US1369018A - Means for absorbing power and determining the reaction on engines - Google Patents

Description

L. F. R. FELL.

MEANS FOR ABSORBlNG POWER AND DETERMINING THE REACTION ON ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1918.

Patented Feb. 22-3 921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Fig];

A i zouisfederial Pads-twi MEI? W Ilfomey L. F. R. FELL. I v MEANS FOR ABSORBING POWER AND DETERMINING THE REACTION ON ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED IULY 31,19l8.

1,369,01 8. Patented Feb. 22,;192L.

HEETS-SHEET 2. FL 2.

L. F. R. FELL.

MEANS FOR ABSORBING POWERANU DETERMINING YHE REACTION 0N ENGWES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31. 1918.

1 36,01 &3; Patented: Feb. 22, 1921.

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j UNITEDFV'STATE PATENT OFFICE.

LoUIsra DERIcK RUDSTONEELL, oErow'rHonrE; E'ILE ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR ABSORBING rowER Aivn DETERMINING THE REACTION 01v ENGiNES.

To all whom it max r concern:

Be it known that I,- LOUIS FREDERICK RUDsroN F ELL, a subject' of the King of Great Britain, residing at Fowthorpe; Filey, England, in the county of Yorkshire, have invented new and useful. Improvements in and Relating. to Means forAbsorbin Power and Determining the Reaction on Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to absorbing power and determining the reaction on' engines more particularly when the engine is run at difierent speeds and developing different horse powers. The object of this in vention is to determine the amount of reaction exerted on the engine bearers, especially aero engine bearers, with variations in en'- gine load. v I

The invention therefore consists in absorbing the power developed by an engine at various speeds by a controllablefflow'of air and measuring the reaction 'ofthe ab sorbed-power on said engine. g f

This invention contemplates a variable air brake for absorbing the power developed by the engine to be testedin combination with an engine support responsive to variations in torque reaction due to variations in load on the engine and means for measuring'that, reaction. a j 1 v In order that theinventio-nmay be readily understood and carried into effect same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an elevation of anembodiment of the invention in which provision is made in the device for two yalved'outletsfor air. Fig. 2 is a sideview with the test bench and engine bearer ad'acent thereto. a

Fig. 3 is an elevat on illustrating anar rangement involving a single, valved outlet for air. Fig.4 is an elevation and Fig. 5 aside view illustrating a further arrangement in which air set in motion by the engine is utilized in coolin the engine.

According to ffiieembodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a casing a which may be constructed of wood built up on a suitable framework and lined with sheet metal is provided having suitably disposed air outlets b b whereof the effective area is controlled by appropriate valves 0 0. The casing incloses a chamber d preferably of snail like form as shown by the dotted'lines from which the outlets b I; extend the said cham- Specifioationof Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 22, 1921, Application filed July a1, 1918. "Serial No. 247,395. I:

mechanism under a single control or each valve may be controlled separately. Preferablythe valves are connectedso as to be simultaneously opened or closed either manually, mechanically or otherwise. In the arrangement shown each valve 0 is of butterfly form and consists of wings or flaps mounted on a shaft or spindlee to each of wh chv latter a' lever f is secured. Thesele vers f are each'connected by a rod g with a bellcrank leverh which carries an extension i provid'ed with anut ]c adapted to be operated by the screw spindle Z towhich the operatind wheelm or a suitable handle is applied. Mounted in the aforesaid chamber is a suitable fan-brake or adapted for being secured to the crank shaft of the engine to be tested so as to be driven thereby or, to be driven through. appropriate intermediate gearing as may be found convenient according to the jt ypeof engine under test. The said fan-brake} when. rotated inthe chamber of the casing causes air, which'is admitted thereto "in; any suitable manner such as by means of tlie aperture or apertures-fo therein" througlrwhich the crank render it ca able of absorbing the maximum power whic theengine' under testislikely to develop at the lowestnu'mber'of revolu- 'tions per minute at which it is desired to run.

In operation the improved method and apparatus are employed in conjunction with an ordinary balance bar torque reaction test bench indicatedat p the power absorbed by the fan-brake'being adjusted that is to say decreased or increased by either closing or opening more or less theaforesaid valves 00 the reaction of the power absorbedby the fan-brake being calculated from the balshaft'of the engine, passes toflow through and through the'aforesaid ance bar 9 of the torque bench in the usual manner by the standard formulae. Thus the air which is drawn into the casing by the action of the fan is caused to flow from the said casing in a regulated'manner with the result that the power developed by the engine and absorbed by the fan-brake reacts upon the engine under test and this re action is calculable upon the balance bar pertaining to the torque bench.

For use with the aforesaid apparatus a test bench whereof the engine bearers on the cradle are adapted for being moved relatively to the axis of the fan-brake has been found most convenient as such arrangement renders the test bench capable of adaptation to any type of aero engine.

A construction in which a single controlled outlet for air is employed is illustrated. in Fig. 3. The various parts of the apparatus bear reference letters similar to the respective parts in Figs. 1 and ,2 and therefore the operation will be clearly understood without detailed description thereof. This arrangement is serviceable in casesv where the test bench is so arranged that the torque of the engine tends to effect the rotation of the engine about the axis of the fan-brake and in connection therewith it will be seen that the valve actuating wheel m and screw spindle Z operate directly upon a nut is carried by the armc' operatively connected with the lever h.

Thearrangement of valve actuating levers and rods may be duplicated one set being disposed oneach side of the fan casing.

If an air cooled engine be under testa part of the air set motion by the operation of the. engine may be diverted so as to serve in cooling the cylinder heads. An arrangement of the apparatus adapted for accomplishing this object is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 a being the casing Z) the outlet with controlling valve 0 and d the snail form of air chamber. A flue or conduit 7' is arranged. in communication with the chamber d and outlet 6 the said conduit being appropriately formed or curved as seen in Fig. 5 so as'to directthe diverted air from the said chamber cl on to the cylinder head of the engine (not shown.) which is supportedby the test bench p. i

For convenience of transport the appabe moved from ratus may be mounted upon a carriage s supported by running. wheels 15. Thus it may place to place with ease as required.

The improved means. for testing is espe 'cially adapted for use with aero engines as the strains to which the crank shaft of the engine under test is submitted are only those which will be borne by the said shaft during the operative service of the engine, the stress ordinarily sustained by the shaft from revolving a rotor in an inelastic medium such as water when a water brake is used being avoided.

What I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination with a fan brake'and means for regulating the volume of air passing therethrough; for absorbing the power developed by an engine, of an engine bench rotatable about the axis of the fan brake and responsive. to variation in torque reaction, due to the power absorbed, and

means for measuring that reaction.

fan coupled thereto, a snail-like casing in operative relationship to said fan, a central air inlet opening in' said casing, peripheral air outlets in said casing, valves for controlling the flow of'air through said outlets to regulate the power absorbed by said fan, an engine support rotatable about the axis of said fan, means for securing the engine to said support and a balance bar mounted on said engine support whereby the torque reaction due to the power absorbed is measured. f v

3. The combination with a fan coupled to an engine under test,.o f a casing for said fan, means for regulating the volume of air passing through said casing for absorbing the power developed by the engine a conduit appropriately formed with a depending out-. let adaptedto conductthe diverted air from said casing onto the cylinderhead of the en ine, a 'movable support forthe engine responsive to variations in the torque reaction due to absorbed power and means mounted on the engine support for measuring that reaction.

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