Improvements in or relating to Automatic Starting Gear for Motors Operated by Explosion.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1893-Accepted 2nd Sept., 1893
Improvements in or relating to Automatic Starting Gear for Motors
Operated by Explosion.
A communication from THE COMPAGNIE DES MOTEURS NIEL, of 22, Rue Lafayette,
Paris, in the Republic of France.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
The present invention relates to starting gear for gas and other motors of that
class which are operated by explosions, by means of which the piston can be
First, retained in place while a first charge is being compressed behind it, and
Secondly, released a short time before the explosion of the charge takes place.
The type of apparatus adopted for this purpose is shown in the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of an engine operated by explosion and having
applied to it the improved device forming the starting gear, the latter being shown
in section and connected to the fly-wheel of the motor.
Fig. 2 represents in plan only the part of the engine to which the improved
starting gear is fixed..
In both figures similar letters represent similar parts.
The device comprises three main parts connected together i.e.
(1) A pump cylinder A for igniting and starting
(2) A chamber B for compressing the mixture of air and gas and
(3) A mechanical device comprising a piston C as a means of stopping and
starting the fly-wheel.
The pump cylinder B is in communication with the compression chamber of the
cylinder of the engine by means of a port or passage d which is closed at will by
the automatic valve b.
One of the extremities of the pump cylinder B is provided with a compressing
piston or plunger a which is moved by hand and serves to compress the explosive
mixture and to introduce the same into the cylinder of the engine.
The said piston a is provided with a rod e, one end of which is connected to a
hand-lever, the latter being connected to a lug on the part A of the pump by
means of one or more links. The air enters through orifices and mixes with
the gas at y after which the gaseous mixture passes through the valve into the
pump A from which it is expelled through the valve g into the cylinder B during
the inward stroke of the piston a.
The other end of the cylinder B is arranged to receive a piston C operating the
device for stopping the fly-wheel V.
C
The said device comprises a connecting rod / attached at one end to the cross-
head c' of the rod c of piston C and at the other end to a guide-lever or radius
arm m provided with a stop n which latter is intended to enter a notch or recess o
in the rim of the fly-wheel V.
A spring catch with two branches coupled to the cross-head c' prevents the
stop n from engaging accidentally with the fly-wheel when the engine is at work.
In order to explain the operation it will be assumed that all the parts are in the
position shown in Figure 1 and that a charge of compressed explosive mixture from
the pump cylinder has just been introduced into the cylinder of the engine through
the passage d and the automatic valve having been left open for the purpose by
means of the hand cam lever but being just closed before ignition. The
explosive charge is ignited in the cylinder B by means of say the ignitor i for

page_text: instance. The explosion in the cylinder B first causes the piston C to move out-
ward so as to release the fly-wheel V and allow the main piston to be started on its
stroke. Secondly forces the valve b to open and allow the ignition to take place in
the main cylinder expanding the compressed charge and conipleting the stroke of
the main piston. The automatic valve being kept shut by the spring shown,
maintains the whole arrangement completely free from the suctions, compressions
or explosions of the gases when the motor is in motion.
In consequence of the particular arrangement the starting of the motor is effected
without any shock as the fly-wheel V is released and the piston of the engine
started on its outward stroke before the explosion really takes place in the working
cylinder.
The dimensions of the tube d are such as to regulate exactly the time for the
spreading of the flame from the cylinder B into the engine cylinder so as to delay
the explosion in the latter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
: 1. In a gas engine or other motor operated by explosion the employment of a
retaining and starting device for allowing the introduction of a compressed explosive
mixture into the cylinder. while the piston is at rest and operating the piston of the
starting cylinder at the moment of ignition and before the explosion takes place in
the main cylinder so as to prevent sudden shocks the starting of the main piston
being caused by the explosive mixture itself.
2. An apparatus for stopping and automatically starting gas engines and like
motors characterized by the combination with a cylinder such as B of two pistons
such as a and C the cylinder B being in communication with the working cylinder
of the engine by means of a passage d of such a size and so provided with an
automatic valve as to properly control the passage of the flame toward the working
cylinder a piston a for compressing the explosive mixture and a piston C connected
with and acting upon mechanism for holding the fly-wheel V having a catch k for
keeping the fly-wheel disengaged during the normal working of the engine.
Dated this 28th day of July 1893.