US581783A - Gas-engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

T. SMALL.

GAS ENGINE.

No. 581,783. Patented May 4,1897.

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THOMAS SMALL, OF OAMDEN, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE J. RICHARDSON, T DtUS'lllE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Dld-581,783, dated May 4, 1897.

Application led April 11,1896. Serial No. 587,184. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, THonAs SMALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, county of Camden, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, forming part of the speci fication.

My invention relates to certain improvements in gas-engines, and has among its objects to provide for the removal from the cylinder of the exploded gases and the products of combustion after each forward stroke of the piston and to secure an explosion at every stroke of the piston, as more fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate certain forms of apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 'l is a sectional elevation of the cylinder of a gas-engine, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 2 2, Fig. l.

In carrying out my invention I propose to so combine with the gas-exploding chamber, a high-pressure exhaust-port for primarily exhausting all the exploded gases above atmospheric pressure, and an exhausting device that the exploding gases will be exhausted from the engine immediately after the piston is driven forward bythe explosion of a charge, a new charge simultaneously introduced, and on the return stroke of the piston the new charge compressed for the next explosion, thereby securing an explosion every revo lution. In gas-engines of this class the pressure and the quantity of the products of combustion in the cylinder behind the piston vary as the initial pressure varies, and as the means for exhaustin these products are usually regulated to exhaust a given quantity of the exploded products, and at the same time to draw in the new charge of air and gas at times when on a given explosion the exploded products are at a minimum, the exhaust mechanism being regulated to exhaust a given quantity of the exploded products greater thanjthe amount that at this given time is contained in the cylinder, the exhaust will tend to draw into the cylinder an excess of air and gas after exhausting the products of combustion, and may even go so far as to draw out through the main. exhaust-pipe a quantity of unexploded gas, thereby creating waste.

In my invention in order to overcome this objection I provide a means for preliminarily exhausting all the products of combustion from the cylinder above atmospheric pressure before the main exhaust-port is opened, so that the only work which the mechanicallyoperated main exhausting mechanism has to do is to exhaust the products of combustion, which are always ata given uniform pressure. Therefore, as the products of combustion in the cylinder will always be at a uniform pres sure, the exhaust mechanism is regulated to exhaust what must always be the given quantity of products of combustion in the cylinder.

In carrying out my invention I provide the high-pressure exhaust port and valve constructed and operated as hereinafter particularly described.

Referring to the drawings embodying my invention, A represents a cylinder of a gasengine, in which is a piston B, connected by a rod l) to a crank or other device. At the rear end of the cylinder are two ports c c', for the entrance of air and gas, respectively, which ports are closed by a valve C, adapted to a conical seat at the rear of the cylinder. The Valve C is preferably provided with a stem d, projecting through and guided by an opening in the cylinder-head and being provided with an adj usting-nutcZQ between which land the cylinder-head is a coiled compression-spring d2, normally acting to hold the valve to its seat and to prevent the escape of the gases from the cylinder.

In Fig. l the piston B is shown near the end of its forward stroke and is Ycovering an exhaust-port e, connected to the pipe E, which leads to a pump or some similar exhausting device. On the opposite side of the cylinder,

at a point slightly in advance of the port c, is a high-pressure exhaust-port f, closed by a check-valve F, opening outwardly and pro- IOO 4 spring, and when the piston again starts its.

vided with a coiled compression-spring f ,surrounding its stem f2, the tension of the spring being regulated by a gland-nut f3.

The sparking device in the present instance comprises an electrode c, in the form of a tongue laterally projecting from the rod G, which finds a bearing in a collar 7L and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. l by a torsion-spring 7L', connected at one end to the rod and at the opposite end to the collar h. The collar is held in place by a glandnut II, insulated from the collar by a sleeve h2, of rubber or other suitable material. The opposite electrode g is carried by the piston and is in the form of a linger which comes into contact with the tongue g as the piston moves to the rear, the relative positions of the parts being such that before the piston reaches its rear end position the finger g will have moved the tongue g backward a slight distance against the action of the torsionforward movement the tongue g will follow it until the tongue is again in its normal position, and the parting of the two electrodes will, in breaking electrical contact, create a spark and ignite the explosive charge.

The terminals of the wires which form the circuit are shown in Fig. l, one wire x being attached to the rod G and the opposite wire 00/ being attached to a binding-post on the cylinder. y

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the piston B to be on its rearward movement, when in the position shown in Fig. l, and the rear portion of the cylinder to be filled with a charge of gas and air, as hereinafter described, the rearward movement of the piston will compress the charge and after the electrodes break contact and explosion takes place the piston will be driven forward.

IVhen the piston has been forced forward a suiiicient distance to open the port f, the high pressure of the exploded gases opens the check-valve F and allows all pressure above the atmosphere to escape therethrough. Immediately afterward the port e will be uncovered, and the action of the pump exhausts the remaining exploded gases, which are drawn through the said port c, and a partial vacuum is created in the cylinder, simultaneously causing the opening of the valve C and the admittance of a fresh supply of air and gas. In some cases, where the port e and exhaust mechanism are of sufficient size to permit the escape of all the products of combustion, the port f and its check-valve may be dispensed with.

In order to keep the inner mouth of the port c closed while the piston-head is traveling in the rear portion of the cylinder, the walls of the piston-head, especially that portion passing over the mouth of the port e, are sufficiently elongated to at all times cover the mouth of the port e during its passage through the cylinder rearward of the position illustrated in Fig. l. The object of this construction is to prevent a useless exhausting operation du ring the travel of the piston rearward of the position shown in Fig. l. The pump still operatin g when the piston moves forward of the position shown in Fig. l, a partial vacuum will be formed in the exhaust-pipe, which will enable it to operate promptly or as soon as the port c commences to open and to exhaust the exploded gases and the products of combustion.

As is clear from the construction, the piston-rod is connected bythe usual crank-arm with a driving-shaft and fly or balance wheel from which the pump or other exhausting device connecting with the exhaust-pipe E is driven. As heretofore stated, any desired form of air-pump or exhausting device for exhausting the exploded gases and products of combustion may be employed.

I have herein described a simple forni of apparatus embodying my invention 5 but it is clear that other forms of apparatus `may be employed.

By the use of my invention I secure greater power and greater speed, if desired. The loss of power is reduced to a minimum. The piston is less liable to clog or to become impeded than in other constructions, as all the products of combustion of each charge are promptly exhausted after each explosion and foreign matter thus removed from the cylinder and explosion-chamber. The amount of gas required is reduced to a minimum, which gas is of the character usually employed in gas-engines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination in a gas-engine, of a cylinder having air and gas inlets, and a main exhaust-port for exhausting the main portion of the products of combustion at the completion of each forward stroke of the engine, said port opening into the cylinder at or about a point coincident with the line of travel of the inner face of the piston when full forward, means for inducing the flow of an explosive chargc into the cylinder at the completion of each forward stroke of the piston as the products of combustion are withdrawn from the cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a high pressure exhaust port provided through the walls of the cylinder in advance of the main exhaust-port to permit the escape of the products of combustion above the pressure of the atmosphere and an automaticallyoperated one way check-valve provided' in said port constructed to open before the main exhaust-port is opened.

2. The combination in a gas-engine of a cylinder having air and gas inlets, and a main exhaust-port for exhausting the main portion of the products of combustion, a piston in said cylinder, a high-pressure exhaust-port, f, opening into the cylinder in advance of the main exhaust-port and a one-way valve in said port, f, substantially as speciiied.

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3. In zt gas-engine, zt oylin der having t Combined Compression and explosion chamber, a reciprocating piston with elongated pistonheztd, B, spring-Controlled valve, C, for regu- 5 lating the admission of stir and gas through the inlet-ports, c, c', high-pressure exhaust port, jicheek-valve, F, provided therein, stem f2, coiled compression-spring, f4, and glandnut, f3, main exhaust-port, e, for exhausting the main portion of the products of combus- THOMAS SMALL.

Vituesses:

JNO. E. PARKER, EDMUND S. MILLS.

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