Improvements in or relating to Internal Combustion Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Internal Combustion Engines.
I, HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL, of Messrs. Capel & Company, 168, Dalston
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to internal combustion engines, one of the objects
which I have in view being to produce a compact and self-contained engine.
In carrying out the invention I form two cylinders side by side preferably
in a single casting and with both connecting rods working on to one compara-
tively long crank pin; the bearings of the crank shaft may be formed in the
casing which encloses the cylinders as a water jacket and may also be cast in a
piece with the cylinders.
The exhaust valves and also the inlet valves, if the latter be positively operated
as I prefer, are worked by direct contact of their spindles with cams upon a
shaft driven by worm or skew gear, one member of which is secured upon the
crank pin between the two connecting rods. This wheel is placed eccentrically
upon the crank pin so as to be concentric with the crank shaft; it carries worm
teeth upon its periphery, and may be weighted or otherwise arranged so as to
form a counterbalance to the crank.
The valve stems of which there would be four are arranged angularly to each
other, and also in advance of each other, so that they lie preferably in two lines
close together and resting upon their respective cams or eccentrics which run
in an oil bath provided in the casing.
The ignition may be electric or by means of heated tubes, but I prefer the
former, the plugs for which can be placed in the cover at the ends of the cylinders
or in the casing of some contiguous part.
The main bearings of the engine are formed as already explained in the casing,
and I provide a cover separate from the rest of the casing which when placed
in position closes in the crank chamber. The division between the casing and
the cover I prefer to make upon two separate planes united by a portion at the
centre perpendicular to both and passing through the engine bearings; by this
means a slight movement of the cap in relation to the casing will take up wear
in the engine bearings, and this may be accomplished by means of one or more
screws or equivalent placed in a convenient position upon the outside so that
they can be readily operated. The joint between the two parts would be oil
tight so that the crank chamber may contain oil for lubrication purposes.
prefer to form a separate door in the cover or other appropriate part of the crank
chamber, so as to give access thereto without detaching the cap. Pins, bolts
or nuts may conveniently be used for tightening this cover, so that it can be
readily removed by hand. Bolts and nuts or other tapered or slide engage-
ments may be employed for connecting the cap and casing.
I .

page_text: The cam spindle may be utilised in several ways besides those already
described. For the purpose of obtaining only reduced compression at the start-
ing I may form the cams as a cap upon a feather in the spindle a spring holding
it in its normal working position excepting when overcome by the governor or
its spring when the governor is at rest or working only at a slow speed. When
the speed of the governor increases its tension against the cam spring is removed
and the cam then assumes its normal working position allowing full compression
instead of only the limited compression previously spoken of.
In order to connect
A special cam may be used for limiting the compression.
the governor with the cam spring I prefer to form the cam spindle tubular, a
rod or tube from the governor passing down this to the movable cam cap. By
the means above described reduction of the compression when starting the engine
is obtained automatically.
I may use the governor for another purpose, namely to vary the time of the
spark in relation to the dead point of the engine according to the starting or
speed of the engine.
When the engine is at a high speed it is desirable to obtain the spark early
but when at a slow speed or in starting a later ignition is desirable. This I
effect by placing the rotating contact upon the cam spindle and causing the
governor rod or spindle inside as it travels either to turn the rotating contact
upon the spindle or to slide it along, in either case so that it gives an earlier
or later spark.
As a means of preventing the engine from running away I may employ in
the feed supply a valve normally held open against the suction by a spring the
tension of which can be varied as required. Unless the engine is going too
fast this valve remains open but should the engine exceed its proper speed and
the suction be consequently increased the valve is drawn down on to or towards
its seat against the power of its spring and the supply of fuel reduced or stopped.
As a convenient means of starting the engine I employ a suitable drum or
equivalent around which is coiled a belt or the like the free end of which is
connected with a hand or foot lever. When the lever is moved the belt or
equivalent is pulled and the drum rotated and as the latter is connected by a
clutch to the engine shaft the engine itself is turned and so by a single forward
movement of the lever or equivalent the engine is started. Either the clutch
or the lever or both may be controlled by a spring so that they will return to
their normal position after the forward movement.
More than one stroke may be used if necessary for starting the engine.
The spark for ignition purposes may be provided by a primary or secondary
battery but I prefer to use some form of dynamo to produce it. Conveniently
a portion of the fly wheel of the engine may be used for this purpose the rela-
tively large diameter being useful to obtain sufficient speed when the engine is
only moving slowly.
Improvements in or relating to Internal Combustion Engines.
I, HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL, of Messrs. Capel & Company, 168, Dalston
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of

page_text: 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 internal combustion engines, one of the objects
which I have in view being to produce a compact and self-contained engine.
In carrying out the invention I form two cylinders side by side preferably
in a single casting and with both connecting rods working on to one compara-
tively long crank pin; the bearings of the crank shaft may be formed in the
casing which encloses the cylinders as a water jacket and may also be cast in a
piece with the cylinders.
i
The exhaust valves are worked by cams upon a shaft driven by worm or skew
gear, one member of which is secured upon the crank pin between the two con-
necting rods.
This wheel is placed eccentrically upon the crank pin so as to
be concentric with the crank shaft; it carries wormi teeth upon its periphery,
and may be weighted or otherwise arranged so as to form a counterbalance to
the crank.
The ignition may be electric or by means of heated tubes, but I prefer the
former, the plugs for which can be placed in the cover at the ends of the cylinders
or in the casing of some contiguous part.
The main bearings of the engine are formed as already explained in the casing,
and I provide a cover separate from the rest of the casing which when placed
in position closes in the crank chamber. The division between the casing and
the cover I prefer to make upon two separate planes united by a portion at the
centre perpendicular to both and passing through the engine bearings; by this
means a slight movement of the cap in relation to the casing will take up wear
in the engine bearings, and this may be accomplished by means of one or more
screws or equivalent placed in a convenient position upon the outside so that
they can be readily operated. The joint between the two parts would be oil
tight so that the crank chamber may contain oil for lubrication purposes.
prefer to form a separate door in the cover or other appropriate part of the crank
chamber, so as to give access thereto without detaching the cap. Pins, bolts
or nuts may conveniently be used for tightening this cover, so that it can be
readily removed by hand. Bolts and nuts or other tapered or slide engage-
ments may be employed for connecting the cap and casing.
I
The cam spindle may be utilised in several ways besides those already
described. For the purpose of varying or preventing compression at the start-
ing I may form the cams as a cap upon a feather in the spindle a spring holding
it in its normal working position excepting when overcome by the governor or
its spring when the governor is at rest or working only at a slow speed. When
the speed of the governor increases its tension against the cam spring is removed
and the cam then assumes its normal working position allowing full compression
instead of only the limited compression previously spoken of.
A special cam may be used for limiting the compression. In order to connect
the governor with the cam spring I prefer to form the cam spindle tubular, a
rod or tube from the governor passing down this to the movable cam cap. By
the means above described reduction or prevention of the compression when
starting the engine is obtained automatically.
I may use the governor for another purpose, namely to vary the time of the
spark in relation to the dead point of the engine according to the starting or
speed of the engine.
When the engine is at a high speed it is desirable to obtain the spark early
but when at a slow speed or in starting a later ignition is desirable.
This I
effect by placing the rotating contact upon the governor rod or spindle so that
according to the speed it either rotates the contact relative to the cams or slides
the contact point along, in either case so that it gives an earlier or later spark.
As a means of preventing the engine from running away I may employ in
the feed supply a valve normally held open against the suction by a spring the
tension of which can be varied as required. Unless the engine is going too

page_text: fast this valve remains open but should the engine exceed its proper speed and
the suction bo consequently increased the valve is drawn down on to or towards
its seat against the power of its spring and the supply of fuel reduced or stopped.
As a convenient means of starting the engine I employ a suitable drum or
equivalent around which is coiled a belt or the like the free end of which is
connected with a hand or foot lever. When the lever is moved the belt or
equivalent is pulled and the drum rotated and as the latter is connected by a
clutch to the engine shaft the engine itself is turned and so by a single forward
movement of the lever or equivalent the engine is started. Either the clutch
or the lever or both may be controlled by a spring so that they will return to
their normal position after the forward movement.
More than one stroke may be used if necessary for starting the engine.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved internal combustion engine.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is an end elevation partly in section.
Figure 4 is a part sectional elevation of the governor mechanism in the position
occupied by this mechanism when the engine is at rest.
Figure 5 is a similar view of this mechanism the parts being shown in the
position occupied by them when the engine has just been started.
Figure 6 is an end elevation of the contact-making cam in the position shown
in Figure 4.
Figure 7 is a similar view of this cam but in the position shown in Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of part of the governing mechanism when the
engine is exceeding the proper limit of speed.
Figure 9 is a plan of the valve-operating cams.
Figure 10 is an end view of these cams showing the cam operating levers.
Figure 11 is an elevation showing the starting device.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In the following description and accompanying drawings the invention is
described and shown as applied to an internal combustion engine provided with
two cylinders.
The cylinders are arranged side by side in a casing A, which also forms a
portion of the bearings for the crank axle B. On this axle are two cranks B
with counter-balances B3, the cranks being connected by a pin B. Both connect-
ing rods are attached to the same pin in the construction illustrated, but it is
to be understood that if desired the cranks may be arranged opposite to each
other at an angle of 180° or otherwise as desired. Eccentrically mounted on
the crank pin 333, but concentric with the crank shaft B, is a worm wheel C,
which engages with a toothed wheel D mounted upon a tubular shaft E.
To
A portion A of the casing A which encloses the crank chamber is made
removable the junction between the removable portion A¹ and the main casing A
being in two planes as shown at A2 and A3, the parts, which are flanged, being
bolted together as shown. The two parts of the casing enclose the bearings
of the driving shaft B in such a way that by slightly moving the part A rela-
tively to the casing A any slack or wear in the bearings can be taken up.
facilitate this movement, which need only be very slight to effect its purpose,
the main casing A may be provided with lugs or brackets A through which
pass set screws A which butt against the edge of the removable part of the
casing. To allow of the movement the bolt holes in the part A' may be made
larger than necessary for the passage of the bolts or the holes may be made oval
or oblong or otherwise arranged to allow of the relative movement of the parts A
and A. The removable portion A¹ may itself be provided with a removable
plate A attached to the part A¹ by bolts and butterfly nuts or otherwise as found
convenient.
The hollow shaft E upon which is keyed the toothed wheel D carries a cen-

page_text: The
trifugal governor F so arranged that as the balls fly out they will bring about
the axial movement of a shaft G which passes through the hollow shaft E and
is concentric with the latter. The shaft G has mounted upon it, near one end,
a sleeve G which fits closely within the end of the tubular shaft E.
sleeve G¹ carries a pin G2 which engages with a short spiral groove E' cut in
the end of the shaft E. Upon the exterior of the end of the shaft E is mounted
a double cam H, this cam being free to move axially upon the shaft E, but
compelled to rotate with it by a feather E2. The cam is internally flanged at
one end as at H₁ forming a cap, this flange when the engine is at rest being
pressed against the end of the sleeve G by a spring J, the other end of which
presses against a collar G³ on the end of the shaft G. The cam I as it rotates
operates the exhaust valves of the engine, the ends of the stems K' of these
valves K, which are spring-controlled, lying against the ends of the valve-operat-
ing levers L, which are pivotted at L' and carry rollers LP which bear upon
the surfaces of the cam H.
The cam H is divided into two portions for operating the levers of the valves
of the respective cylinders, and each of these portions is provided with two
surfaces Hand H³, each portion H2 being so shaped that when the roller L² of
the lever bearing on it is running on this portion the exhaust valve will be
opened fully after each explosion has taken place in the cylinder. When how-
ever the engine is being started or is running slowly and the cams are in the
position shown in Figure 4, the portions H³ are also brought into operation and
the exhaust valves will be lifted again on each compression stroke and either
the whole or a certain amount of the charge allowed to escape thus reducing or
eliminating the compression. The surfaces I³ only extend across a part of the
breadth of the main cam face H2, the disposition of the parts being clearly shown
in Figures 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.
In Figure 4, which shows the mechanism when the engine is at rest, it will
be seen that the rollers L² will be caused to bear upon the surfaces H³ as the
engine rotates, but when the pace of the engine has increased sufficiently to
make the governor balls fly out a certain distance, the shaft G will be moved
axially as shown in Figure 5, so that the flange H¹ of the cam H, which
previously bore against the end of the sleeve G₁ on the shaft G, now bears
against the end of the tubular shaft E, the cam H. having been caused to move
axially upon the shaft E by the action of the spring J combined with the axial
movement of the shaft G which withdraws the sleeve G¹ within the end of the
shaft E. As soon as the cam H has assumed the position shown in Figure 5,
the cam surfaces H³ cease to be operative, the full compression taking place in
the cylinders and the exhaust valves being only opened on the instroke after the
explosion has taken place. Conversely when the engine is stopping and the
power of the governor is reduced the spring O forces back the shaft G and
pushes off the cap H thus bringing the portions H³ into play again and reducing
the compression. It will thus be seen that after starting the engine the com-
pression is automatically increased and in stopping automatically reduced. Upon
the shaft G is mounted the cam M for making the electrical contacts to produce
the ignition spark. This cam is provided with a raised surface M' and as the
cam rotates this surface by coming beneath one or other of the spring pieces N
makes electrical contact between the piece N and the stud N¹.
It will be seen
that owing to the pin G2 carried by the sleeve G on the shaft G engaging with
the spiral groove in the shaft 1, when owing to the action of the governor
the shaft G is moved axially, this shaft will at the same time be partially rotated
relative to the shaft E, though it must be understood that of course the shaft G
constantly rotates with the shaft E. This partial rotation of the shaft G relative
to the shaft E causes the raised surface of the contact making cam M to
vary its position relative to the valve-operating cam H, and consequently as the
speed of the engine increases the ignition of the charge will take place earlier.

page_text: The end of the shaft G adjacent to the contact making cam M rests in a suit-
able bearing and is pressed constantly by a spring in an axial direction
contrary to that in which the action of the governor tends to move it.
With the above arrangement it will be seen that the action of the governor
automatically varies the compression of the charge and also the point at which
ignition takes place.
The whole governor mechanism together with the valve-operating cams may
if desired be enclosed in an oil bath.
In the improved starting device illustrated in Figure 11 the driving axle B of
the engine is provided with a ratchet wheel 13*. A rotatable sleeve Q suitably
mounted has wound round it a cord, chain or the like R, the free end of which
is attached to one end of a lever S pivotted at S¹, the other end of this lever
being provided with a suitable tread S2 upon which the foot may be placed.
The other end of the cord R is attached to some point on the rotatable sleeve Q
and about this point of attachment is pivotted a pawl T provided with a cam-
shaped tail-piece T¹. A second cord Û attached to the sleeve Q at one end is
connected through a coiled spring V with some fixed point W. The spring V
normally holds the device in the position shown in Figure 11, that is to say,
with the cord R coiled upon the drum or sleeve Q and the tail T¹ of the pawl in
contact with a fixed pin Y, the shape of the tail T being such that contact with
this pin will cause the pawl T to be lifted out of engagement with the ratchet
wheel B+. When it is desired to start the engine, pressure is applied with the
foot upon the tread $2 on the end of the lever S, with the result that the sleeve Q
is rotated the spring V being extended and the cord U wound upon the_sleeve
as the latter moves. As soon as the tail T¹ of the pawl T is disengaged from
the pin Y the pawl engages with the ratchet wheel 13 and the stroke of the
pedal lever being continued the driving shaft B is given a partial turn.
repeating the stroke with the lever S a sufficient number of turns may be given
to the driving shaft to start the engine.
By
By suitably arranging the lever S it may if desired be operated by hand in
place of by the foot as above described.
In an alternative construction of the contact making cam the raised surface M¹
'may run at an angle across the face of the cam in place of straight across it as
in the case above described and illustrated. With this arrangement the groove El
in the governor shaft E and the pin G2 engaging therewith may be dispensed
with, the shaft G and tubular shaft E being connected together by a feather or
some other device which will cause the shafts to rotate together but allow the
shaft G to be moved axially within the shaft 1. It will be seen that the simple
axial movement of the shaft G will owing to the arrangement of the cam M
cause the contact to be made earlier or later according to the speed of the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In an internal combustion engine automatically varying the compression
of the charge for the purpose described.
2. In an internal combustion engine the combination with a governor of a
valve-operating cam controlled by the governor for the purpose of varying the
compression of the charge.
3. In an internal combustion engine the combination with a governor of shafts
such as E and G carrying contact-making and valve-operating cams such as M
and H the shaft G being adapted to be moved axially by the governor for the
purpose described.
4. In an internal combustion engine the combination substantially as described
with a tubular governor shaft such as E of a shaft within the governor shaft and
a valve-operating spring-controlled cam such as I adapted to be moved by the
governor for the purpose described.

page_text: 5. In an internal combustion engine the combination with a tubular governor
shaft such as E of an axially movable and rotatable shaft which passes through
the tubular governor shaft and opposing springs such as J and O substantially as
described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In an internal combustion engine the combination with a crank shaft of a
worm wheel mounted eccentrically upon the crank pin but concentric with the
crank shaft substantially as for the purpose described.
7. The combination with the casing of an internal combustion engine of a
removable part such as A¹ which can be adjusted in the manner and for the purpose
described.
8. A starting gear for an internal combustion engine substantially as described.
9. In a starting gear for an internal combustion engine the combination with
an operating lever of spring-controlled pawl and ratchet mechanism substantially
as described.
10. In a starting gear for an internal combustion engine the combination with
the ratchet wheel of a disengaging pawl such as T T' substantially as and for the
purpose described.
11. In a starting gear for an internal combustion engine the combination with
a ratchet wheel and a sleeve such as Q of a pawl such as T T pivoted on the sleeve
and a stop to disengage the pawl substantially as described.
12. The complete governor valve-operating and contact-making gear for an
internal combustion engine substantially as described or illustrated in Figures 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
13. The complete internal combustion engine substantially as described or
illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of June 1800
HERBERT C. CAPEL.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant: