MENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ORLANDO THOMAS NEWTON of 21 Walmsley-street, Egremont in the County
of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES and in what manner the same are to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a novel arrangement and construction of gas motor
engines whereby more power is obtainable from a given size of cylinder and a
higher degree of compression attainable in the combustion chamber than have
hitherto been practicable. This is effected by mounting a revolving combustion
chamber containing a number of compartments at the rear end of the working
cylinder and eccentrically therewith and by utilising the exhaust from the
working cylinder by means of the application of an ejector for the purpose of
drawing out the products of combustion from also for extinguishing any ignitable
products left in the combustion chamber after each explosion has taken place.
This combustion chamber is so arranged with suitable ports facing the working
cylinder and in communication with passages leading to the ejector and exhaust
pipe and with the compressing gas and air pump that as each compartment comes
into the centre of the working cylinder its port shall open a communication with
the interior of the working cylinder as hereinafter described.
The improvements further relate to a novel construction of ignition valve upon
the injector principle so arranged that it will be in constant communication with
a pure gas supply and also with the compressing pump whether the same be
pumping air or gas and air combined. The gas and air for supplying the flame
for igniting the charge being at a greater pressure than the incoming explosive
mixture.
And in order that this my invention may be the more readily understood and
carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings illustrative
of my improvements and will now proceed to describe the same by the assistance
of the letters of reference marked thereon.
Fig 1 is a side sectional view and Fig 2 a sectional plan of my improved gas
motor engine. Fig 3 is an end view of the cylinder and Fig 4 is a transverse
section of the improved revolving combustion chamber seen in Fig 1,
Fig 5 is a transverse section of Fig 1 partly across the line a-b and partly
across the line c-d. Fig 6 is a sectional plan of the revolving combustion chamber

page_text: but showing the ejector arranged horizontally instead of vertically as in all the
other views to illustrate its construction and action more clearly and to demonstrate
the entire absence of valves both for the exhaust and compression passages.
Fig 7 is an end view, Fig 8 a side view and Fig 9 a plan all partially in section
and upon an enlarged scale of the improved ignition valve.
In all the views A is the main or working cylinder surrounded by the ordinary
water jacket A' and. furnished. at the front end with an enlarged cylindrical or
annular-space B which acts as the compression pump as hereinafter described.
In this cylinder the double piston C reciprocates being connected in the ordinary
manner by means of connecting rod C¹ to the crank Ď upon the driving shaft D¹
this piston is provided at its smaller or rear extremity which reciprocates in the
working cylinder A with a projection C which is designed to enter the corre-
sponding orifice A formed in the end of the cylinder and thus ensure such cylinder
being entirely emptied of its contents at every stroke of its piston.
Mounted behind the working cylinder A but in a space arranged eccentrically
therewith is the improved revolving combustion chamber D consisting of three
compartments D¹ D2 and D³ each provided with its own port or opening & corre-
sponding to the orifice or opening A² leading into the working cylinder. The
casing of this combustion chamber D is also in communication with the com-
pressing pump B through the port B₁ connecting pipe B and side port B³ and
with the exhaust valve and ejector hereinafter more particularly described through
the port E. Intermittent revolving motion is communicated to this combustion
chamber D by means of the tappet cam F¹ mounted at the extremity of the cain
shaft F which receives its revolving motion in the proportion of two to one from
the driving shaft D₁ by bevil gearing as illustrated. This tappet cam F¹ is
designed at each half revolution to come into contact with one of the four arms
of the star cam F2 (mounted upon the fixed stud F³) and thus through its spur
wheel G gearing with the spur wheel G¹ to communicate a proportionate revolution
to the combustion chamber. In this manner the three compartments D¹, D3, and D³
of the combustion chamber D are brought round successively opposite to the
orifice A² leading into the working cylinder A. It will be observed that the com-
bustion chamber is held up to its working face by means of the spiral compression
springs H and cross-head H¹.
I is the exhaust valve and I a bell crank lever one arm of which enters a slot
formed in the valve as illustrated more clearly in Fig 5 and the other arm being
furnished at its extremity with a bowl I2 against which the tappet cam I³ upon
the shaft F comes in contact and so operates such exhaust valve. The casing of
this exhaust valve communicates with the working cylinder through the port I'
and opens at its lower extremity into the ejector nozzle J. Surrounding this
nozzle is a cone J' which leads into the outer atmosphere through the pipe J²
but also communicates through the passage J' into the combustion chamber.
The action of my improved gas motor engine may be described as follows.
By the outward stroke of the piston Cogas and air are taken into the compression
pump B through an ordinary gas and air valve K (see Fig 2) the return stroke of
the piston compresses this gaseous mixture through side port B³ through pipe B*
and through port B¹ say into compartment D³ of the revolving combustion
chamber D and by the time the piston C has reached nearly the inner end of its
stroke the cam F₁ has caused the revolving combustion chamber D to turn upon
its axis and thus has brought the blank part of the combustion chamber opposite
to the port A' and so has closed the communication between the two whilst the
piston by continuing and coming to the end of its stroke has expelled all products
of combustion from the working cylinder. At this juncture the piston coming to
the end of its inward stroke and the projection C' having entered and filled up the
port or passage A³ and the cam Fi having meanwhile turned the combustion
chamber Da fraction further so as to bring the orifices d (of the compartment D¹
and A opposite each other. The crank now turns upon its centre moving the
piston forward a little thus allowing the explosive mixture to begin to escape from

page_text: the combustion compartment D¹ into the working cylinder where it immediately
meets the igniting flame and an explosion ensues in such cylinder driving the
piston forward and so imparting motion to the crank shaft and causing a quicker
and more equal explosive velocity at the piston end developing power as the piston
moves towards the end of its stroke. In thus proceeding in its outward direction
the enlarged piston or compression pump B draws in a fresh charge of gas and air
into the compressing pump cylinder and at the end of this stroke the exhaust
valve I is "timed" to open so allowing the products of combustion to escape
through side port I* into the ejector nozzle J and thence through the cone J¹ into
the exhaust pipe J. As the piston proceeds on its inward stroke the products
of combustion are forced out through the same ejector in front of the advancing
piston and the result is that a partial vacuum is set up in the combustion com-
partment D which is at this instant in communication with the ejector cone and
thus not only the products of combustion are withdrawn from but any ignited.
material remaining in the said compartment is instantly extinguished. At the
same time the same return or inward stroke has been compressing the fresh
explosive charge in the compressing pump and has been forcing the same through
Bide opening B³ through pipe B and through port B¹ into the combustion com-
partment D³. The opening and closing of the various communications through the
ports A, B and E being effected as it will be observed by the simple turning upon
its axis of the combustion chamber D and entirely without the use of valves.
The revolving combustion chamber D thus remains stationary not only while the
explosion takes place but nearly throughout the entire revolution of the crank.
It thus being in a position to receive the next explosive charge in one compartment
and expelling the remainder of the product of combustion from and extinguishing
any ignitable particles in the last combustion compartment by forming a partial
vacuum therein and this independently of the working cylinder. This cycle of
operations being repeated every revolution of the crank there being an explosion
at every such revolution as each division or compartment in the combustion
chamber comes up successively opposite the port A2 but which takes place in respect
of each compartment at every third revolution of the crank.
The gas and air valve K is regulated by a governor so that it will allow gas
and air or air only to enter the compressing pump as the power of the engine may
require.
It now only remains to describe the construction and arrangement of the ignition
valve. This consists essentially of an injector nozzle a fitted with an adjustable
tapered or conical pin b brought to a fine point as illustrated more clearly in
Figs 7 and 9. The injector nozzle at its larger end is provided with a chamber c
which communicates through a small branch pipe (which contains a small back
pressure valve) with the pipe B and its smaller end terminating in a she cone e
formed in the body of the valve provided with a small orifice fleading into the
passage g which in its turn opens into the working cylinder through the side
passage g'. The she cone e is in constant communication with a supply of pure
gas supplied through the tap h and small passage h¹.
Mounted in a suitable recess and beneath the injector just described is a
cylindrical casing i which is capable of an oscillating motion to and fro com-
municated by its spindle j being connected by a crank ♬ to one arm of a bell-crank
lever the other arm of which is provided with a friction bowl working in the
cam groove m keyed upon and revolving with the cam shaft F.
This oscillating casing is provided with a segmental slot n and with a port o
the former to allow the gas-burner p (supplied with gas through the tap p¹) to be
fixed in position and to open and close a communication with the port ŕ leading
to the gas flame 8' (supplied by the gas tap 8) and the port t (as such casing
reciprocates) opening a communication alternately with the chimney and with
the vertical passage v leading upon into the passage g and so permitting the Hame
of the burner p to pass upwards as seen in Fig. 7 to ignite the jet of compressed
gas issuing from the orifice f.

page_text: When the gas taps p' and 8 are turned on and the burner 8' is lighted its flame
points through port t and segmental slot u into the interior of the cylindrical
casing and so lights the burner p. The flame of this latter then passes through
port t (as seen in Fig. 8) into the chimney u. The two flames thus remain ignited
until the cylindrical casing i is actuated by the cam groove m and turned into the
position indicated in Fig. 7 thus closing off the communication with the chimney u
and with the burner s¹ but opening a communication with the vertical passage vin
which the flame rises and so meets the enriched explosive mixture issuing from
the orifice of the injector and ignites the same. The flame thus produced
proceeds along passage g and so ignites the explosive mixture as it enters the
working cylinder. When the oscillating casing i turns in the reverse direction
the burner p is once more brought into contact with the flame of burner s¹ and so
is kept ignited.
The compressed gaseous mixture in the pipe d and chamber c serves as the
injecting power for forming a partial vacuum in the cone e and so of forcing a
supply of gascous mixture (enriched by meeting with the pure gas as aforesaid)
into the working cylinder A and which enriched jet becomes ignited as aforesaid
and thus a constant flame is produced which burns independently of the compressed
gas in the combustion chamber. It will thus be observed that by the application
of a revolving combustion chamber to the working cylinder of a gas motor engine
and divided with compartments as aforesaid a succession of charges can be imparted
to the same upon a principle analogous to that of a revolving fire-arm and that in
combination with the ejector action for withdrawing the products of combustion
facility is afforded for obtaining an explosion at every revolution of the crank
without the use of valves as aforesaid and hence it is that I obtain the increased
power out of a given size of cylinder. Instead of the ejector it will be apparent
that a pump may be employed for withdrawing the products of combustion from
and forming the partial vacuum in the combustion compartment and although
shown as a horizontal engine the improvements are equally applicable to a vertical
gas motor engine.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
I claim as my improvements in Gas Motor Engines
1st The employment of a revolving combustion chamber divided into compart-
ments mounted and operated substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated on accompanying drawings.
2nd The application of an exhaust valve in conjunction with an ejector or its
equivalent for withdrawing the products of combustion and extinguishing any
ignitable particle in the combustion chambers or compartments as and for the
purposes herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
3rd The improved construction and arrangement of ignition valve acting upon
the injector principle substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
4th The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting a Gas
Motor Engine in which an explosion takes place at every revolution of the
crank substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing.