Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines.
We, GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, Manufacturer, and EDWIN RUUD, Mechanical
Engineer, residing in the City of Pittsburg, County of Allegheny, State of Pennsyl-
vania, United States of America, 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; —
The object of our invention is to provide an improvement in internal combustion
engines; and to this end it consists in means for cooling certain movable parts of
the engine, and in certain combinations and features of construction, hereinafter
set forth.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate applications of our invention,
Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the cylinder and crank case of an
internal combustion engine showing an embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2, a
section on the same plane as Figure 1, but showing only a part of the engine
cylinder with a modification of the means whereby a cooling fluid may be supplied
to the exhaust valve of the engine; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectional view of the exhaust
valve shown in Figures 1 and 2; Fig. 4, a sectional view showing a modification of
our improvement by which the cooling fluid is supplied from the water jacket
of the cylinder to the interior of the piston; Fig. 5, a section similar to that of
Figure 4, showing means for supplying the cooling fluid from a source outside of
the cylinder jacket; Fig. 6, a sectional view on the line y-y of Figure 7, showing
a further modification in which the fluid may be supplied to and discharged from
the piston through a sliding or telescopic connection; and Fig. 7, a section on the
linex of Figure 6.
In internal combustion engines, the exhaust valve and the end of the main piston,
on which the working pressure is exerted, are exposed to the action of the hot gases
during the whole of the working and exhaust strokes of the engine, and the con-
sequence is that, if unprovided with means for cooling, they will always be at a
very high temperature, and in some cases sufficiently high to prematurely ignite
the gas. By our invention, efficient and comparatively simple and inexpensive
means are provided for circulating a cooling fluid through those parts and thereby
preventing any objectionable degree of heating.
In Figure 1, of the drawings, the cylinder, 1, of the engine is mounted on a
crank case, 2, and is surrounded on a part of its length by a jacket, 3, within which
a cooling medium is circulated for the purpose of preventing injurious over-heating
of the cylinder. The cylinder head, 4, is provided with a jacket, 5, and the space
through which the cooling medium is passed around the cylinder, is, preferably, in
communication with the space enclosed by the jacket or cylinder head.
The main piston, 6, is connected by a connecting rod, 7, with the crank, 8, on
the main shaft; and in the upper portion of the piston is formed a chamber, 9,
which is provided with a port or passage, 10, so located that it is adapted to register.
with a passage, 11, in the wall of the cylinder, when the piston is at or near the lower
end of its stroke. The passage, 11, communicates with the interior of the jacket, 3,
and when the piston is at or near the lower end of its stroke, the chamber, 9, is

page_text: in communication with the interior of the jacket, 3. A passage, 12, through the
wall of the piston, is adapted to connect the chamber, 9, with a port, or cavity, 13,
when the piston is at or near the lower extremity of its stroke, and a pipe, or
passage, 14, leads from the cavity, 13.
When a cooling fluid is supplied to the jacket around the cylinder, and the
piston, 6, moves into position to connect the ports, or passages, 10, and 11, a portion
of the cooling fluid will pass through those passages, into the chamber, 9, in the
piston, 6, and at the same time, and during the time that the passage, 12, is in com-
munication with the cavity, 13, fluid will flow from the chamber, 9, through the
passage, 12, and cavity, 13, and be discharged through the pipe, or passage, 14.
When the piston moves from the position which it occupies in Figure 1, and
during its upward and downward stroke, the flow through the passage, 11, from
the jacket, and the flow through the passage, 12, from the chamber, 9, will be cut
off, and chamber, 9, will be kept charged with fluid during the upward and down-
ward stroke of the piston.
When the piston approaches the end of its downward stroke, the passage, 12,
will register with the cavity, 13, before the passage, 10, registers with the
passage, 11, and there will be little or no resistance to the passage of the cooling
Huid into the chamber, 9, through the passages, 11, and 10.
If water or other liquid be employed as the cooling fluid, it may flow to and
through the pipe, 14, by the action of gravity only, or it may, if preferred, be forced
through and out of the piston under pressure, no matter what the fluid may be.
In order to avoid explosion by pressure generated from the fluid within the
piston, we may provide a safety or relief valve, 15, for controlling a passage leading
from the chamber, 9, into the open ended trunk of the piston, and through which
the pressure may be relieved and fluid discharged into the crank case. The valve 15
is normally held to its seat by spring, 16.
:
In order that the pipe, 14, and cavity, 13, may be quickly and surely cleared by
water before the return of the piston, it is preferred that the lower end of the piston
should pass above the cavity, 13, or at least partly uncover it, when the piston moves
to the upper end of its stroke, so as to permit water to drain therefrom into the
crank case.
As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the exhaust valve, 17, is provided with a down-
wardly extending stem, 18, which may be operated by any preferred means so as to
open and close the exhaust passage, 19, at the proper times, and the valve and stem
are made hollow and provided with means for circulating water or other cooling
fluid therethrough.
In Figure 1, of the drawings, a collar, 20, is clamped or otherwise rigidly secured
on the stem, 18, and a nipple, 21, formed on the collar, is provided with a passage, 23,
which connects at one end with the passage, 24, formed on the stem, 18, and which
at its other end, opens into the flexible pipe, or hose, 22, which is secured to the
nipple, 21. The flexible pipe or hose, 22, may be connected with any pipe, passage,
or vessel from which the cooling fluid is to be supplied and it should be of such
length and flexibility as to permit the necessary reciprocating movement of the
stem, 18, by which the valve is opened and closed. The cooling fluid passes
through the pipe, 22, passages, 23, and 24, and fills the chamber, 25, in the valve, 17,
from which it flows through the passages, 26, into the exhaust passage, 19, and is
discharged with the burnt gases through the exhaust pipe, 27.
In Figure 2, of the drawings, the valve and its stem are of substantially the same
construction as the valve and stem shown in Figure 1, but the means for connecting 5
the passage, 24, in the stem, with the water supply are somewhat different. Instead
of supplying the water or other cooling fluid through a flexible pipe, or hose, the
end of which is movable with the stem, 18, we provide a bracket, 28, which is rigidly
secured to a fixed part of the engine or frame, and which has a passage through it,
in which the stem, 18, is adapted to reciprocate. The port, 31, at the lower end of 5
the passage, 24, in the stem, 18, opens into this passage in the bracket, and com-
municates with a cavity, or chamber, 30, to which the cooling fluid is supplied

page_text: through the pipe, 29, and the movement of the stem, 18, is such that the port, 31,
never passes beyond the stuffing-boxes, 32, which are provided to prevent leakage
around the stem.
In Figure 4, of the drawings, we have shown a modification of the means for
cooling the piston, in which the fluid is supplied from the cylinder jacket through
outside connecting pipes, 33, and 34, in order that the supply of water or other cool-
ing fluid, which is admitted to the interior of the piston may be regulated at will
by means of the valve, 35.
In Figure 5, the cooling fluid is supplied through a pipe, 36, from any external
source, and the quantity of fluid admitted through the pipe, 34, is controlled by a
valve, 35.
In Figures 6 and 7, of the drawings, we have shown a modification in which the
fluid is supplied to the interior of the piston, and discharged therefrom, through
telescopic, or sliding, pipe connections. Pipes, 37, and 38, communicate with the
interior of the boxes, or cored out projecting parts, 39, and 40, which may be
secured to or formed integral with the crank case. Pipes, 41, and 42, are connected
at one end to the boxes, 39, and 40, and their opposite ends open into the pipes, 433,
and 44, which are secured to the piston, 6, and communicate with the chamber, 9,
in the piston. The ends of the pipes, 43, and 44, are provided with stuffing-boxes,
which fit around and slide on the pipes, 41, and 42, as the piston moves up and
down, and which prevent leakage of the cooling fluid. Either of the pipes, 37,
and 38, may be employed as the supply pipe, and the other as the discharge pipe.
If the fluid enter through the pipe, 37, it will pass through the box, 39, pipes, 41,
and 43, through the chamber, 9, in the piston, and will be discharged through the
pipes, 44, 42, or 40, and pipe, 38.
By means of the construction shown in Figures 6 and 7, a continuous circulation
of fluid through the piston may be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and a piston,
of a chamber, or cavity, in the piston, and means for supplying a cooling fluid to the
interior of the piston.
2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and a
piston, of a chamber or passage in the piston and means for circulating a cooling
fluid through the piston.
3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with the main piston, of
passages formed in a stationary part of the engine, and connections from the
passages to the interior of the piston, whereby a cooling fluid may be circulated
through the piston.
4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a piston having a
passage therein for receiving a cooling fluid, of a passage formed in a stationary part
of the engine, and a shifting or sliding connection between the stationary passage
and the passage in the piston.
5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and a piston,
of a chamber or passage in the piston, and a passage in the wall of the cylinder for
admitting a cooling fluid to the interior of the piston.
6. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and a
piston, of a chamber, or passage, in the piston, and passages in the wall of the
cylinder, for admitting a cooling fluid to and discharging it from the interior of
the piston.
7. The combination, with the piston, of a chamber, or cavity, therein, and a safety
or relief valve controlling a passage leading from the chamber.
8. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a piston, of a chamber
and passages in the piston through which a cooling medium may be circulated and
a safety or relief valve for permitting a relief of pressure within the piston.

page_text: 9. The combination, with a cylinder and a passage communicating therewith,
of a hollow valve and means whereby a fluid may be supplied to the interior of
the valve.
10. The combination, with a cylinder and a passage communicating therewith,
of a hollow valve and means whereby a cooling fluid may be circulated through
the valve.
11. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and an
exhaust passage leading therefrom, of a valve controlling the exhaust passage,
and means for cooling the exhaust valve.
12. In an internal combustion engine, the combination, with a cylinder and a
passage communicating there with, of a hollow valve having a stem with a
passage formed in it, and a connection with the passage in the stem through which
a cooling fluid is supplied to the interior of the valve.
13. In an internal combustion engine, an exhaust valve having a chamber or
cavity, therein, means for supplying a cooling fluid to the interior of the valve,
and a passage, or passages, through which the fluid may be discharged from the
valve into the exhaust passage.
14. In an internal combustion engine, an exhaust passage, a valve controlling
the passage, and means for discharging water into the passage through the valve.
Dated at Pittsburg Pennsylvania. this 5th day of April AD. 1898.
Witnesses
H. A. CROOK,
T. J. HOGAN.
GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE,
EDWIN RUUD.