US2054133A

US2054133A - Internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: US2054133A
Application number: US456890A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry L Mcpherson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-05-29
Filing date: 1930-05-29
Publication date: 1936-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 1953-09-15

Description

Sept. 15, 1936. MCPHERSQN 2,054,133

INTERNAL COMBUST ION ENGIN E Original Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 15, 1936. L MnPHERSON 2,054,133

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 15, 1936. H. MCPHERSON 2,954,133

INTERNAL COMBUSTION- ENGINE Original Filed May 29, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 iv/a'lvra 460 1179591 W lf/YE) Sept. 15; 1936. H. MCPHERSON 2,054,133

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed May 29, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 28 I37 7 [AWE/v70 .fld/ 4477407 Sept. 15, 1936.

H. L. M PHERSON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Shget 5 fero'ap Patented Sept. 15, 1936 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Barry L. McPherson, Memphis, Tenn.

Application May 29, 1930, Serial No. 456,890 Renewed March 24, 1934 6 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, particularly of the air cooled radial type ordinarily used for airplanes, and has particular reference to the cooling systems of such motors.

The objects of the invention are:

(a) To provide means for minimizing the air resistance of such an engine for airplane service;

(b) To provide an improved cooling system for such an engine particularly for airplane service; and

(c) To generally improve the details of design and construction of such an engine.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the following specification'on reference to the accompanying drawings in which:--

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the device at right angles to the crank shaft and on the center line of the cylinders, being taken as on the line II of Fig. 2,-looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken as on the line IIII of Fig. 1, same. being on the center line of the crank shaft and pin and also of a pair of cylinders.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to that of Fig. 2, with the cylinders and crank shaft shown in elevation,

Each'air cylinder is connected with its respective power cylinder as by a pipe or tube I2. All the cylinders are provided with the usual pistons I3 and connecting rods, and being of the single row radial type have a common crank pin It. Preferably the connecting rod I5 of one of the air cylinders is a master rod, with the other rods It, pin connected thereto, while the rods I! for the power cylinders are of the slipper type. 22 is the engine shaft which extends forwardly in usual manner to carry the usual propeller, not shown.

Cooling system V I25 is a sheet metal casing 01' cowl substantially dome shaped, with the axis of the dome coincident with the shaft axis. The apex of the dome is forward and is apertured to permit the engine shaft 22 to extend forward through such aperture. and carry the propeller. The casing enlarges rearwardly to enclose the air cylinders Ill including the head and valves thereof. In order to permit access to these cylinders a portion I26 of the cowl is detached from the remainder thereof and made-a part of the head of the cylinder. From this head fins I21 extend to and are integral with the cut-out section and beyond this section continuations I28 of thesefins extend outward. Cooling of the head of the air cylinders is thus accomplished, with minimum air resistance.

Adjacent the forward end of the cowl, an annular depression I29 is formed therein, in which depression an annular exhaust manifold I30 is disposed. The forward surface I3I of this ring is shaped to conform to the dome contour, whereas the rear portion I32 thereof is shaped to conform to the depression I29. This rear portion however is spaced away from the depression so that an annular air passage I33 is formed therebetween. a

From each exhaust port I9 of the power cylinders, pipes I34 extend forwardly and discharge into the manifold 'I 30, duplicate exhaust pipes being thus provided for each power cylinder. The pair of exhaust pipes for each cylinder is preferably held in place thereagainst by bolts I35. Exhaust pipes I3! lead rearwardly from the ex haust ring preferably in depressed channel-ways I38 in the exterior of the cowl.

Each of the power cylinders is provided with a plurality of radial fins 139 which extend out to and are integral with a stream lined casing I40 and beyond which casing continuations I4I of these fins extend. The casing I40 is tangent to and may form a part of the wall of the cylinder at the sides thereof,-so that at such point only the extensions MI 'of the fins occur. Preferably the fin extensions beyond the casing, in front and at the rear of the cylinder, are of less extent than those at the side thereof, ordinarily being almost negligible. The cowl is interrupted immediately in front of each of these fin structures, and a channel-way leads rearwardly therefrom past and dividing around each cylinder and its fin structure. The radially-inner wall N2 of this passageway extends rearwardly substantially at right angles to the power cylinder and radially inward from the lower fins thereof until after the fin structure is passed after which it curves outward to again join the cowl. The side walls I43 of this passageway closely embrace the fin structure on the opposite sides of the cylinder, and may be integral with the fin structure. These walls are brought closer together forwardly and rearwardly from the cylinders, and are joined at the outer end of the cylinders by a radially-outer wall I44, substantially parallel with the inner wall I42. A stream lined cap I45 secured to this outer wall may be used to enclose the valve structure.

This structure presents as far as possible a stream line front to facilitate airflow when used for airplane service, and it directs cooling air past the cylinders with a minimum of resistance. With slightly more than normal fin thickness,

heat is radiated to the fin casing wall and the fin extensions, and is easily brought into contact with the air, this being true as well,- of that part of the fins which lie immediately in the rear of the cylinders in what is known as the hot zone where failure of air cooling first occurs. cooling advantage is taken of the casing wall and also, where integral with the fins, of the passageway walls.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A radial, air cooled, aircraft engine, said engine including cylinders having parts carried by and extending beyond the heads thereof, and having cooling fins, a cowl of substantially streamline external configuration around said engine, including said head carried parts, and preventing radial airfiow in the zone of the cylinders of said engine, said cowl having openings for entrance and exit of cooling air, such openings being a substantial distance forward and rearward respectively from the center lines of the cylinders of said engine so as to minimize eddy formation by said cylinders, means disposed between said cylinder heads and said cowl substan-' tially preventing air flow past said parts, and means, cooperating with said first means and said cowl,.to confine substantially the entire flow of said cooling ainbetween the cooling fins of said cylinders.

2. The combination with an airplane engine having radial cylinders, said cylinders having valve parts extending beyond the heads thereof and having heat radiating fins, of a housing of substantially streamline external configuration, surrounding said engine, including the cylinders and valve parts, said housing having air entrance and exit openings respectively forward and rearward of the zone of said cylinders means within said housing enclosing said valve parts, and means within said housing, cooperating with said valve enclosing means and lying between the cylinders for substantially constraining all air entering said housing to fiow between said fins.

3. A radial, air. cooled, aircraft engine having cylinder-head-carried valve parts extending beyond said heads, an externally substantially streamlined housing preventing radial air fiow near the cylinders of said engine, said housing In this being open in front and rear of the zone of said cylinders to permit internal air flow, means extending rearwardly from said front openingto said rear opening and cooperating with said housing to enclose said valve parts, and means coop erating with said first means to direct air flow through said housing in a direction transverse to the cylinders and to substantially confine such flow to the spaces adjacent said cylinders.

4. The combination with an air cooled aircraft engine having radial cylinders with cylinderhead-carried parts extending beyond said heads, said cylinders, including the heads thereof, having heat radiating fins, of a housing of substan:

tially streamlined external configuration surrounding said engine, including said cylinders and head carried parts, said housing having air entrance and exit openings directly forward and rearward respectively of the zone of said cylinders and means within said housing for restricting the area of opening around said cylinders so as to cause .the flow of air entering and passing through said housing to be substantially confined to the spaces between said fins.

5. The combination with an air cooled aircraft engine having radial cylinders with cylinderhead-carried parts extending beyond said heads,

said cylinders, including the heads thereof, hav-' 1 ing heat radiating surfaces, of a substantially streamlined housing surrounding said engine, including said cylinders and head carried parts, said housing having air entrance and exit openings directly forward and rearward respectively of the zone of said cylinders and means within said housing for controlling the flow of air through said entrance openings and said housing by restricting the areav of opening around said cylinders so as to confine air flowthrough said housing to the spaces immediately adjacent the heat radiating surfaces of said cylinders.

6. In an air cooled aircraft engine, having radial cylinders, with parts carried by and extending beyond the heads thereof, said cylinders having annular, radially disposed heat radiating fins, a housing concentric with the shaft of said engine, apertured to permit said shaft to extend forwardly to receive a propeller, said housing having openings, one in front of each of said cylinders, and passageways leading rearwardly from said openings to and past said cylinders; each of said passageways having an outer wall lying adjacent, and substantially parallel with the fins of its said cylinder, and cooperating with said housing to enclose the said headcarried parts,

and side wall portions substantially contactingv the peripheral edges 'of the fins of ,said cylinder strain air entering said openings to flow between 60 said fins.

- HARRY L. McPI-IERSON.