IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hallewell, of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
MOTOR ENGINES."
Scaled the 28th January 1876, and dated the 11th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hallewell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th August 1875.
I, RICHARD HALLEWELL, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that description of motive-power engines
worked by the explosion of gas and air, and consists in the employment
of a small motor or engine formed similar to the ordinary double-acting
condensing steam engine, but acted upon by air instead of steam, and
having the vacuum formed in a large and separate cylinder by the

page_text: explosion of gas and air, the cylinder acting in a similar manner to the
condenser of the steam engine.
The vacuum cylinder is encased in a large jacket or cylinder open at
the top and fixed to the foundation or bed, and containing water, which
is allowed to circulate or be changed as required, and in the vacuum
cylinder there is a piston sufficiently deep to be steady without requiring
a piston rod, and at the top of the cylinder there is a large valve which
can rise and fall, and at the side a small invert valve to prevent the
return of air to the motor. At the bottom of the vacuum cylinder there
is a passage for the entrance of gas and air which have to be exploded,
the supply and proper time of entrance being regulated by a valve or valves
worked by the engine, and below the piston at the bottom of the cylinder
there is a sliding rod or buffer made to rise and fall by being acted upon
by a pinion geared into teeth formed in the buffer similar to a rack, or
by a lever and slot in the buffer or rod. The small shaft carrying the
pinion or lever passes through the side of the engine bed or cylinder
bottom, and may be kept tight by a stuffing box, and on the aforesaid
shaft there is a cranked arm pinned on the end outside the engine bed
or cylinder bottom, the arm being raised up and down periodically by the
engine, and the buffer or rod abuts against the middle of the piston,
the object being to raise the piston high enough to allow sufficient air
and gas to accumulate below the piston to allow of an efficient charge
for the explosion. The valve or valves are again shifted in position,
and bring a flame of gas to the explosion port, and the explosion taking
place drives the piston to the top of the cylinder, the air passing through
the valve at the top of the cylinder, and thus another partial vacuum
is formed in the vacuum cylinder.
The piston of the small motor or engine is connected by a rod to a
crank shaft, and when at work the air from the exhaust passes into the
vacuum cylinder, which air after accumulating to a certain extent is
forced out at the top by the explosion acting under the piston and
driving it to the top, thereby creating a partial vacuum, into which the
exhaust air from the small motor again enters, the deep piston in the
vacuum cylinder descending by its own weight and forces out the waste
gases through another opening in the valves until it touches the buffer
or rod at the bottom of the cylinder, which again raises the piston above
the air and gas passage to enable another explosion to take place, and so
on continuously.

page_text: I modify this arrangement when desired by employing two vaĉuum
cylinders, so that the motor may be continually sending the exhaust air
into one or the other.
I also modify the manner of creating a partial vacuum in the vacuum
cylinder by having a valve as large as the cylinder itself swung on a
seat a convenient distance from the bottom of the cylinder, so that
there would be room sufficient for the charge of gas and air and for the
piston. In this case the said piston would simply have to force out the
combustion when it is raised up and draw in the explosive charge when
falling down, the charge of gas and air being between the top of the
piston and under side of the large valve the explosion takes place, and
drives the air out through the valve at the top of the cylinder, and a
partial vacuum is formed. In this case the cylinder above the bottom
valve would not require to be bored, as the piston would only move a
few inches up and down below the bottom valve, the air being driven
out by the expansive action of the exploded gases passing through the
bottom valve; and in the various arrangements I employ when desired
a governor or regulator for regulating the supply of air to the small
motor or engine, according to the load or the work to be done.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Hallewell in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 11th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HALLEWELL, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard Hallewell, Her
special licence that I, the said Richard Hallewell, my executors, admini-*
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Hallewell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during

page_text: the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Hallewell, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Hallewell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:—
This Invention relates to that description of motive-power engines
worked by the explosion of gas and air, and consists in the employment
of a small motor or engine formed similar to the ordinary double-acting
condensing steam engine, but acted upon by air instead of steam, and
having the vacuum formed in a large and separate cylinder by the
explosion of gas and air, the cylinder acting in a similar manner to the
condenser of the steam engine.
The vacuum cylinder is encased in a large jacket or cylinder open at
the top and fixed to the foundation or bed, and containing water, which
is allowed to circulate or be changed as required, and in the vacuum
cylinder there is a piston sufficiently deep to be steady without requiring
a piston rod, and at the top of the cylinder there is a large valve, which
can rise and fall. At the bottom of the vacuum cylinder there is a
passage for the entrance of gas and air which have to be exploded, the
supply and proper time of entrance being regulated by a valve or valves
worked by the engine, and below the piston at the bottom of the
cylinder there is a rocking rod and lever made to rise and fall by being
acted upon by a tappet and lever. The rocking shaft carrying the lever
passes through the side of the engine bed or cylinder bottom, and may
be kept tight by a stuffing box, and on the aforesaid shaft there is a
cranked arm pinned on the end outside the engine bed or cylinder
bottom, the arm being raised up and down periodically by the engine,

page_text: faticients improvements on
and abuts against the middle of the piston, the object being to raise the
piston high enough to allow sufficient air and gas to accumulate below
the piston to allow of an efficient charge for the explosion. The valve
or valves are again shifted in position, and bring a flame of gas to the
explosion port, and the explosion taking place drives the piston to
the top of the cylinder, the air passing through the valve at the top of
the cylinder, and thus another partial vacuum is formed in the vacuum
cylinder.
The piston of the small mortor or engine is connected by a rod to a
crank shaft, and when at work the air from the exhaust passes into the
vacuum cylinder, which air after accumulating to a certain extent is
forced out at the top by the explosion acting under the piston and
driving it to the top, thereby creating a partial vacuum, into which the
exhaust air from the small mortor again enters, the deep piston in the
vacuum cylinder descending by its own weight and forces out the waste
gases through another opening in the valves until it touches the buffer
or rod at the bottom of the cylinder, which again raises the piston above
the air and gas passage to enable another explosion to take place, and so
on continuously.
I modify this arrangement when desired by employing two vacuum
cylinders, so that the mortor may be continually sending the exhaust air
into one or the other.
Such being the nature and object of this my said Invention I will
now proceed to describe the same in detail, and in order that the
description may be fully understood I have hereunto annexed four
Sheets of Drawings, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference, the like parts being marked with the like letters in the
various views.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an engine constructed according to this
my Invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, Fig. 3 is a plan view, Figs. 4
and 5 are details, Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are views of the disc
valve.
At A is the vacuum cylinder, within which is the piston B made
somewhat deeper than ordinary, because there is no piston rod employed.
The top of the cylinder A is closed and provided with a large flap
valve C. D is the ordinary water casing or jacket; E is the passage for

page_text: .
entrance of gas, the supply and timing being regulated by means of
the valve F, see detail, Sheet ;F is a rocking rod; F2, a lever. The
rocking rod passes through the side of the engine bed, and may be kept
tight by a stuffing box; F3 is an arm pinned near the end of the rocking
shaft F, the arm F2 being raised periodically, and abuts against the
middle of the piston, the object being to raise the piston B high enough
to allow sufficient air and gas to accumulate below the piston for an
efficient charge for the explosion, see detail at Fig. The valve F
(herein-after fully explained) is again moved, and carrys in chamber J³ a
flame of gas to entrance way or explosion port, and on the explosion
taking place the piston B is driven to the top of the cylinder A. (or
partially upwards, according to the charge used), the air above the
piston being expelled through the flap valve C, which closes, and thus
another partial vacuum is on the instant descent of the piston formed
above the same. The piston G of the small motor engine is connected
by rods G¹ to the crank shaft or to an arm of the fly wheel.
The action is as follows:-On the descent of the piston B after the
explosion the partial vacuum so formed causes the outer air to enter by
way of one or other of the ports H, which are open to the atmosphere,
and act upon the piston G. The exhaust air passes out by way of one
or other of the ports H and exhaust port H', according to the position
of the slide valve H, and thence passes by way of the pipe H³ to the
cylinder A at a point below the flap valve C until the cylinder A above
the piston is again occupied by air. The spent gases or residue of
combustion form an elastic cushion, on which the piston falls at or after
each explosion, and such residue of combustion is expelled through the
passage E and through a port of the valve F by the weight of the
piston B, the successive explosions creating successive partial vacuums
in the cylinder A, and so the continuous motion of piston G is secured,
and through its connections transmitted to the fly wheel and shaft.
The construction of the valve F will be fully understood by reference
to the full size views on Sheet 4. J is an air pipe with flap valve at m;
J' is a gas pipe for filling the chamber J³, which on the valve revolving
is brough opposite passage J³, and the raising of the piston B by the
lever F (the latter being operated by levers F, F, F, and tappet Fº,)
(see Fig. 4) provides a receptacle for the gas and air, and which are thus
drawn from the chamber J through the port J³ into the cylinder ready

page_text: for the next explosion, which is occasioned by the gas in the chamber J¹
being fired by the external burner J*.
The disc valve F is operated by means of the shafts L and M.
L receives continuous motion from the bevel wheels N, N¹; the shaft M
intermittant rotation in order to give a pause or dwell to the valve and
port for the discharge of residue of combustion, which discharge is not
effected by the mere descent of the piston B, but takes place so soon as
the cylinder A is again filled with air by way of the cylinder G* and
pipe H³.
The intermittant rotation of the shaft M is obtained by means of an
escapement finger P, which is acted upon by the pins R (see Fig. 12)
until the finger P catches against the lever F, whercon the finger turns
upon its pivot P¹ and is removed from contact with the pins R, and so
the bush S, to which the escapement finger P is attached, and in the
lower portion of which the squared upper part of the shaft M is
received, does not rotate.
The screwed bush W in the piston B is for the purpose of receiving
the chased end of a rod for lifting the piston out of the cylinder when
necessary.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of this
my said Invention, together with the manner in which the same is
to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would
have it understood that I lay no claim to any of the parts when
considered separately, nor do I claim a piston moved or operated
within a cylinder by the explosion of gas and air, nor the enclosing such
cylinder within an outer casing or jacket containing water; and to
further distinguish between what is old and what is new I would point
out that gas engines as heretofore constructed have transmitted power
by means of a rack formed upon the piston rod, which rack turns a
pinion upon the driving shaft, or in others there is a combination of
pistons, piston rod, and springs, or a piston rod connected directly with
the crank shaft and gas exploded at each side of the piston known as
the "Hugon engine." As distinguished from existing gas engines the
differentia is that I employ no rack or pinion with the impact or
concussion unseparable from the use thereof, that the piston is without
piston rod, and does not act as a direct or first mover of the engine
shaft, that the power, that is to say, the pressure of external air passing

page_text: in at the ports H move and operate the piston G gradually and smoothly
as steam applied to an ordinary engine, I claim,—
Firstly. The combination of the rotary dise valve F and the cylinders A
and G*, their pistons B and G being operated and acting in the manner
herein fully described.
Secondly. The combination of the cylinder A, piston B, cylinder G*,
and piston G, connecting pipe H³, and flap valve C, arranged and
operating in the manner and for the purpose as herein fully described
and as illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hallewell, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Ninth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
six.
RICHARD HALLEWELL. (L.S.)
Witness,
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Patent Agent,
Halifax & Blackburn.