US1163309A - Gas-engine. - Google Patents

Description

- A. AY.YBAMFORD- GAS E NG INE." v APPUCATION FILED FEB. 23. l9l5- Patented Dec. 7, HHSQ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A.-A. BAMFORD.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 23. 1915.

1,163,309. I Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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GAS ENGINE.

A PPl 'JA ION FILED FEB. 23. 1915 Patented Dec.

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UNITED v STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR A. BAMFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS-ENGINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ARTHUR A. BAMFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to improvement in gas engines and more particularly to a rotary type of engine as distinguished from one in which reciprocatlng motion is converted into rotary motion for power application.

One of the objects of myinvention is the provision of a gas engine in which there shall be no reciprocatin parts of appreciable size, and in which t e force ,due to the expansion of the burning fuel is delivered at the periphery of the rotor and continued throughout approximately one-half a revolution.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a motor of this type in which the revolving members themselves carry no relatively moving members or parts, which move with respect to the revolving members, thus reducing the friction and wear incidental to such arrangements, as well as eliminating the necessity of providing means for counteracting the enormous centrifugal forces incidental to such relatively mo ing parts when rotated at high speed.

Another object of my invention is the provision of such an engine in which the valve mechanism is balanced at all times thus preventing undesirable wear upon one side or the other thereof, all thrusts upon the valve I being axial and readily taken care of by a thrust bearing. Uneven Wear is thus prevented and the problem of lubrication greatly simplified.

Another object of my invention is to provide adequate and simple means for cooling the rotary valve part by combining therewith a centrifugal water pump or air fan caus ng positive circulation of a cooling me-- dium across the walls of the valve and subsequently using the vpressure thus created for driving the cooling medium through a jacket or overv cooling fins on the walls of the rotor casing. 7

Other and further objects will become apparent to those skilled in this art from a Specification of Letters Patent.

ments Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 9,852.

consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved engine with its front casing cover removed exposin the rotor, parts being broken away to ilustrate the inlet and'exhaust openings as well as the spring pressed division plates. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View on the line 55 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive diagrammatically represent the positions occupied by the rotating parts at different points in the cycle of operation.

The engine comprises in general tworotating parts, the rotor or power receiving wheel 10, and the rotary valve 11. The rotor 10 in this particular embodiment of my invention carries at its periphery two diametrically opposite cam shaped projections 12-12 that make a substantially gas tight contact with the inner wall 13 of the rotor inclosing casing 14;. It is thus obvious that the two projecting cam-shaped wings 12-12 coacting with the inner surface of the cylindrical casing 14 form two divisions or walls in the space around the periphery of the rotor 10.

Projecting inwardly from approximately diametrically opposite points on the casing 14, are two spring pressed gates or abut- 15-16, which 'extend inwardly through the casing and into engagement with the periphery of the rotor. The lower of the two gates, namely that designated by the numeral 16, is carried in a projecting pocket 17 on the casing 14. The inner end of the gate extends across the surface of The gas inlet port 22 and the exhaust port.

23 are positioned at each side of' the gate I the mixture.

16, the former being at the right, or in the direction of rotation away from the gate, and the latter at the left.

The upper gate or abutment plate 15 is inclined away from the perpendicular 1n the direction of rotation so that the mushroomed edge 24 at the left side thereof will on the explosion of the mixture tend to be forced in greater frictional contact with the rotor and thereby insuring a gas tight fit without depending entirely upon the pressure of the springs 25. The space between the rotor and 1ts encompassing casing is divided, except when the cams are directly under the abutment plates, into four chambersfA, in Fig. 1, being shown in communication with the intake port 22, B compressing its charge, C expanding with the burning gases, and the chamber D exhausting through the port 23. It is in these four chambers each varying in volume from zero to maximum that'the usual functions of the well known four cycle type of reciprocating gas engine take place.

In .Fig. 1, the chamber A lssucking in a fresh charge, whereas the chamber B is decreasing volumefor' the compression of For the purpose of transferring the compressedcharge from the right hand side to the left of the abutment plate 15 as well as for the purpose of timing the functions for proper efiiciency,'1 have "provideda valve mechanism mounted at the rear of the main casing 14. This valve f member, already indicated ingeneral by the numeral 11, comprises a semi-spherical cup shaped part 26 from the center of which extends outwardly a spindle or shaft 27, carried by the taper thrust bearing 28 in the casing 29 projecting'from the valve casing 30, which in turn is secured by means of the bolts 31 to the main casin 14. Any suitable means may be employe for driving this valve spindle at a suitable speed, in the present instance, the speed of the spindle. being the same as that of the main shaft 32,

, upon which the rotor mounted, and the drive accomplished by means of the two sprockets 33-34, and chain. 35.

In the present embodiment of my invention I have providedtwo. cam shaped projections on the rotor, two explosions taking place at every .revolutionof the shaft. The valve chamber is divided into two compartments 36 and 37, by means of a diametric wall 38. If, a" larger number of cam pro-- jections are provided on the rotor a corresp'ondingly larger number of compartments must be provi ed in the valve. The edge of the cup shaped valve member 26 is flanged as at 39 thus providing suitable bearing surface against the perpendicular wall of the inclosing casing. I have in the illustration of this embodiment of my engine eliminated all provision for'lubrication, thus simplifying the drawing, though it is. to be understood that suitable lubrication must be provided for the frictionally engaging parts.

Two gas passages 40, 41 extend outwardly from the upper end of the casing 14 at each side of the abutment plate 15, to the perpendicular face wall of the valve casing at diametrically opposite points. The passage 40 conducts the compressed gases to their proper compartment and the duct 41 provides an open communication between the chamber and rotor at the left of the abutment plate 15 for the expansion of the ignited gases and consequently power impulse.

The valve chambers'36 and 37 communicate with their respective ports 40, 41

throughout practically the entlre rotation of the sparking points.

At the outer edges of the rotor 10 I have secured a pair of rather flexible steel rings 45, 46, in frictionalengagement. with the side walls of the casing. These are secured near their inner edges by means of the screws 47 and because of their slight amount of flexibility permit of an outward movement or flexing at the time of explosion, thus insuring a gas tight fit at the sides of the rotor and preventing leakage into the center of the casing.

The front wall 48 of the rotor casing is removably secured by means of bolts 49 so that on its removal the rotor may be readily drawn outwardly fromthe casing after which the abutment plates 15 and 16 can be removed through the center of the aperture. The valve casing, as already has been described, is secured to the main casing by the bolts 31 and can be readily removed thus providing the structure as an entirety with the highly advantageous feature of easy assembling or disassembling of any of the parts for inspection, repair or renewal.

The outer wall of the casing 30 is spaced away from the outer spheroidal wall of the 52, near the penphery. Obviously the utilization of this wall of the valve as a circulating pump insures the positive cooling of the valve structure, preventing overheating.

Whereas I have not shown the rotor casing as being provided with a water jacket or the like, for the sake of simplicity, it is obvious that the same may be cooled either by providing a water jacket and connecting it with the water exhaust 52 or providing it with a plurality of thin fins and a positive means for insuring air circulation. In order that the water supplied to the pump blade 50 may not leakoutwardly around the spindle 27 I have provided a packing 58 and nut 54 which engages with a counter-bore within the casing projection 28. A coil spring 55 pressed inwardly against the conical roller bearing 28, its outer end abutting against the exteriorly threaded nut 56 and holds the thrust bearing against its work. Theopposite end of the valve is stepped as at 57, on a bearing which is operative only when the pressure of explosion or compression within the valve is absent.

Obviously the spheroidal shape of the valve chamber permits the equalization of compression and explosion pressures and the reduction of side thrusts upon the spindle 27, the pressures tending to move the valve outwardly or axially away from the face parts, this force being readily cared for by meansof the conical roller bearing 28.

In order that the air fed to the carburetor may be preheated I have provided twopipes 60 and 61 extending into the central portion of the casing 14. Air drawn in through the pipe 60 is heated by contact with the rotor and subsequently sucked out through til-to the carbureter.

P t; he operation of the engine can best be described by reference to the diagrammatic Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9. It will be'understood that these figures are diagrammatic only and no attempt is made to have them conform strictly to the structural arrangement of my engine. In Fig. 6, it will be noted that one of the projections 12 of the rotor 10 is just passing the inlet port 22 and the engine has completed its suction stroke and filled the chamber B. with fresh gas. At this point the valve chamber 37 is open through the port 40, to the chamber B and as the cam 12 swings around in a counterclock-wise direction, the gas is compressed and forced through the passage 40 into the valve chamber 37 In F 1g. 7, the cam 12 is shown as havin passed beyond the port 40 and the-valve c amber 37 is out ofi by the sector 42 from communication with the port 40 and is just about to open communication with port'* 4.1. When the cam 12 passes somewhat farther as shown in Fig. 8, the explosion will take place within the chamber 37 and the gases rushing out through the that the operation ofmy engine and embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive will be clear, and whereas'I have made no attempt to design in this particular instance the various ports, passages, etc., in a manner such as would give the. highest efiiciency and economy, it is to be understood that various changes might be made in the construction and arrangement of thedevice without departing from the spirit and scope oflthe appended claims.

Having described -my claim is: j

1. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the invention, what I rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and contacting at all times with the periphery of said rotor, ports in the casing ahead of and at the rear of said abutment, and a valve member having a compartment therein adapted to alternatively communicate with said orts.

2. n a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing'and contacting at all times with the periphery of said rotor, ports in the casing ahead of andv abutment and a rotary valve member having openings therein adapted to alternatively open communication the chamber.

4. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apart projections on the between said ports and periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and contacting at all times with the periphery of the rotor, ports in the casing at each side of the abutment and a rotary valve member having compartments therein adapted to alternatively communicate with said: ports.

5. In a gas engine, the combinatitn'of; a rotor having spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casinginclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting with theperiphery of said rotor, ports in the casing at each side of the abutment, a hollow valve member, d1-

, vided into a plurality of compartments, and

means for moving said valve member to cause alternate registering of the compartments with the said ports.

6. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting with the periphery of said rotor, a second similar abutment positioned diametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on opposite sides of the second abutment and means comprising a movable valve member having a chamber therein for transferring the compressed gas from one side to the other of the first abutment at timed intervals.

7. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having a pair of spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting with the periphery of said rotor, the second abutment positioned diametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on opposite sides of the second abutment and a rotary valve member having two compartments therein adapted alternatively to communicate with openings in the casing at opposite sides of the first mentioned abutment 8. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, a hemispherical valve member, a shaft extending axially outwardly from the valve member, a partition dividing the interior of said hemispherical valve member into two compartments, ports in the face of the valve communicating with the said compartments, a supporting bearing for said shaft and means for rotating the same.

9. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, a hemispherical valve member having a compartment therein, ashaft extending axially outwardly from the valve member, ports in the face of the valve communicating with the said compartment, a supporting bearing for the said shaft and means for rotating the same.

10. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, a hemispherical valve member, a shaft extending axially outwardly from said valve member, a supporting bearing for said shaft, partitions dividing the interior of the valve into a plurality of compartments and ports opening from said compartments outwardly through the face of said valve.

11. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor having spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and contacting at all times with the periphery of said rotor,'ports in the casing ahead of and at the rear of said abutment, and a rotary hemispherical valve member having compartments therein and ports opening through the face thereof and adapted to alternatively communicate with the ports in the casing.

12. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor having a pair of spaced apart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting with the periphery of said rotor, a second abutment positioned diametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on opposite sides of the second abutment, ports in said casing on opposite sides of the first mentioned abutment, and a hemispherical rotary valve member having two compartments therein and ports opening through the face of the said valve member and alternatively communicating with the ports at each side of the first mentioned abutment.

13. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor and a casing therefor, a rotary valve member, a casing for the said valve member spaced away from the outer wall of the valve, and fluid circulation inducing blades carried by the outer wall of the valve within the area provided by the spaced away casmg.

14. In a gas engine the combination of a rotary valve member having a chamber therein, a casing for the valve member spaced away from one wall thereof, and fluid circulation inducing blades carried by said Wall and projecting within the area provided by the spaced away casing.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR A. BAMFORD.

In the presence of STANLEY W. Coon, MARY F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O.

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