Year: 1888

page_text: I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to ine from abroad by La Société Salomon frères et Tenting of Paris in the
Republic of France and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to gas Engines and it consists in improvements in the
construction and arrangement of the parts as hereinafter described. The said
improvements relate to the arrangement of the admission and exhaust valves the gear
for working the exhaust valve and arrangements for cooling the Cylinder by means
of air passages or channels. The motive power is produced by the explosion of a
mixture of air and common lighting gas hydrocarbon vapour or any other suitable
gaseous compound.
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 sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation of an engine according
to this Invention and figure 2 is a plan of the same partly in horizontal section.
The engine is of the type working with compression and making four strokes of
the piston (2 in and 2 out) to each explosion.
The action is divided into four periods or operations as follows:-1. During the
first stroke or half revolution the piston moves forwards or outwards and draws in air
and gas or vapour in the proper proportions through orifices a and b communicating
with the admission valve. The arrangement of these orifices is clearly shewn in the
section in figure 2 and in elevation in figure 3. During this first period the engine
simply acts as a pump-2. On the return stroke of the piston the mixture previously
drawn into the Cylinder is compressed-3. During the next or second forward stroke
of the piston the explosion takes place. 4. On the following or second in stroke the
piston drives out the burned gases from the Cylinder after which the series of
operations is repeated.

page_text: The gas and air are admitted through a valve e in a box or chest E which is cast in
one piece with a chamber F containing an exhaust valve d. The positions of theso
valves will be readily understood by referring to figure 3 which represents the valve
chest in side and end elevation. The air enters the Cylinder through a series of
orifices 6 and the gas supplied by a suitable pipe enters through an orifice a. The
relative area of the orifices a and b admitting. the air and gas is regulated in such a
manner as to cause the gas and air to be mixed in suitable proportions for producing
the explosion under the most favorable conditions at the proper time.
During the first period of the cycle of operations hereinbefore described a vacuum
is produced on one side of the admission valve e and pressure of the atmosphere acting
on the other side causes the valve to open thereby compressing a spring which tends
to retain the said valve on its seat. At the moment when the piston makes its in
stroke and commences the second period the valve yields to the action of the spring
and returns to its seat. The valve e is pressed against its seat with a force which
increases in proportion to the compression of the gas in the Cylinder. The exhaust
valve d is acted on in like manner and at this time is free to close under the pressure
of the compressed gas. After reaching the end of its in stroke the piston commences to
move forwards or outwards again and at this moment an electric spark is produced
and explodes the gaseous mixture. The piston then makes another in stroke and from
the commencement of this stroke a rod H presses against the end of a rod f on the
exhaust valve d and holds it open during the whole of the time occupied by this
instroke of the piston. The burned gases are thus enabled to escape freely into the
atmosphere until the commencement of the next series of operations. The rod H is
operated by attaching it at one extremity to a crank pin on a toothed wheel M which
describes one revolution to two revolutions of the crank shaft. A certain amount of
play is allowed between the ends of the valve rod f and the rod H in order that the
latter may not hold the exhaust valve open except at the proper time during the
second in stroke.
The peculiar arrangement of the valve box is illustrated in figure 3. This valve
box is cast in one piece bolted to the Cylinder so as to admit of being readily removed
in order to expose the valves for example.
The engine is controlled by ordinary or by the pendulum arrangement hereinafter
described. Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings represent a pendulum arrangement
which is not claimed as part of this Invention. When the engine exceeds a certain
speed an arm h on the rod H strikes against a pair of stops e e² provided with springs
acting as buffers with such rapidity as to cause a pendulum to oscillate through a
wider angle thereby causing a finger t to be inserted between a fixed arm G and
a collar or shoulder J on the valve rod f―This collar or shoulder is thereby prevented
from moving up to the arm G and the exhaust valve d remains open so that the
explosions which take place in the cylinder produce little or no effect on the piston.
The speed of the engine and the amplitude of the oscillations of the pendulum are
thus reduced until the engine returns to its normal rate of speed and the finger ceases
to act upon the valve rod.
The Cylinder is cast or formed with hollow sides forming vertical passages P sur-
rounding the Cylinder as indicated in figures 2 and 3. These passages are entirely
distinct from the ribs or projections which are sometimes employed to cool the
Cylinders of gas Engines and which simply increase the area of radiating surface.
This arrangement of vertical passages or channels produces a draft of air which
circulates rapidly the heated air being continually replaced by fresh air which absorbs
a great amount of the heat of the metal in the sides of the Cylinder. Moreover this
arrangement presents a great extent of radiating surface which further contributes to
the cooling action. The action of the currents of air may be increased by enclosing
the upper ends of the passages and combining them with a discharge pipe or chimney
in order to produce a stronger draught. The arrangement of these lateral passages
also presents the important advantage of supporting and strengthening the sides of
the Cylinder.
The electric spark producing the explosion of the mixture is preferably obtained by

page_text: momentarily interrupting a current and utilising the resulting extra current to produce
the spark as is well understood.
This method of igniting by intermittently interrupting the current in order to obtain
a spark is preferable to intermittently transmitting a current for the same purpose
because in the latter case the apparatus requires to be brought into action for each
explosion and is consequently liable to damage. These disadvantages are obviated by
the method of igniting by interruption.
The arrangement hereinafter described may be conveniently employed for effecting
the ignition according to this known method but any other known or suitable
arrangement may evidently be employed if preferred.
An electric current from a Rhumkorf coil excited by a suitable generator in the
usual manner is caused to flow almost continuously through the frame of the engine
and by interrupting this current a powerful extra current is produced which is caused
to pass through the igniter or into the cylinder and produce the spark which ignites
the explosive mixture. With this object the current is caused to pass through a ring K
carried on the same shaft as the toothed wheel M and electrically connected by a
wire k with a binding post or terminal O. The current of induction which is provided
with a wire leading to earth is conducted to the binding by a wire at 1 and by the
wire k at 2 and flows continuously through the ring K except at the moment when
the rotation of this ring places an insulating piece between it and the wire k the extra
current is then transmitted at 3 by the wire m to the igniter which may be simply
composed of two wires or terminals arranged at a suitable distance apart for producing
the spark in the gaseous mixture or one of these terminals may consist of the wire m
and the other being formed by the side of the cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The general arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the
improvements in gas engines substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Second. A gas Engine Cylinder having hollow sides forming passages serving to
cool the Cylinder by the circulating of air and also serving to strengthen the sides of
the said Cylinder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 2
and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
1
1000