Improvements in and connected with Explosion, Steam, and Fluid Pressure Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Explosion, Steam, and Fluid
Pressure Engines.
BASIL GEE, 7, Pembroke Gardens, Kensington, London, Electrical Engineer, and
RICHARD WEBSTER, 42, Milner Square, Islington, London, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the mature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement;
-
The nature of this invention, is a piston valve, attached to the back of the main
piston, having the same stroke as the main piston, and working in a cylinder which
is a continuation of the main cylinder, but of smaller diameter, and besides having
the same reciprocating movement of the main piston; the said piston valve has
a constant, slow, rotary motion in the one direction, caused by its being connected
by bevel or equivalent gear to the piston end of the connecting rod, which carries
the piston valve round part of a circle at each oscillation (both up and down oscilla-
tions) of the connecting rod. This is effected by, a circular rachet on each of the
faces of the two bevel wheels, which alternately become engaged with sliding pins,
working and actuated by a spring or equivalent device in the piston end of the
connecting rod. This has the effect of giving a slow, constantly, circular motion
to the bevel pinion which is fastened to the piston valve, thus opening & closing
the ports in the piston valve and valve cylinder at the proper moments for either
explosion, steam, or fluid pressure engines, but more particularly for explosion
engines.
Owing to the main piston and piston valve being both circular, and the one a
prolongation of the other, the circular casing which encloses them, can be made of
very thin metal, as there is no need for projections of any kind.
This said cylinder or casing, can in its turn be enclosed by another circular
casing so as to form an annular space, between the two cylinders, running the
entire length of the main piston cylinder, & piston valve casing; and owing to
piston valve being circular it can be made hollow.
The use of said annular space, and the hollow piston valve (in the case of an
explosion motor) is so that a plentiful supply of cold air can be propelled thro' this
said annular space surrounding the main cylinder, & piston valve cylinder and back
again down the centre of the hollow piston valve and main piston as shown by
arrows on the drawing; the explosion thus taking place in an annular space totally
surrounded and intersected by cold air.
The cold air is supplied by a fan or fans attached to the crank shaft of the engine,
and which are made heavy at the rim to also act as fly wheels.
The object of our invention is to produce an engine combined with the utmost

page_text: simplicity of construction, and extreme lightness, without cams, gear wheels,
springs, tappet, or mushroom valves, or any outside mechanism whatever, particu-
larly for use on motor cars.
Further objects and advantages of this, our invention, will appear in the follow-
ing description relating to drawing, and the novel features thereof will be particu-
larly pointed out in the appended claims.
Fig. 1 shows a double cylinder engine, one of the engines in elevation, and the
other in section.
Fig. 2 shows the side elevation of the engine.
Fig. 3 is. a large scale view showing the section of the main piston, and the
arrangement of bevel gears and the method of receiving their niotions from the
oscillations of the connecting rod.
Fig. 4 shows a cross section, taken thro' the piston valve & casing, with the
position of the piston valve (in the case of an explosion motor working on the Otto
cycle) on the point of taking in a charge of explosive mixture.
Fig. 5 shows the position of the valve at the end of taking in the charge, and
at the commencement of the compression stroke.
Fig. 6 shows the position of the valve at the end of the compression stroke, and
on the point of explosion.
Fig. 7 shows the position of the valve at the end of the explosion stroke, and on
the point of exhausting.
The arrow shown on the top of each of the Figures 4, 5, 6, & 7 indicates in
which direction the valve is travelling.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of
the drawing.
The following description and with reference to the figures on the drawing,
should give a good idea of the object, and novel features of our invention.
The opening 1 (Fig. 1) is the gas or explosive mixture supply, which leads to
an annular space 2, surrounding the piston valve; at the bottom of this annular
space is the supply port 3, which is in direct communication with the cylinder,
when the port 4 in the valve is moving across it. This would be so, when the
engine was drawing in a charge (see Figs. 4 & 5).
The circular motion of the valve during this time has been got by the rising &
falling of the connecting rod 5 (Fig. 3); and in the following manner, say the
connecting rod 5 is moving or oscillating upwards, the sliding pin 6, would be
engaged in the circular rachet 7, which would move the bevel wheel 8, towards
the left; this would move the bevel pinion 9, attached to the valve 10, and the
bevel wheel 11, would be moved towards the right, until the connecting rod 5,
reached its highest point, then at the point of its returning to come down, the
sliding pin 6, would become disengaged from its rachet 7, and the sliding pin 12,
would become engaged with its rachet 13, thus showing that the piston valve 10
is constantly revolving in one direction.
At the end of the compression stroke, and when the piston valve 10, will have
moved into the position shown in Fig. 6; an electric spark is applied to give the
explosion; this is got in the ordinary way as illustrated on the drawing.
During the exhaust stroke the port 4 in the piston valve, will be moving across
the exhaust port 14, leading to the annular space 15, which surrounds the supply
passages 1 and 2; the effect of surrounding the supply passages with the exhaust
will be to vaporize the explosive mixture.
Surrounding the exhaust annular spaces 15 is another annular space 16, for
the passage of cold air, which comes from the fans 17, and if the passage of air
be followed, as indicated by arrows it will be seen that the air, after enveloping
the outside of the cylinder, and piston valve, enters the valve cylinder 18, and goes
right thro' the hollow piston valve 10; thro' the main piston 19, into the crank
chamber 20.
In the case of a steam or fluid pressure engine, of course the supply and exhaust
passages would correspond with the supply, and exhaust passages, for an explosion

page_text: engine, and the ports or ports in the valve, would be made in such a position so
as to act at their proper times.
It will be understood that in practice, various changes in the form, proportion,
and the minor details of construction, may be resorted to, without departing from
the principles, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1-A piston valve for explosion, steam or fluid pressure engines, having a recipro-
cating, & circular motion got from the oscillations of the connecting rod, as sub-
stantially described.
2-An explosion engine, with a cooling space round the outside, and down the
centre of the valve & cylinder, as substantially described.
3 The use of fans, and also to act as fly wheels, as substantially described.
4-A central valve explosion engine, as substantially described.
Dated this 26th day of November 1898.
BASIL GEE,
RICHARD WEBSTER.