Improvements in Obtaining and Applying Motive Power for Propulsion on Land and Water and other Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Obtaining and Applying Motive Power for
Propulsion on Land and Water and other Purposes.
We, GUSTAVE WALD and ERNEST RIGAL both of 58 Passage du Sammon, Paris in
the Republic of France, Bankers 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 :-
According to our invention a liquid piston or column of liquid acting by its weight
at the extremity of one or more radii of a wheel provided with chambers is employed
in place of the solid pistons heretofore adopted. By means of this arrangement a
continuous circular motion is enabled to be obtained directly that is to say without the
intervention of intermediate mechanism.
For example let us imagine the ease of a wheel provided with two chambers situated
at opposite extremities of its diameter and let this diameter be represented by a pipe
or tube connecting the two chambers and communicating with the said chambers at a
point near the internal periphery of the wheel. If one of these chambers be partly
filled with a heavy liquid the weight of the latter will cause the wheel to assume a
Under these
position in which the pipe or tube connecting the chambers is vertical.
conditions if a pressure obtained by any suitable means he caused to act upon the
surface of the liquid the medium employed to apply the pressure being admitted
through an orifice suitably situated, the liquid will ascend the diametral tube and
enter the upper chamber until the weight of the liquid in this chamber overbalances
that of the liquid remaining in the lower chamber and consequently causes the wheel
to turn upon its axis in one direction or the other.
Thus assuming that the upper chamber forms a space in which a pounds of liquid
can accumulate the felly or rim of the wheel at this point is thus caused to be heavier
by a pounds than at the point diametrically opposite to it and the wheel which was
previously in a state of stable equilibrium on its axis (its centre of gravity being
situated vertically beneath its point of support) is now in a condition of unstable
equilibrium the centre of gravity being placed above the point of support or suspension.
The entire combination is consequently impelled to rotate on its axis by a force
depending-Firstly; on the force of gravitation of the body of liquid contained in

page_text: the upper chamber and-Secondly; on the rate of speed at which the liquid enters
the chamber this speed being again dependent on the amount of pressure exerted in the
lower chamber.
Motive power engines according to our invention operating on this principle can be
employed as stationary or portable engines or as a motor apparatus applied to a vehicle
or to a ship or vessel for propulsion on land or water.
And in order that our said invention may be fully understood we will now proceed
to describe the application of the same in practice and explain its application in con-
nection with a vehicle travelling on common roads similar arrangements being evidently
applicable to vehicles travelling on rails or tramways.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents the apparatus in vertical section
showing the chambers and supply and exhaust valves.
Figure 2 is a detail illustrating the construction of two chambers provided with
internal membranes or bags hereinafter described one being represented in the normal
condition and the other in a state of compression.
Figure 3 illustrates in vertical section and in plan an automatic generator of gas
under constant pressure employed to actuate the motor.
Figure 4 illustrates the application of the improved motor to the propulsion of a
vehicle travelling on common roads the vehicle being represented in elevation and the
motor in section.
Figure 5 represents the vehicle in plan and illustrates a peculiar steering mechanism
combined with the motor as hereinafter described.
Figure 6 also represents the vehicle in plan but with the steering gear in the position
for travelling on a curve.
In these drawings the motor wheel is marked X and the chambers are
marked UUU2 U³ respectively. These chambers are placed at the extremities of
two diameters arranged at right angles with one another and contain bags D, E, F, G,
made of impermeable elastic or flexible material such as cloth combined with india
rubber or caoutchouc. DEF and Gare tubes connecting the chambers with a
central distribution valve T attached to and rotating with the wheel X. The bags E
and G in the chambers U and U2 communicate with one another through a pipe Vand
the bags D and F in the chambers U and U³ are similarly connected by a pipe V.
The wheel X works on a fixed shaft or axle R N connected to a frame W M and the
valve T works on a seat T¹ fixed on the axle RN in such a manner as to be incapable
of rotating on the said axle but yet to be capable of sliding thereon longitudinally.
This valve seat is provided with a supply port in and an exhaust port ech com-
municating respectively with a supply pipe 7 and with an exhaust pipe 5 and the
valve T is provided with ports 1, 2, 3, 4, communicating with the chambers U U¹ U² U³
and which act as exhaust ports and inlet ports alternately being caused to coincide
successively with the ports in the valve seat. The valve seat T' is pressed against its
valve by a spring S Figure 5 and the supply tube is provided with a stop cock t and
communicates with gas or vapour generating chambers a Figures 4 and 5 which are
hereinafter described in detail with reference to Figure 3. The driving wheel X also
acts as a steering wheel being connected to a vehicle A by a jointed frame R N M W
Figure 5 forming a trapezium having one side partly open at Z and jointed at RN
and M. This frame is connected to a toothed quadrant 1 gearing with a toothed
wheel operated by a hand whee! J.
The whole system is placed in a state of stable equilibrium by filling the two bags E
and with mercury or other liquid and exhausting the other two bags D and G of
their air as shown in Figure 1. By puiting the pressure generator a b in communi-
cation with the chamber U by means of the stop cock the tube 7 and the distribution
valve T the pressure on the bag E causes the mercury contained in it to escape by the
tube U and thence up to the bag G in the chamber U. The chamber is thus
emptied and the weight of the full chambers U and U³ impels the wheel X in the
direction shown by the arrow E Figure 4-the equilibrium of the system being
destroyed its centre of gravity being outside the vertical line which passes through
the point of support or axis NR.

page_text: The chamber U³ takes the position previously occupied by U and the same operation
will again take place i. the mercury contained in the bag F is driven in its turn by
the pressure into the bag D in the chamber U and so on.
It will thus be seen that the heavy liquid travels from the bag situated at the
bottom of the motor wheel to the corresponding bag which is diametrically opposite
to it and that the alternate bags are in communication with each other. It must be
noticed that the force is always of equal intensity for a constant pressure and also
that there is no dead point. For, as there are always two chambers in action these
being situated at the ends of two radii at right angles to each other it follows that as
one of them approaches the horizontal at which point the greatest power is obtained
the other recedes from this point so that the weight which acts in the vertical line is
practically applied to levers of different lengths one of which increases in proportion
as the other decreases. The action of centrifugal force should be considered as
retarding while the liquid is being raised vertically from one chamber to the other by
means of the tubes VV until it reaches the centre of rotation of the system, after
which it must be regarded as accelerating. It is thus decomposed into two equal and
opposite forces which of course destroy or neutralise each other.
The following are the advantages gained in the employment of a liquid as herein
before described.
1. A liquid readily moulds itself to a chamber of any form required in which a solid
body could not possibly move.
2. A liquid flows without shock to the extreme end of its course while a solid body
or piston driven by pressure against the cushion which limits its course produces there
a sharp shock and a reaction in a direction opposed to its first movement.
Any convenient volume of any suitable liquid may be employed in this motor but
in practice however we prefer to employ an amalgam of mercury and lead combined
in any suitable proportions provided that the amalgam is sufficiently fluid to circulate
freely in the tubes."
The following proportions have given excellent results but we do not confine
ourselves to them-
Mercury
Lead
4 parts by weight.
1 "
23
23
The density of this amalgam is from about 13 to 15 taking the density of water
as unity.
:
The distribution valve Figure 1 consists of two metallic discs fitted one on the
other the valve proper marked T in the drawings turning with the wheel to the
nave of which it is fixed, is pierced with four holes or ports U U U U³ and
the other T forming the seat of the valve is fixed on the axle N in such a manner as
to be incapable of rotating on the said axle but yet to be capable of sliding thereon
longitudinally so as to keep in contact with the valve proper T. It is pieced with
two holes or ports opposite each other, in being the supply port and ech the
exhaust port.
All the parts of the wheel through which the mercury or other alloy move is
made of iron, steel or cast iron or of any other material impervious to mercury or
its alloys.
To obtain the vacuum spoken of above it is simply necessary to compress the two
bags Gand D sending the pressure into the chambers which surround them before
connecting them by the tubes V and V to the other two bags E F. Of course
this operation requires to be performed once only eiz, when the motor is being put
together.
We do not confine ourselves to any particular kinds of pressure generators for
causing the ascent of the liquid in the motor, the following means however may be
employed in applying this invention to locomotion.
In the example illustrated in Figure 3 carbonic acid gas is prepared automatically
under constant pressure by means of the apparatus represented in vertical section and

page_text: in plan in this Figure. Two strong vessels a and bare provided being lined with
acid proof material connected together by a pipe S always open, at their lower ends.
A supply pipe leads to the distribution valve of the motor. hand are pipes
connecting the two vessels ab through a small piston valvo which opens or shuts
communication between the aforesaid pipes and . The pipe or h¹ is provided
with a stop cock x. The piston is controlled by a rod lettered pand by another
piston e presenting a larger surface working in a cylinder which communicates by
the pipem with the holder a- and are plug holes for charging the vessels a and b
respectively with carbonate and acid. are safety valves and an outlet tap
for the acid. > is a false bottom of wire gauze secured above the bottom of the
vessel a.
A suitable quantity of a carbonate for example is introduced in small pieces into
the vessel a being placed on the perforated or gauze false bottom r and a suitable
quantity of acid is poured into the vessel or holder the pipes and first being
shut by closing the stop cocks t and a. Under these conditions the air contained in
the vessel a prevents the acid from rising in the chamber a but directly the cock
(Figure 4) in the pipe is opened (the cock e which is employed solely for starting
the apparatus being likewise opened this air escapes and the acid entering the vessel a
through the pipe S comes into contact with the carbonate which is thereby partly
decomposed and the acid combining with the solid element generates carbonic acd gas.
At the commencement of this reaction the pistone being at the lower end of its
stroke the small piston connected therewith leaves open the communication between
the pipes. The pressure thus increases equally in a and in but directly the
pressure in these two vessels becomes greater than the weight of the large piston e
this piston rises pushing up the small piston which then closes the communication
between hand. The pressure in the vessel a then becomes greater than that in the
vessel and the acid is forced back through the passages into the latter vessel. The
carbonate being supported on the false bottom or wire gauze is no longer wetted
with the acid and the generation of gas ceases so long as the pressure is maintained.
The apparatus thus acts automatically and maintains a constant pressure. The
maximum of pressure that can be attained may be easily regulated by altering the
load on the large piston e by means of the lever J.
We have described the vessel a as being charged with a carbonate and the vessel b
with an acid thus enabling the apparatus to generate carbonic acid gas. By
substituting a metal such as zinc or iron in the place of the carbonate in the vessel a
and placing sulphuric acid in the vessel hydrogen gas can be obtained under the
same conditions and in like manner any other suitable gas or vapour may be produced
by employing different materials in the said vessels.
When applied to a vehicle travelling on common roads we prefer to combine the
motor according to our invention with the steering gear hereinafter described. As
indicated in Figures 5 and 6 the vehicle is mounted on wheels. The two hind
wheels support the body of the vehicle and the front wheel which is the propelling
and steering wheel is connected to the vehicle by the jointed frame MNRW
herein before referred to which enables the said wheel, in addition to rotating on
its horizontal axis, to turn on a vertical axis passing through the point at which
it rests on the ground. The said frame forms in plan a trapezium MNR W Z.
The front or first side R N is formed by the axle of the motor wheel and is jointed
or capable of turning on the points R and N the point R being fixed. The second
side M N is jointed at its two extremities M N and the third side R W is rigidly
attached to the frame of the vehicle at W being jointed to the axle RN at R.
Lastly the base M Z of the trapezium is capable of turning on the point M' and is
free at Z being operated by means of the quadrant L gearing with the pinion K. It
is evident that by rotating this pinion the sides of the aforesaid trapezium can be
adjusted at any desired angle so that the motor wheel can be maintained perpendicular
to the axis of the two hind wheels or can be inclined at a suitable angle (as represented
in Figure 6 for example) according to the direction in which it is required to propel
the vehicle.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. A motive power engine in which the propelling action is produced by the move-
ment of a liquid piston or body of liquid acting by virtue of its weight in such a
manner that the force of gravitation is substituted for the direct action of pressure
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a motor operating as hereinfore set forth the employment of an amalgam
of mercury to form a liquid piston or body of liquid acting to produce motion as
herein before described.
3. The arrangement of the wheel motor X provided with accumulating chambers U
U U U³ containing flexible or elastic compressible bags for the reception of mercury
or other suitable liquid arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In combination with a motor worked by a liquid piston or moving body of
liquid as hereinbefore set forth an automatic apparatus generating carbonic acid or
other gas under constant or approximately constant pressure the said gas generating
apparatus being constructed with a vessel a for the reception of a carbonate or its
equivalent and with a separate vessel containing an acid the whole operating sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before described with reference to Figure 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination of a motor worked by a liquid piston or moving body of liquid
as herein before set forth and a jointed frame in the form of a trapezium M N
R W Z connected to the motor wheel and forming the fore carriage of a vehicle
propelled or caused to travel in any desired direction by the action of the said moior
wheel substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
6. The combinations and arrangements of paris or means constituting a new or
improved motive power apparatus or engine capable of being employed for the
propulsion of vehicles on land or ships and vessels on water or of acting as a portable
or stationary engine supplying motive power for other purposes the said apparatus
being arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
7. A motor arranged and operating as hereinbefore set forth employed in combination
with a vehicle for the purpose of propelling the latter upon rail or tramways or upon
common roads the said motor and vehicle being combined and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.