Improvements in Oil Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I JOSEPH SOUTHALL of Woodleigh Selborne Road in the City of Worcester
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An oil engine according to my invention can work on auy known cycle but
I prefer to use and will describe an engine according to my invention and working
with the "Otto" cycle.
A wick of any suitable section serves to convey the oil to form the explosive
charges from the oil reservoir to a vapouriser in the form of a jacketed casting
fastened on to the back end of the cylinder its interior forming more or less of the
compression space and being provided with ribs extending to a plate in its bore
at the end nearest the cylinder through which several small long passages or
holes are provided to form the communication between the vapouriser and the
cylinder.
The jacket space of the vapouriser serves as a passage for the flame of the
starting lamp to pass round to heat it at starting. Into the underside of the
vapouriser an ignition tube for igniting the starting charges is fixed so as to be
heated by the starting lamp at the same time as the vapouriser. The supply valve
I prefer to arrange so as to open into the back end of the vapouriser in such a way
that it controls the main air inlet passages and also several small holes leading
from its seat to the wick, the supply of air to the main inlet passages being
determined by a suitable valve or rentilator. The exhaust valve may be in any
suitable position and I prefer to operate both it and the supply valve by cams on a
horizontal spindle carried in suitable hearings and revolved at half the speed of the
crank shaft by chain gearing.
The cam for operating the supply valve can be a fixed cam but the cam for
operating the exhaust valve is arranged on a feather so that it revolves with the
spindle and can when desired be caused to move laterally against a light spring.
The face of this exhaust cam forms three cams, two of which serve to operate the
exhaust valve and the third to perform the governing for which purpose both its
edge and one side are used as cams. The governor which is driven by a wheel
mounted on the spindle, when the engine exceeds its proper speed draws back a
spring catch allowing a bar to drop down between a fixed bearing and the inner
end of a short lever so pivotted that during the normal working of the engine it
rocks backwards and forwards its outer end, urged by a spring weaker than the one
on the spindle, pressing lightly against and following the cam face on the side of
the third cam, this lever when it meets the dropped governor bar is prevented from
rocking and therefore drives the whole exhaust cam laterally along the spindle
bringing a different outline of the exhaust cam opposite the exhaust valve which
has the effect of opening that valve during the power stroke at such a point as
to render a considerable part of it inoperative on the piston and thus reducing the
speed of the engine without in any way interfering with the charging and
compressing strokes. If desired the exhaust valve can be opened for a short time
at the commencement of each compression stroke to prevent early ignitions by
reducing the pressure of the compression.
The edge of the third cam now comes into action depressing a second small lever
which lifts the governor bar up into its original position, where if the speed of the

page_text: engine has been sufficiently reduced the spring catch again engages with it holding
it up and allowing the exhaust cam to return by the aid of the spring laterally
along the spindle to its original position to perform its normal operations.
Between the cam faces and the ends of the valve spindles hang pivotted strips of
metal to receive the vertical dragging action of the cams and thus prevent the
bending of the valve stems. After the engine has well started I prefer to perform
the further ignitions by an internal igniter formed of a piece of metal more or less
isolated with non conducting material in a box casting situated in the vapouriser
and having its inlet by preference in the form of a tube, after the engine has been
running a short period this more or less isolated piece of metal becomes heated by
the explosions to a higher temperature than the rest of the engine and performs
the further ignitions without the aid of any lamp allowing the vapouriser to be
kept at a lower temperature than would be practicable if it had to ignite the
charges. The time of the ignitions can be regulated by more or less opening a
valve controlling a passage leading from the inside of the box casting to the
atmosphere or by varying the length of the igniter box tube inlet.
On a suction stroke occurring the charge of air drawn through the main air
passages and oil or oil and air drawn from the wick through the small holes in the
seat of the supply valve enters the vapouriser forming an explosive charge which
when compressed is ignited for a short period at starting by the hot ignition tube
and afterwards by the extra hot internal metal igniter.
Dated this 8th day of October 1896.
JOSEPH SOUTHALL.
I JOSEPH SOUTHALL of Woodleigh Selbone Road in the City of Worcester
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described aud ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
An oil engine according to my invention may work on any known cycle but
I prefer to use that known as the "Otto" cycle.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the same inore fully by aid of the accom-
panying drawings, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section, Figure 2 and end
elevation, Figure 3 an elevation of the wick and Figures 4 and 5 a part plan and
sectional elevation explaining the action of the governor, the same distinguishing
letters being used on all four figures to denote the like parts.
A wick K of any suitable section serves to convey the oil to form the explosive
charges from the oil reservoir J to a vapouriser A in the form of a jacketed casting
fastened on to the back end of the cylinder its interior forming more or less of the
compression space and being provided with ribs extending to a plate in its bore at
the end nearest the cylinder through which several small long passages Care
provided to form the communication between the vapouriser and the cylinder.
The jacket space B of the vapouriser serves as a passage for the flame of the
starting lamp P to pass round to heat the vapouriser at starting. Into the
underside of the vapouriser an ignition tube R for igniting the starting charges is
fixed so as to be heated by the lamp P at the same time as the vapouriser A.
The supply valve D I prefer to arrange so as to open into the back end of the
vapouriser in such a way that it controls the main air inlet passages H and also
a number of small holes L leading from its seat to the wick K. The supply of
air to the passage H is, in order that it shall be heated before admission to the

page_text: cylinder, made through the inlets M, M which lead into a jacket formed round
the hot exhaust pipe N from which the air is drawn through a pipe M, the
quantity of air being regulated by a valve or ventilator at M'. The exhaust valve
controls a port Q and I prefer to operate both it and the supply valve D by cams
on a horizontal shaft S carried in suitable bearings and revolved at half the speed
of the crank shaft by chain gearing V.
The cam for operating the supply valve D can be either part of the main cam Z
or a separate fixed cam. The cam Z is arranged on a feather key so as to revolve
with the spindle S but can when desired be caused to move laterally along S
compressing a light spring. As drawn the face of the main cam forms three cams,
two of which Z¹ serve to operate the exhaust valve and the third Z to perform the
governing, for which purpose, both its edge and one side are used as cams. The
governor U which is driven from the spindle S, when the engine exceeds its
proper speed, draws back a spring catch W allowing a bar X to drop down
through a fixed lug in the path of the inner end of a short lever Y so pivottel
that during the normal working of the engine it rocks backwards and forwards, its
outward end urged by a spring weaker than the one on the spindle S pressing
lightly against and following the cam face on the side of the third cam Z; the
lever Y when it meets the dropped bar X, being prevented from rocking, drives the
main cam bodily along the spindle compressing the spring and bringing a different
outline of the exhaust cam Z' opposite the exhaust valve stem and if the supply
valve cam is connected to the main cam, moving that cam clear of the supply
valve stem. The edge of cam Z now comes into operation depressing a small
lever Y which lifts the governor bar X up into its original position, where if the
speed of the engine has been sufficiently reduced the spring catch W again
engages with X holding it up and allowing the cams to return laterally by the aid
of the spring on S to their normal position.
The different outline of the exhaust cam Z' brought opposite the stem of the
exhaust valve by the action of the governor is, when the supply valve cam is a
separate fixed cam, so shaped as to open the exhaust valve at such a point of the
power stroke as will render a considerable portion of that stroke ineffective on the
piston; when however the supply valve cam forms part of the main cam the out-
line of the cam is so shaped as to keep the exhaust valve open during what would
normally be the charging and compressing strokes as described in my Patent
No. 18,995 of 1895. Between the cam faces and the ends of the valve stems,..
hang pivotted pieces of metal T. T' to receive the vertical dragging action of the
cams and thus prevent the bending of the valve stems.
After the engine has well started I prefer to perform the further ignitions by
an internal igniter formed of a piece of metal F more or less isolated with
non-conducting material in a metal box G, situated in the vapouriser A and
having an inlet E by preference in the form of a tube; after the engine has been
running a short period this more or less isolated piece of metal F becomes heated
by the explosions to a bigher temperature than the rest of the engine and performs
the further ignitions without the aid of any lamp allowing the vapouriser to be
kept at a lower temperature than would be practicable if it had to ignite the
charges. The moment of ignition can be regulated by more or less opening &
valve controlling a passage leading from the inside of G to the atmosphere at the
proper times, or by varying the length of the inlet to the box G.
The lamp P is filled with waste soaked in petroleum and is fed with air blown
up the pipe P; P" is a baffle to keep the lamp flame from the reservoir J.
O aud O are stoppers to be inserted in the inlet and outlet of the passage B after
starting.
On a suction stroke occurring the charge of air drawn through the main air
passages H and oil or oil and air drawn from the wick K through the holes L
enters the vapouriser A forming an explosive charge which when compressed is
ignited, for a short period at starting, by the tube R and afterwards by the extra
hot internal igniter F.

page_text: 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 :-
An oil motor engine arranged and operating substantially as herein described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1896.
JOSEPH SOUTHALL.