Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Motors.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, ist Mar.,
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Dec. 1894-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1895
Date of Application, ist Mal.,
Complete Specification Left 3rd Dec. 1894-Accepted. 1st Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Motors.
We AUGUSTIN FIDDES and FRANCIS AUGUSTIN FIDDES, Engineers both of
Water Lane, Temple in the City and County of Bristol do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of a closed vessel containing a spirituous liquor fitted with
suitable valves, to be hereafter described having a pipe leading to it from the
atmosphere this pipe contains another pipe which slides freely in it having a float
on the lower end in the vessel this vessel has a pipe or passage leading to the valve
box of the engine this valve box contains two valves these valves are admission
valves actuated by the governors this valve box has a pipe open to the
atmosphere and leading to the air admission valve of the valve box.
a small stove containing charcoal for heating the ignition tube.
We also use
According to our invention we describe in what manner the same can be
performed and worked. In the said vessel which contains the spirituous liquor
such as benzoline gasoline naphtha and the like, we place as float a piece of cork
which rises and falls according to the charging or consumption of the spirituous
liquor. The valve box which contains the two valves is actuated by the governors.
One of these valves is used to admit air only to the engine the other valve is used
to admit air saturated with the spirituous liquor, which air is drawn through the
air pipe into the vessel and becomes saturated as a combustible mixture then
through the passage or pipe then through the valve box into the cylinder by the
motion of the piston then compressed and fired by the ignition tube heated by
the charcoal in the small stove. When the engine is working at its full power.this
takes place once in every two revolutions. If the engine is not working its full
power but up to its required speed the governors release the said valve and rise the
valve leading to the atmosphere and charges the engine with air only these two
valves in the said valve,box.are worked by a lever from the engine controlling the
rising and falling by a sliding sleeve worked by the governors the other valves in
the said vessel are self acting valves.
According to this invention this will be applied to one, two or more cylinders
according to the required power.
Dated thie 28th day of February 1894
AUGUSTIN FIDDES.
FRANCIS AUGUSTIN FIDDES.
Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Motors.
We, AUGUSTIN FIDDES and FRANCIS AUGUSTIN FIDDES, of Water Lane,
Temple, Bristol, Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to a new or improved process for obtaining power
from

page_text: liquid hydrocarbons and similar volatile fluids, for driving internal combustion
engines, and to appliances for use in connection therewith.
This invention consists essentially in providing a closed tank or reservoir,
placing therein a suitable supply of liquid hydrocarbons or the like, and conveying
air through or over the surface of the liquid by an inlet pipe and attaching an
outlet pipe at any convenient part of the tank, preferably in the top, through
which the air, having been charged with vapour or gas by passing through or over
the surface of the fluid, becomes a combustible mixture, (hereinafter referred to as
the vapour), and is drawn into the working parts of the motor by the action of the
piston. For more efficiently regulating the supply of vapour and air to the valve
box, we provide a duplex admission valve, under the control of the governors for
shutting off the vapour and admitting ordinary air to the cylinder when necessary,
we also provide a charcoal stove to be placed over the ignition tube, for the
purpose of firing the compressed charge in the cylinder.
The fluids most suitable for use in motors constructed according to our invention,
are hydrocarbons, comprising the alcohol and paraffin series; on the ground of
economy, we prefer the latter, and use either naphtha, gasoline, or benzoline; but
as already observed, any other volatile fluid having a sufficiently low flash point
may be used.
To enable the process of obtaining the vapour from the liquid, and the most
suitable means for utilising the same to be fully understood, we annex a sheet of
drawings, and shall proceed to describe our invention by reference thereto.
Fig. 1 illustrates the essential feature of the invention, riz., admitting air to the
tank containing the liquid and withdrawing it as it becomes charged with the
gaseous vapour;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a tank, showing the means employed for regulating
the admission of air, with valves, pipes, and the like, fitted in and on the tank,
for conducting the vapour to the engine cylinder, this drawing shows a complete
apparatus suitable for attachment to the valve box of existing motors; and Fig. 3
is a plan of the same;
Fig. 4 is a section showing a tank with another arrangement for admission of air
to the fluid, and
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the duplex valves and governors for the admission
of vapour or air as required to the valve box;
Fig. 6 is an elevation of part of an engine, showing these parts (in section) fitted
to the side, the tank containing the liquid being placed within the bed; Fig. 7 is a
plan of the same, and
Fig. 8 represents a charcoal stove to be placed over the ignition tube.
The same letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.
A is a closed reservoir or tank, which may be made in any convenient shape or
size to hold the liquid, B is a float of cork or other suitable material, on which a
cylinder C is supported by straps c, so that whatever quantity of liquid may be in
the tank, the lower end of the cylinder will be kept at a uniform distance from the
surface; this cylinder is fitted to slide easily in an inlet tube D (Fig. 4) or in the
inner flange of a dome or air chest E, (Figs. 2, 3, and 6,) in the latter case
the tube D is (conveniently) bent and inserted on one side the dome; clapper
or spring valves à open and shut automatically as the air is admitted to the tank :
F is an outlet pipe from the tank, with a clapper valve f, which rises and falls as
each supply of vapour is drawn through the outlet; G is a pipe with valve g
attached to the pipe F, this serves as a safety outlet for any back pressure which
may accidentally come from the engine cylinder, the pressure closing the valve f
and opening the upper valve g, allows the force to escape without causing delay or
inconvenience: from F the vapour is drawn through the admission valve box H,
in which the duplex valves and i are placed one above the other, the valve h
being actuated by the lever finger attached to the governing mechanism lifting the
tappet h² and tubular spindle h when vapour is required, and similarly acting on
the tappet and spindle i¹ opens the valve i admitting air from the outside to the

page_text: cylinder through the pipe I when the engine is exceeding its normal speed; as
the lever finger raises one or other of the tappets at each revolution of the cam on
the side shaft, it is evident that this action regulates the speed of the engine by
letting in or shutting off power as required, and no unnecessary vapour is drawn
from the tank the arrangements of the governors and levers acting on the duplex
valves are fully shown in Fig. 5, and no further description of the same will be
required after passing the valves h or i, the vapour or air is drawn through the
opening J to the valve box of the engine, and so to the rear end of the cylinder,
like ordinary gas and air are conveyed.
The side shaft on the engine is fitted with the usual cams, levers, and the like,
for regulating the movements of the various parts, as shown in Fig. 7.
A stove for burning charcoal or the like, M. Fig. 8, is made with a grated
bottom and hole in the centre for placing over and around the ignition tube, and
when the tube is made hot by the charcoal, the compressed charge at the back of
the cylinder will be ignited by a portion getting into the hot tube, and thus the
explosion is made as required. The ignition valve is controlled in the usual way
by a cam on the side shaft. A gauge K is fitted near the tank on the outside, to
indicate the quantity of liquid contained in the interior.
The usual method of starting gas and similar engines is by turning the fly wheel
several times until a momentum is obtained; to dispense with this, we provide any
suitable pump, which is fixed at or near the back of the cylinder, such as that
marked L, Figs. 6 and 7, with valves to admit the vapour, which is drawn through
a tube from an auxiliary tank a containing a small quantity of the liquid, an
inlet for air being provided by the tube c', or a supply of vapour may be obtained
direct by connecting a pipe f2 to the outlet pipe F or to the principal tank A, and
when a sufficient quantity of vapour is pumped into the space at the back of the
piston, the charge will become ignited by the hot tube in the charcoal stove, and
the engine at once set in motion.
Engines with one two or more cylinders may be fitted with appliances for
obtaining and utilising the vapour, as herein described, according to the power
required.
An engine being constructed and provided with the various mechanical appliances
as set forth, the operation is as follows:-The tank being supplied with a suitable
quantity of naphtha, gasoline, benzoline, or the like, and the charcoal fire kindled
to make the ignition tube hot, the engine is started by pumping vapour into the
cylinder as described; the suction of the piston will then draw vapour from the
tank through the pipes and valves to the cylinder, and thus keep supplying vapour
or air according to the power required. When in full operation, the rapid passage
of air through the cylinder C attached to the float in the tank, will cause the float
to be in a state of constant agitation, and this will be communicated to the liquid,
and thus assist in the rapid generation of the gaseous vapours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In internal combustion engines, obtaining the motive power from atmospheric
air which has been drawn through a vessel containing hydrocarbons or similar
volatiles, and by passing through or over the surface of the liquid becomes a
combustible mixture, substantially as herein set forth and described, and illustrated
in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In internal combustion engines, the construction of duplex admission valves
actuated by governors, one being for the admission of the explosive mixture, and
the other for ordinary air; the two valves being operated by spindles working one
within the other for the purpose of regulating the speed of the engine, substantially
as described and illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings.
3. In internal combustion engines, providing a stove to hold charcoal or the like,

page_text: to be placed over the ignition tube to make it red hot, substantially as described:
and shown.
4. In internal combustion engines as herein described, the combination of the
several mechanical arrangements for the production and utilisation of vapour from
hydrocarbons and the like, substantially as and for the purposes set forth and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of November 1894.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicants' Agent..