 lbs. is thus suddenly raised to 35 or 40 lbs. and is
simultaneously heated by the products of the combustion just terminating on the
other side of the piston, and the air and expand doing further work. This valve
which permits the products with frequently Hame to flow from the combustion side
to the pure air or piston rod side of the piston may be an ordinary mushroom valve
in the piston, but preferably it is formed by ports or channels opened or uncovered
by the piston near the end of the combustion stroke, or a mushroom valve operated
by mechanism operated by the crank shaft. Both sides of the piston work on the
four stroke cycle only upon one side there is no combustion.
A closed crank pit without a piston rod or gland provided with the necessary
valves may serve as the compressing chamber for the air to which the hot products
of combustion are admitted.
In some cases a small quantity of fuel might be mixed with the air on the piston
rod side of the piston a weak charge that would not fire in the ordinary way but
which is fired by the flame from the usual combustion side of the piston passing
through the communicating port to the other side. I prefer however that there
should be pure air only when the products flow in from the combustion side.
The intermediate or communicating valve opens at about the usual time that the
exhaust valve opens in a four stroke or Otto cycle engine, but in this engine
the exhaust valve (the exception before referred to) is opened inmediately the
communicating valve closes. Exhaust then proceeds in the usual manner followed
by suction, compression and ignition.
The effect of the described working is not only another impulse from the piston
rod side of the piston. giving greater uniformity of running, but greater power
from a given quantity of fuel therefore greater economy and a quiet exhaust.
A considerable portion of the heat, and pressure usually wasted is employed to
give power.

page_text: For supplying the burner in oil engines I add another groove to the grooved
spindle for feeding the oil to the engine described in my Specification 19275 1891,
and convey the air from a pump or fan (in closed crank pit engines, the compressed
air from the crank box) to the oil feeder, where it sweeps the oil off this additional
groove to the burner which may consist of a bend of pipe within the air heater the
end of which is directed upon the ignition tube.
An additional pocket to feed the burner may be added to the oscillating plug oil
feeder described in my Specification 9618 of 1893.
No drawing is necessary for this as the second pocket in the plug will be
sufficiently obvious.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a sectional plan. Fig. 2 an end view of the cylinder.
Fig. 3 shows another method of constructing the valve or port for permitting the
pressure from one side of the piston to flow to the other.
Fig. 4 is a section of the liner on the line a. b. in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 shows the additional groove in the oil feed spindle for supplying oil to the
burner.
A is the cylinder enclosing the water jacket, B the liner, C the cover, D the
combustion and exhaust valve, E the admission valve for the mixture of fuel and
air, E2 the port through which the mixture enters to the valve E, F the second
expansion exhaust valve, G the admission valve for air to the second expansion end
of cylinder, D1 the lever for opening the exhaust valve D, E1 the lever for
opening the admission valve E, E 3 the excentric for operating the lever (one arm)
for opening the valve E, D2 the excentric for operating the lever D 1. The
other levers and excentrics are not shown on Fig. 2 for the sake of clearness.
G1 and F1 on Fig. 1 are the levers for opening the valves G and F respectively.
It must be understood that the forked end levers and excentrics are only an
alternative method of opening the valves, the usual method of cains and levers may
be employed.
H is the piston, H1 the piston rod, I the usual rotating side shaft, J the
expansion end cover, J 1 the piston rod stuffing box, K the communicating piston
valves or ports opened by the piston at the end of its stroke. L the port leading
from the second expansion end J of cylinder to the exhaust valve F.
M the port
admitting air to the same end through the valve G.
In Fig. 3 the valves and cover are not shown they are the same
Fige. 1 and 2.
as in
Fig. 5 shows an improvement in the oil feed described in my Specification 19275/91.
N is the oil space fed from the oil tank, O is the air space through which the
heated air passes on its way to the cylinder, P the oil feed spindle, Q the oil
feeding groove to supply oil to the air in the channel O. R the oil feeding groove
to supply oil to the burner. S the air supply pipe from the pump, T the end into
which the pipe leading to the burner is screwed.
In Fig. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the fuel, gas or oil vapor is supplied in any known or
usual manner through the port E 2. Ignition is effected in the usual manner by a
hot tube in the combustion end C. The exhausts D. F. are connected (not shown)
to one exhaust pipe. The four strokes completing the cycle in the cover end C,
suction, compression, explosion and exhaust, are effected in the usual manner; but
when the piston uncovers the ports or valves K, K, the hot gases rush through the
ports K. K. into the air compressed on the other side of the piston. This air
drawn through the valve G is compressed to about 20 lbs. by the return stroke of
the piston, when the ports K, K, are uncovered by the piston. This pressure may
vary in different engines. The pressure of 20 lbs. or thereabout is raised to 35 or 40 lbs.
by the combined effects of 1,-increasing the quantity of the gases on this side of
the piston, and 2, raising the temperature of the whole quantity of gases on the
expansion side of the piston. Simultaneously with the closing of the port valves K,
by the return of the piston H, the exhaust valve D is opened by its excentric or
cam and lever, and the C or combustion end of the cylinder is exhausted in the

page_text: usual way. A working stroke takes place, on the expansion or non-combustion, or
piston rod cylinder end J, and just at the end of this stroke, the exhaust valve F
is opened, and the mixed products and air are exhausted by the return of the
piston.
It will be observed that the air is heated at the commencement of each stroke
and that a similar series of operations take place at both ends of the cylinder, but
in the one end C ignition and combustion take place, while in the end J the air is
heated by the waste heat of the combustion in C. This heat was formerly entirely
wasted. Also that a certain quantity of mixed air and gases flows into the
combustion end C through the valves K from the non-conibustion end J, at the end
of the suction stroke on the combustion side of the piston, increasing the com-
pression and the mean pressure on that side.
It will be obvious that some other valve to allow the passage of waste gases to
the other side of the piston might be employed, one such as D or E but I prefer
the constructions shown.
I am aware that a port or valve such as K is not new, also that it is not new to
compress air on the opposite or piston rod side of the piston, or to attempt to use
the waste products of combustion for further expansion.
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 internal combustion engine, with a cylinder closed at both ends in which
operates a piston and piston rod, so arranged that the four stroke or Otto cycle or
series of operations is carried out on both sides of the same piston, on one side by
the usual processes of charging with explosive mixture, compressing, igniting and
expanding and exhausting and on the other side by charging with air only, com-
pressing the said air, beating it up by exhaust gases admitted at higher pressure
and temperature from the other side of the piston and expanding the hot mixed
gases so produced to give a power stroke simultaneously with the exhausting stroke
on the combustion side of the piston substantially as described.
2. The internal combustion engine hereinbefore described in which the hot
exhaust gases pass from one side of the piston to the compressed air on the
other through an intermediate valve in the manner and for the purpose described.
3. In an internal combustion engine performing the operations claimed in the
first claim, so arranging the valve actions that the exhaust valve of the combustion
side is held closed during part of the usual exhaust stroke, while the valve opened
to permit communication between both sides of the piston remains open.
4. In an internal combustion engine for increased expansion claimed as in
Claim 1; utilising a part of the exhaust stroke of the non-combustion side of the
piston to supply the combustion side with air or gas and air taken in on the non-
combustion side for the purpose of increasing the average available pressure on the
.combustion side substantially as described.
5. The internal combustion engine in which the exhaust gases are further
expanded as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
6. In an oil engine the construction of oil feeder herein described with reference
to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated A00-1 100
JAMES ROOTS.