US1354586A - Ignition - Google Patents

Description

J. H. STRINGHAM.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I9, I918- 7 LIMA, 22%

Patented Oct 5, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. STRINGIIAM, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IG'N'ITIO IN-- DEVICE 'EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0on5, 1920.

Application filedzAuguSt 19,. 1918. Serial No. 250,420.

0 all whom at may concern Be it known that i, Jenn H; STRINGHAM,

.a citizen of the United States, residing in return ito the cylinder to ignite the charge an ignition device of--thistype being :disclosed in my Patent No.1,-203,,072, granted October 31, 1916.

The ob ect of the ll'lVGlIlilOIl lS to improve upon the construction and organization of gnition devices of the above type: in order to produce a more simple and compact device, more efficient and durable in use, less expensive to manufacture, and, withal, more capable o1 effecting improved self-timed combustion. To the accomplishment of this object, the invention consists in --the improved ignition device hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out. in the appended claims.

The preferred form of embodying the .in-

vention is illustrated-in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved ignition device; Fig.2 is a sideelevation of-thesame; and'Figs. 3,4, 5, and 6, are sectionstaken on the lines 33, 4-4, 5-5, 6 -6, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Theimproved ignition device for explosive or internal combustion enginesas illustrated in the drawings, comprises a lower body portion or valve casing 11 and an upper body portion or spring casing 12. These two .parts together constitute the framework of the device and support the operative elements'thereof, The valve casing 11 is threaded at its lower endso that it may be screwed into the cylinder of the engine to which the device is applied, and the spring casing 12 is screwed into the-upper end of the valve casing 11. The ignition device is provided with a trap or chamber adapted to receive a portion of the gases or products of combustion duringthe explosion and. to

' mixture therein.

hold the trapped gas atits high tempera- *t-ure until the next explosive mixture is brought to a certain degree of compression by the piston, whereupon a valve is opened to permit the trapped gas to enter the cylinder and ignite the compressed explosive The chamber for trapping the combustion gas is formed within the hollow head portion, which is the lower end (Fig. 1) of a valve 4, slidingly received with in the valve casing 11. -T'he gas chamber within the valve lis in closed at its sides by a cylindrical wallor casing 13 fastenedwat its lower en d to a lug or boss 14 projecting from the bottom end or" the valve casing 11. The gas chamber opens into the interior 15 of the valve casing 11, when the valve 4 is raised, through holes 3 in the bottom part of the gas chamber casing 13; and the inte rior of the valve casing 11 open into the cylinder of the engine through holes 1 drilled in the closed iottom end of the valve casing. Suspended within the gas chamber is a perforated cylindrical sleeve 16 come:

trically arranged with the casing 13. The

interior of the sleeve 16 is filled with wire mesh 2. The casing or wall 13 of the gas charnb r, the sleeve 16 andthe wire mesh 2 all composedof some heat-resisting material suchas nichrome steel. This construction is for the purpose of keeping the trapped combustion gas at as high a temperature as possible.

The valve It'is normally' held seated over the holes 1; to keep the gas chamber-closed, by means oi" a spring 5 interposed between a nut 17 screwed into the hollowstem 1S-of the valve 4 and a nut 6 screwed into the end of the spring casing 12. The nut 17 virtually constitutes an extension of the valve stem 18. By adjusting the nut 6 the tension of'tlie spring 5 may be regulated. The tension of the spring 5 will be suchthat'the valve 4 "will be opened only whenthe compression of the explosive mixture in the cylinder is nearly atits highest point. The valve 1 is raised during the compression of the explosive mixture in the cylinder and is held. raised during the explosion, so that a portiono'l the gases or products of combustion find their way through-the holes 1 and 3 into the gas chamber where the is held trapped at its high temperature until sub stantially the culmination of the next com pression' stroke of the engine. The valve a double-muting r valve sea tin itself at itsupper end when raised so as to prevent the escape of the compressed gases except through the holes 3. e

In order that the gas chamber may be thoroughly cleaned out after each entrap-.

ment of combustion gas therein,a circular exhaust passage 9 formed in ,the lower end of the spring casing 12 surrounds the stem 18 of the valve 4. This exhaust passage 9 gives into the atmosphere through an outlet 18.. The escape of the gases through the outlet 18 is muffled by a screw 10. When the valve 4 is seated the exhaust passage 9 is covered over by the adjacent part of the stem 18, but when the valve 4 'isat the limit of its upward movement, then the holes 19 extending radially from a valve chamber 20 register with the exhaust passage 9. The

valve chamber 20 communicates with the gas chamber. through a central hole 21 in the valvestem 18. The passage 21 between the valve chamber 20 and the gas'chamber is 1101'- mally 'held closed by a valve 7 slidingly received in the nut 17. The valve 7 i'sclosed by a spring 8 (of higher tension than the spring 5) interposed between the nut17 and a nut 22 screwed into the upper end of a casing 23 extended upwardly from the nut 17. The tension of the spring 8 may be regulated by adjusting the nut 22. The ten sion of the spring 8 is such that the compression of the explosive mixture in the cylinder does not effect an unseating or opening of the valve 7 when the valve 4 is unseated. 'When, however, the valve 4 has been opened to permit trapped, heated gas in the gas chamber to pass into the cylinder to explode the compressed explosive mixture,

then the force of the explosion unseats the valve 7 There is now momentarily a free passage from the gas chamber into the atmosphere, so that the residue of gases re- 'maining, in the gas chamber are swept out therefrom by the passage of' the freshprodnets of combustion therethrough. When the force of the explosion diminishes slightly th'e'valve. 7 is seated, and then as the force of the explosion continues to diminish the valve 4 seats itself, leaving some of the hot products of combustion trapped in 'thegas chamber. I 1 i The operationof the improved ignition device is as follows: -When the engine-is s'tarted'up a spark plug is used to cause the initial explosion. The'compression of. the explosive mixture in the cylinder previous 'to the explosion has opened the valve 4 so that when the explosion takesplace a small portion ofthe gases or products of combustion rush into the gas chamber. The valve 4 being'at this time at the limit of its upward movement, andthe force of the explosion having unseated the valve 7 there is a momentary escape of the combustion gases through the exhaust passage 9. The

.usual spark.

stroke of the piston.' N hen the compression of the explosive mixture has reached the predetermined point the valve 4 is unseated, permitting the hot and highly compressed combustion gas in the gas chamber to pass into the cylinder and ignite the compressed explosive mixture therein. The opening of the valve '7 during the explosion permits the stale combustion gas still remaining in the gas chamber to be swept out of the passage by the fresh combustion gas therethrough.

"As the force of the explosion diminishes, the valves 7 and 4 successively close, trapping some of the gases or products of combustion in'the gas chamber, and thereafter the same series'of operative steps as described above are repeated throughout the operation of theengine. 7

The ignition device described above is self:

timed in its operation after the tension of the springs have once been regulated for the particular engine to which the device is applied; because when the load on theengine is increased, more gas is sucked into the cylinder, so that the pressure suflicient to open the valve 4' occurs sooner and the effect is accordinglyequivalent to advancing the It will be understood that many changes may be made in the construction of the ignition device illustrated in the drawings and described above without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The construction illustrated and described, however, greatly facilitates the ease and rapidity with which the work of manufacture may be carried on.

Moreover, this construction provides a very durable and .efiicient' ignition device. If at 'any timeit is necessary to get into the interior of the device for any purpose, the joined structure facilitates the taking apart and the putting together of the device.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimediss- 7 1.'An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber connected by passages with the cylinder of the engine and with the atmosphere, avalve in which the 'gaschamber is formed for normally closing the passage to the cylinder, and a valve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere. Y

2. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber having a passage connecting it with the cylinder of the engine and a passage connecting it with the atmosphere, a valve for normally closing the passage to the cylinder, and a second valve mounted within the first valve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere.

3. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber having passages to the cylinder of the engine and to the atmosphere, a valve in which the gas chamber is formed for normally closing the passage to the cylinder, and a second valve mounted within the first valve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere.

4:. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, a passage from the gas chamber to the cylinder of the engine, a passage from the gas chamber to the atmosphere, valves for normally closing the passages, said valves being opened respectively by the compression and the ex plosion.

5. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a valve casing adapted to be attached to the cylinder of the engine, a valve in the casing, a gas chamber in the valve, and a passage between the gas chamber and the cylinder normally closedby the valve.

6. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a casing, a valve in the easing, a gas chamber in the valve, a passage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine normally closed by the valve, and a passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere normally closed by a second valve.

7. An ignition device for explosive engines having, in combination, a casing, a valve in the casing, a gas chamber in the valve, a passage between the gas chamber .and a valve carried by the and the cylinder of the engine normally closed by the valve, a second valve mounted within the first valve, and a passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere normally closed by the second valve.

8. An ignition device for explosive engines having, in combination, a valve casing, a valve therein, a gas chamber within the valve constructed to retain and keep hot products of combustion, a passage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine normally closed by the valve, a spring for closing the valve, a passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere, a second valve for normally closing this passage, and a spring located within the first spring for closing the second valve.

9. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, a passage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine through which products of combustion enter the gas chamber, a valve for closing the gas chamber to keep the products of combustion therein, a passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere, first valve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere, the first valve being arranged to be opened by the compression, and the second valve being arranged to be opened by the explosion.

10. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, a passage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine, a valve for normally closing the passage, a passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere, a valve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere, and means for mufiling the passage of exhaust gases from the chamber to the atmosphere.

JOHN H. STRINGHAM.

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