US1733965A

US1733965A - Rotary engine

Info

Publication number: US1733965A
Application number: US220607A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Howard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-09-19
Filing date: 1927-09-19
Publication date: 1929-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1946-10-29

Description

Oct. 29, i929.

J. W. HOWARD ROTARY ENGINE Filed Sept. 19. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet I Z- O O O Q G 0 o i@ o 42 5/ za '3f Q lg /9 I "q 2d ag f3 f5 40 2 l n o 4 'I l l ze i a7 55;/ o o 4,0 5 4 v 38 74 ,77 57 39 fg (D 2.5' xx l gp 34( 43 O s o j 0 O O O .5 v// /0 f6 /Z WITNESS:

Jil/H0 warf' ATTO R N EY Oct. 29, 1929. J. w. HOWARD 1,733,965

ROTARY ENGINE Filed sept, 19. 1927 2 sheets-'sheet 2 y j J3,

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NNNNNNN OR Patented Oct. 29, 1929 JOHN W. HOWARD, OF TBENTON, NEW JERSEY ROTARY ENGINE Application led September 19, 1927. Serial No. 220,601?,

The present invention relates to rotar engines and has for its objects to provi e an engine simple of construction "and effective in operation, in which the principles of an internal combustion engine are utilized and which at the saine time eliminates theexpensive parts ordinarily necessary in engines of this character.

A further Objectis to utilize novel and effective principles in the construction of engines of this character.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description land will be set forth in the appended claims, and I do not wish to be limited in the scope of my 1n-v vention except as I shall be limited by said claims.

In the drawings: 1

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the cylinders of an engine built in .accordance with the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the cylinders in cross section.

Figure 3 is a section on the' line 3-'3 of Figure 1, showing the relation of the piston rods to the pistons. l

Figure 4 is a detail View of the cover plate for the intake to the cylinders vand showing intake apertures. h' A The present invention is designed to be driven by any sort of gasesor liquid fuel, or to operate with steam or air.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals,'10 designates a casing which 1 s preferably .spherical in its contour'and is provided with ilanges 11 by which it may be attached to a suitable support. 12 and 12 are piston cylinders which are preferably of arc uate configuration having .a circular cross section, the inner and outer surfaces of the walls being sectors of concentric circles. The cylinders are mounted for rotation about. a horizontal axis and are provided with suitable supporting shafts 13 and 14 with which they are rotatably connected by means of the cover plates 15 and 41, the shaft 1 3 being fixed by a pin `13 to a bracket 17 formed with the casing 10, while the shaft 14 is supported by the casing 10 in a journalbox 18, the latthe cylinders.

terbeing formed as a sleeve projecting from the cover plate 19 secured over an aperture in the wall of the casing 10, rotation being facilitated by means of

ball bearings

20,21 and 22, the two latter being formed in thebearings 18, the ball bearings 20 being carried by the cover plate 15 to facilitate rotation of The cylinders are provided adjacent one of the bearings with

intake ports

23 and 24 from which vthe passageways 25 liead to points near the middle of the.y cyliners. l

Mounted within the cylinders are

arcuate pistons

26 and 27, the curvature of which is such as to conform with the curvature of thel cylinders themselves, the pistons being connected by a hollow connecting rod 28 extending diametrically of the circle of which the two cylinders. are sectors, the ends of the rod being connected with the pistons by means of ball and

socket joints

29 and 30 to provide for a certain amount of play between the pistons and the rod. The rod is also spaced a certain distance from the walls of the pistons, as shown at 31, for the same purpose, the cylinders being slotted as at 31"L to provide a path of travel for the rod 28 incident to the movement of the pistons.

The cylinders are provided with by-

passes

32 and 33 having an inlet opening adj acent the intake end of the cylinders and an outlet opening toward the exhaust end of the cylinders, the exhausts 34 of the cylinders being connected with the cylinders through passageways 35 leading to points intermediate the ends thereof and at a distance from the exhaust substantially7 .equal .to the distance of the connection of ..tlie cylinders with the channels 25. The exhaust-fitl will be noted, is substantially diametricall'y oppesi'te to the intake 24, the exhaust pipe 36 leading from the exhaust channel 34, which is preferably annular in shape as is also the channel 24 constituting the intake, the intake being connected with a carbureter, designated at 37, by means of a pipe 38, the pipe being connected at its dischargey end with a cover plate 39, spring pressed as at 40 against the cover plate 41 secured to the cylinders, as by screws 42, the cover plate 39 having a single aperture in which the end of the pipe 38 is secured, the cover plate 41 being provided with two elongated apertures 43 adapted to be brought into rotation with the single aperture in the cover plate 39 as the cylinders rotate about their axis.

The cylinders are connected with the shaft 14 by means of a supporting wall 44 having a sleeve 45 extending therefrom which is secured tonthe shaft 14 by means of a pin 46, the shaft' 14 constituting the power takeoff from the engine. The inner end of the shaft is provided with a ball and socket support 47 connected to the shaft 28. The shaft 28 is provided with a stub shaft 49 journaled in a sleeveO arranged in the horizontal plane of the shaft 14 but lying at an angle thereto, the shaft 13 beingvbcnt at 51 to form a su .port fol` said sleeve. In the course of t e operation of the device the cylinders will revolve about the axes 13 and 14 and a considerable centrifugal force' will be exerted outwardly on the pistons when the cylinders have attained a considerable velocity.l This centrifugal force will cause an undue amount of friction on the outer walls of the cylinders and toavoid this I have connected the pistons by means of a rod 52 threadedly secured 'at its ends to cup-shaped members 53 set in shouldered recesses 54 formed in the cylinders, and in order to have ready access to these parts for adjustment or renewal thereof I have provided apertures 55 in the walls of the cylinders closed by a cover plate 56. A cover plate similar to that shown at 39 is provided at 57, which is spring-pressed against a cover plate 58 similar to the cover p ate 41 by means of springs 59 set in sockets formed in the casi-ng and bearing against the outer surface-of the plates in the same manner as the springs 40 associated with the cover platev 39.

The o eration of the device is as follows: In startlng the engine there is the necessity of the usual cranking or starter connections common to all internal combustion engines, and as the cylinders revolve from the position shown to the opposite position, the

pistons

26 and 27 will exchange. relationships to their respective cylinders. For example, let us su pose that at the start the

pistons

26 and 27 are in the relationship shown in Figure 1. In this osition the fuel is free to flow from the inta e through the passage 25 into the interior of the cylinder 12. The fuel contained in the cylinder 12l` will be passing under the pressure of the piston through the by-pass into the opposite end of the cylinder and on further rotation of the cylinders will be compressed at the opposite end until it reaches the position of the cylinder 12, when the sparking mechanism 60 will come into Ypositlo'n to contact with the electrical contact 6:1, when the gas will be exploded causing the piston to move toward the opposite end of the cylinder. This operation of the piston will give a rotary impulse to the cylinders through the shaft 28 which is mounted on an axis at an angle to the axis of the shafts 13 and 14. This operation will be repeated over and over, causing the rotation of the cylinders to continue so long as it is desired to operate the engine and so long as fuel is fed through the port 24.

The engine is preferably air cooled and for this purpose the casing 10 is provided with a plurality of apertures 62, the rotation of the cylinders causing a suction for drawing air from the outside of the casing.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a rotary engine, arcuate cylinders having arcuate pistons therein and revoluble about a horizontal axis, a connecting rod secured at its ends to the pistons, said connecting rod being rotatably mounted to revolve in a plane at an angle to the axis of rotation of the cylinders, inlet and outlet ports for said cylinders, and a by-pass connected to the cylinders at points on opposite sides of the center thereof, said inlet and outlet ports be-4 ing respectively adjacent the opposite ends of the axis of rotation of the cylinders.

2. In a device of the character' described, cylinders rotatably mounted about an axis, intake and outlet ports formed at opposite ends of said cylinders, apertured cover plates having their apertures registering with said ports and secured to the cylinders, a casing surrounding said cylinders, cover plates extending over the first named cover plates, said second named cover plates each having a single aperture adapted to register with the apertures in the lirst named cover plate, pistons in said cylinders, and means for taking oil' power from the movement of said cylinders.

3. A rotary engine comprising a casing, arcuate cylinders having connection with each other for movement accordingly and being revolvable about a horizontal axis in said casing, arcuate pistons mounted for movement in said cylinders, a connecting rod secured to said pistons Yand being rotatably mounted to revolve in a plane at an angle to the axis of the rotation of said cylinders for continuously moving the pistons in a reciprocatory manner, intake and outlet ports forsaid cylinders and arranged at the opposlte ends thereof, means for introducing fuel in the intake ports, exhaust means in communication with the outlet' ports, said cylinders being provided with a by-passy in communication therewith at points on op.. posite sides of the center thereof, said-cylinders being provided with passageways a1;- ranged .in opposed relation with-respect to the by-pass of each cylinder-,Land each cylinder having its passage ways" extendin from 'adjacentthe center thereof and terminating into the intake and exhaust ports, and ignition means in said casing and secured to the cylinders respectively.

4. A rotary engine comprising arcuate cyl- 5 inders mounted for rotation about an axis, intake and outlet ports arranged at the ends of said cylinders and being formed therewith, arcuate p istons slidably mounted in said cylinders, a rod connecting said pistons,1 a

stub shaft extending at right angles from said rod and secured thereto, a sleeve rotatably receiving said stub shaft and providing a bearing therefor, said sleeve being arranged at an angle to the axis of rotation of said cylinders, a power take-01T shaft having flexible connection with said rod, `a shaft having one end bent and fixedly secured to said sleeve, and journals on the last mentioned shaft 4and for the power take-olf shaft respectively.

5. A rotary engine comprising revolvable cylinders, a casing housing said cylinders and being provided with a plurality of open-. ings, supporting means :for said cylinders,

said cylinders being provided with intake and outlet ports, apertured cover plates for said ports, spring pressed cover plates rotatably receiving said apertured cover plates and be- `wing provided with a single aperture arranged for alternate registration with the apertures of said a ertured cover plates, pistons mounted for slldable movement in said cylinders, a rod connecting said pistons and mounted to rotate in a plane at an angle to the axis of the rotation of the cylinders, means included in therod connection with said cylinders to prevent undue wear on the outer surfaces -of the Walls of the cylinders and a power take-oit shaft having connection with said rod.

6. In a rotary engine, a casing, arcuate shaped cylinders rotatably mounted in said J casing on oppositely disposed trunnions and l being oppositely disposed with respect to each v other, arcuate pistons mounted for slidable 15 movement in said cylinders, a piston rod diametrically disposed with respect to said casing and having its ends loosely connected with said pistons, said rod having a pivotal support arranged at an angle-to the axis of rotation of said cylinders and being hollow,

ball and socket joints vincluded in the connection of the ends of said hollow rod with said pistons, a rod arranged in the hollow rod and being also connected-with said pistons, and means carried by said pistons for detachably receiving and securing the ends of the rod arranged in the hollow rod.

In testimony whereof I alx m signature.

' JOHN W. I-I WARD.