US1374164A - Internal-combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

H. A. NORDWICK.

INTERNAL comausmm ENGINE.

ARPLICATION HLED NOV. 20. I919.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEEN-SHEET I.

INVENTOR. MnzyAJVordvc/c W TTORNEY BYQ 11/1/1111, 1 I 1 z I 4 I r 4 I 9 I I I I/ H. A. NORDWICK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPucAnoN FILED NOV-20,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IN VEN TOR.

HezuyA.Mrdwic/c BY Q) E g TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. NORDWICK, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK SEPPI, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

IN TERNAL-GOMBUSTION Specification of Letters Patent.

ENGINE.

Application filed November 20, 1919. Serial No. 339,279.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY A. NoRnwIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion or gas engines, the principal object being to so design and arrange the parts of the engine, partlcularly one of the four cycle type, that each cylinder will have two power strokes for every revolution of the shaft, so that for the same bore of the cylinders and R. P. M. of the shaft, I obtain four times the horse power obtained with four cycle engines of the ordinary type withan equal number of cylinders, since in this type a power stroke is had only once for every two revolutions of the shaft.

This proportion of power obtains whether I construct a single or a multi-cylinder engine.

A further object is to devise an englne which will take up very little space longitudinally, in proportion to the power developed, and in which, by certain features of construction, I am enabled to combine the flywheel with the piston and cam. operating means, thus doing away with a separate flywheel, and so cutting down the weight and the total number of parts used.

I also do away with the expensive forged crankshaft commonly used.

Another object is to produce a simple and relatively inexpensive engine, and yet one which will be exceedingly eflicient in its operation.

The foregoing objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear from a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views, in whic F lgure 1 is a front end elevation of my improved engine, half being in section.

Pig. 2 is a cross section taken on a line 2-2 of ig. 1.

I eferring now more particularly to the figures of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical casing, preferably split on a vertical transverse center line for ease of manufacture and assembly, and connected together along this line by bolts 2. This casing is adapted to be mounted, by means of cars 3 projecting from the sides, on suitable supports 4,"such as the frame of automobile, engine bed of a boat, and the Projecting centrally through the casing, and turnable in bearings 5 therein, is a shaft 6 on which inside the casing, are keyed a pair of disks 7 arranged in opposed order and spaced apart a certain distance by reason of their abutting hubs 8 projecting therebetween. Secured to the casing on the outside thereof and positioned radially from the shaft 6, are cylinders 9, whose center lines are on a vertical .plane bisecting the space between the two disks 7, and which are preferably positioned at an angle of 45 to each other.

In the present instance I show and describe four cylinders, all mounted above the.

horizontal center line of the casing, but it will be understood that I may emplo any number of cylinders from 1 to 8, without changing in any way the functioning of the engine, or the construction of the cooperating features.

Also, I have shown cylinders having overhead valves, though the L or T head construction would serve equally as well.

Pistons 10 are mounted in the cylinders, to which pistons are rigidly connected rods 11 extending radially in the direction of the shaft 6. The rods are also guided in sleeves 12 formed with or secured to the inner ends of the cylinders, the connecting members of the sleeves of course permitting a free circulation of air therepast, so as not to form a compression space between them and the pistons.

At the lower ends of the rods 11 are transverse pins 13 parallel to the shaft 6, and pro jecting equally on both sides of the rods. On such pro'ecting ends are rollers 14 adapted to ri e in inclosed cam eyes 15 formed in the adjacent faces of t e dlSkS 7.

In orderto fulfil the conditions stated as the principal object of the invention, that is, obtaining two power strokes for each cylinder for every revolution of the shaft, the cam rooves, bothof which are symmetrical, are esigned in the followin manner:

Each groove is substantia lystar-shaped, and has four. oints A adjacent the outer edge of the disk, and eriually spaced apart, or 90. When the rol ers 14 are at such oints in the grooves, the pistons 10 are then in their to most position in the cylinders. Interme late the high or outer points "A are the inner or low points B of the groove, which are positioned centrally between the points A With the rollers 14 at these points, the pistons are then in their lowermost position in the cylinders, the radial distance between the points A and B being equal of course to the piston stroke.

All eight points are therefore 45 apart about the shaft as an axis, which of course totals 360, or acomfilete circumference.

Therefore, since t e length of a piston stroke is had durin the travel of the piston rod rollers from a high point in the cam to the adjacent low point, or vice-versa, there will'be eight such tion of the shaft, or in other words, two complete c cles of four strokes each, on which basis all four-cycle engines operate.

Each cylinder has of course intake and exhaust valves 16 and 17 respectively, and valve actuating rods 18. and 19 proyecting radially toward the casing 1, being operatively connected to tappets 20 and 21 slidably and radially mounted in the casing. The tappets have rollers 22 thereon riding on the circular surfaces of disks 23 and 24 respectively formed inte al with and outside the disks 7 but somew at smaller in diameter than the latter. These disks take the place of the flywheel usually supplied to give momentum and absorb vibration.

Each of the disks 23 and 24 is provided with a pair of came 25 and 26 respectively adapted to engage the corresponding tappet roller, since as stated, each cylinder functions twice with every revolution of the shaft.

Each disk must ofcourse be ofsufiicient width to accommodate four such pairs of cams, transversely, or one air for'the corresponding valve of each cy 'nder employed, an -the valve rods and tappets properly almed with their respective cams, since the time of o ening of the valves of each cylinder is di erent.

I feel, however, that the construction strokes for every revolu-- shown We me a more counterbalanced engine t an by employing the alternate arrangement.

An exhaust manifold 27 may connect all the exhaust ports.

The ignition system of the engine I have not shown, since this may be run from the shaft and timed accordm to the firing strokes of each c linder in t e usual manner.

It will be evi ent that the same principle of 0 eration may be em loyed in an engine of to two cycle ty e, in which case each cylinder will fire our times with every revolution of the shaft, which is still four times the power obtainable with such an en ine built in the usual manner.

rom the foregoin description it will be readily seen that I ave roduced such a device as substantially ful is the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred embodiment of the invention, still 1n practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted tb as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

Havin thus described my invention, what I c aim .as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A four cycle gas engine com rising a casin a shaft turnably mounted t erein, a plura ity of cylinders secured to the casing in radial alinement with the shaft, pistons in the cylinders, spaced disks fixed to the shaft, means for movin the pistons in and out with the rotation o the disks, circular extensions rojecting from the outer faces of the dis S, each c linder havin valve tappets rojecting ra ially toward 1; e shaft and sli ably mounted in the casing, and each tappet on a side being in ofi'set alinement from-the remainder, and-cams on the extensions positioned to lift each tappet at predetermined periods in the rotation of the disks.

2. A gas engine comprisin a casing, a shaft turnably mounted therein, a plurality of cylinders secured to the casing in radial alinement' with the shaft and in a common plane at right angles thereto,pistons'in the cylinders, spaced disks fixed to the shaft, means for reciprocating the pistons with the rotation of the disks, valve tappets projecting from the valves of each cylinder, and a separate cam for each tappet formed with the disks and arranged to ift only the corresponding tappet at a predetermined time in the rotation of said disk. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence, of a witness. i

HENRY A. NORDWICK,

Witness:

BERNARD PBIVAT.

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