Year: 1888

page_text: 1. OSKAR BLESSING of Rendnitz near Leipzig in the Empire of Germany, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in certain improvements in gas and other hydrocarbon engines
being more particularly applicable to such as are employed for driving tramcars and
the like.
The improvements consist firstly, in the mechanism for reversing the engine,
secondly, in the mechanism for controlling the speed, and thirdly in the rendering of
the noise of explosion inaudible, provision being also made for holding the mixing
valve closed in event of failure of explosion for one or more strokes.
For reversing the motor suitable cams are provided on a shaft, the said cams being
in two sets formed as one piece and capable of sliding longitudinally on the shaft
without revolving thereon. In said cam piece are one or two grooves for engagement
of a bolt for holding the cam piece in position.
The valve rods of the mixing and igniting valves are provided with friction wheels
for riding on said cams, and with springs, whereby they are held to said cams.
On said rods are pins or noses and to the frame is hinged a lever carrying the
aforesaid bolt. On depressing the lever the bolt is withdrawn from the groove in the
cain piece and the valve rods are depressed by abutment of the lever on the pins on
said rods, the cam piece is thus left free to be moved along the shaft to bring into
position the corresponding cans whereby the action of the engine is reversed.
In horizontal cylinder engines and others the following reversing gear may be
employed. On the crank shaft is a sleeve carrying two contrarily inclined bevelled
toothed wheels, the shaft operating the valves carries a bevel wheel capable of
engagement with either of the aforesaid wheels corresponding to the position of
the sleeve.
On the rim of each bevelled wheel on the sleeve is an extra tooth and on the
bevelled wheel actuating the valves is a recess the purpose being to cause the

page_text: engagement of the bevelled wheels at such moment as is required for reversing
the engine.
For controlling the speed of the motor and therefore of the vehicle driven thereby
a spring is provided for controlling the governor of the engine and a cap or hood is
provided for compressing more or less said spring. The cap is moved through
suitable rod and lever connections, by handles at either end of the car, the handles
being retained in position given to them by springs or other means.
The governor is
caused when the desired speed is exceeded to move by suitable levers the aforesaid set
of cams so that the valve rods are brought under operation of certain modified
cams in said set, whereby the valves are so operated that the engine is driven
with less power for instance, explosions are prevented or, less material supplied
therfor.
For silencing or deadening the noise of the explosion and exhaust, the exhaust gases
pass out through a pipe or series of pipes and chambers having different diameters.
In the chambers are provided valves through which air may be sucked into
them and thus into the cylinder of the motor in event of failure of an explosion.
Dated this 30th day of January 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas and other Hydrocarbon Engines for Tramcars
and other Purposes.
I OSKAR BLESSING of Reudnitz, near Leipzig in the Empire of Germany
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 relatos to gas and hydrocarbon engines and especially to those
employed for the driving of street or tram cars.
The improvement relates firstly, to the mechanism whereby the valves of the engine
are operated and consists in certain combinations of parts hereinafter described
A further improvement
whereby the reversing of the engine may be effected.
consists in the mechanism for controlling the velocity of the car from either platform
A further improvement
thereof and operating the starting and stopping thereof.
relates to the exhaust, and consists in certain combination of devices for deadening or
silencing the noise of the explosions, also in such construction of exhaust that in event
of missing one or more explosions, more explosive mixture does not enter the
cylinder.
Reference being made to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the motor.
Fig. 2 a sectional elevation of part thereof being the governor and valve rods
and cams.
Fig. 3 is a section on line A B Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a street car with motor thereon showing manner of
controlling the velocity of the motor from either platform of the car.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are details of mechanism for this purpose.
Figs. 9 and 10 show mechanism for disengaging the cams and carrying the valve
rods out of engagement when reversing the engine.
Figs. 11 to 13 are detail views of said cams.
Figs. 14 and 15 illustrate a modified reversing mechanism suitable for horizontal
cylinder engines.
Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate the construction of the exhaust.
Figs. 18 to 21 show a modification in the exhaust.
The rod m of the mixing valve and the rod n of the exhaust valve carry
pivoted on their upper ends, rollers of o² respectively and above said rollers and
journalled in the frame g of the motor is a shaft a bearing feathered to it a
block or aggregate of cams hereinafter described for operating the valves aforesaid.
The one
The said cams are grouped in two series y y divided by a groove 6².
series y is for operation during rotation of the shaft a¹ in one direction the
other series y during the rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction. The
rods m and n slide in bearings as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and are held against
the cams by springs.

page_text: On the said rods are respectively pins i and above the same, pivoted to the
frame is a lever o attached to said lever and adapted to be drawn thereby is
a bolt connected to the frame by screws passing through a slot therein (see
Fig. 9). The upper end of the bolt 6' is adapted to engage in the groove 62
aforesaid in normal position of the lever c². On depression of said lever the
bolt is drawn down and the rods m and n are also depressed by the abutment
of the lever on the pins i aforesaid. The cams are therefore released from the
bolt and freed from the rollers of o² and may be moved along the shaft a'.
The collar on the outer end of the shaft is so distanced that when the cams y
abut against said collar the inner set of cams y arrives in position for action and
the bolt, when again shot upward by the lever c' arrives behind the flange b³
and retains them in place To allow for the play of the lever c¹ the bolt is
connected thereto by a pin son said bolt engaging in a slot in said lever. The
reversing gear for a horizontal motor is shown in Figs. 14 and 15. On the
shaft of the motor is feathered a sleeve having the bevelled toothed wheels /
and 2 secured thereon, the rims of said wheels having each a
shaft operating the valves by its revolution through eccentrics or other means
carries the bevelled toothed wheel having a plain rim with projecting tooth 2.
The shaft may therefore be revolved in the same direction with either
direction of revolution of the shaft. d by shifting the sleeve f¹ so that the bevelled
wheel ¹ Hears
rs with the corresponding bevelled wheels 2. The peg tooth and
recesses serve as guides for so engaging the bevelled wheels that the valves are
operated at the requisite point of the stroke.
recess The
The sleeve fay be moved by lever pivoted at and having a pin u
engaging in a groove in the sleeve f¹. The bevelled wheels and 2 should
be of equal diameter.
For regulating the speed of the engine from either end of the car the following
mechanism is employed. Over the spring of the governor is arranged a hood
or cap a and above the latter a driver sliding in the rigid bracket arm and
connected to the rod d. The latter is connected to the crank arm g on the
shaft m¹ extending along in suitable bearings under, over, or within the roof of
the car and terminating in a hand lever, the crank at the opposite end of
the shaft m is connected by rod to the crank on the shaft m² likewise
extending along the roof towards the other platform where it terminates in a
hand lever k. Behind each said lever is a segment 2 having depressions on
its surface at intervals and on each lever is a spring having a knob for
engaging in said depressions and holding the lever in position against accidental
displacement. There is also connected to the rod a cap c which extends down
and engages under a flange on the body p of the governor.
By depressing more or less the cap a through the above mentioned contrivances
the spring is pressed with greater or less pressure against the body of the
governor so that the latter can be raised by the regulator balls only by quicker travel
of the motor. The rising of the body p however lifts the fork o and through the
pin
also the lever s pivoted at u and forming part with the lever 7. The lever
is thus moved inward, and the fork at the lower end thereof passing about the roller
on ibe exhaust valve rod moves the latter on its gudgeon off its normal track on
the cam y (or y) onio a lateral cam track thereon whereby the exhaust valve is
opened but for a small portion of the stroke.
The recesses in the segments
are such that on moving one handle at one end of
the car the other handle is not hindered from being moved simultaneously by the
engagement of its spring knob
in said. recess.
In order to alter the speed of the engine from the platform, that is to say, work
the engine with greater or less velocity, pressure is added to or taken off the
governor body p and to stop the engine entirely, the governor body p is lifted up
by the cap 04:
In adding pressure to the body p, the same with the fork o engaging in a groove
therein can only be lifted by more rapid revolution or not at all and the elbow lever q s

page_text: can therefore only cause the roller of governed by it to shift, upon obtaining higher
speed or not at all. off that cam by which during each revolution the exhaust valve is
only opened for a short period and an explosion takes place by the opening of the
igniting valve behind the piston of the engine.
On the other hand in releasing the governor body p from pressure the same is lifted
at a lower speed and the roller o² is caused to slide upon the second cam of the series y
or y on which during each revolution of the latter, the escape valve is kept open.
longer the explosion not taking place thereby. Consequently the engine will work in
the former case with a higher speed than in the latter case.
In lifting the governor body p direct by means of cap e the roller o is caused at
the same time and in the same manner as before to slide onto the second cam of
series y or y which leaves the exhaust valve open for a longer time and causes the
explosion to cease. Consequently during the lifting of the governor body the
engine will not work and the carriage will stop. During the movement of the bar b
before described the cap c' slides on the neck of the body p and the latter turns
within the cape without disturbance therefrom.
For rendering inaudible the sound of the explosion and exhaust, the exhaust gases
are caused to pass as indicated by arrows into atmosphere through the pipe a in the
course of which are one or more chambers e¹ having valves 2 and which is preferably
provided with certain narrowed portions at intervals. By reason of the alternate
widening and narrowing of this conduit the sound of the explosions is damped and
rendered almost inaudible.
The construction shown in Figs. 16 and 17 consists of a main pipe through which
the exhaust gases of the engine escape with one or more chambers interposed
therein, these being provided with valves 22. Furthermore the line of the main pipe
is interrupted by the smaller pipes.³.
With this construction in the event of missing an explosion the priming valve
is not opened during one more strokes so that gas is not uselessly absorbed by the
engine.
The exhaust gases pass through the pipes a2 and 3 and chambers in the direction
indicated by the arrows in the drawing.
According to the requirements of power, demanded from the engine, explosion is
prevented in the known manner from taking place during one or more successive
strokes and the engine moves in this case with the exhaust gases. When the piston
is absorbing during the empty stroke or strokes and the priming valvo (shut, for
instance by a spring) is not opened, the exhaust gases must not be drawn back from
the long outlet and for this reason, a valve 22 is arranged in each chamber o
through which air can enter by suction of the piston, thus preventing the sucking
pressure action on the priming valve and on the exhaust.
During the escape of the exhaust gases, the valve shuts.
In the modification represented in Figs. 18 to 21 one or more spiral springs a² are
arranged in the chamber v¹ or elsewhere on the exhaust conduit in such a manner
that the various coils press firmly upon one another in each spring a², one end of each
spring being fixed to lid and the other end to chamber or tube 22 or above an
opening in the same so that the space enclosed by the spring a² and lid is in connec-
tion with the exhaust pipe.
The spiral spring a should be either arranged at one or more vessels ¹ as shown
in Figs. 18, 19 or 20 or direct on the pipes 2 or 3 for the escape as represented
in Fig. 21.
The device shown in Figs. 18 and 19 differs from those represented in Figs. 20
and 1 in so far as in the latter case the exhaust passage is completely closed by
shutting up the valve 2, the passage terminating either in a vessel or a pipe
provided with such valve, whilst in the former case, the end of the passage remains
always open.
The valve is formed in the cover and has the same object as the valve 22
in the construction represented in Figs. 16 and 17 and explained on reference
thereto.

page_text: Through the exhaust passages provided with springs a² the exhaust gases of the
engine pass into the open air as follows:
Upon the escape of the gases from the engine, the pressure of the same operate
first to shut the valves and lift the lids whereby the convolutions of the springs a²
are separated as shown in Fig. 36 so that the gases pass in the passage shown in
Figs. 18 and 19 partly between the convolutions and partly through the open end of
the pipe or in the passage represented in Figs. 20 and 21 entirely between the
convolutions of the springs a².
After the escape of the gases the springs a close up again and air is drawn
through the valve by suction of the piston of the engine.
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.
In gas, petroleum and hydrocarbon engines for tramcars or other vehicles and
other purposes.
1. The combination with the valve rods of shaft a' and two combined series of
cams y y feathered to said shaft and adapted to operate said valve rods substantially
in the manner and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The combination of shaft a having collar a² two combined series of cams y y¹
feathered to said shaft and having groove between said series and flange 63, bolt 61
and lever c¹ with valve rods having pins i substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. The combination with shaft p¹ having bevelled tooth wheel thereon tooth k²
on said wheel, with shaft d'. sleeve f¹ feathered on said shaft, bevelled tooth
wheels, recesses q' in said bevelled wheels substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
.
4. The combination with governor p of spring fadapted to regulate said governor,
hood a, rod b, and handles kk and lever mechanism connecting said handles to rod
for the purpose set forth.
5. The combination with exhaust passage a² of chambers having valves 22 substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth..
of widened chambers and narrowed
purpose.set forth.
6. The combination with exhaust, passage
chambersa³ at intervals therein as and for the
7. The combination with, exhaust passage and valves, one or more springs a²
arranged in connection therewith substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described.
Dated this 30th day of October 1888.