US1555454A

US1555454A - Internal-combustion engine

Info

Publication number: US1555454A
Application number: US642813A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bugatti Ettore
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1923-06-01
Filing date: 1923-06-01
Publication date: 1925-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1942-09-29

Description

Sept. 29, 1925.

E. BUGATTI INTERNAL comauswxon ENGINE Filed June 1 1923 Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES ETTORE BUGATTI, OF MOLSHEIM, FRANCE.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed June 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E'rronn BUGATTI, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident of Molsheim, Bas-Rhin Department, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The difliculty encountered in using heavy fuel (mazout, heavy oils) in internal combustion engines of large size, has compelled the use of very high compressions and to spray the fuel directly into the cylinder during the combustion. Engines of this kind are very heavy and the parts composing the same are submitted to considerable strains which are due to the high compressions; on the other hand the fuel spraying devices operating at high temperatures and under high pressures are exposed to frequent accidents.

The present invention relates to an engine in which heavy fuel is used without the disadvantages resu ting from the high pressures in virtue of a process of ignition allowing the engine to work like an ordinary explosion motor, the fuel being introduced either directly with the air, or being sprayed into the cylinder before the period of combustion.

This process of ignition consists in connecting the motor which is to be started with the explosion chamber of an auxiliary motor which works also according to a combustion cycle; a very hot and powerful flame is thus obtained which energetically stirs the mixture to be ignited and whose action is extended to the hole of the explosion chamber, like the flame of a blowpipe, the main feature of the present invention consisting in the fact that the movements-of the aux iliary piston are combined with those of the main piston through a positive drive enabling the driving shaft to gather the motive strains transmitted through the auxiliary piston; this drive further allows, while the motor is in operation, the position of the main piston to be varied relatively to the driving piston so as to obtain a variation of the sparking or ignition point.

1923., Serial No. 642,813.

The accompanying drawing shows a transverse vertical section of an engineembodying the invention.

According to the invention, there is adconstituted by two different parts connected together through pipes.

The two cylinders are connected by a channel 0 in which is provided a valve C which in the case represented on the drawing is driven by a cam (not shown) keyed '70 to a shaft K and acting through the medium of the rod L and of the tumbler M pivoted at N. The valve C could also be an automatic valve so arranged as to open in the direction of the main cylinder under the infiuence of the explosion in the auxiliary cylinder. In this latter case, a spring which is timed for a stress sli htly below the pressure of explosion in t e auxiliary c linder would prevent the lifting of the va Va before the explosion takes place. In this case every guarantee isafforded that the power acting upon the auxiliary piston will not damage the same and the parts with which it is connected, the automatic valve then acting as a safety valve.

' In the arrangement shown, the auxiliar cylinder B is fed from an inlet valve in connection with a carbureter P with a mixture which can be more easily ignited than the heavy mixture of the motor or still with the same mixture and the ignition of the explosive mixture is effected b a plu J, by compression, or by any ot er we known means. Finally, this cylinder is provided in the usual manner with an exhaust valve S.

The main motor is fed by means of its own parts, through spraying, natural suction, through the inlet valve A or any other means. The connection between the auxiliary pistonB and the main piston A is obtained by means of helical gears, but any other device such as levers, eccentrics, could also be used. The crank-shaft T of the main-motor carries a helical gear D which meshes with another helical gear E carried from the intermediate or secondary shaft G. This shaft carries another helical gear F threaded in a contrary direction to the screw E. The said helical gear I! meshes with the gear H keyed to the auxiliary crank shaft V. All these connections can be reversed and are such that the angular speeds of the shafts T and V will be equal.

It is clear that an axial shifting of the shaft G under the action of the fork X operated by the lever V and acting upon the groove Y of the shaft G will cause the crank shaft V to move with reference to the crank shaft T and accordingly changes the moment when the load of the auxiliary cylinder will be ignited and will ignite the load of the main cylinder, thus permitting the adjustment of the point of ignition of the motor through a simple displacement of the lever V.

The operation of the motor according to a four stroke or a two stroke cycle and which is the same for the cylinders A and B is as follows: At the moment when the explosive mixture is ignited in the cylinder B, for example by means of the plug J, or at the moment of the normal expansion, the valve C opens. The explosion is then transmitted. to the mixture contained in the cylinder A. The two pistons A B are both driving pistons, the driving strains of the piston B are transmitted to the crank shaft through helical gears, whether, as in the arrangement which is represented, the valve C remains open during the driving period of the main cylinder, or if this valve closes as soon as the ignition of the main cylinder A takes place, the explosive mixture contained in B acting thenalone upon the piston B In any case, the ignition motor B is producing a power which is added to that of the heavy mixture motor. I s

The cylinder B could also be ignited through compression. This way of proceeding would not in this case show the disadvantage which is met with in the large cylinders, whereas it is possible, without increasing too much the weight of the motor, to proportionate all parts of the auxiliary cylmder B so that they can easily resist the stresses due. to the use of auto-igniting compressions.

The 1 'tion of the auxiliary motor B can also e effected through compression at the time of opening of the connecting valve G. In this case the'mixture as used in the auxiliary motor must be a light mixture and the part G (valve, slide-valve and the like) connecting the two motors will be driven. The compression in the small cylinder B being very small with reference to the one which can possibly be given to the carburetted mixture used in the large motor, there will be at the opening of the valve 0 an overpressure in the small cylinder, which will be more than sufiicient to ignite the mixture contained therein, these ignited gases will then ignite the heavy gases contained in the large cylinder. i

It will be understood hat the main motor could be supplied with a light carburetting agent and that without departing from the principle of the invention, some detail alterations can be made thereto.

What I claim is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder operable with a light fuel and a cylinder operable with heavy fuel, and wherein the explosions occurring in the cylinder operating with light fuel will cause explosions in the cylinder operating with heavy fuel, the said engine comprising a conduit whereby the cylinder operating with heavy fuel is connected with a corresponding cylinder operating with light fuel, a valve disposed in said conduit and so controlled as to momentarily open to effect the ignition in a cylinder operating with heavy fuel, inlet and exhaust valves for each cylinder, a crank shaft for the cylinder operating with heavy fuel, a crank shaft for the cylinder operating with light fuel, and adjustable means forming a mechanical connection with the crank shafts whereby the power furnished by the cylinders is constantly utilized and the variation in the position of the piston in the cylinder operating with light fuel with reference to the position of the piston of the cylinder operating with heavy fuel can be varied to modify the moment of ignition while the engine is running.

2. An internal combustion ,engine comprising a cylinder operable with a light fuel and a cylinder operable with heavy fuel, and wherein the explosions occurring in the cylinder operating with light fuel will cause explosions in the cylinderoperating with heavy fuel the said engine comprising a conduit w ereby the cylinder operating with heavy fuel is connected with a corresponding cylinder operating with light fuel, a valve disposed in said conduit and so controlled as to momentarily open in order to effect the ignition in a cylinder operating with heavy fuel, inlet and exhaust valves for each cylinder, a crank shaft for the cylinder operating with heavy fuel, a crank shaft for the cylinder operating with light fuel, a worm wheel mounted upon each crank shaft, an auxiliary shaft, two worms mounted upon the latter shaft and co-operating respectively with the worm wheels, the threads of one worm being in a contrary direction to the threads of the other worm, and means for axially displacing the shaft carrying the worms, whereby the power furnished by the cylinders is constantly utilized and the variation in the position of the iston in the cylinder operating with light el with reference to the position of the'piston in the cylinder operating with heavy fuel can be varied in order. to modify the moment of ignition while the engine is running.

ried by each crank shaft, an auxiliary shaft, worm wheels on the auxiliary shaft having oppositely directed helical teeth, in mesh with the worm wheels on the crank-shafts, and means to axially displace the auxiliary shaft to displace the relative position of the crank-shafts.

, In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name hereto.

ETTORE BUGATTI.