US1437861A - Fuel-supply system - Google Patents

Description

F. R. PORTER.

FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I3, 1920.

1,48%861, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 SHEETs SHEl-IT l.

, I W BY ATTORNEY F. R. PORTER.

FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM. AFPLICATlON FILED MAR, 13, 1920 1,437,861, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHE ET 2.

FIG. 2.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FINLEY R. PORTER, OF GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CURTISS AEROPLANE AND MOTOR CORPORATION, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FUEL-SUPPLY SYSTEM.

Application filed March 13, 1920. Serial ITO-365,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FINLEY R. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garden City, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Supply Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motors and particularly motors of the internal combustion type foruse in aircraft.

The object of the invention is an improved fuel supply system for motors wherein cer tain difliculties heretofore experienced are overcome. In systems employing a fuel pump for pressure feed, it often happens that the gasoline escapes back from the supply tank (located at a higher level) thru the pump when the motor is not operating and is lost or escapes to the motor crankcase and spoils the lubricating oil contained therein. For instance, with a gasoline pump of the .plunger type carried by the crankcase, the gasolineoften raises the check valve in the pump and creates sufficient head on the pump pistons to cause escape therepast. According to the present invention these difiiculties are obviated, the arrangement being such that when the motor and pump are stationary it is impossible for the gasoline to enter the pump.

More specifically this improved fuel supply system comprises means which is operative when the motor is stationary toisolate the supply tank from the pump but when the motor and pump are operating is responsive to the operation of the motor and pump to establish communication between the intake of the pump and the supply tank. in the present embodiment of this invention this responsive device consists of a peculiar and novel automatic means responsive to the suction of the fuel pump and a valve control led thereby for establishing and interrupting the communication between the pump and the supply tank.

For a more complete and full exposition of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings exhibiting one embodiment thereof wherein Fig. 1 shows a conventional fuel plan arrangement for airplanes embodying the im- .provements,

Fig. 2 isa diagrammatic representation of the motor and the fuel supply system,

Fig. 3 is an-illustration in section of the automatlc means responsive to the operation of the motor and pump,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of eferring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to similar parts thruout, an aeroplane is illustrated embodying the usual fuselage 1, motor 2, propeller 3 and supporting surfaces 4. The fuel for the motor 2 is contained in the main supply tank 5 and the gravity tank 6 and is fed therefrom to the carburetor 7 of the motor thru the connections hereinafter described. A fuel supply pump 8 is mounted on the crankcase of the motor 2 and is disposed below the level of the supply tank 5 as indicated in Fig. 1. The gasoline flows from the supply tank 5 thru a gravity pipe 9 to the T-connection '10 and thence to the intake 11 of the pump 8 and this pump when in operation forces the fuel up thru the connection 12 to the T-connection 13, thence up thru the check valve 14 and T-connection 15 to' the gravity feed line 16. This gravity feed line leads from the T-connection 15 in two directions respectively to the gravity tank 6 and to the carburetor 7 so that when the pumpis operated to supply fuel to the carburetor 7 thru one branch of the gravity feed line, it is at the same time maintaining the level of gasoline in the gravity tank 6, an overflow 17 being provided between the gravity tank 6 and the supply tank 5.

The automatic means responsive to the operation of the motor or pump for establishing and interrupting the ,fiow of gasoline is of cylindrical form and embodies a nipple or neck 19 which connects with the lead 19 and also embodies a downwardly extending and. restricted extension 24. This extension 24 is provided with an annular shoulder or bearing surface 25 and is adaptstem 36.

ed to receive and pass thru the couplin 23, as indicated herein, the coupling 23 pre erably making a snug fit against the annular bearing 25. This coupling 23 is also chambered out and is in communication with the chamber in the neck 24 thru side openings 26 in the extension. The pressure responsive device 22 has at its upper end a connecting neck or member 27 which 1s internally threaded to receive the externally threaded lower end of the extension 24 and this neck is provided with an annular bearing surface 28 for the reception of the lower side of the coupling 23. The valve chamber of the member 21 is separated from the extension 24 by means of the downwardly closing valve 29, the latter member being securely seated against the seat 30 and having a downwardly extending guide and actuating member 31. The valve is normally held against its seat by means of a compression spring 32 which bears with its lower end upon the upper side of the valve and against a plug 33 screw threaded home into the upper part of the valve chamber 21, the plug 33 having a downwardly extending stem 34 for holding the spring in position. The lower end of the extension 24 is provided with a vertical opening 35, communicating with the interior of the pressure responsive device 22 and the interior of the coupling chamber 23, and an actuating stem 36 is attached to the bottom plate 37 of the pressure device 22 and extends upwardly thru the opening 35 in the stem and into engagement with the valve guide 31, the latter beam recessed as indicated at 38 to receive the upperbeveled end of the The pressure responsive device 22 preferably assumes the form of a folded circular bellows which may be of a noncorrosive character. In order to protect or shield the pressure responsive device from injury in rough handling, a cylindrical shaped guard 39 is provided which screws onto the neck 27 as indicated and rojects downwardly past the lower end of t e pressure device. The valve chamber 21 also preferably contains a screen 40 which insures a thorough straining of the gasoline in its passage from the intake 19, thru the extension 24 and to the coupling 23.

The operation of the system may be described as follows: When the motor and the pump are stationary the operative parts of the automatic device are as indicated in F g. 3, the pressure device 22 being extended and the spring 32 serving to close the valve 29 securely against its seat. Under these conditions, namely while the motor is standing still, the gasoline can not pass from the supply tank 5 to the pump 8, the valve 29 being securely held against its seat by the spring and successfully sealing the chambers against one another. When the motor 23 and from thence the depression cause by such operation is communicated about the stem 36 to the interlor of the collapsible pressure responsive device 22. The lowering of the pressure in the pressure device thereby causes the device to collapse, allowable by its elastic nature, and the stem 36 is elevated into engagement with the valve 29 thereby lifting the valve 29 from its seat and allowing the gasoline to flow from the interior of the strainer 40 down thru the valve opening into the interior of the coupling 23. Gasoline is thereby continuously fed by the pump up to the gravity feed line 16 leading to the gravity tank 6 and to the carburetor 7 and this operation continues as long as the gasoline pump continues to operate to maintain 'the pressure in ,the member 22 below that of atmosphere, the area of the member or capsule 22 being greater than the area of the valve 29 and thereby resulting in an unbalanced condition which will lift the valve against the pressure of the spring 32. As soon, how ever, as the pump stops again, the valve 29 is automatically closed and serves to isolate the gasoline pump from the supply tank, thereby avoiding the loss of gasoline thru leakage from the pump and avoiding the escape of the gasoline thru the pump to the crank-case (in cases where the pump is carried directly by the crank-case).

A hand pump 42 is illustrated for emergency operation and is connected with the T-connection 43 thru a branch connection 44, this T-connection 43 leading thru a check valve to the T-connection 10 and thru another check valve to the branch 45 and T-connection 13. By operation of this emergency pump 42, gasoline may be taken from the main tank 5 thru the connection 9 and forced into the gravity feed line 16.

In accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have set forth one complete embodiment of my improved fuel sup ply system, but it is understood. that the claims annexed hereto are to be construed to cover the spirit of the invention and are not to be limited to the specific devices illustrated, except as is required by a consideration of the prior art.

What is claimed is 1. In a motive power system, the combination of a driving motor, a fuel supply reservoir, a fuel supply pump for supplying fuel from said reservoir to said motor, a valve disposed in the communicating passage between the supply reservoir and the pump, and automatic means responsive to pressure changes in said communicating passage for operating said valve, the change in pressure in said communicating passage being in turn dependent upon whether or not the fuel supply pump is in operation.

2. In a motive power system, the combination of a driving motor, a fuel supply reservoir, a fuel supply pump for supplying" fuel from said reservoir to said motor, a'

valve disposed in the communicating passage between the supply tank and the pump and adapted to close in the direction of the fluid flow and automatic means responsive to the operation of the pump for opening said valve while the pump is operating.

3. In a motive power system, the combination of a motor and fuel supply reservoir, a motor driven fuel supply pump for supplying fuel from the reservoir to the motor, a valve interposedbetween the supply tank and the motor, and automatic means including an element movable into and out of'engagment with the valve, the movement of, such element being responsive to the operation of the pump to open said valve when the motor starts and to close said valve when the motor stops. w

A. In a motive power system, the combination of a motor and fuel supply tank elevated above the level thereof, a motor driven fuel supply pump mounted upon the motor crank-case, a valve interposed in the passageleading from the supply tank pump, and automatic means including an element mov-- able intoand'out of engagement with said valve, the movement of said element being responsive to theoperation of the pump'for opening said valve when the motor starts and for closing said valve when the motor stops, for the purpose set ,forth.

5. In a motive power system for aircraft, the combination of a driving motor and fuel supply tank located above the level thereof, a motor driven fuel supply pump interposed between said tank and the motor and mounted on the motor crank-case, a valve located in the passage between .said tank and said pump and adapted'to open and close said passage, the movement of the valve enclosing such passage being in the direction of the fiuidflow and automatic means responsive to the depression on the'intake side of the pump for o ening said-valve while the pump is operating and closing said valve when the pump stops.

6. In a motive power system, the combination of a motor and fuel supply tank lo cated above the level thereof, a motor driven fuel supply pump interposed between said tank and the motor, a valve interposed between said pump and supply tank and adapted to close in the direction of the fluid flow, said valve being effective against the head of gasoline in the supply tank to remain closed except when the pump is in operation, and automatic means responsive to the operation of the pump for automatically opening said valve when the motor starts.

7. In a motive power system, thecombination of a motor and fuel supply reservoir located above the level thereof, a' motor driven fuel supply pump interposed between said supply reservoir and the motor and having the usual check valve, an automatically controlled valve interposed between the supply tank and the pump, means for securely closing said valve and main- .taining the same closedagainst the gasoline pressure within the circuit, said valve being adapted to close in the direction of the fluid flow, means for retaining said valve in a closed position against a certain predetermined pressure therein and auxiliary means of a large area which is responsive to the pressure within the circuit for overcoming the force of the closing means.

9. In a check valve for fuel supply systems, the combination of a valve closing in the direction of fluid flow and subject to the fluid thereabove, means for positively closcomparatively small area subjected to the ing same and means responsive to changes in pressure on the other side of the valve for overcoming the pressure head, and a positive means for opening the valve when the pressure is reduced a predetermined point on the suction side.

i 10. In a checkvalve, the combination of a valve containingmember having a valve which closes in the direction of the fluid flow, ,a 5- ring for actuating said valve and closing t esame, a collapsible bellows-like, device responsive to the changes in pressure on the pumping side the valve and operating to overcome the tension of the aforesaid spring to open the valve under predetermined conditions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto a'flix my signature.

FINLEY R. PORTER.

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