Improvements in Gas or similar Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas or similar Engines.
A communication from JAMES ADAMS CHARTER, of Sterling, County of
Whiteside, State of Illinois, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gas-engines, and it has for its object to improve the
construction and arrangement of such devices and to simplify and render them
certain of operation and not liable to get out of order under varying conditions.
It consists in a gas-engine embodying the general features of arrangement and
construction substantially such as are more particularly hereinafter pointed out.
The invention may be applied to a typical gas-engine, in which there is the
usual cylinder mounted upon a base and provided with a piston connected by a
connecting-rod to the crank of the driving wheel which is also mounted on the
base. The valve-controlling devices are attached to the end of the cylinder being
enclosed in a suitable case which also forms the explosion-chamber for the engine.
The valve-chamber is separated from the explosion-chamber by an automatic valve,
and in the valve-chamber there is arranged a rotary three-way valve which in one
position admits gas or air or hydrocarbon and air into the explosion-cylinder.
The valve-case is provided with an air-admission port. Opening to the air and
arranged in the valve-case is a pipe or nozzle for admission of the gas or hydro-
carbon. Connected to this nozzle is a chamber which by means of a pipe is
connected to the reservoir and a pump having suitable check-valves, is interposed
in the pipe between the chamber and reservoir. The chamber is provided with an
elevated portion which forms an over-flow to the chamber and is connected by a
pipe to the reservoir. The flow of the hydrocarbon from the chamber to the nozzle
in the valve-chamber is controlled by a stop-cock. In order to operate these
valves and their connections at proper times means are provided which are
connected to the shaft of the engine to control them and there may be used a large
gear-wheel meshing with a pinion on the shaft, the relative proportions of the
pinion and gear-wheel being as two to one, so that the gear-wheel will make one
complete rotation at two complete rotations of the shaft and gear-wheel carried
thereby.
Mounted on the gear-wheel is a cam and pivotted on the frame of the engine is
a lever carrying on its end an antifriction roller which is arranged to engage the
cam in the manner hereinafter set forth. This lever is provided with a spring
which normally holds the antifriction roller against the cam and it is connected by
means of a rod to an arm of the three-way valve.
Loosely mounted on the driving shaft of the machine is a collar or sleeve which
is provided with a groove which engages the before-mentioned antifriction roller
and moves it laterally on its bearing. Also mounted on the driving-shaft is a disc
which is fast thereon and which carries governor-balls which are in turn connected
by an arm to the collar or sleeve and by means of which the collar is slipped
laterally on the shaft, in accordance with the position of the governor-balls and
this in turn moves the anti-friction roller into and out of the path of the cam.
When the engine is running at normal speed the antifriction roller is in the line of
the cam and the lever carrying said roller is operated at each rotation of the gear-
wheel on the induction stroke of the piston. When however the speed is increased,
the governor-balls move apart and draw the sleeve outward, carrying the anti-
friction roller out of the line of the cam it sliding on the stud at the end of its.

page_text: lever and the lever will not be operated by the cam, but the spring will operate the
three-way valve through the medium of a rod to move it into its closed position.
Arranged on the inside of the gear-wheel is a cam or projection which engages a
rod leading to the exhaust-valve in the exhaust-pipe.
""
The engine being thus constructed its operation will be clearly understood, it
belonging to what is known as the "alternate-explosion or "four-cycle" type of
engine: Assuming the parts to be adjusted for drawing in a charge of inflammable
or explosive mixture, the antifriction roller being on the cam which by its
connections opens the three-way valve so as to leave an open channel for air to be
drawn into the cylinder through the proper air-port, which extends around the oil
or hydrocarbon nozzle. The reduced pressure or suction which draws in the air
will also draw a proper quantity of oil or other hydrocarbon through the nozzle and
carry it into the explosion-chamber of the engine, the automatic valve rising, to
admit them. When however the piston makes its backstroke the automatic valve
closes and the charge is compressed within the cylinder and ignited by means of an
incandescent tube or other suitable means and the piston is driven outward in the
usual way. When the piston reaches its farthest outstroke, the appropriate cam
comes in contact with its rod and opens the exhaust-valve and allows the products
of combustion to be expelled through the exhaust pipe during the instroke of the
piston and as this is done the spring on the rod immediately closes the exhaust-port.
When however the speed of the engine exceeds its normal, the governor-balls move
apart carrying the sleeve outward, and this moves the roller out of the path of the
cam and the spring draws the lever forward and turns the three-way valve so as to
close the passage to the air-port and the nozzle and opening communication directly
with the air through another port and as long as the engine is running above its
normal speed this port will remain open and the air alone will be drawn into the
cylinder and expelled through the exhaust-port and no explosion will occur.
When
however the speed attains its normal and an explosive charge is required, the roller
will be again moved into the path of the cam which will open the valve. On the
further operation of the engine the charge of air and oil or hydrocarbon or other
gas will be drawn into the explosion-chamber as before and the engine continue to
run in this way until it again exceeds its normal speed. The pump is operated
from a crank-pin by means of a pitman or link and supplies the reservoir with oil
or hydrocarbon from the tank and as this pump will operate at each rotation of the
gear wheel it is necessary to provide some means to prevent forcing the oil into
the valve-chamber when no explosion takes place. To obviate this the chamber is
connected by means of the before mentioned overflow projection and pipe with the
reservoir so that under all conditions there will be a uniform amount of oil in the
chamber and so that whenever the air is drawn into the engine through the air-
admission port there will also be a uniform quantity of hydrocarbon supplied to the
air to carburet it and render it explosive. Under no circumstances will there be
danger of flooding the engine or room where the engine is located, the tank being
located preferably below the valve-chamber so that the excess of oil in the reservoir
and nozzle will flow by gravity into the tank.
Instead of using the three-way rotary valve there may be used a modified valve,
in which the opening is grated and a grated sliding valve is applied thereto in
front of the port and connected by a rod to the cam and connections in a manner
generally similar to the before described rotary valve. This arrangement however
is open to the objection that when the engine is running too rapidly and the valve
is open some air might be drawn into the valve-chamber through the port and a
slight portion of oil might also flow through the nozzle, which, while not enough to
thoroughly carburet the charge, might be an objection and wasteful. This however
can be readily avoided by providing two sliding valves, one covering the port of
the valve-chamber, and both being connected with the operating gear through a
rod in such a manner that when one is closed the other is open. This arrangement
effectively overcomes any objections that could be raised to the before-mentioned
sliding valve and makes a somewhat cheaper valve arrangement than the rotary

page_text: three-way valve and which in some cases my correspondent has found advantageous
to use.
From the above description it will be understood that the charge of oil or
hydrocarbon drawn into the valve-chamber is not governed or measured but the
direction or passage of the air through the valve-chamber under the varying
conditions is changed so that when an explosive mixture is to be made the air will
pass through the port around the nozzle and a sufficient amount of oil or hydro-
carbon to carburet it will be automatically drawn in, but when no explosion is to
occur the air will pass through the upper port and will not be carburetted. Great
safety and simplicity of operation are thus attained and the oil is supplied to the
engine at the proper times without any delicate valve or measuring mechanism
which is usually operated by a governor. Furthermore there is no waste of the
oil, the surplus being returned to the tank from the chamber and pumped up over
and over again.
All the operative parts of the engine are of simple construction being cheap to
manufacture and not liable to get out of order, and occupy little space, while
furnishing means for the automatic regulation of the engine under varying
loads.
The details of construction and arrangement of the before described apparatus
may be varied without departing from the principles of the invention.
Dated this 30th day of June 1892.
ALFRED J. BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas or similar Engines.
A communication from JAMES ADAMS CHARTER, of Sterling, County of
Whiteside, State of Illinois, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 gas-engines; and it has for its object to improved the
construction and arrangement of such devices and to simplify and render them
certain of operation and not liable to get out of order under varying conditions.
It consists in a gas-engine embodying the general features of arrangement
and construction substantially such as are more particularly hereinafter pointed
out.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which an engine is illustrated
embodying this invention, Fig. 1 is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan, and
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are vertical sections, of the valve devices, showing modifications.
The invention is shown as applied to a typical gas-engine in which there is the
usual cylinder A, mounted upon a base A and provided with the piston B,
connected by a piston-rod C to the crank of the driving-wheel D, which is also
mounted on the base. The valve-controlling devices are attached to the end
of the cylinder A, being enclosed in a suitable case a, which also forms the
explosion-chamber for the engine. The valve-chamber is separated from the
explosion-chamber by an automatic valve 1, and in the valve-chamber is arranged
a rotary three-way valve 2, it being shown in Fig. 1 in the position to admit gas or
air or hydrocarbon and air into the explosion-cylinder.
The valve-case a is provided with a port 3. Opening to the air and arranged in
the valve-case is a pipe or nozzle 4 for admission of the gas or hydrocarbon.
Connected to this nozzle is a chamber 5, which by means of a pipe 6 is connected
to the reservoir 7, and a pump 8 having suitable check-valves, as 9 and 10,
is interposed in the pipe between the chamber 5 and reservoir 7.
The

page_text: chamber 5 is provided with an elevated portion 30, which forms an over-
flow to the chamber and is connected by the pipe 11 to the reservoir 7. The
flow of the hydrocarbon from the chamber to the nozzle in the valve-
chamber is controlled by a stop-cock 12. In order to operate these valves
and their connections at proper times, means are provided which are connected to
the shaft of the engine to control them, and in the present instance is shown a large
gear-wheel 13 meshing with a pinion on the shaft, the relative proportions of the
pinion and gear-wheel being as two to one, so that the gear-wheel. 13 will make one
complete rotation at two complete rotations of the shaft and gear-wheel carried
thereby.
Mounted on the gear-wheel 13 is a cam 14 and pivotted on the frame of the
engine as at 16, is a lever 15, carrying on its end an anti-friction roller 17, which is
arranged to engage the cam 14 in the manner hereinafter set forth. This lever 15
is provided with a spring 28, which normally holds the anti-friction roller against
the cam, and it is connected by means of a rod 21 to an arm 22 of the valve 2 in
the valve-chamber.
"
Loosely mounted on the shaft of the machine is a collar or sleeve 18 which is
provided with a groove 41 which engages the anti-friction roller 17 of the arm 15
and moves it laterally on its bearing. Also mounted on the shaft is a disc 20 which
is fast thereon and which carries the governor-balls 19 which are in turn connected
by an arm 39 to the collar or sleeve 18 and by means of which the collar is slipped
laterally on the shaft, in accordance with the position of the governor balls, and
this in turn moves the anti-friction roller 17 into and out of the path of the cam 14.
When the engine is running at normal speed the anti-friction roller 17 is in the line
of the cam and the lever 15 is operated at each rotation of the gear-wheel on the
induction stroke of the piston. When, however, the speed is increased, the
governor-balls move apart and draw the sleeve outward, carrying the roller 17 out
of the line of the cam, it sliding on the stud at the end of the lever 15, and the
lever will not be operated by the cam, but the spring 28 will operate the valve 2
through the medium of the rod 21 to move it into its closed position. (Shown in
Fig. 3.) Arranged on the inside of the gear-wheel 13 is a cam or projection 23
which engages a rod 24, leading to the exhaust-valve 25 in the exhaust-pipe 27.
The engine being thus constructed its operation will be clearly understood it
belonging to what is known as the "alternate-explosion or "four-cycle" type of
engine. The parts are shown in Figure 1 to be adjusted for drawing in a charge
of inflammable or explosive mixture, the roller 17 being on the cam 14, which by
its connections opens valve 2, so as to leave an open channel for air to be drawn
into the cylinder through the port 3. It will be seen that this air-port extends
around the oil or hydrocarbon nozzle 4 and the reduced pressure or suction which
draws in the air will also draw a proper quantity of oil or other hydrocarbon
through the nozzle and carry it into the explosion chamber of the engine, the
valve 1 rising to admit them. When, however, the piston makes its back-stroke,
the valve 1 closes and the charge is compressed within the cylinder and ignited by
means of the incandescent tube 26 or other suitable and equivalent means and the
piston is driven outward in the usual way. When the piston reaches it farthest
outstroke the cam 23 comes in contact with the rod 24, which opens the exhaust-
valve 25 and allows the products of combustion to be expelled through the pipe 27
during the instroke of the piston, and as this is done the spring on the rod 24
immediately closes the exhaust-port. When however the speed of the engine
exceeds its normal, the governor-balls move apart carrying the sleeve 18 outward,
and this moves the roller 17 out of the path of the cam 14 and the spring draws
the lever 15 forward and turns the valve 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3, closing
the passage to the air-port 3 and the nozzle 4, and opening communication directly
with the air through the port 29 and as long as the engine is running above its
normal speed this port will remain open and the air alone will be drawn into the
cylinder and expelled through the exhaust-port and no explosion will occur.
When however the speed attains its normal and an explosive charge is required,

page_text: the roller 17 will be again moved into the path of the cam 14 which will open the
valve 2 as shown in Fig. 1. On the further operation of the engine the charge of
air and oil or hydrocarbon or other gas will be drawn into the explosion-chamber,
as before, and the engine continue to run in this way until it again exceeds its.
normal speed. The pump 8 is operated from a crank pin 37 by means of a pitman
or link 38 and supplies the reservoir 5 with oil or hydrocarbon from the tank 7 and.
as this pump will operate at each rotation of the gear-wheel 13 it is necessary to
provide some means to prevent forcing the oil into the valve-chamber when no
explosion takes place. To obviate this, the chamber is connected by means of
the overflow projection 30 and pipe 11 with the reservoir 7, and it will be seen that.
with this arrangement under all conditions there will be a uniform amount of oil in
the chamber 5 so that whenever the air is drawn into the engine through the valve 3.
there will also be a uniform quantity of hydrocarbon supplied to the air to carburet
it and render it explosive. Under no circumstances will there be danger of flooding
the engine or room where the engine is located, the tank being located preferably
below the valve-chamber, so that the excess of oil in the reservoir and nozzle will
flow by gravity into the tank.
Instead of using the three-way rotary valve 2 there is shown in Fig. 4 a modified.
valve the opening 29 being grated and a grated sliding valve 40 being applied.
thereto in front of the port and connected by the rod 21 to the cam and connections.
in a manner generally similar to the rotary valve. This arrangement however is.
open to the objection that when the engine is running too rapidly and the valve 40
is
open
some air might be drawn into the valve-chamber through the port 3 and a
slight portion of oil might also flow through the nozzle which, while not enough
to thoroughly carburet the charge, might be an objection and wasteful. This
however can be readily avoided by providing two sliding valves, and in Fig. 5 is.
shown a sliding grated valve 50 covering the port 3 of the valve-chamber, and both
of the valves 40 and 50 are connected with the operating gear through a rod 21 in
such a manner that when valve 40 is closed the valve 50 is open, and vice versa..
This arrangement effectively overcomes any objections that could be raised to the.
sliding valve shown in Fig. 4 and makes a somewhat cheaper valve arrangement.
than the rotary three-way valve shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and which in some cases it is.
found advantageous to use.
From the above description it will be understood that the charge of oil or
hydrocarbon drawn into the valve-chamber is not governed or measured, but the
direction or passage of the air through the valve-chamber under the varying
conditions is changed, so that when an explosive mixture is to be made the air
will pass through the port around the nozzle and a sufficient amount of oil or
hydrocarbon to carburet it will be automatically drawn in; but when no explosion
is to occur the air will pass through the upper port 29 and will not be carburetted.
Great safety and simplicity of operation are thus attained and the oil is supplied
to the engine at the proper times without any delicate valve or measuring
mechanism which is usually operated by a governor. Furthermore, there is no
waste of the oil, the surplus being returned to the tank from the chamber 5 and
pumped up over and over again.
All the operative parts of the engine are of simple construction, being cheap
to manufacture and not liable to get out of order, and occupy little space, while
furnishing means for the automatic regulation of the engine under-varying loads.
The details of construction and arrangement of the before described apparatus
may be varied without departing from the principles of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is,-
1. In an engine such as described the combination with the explosion-chamber of
a valve-casing such as a having two air-ports a valve such as 2 controlling the
passage of air through the ports and means for automatically opening communication

page_text: alternately between the combustion chamber and one or the other of said air-ports
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In an engine such as described the combination with the explosion-chamber
of a valve-casing such as a having two air-ports a valve such as 2 and its
operating devices for opening said air-ports alternately and an oil-nozzle such
as 4 extending into the casing so that the air from one of the ports will traverse
the nozzle substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In an engine such as described the combination with the explosion-chamber
of a valve-chamber an automatic valve such as 1 between the explosion chamber
and valve-chamber the valve-chamber being provided with two air-ports and a
nozzle the last mentioned extending into the chamber past one of the air-ports and
a valve and its operating devices for opening said air-ports alternately substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In an engine such as described the combination with the explosion-chamber
of a valve-casing having two air-inlet ports and a three-way valve such as 2 and
operating devices therefor for opening said ports alternately substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In an engine such as described the combination with the valve-chamber of
the nozzle extending into the chamber a pump such as 8 supplying oil to said
nozzle and an overflow-chamber such as 30 interposed between the nozzle and
pump substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In an engine such as described the combination with the valve-chamber and
nozzle extending therein, of a reservoir such as 7 a pipe 6 leading from the reservoir
to the nozzle a pump located in or connected with said pipe and an overflow-
chamber such as 30 also located in said pipe and connected to the reservoir
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
7. In an engine such as described the combination with the explosion chamber of
the valve-chamber having two air-inlet ports a valve and operating devices therefor
for opening said ports alternately a nozzle such as 4 extending into the chamber
adjacent to one of the ports a reservoir such as 7 connected to the nozzle by means
of a pipe 6 a pump arranged in the line of said pipe and a pipe 11 connecting
the pipe
with the tank substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
8. In an engine such as described the combination with the valve-chamber having
two air-inlet ports of a valve arranged to open said ports alternately a gear-
wheel 13 connected to the shaft of the engine and carrying a cam such as 14 and a
lever such as 15 operated by the cam and connected to operate the valve substantially
as described.
9. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete engine
either constructed substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings or with one of the modified valve arrangements shown
in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings.
Dated this 29th day of March 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.