Improvements in Oil Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Reprinted as amended in accordance with the decision of the Chief Examiner
dated the 5th day of September, 1899.
[The Amendments are shown in erased and italie type.]
Date of Application, 10th June, 1896-Accepted, 18th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I, GEORGE JOHN ALTHAM, of Swansea (no street or number), in the County
of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman,
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:-
This invention relates to oil engines of the two cycle type, in which the
piston is given an impulse by the explosion of a mixture of oil vapor and air,
hereinafter termed the working agent, during every alternate forward move-
ment.
The invention has for its object to provide a simple engine of this class
capable of operating without the use of water as the cylinder cooling agent,
and adapted to operate rapidly without liability of premature explosions of the
working agent, and to this end the invention consists, among other things, in
an oil engine comprising a cylinder, a piston working therein, two independent
air supplying agencies, communicating with the front end of the cylinder, one
of said agencies including a vaporizing chamber, in which the air becomes a
part of the working agent, while the other includes a source of supply of pure
atmospheric air, which cleanses and cools the combustion space after the work-
ing stroke, the pure air supply entering after the explosive wave has passed,
and before the next charge of the working agent is admitted, and sweeping out
all the products of combustion, so that no incandescent particles are allowed to
remain in the combustion space.
Of the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one form of oil engine embodying my
invention. Figure 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3
represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 represents a section
on line 44 of Figure 2. Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of
Figure 1. Figure 1" represents an end elevation of a somewhat different con-
struction of oil engine embodying my invention. Figure 2 represents a top view
of the construction shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 represents a front elevation,
partly in section. Figure 4 represents a section on line 44" of Figure 3*.
Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1ª. Figure 6 represents
a section on line 6-6 of Figure 3. Figure 7 represents a section on line 7-7
of Figure 1. Figure 8 represents a section on line 8-8 of Figure 1. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, a represents a cylinder, and b a piston
working back and forth therein. c represents the shaft which is driven by the
piston through the connecting rod d which is jointed to the piston at one end,
its other end embracing the crank c¹ on the shaft.
e is a vaporizing chamber, which has a continuously open air inlet e20 (Figure 2)

page_text: through which external air enters the chamber and mingles therein with the
hydrocarbon vapor to form an explosive mixture, or working agent. The
vaporizing chamber communicates with one end of the cylinder through a
port el controlled by a valve e (Figures 3 and 4) and receives oil through a
pipe, supplied by a pump e, which may be operated by any suitable means
As here shown the pump is operated by a came on the shaft c, a lever pivoted
at e to a fixed support, said lever being connected with the plunger rod es of
the pump, and a spring e which holds the lever e against the cam e so that the
lever is oscillated when the shaft c is in motion. The oil is drawn to the
pump from a reservoir, not shown, through a pipe e, and is vaporized in
the chamber e by the heat generated in the cylinder by the combustion of the
mixture or working agent in the cylinder, as hereinafter described.
For convenience, I will term the end of the cylinder which receives the
working agent the front end, and the other, the rear end. The movement of
the piston from the front to the rear end is termed the forward stroke, while
the opposite movement is termed the return stroke, each forward stroke follow-
ing an explosion being termed a working stroke.
represents an air chamber which communicates with the rear end of the
cylinder through a port, or inlet f', controlled by a valve f, and with the front
end of the cylinder through a passage, or outlet f³ and port f, the latter being
controlled by a valve f³.
9 represents a passage communicating with the external air, and communi-
cating with the rear end of the cylinder through a port g¹ controlled by a
valve g².
h represents an exhaust passage communicating at one end through a port h
with the front end of the cylinder, and at its other end with the external air,
the port being controlled by a valve h².
The valves, f and 12 controlling the ports at the front end of the
cylinder are closed by springs, and are opened by cams,, on a shaft à
which is rotated by power imparted from the driving shaft through suitable
connections, such as sprocket wheels 2, 3, and a sprocket chain . The cam
acts on the valve through a lever (Figure 4), connected with the stem of
the valve e, while the cams and act directly on the stems of the valves f
and h³. The closing springs of said valves force the stems upwardly, and hold
trundle rolls on said stems and on the lever in yielding contact with
the cams. The valve fat the rear end of the piston is arranged to open out-
wardly, while the valve g2 opens inwardly, each of said valves being normally
closed by a spring. represent two electrodes, projecting into the front end
of the cylinder, and forming parts of an electric circuit which includes the
wires (Figure 5), and a suitable source of electricity. Said circuit is
provided with suitable means for producing a spark between the electrodes at
predetermined periods, the spark exploding a charge of the working agent in
the front end of the cylinder.
The operation is as follows:
The piston being at the end of its return stroke, and the front end of the
cylinder charged with the working agent, the charge is ignited, or exploded by
an electric spark at the electrodes j, j', and the piston given a working
stroke which compresses the air in the rear end of the cylinder, and forces
it through the port f into the chamber f, the valve fyielding to the
displaced air, while the valve g² remains closed. Just before the end of the
working stroke, the exhaust valve 2 is opened to relieve the pressure of
the gaseous products of combustion in the front end of the cylinder prior to the
return stroke of the piston, the gases being thus afforded an outlet to the
atmosphere through the exhaust passage h. The air valve f is opened imme-
diately after the opening of the exhaust valve, and just before the return stroke
of the piston, and admits compressed air from the chamber f to the front end
of the cylinder through the port f. The two ports are near opposite sides of

page_text: the cylinder, so that the compressed air passes inwardly along one side of the
cylinder, and outwardly along the opposite side, thus gaining access to all parts
containing the gaseous products of combustion, and forcing the same out through
the exhaust port, and cooling besides cleansing the cylinder, leaving nothing
but pure air therein. This cleansing and cooling movement of air in the
cylinder continues during the return stroke of the piston, and during that
stroke air is drawn into the rear end of the cylinder through the passage y and
port g, the valve opening inwardly and admitting the air, so that at the
close of the return stroke, the rear end of the cylinder contains a charge of air
which is ready to be compressed by the next forward stroke of the piston.
When the piston reaches the front end of the cylinder, the valves f³ and h² are
closed and the valve e is opened, connecting the front end of the cylinder with
the vaporizing chamber. The next forward stroke of the piston now takes
place (this being caused by the momentum of the engine, instead of being a
working stroke) and forces the charge of air in the rear end of the cylinder
into the chamber f, and at the same time draws a charge of the working agent
into the front end of the cylinder, the working agent being under atmospheric
pressure so that it continues to enter until the end of the forward stroke. The
valve e is then closed and the piston makes its next return stroke during which
the valves e, f and h2 remain closed, so that the working agent is compressed
in the front end of the cylinder, the piston drawing air into the rear end of
the cylinder, through the passage y and port g as before. At the end of this
return stroke the compressed working agent is ignited by spark, and the
piston receives another working stroke. It will be seen, therefore, that a work-
ing stroke, or impulse occurs during every alternate rotation of the shaft, and
that pure air is compressed and stored by each forward stroke to be admitted
into the space in which the combustion takes place, after each working stroke,
and that each return stroke prepares a fresh charge of air to be compressed by
the next forward stroke. By thus storing compressed air during two forward
strokes of the piston, the air being confined in the storage chamber after each
forward stroke caused by momentum, and admitted to the combustion space after
each working stroke, I ensure the thorough cleansing of the combustion space
all the products of combustion being swept therefrom, and nothing but pure air
left therein when the next charge of the working agent is admitted. By thus
sweeping or washing out the combustion space, and filling it with pure air
prior to the admission of the working agent, I prevent the presence of particles
of incandescent carbon in the said space, and the liability of a premature explo-
sion during the admission of the next charge of the working agent; I also
avoid the necessity of using water to cool the combustion space, and enable
the working strokes to follow each other in more rapid succession than would
otherwise be possible, the thorough cleansing of the combustion space enabling
it to remain at a higher temperature than would be safe if it were not thus
cleansed; I also obtain a very energetic explosion, the explosive wave passing
with great rapidity through the combustion space. An important feature, and
in fact, the chief characteristic of my invention is the two independent air
supplies, one as a part of the working agent through the continuously open
air inlet and the vaporizing chamber, and the other as a cleansing and cool-
ing agent through the air storage chamber, the said cleansing and cooling agent
being pure air and having no function excepting to cleanse and cool the com-
bustion space, it being admitted to the said space only after the explosive wave
has expended its force. By thus dividing the air supplied to the engine, into
two parts, each having an independent function, I am enabled to materially
simplify the construction, all the air being supplied by the action of one piston,
which draws air from one source of supply accompanied by the oil vapor as the
working agent into the combustion space, thereby inducing a flow of air into
the vaporizing chamber, draws air for the cleansing and cooling supply into
the combustion space, and compresses the said supply in the storage chamber, a

page_text: very large supply of air being furnished. By dispensing with water as a cool-
ing agent, I greatly increase the efficiency of the engine, it being well known
that a water jacket cools the cylinder to such an extent as to impair the efficiency
of the engine.
The exterior of the cylinder is preferably provided with a series of radiating
ribs a¹ (Figure 5) to increase its surface area, and facilitate the radiation of
heat therefrom, to the end that the temperature of the cylinder may be kept
as low as possible.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, I show a different embodiment of
my invention which includes an improved valve mechanism for controlling the
admission of air to the air chamber f and to the rear end of the cylinder, and a
combustion chamber a¹ which communicates with the cylinder and receives the
working agent from the vaporizing chamber and air from the air chamber, the
combustion taking place in said chamber instead of in the cylinder.
The driving shaft c in this embodiment of my invention, is made in two
tubular sections mounted to rotate in bearings cc, and surrounding the shaft
sections hereinafter described, to which the fly wheels are attached.
The combustion chamber al is of elongated form and communicates at one
end with the front end of the cylinder. The length of said chamber is essen-
tially much greater than its diameter in cross-section, so that when a charge of
the working agent is admitted to the outer portion of the said chamber (the
portion farthest from the cylinder), a body of air may be contained in the inner
portion of the chamber and interposed as an air cushion between the said
charge and the cylinder, without mixing to any material extent with the work-
ing agent prior to the explosion, the cross sectional area of the chamber being
so small as to prevent the mixture of the working agent and air in the com-
bustion chamber. The said body of air mingles with the products of combus-
tion that enter the cylinder after the explosion, thus reducing the temperature
of the said products and keeping the cylinder comparatively cool, a result of
much importance. The capacity of the combustion chamber is preferably
about equal to that of the cylinder, and it is preferably of tubular form; and
for the sake of compactness, is coiled helically about the vaporizing-chamber e,
although this arrangement is not essential, and the combustion chamber may
be arranged in any other suitable way.
The air chamber in this construction receives air from the rear end of the
cylinder through a conduit f¹ controlled by a valve m, hereinafter described,
and discharges air through a conduit f³.
with the
The air conduit f3 and the vaporizing chamber e communicate
outer end of the combustion chamber through a passage in a casing f, which
casing contains the ports el and ft and the valves e controlling said ports. Said
valves and 3 and the exhaust valve h³ are operated like the valves similarly
designated in the construction first described, the valves admitting the
working agent from the vaporizing chamber and the compressed air from the
chamber into the combustion chamber a¹ instead of directly into the cylinder
as in the first construction.
The valve m which controls the air-inlet to the air chamber f also controls
an air passage from the rear end of the cylinder to the external air, and permits
air to enter the rear end of the cylinder through said passage during each return
stroke of the piston, but prevents the escape of air through said passage during
the forward strokes of the piston. The said valve m is a disk affixed to one of
the sections of the shaft e and rotating therewith. Said disk is enclosed in a
casing n, and the upper portion of said casing is connected by a passage n¹ with
the rear end of the cylinder, said passage conducting air from the casing n to
the rear end of the cylinder during each return stroke of the piston, and from
said rear end to the casing during each forward stroke of the piston. The pas-
sage is formed to surround the connecting-rod d, as shown in Figures 5"
and 6. In the outer side of the disk m is a segmental port m¹, from the ends

page_text: of which extend passages m³ m³ communicating with the passage n¹. m³ repre-
sents a tube movable endwise in a passage m5 in the casing and pressed by a
spring me against the outer side of the disk m, said tube communicating with
the external air, and being arranged to connect with the segmental port m¹
during a part of the rotation of the disk m, the arrangement being such that
when the piston is making its return stroke, the tube m and port 'm' will
register, so that air will pass through the said tube, the port m', passages m2 m³,
and passage n¹, into the rear end of the cylinder. At the end of the return
stroke, the port ml passes away from the tube m, the latter being closed by the
surface of the disk during the forward stroke of the piston.
m² represents a passage extending from the casing at the opposite side of
the shaft from the tube m and communicating with the conduit f¹ that
supplies air to the air chamber f. In said passage is a tube m', which is
pressed inwardly by a spring m10 against the disk m. The tube m is arranged
to coincide with the segmental port m¹ during the forward stroke of the piston,
so that the air expelled from the cylinder by the piston passes through the
passage n', the disk passages m² m³, the port m², the tube-m, and the conduit fi
into the air chamber f, the air-inlet tube m being at this time closed, as
above described.
It will be seen, therefore, that the disk m constitutes a positively operating
rotary valve, which connects the rear end of the cylinder with the external air
during the return stroke of the piston, and with the air storage chamber during
the forward stroke.
The disk m constitutes also a connection between one of the tubular sections
of the driving shaft c and the crank pin c', the other section of the driving
shaft being connected with said crank pin by another disk m affixed to the last
named section, the two disks being separated by a space the width of which exceeds
the thickness of the piston-rod. The crank pin c is affixed rigidly to the disk m, and
enters a sleeve 6, which is rigidly attached to the disk m. Said pin and sleeve
constitute a two part crank pin of great strength and rigidity, the sleeve & being
preferably proportioned so that it has about the same strength as the pin c
The driving shaft c is rotated by the movement of the piston in the usual manner,
and imparts motion through the wheel c³ to the mechanism to be driven, and
through the wheel to the valve operating mechanism above described.
The fly wheel shaft 2 is however rotatable independently of the driving shaft c,
and at a more rapid rate for a purpose hereinafter explained.
d'
The piston-rod is connected with the fly wheel shaft c by means of gears
affixed rigidly to the lower end of said rod, and gears affixed rigidly to the
shaft 2, said shaft being made in two sections, to the adjacent ends of which the
gears are affixed, said gears being between the disks m m and separated by
a space of greater width than the thickness of the rod d. The gears are caused
by the reciprocating movements of the piston to revolve about the gears d³, and
as said gears do not rotate but are affixed to the rod d, they impart rotary
motion to the gears and fly wheel shaft . The gears are held in engage-
ment with the gears by means of the crank-pin c', and sleeve c which pass
through the centres of the gears .
The gear connections between the piston-rod and fly wheel shaft enable the fly
wheel to be rotated more rapidly than would be possible by a direct crank con-
nection with the piston-rod. When the gears are of the same size, the fly
wheel shaft is given two complete rotations by each forward and return stroke
of the piston. By making the gears larger than the gears, the rapidity of
rotation of the fly wheel shaft can be increased. This multiplication of motion
between the piston-rod and shaft increases the momentum of the fly wheel, and
enables a much lighter fly wheel to be used than would otherwise be possible.
Ordinarily in comparatively small engines the fly wheel weighs as much or
more than the other parts combined, this excess of weight being necessary when
the shaft has the usual direct connection with the piston. I have found that by

page_text: increasing the rapidity of rotation of the shaft and fly wheel as above described,
it is feasible to employ a much lighter fly wheel, the reduction in weight being
compensated for by the increase of momentum.
The electrodes which ignite the working agent, are located in the outer
portion of the combustion chamber (see Figure 3).
The operation is practically the same as that already described, with the excep-
tion that the charge of working agent is compressed and ignited in the outer
portion of the combustion chamber a' instead of in the cylinder and is separated
from the cylinder before ignition by a cushion of air contained in the inner
portion of the combustion chamber, the explosion acting through the air cushion
to give the piston its working stroke.
The explosion forces the air in the inner portion of the combustion chamber into
the cylinder where it mingles with the heated products of combustion, reducing
their temperature and keeping the cylinder comparatively cool. It will be seen
therefore, that the cylinder receives a mixture of the products of combustion and
air at a relatively low temperature, so that the cylinder does not become highly
heated at any time, but remains at a practically uniform, relatively low tem-
perature. I am therefore enabled to dispense with special provisions for cooling
the cylinder, such as a water-jacket or a ribbed external surface for the rapid
radiation of heat. The weight of the cylinder may therefore be very materially
reduced as compared with cylinders which require means for cooling. The
elongation of the combustion chamber, whereby the interposition of a body or
cushion of air between the charge of working agent and the cylinder is permitted,
enables the cylinder to be constructed without cooling means, and therefore of
minimum weight, the air cushion deadening the explosion and preventing the
liability of rupturing the walls of the combustion chamber and of the cylinder,
even though said walls be comparatively light and thin. The said air cushion
also enables several of the other parts of the engine to be made of minimum
weight, or lighter than would otherwise be desirable. Among these parts may be
mentioned the piston-rod, crank, and the connections between said rod and crank.
I intend the expression "combustion space," as used in this specification and
in the appended claims, to refer either to the portion of the cylinder in which the
combustion takes place in the construction shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, or to
the combustion chamber a¹.
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. An engine of the character specified comprising a cylinder, a piston working
therein, and two independent air supplying agencies, communicating with the
combustion space, one of said agencies including a vaporizing chamber, in which
the air becomes a part of the working agent, while the other includes first, a
chamber or reservoir for atmospheric air; secondly, means for maintaining an
effective pressure of air therein; and thirdly, means for intermittently connecting
the said chamber with the combustion space to admit a cleansing blast of air
thereto after cach working stroke.
2. An engine of the character specified comprising a cylinder, a piston working
therein, and two independent air supplying agencies, communicating with the
front end of the cylinder, one of said agencies including a vaporizing chamber,
in which the air becomes a part of the working agent, while the other includes
first, a valved air supply inlet for the rear end of the cylinder; secondly, an air
storage chamber; thirdly, a valved passage connecting the storage chamber with
the rear end of the cylinder; fourthly, a valved passage connecting the storage
chamber with the combustion space; and fifthly, means for intermittently open-
ing the last mentioned passage to supply a cleansing and cooling blast to the com-
bustion space after each working streke.
3. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder, a piston work-

page_text: ing therein, an air inlet communicating with the rear end of the cylinder to
admit air thereto during each return stroke of the piston, an air storage chamber
having an inlet communicating with the rear end of the cylinder, and receiving
air therefrom during each forward stroke of the piston, said storage chamber
having an air outlet communicating with the combustion space, a rotary valve
on the main shaft of the engine controlling the air inlet at the rear end of the
cylinder, and the air inlet of the storage chamber, whereby air is permitted to
pass from the cylinder to the storage chamber during the forward movement of
the piston, and is prevented from returning from the storage chamber to the
cylinder, and a valve mechanism operated by said shaft to alternately connect the
vaporizing chamber and the air storage chamber with the combustion space, and
to open the exhaust during the admission of air to the said space.
4. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein,
a casing below the cylinder surrounding a portion of the main shaft of the engine,
said casing being connected with the rear end of the cylinder by a passage which
serves to conduct air to and from the rear end of the cylinder, an air storage
chamber communicating with the said passage and with the front end of the
cylinder, a rotary valve affixed to the main shaft within said casing, an air inlet
from the external air to the casing, and an air outlet from said casing to the air
chamber, both controlled by said valve.
5. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein,
a casing below the cylinder surrounding a portion of the main shaft of the engine,
said casing being connected with the rear end of the cylinder by a passage which
serves to conduct air to and from the rear end of the cylinder, an air storage
chamber communicating with the said passage and with the combustion space, a
rotary valve affixed to the main shaft within said casing, an air inlet from the
external air to the casing, an air outlet from said casing to the air chamber, both
controlled by said valve, and spring pressed tubes in said inlet and outlet, bearing
against the side of the rotary valve.
6. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein,
a vaporizing chamber having an outlet communicating with the combustion space,
a valve controlling said outlet, and an inlet for the admission of air to form a
working agent, an air chamber having a passage or outlet communicating with
the combustion space and provisions for the alternate maintenance and delivery
of an effective combustion space cleansing blast of air, said provisions including
first, a valve controlling said air passage and secondly, positively operating
mechanism for opening said valve after each working stroke, holding it open
during the following return stroke and closing it during the other
strokes of the cycle, an exhaust passage communicating with the front
end of the cylinder, a valve controlling said exhaust passage, mechanism
for operating the exhaust valve and the working agent valve alternately, the
exhaust valve being opened and closed practically in unison with the air valve to
permit the cleansing action of the blast of air released by the opening of the air
valve, and to close the exhaust during the other strokes of the cycle, while the
working agent valve is opened during the forward stroke following the cleansing
action and closed during the other strokes of the cycle to co-operate with the other
valves in causing the compression of the working agent by the return stroke
following its admission, and thereafter to exclude the working agent from the
cylinder, and means for igniting the working agent after its compression, where-
by a working stroke is obtained at each alternate forward movement of the piston.
7. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder, a piston working
therein, a vaporizing chamber having an inlet communicating with the external
air and a working agent outlet communicating with the combustion space, an air
storage chamber having an inlet communicating with the rear end of the cylinder
and an outlet communicating with the combustion space, an air supply inlet
independent of said chamber communicating with the rear end of the cylinder, an
exhaust passage communicating with the front end of the cylinder, valve mechan-

page_text: ism controlling the inlet to the air chamber from the cylinder and the said supply
inlet at the rear end of the cylinder, whereby each forward stroke of the piston is
caused to compress and store air in the storage chamber under an effective pressure,
valve mechanism controlling the outlet of the storage chamber and organized to
release a blast of the compressed air into the combustion space at pre-determined
periods, valve mechanism for opening and closing the exhaust passage practically
in unison with the air chamber outlet, and valve mechanism for opening and
closing the working agent outlet alternately with the air chamber outlet whereby
the piston is caused at every forward stroke following the cleansing blast, to draw
a charge of vapor and air from the vaporizing chamber and to compress said
charge at the following return stroke.
8. The combination of a-cylinder, a reciprocating piston therein, a-driving shaft,
e-piston rod directly-connected with-the-driving shaft, a fly-wheel-shaft-rotatable
independently-of the-driving shaft,-and-a-motion-multiplying connection-between
the-piston-rod-nad-fy wheel-shaft.
9. The-combination of a-cylinder, n-reciprocating-piston-therein, a piston rod, a
tubular driving shaft having-a-crank-connected-with-the-piston rod, -n-Ay wheel
shaft-rotatable independently-of the driving shaft, a gear-uffixed-to-the-Ay-wheel
shaft,-and-a-year affixed to-the--rod--and--meshing with the--gear--on-the-fly
wheel-shaft.
--
8. 10. An engine of the character specified, comprising a cylinder; a piston
therein; an air chamber having an inlet communicating with the rear end of
the cylinder, and an outlet communicating with the front end of the cylinder;
an independent air-supply inlet communicating with the rear end of the
cylinder a rod pivoted to the piston, a driving shaft having a crank connected
with said rod; a valve aflixed to said shaft and controlling the air-inlets of the
cylinder and air chamber; a fly wheel shaft rotatable independently of the driving
shaft; and intermeshing gears affixed respectively to the rod and fly wheel
shaft.
Dated this 19th day of May 1806
GEORGE JOHN ALTHAM,
F. Wise Howorth,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Applicant's Agent.