Improvements in Starting Devices for Hydrocarbon Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starting Devices for Hydrocarbon Engines.
I, GUSTAV STRUCK, of 30, Stettiner Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a device for starting hydrocarbon engines. The
general purpose of my invention is to start any number of such engines by means
of one and the same crank, provided, said engines be furnished with certain com-
binations and arrangements of parts, such as are described hereinafter. In
general, these parts constitute one half of a coupling, the other half of which is
attached to, or forms part of, the boss of the crank afore mentioned. Besides
the general purpose afore mentioned, a particular purpose of the same consists
in preventing the operator from being hurt in case the explosion of the mixture
of gas and air occurs too early, so that the shaft of the engine is driven in the
reversed direction.
The
A crown wheel with ratchet teeth and forming a kind of collar or boss is secured
to one end of the driving shaft of the hydrocarbon engine, the connection being
preferably effected by a spindle or bolt having a screw threaded part; this part
takes into a correspondingly threaded bore of the shaft of the engine.
spindle or bolt may be used as a pivot or guide for the other half of the coupling.
The reduced part of the crown wheel is encompassed by a sleeve provided
with ratchet teeth around its periphery. These teeth co-operate with a pawl
attached to a suitable part of the frame of the engine. The sleeve is provided
with recesses or cuts. The boss of the crank constitutes the other half of the
coupling, and forms also a crown wheel with ratchet teeth. The number and
position of these teeth corresponds to the number and position of the teeth of the
first crown wheel, the arrangement being such that the teeth mesh with each
other when the boss or crown wheel is shoved upon the bolt or spindle, and the
direction of inclination of the ratchet teeth being such, that the second crown
wheel is turned by the first crown wheel, when the crank is moved in the direction
of the hands of a clock, and the shaft of the engine will also be turned by means
of the second crown wheel or collar or boss.
The first crown wheel or boss is furnished with rolls the number and position
of which corresponds to the number and position of the cuts or recesses of the
sleeve. Before or whilst shoving the boss upon the bolt, the parts are so arranged
with regard to each other, that the rolls take into the recesses as otherwise the
teeth of the one crown wheel cannot take into the teeth of the other crown wheel.
When the engine has been started by turning its driving shaft by means of
the device afore described, the speed of that shaft will soon increase and the second
crown wheel will thus turn quicker than the first crown wheel, the speed of motion

page_text: of the latter being of course, dependent on the speed of the hand crank. In
consequence of the difference in speed thus occurring the teeth of the one will
glide along the teeth of the other thus displacing the boss in the direction to
the free end of the bolt until the coupling between the two parts is interrupted
when the crank may simply be drawn off said bolt.
If the mixture of gas and air should explode too early, so that the shaft of
the engine is turned in the reverse direction, the teeth of the one crown wheel
will counteract the teeth of the other and the crank will receive a heavy shock,
so that the operator may easily be hurt. To prevent such an accident a toothed
sleeve and the pawl have been provided. When the crown wheel is turned in
the reverse direction by the shaft of the engine, the sleeve will be prevented by
the pawl against turning together with the wheel. Owing thereto, the rolls
which are secured to the other crown wheel and are thus caused to revolve when
this wheel is turned, will, thus, be compelled to roll along the inclined surfaces
constituting the recesses, so that finally they leave these recesses. Whilst this
takes place the teeth of the one crown wheel are drawn out of the teeth of the other,
so that consequently the coupling between the two parts is automatically inter-
rupted. The compulsory movement imparted to the crank is thus but very short
and is in fact so short that an accident cannot possibly result therefrom.
Dated this 14th day of March 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Starting Devices for Hydrocarbon Engines.
I, GUSTAV STRUCK, of 30, Stettiner Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, 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 ;-
This invention relates to a device for starting hydrocarbon engines. The
general purpose of my invention is to start any number of such engines by means
of one and the same crank, provided said engines be furnished with certain com-
binations and arrangements of parts, such as are described hereinatter. In
general, these parts constitute one half of a coupling, the other half of which is
attached to, or forms part of, the boss of the crank afore mentioned. Besides
the general purpose afore mentioned, a particular purpose of the same consists
in preventing the operator from being hurt in case the explosion of the mixture
of gas and air occurs too early, so that the shaft of the engine is driven in the
reversed direction.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying draw-
ing, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the different views,
and in which Fig. 1 shows that part of the coupling which is secured to the shaft
ot the engine. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the coupling. Fig. 3 shows the other
part of the coupling. Fig. 4 is a section in line 6-7 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5
shows a side view of a sleeve forming part of the first mentioned half of the
coupling.
My improved device or coupling is constructed as follows:-
A crown-wheel c Figs. 12 and 4, with ratchet teeth b¹, and forming a kind

page_text: of collar or boss, is secured to one end of the driving shaft of the hydrocarbon
engine the connection being preferably effected by a spindle or bolt h, having
a screw-threaded part h¹; this part h¹ takes into a correspondingly threaded
bore of the shaft of the engine. The spindle or bolt h may be used as a pivot
or guide for the other half of the coupling.
The reduced part of the crown wheel c is encompassed by a sleeve d, Figs. 1
24 and 5, provided with ratchet teeth around its periphery. These teeth co-
operate with a pawl g, Fig. 1, attached to a suitable part of the frame of the
engine. The sleeve d is provided with recesses or cuts e Figs. 1 4 and 5 located
diametrically one to the other. The boss a Figs. 2 and 3 of the crank i consti-
tutes the other half of the coupling, and forms also a crown wheel with ratchet
teeth b, Fig. 3. The number and position of these teeth b corresponds to the
number and position of the teeth 61, the arrangement being such that the teeth b
and 6 mesh with each other when the boss or crown wheel a is shoved upon the
bolt or spindle h, and the direction of inclination of the ratchet teeth b 6¹ being
such, that the crown wheel c is turned by the crown wheel a when the crank i
is moved in the direction of the hands of a clock, and the shaft of the engine
will also be turned by means of the crown wheel or collar or boss c.
The crown wheel or boss « is furnished with rolls f, the number and position
of which corresponds to the number and position of the cuts or recesses é of the
sleeve d. Before or whilst shoving the boss a upon the bolt h, the parts a and d
are so arranged with regard to each other, that the rolls f take into the recesses e
as otherwise the teeth b cannot take into the teeth b¹.
When the engine has been started by turning its driving shaft by means of
the device afore described, the speed of that shaft will soon increase and the
crown wheel e will thus turn quicker than the crown wheel a, the speed of
motion of the latter being, of course, dependent on the speed of the hand crank i.
In consequence of the difference in speed thus occurring, the teeth b₁ of the one
will glide along the teeth of the other, thus displacing the boss a in the direction
to the free end of the bolt h, until the coupling between the two parts a and c
is interrupted, when the crank may simply be drawn off said bolt.
If the mixture of gas and air should explode too early, so that the shaft of
the engine is turned in the reverse direction the teeth 61 will counteract the
teeth and the crank h will receive a heavy shock, so that the operator may
easily be hurt. To prevent such an accident a toothed sleeve d and the pawl g
have been provided. When the crown wheel c is turned in the reverse direction
by the shaft of the engine, the sleeve c will be prevented by the pawl g against
turning together with the wheel. Owing thereto, the rolls f which are secured
to the crown wheel a and are thus caused to revolve when this wheel is turned,
will, thus, be compelled to roll along the inclined surfaces constituting the
recesses e so that finally they leave these recesses. Whilst this takes place the
teeth are drawn out of the teeth 61, so that consequently the coupling between
the two parts a and c is automatically interrupted.
The compulsory movement imparted to the crank i is thus but very short and
is, in fact, so short that an accident cannot possibly result therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
In a starting device for hydrocarbon engines, the combination with a crown
wheel c with ratchet teeth b¹, secured to the driving shaft of the engine, of another
crown wheel a with ratchet teeth b, forming the boss of a crank, and adapted to
mesh with said former wheel, a sleeve d having ratchet-teeth located around
its periphery, and encompassing the wheel d, and being coupled to the same by
feather and groove; recesses e provided in said sleeve, rolls f attached to the
wheel a and arranged so as to take into said recesses and a pawl g attached to the

page_text: engine and arranged so as to co-operate with the ratchet teeth of the sleeve,
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of May 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.