IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We CHARLES THOMAS LINFORD of No 115 Wills Street Lozells near Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Mechanical Engineer and HENRY JAMES TAYLOR
PIERCY of No 53 and 54 Broad Street Birmingham aforesaid Mechanical Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
ENGINES" to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the construction arrangement and working of the
parts of gas engines hereinafter described whereby we secure simplicity in the
manufacture of the said engines economy in the consumption of gas efficiency in
action and greater freedom from noise in the working of the engine than in gas
engines of the ordinary construction.
Instead of constructing and arranging the feed valve ignition valve and exhaust
valve in the ordinary way we construct arrange and work the said valves in the
following manner. We enclose the three valves referred to in one case thereby
securing great simplicity of manufacture. The said valves are all worked by cams
on a vertical shaft driven from the principal or fly wheel shaft.
The three valves described are situated over one another in the case containing
then. The gas valve is the lowest the feed valve next above and the exhaust valve
at the top.
The gas valve is opened by the action of the bottom cam on the vertical cam
shaft described. This cam operating on one end of a short lever causes the other
end of the said lever to raise the spindle of the gas valve thereby opening the said
valve and permitting the entrance of gas. The entering gas passes upwards in the
hollow stalk of the feed valve (in which bollow stalk the upper part of the gas
valve spindle works) and through openings or perforations at its top. Immediately
after the opening of the gas valve the top of its spindle strikes against the underside
of the feed valve and atmospheric air admitted by the feed valve mixes with the
jets of gas and the explosive gaseous mixture thus formed passes through a port in
which the appliances for ignition are situated to the the cylinder in which detonation
takes place.
The ignition valve is constructed and works as follows. The spindle of the said
valves passes across the port last referred to one end of the spindle carrying the
disc of the valve which seats itself on a valve seat forming an opening on one sido
of the said port. The other end of the valve spindle passes through the opposite

page_text: side of the port and is operated upon by the middle cam on the cam shaft. A spring
tends to open the valve but the cam acting upon the said spring keeps the valve
closed until it is required to be temporarily opened for igniting the gaseous mixture.
At the required time a cut away portion of the cam coming opposite the spring tho
said spring opens the valve. The permanent flame situated immediately opposite
the valve ignites the gaseous mixture and the ignition travelling along the port
causes the detonation of the gaseous mixture in the cylinder. Immediately after
the ignition of the gaseous mixture the ignition valve is closed by the expansion of
the ignited gases.
The top or exhaust valve is opened at the required times for permitting of the
escape of the residual gas into the atmosphere by the action of the top cam on the
cam shaft.
This cam operates a lever by which the spindle of the exhaust valve is
depressed and the valve opened. The closing of the said valve is effected by a coiled
spring.
In gas engines in which the gaseous mixture is not compressed before ignition
the motion of the piston prior to ignition produces a slight exhaustion which it is
desirable to neutralise before ignition. This we effect by means of an atmospheric
valve communicating with the cylinder and opened by the passage of the piston.
This atmospheric valve consists of two thin flat discs of steel fixed in the interior
of the valve case and seating themselves on openings in the case. The said discs of
steel are pressed to their seats when the internal pressure exceeds the external
pressure but when there is a slight exhaustion within the external atmospheric
pressure gives a slightly convex figure to the said discs. The marginal portions of
the said discs are thereby raised from their seats and air enters. On the restoration
of equilibrium the discs resume their normal or flat form and the atmospheric valve
closes. The use of the atmospheric valve greatly diminishes the noise produced
in the working of the gas engine and when ignition does not take place air enters
the cylinder and prevents the irregularity which would otherwise occur.

page_text: WO CHARLES THOMAS LINFORD of No 115 Wills Street, Lozells near Birmingham
in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer and HENRY JAMES TAYLOR
PIERCY of Nos. 53 and 54 Broad Street, Birmingham aforesaid Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
ENGINES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
Our invention consists of the construction arrangement and working of the
parts of gas engines hereinafter described, whereby wo secure simplicity in the
manufacture of the said engines, economy in the consumption of gas, efficiency in
action and greater freedom from noise in the working of the engine than in gas
engines of the ordinary construction.
Instead of constructing and arranging the feed valve, ignition valve and exhaust
valve in the ordinary way, we construct, arrange and work the said valves in the
following manner. We enclose the three valves referred to in one case thereby
securing great simplicity of manufacture.
The said valves are all worked by cams on a vertical shaft driven from the
principal or fly wheel shaft.
The three valves described are situated over one another in the case containing
them. The gas valve is the lowest; the feed valve next above and the exhaust
valve at the top.
The gas valvo is opened by the action of the bottom cam on the vertical cam
shaft described. This cam operating on one end of a short lever causes the other
end of the said lever to raise the spindle of the gas valve thereby opening the said
valve and permitting the entrance of gas. The entering gas passes upwards in the
hollow stalk of the feed valve (in which hollow stalk the upper part of the gas
valve spindle works) and through openings or perforations at its top. Immediately
after the opening of the gas valve, the top of its spindle strikes against the underside
of the feed valve and atmospheric air admitted by the feed valve mixes with the
jets of gas and the explosive gaseous mixture thus formed passes through a port in
which the appliances for ignition are situated to the cylinder in which detonation
takes place.
The ignition valve is constructed and works as follows. The spindle of the said
valve passes across the port last referred to, one end of the spindle carrying the
disc of the valve which seats itself on a valve seat forming an opening on one side
of the said port. The other end of the valve spindle passes through the opposite
side of the port and is operated upon by the middle cam on the cam shaft. A spring
tends to open the valve but the cam acting upon the said spring keeps the valve
closed until it is required to be temporarily opened for igniting the gaseous mixture.
At the required time a cut away portion of the cam coming opposite the spring the
said spring opens the valve. The permanent flame situated immediately opposite
the valve ignites the gaseous mixture and the ignition travelling along the port
causes the detonation of the gaseous mixture in the cylinder. Immediately after
the ignition of the gaseous mixture, the ignition valve is closed by the expansion of
the ignited gases.
The top or exhaust valve is opened at the required times for permitting of the
escape of the residual gas into the atmosphere by the action of the top cam on the

page_text: cam shaft. This cam operates a lever by which the spindle of the exhaust valve is
depressed and the valve opened. The closing of the said valve is effected by a coiled
spring.
In gas engines in which the gaseous mixture is not compressed before ignition
the motion of the piston prior to ignition produces a slight exhaustion which it is
desirable to neutralise before ignition. This we effect by means of an atinospheric
valve communicating with the cylinder and opened by the passage of the piston.
This atmospheric valve consists of two thin flat discs of steel fixed in the interior
of the valve case and seating themselves on openings in the case. The said discs of
steel are pressed to their seats when the internal pressure exceeds the external
pressure but when there is a slight exhaustion within, the external atmospheric
pressure gives a slightly convex figure to the said discs. The marginal portions of
the said discs are thereby raised from their seats and air enters. On the restoration
of equilibrium the discs resume their normal or flat form and the atmospheric valve
closes. The use of the atmospheric valve greatly diminishes the noise produced in
the working of the gas engine and when ignition does not take place air enters the
cylinder and prevents the irregularity which would otherwise occur.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a portion of a gas engine containing our
improvements, the said section being taken through the cylinder and valves;
Figure 2 represents a front elevation of the same exhibiting the arrangement of
parts for operating the valves; Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the gas engine
taken through the ignition valve; Figure 4 represents in section drawn to a larger
scale the feed and exhaust valves closed; Figure 5 represents an enlarged section
of the relief or atmospheric valve; Figure 6 represents an enlarged section of the
ignition valve and firing or ignition arrangement and Figure 7 represents enlarged
views of the ignition valve detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawing.
a is the cylinder of the gas engine and b the piston of the same; 61 is the
connecting or piston rod for connecting the piston 6 to the crank of the engine in
the usual way; c is a water jacket to the cylinder a; d is the casing containing
the feed valve c, gas valve f and exhaust valve j. The said casing also contains the
ignition valve v. The frame or standard of the gas engine carrying the cylinder
and crank bearings may be constructed of any of the usual forms employed in
ordinary steam engines. The exhaust valve j and feed valve o are kept to their
respective seats by means of a spring between them situated in the closed annular
space formed by the two valves as seen in Figures 1 and 4.
The gaseous mixture is obtained as follows:-Combustible gas enters the lower
part of the casing d by the inlet pipe (see Figure 4) and rising up the hollow
stalk of the valve e passes by the orifices g, g and mixes with the air entering by
the port t (see Figure 1). The gaseous mixture escapes by the open valve e into
the casing d and from thence by the port s into the cylinder a; p is the vertical
cam shaft driven from the principal or fly wheel shaft. The said shaft p carries
the three cams o, q and r for working the valves. The gas valve f is worked by
the cam o acting through the lever m upon the lower part of the valve stem f¹.
The feed valve e is lifted nearly at the same time by the action of the upper part
of the stem f¹ of the gas valve fupon the inner projecting part of the valve e
(see Figure 4). The ignition valve is pressed outwards by the spring (see
Figure 3) the cam 9 pressing the said spring inwards and closing the valve.
When the rise of the cam q leaves the spring 7 the latter is released and the
ignition valve is suddenly opened and the gaseous mixture is ignited. The valve v
is loose upon its spindle v and is pressed to its seat h by the expansion of the
ignited gases: w is the burner of the permanent gas flame opening into the case d
by the small port in the valve seat h (see Figure 6). The exhaust valve j is

page_text: opened by the lever 8' operated by the cam on the top of the shaft p depressing
the valve stem j¹. The said valve j when depressed opens a communication
between the port s leading to the cylinder a and the exhaust port k for the escape
of the residual gases.
The atmospheric or relief valve is best seen in Figure 5 and is constructed and
operates as follows:-a is a port leading into the relief valve box; c, are two
(or more) thin steel dises secured upon their seats by covers x, œ.
One of the said
covers and seats are perforated at 2, 2 near their outer margin for the passage of
atmospheric air, the said passages being covered by the said steel discs. Air
enters from the annular space c¹ around the cylinder a. The lower portion of this
annular space is covered by a baffle plate or cover cl to prevent the noise of
aspiration being heard in the neighbourhood of the gas engine. Upon the piston b
reaching the position shown in Figure 1, the port a is in communication with the
cylinder a and air passes the valves, owing to the slight exhaustion produced
by the closing of the feed valve c, but as the explosion takes place almost instantly
the valves, are forced upon their seats by the pressure generated by the
explosion. But should no ignition take place from any cause, the valves, allow
air to pass to the cylinder during the remainder of the stroke of the piston.
The action of the parts is as follows:-
Supposing the piston b in the cylinder a to be at the end of its inward stroke
and is about to commence its outward stroke, the gas valvef which has been already
lifted by the lever m operated by the cam o is brought into contact by its stem f¹
with the feed valve c which is thereby opened and as the piston b moves forward
the said open valve e permits the combustible gaseous mixture to pass into the
cylinder a by the porta until the piston reaches about the position represented in
Figure 1 when the port a¹ is partly opened, thereby establishing a communication
with the valve box a³ containing the relief valves, which valves, open as
before described and air enters the cylinder a. Upon the piston reaching this
position, the feed valve e is suddenly closed and the ignition valve vis suddenly
opened by the action of the cam q on the shaft p releasing the spring and the
ignition of the combustible charge takes place; the valve v being loose upon its
spindle is forced to its seat h and closed by the expansion of the ignited gases.
Just before the piston b reaches the end of its outward stroke the exhaust valve j
is opened by the lever 8 operated by the cam which open valve permits the
residual gases to escape from the cylinder a by the ports 8 and k. On the piston
reaching the end of its instroke the exhaust valve j is closed and the operations
herein before described are repeated.
By the arrangement of the parts described a uniform gaseous mixture is
delivered to the cylinder, the valve f cutting off the combustible gas at the proper
time and thereby preventing waste, the said valve f with the feed valve c
determining the quantity of explosive mixture which shall pass into the cylinder.
The cam shaft p may be driven by any suitable gearing at the same speed as the
crank shaft and the crank shaft may be arranged either for a horizontal or vertical
form of gas engine.
For regulating the speed of the gas engine any of the ordinary type of high
speed governors may be used acting by a lever upon a cut-off plug contained in
the tap used for starting, the said governor being driven by a band from the cam
or counter shaft.
The gas engine is started in the usual manner by pulling round the fly wheel.
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 of "Improvements in gas engines":
First The construction and arrangement of the gas, feed and exhaust valves
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawing and the combination of the parts described and illustrated
for operating the said valves.

page_text: Secondly The construction and arrangement of the ignition valve and ignition
apparatus substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 3, 6
and 7 of the accompanying Drawing and the arrangement of parts described and
represented for working the ignition valve.
Thirdly The atmospheric relief valve constructed substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 of the accompanying Drawing.
Dated this Seventeenth day of December 1884
CHARLES THOMAS LINFORD.
HENRY JAMES TAYLOR PIERCY.