Improvements in Engine "Exhausts."
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1897
Improvements in Engine "Exhausts."
I SAMUEL HUBBARD JAMES of 3 Douglas Villas, Streatham Common Civil
Engineer 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 this invention is to minimise, if not entirely obviate the
objectionable noise & vibration, due to what may be called the puff, puff
emitted at every stroke of the piston by all classes of noncondensing engines
whether belonging to the type of steam hot air, gas or those classified as oil
engines including petroleum &c.
The chief utility will naturally be in connection with the engines of motor cars
or road vehicles used in public thorofares & secondly to a lesser degree for
stationary engines also.
The intermittent or successive discharges from the cylinders creates the well
known puff, puff, whereas if the discharges or "exhaust" is so manipulated as
to be let out into the air in a continuous stream instead of by intermittent jerks
as at present, the noise & vibration would be less objectionable.
To obtain this result I cushion the "exhaust" by allowing the exhaust gases to
pass into an air or gas chamber or vessel before being discharged into open space.
The cubic capacity of this air or gas. chamber or vessel I make as large as
convenient, though its form may be of any shape best suited to the special
requirements of any particular case.
For the purpose of example I will assume that it is desired to apply this invention
to an existing road motor vehicle & to apply it in a simple rough & ready manner
as follows. I place say an ordinary empty beer barrel under the seat or other
convenient part of the road vehicle & use the barrel for my air or gas chamber or
vessel, I then lead the exhaust pipe or pipes & fix it or them into the bung hole of
the empty beer barrel, I further provide the barrel with a suitable tap, throttle,
vent hole or valve so that I can regulate the exit of the gases into the open air,
nothing more is essential, for the puff, puff, of the exhaust would be "cushioned"
in the beer barrel & the gases would escape not by spasmodic jerks, but in more
or less of a continuous stream when the engine was at work.
Obviously the seat itself could be made of a box form & used similarly for the
air or gas chamber or vessel instead of the aforesaid beer barrel,
Generally for road vehicles or those which might come under the class of motor
carriages driven either by steam or the various forms of oil or gas engines I prefer
to make my air or gas chamber or vessel serve the double purpose of air or gas
clamber & dust or dirt protector to the working parts. In such cases I prefer to
construct my air or gas chamber so as to surround & envelop the cylinders,
exhaust hole or pipe & all the working parts including the crank shaft, leaving
two circular holes for the round part of the shaft to work through, so that the
whole engine is practically boxed up inside the air or gas chamber which of course
is made large enough in proportion. In such cases I provide suitable manhole
doors slides or openings to this box air or gas chamber, so that when desired they
may be easily opened to examine, repair, or lubricate the working parts.
It must be clearly understood that I do not limit myself to any particular form
or shape nor any special position for the air or gas chamber, nor for its fittings

page_text: doors or manholes, as all these must necessarilly depend upon the special
requirements necessitated by the build of the particular engine or carriage
or both.
As the essential element in this invention consists in discharging the exhaust
into an air or gas chamber, thus "cushioning" & equallizing the pressure before
the gases are discharged into open space through a throttled exit, no drawing are
required, it being immaterial what the form, shape, or position of the air or gas
chamber may be, provided only that the exhaust goes in & is cushioned by the air
or gas in the chamber & fically allowed to escape by a suitable opening.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a gaseous pressure engine & an air or gas chamber or
vessel into which the gaseous exhaust from the cylinder or cylinders is discharged
& cushioned previous to its exit into open space such air or gas chamber being
provided with suitable openings throttles or valves allowing the gases to finally
escape, substantially as described & for the purposes set forth.
2. The combination of a gaseous pressure engine & a surrounding cover enclosing
the working parts & "exhaust" exit or pipe, said cover forming an air or gas
chamber & provided with one or more openings for the exhaust gases after being
"cushioned therein to escape, said surrounding air or gas chamber being also
provided with suitable opening & closing doors slides or manholes to facilitate the
examination, repair, or lubrication of the working parts, substantially as described
& for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 30th day of November One thousand eight hundred and