US1048918A

US1048918A - Gas-engine.

Info

Publication number: US1048918A
Application number: US69637512A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horace Russ Van Vleck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1912-05-10
Filing date: 1912-05-10
Publication date: 1912-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1929-12-31

Description

H. R. VAN VLEGK.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10,1912.

1,048,9 18. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

z INVENNTOR ATTORNEY TE STAWENT am nonacn nose van vnncLx, or nonrcnnrn, new annsnv.

ens-Enema.

Specification of Letters fatent. i

' Application filed May 10, 1912. Serial No. 696,375.

let of as to and the exhaust of burned gas from t e cylinder.

The invention is directed to the provision of a gas engine of an im roved construction whereby more reliab e, efiicient and noiseless operation is secured than has been possible with the forms of gas engines heretofore commonly employed.

Many forms of gas engines as now made v are provided with puppet valves for controlling the inlet and exhaust. The use of-rotary valves for controlling the inlet and exhaust has frequently been proposed because the advantages obtained by the use of such yalves are apparent, these including the smoother and less noisy operation of the valves than is ,possible when reciprocating valves are employed. Such rotary valves, however,

have not been used to a great extent and one reason for this is that with the constructions' heretofore proposed th'ei'nlet port of the valve has not; been opened with sufiicient rapidity to permit of the proper admission of gba'sfto the cylinder. o

One Jectof the present mvention is to overcome this objection which has een resent in rotary valve gas enginesas heretoore made, and this is'accomplishedvby so constructing theengine as toermit of rotat ing. the valveat relatively high speed. a consequence of the increased speedof rotation of the inlet valve, the port provided therein is opened much n ore quickly and proper admission of thejexplosive gas to the cylinder may therefore be obtained.

The invention is applicableto gas engines of various types and particularly.

double-acting engines, that is, engines" n -which both ends of the cylinder are used as explosion ch mbers. Preferably the invention is emp oyed in a two-cycle doubleacting engine of the type employingmeans outside ofthe cylinder for compressing the gas adinltted to the cylinder. In such an engine a single rotary valve may control the admission of gas to both ends of the cylinder and this rotary valve may be caused to rotate at double the speed at which the engine shaft rotates. When the valve is rotated at such speed the port therein will beopened' with suflicient rapidity to insure the proper admission of gas to the cylinder.

I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a gas engine, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the engine and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionon line 3 3 of Fig. 1. I

Referring to these drawings, the cylinder of the engine is shown at 1. As will be seen, both ends of the cylinder are closed so as to form. explosive" chambers at both ends of the cylinder. The particular construction em oyed in thecylinder may be varied as esired though preferably a water-chamber is provided for cooling the cylinder as is indlcated at 2. The cylinder is provided with an exhaust outlet as shown at 3 through which the exhaust ases are passed or allowed to pass in accor ance with the practice heretofore common. The I exhaust outlet 3 is locatedoin the side; wall of the cylinder midway between the ends thereof. The inlet to the cylinder is shown at 4 and is located directly opposite the exhaust outlet 3 and also midway betweenthe ends'of the cylinder. The piston 5 is mounted to" reciprocate ,within the cylinderl. and is secured to the end of'a 1e gland in connecting rod 7 to the engine shaft 8. Each end of the piston 5 has a deflector 9 formed thereon such that when the piston is at either end of itspath of movement, one ofthe deflector plates 9 will be directly opposiM plugs 10 the inlet port 4. Suitable spark are Iprovided in the ends of the cylinder."

T e explosive gases enter the cylinder 1' .througha pipe 11. Between thi'spipe and inlet port '4" is a rotary valve 12 con--- ne'eted to the engine shaft so as to be. re!

tatedv thereby. In the presentinstanoe, the. I -.valve 12' is connected to a shaft 13 which is drivengb'y ashaft lethroughintermesh ing bevel gears 15. The shaft leis driven .Patented nee. 31,1912;

piston rod 6 fwhich extends through a suita the endof the cylinder and isflconnected by a 95 17 which has secured thereto a bevel gear 18 meshing with a bevel gear 19 on shaft 14. This gearin is such that the valve 12 is rotated at ouble the speed at which the engine shaft 8 rotates so that an opening 20 in the wall of the rotary valve comes opposite the inlet port t of cylinder 1 twice during each revolution of the engine shaft. The precise form in which the rotary valve 12 is constructed may be varied as desired. In the present instance I have shown this valve as consisting of a sleeve open at its ends, having an opening in one side and secured to shaft 18. This sleeve is rotatable within a sleeve21 mounted stationarily within the casing 22 of the valve. Sleeve 21 is also openat its ends so that gas entering the casing- 22 may flow into the interior of the valve 12.

Means are provided for forcing the explosive gas under pressure through pipe 11 to the valve 12. In the present instance I have'shown a piston 23 secured to the piston rod 6 and reciprocating within a cylinder 24, this cylinder being arranged in alinement with the cylinder '1. A carburetor is shown at 25 connected by

pipes

26 and 27 to opposite ends of the cylinder 24. ()pposite ends of cylinder 24 are also connected by

pipes

28 and 29 to the pipe 11. In each of the

pipes

26, 27, 28 and 29 is a checkvalve. 30. The lower end of the piston rod 6 is provided with a suitable cross-head 31 and guides are formed on the casing of the engine for guiding this cross-head in a straight line as the piston 5 is reciprocated.

The operation of the engine will now be described.

As the two pistons move downwardly from the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1,the piston 23 draws gas from carbureter 25 into the cylinder 24 through the pipe 26, the check-valve 30 in pipe 28 closing automatically. On the upward movement of piston 23 this gas is compressed and forced through pipe 28 and into pipe '11, the check-valve in pipe '26 then closing automatically. The same operation takes place on the opposite side of piston 23 sothat on each stroke, that piston" orces a supply of compressed gas into pipe 11. With the piston 5 1n the position shown in Fig. 1, the opening 20 in the valve 12 comes opposite inlet port 4 in cylinder 1 so as to admit gas from pipe 11 through valve 12 and port 4 to the interior of cylinder 1 below piston 5, This gas is deflected by the deflector 9 into the closed end of the cyhnder and forces the burned genes within t e cylinder out through outlet port. 3. The piston then moves downwardly and after 1!; has reached the end of its downward movement the gas is ignited and explodes,

ipaaaia bureter 25 by the piston 23 and this gas.

being admitted first to one end and then the other end of cylinder 1 during each revolution of the rotary-valve 12 and each half revolution of the engine-shaft 8. The engine illustrated is therefore a double-acting two-cycle engine with outside compression, that is, with the explosive as compressed outside of the cylinder in w ich the explosions take place. i

It will be seen that the inlet of gas to the cylinder is controlled by a rotary valve, this valve being provided with a single port which controls the inlet ofgas to both ends of the cylinder. When thus constructed the inlet valve may be rotated at double the speed at which the engine shaft is rotated and as a consequence of this relatively high speed of rotation the port in the rotary valve will become 0 ened that a thorough an reliab e admission of gas to the cylinder will take place in the small time interval allowed for the admission of the gas.

I have illustrated and described my invention as applied to a double-acting twocycle gas englne having outside compression but I wish it understoodthat themvention isnot limited in its application to engines of this type. Also, various odifications in the construction shown may be made. All such modification, therefore, I consider within the scope of my invention and I aim to cover them by the terms of the claims appended hereto.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston is connected, a rotary inlet valve control- Im the admission of explosive gas to both en s of the cylinder, and gearing connecting the engine s aft in driving relation to the uite rapidly so rotary valve for rotating said valve at higher speedthan the engine shaft, substantially as set forth,

2. A gas engine having a cylinder closed both ends, a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston is connected, a rotary inlet valve control- 1 the admission of explosive gas to both the engine shaft and said rotary valve for causing the engine shaft to rotate said valve at double the speed of rotation of the engine shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. A gas engine having a cylinder closed "at bothends, a piston reciprocating iii the cylinder, anengine shaft to which the piston is connected, a single inlet port in the wall of the cylinder and midway between the ends of the cylinder for admitting gas to the cylinder on both sides of the, piston, a rotary valve having a single outlet port therein controlling the admission of gas through said inlet port of the cylinder, and gearing connecting the engine shaft in driving relation to said rotary valve, substantially'as set forth.

4. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a piston reciprocating in theoylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston is connected, a rotary inlet valve controlling the admission of explosive gas to both ends of the cylinder, means operated by the engine shaft for .supplying gas under pres-.

sure to said valve, and gearing connecting the engine shaft in driving relation to the rotary valve for rotating said valve at higher speed than the engine shaft, substan- 1 tially as set forth.

5. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston is connected, asingle inlet port in the wall of. the cylinder and midway between the ends of the cylinder for admitting gas tothe cylinder on both sides of the piston, a rotary valve having a single outlet port therein controlling the admission of gas through said inlet port of the cylinder, means opercombustion engine ated by the engine shaft for supplying gas under. pressure to said valve, and gearing between the engine shaft and said rotary valve for" rotating the'valve at double the speed of the engine shaft, substantially as set forth.

'6. A double-acting, two-cycle, internal combustion engine having a shaft, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder and connected to the shaft, asingle rotary valve control-- ling the admission of gas to. both ends of the cylinder and meansactuated by the em gine shaft for rotating said valve through one revolution during each half revolution of the engine shaft, substantially as set forth.

7 A double-acting, two-cycle, internal combustion engine having. a single rotary valve controlling the admission. of gas to both ends of the cylinder, an engine shaft,

and gearing connecting the engine shaft to.

said. valve for rotating the valve at double the speed of the engine shaft,'substantiall y asset forth.

. 8. A double-acting, two cycle,' internal;

having a single rotary valve controlling. the admission of gas-to both ends of the cylinder, an engine shaft, means actuated thereby for supplying gas under pressure to said valve, and means actuated by the engine shaft for' rotating said