GB987989A - Improvements relating to rotary prime movers - Google Patents

Abstract

987,989. Rotary engines. KAVERTZ (PROPRIETORY) Ltd. June 23, 1961 [June 29, 1960; May 30, 1961], No. 22911/61. Heading F1F. A rotary prime mover of the geared-vane type, e.g., an I.C. engine operating on a four-stroke, twostroke or diesel cycle, comprises at least two double-winged pistons 7, 8, Fig. 1, rotatable about a common axis in a fixed cylinder 1 having, when operating on a four-stroke cycle, a combustion mixture inlet 2 an exhaust outlet 4 and a spark-plug 6, and a control linkage connecting the pistons which in addition to rotating the pistons about the common axis causes one piston to move relatively to the other to cyclically enlarge and diminish chambers A. B, C and D between the pistons. Opposite chambers A, B are completely sealed off and constitute the working chambers whilst chambers C, D are connected to each other and the outside atmosphere. The inlet 3 and outlet 4 may be closed by appropriately controlled valves as chambers C, D travel past them. The control linkage comprises guide rods 11, 14, Fig. 1a, rigidly connected to hollow and solid shafts 10, 13 respectively on which the pistons 7, 8 are mounted, satellite pinions 12, 15 rotatably mounted on the ends of the rods 11, 14 and riding on a gear-wheel 16 rigidly connected to the cylinder 1 and a crank 18 and crank-rod 19 interconnecting the pinions 12, 15. The crank 18 being rigidly mounted on a shaft 17 on which the pinion 15 is rigidly mounted and the crank-rod 19 articulated on the free end of the crank 18 and the free end of the guide rod 11. On clockwise rotation of the pistons from the Fig. 1, position, the angle between the crank and crank-arm decreases so that the piston 7 closes up on the piston 8 to diminish the volumes of the chambers A, B until in the Fig. 3a position, the crank-rod 19 crosses the guide rod 14 with the chambers A, B at their smallest volume. The chamber A is immediately adjacent the spark-plug 6 and with the combustion gases fully compressed ignition takes place to urge the piston 8 clockwise. Pressure acting on the piston 7 owing to the crossed position of the rods 14, 19 tends to turn the crank 18 also clockwise, the piston 7 then begins to trail the piston 8 so that the chambers A, B gradually increase in volume and spent gases are then exhausted through outlet 4. Compression ratio or ignition timing of the engine may be adjusted by adjustment of the gear-wheel 16, adjusting the length of the crank 18 by the fitting of, e.g., a turnbuckle or by the addition of an eccentric linkage comprising an additional guide rod 12b, Fig. 5a, the replacement of the crank-rod 19 by two rods 19a, 19b a satellite pinion 12c and an adjustable eccentric 12a. The prime mover may be driven by steam power.