Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug.. 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
I, EUGÈNE LOUIS LALBIN, of 32 Rue Félibien, Nantes, (Loire Inférieure) in the
Republic of France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to gas engines.
In carrying out the invention I employ three similar cylinders arranged radially in
the same plane. These cylinders have a successive action in pairs and operate one
another. The power produced by the explosion of gaseous mixture beneath a piston
never itself serves to compress under the said piston the gaseous mixture which is to
produce the following explosion in the same cylinder.
The action on the crank is almost constant and a very light fly wheel is employed
and in some cases the fly wheel can be dispensed with.
Each cylinder consists of an air pump driven from the motor cylinder, or that in
which the explosion takes place at the required moment; this pump is provided with
suction and delivery valves connected together in a valve box. They are operated
automatically and the ignition effected by a drum having cams which by means of
suitable mechanism turns in a contrary direction to the crank and at half the
speed.
The ignition of the mixture is effected by utilizing the property that platinum and
other metals of a like nature possess of condensing gases and causing them to combine
with oxygen.
This process consists firstly in causing a current of air and hydrogen more or less
carburetted to impinge upon platinum heated to a sufficient degree, which air and
hydrogen combining bring the platinum to a state of incandescence; secondly, in
bringing the said incandescent platinum in presence of the gaseous mixture that it is
required to ignite in order to produce detonation or dilatation.
The above process can be practically carried out in many ways and I therefore do
not confine myself any particular means for this purpose and the above described
method of ignition is applicable to all kinds of gas engines.
I can also ignite the explosive mixture in my improved machine by means of an
electric spark.
Instead of the herein before described valve box I can employ a conical circular dis-
tribution arrangement that is to say a kind of multiple cock which also turns in a
contrary direction to the crank and at half the speed.
I regulate the speed by the expansion by admitting the gaseous mixture during a
variable portion of the stroke of the piston.
The drum having cams in raising the admission and exhaust valves causes a slight
movement of rotation which tends to keep them and their seatings smooth.
I can construct the machines with five, seven, or more cylinders (the number always
being odd) working in pairs and I can arrange the cylinders in any suitable plane to
cause them to actuate a multiple crank shaft, arranging each to work once every two
revolutions. The machine is specially applicable for locomotive purposes but can also
be used as a fixed or a portable engine.
Dated the 9th day of November 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
1, EUGENE LOUIS LALBIN, of 32, Rue Félibien, Nantes, (Loire Inférieure) in the
republic of France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the samo is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to gas engines, the object being to produce a gas engine
having three cylinders and the pistons of which exert an almost continuous action upon
the crank shaft thus allowing of diminishing to a great extent the weight of the fly
wheel and consequently of providing a light engine which can be easily applied for
purposes of locomotion.
In the accompanying drawing
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively two vertical sections of a gas engine constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of one of the cylinders.
Figure 4 is a front view of the upper half of a motor with the inlet valve box in
section.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate some arrangements of gearing which can be employed for
effecting the distributing movement in a reverse direction to the movement of the
crank shaft and at half its speed.
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a transverse section perpendicular to the axis of
rotation and a section through the axis of rotation of the conical distributing slide
valve.
As shown in Figure 1, the three cylinders A, B, C of the engine are placed radially
in the same plane perpendicular to the axis of the crank shaft X, X.
Each of these cylinders contain a piston P connected directly by a rod Q to the
crank M of the shaft X, X. The cylinders A, B, Cact successively and drive each
other, that is to say, the explosion in each cylinder produces besides the disposable
power, the necessary power for working the piston of the cylinder which supplies
the following explosion so as to cause it to draw in the explosive mixture and to
compress it until the moment that the explosion takes place.
Each cylinder is provided with a suction valve H and a discharge valve K. These
two valves may be separated as shewn in the drawing or connected in a single box
with the igniting arrangement F and these three parts are actuated automatically by
cams on a drum T (or by separate discs) operated through the movement of the driving
shaft X and revolving in a reverse direction to the rotation of the latter and at half
its speed.
The cam-drum can be driven in a reverse direction as described, in various ways,
and I have shewn in the drawing two arrangements of gearing with parallel axes as
an example but the axes may be arranged perpendicularly to each other, if desired.
Figure 5 shows at a, b, a gear wheel keyed on the driving shaft and engaging with
a pinion d, d (looso upon its shaft) and gearing with another pinion e, e which is con-
nected to a pinion g, 9 driving the wheel i, fixed to the cam-drum T; by suitably
regulating the dimensions of these wheels the desired movement can be given to the
wheel i, i.
gear wheel
a,
In Figure 6 the
bis shown keyed upon the driving shaft X and drives
the two pinions e, e the diameter of which is only half of that of the wheel a, b.
These pinions are loose on their shafts d and act upon the wheel 7, r having teeth
in its interior and which is of a diameter double that of the wheel a, b; the
wheel g, is fixed upon the cam-drum T.
The cam H2 on the drum T raises the suction valve H of the gaseous explosive
mixture which enters through the orifice H' to each cylinder through the medium of
the tappet H3 which is firmly guided in a straight line.
The cam K raises the discharge valve of the gases which thus pass through the
orifice K¹, through the medium of the tappet K and the rod K' which is prolonged
at K³.

page_text: The cam Factnates the ignition as will be hereinafter described.
During a complete revolution of the drum T each of the cams actuates, successively
for each of the three cylinders A, C, B, the distributing arrangement which it is intended
to drive, and the result is that for one rotation of the cam-drum T an explosion is
produced in each of the three cylinders, and while these three explosions are taking
place the driving shaft performs two complete revolutions in an opposite direction to
the rotation of the cam-drum; thus, suppose the direction of movement of the
crank M be that indicated by the arrow V, Figure 1, the explosion will take place
first in the cylinder A, then in the cylinder C, then in the cylinder B. then in the
cylinder A and so on, that is to say, the explosions take place in the direction A, C, B
indicated by the arrow V, or in other words in a contrary direction to that of the
rotation of the crank M. The drawing in of the explosive inixture, the compression
of the latter and the expulsion of the burnt gases which takes place through each
cylinder during one rotation of the cam-drum T or during two revolutions of the
shaft Xact of course also in the direction of the arrow VT to effect the rotation of
the shaft X in the direction of the arrow V.
When the explosion takes place, in the cylinder A for example, it forces the piston P
inwards. This piston then travels from a to , the action of the other pistons on the
crank M continuing, the piston P is brought back to its starting point a', whereby
the expulsion of the burnt gases is effected, the discharge valve K of this cylinder
being ineanwhile raised.
The piston P is then brought by its connecting rod and by the crank M towards
the centre of the engine, whereby the charge of explosive mixture is sucked into
the cylinder through the suction valve H which is raised meanwhile.
The piston P, forced by the action of the crank actuated by the power produced
in the other two cylinders, returns to its starting point and thereby compresses the
explosive mixture; the ignition then takes place and the cycle of operations
repeated..
As will be seen, the movements of each piston, after the explosion has taken place
behind the same, are obtained through the action of the two other pistons and not
through the power furnished by the piston itself which would be incapable of
acting alone because the engine has no fly wheel or because the latter is of very
small dimensions; this it is which particularly distinguishes my gas engine from
others in which the explosion in the motive cylinder furnishes, besides disposable
work, the necessary force (stored in a fly wheel of large dimensions) for compressing
the gaseous mixture which produces the following explosion in this same cylinder.
The ignition is effected by an electric spark produced by the breaking of an indue-
tion current. The rod F3 constitutes one of the poles, whilst the other pole is formed
by the stem of the spring which is fixed and completely insulated. When the
ignition cam F2 passes under the rod F³ it raises the said rod and simultaneously causes
it to make a quarter of a revolution, the upper lever a² on the end of the rod F³ comes
against the stein of the spring d' and produces the spark.
In order to facilitate the starting of the motor the compression of the explosive
mixture in the motor cylinders is dispensed with during the first few strokes of the
engine. This can be effected by arranging on the cam-drum a supplementary move-
able cam which being operated by a suitable transmitting motion raises the discharge
valve K during the period of compression, or by fitting each cylinder with an addi-
tional valve the casing of which communicates with the cylinder by means of a cock
which can be opened and closed when required.
The distribution instead of being effected through the medium of valves can be
accomplished by means of a rotary valve turning in an opposite direction to the driving
shaft and at half the speed as shewn in Figures 7 and 8. u, u indicate the conical
casing of the valve and y, the hollow circular conical valve.
The three ports A, B, C correspond respectively with the cylinders A, B, C. The
explosive mixture enters through D' and passes into the interior of the cone Y Z and
egresses through the opening 0, 。 which distributes it successively to the
Dorts A. B. C.

page_text: The tappets H³; F3 and K³ are firmly guided in a support A2, B2 made integral
with the cast iron gland C, D². This arrangement has for object to cause the cam
to transmit to the valve a perfectly rectilinear movement thereby avoiding any lateral
shocks which result from the rotating motion of the cams and which tend to twist the
spindles of the valves.
The rod K forшs a continuation of the tappet K³ and imparts movement to the
spindle of the valve K through the medium of a curved tube K³ containing balls which
are pushed towards the valve to be operated.
The carburetted air is supplied from any suitable hydro-carbon reservoir provided
with spongy wicks that the air is caused to pass through by the suction of the
pistons.
The said carburetted air may however be produced by the vaporization of hydro-
carbon liquid made to pass in sufficient quantities over metallic surfaces heated by the
exhaust gases.
The action of the governor regulatos the quantity of hydrocarbon which is to bo
volatilized at each stroke. For working this engine I can employ any gaseous mixture
capable of producing force by explosion, such, for example, as air and hydrogen gas,
air and carbonic oxide, air and coal gas, air and petroleum vapour, or suitable
spirit.
My engine is applicable for all ordinary purposes but more especially for locomotion
by reason of its lightness, principally due to the absence of a fly wheel of any
importance.
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) A gas engine having three cylinders arranged radially in a plane perpendicular
to the axis of the driving shaft in which the part which actuates the distributing valve
revolves in an opposite direction to that of the rotation of the driving shaft and at half its
speed, the order of explosion in the cylinders consequently taking place in a reverse
direction to that of the rotation of the driving shaft thereby producing an explosion in
each cylinder for every two revolutions of the driving shaft, the effect of the said
arrangement being to produce an almost continuous action of the motor pistons on the
crank and consequently to allow of considerably reducing the dimensions of the fly
wheel and in certain cases of even dispensing with a fly wheel entirely as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
(2) A gas engine having threo cylinders and arranged in the manner referred to in
claim 1, the peculiar features of which are as follows.
(a) Each cylinder is provided with as uction valve and a discharge valve which valves
as well as the igniting device are operated automatically by three cams fixed
together and which by reason of the movement which is imparted to them, revolve
in an opposite direction to the crank shaft and at half its speed.
(b) To enable the said cams to act in the above described manner I have shown two
arrangements of gearing, but these arrangements can be varied by combining
parallel axes with perpendicular axes, providing similar results be obtained, that is to
say, the cams 'be operated in a reverse direction to the crank shaft and at half its
speed.
(c) The ignition is effected by a spark produced by the breaking of an induction
current as above described, the ignition rod is operated by two cams, one of which
raises it and the other rotates it at the required moinent. This rod then falls to avoid
any short circuit.
(d) Instead of an inlet valve I can employ a conical slide valve herein before
described.
(e) The movement of the driving cams is transmitted to the parts which are to
receive it, by means of rigid tappets guided in a straight line for the purpose of
preventing any lateral movement which will tend to twist the valve rods.

page_text: (f) The supports placed under each valve box in order to serve as guides for the
hereinbefore described tappets.
(g) The use for assisting in starting the engine of an arrangement allowing of
momentarily stopping the compression as herein before described.
Dated the 9th day of August 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.