Improvements in Gas Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY of No. 5 Regent Street Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to such gas engines (that is engines actuated by a
mixture of inflammable gas or vapour with atmospheric air) as operate by a cycle of
four strokes namely first drawing in the gaseous charge next compressing the said
charge afterwards firing the compressed charge and finally expelling the residual
gases and products of combustion.
The principal object of my invention is to simplify the mechanism whereby the
cycle of operations referred to is performed and consists mainly of the construction
and combination of parts hereinafter described. My invention consists further of the
mechanism hereinafter described for regulating the speed of the said engines. On the
crank shaft of the engine I fix an eccentric the part of longest radius being at
right angles to the crank. By means of a clip and connecting rod the eccentric is
made to communicate a to and fro motion to a slide by which slide the motions of the
parts of the mechanism are effected. This slide works in a guide bracket on the
side of the cylinder of the engine.
.
In advance of this slide and working on a pin or centre on the side of the
cylinder is an oscillating lever the end of the long arm of which is inclined
upwards. A roller on the slide bearing upon the inner face of the turned up end of
the long arm of the oscillating lever depresses the said arm when the slide moves
outwards raising the short but heavier arm of the lever and when the slide moves
inwards it permits the heavy short arm of the oscillating lever to descend. By the
operation of the slide upon the oscillating lever described and upon its adjuncts the
actions hereinafter described are performed.
The short arm of the oscillating lever carries a tubular guide in which a rod slides.
When the short arm of the oscillating lever is in its lowest position this rod is in
line with the slide and in advance of the said rod and in line with it is the spindle
of the exhaust valve. The gas lever has at top a link or rod the free end of which
rests on a roller carried by the long arm of the oscillating lever and is raised out of
and lowered into a horizontal position by the rising and falling of the long arm of
the oscillating lever. The slide carries near its rear end a return taper ended rod
of the kind called a "pecker." The free end of the gas lever link is forked and
when the said lever is depressed below a horizontal position the return motion of the
slide engages the "pecker" in the forked end of the gas lever but when the gas
lever is raised the pecker does not engage with it. Opposite the end of the oscillating
lever is an arresting pawl which when raised is held temporarily by a spring friction
clip. This pawl is liberated when necessary from its clip by an arm on the spindle of
the exhaust valve striking against its lower end. When the short arm of the
oscillating lever is depressed into a horizontal position the rod in its tubular guido is
in line with the slide. That is the slide the said rod and the spindle of the exhaust
valve are all in line but the free end of the gas lever link is raised above the end of
the pecker.
The action of the parts is as follows:-I will suppose the piston of the engine to
have commenced its instroke. The end of the slide advances towards the closed
end of the cylinder by the motion of the eccentric on the crank shaft. The exhaust
valve is thereby opened and the advancing piston clears out the residual gases and
As the
products of combustion to an extent equal to the length of its stroke.
exhaust valve approaches its wide open position the arm carried by the spindle of the

page_text: exhaust valve liberates the pawl from the spring clip by pressing on its lower end.
The liberated pawl falls by its own weight onto the end of the short arm of the
oscillating lever. On the reverse motion of the slide the exhaust valve closes. The
roller on the slide comes in contact with the inclined end of the oscillating lever and
depresses it. The pawl falls under the raised short end of the oscillating lever and
for the time being prevents its descent. The next time the slide travels towards
the closed end of the cylinder the rod in the tubular guide on the short arm of the
oscillating lever being inclined upwards missos in its motion the spindle of the
exhaust valve passing over it and striking the middle of the pawl forces it back into
the spring clip by which it is for the time being held. The oscillating lever can now
fall into the position in which it operates on the spindle of the exhaust valve opening
it during the exhaust stroke of the piston. Thus during the compressing stroke of
the piston the exhaust valve is not opened.
I govern the engine by the roller on the long arm of the oscillating lever the
forked end of the gas lever link and the pecker. When the engine is working at its
normal speed the pecker operates the gas lever but when the speed of the engine
exceeds the normal speed the momentum of the long arm of the oscillating lever
depresses it beyond its normal position and the pecker no longer engages in the
forked end of the depressed gas lever link and gas is not supplied to the
engine. On the return of the engine to its normal speed the pecker operates
the gas lever.
To determine the normal speed of the engine I fix a small sliding bolt on the
oscillating lever which bolt is held in position by a spring. The end of the sliding
bolt presses against an adjusting screw fitted in a bracket on the side of the cylinder.
This screw can be made to press against the sliding bolt more or less as required and
the normal speed of the engine thereby determined.
The parts of the gas engine which I have not described resemble substantially
those of ordinary gas engines of the type to which my invention refers and I do not
consider it necessary to describe the same.
Dated this 27th day of February 1889.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY of No. 5 Regent Street Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to such gas engines (that is, engines actuated by a
mixture of inflammable gas or vapour with atmospheric air) as operate by a cycle of
four strokes, namely, first drawing in the gaseous charge; next compressing the said
charge; afterwards firing the compressed charge and finally expelling the residual
gases and products of combustion.
The principal object of my invention is to simplify the mechanism whereby the
cycle of operations referred to is performed and consists mainly of the construction
and combination of parts hereinafter described. My invention consists further of the
mechanism hereinafter described for regulating the speed of the said engines.
On the crank shaft of the engine I fix an eccentric the part of longest radius being
at right angles to the crank. By means of a clip and connecting rod the eccentric is
made to communicate a to and fro motion to a slide by which slide the motions of the
parts of the mechanism are effected.
This slide works in a guide bracket on the side of the cylinder of the engine.
In advance of this slide and working on a pin or centre on the side of the cylinder
is an oscillating lever the end of the long arm of which is inclined upwards. A roller
on the slide bearing upon the inner face of the turned up end of the long arm of the

page_text: oscillating lever depresses the said arm when the slide moves outwards raising the.
short but heavier arm of the lever and when the slide moves inwards it permits the
heavy short arm of the oscillating lever to descend. By the operation of the slide
upon the oscillating lever described and upon its adjuncts the actions hereinafter
describedare performed.
.
The short arm of the oscillating lever carries a tubular guide in which a rod slides.
When the short arm of the oscillating lever is in its lowest position the said rod is in
line with the slide and in advance of the said rod and in line with it is the spindle of
the exhaust valve. The gas lever has at top a link or rod the free end of which rests
on a roller carried by the long arm of the oscillating lever and is raised out of and
lowered into a horizontal position by the rising and falling of the long arm of the
oscillating lever.
"
The slide carries near its rear end a return taper ended rod of the kind called a
pecker." The free end of the gas lever link is forked and when the said lever is
depressed below a horizontal position the return motion of the slide engages the
"pecker" in the forked end of the gas lever but when the gas lever is raised the
pecker does not engage with it. Opposite the end of the oscillating lever is an
arresting pawl which when raised is held temporarily by a spring friction clip. This
pawl is liberated when necessary from its clip by an arm on the spindle of the exhaust
valve striking against its lower end. When the short arm of the oscillating lever is
depressed into a horizontal position the rod in its tubular guide is in line with the
slide. That is, the slide, the said rod and the spindle of the exhaust valve are all in
line but the free end of the gas lever link is raised above the end of the pecker.
The normal speed of the engine is determined by a spring sliding bolt on the
weighted arm of the oscillating lever pressing against an adjusting screw carried by
the fixed bracket of the engine.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation; Figure 2 in plan and Figure 3 in end eleva-
tion partly in cross section a portion of a gas engine of the kind described to which
mechanism constructed according to my invention is applied.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
a (see Figure 2) is the eccentric rod to which a reciprocating motion is given from
an eccentric on the crank shaft of the engine. The said eccentric, its clip and the
crank shaft are not represented in the drawing as they constitute no part of my
Invention. The eccentric rod a is jointed to the slide b working in the guide
bracket c on the side of the cylinder d of the engine. The slide 6 partakes of the
reciprocating motion of the said eccentric rod a and by means of the reciprocating
slide 6 the motions of the parts of the mechanism are effected: f, f, f³ is the
oscillating lever of the mechanism working on the pin or centre e carried in a
bracket forming a continuation of the bracket c. It will be seen by an examination of
Figure 1 that the end 2 of the armf of the oscillating lever is inclined upwards and that
the other arm f³ is made heavier than the arm f, f; g is a roller on the slide 6 bearing
on the inner face of the turned up end of the arm f. The roller g when the slide
moves outwards depresses the arm ff by working up the inclined end 2 thereby
raising the heavier arm f³ of the lever and when the slide 6 moves inwards or in
the opposite direction to that described it permits the heavy arm f³ to descend by its
As will herein after be seen it is
weight into the position represented in Figure 1.
by the operation of the slide 6 upon the oscillating lever f, f, f³ and its adjuncts.
that the actions hereinafter described are performed.
2
On the heavy armƒ³ of the oscillating lever is a tubular guide h in which a spring
pressed rod i slides. When the arm f³ is in its lowest position as represented in the
drawing, the rod i is in line with the reciprocating slide band also in line with the
said rod is the spindle k of the exhaust valve l.
Opposite the rear end of the oscillating lever and turning on the centres carried
by the case of the exhaust valve spindle k, is an arresting pawl which when raised

page_text: into a vertical position as represented in Figure 1 is engaged between the arms or
branches of the spring clip t, t by which it is temporarily held in that position. On
the outer end of the exhaust valve spindle k is an arm u which by striking against
the lower end of the said arresting pawl turns the said pawl on its centre, and
liberates it from the spring clip t, t; m³ (see Figure 2) is the gas valve and is the.
gas valve rod having a wedge shaped end m bearing on a roller on the spindle.of.the.
gas valve m³ for operating the said valve; m is the gas valve lever having at top
the link or rod n the free end of which rests on the roller p carried by the arm f of
the oscillating lever. The end of the gas lever link n is forked. By the raising and
falling of the arm of the oscillating lever the link n of the gas valve lever mis
raised out of and lowered into a horizontal position and the gas valve m³ thereby
opened or permitted to close; q is the "pecker" on the slide b. The said pecker
consists of a return arm having a taper end. When the link n of the gas valve
lever m is depressed by the action of the oscillating lever f, f, f³ so as to bring the
said link in a line with the pecker the return motion of the slide b engaging the
pecker with the forked end of the gas valve lever link and advancing the said link
opens the gas valve m³ through the operation of the lever m rod m² wedge m' and
spindle of the said valve (see Figure 2). When the gas lever link n is raised into the
position represented in Figure 1 the pecker does not engage with the link n and the
gas valve is not operated upon. It will be seen by an examination of Figure 1 that
when the weighted arm 3 of the oscillating lever is depressed into a horizontal
position the rod i in the tubular guide h is in line with the slide and the rod i is in
line with the spindle of the exhaust valve but the free end of the gas lever link n is
raised above the end of the pecker q.
The action of the parts is as follows:-I will suppose the piston of the gas engine
to have commenced its instroke and the several parts of the mechanism to have the
respective positions represented in the drawing. The end of the slide b advances in
the direction of the arrow in Figure 1 towards the closed end of the cylinder d by the
motion of the eccentric on the crank shaft herein before referred to. The exhaust
valve is thereby opened or lifted from its seat and the advancing piston in the
cylinder d clears out the residual gases and products of combustion to an extent equal
to the length of its stroke. As the exhaust valve approaches its wide open position
the arm u carried by the spindle k of the said exhaust valve / strikes against and presses
back the lower arm of the arresting pawl and the upper arm of the said pawl moving
in a direction contrary to that indicated by the arrow Figure 1 is liberated from the
spring clip t, t. The liberated pawl r falls by its own weight onto the end of the
weighted arm of the oscillating lever f. ff. On the reverse motion of the slide b
the exhaust valve closes by the action of its spring and the roller g on the slide b
coming in contact with the inclined 2 of the oscillating lever depresses the said end f
and raises the end f³. The pawl falls under the raised end of the oscillating lever
and engaging in the angle for the time being prevents the descent of the said end f3
of the lever. The next time the slide travels towards the closed end of the cylinder,
or in the direction of the arrow, the rod in the tubular guide on the weighted
arm of the oscillating lever being inclined upwards and supported in that position
by the arresting pawl the said rod i misses in its motion the spindle k of the exhaust
valve passing over it and striking against the projection on the upper arm of the
arresting pawl r forces it back into the spring clip t by which it is for the time being
held. The weighted arm f³ of the oscillating lever being thus liberated falls by its own
weight into the position in which it operates on the spindle of the exhaust valve 1;
that is, into the position represented in Figure 1 for opening the said valve during
the exhaust stroke of the piston. Thus during the compressing stroke of the piston
the exhaust valve / is not opened.
I govern the engine by the roller 9 on the arm f of the oscillating lever, the
forked end of the gas lever link n and the pecker q. When the engine is working
at its normal speed the pecker operates the gas lever by engaging in the mouth or
fork of the gas lever link n but when the speed of the engine exceeds the normal

page_text: speed the momentum of the arm f of the oscillating lever depresses it beyond its
normal position and the pecker no longer engages in the forked end of the de-
pressed gas lever link and gas is not supplied to the engine. The speed of the
engine is consequently reduced and on the return of the engine to its normal speed
the pecker again operates the gas lever m.
To determine the normal speed of the engine 1 fix a small sliding bolt on the
arm of the oscillating lever which bolt is held in position by a coiled spring.
The end of the sliding bolt presses against an adjusting screw y fitted in a small
boss in one piece with the fixed bracket c on the side of the cylinder d.
This screw y can be made to press against the sliding bolt a more or less as
required and the normal speed of the engine thereby determined. The greater
the tension put on the spring of the rod the higher is the normal speed of the
engine.
Although I prefer placing the link n in the position represented yet I do not limit
myself to that position as the said link may by slight modification of parts be
operated upon by the short or heavy end of the oscillating lever.
The parts of the gas engine which I have not described and represented resemble
substantially those of ordinary gas engines of the type to which my invention refers
and I do not consider it necessary to describe or represent the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my_inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in gas engines
:-
First. The combination in gas engines of the type hereinbefore referred to of an
oscillating lever to which motion is given by the to and fro motion of a slide worked
by an eccentric and rod (or their equivalents) from the crank shaft of the engine, the
said oscillating lever being constructed and applied and acting substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing..
Secondly. The combination with the oscillating lever claimed in the prior claim of
an arresting pawl and appliances connected with it hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing for temporarily arresting the descent of the
raised arm of the oscillating lever and preventing its operation on the exhaust valve
during the compressing stroke of the piston of the gas engine.
Thirdly. Supporting the gas lever link preferably below the inclined or turned up
end of the oscillating lever and raising the said link out of and lowering it into a
horizontal position by the motion of the said end of the oscillating lever for the
purpose and substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompany-
ing Drawing.
Lastly. The combination of the spring sliding bolt on the weighted arm of the
oscillating lever with an adjusting screw on the fixed part of the engine for deter-
mining the normal speed of the engine substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Dated the Thirteenth day of November 1889.
CHARLES WILLIAM PINKNEY.