Improvements in Motive Power Engines Actuated by the Explosive Force of Gases or Vapours.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motive Power Engines Actuated by the Explosive
Force of Gases or Vapours.
We. WILLIAM BROMFIELD BROUGH of 6 and 8 Eastcheap, in the City of London,
a Director of the Universal Water Meter Company Limited, CHARLES SCANDER
BROUGH of Enderley, Bromley, Kent, Electrical Engineer, and ALBERT SMITH of
Arlington Street Works, London, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in motive power engines actuated by the
explosive force of gases or vapours whereby valves for the distribution of gas or
vapour, air and exhaust worked from the crank shaft are entirely dispensed with;
and the invention is more especially applicable to such engines when working on what
is known as the Otto cycle system.
In carrying out this invention the gas or vapour, and the requisite atmospheric
air are drawn into the cylinder through any suitable known arrangement of lift, flap
or other valves not operated from the crank shaft, but instead of using an exhaust
valve operated by a cam or eccentric from the crank shaft, an exhaust valve is
employed which is opened automatically by the pressure of the products of combustion
just before the commencement of the exhaust stroke of the engine-piston, and is
closed, as the said piston approaches the end of its exhaust stroke, by mechanism
operated by the piston itself.
For this purpose the exhaust valve is placed in a chamber near the end of the
working cylinder of the engine, and is either constructed as a piston moving in a
cylindrically bored out part of the aforesaid chamber, or is connected with a piston
moving in such a bored-out part. The exhaust valve is provided with a port which
communicates with the exhaust outlet, and is brought to coincide, when the exhaust
valve is moved into a certain position, with the exhaust port of the working cylinder.
The working cylinder is provided with a passage one end of which opens into the
cylinder at a point situated behind the piston when the latter is in its outermost
position, and the other end opens into the part of the exhaust valve chamber which
is behind the piston formed with or connected to the exhaust valve.
It will now be understood that the charge of gas or vapour and air is drawn into
the working cylinder by the first outward stroke of the piston; but as the charge is
at or below atmospheric pressure, while being drawn in it does not exert any effect
on the piston of the exhaust valve when the working piston of the engine has moved
out so as to uncover the end of the passage leading to the valve chamber. The first
inward stroke of the working piston compresses the charge, and the latter is then
fired in the usual way producing the second outward, that is to say the effective
stroke of the working piston. Just before the said piston reaches the end of its second
outward it again uncovers the end of the passage leading to the exhaust valve chamber,
and as the products of combustion then in the working cylinder are at a pressure above
that of the atmospheric part of such products passes by the said passage to the back
of the exhaust valve piston and moves it and the valve forward so as to bring the port
in the valve opposite the exhaust port in the working cylinder, thereby opening a free
passage for the products of combustion to the exhaust pipe. The working piston then
makes its second inward stroke completing the Outo cycle; but just before the piston
completes its second inward stroke it comes in contact with the end of a lever or other

page_text: mechanical device and moves the same so that it presses the exhaust valve and its
piston in the reverse direction, so as to close the exhaust port of the working cylinder
in readiness for the entrance of another charge of gas or vapour and air at the
next outward stroke of the working piston. The same cycle of operations is then
repeated continuously.
By suitably constructing and arranging the above described exhaust valve the
direction of motion of the engine may be reversed at pleasure.
Improvements in Motive Power Engines Actuated by the Explosive
Force of Gases or Vapours.
We, WILLIAM BROMFIELD BROUGH, of 6 and 8 Eastcheap in the City of London,
a Director of the Universal Water Meter Company Limited, CHARLES SCANDER
BROUGH, of Enderley, Bromley, Kent, Electrical Engineer, and ALBERT SMITH, of
Arlington Street Works, London, Mechanical Engineer, 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 improvements in motive power engines actuated by the
explosive force of gases or vapours, whereby valves for the distribution of gas or
vapour and air, and for the exhaust worked from the crank shaft are entirely dispensed
with; and the invention is more especially applicable to such engines when working
on what is known as the "Otto" cycle system.
In carrying out this invention the gas or vapour and the requisite atmospheric air
are drawn into the cylinder through any suitable known arrangement of lift, flap, or
other valves preferably not operated from the crank shaft; but instead of using an
exhaust valve operated by a cam or eccentric from the crank shaft, an exhaust valve
is employed which is opened automatically by the pressure of the products of com-
bustion just before the commencement of the exhaust stroke of the engine piston, and
is closed, as the said piston approaches the end of its exhaust stroke, by mechanism
operated by the piston itself.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3 and partly on the
line 2-2 of the same figure, of so much of the working cylinder of a gas or oil
engine, constructed in accordance with the invention, as is necessary for the elucidation
of the latter, Figure 2 is a similar sectional elevation showing certain of the working
parts in positions different from those shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan or end
view of the same, and Figure 4 is a sectional elevation showing a modification of
certain of the parts.
According to this invention the exhaust valve A is placed in a chamber B near the
end of the working cylinder C of the engine (see Figures 1, 2 and 3) and is constructed
as a piston moving in the cylindrically bored out chamber B. The exhaust valve A
is provided with a port D. which communicates with the exhaust outlet E, and is
brought to coincide, when the exhaust valve A is moved into the position shown in
Figure 2, with the exhaust port F of the working cylinder C. The working cylinder

page_text: is provided with a passage G one end of which opens into the said cylinder at a point
situated behind the working piston H when the latter is in its outermost position, as
shown in Figure 2, and the other end opens into the part of the exhaust valve.
chamber B which is behind the exhaust valve A.
It will now be understood that the charge of gas or vapour and air is drawn into
the working cylinder by the first outward stroke of the piston H; the gas or vapour
being drawn through the inlet I and the air through the inlet J into the mixing
passage K and both together through the passage K¹ and flap valve L into the
working cylinder C; but as the charge is at or below atmospheric pressure while.
being drawn in, it does not exert any effect on the piston of the exhaust valve A when
the' working piston H of the engine has moved out so as to uncover the end of the
passage G leading to the valve chamber B.
The first inward stroke of the working piston H compresses the charge, and the
latter is then fired by the igniting tube or an electric spark at M in the usual way,
thereby producing the second outward, that is to say, the effective stroke, of the
working piston H. Just before the said piston reaches the end of its said second
outward stroke it again uncovers the end of the passage G leading to the exhaust
valve chamber B, and as the products of combustion then in the working cylinder-
are at a pressure above that of the atmospheric part of such products passes by the
said passage to the back of the exhaust valve A and moves it forward, so as to bring the
port D in the valve A opposite the exhaust port F in the working cylinder C as shown
in Figure 2, thereby opening a free passage for the products of combustion to the
exhaust outlet E. The working piston H then makes the second inward stroke com-
pleting the "Otto" cycle; but just before the said piston completes its second inward
stroke it comes in contact with one end of a lever N, pivotted to the cylinder cover P,.
and moves the same so that its other end presses the exhaust valve A in the reverse-
direction, so as to close the exhaust port E in the working cylinder as shown in
Figure 1 in readiness for the entrance of another charge of gas or vapour and air-
at the next outward stroke of the working piston H. The same cycle of operations
is then repeated continuously.
In the arrangement above described the exhaust valve A is made so as to form
itself the piston on which the products of combustion act to open the exhaust port;
but it is obvious that the piston and exhaust valve may be made separate from one
another as shown by way of example in Figure 4, in which A is the exhaust valve
proper, which may be of
any suitable shape, as flat for example, and A' a piston to
which the valve A is attached. It is also obvious that the exhaust valve A and
chamber B may be placed at the side of the cylinder C instead of at the end.
The lever N is preferably counterbalanced in such manner as to prevent it having
a tendency to move the valve A except when operated by the piston H, and it will
be obvious that instead of the lever N other mechanism may be employed to enable
the piston H to move the valve A so as to close the exhaust opening.
In some cases it may be found couvenient to arrange and work the exhaust valve
as above described, but to arrange and operate the gas or vapour and air valves by
means of cams or tappets in the usual way.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we.
claim is :-
First. The improvement in motive power engines actuated by the explosive force
of gases or vapours, which consists of an exhaust valve formed as or connected with
a piston which is operated to open the said exhaust valve by the pressure of the
products of combustion admitted to the said piston from the working cylinder of
the engine through a passage uncovered by the working piston of the engine as it.
approaches the end of its outward effective stroke, the said exhaust valve being
closed by means of a lever or other mechanism actuated by the working piston as.
it approaches the end of its exhaust stroke, substantially as described.

page_text: Second. The improvement in motive power engines actuated by the explosive force
of gases or vapours, which consists of an exhaust valve opened by the pressure of the
products of combustion acting upon a piston formed with or connected to the said
exhaust valve, substantially as described.
Third. The improvement in motive power engines actuated by the explosive force
of gases or vapours, which consists of an exhaust valve closed by a lever or other
mechanism actuated by the working piston, substantially as described.
CALAO HUS LOHE OAV ULOVGOLOGI LOTU
W. B. BROUGH,
C. S. PROUGH,
A. SMITH,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.