Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
I; JOSEPH SOUTHALL, of Woodleigh, Selborne Road, in the City of Worcester,
Engineer, do hereby. declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvements herein described are applicable to gas and oil engines generally
whether working on the "Otto" cycle or completing their cycle in one revolution
of the crank shaft as described in my Patent No. 6383 of 1895, in which case, I
by this invention carry the expansion of the working charge even to atmospheric
pressure.
The valves are operated by a shaft driven by chain gearing arranged substan-
tially, as follows, in order that the wear of the chains may be taken up without
altering the setting of the valves. On the crank shaft is mounted a toothed chain.
wheel which by means of a chain running on it drives a second toothed chain wheel
provided with two sets of teeth mounted and revolving upon a pin projecting from a
lever, so arranged, that by altering its position the centre of the double chain:
wheel can be set at varying distances from the centre of the crank shaft and also
more or less out of the horizontal line. A further chain is mounted on this
second toothed wheel to drive a third toothed chain wheel on the valve shaft, so
mounted, that when the position of the lever is being altered to tighten the chains,
it can be made free to more or less revolve without moving the cam shaft. When
however the chains have been tightened both it and the lever are again secured
and as both the crank and the valve shafts have not been moved, the setting of the
valves remains undisturbed.
:
If gas forms the working fluid I prefer to let it puff into or to pump it into
the cylinder after the exhaust port has closed, or to allow it to flow into the cylinder
after the working stroke is finished, it may however be introduced with the air..
If oil is used I supply the vessel from which the vapouriser is fed from a
reservoir connected to such vessel by a pipe (controlled by a tap) leading from out.
of the bottom of the reservoir into the vessel, the top of the reservoir being pro-
vided with an inlet capable of being closed perfectly air-tight; by this method,
when the reservoir has been filled with oil, its inlet fastened air tight and the
tap opened; the flow of oil into the vessel continues until it has covered the
outlet of the connecting pipe at which level it automatically maintains itself
as long as there is oil in the reservoir.

page_text: I, JOSEPH SOUTHALL, of Woodleigh, Selborne Road, in the City of Worcester,
Engineer, 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:-
In my Patent No. 18,995 of 1895 I describe the use of chain gearing for opera-
ting the valves of gas and oil engines and this invention consists chiefly in
arranging pitch-chain gearing for this purpose in such a manner that the increase
in the length of the chain caused by wear may be readily taken up as it occurs
without altering the setting of the valves, an arrangement applicable to motor
engines generally.
One way of carrying out this improvement is made clear by Figures 1 & 2
which represent respectively a side elevation and plan of such adjustable gearing:
A is the crank shaft on which is fixed a toothed chain wheel B which, by means
of a pitch chain C working on it drives a second chain wheel D provided with two
sets of teeth and mounted so as to revolve freely on a pin E projecting from a
moveable slotted arm F, so made that by simply loosening and tightening up a
nut on a fixed stud F11 the centre of the pin E can be set at varying positions
thus tightening up the chain C and at the same time a further chain G working
on the second set of teeth of the wheel D and on those of a third chain wheel H
mounted on a spindle. J which, is thus driven and from which the valves are
.operated.
The wheel H may be attached to the spindle J in such a manner that before the
arm F is moved, it can, by undoing the bolts J¹ which run through slotted holes,
be rendered free to slightly revolve without moving J.; when however, the arm F
has been so moved as to take up the slack of the chains and has again been fixed
by the nut F, the wheel H is again secured to the spindle J by the bolts J' and
as both the crank shaft A and the spindle J have not been moved the setting of
the valves remains undisturbed.
+
The position of the arm F and studs F" may be varied and ordinary tooth
wheels may be used as a substitute for the one chain and its pair of wheels. If
the engine completes its cycle in one revolution of the crank shaft it operates as
follows: The compressed charge having been ignited causes the piston to per-
form its working outstroke which is mad to be of sufficient length to reduce the
pressure in the cylinder down to atmosphere, after which the piston travels on
a... further sufficient distance to draw into the cylinder behind the burnt
gases the desired amount of fresh charge amount of fresh charge. On
the instroke the exhaust valve is kept open until the piston has
driven out to atmosphere as nearly as possible all the burnt gases
in the cylinder, the exhaust valve is then closed and the piston in com-
pleting its instroke compresses the new charge. Any known arrangement of valves
may be employed to accomplish the above cycle but in order that. unused gas may
not be passed out through the exhaust valve I prefer to introduce the gas into the
-cylinder, after the exhaust valve closes rather than to introduce it with the air
during the outstroke.
-
If the engine is worked by oil, the vapouriser of the engine is supplied fromni
a trough K. Fig. 3, connected to a reservoir M by a tap O fixed as near the bottom
of M. as possible, N being an inlet capable of being closed perfectly air tight.
By this arrangement, when the reservoir M has been filled with oil, its inlet N
fastened air tight and the tap O opened, the flow of oil into K continues until it

page_text: has covered the outlet of O at which level the oil automatically maintains itself as
long as there is any oil in the reservoir M.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
-
(1) In a gas or oil motor engine the use of pitch chain gearing arranged sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described.
(2) Constructing gas or oil engines to operate with the cycle herein described.
(3) An oil feed arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1898.
JOSEPH SOUTHALL.