Improvements in Gas or Oil Motor Tramcars and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas or Oil Motor Tramcars and similar
Vehicles.
I, HENRY PERCY HOLT of No. 22 Chancery Lane, in the County of London,
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 :-
My invention relates to the construction and arrangements of the engines and
driving gear of a car propelled by the combustion of gas stored under pressure in
the car, or of oil carried by the car, as I shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of the underframing, engines and gearing according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
Figure 3 is an end view.
Figure 4 is a section and Figure 5 a front view of the crank pin of one of the
driving wheels and part of the side rod engaging it.
Figure 6 is a side view and Figure 7 is a front view of the pump and pipes for
working the clutches. Figure 8 shewing the cylinder in section.
Figures 9, 10 and 11 are respectively a longitudinal section, end elevation and
plan of the governor and gas regulating apparatus.
At each end of the underframing I fix an engine cylinder A having their pistons
connected to opposite cranks on a shaft A¹ which has at each end a fly wheel A³.
The shaft A' by skew gear A³ drives at half the speed the counter shaft A* which
works the valves of both cylinders in the usual way. The shaft A¹ runs in
bearings B and has on it a clutch C which may be of the kind described in my
previous Specification No. 4245 of 1896, and by which either or neither of two
pinions D or D' can be engaged so as to revolve with the shaft A'. These pinions
are of different diameters and gear with wheels E E¹ also of different diameters
both fixed on a countershaft E' carrying a wheel E³, which is thus driven at either
of two speeds according as the pinion D or D' is clutched by C, or which remains
at rest if neither of these pinions is clutched. The wheel E³ gears with a wheel F³
on a shaft F on which also is a wheel F gearing with the pinion D. The wheels F
and F are loose upon the shaft F' on which there is fitted with keys working in
slotted holes a clutching sleeve F. By means of a fork f* engaged between
collars on F and worked by a lever at the end or ends of the car, the clutch
sleeve F can be engaged with either For F³. When it is engaged with F then
the shaft F is driven directly from D in the direction opposite to that of the
crank shaft A'. But as D is in gear with E and E' on the same shaft is in gear
with D¹ so according as D or D is clutched by C to the crank shaft the speed
of F is greater or less. When the sleeve F is engaged with F³, then, as this
wheel is driven from D or D' through the wheels on the intermediate shaft E³, the
shaft F is driven in the same direction as the crank shaft A' at either of the speeds
determined by the clutching of D or D. On the ends of the shaft F' there are
cranks G G at right angles to one another the crank G being connected by side
rods H and I jointed together to crank pins K and L on the two road wheels on
the one side, and the crank G¹ being similarly connected by side rods H' and I¹ to
crank pins K¹ and L' on the wheels on the other side of the car. The four wheels
DOI

page_text: being thus all driven from the shaft F' are determined by its speed and direction
so as to propel the car in either direction at either of the two speeds due to the
clutching of D or D¹ to the engine shaft.
I joint the eyes of the side rods, H, I, H', I' to the crank pins G, K, L, G, K', L'
as shewn in Figures 4 and 5. On the crank pin K which is secured in the wheel W,
I fit a bush k made in halves and having packing material interposed between
the bush and the face of the wheel. Over the bush I pass the eye of the side
rod H securing the bush to it by the screws H H. The crank pin K has a bore
in which is fitted a piston or cup leather urged outwards by a spring k
whereby lubricant injected into the bore through a plugged hole k is pressed
through an oil hole or several of these so as to lubricate the working surfaces of
the pin and eye. The plugged hole is covered internally by a spring flap to
prevent leakage of the lubricant.
The clutch C as described in the Specification No. 4245 of 1896 above
referred to, has its friction surfaces pressed together on the one side or the other
by fluid pressure acting in a coil of flexible pipe engaged between two discs. In
order to communicate the fluid pressure for this purpose I employ apparatus such
as is shewn in Figures 6, 7 and 8.
From
On the platform usually at each end of the car I provide a cylinder M fitted
with a piston which can be moved up and down by a handle and screw.
above and below the piston pipes m n are led along the underframing to the end a
of the crank shaft A' where, as described in the specification above referred to
they communicate, the one by a central passage, in the shaft, with one of the
flexible pipe coils, the other by an annular passage in the shaft to the other of the
flexible pipe coils.
Thus the cylinder M and the pipes and passages being charged with water or
other liquid, according as the piston in M is raised or lowered so the one of the
flexible pipe coils is subjected to pressure and the other is relieved from pressure.
At middle stroke of the piston neither of the flexible pipe coils is expanded and
consequently neither of the pinious D D is clutched to the crank shaft A'. In
order to provide for loss by leakage the cylinder communicates at its middle with
a reservoir of fluid which can be supplied when required.
For governing the speed of the engine a governor or governors is or are provided
on the countershaft A as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 or it may be on any
other suitable shaft.
In order to lessen vibration, the engine governor is arranged to cut off or reduce
the explosive charges so as to drive the engine at a slow speed when the car is at
rest.
Immediately upon the clutch being put in action it is therefore necessary to
increase the speed of the engine, which is effected by utilising the pressure of the
fluid introduced into the pipes m and n for working the clutch, by means of the
apparatus shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11.
gas to
On the countershaft A is mounted the governor the arms g g of which are
connected to the sleeve t by links t¹ t¹ so that as the arms fly out owing to increase
of speed they cause the sleeve t carrying the cams for regulating supply of
the engine to slide on the countershaft in opposition to springs ss and thus to
bring a cam into action which cuts off part of the gas supply. These springs s s¹
bear against a sliding disc p which is moved by rods r through a sliding sleeve q
operated by lever arms z.
These arms z constitute the long arms of bell crank levers the short arms z¹ of
which are actuated by flexible diaphragms d d¹ which are respectively connected
by pipes m¹n with the fluid pressure pipes m n which actuate the clutch.
When fluid pressure is admitted to either pipe m or n to actuate the clutch, it
passes by the pipes ml n' to the diaphragm cases, and acts on either the
diaphragm d or a passing this outwards thus causing the arms z to move the
sliding disc p against the pressure of the springs s¹s which in their turn cause
the sleeve t carrying the cams for regulating supply of gas to the engine to take

page_text: such a position as to increase the supply of explosive charges to the engine thus
increasing the speed thereof. The outer spring's is of such strength as to enable
the governor to keep the engine running at a slow speed at the same time serving
to keep the parts in their normal condition whereas the inner springs which
regulates the travel of the sleeve t by means of the governor is made stronger and
shorter, in order to enable the governor to act so as to cause the engine to run at
a higher speed.
The governors of the cylinders A and A. are so arranged that for example the
governor of one cylinder cuts off the gas supply at a lower speed than the governor
of the other cylinder so that when only half the power is required the work is
done by the one cylinder alone, the other running idle, and being only brought
into action when farther power is required. In this case it is desirable in order to
avoid smell from the exhaust, to keep the idle cylinder warm.
According to my invention I effect this by causing the cooling water after
circulating round the cylinder that is in action to circulate round the idle cylinder
and thus impart a portion of the heat thereto that it has abstracted from the other
cylinder such circulation being effected by means of a pump or any other known
means.
I have described only the underframing and machinery, as a car of any suitable
form and construction may be carried on the underframing, preferably on springs S
carried by the end girders of the frame. It will be seen that the underframing
itself is supported on springs between it and the axle boxes which are capable of
vertical movement in the horn plates. As the driving connection is through side
rods, and cranks the vertical oscillation does not materially affect the action of
the parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with the underframing of a gas or oil motor car, a pair of
motor cylinders having their pistons connected to opposite cranks or a shaft
having a clutch by which either of two pinions of different diameters can be
engaged with the crank shaft, a first counter shaft having wheels of different
diameters gearing with the said pinions, a second counter shaft having a sliding
clutch engaging either of two wheels, the one gearing with a wheel on the first
countershaft, the other gearing with one of the pinions on the crank shaft, arranged
and operating substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
2. On each end of the second countershaft above referred to a crank connected
by jointed side rods to crank pins on the road wheels, substantially as described.
3. The construction of crank pin and side rod eye with provision for lubrication,
substantially as described.
4. For operating the fluid pressure clutch on the crank shaft the cylinder pipes
and connections substantially as described with reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8.
5. Causing the fluid pressure in the clutch coils or chambers to act upon the
engine governor in such manner that this will allow the engine to work at an
increased speed as soon as the clutch is put in gear, substantially as described.
6. In gas or oil motor driven cars wherein one or more working cylinders may
run idle while the other or others is or are at work, maintaining the temperature
of such idle cylinder or cylinders by causing the cooling water after circulating
through the jacket of the cylinder or cylinders that is or are at work to circulate
also through the jacket of the idle cylinder or cylinders substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of August 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.