ex
Year: 1899

page_text: JOSEPH CHARLES EUGÈNE MATHIEU, commonly called (Eugène Mathieu) of
31, Avenue Parmentier, Paris, in the French Republic, Engineer, do hereby de-
clare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to certain improvements in valve motion gear for ex-
plosion engines.
In carrying out my invention I actuate the valve or valves of the engine (such
for instance as a four stroke cycle explosion engine) in one direction by means
of an oscillating lever pivoted somewhere about midway of its length, the
oscillations being produced by means of a cam or cams or the like on a counter
shaft while a spring operates them in another direction. The oscillating lever
I prefer to mount eccentrically (such as by means of cams) on its pivot bearings
and I so arrange a governor in connection therewith that the position or eccentri-
city of the point of pivoting can be varied by the movement of such governor
whereby the period of the opening and closing of the valve or valves can be
varied in accordance with the speed of the engine so that the explosion is
rendered automatically dependent upon this speed. One means of effecting this
result is by means of a cone mounted on the countershaft and moveable longi-
tudinally under the action of the governor against a spring such cone working
against a sector having a conical and eccentric periphery which controls the
eccentric pivot bearings of the oscillating lever so that the latter are shifted
and hence the point of piyoting varied. The bearings of the lever are preferably
capable of ready removal.
as by wedging surfaces and balls that it may rotate with the shaft in one direction
The cone on the countershaft is preferably so mounted
out may be free when the shaft runs in the opposite direction. It is preferably
also carried on a sleeve and so held that it may be easily mounted and dismounted.
The oscillating lever or levers for the sake of lightness are preferably when
sed for motor car work made of tubing say of oval section such as used for
vele frames.
The valves operated by the oscillating lever are each (when more than one is
mployed) preferably suspended on a small rocking lever having hooked ends
means of a pair of springs attached to the rods of the valves such rocking
vers being carried-in the case of two valves-one at each end of a common
pporting arm. In this way the springs are removed from proximity to the
alve and are thus prevented from being weakened by heating. The end of
ch oscillating lever where more than one valve is employed may act directly
on the valve stems in one direction while the springs operate them in the other
it in place of acting directly I prefer to cause them to act through a screwed
indle having an end capable of bearing against the end of the valve stem. The
rewed spindle is screwed into the end of the oscillating lever and is capable
being held therein by means of a set screw acting on a split portion or collar
same so that after the screwed spindle is adjusted the set screw mau ha
P1

page_text: to tighten the parts in position. With a set of cylinders placed side by side the
oscillating levers are carried upon a common shaft adjustable as before described.
Dated this 13th day of May 1899.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London,
For the Applicant.
I, JOSEPH CHARLES EUGÈNE MATHIEU, commonly called (Eugène Mathieu) of
31, Avenue Parmentier, Paris, in the French Republic, Engineer, do hereby de-
clare 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 certain improvements in valve motion gear for ex-
plosion engines.
If, as indicated in the diagram Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing where A
is a motor of a four stroke cycle type, there is mounted on a shaft B, rotating
at half the rate of the main shaft, a cam C, which causes a lever or beam D to
regularly oscillate in the direction indicated by the arrows, and the axis of
oscillation of which lever or beam lies at E and the arm of which that lies opposite
to the cam is connected to the exhaust valve F of the motor, there is obtained a
regular lifting and lowering movement of this valve upon its seat and consequently
a regular and uniform admission of the charge at each two revolutions in the
explosion chamber, as will be understood by those acquainted with explosion
engines.
If we suppose the axis of oscillation E to be susceptible of displacement,
parallel to itself, in its bearing, in such a manner for instance as to be capable
of moving from E to E¹ it is evident that the lifting of the exhaust valve will
vary in length and in period according to the displacement of the axis of oscilla-
tion E, so that the admission of the explosive charge will be varied in corre-
sponding proportions.
In connection with the parts of my invention above set out I provide means
for varying this axis of oscillation of the beam ]) such as by a governor, in order
to obtain a distribution which can be regulated by arranging that the axis E
is more displaced as the speed of the motor increases so that the governor pro-
duces a larger movement.
.
It will be evident that the means employed for effecting the variable movement
of opening the exhaust valve by means of an oscillating lever, the axis of which
is displaced under the influence of the governor of the engine, may be of any
appropriate kind, I prefer however to employ those which are herein described
with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent my invention
applied by way of example to a motor of a four-stroke-cycle with two cylinders
placed side by side the cranks of which are supposed to be keyed at the same
angle.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale than the other figures and re-
presents the apparatus, the regulator or governor proper being omitted as well
as the cylinders and their accessories.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan thereof on a smaller scale with the regulator but
without the cylinders.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section.
Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the eccentric sector and its actuating conn

page_text: ing of the actuating cone upon its shaft.
part in transverse section on a larger scale to shew the mou
Fig. 7 is an end view, showing a new method of suspending the exhaust valv
The shaft a of the governor X (see especially Fig. 3) which is mounted in
5 box X is driven at one half the rate for instance of the main shaft of the moto
through the intermediary of a pinion (not represented) gearing with the wheel
carrying oscillating arms as a having weights forming a centrifugal governo
The ends of these arms bear against the end of a central rod b in the hollo
shaft a and which is pressed thus against the action of a spring R which pushe
10 the rod in the direction of the arrow while when the motor exceeds its norma
speed, the rod b is pushed in the opposite direction by the arms a² a³ of th
governor.
The distributing shaft a carries two cams c and c (Fig. 2) upon which th
rollers d and d are adapted to roll, said rollers being carried by the levers o
15 beams e and e¹ which actuate the exhaust valves f and f' such exhaust valve
being under the action of springs the tendency of which is to keep the valves
against their seats. The beams e and e' bear at this end against the ends of the
valve rods and lower the same to open them when the cams operate the rollers.
Thus when the motor is working the exhaust valves will open and close regu-
larly at each two revolutions providing that the speed of the motor does not vary
and that the governor does not come into action.
The beams e and el are both freely mounted on eccentric parts
forming
part (Fig. 3) of a shaft h° h³ the gudgeons of which are mounted in fixed bear-
ings and i¹.
As long as the shaft remains motionless that is as long as the eccentric pieces h
and retain the same position relatively to the valves, the lifting and the closing
of these valves takes place regularly and uniformly in accordance with the initial
adjustment of the different parts of the distributing mechanism.
But if the shaft h° is caused to turn in such a manner as to cause the centre
of the eccentrics, that is, the axis around which the beams e e¹ oscillate to turn
the conditions of the closing and opening of the valves will evidently be changed
These valves will remain closed so much longer as the displacement of the axis
of oscillation relatively to its initial position will be great.
This displacement of the axis of oscillation produced by the partial rotation
of the shaft around its gudgeons, takes place automatically by the action of the
governor, in the following manner.
Upon a middle non-eccentric part h of the shaft h° a sector j is keyed the
periphery of which is conical and at the same time eccentric relatively to the
xis. The periphery of this sector is in contact with the surface of a corre-
ponding cone k, mounted on the distributing shaft a so as to turn with the latter
n one direction but not in the other and capable of sliding thereon longitudinally
Between the cone k and the shaft a a sleeve is interposed made of soft metal
nd capable of carrying the cone along with it in its longitudinal displacement
sit holds the cone by us flange and nut ².
The rod carries a radial pin 61 passing through corresponding slots a of the
aft a thus securing the sleeve and consequently the cone k to the rod b as far
complete longitudinal displacements are concerned.
According to the variations in the speed of the motor, the governor and spring
-operate in longitudinally displacing in one direction or the other the rod b
d consequently the cone k.
if the greater radius of the eccentric sector be placed above and the lesser
lius below (see Fig. 5), so that by its own weight the sector tends to always
hain in contact with the cone and if the rotation of the shaft a takes place in
direction of the arrow (Fig. 5), and the cone k turns with the shaft a in this
ection it will be understood that the sector j will turn partly so as to remain
ays in contact with the cone, the amplitude of this partial rotation being
portional to the longitudinal displacement of the rod b of the governar.

page_text: As the sector j is keyed on the part h* the shaft ho will turn and the eccentric
parts h h will be displaced to the required extent so that the beams e el act upon
the exhaust valves to the amount allowed by the controlling action of the governor.
It is not 'desirable that the cone be actuated by the rotation of the shaft a
"when the latter turns in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow
(Fig. 5) as the eccentric and the cone would become wedged. To obviate this
the cone & is provided with angular grooves k¹ in each of which a ball is located
(Fig. 6). This device as is well known will have the effect of actuating the
cone when the shaft turns in the direction indicated by the arrow and on the
other hand to leave the cone free when the rotation takes place in the opposite
direction.
1
In order to make the beams very light I construct them in a manner analogous
to the forks of bicycles, that is to say, of a tube of preferably oval section.
The beams should be made sufficiently long so that they may act directly upon
the valves without any intermediate mechanisni.
In order that the action of the beams may be regulated and wear and tear
avoided as much as possible, I insert à screwed spindle n into a collar m (Figs. 3,
4 and 7) fitted into the end of the beam and I fix said spindle in its position by
tightening the screw o of the collar m. The spindle a bears against the rounded
end of the valve rod as shewn in Fig. 4.
Generally the spring that maintains the exhaust valve upon its seat is a
spiral spring wound around the rod. To prevent this spring from being weakened
by too intense heating two spiral springs have also already been substituted
therefor which are directly connected to the body of the valve on the one hand
and to a fixed point of support on the other. But this arrangement has not
proved very satisfactory, owing to the springs being in too great a proximity to
the body itself of the valve and within the exhaust conduit.
The device represented in Fig. 7 is intended to remove these inconveniences.
The two ends of a support fixed in any suitable manner to the motor, carry
each a small oscillating lever q, the ends of which form hooks, to which the
springs r r of the valves are hooked. The other ends of the springs are simi-
larly hooked into the hooks of a socket or sleeve s fixed to the valve rod, very
near its end, so that these springs are far from any source of heat and therefore
not subject to weakening. At the same time the device can be easily mounted,
dismounted, inspected and regulated.
It is clear that in this regulating device the normal exhaust is regulated at
the start with the greatest facility and is dependent upon the shape of the dis-
tributing cams, the length of the lever arms of the beams and the adjustment
of the position of the screw spindles nn. The sensitiveness of the governor
and the rapidity with which the variations of the admission are effected, will
moreover depend upon the sensitiveness of the governor proper, the degree of
conicity of the cone k and the eccentricity of the sector j, and at the same time
upon the degree of eccentricity of the axis of oscillation of the beams relatively to
the axis of the shaft which supports them.
In order to facilitate the mounting and dismounting of the beams, the bear-
ings are provided above with a slot sufficient in width to permit of the
gudgeons of shaft ° to be easily introduced and with-drawn. After these
gudgeons have been introduced into the bearings the sockets t t of bronze or
suitable metal are inserted into each bearing, this socket serving as the bearing
proper for the gudgeon of shaft h°. For dismounting, the sockets are first
withdrawn laterally, then the beams and their shaft are removed as one piece,
the gudgeons of shaft h° passing readily out through the slots 2* 2*.
Although I have already described and represented my invention as applied
to a motor with four-stroke-cycle and two cylinders, the cranks of which are
keyed at 360 degrees, it will nevertheless be readily understood that this is only
an example and that the invention may be equally well applied for instance
to motors with a two-stroke-cycle, or to motors with a single cylinder or with

page_text: more than two cylinders, the cranks of which were set or keyed according to
other angles.
I would also point out that the arrangement of the springs of the exhaust
valves may be employed independently of this distributing and regulating device.
With a set of cylinders placed side by side the oscillating levers are carried
upon a common shaft adjustable as before described.
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 valve motion gear for explosion engines actuating the exhaust valve
(placed under the influence of a spring) directly by an oscillating lever, the
oscillations of which are produced by a cam or an equivalent mechanism of the
distributing shaft substantially as described.
2. In a valve gear for explosion engines an oscillating lever controlling the
exhaust valve mounted eccentrically in its support or bearing and means for
varying the eccentricity of the oscillating lever and consequently the period of
opening and closing of the exhaust valve according to the speed of the motor so
that the admission is automatically rendered dependent upon this speed sub-
stantially as described.
3. In a valve gear as described in the preceding claim, the arrangement of a
cone capable of sliding longitudinally upon the distributing shaft under the
action of the governor and a spring, and of operating a sector with a conical and
eccentrical periphery keyed on the axis of oscillation of the distributing lever
substantially as described.
4. In a valve gear, the arrangement of the cone on the distributing shaft.
and means whereby it is actuated by said shaft, when the latter turns in one
direction, and whereby it remains loose, when the shaft turns in the other
direction, while at the same time it is capable of sliding longitudinally, sub-
stantially as described.
5. In a valve gear, the means of mounting the shaft of the oscillating lever in
supports or bearings with the object of facilitating the mounting and the dis-
mounting, substantially as described.
6. In a valve gear, the construction of oscillating lever of tubes of preferably
oval section, substantially as and for the purpose described.
7. In a valve gear, the oscillating lever, acting upon the rod of the exhaust
valve and having a screw threaded rod or spindle, inserted in a slotted collar and
held in place by a binding screw, substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. In a valve gear, grouping upon a common shaft a set of distributing levers
for actuating the exhaust valves of a set of cylinders placed side by side, sub-
stantially as described.
9. In a valve gear, the method of suspending the exhaust valve in the case
of an explosion engine by springs so as to prevent these springs from being
weakened, and for the other purposes indicated, substantially as described with
reference to Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawing.
Datad the 26th day of January 1900
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent, for the Applicant.