US2598461A

US2598461A - Internal-combustion engine

Info

Publication number: US2598461A
Application number: US757129A
Authority: US
Inventors: Theodore O Strauss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-06-26
Filing date: 1947-06-26
Publication date: 1952-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 1969-05-27

Description

May 27, 1952 STRAUSS 2,598,461

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 26, 1947 Inventor THEODORE 0. STRAUSS TTorneys Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE T Theodore 0. Strauss, New York, N. Y. U Application June 26, 1947, Serial No. 757,129

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to internal com-v bustion engines; More particularly, it is concerned with relatively small, lightweight, engines of the type employed in small boats. Although not confined to marine use, the invention has particular utility in that field.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine in which the parts thereof most likely to become worn in use and, therefore, to require repair, may be removed as a unit from the place where the engine is installed and separated from the remaining elements of the engine, without disturbing the latter.

Itis well-known that internal combustion engines are comprised of rapidly moving, reciprocating parts, such as pistons, connecting rods and bearings, which become worn in use, requiring repair and replacement, and other parts, such as rotatable shafts, bearings, gears, flywheels and the like which seldom if ever require attention.

It is the primary object of the invention to so design the engine as to separate the relatively light and relatively quickly wearing parts from the heavier, long-lived parts, so that the former, as B a unitary assembly may be removed from the latter for repair and replacement, without disturbing the latter assembly.

Engines constructed in accordance with the present invention have particular utility in connection with small boats and the like situated in remote places, far distant from repair facilities. The worn prime mover assembly of an engine of this type, consisting of the cylinder, piston, connecting rod, crank shaft and crank case may be readily removed from the supporting base, gear box, flywheel and drive shaft, and shipped to the repair shop while, if desired, a spare assembly may be quite readily mounted in place, for cooperation with the other assembly, to the end that the boat need not be out of service.

In the accompanying drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown, somewhat diagrammatically, in order to illustrate the principles of the invention, and it must be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof.

The single figure of the drawing is a side elevation and partial vertical section, with certain parts broken away, showing a single cylinder twocycle engine in accordance with the invention.

A base casting Ill may be formed as an integral part of or be attached to one-half H of a reduction gear housing l2, and may include a pair of parallel upwardly projecting side frame members It and I4, having inwardly turned upper marginal flanges l5, upon which the laterally projecting flange l6 of a unitary engine crank case l1 may be bolted, by four bolts, two on each side, as indicated at l8 and I9, extending into threaded bores formed in bosses l5, integral with flanges I5. The position of the crank case with respect to the base may be accurately determined by dowel pins 20.

The engine further comprisesan upper crank case section 2| and a cylinder 22, which may include air cooling fins 23 as is well understood in theart. p

The constructional details of the crank case, cylinder, piston, connecting rod and crank shaft, and the bearings associatedtherewith form no part of the present invention and, therefore, are not illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

A cylindrical enlargement 25, projecting rearwardly from the crank case may support the circular casing 26 of the ignition timer of a wellknown type. By shifting the timer handle 21, circumferentially around the axis of the extension, the speed of the engine may be controlled, as well as its direction of rotation.

A coupling 30,- flxed on the end of the engine crank shaft includes an enlarged, integral disk 3|, having a socket 32 formed in its periphery and extending entirely through the disk.

Any suitable form of carburetor may be employed, as is well understood in the art, and may be mounted upon the crank case I! of the engine or, if desired, upon the base (0.

The reduction gear housing l2 includes a second section 35, secured by screws 36 to the first section II, and the two sections are shaped to receive two pairs of aligned ball bearing

assemblies

31, 38, 39, 40. A stub shaft 45, journalled in the bearings 31, 38 carries on its forward end a coupling element 46 having a projection 41, received in the socket 32 in nicely fitting relation. The coupling element may be secured to the shaft 45 by a suitable screw 48 and key 49.

A flywheel 50, mounted on the rear end of the stub shaft 45, is secured in place by a cap screw 5| and key 52.

The shaft 45, intermediate its ends is formed with a relatively small spur gear section 53, in mesh with a larger gear 54, fixed on a shaft 55, journalled in the

bearings

39 and 40. The shaft 55 may be connected by a coupling 56 to the propeller shaft of the boat or to any other power take-oil device.

As a result of this construction, the heavy parts of the engine and the parts least subject to damaging wear, such as the reduction gear housing, reduction gears, the bearings therefor, the flywheel and the power take-01f shaft are all substantially permanently mounted in the boat or other place where they are adapted to operate. Hence, they constitute a substantially permanently mounted assembly.

The other, lighter parts, which are subject to wear and which must be repaired from time to time are, readily removable, as a. unitary assembly, from the supporting base, by simply removing the four attaching bolts, two of which are shown at 8 and I9, removing the dowels 20, and separating the coupling elements 3| and 48. The carburetor and similar parts may beremoved with the removable assembly. or left. upon the base, depending upon the manner in which they are mounted.

The invention is not confined to single cylinder two-cycle engines, but includes all types coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 rslaim:

- -l=. -An internal combustion engine comprising two unitary-assemblies, one assembly comprising a cylinder,- a piston a crank case, and a crank shaft'permanently journalled in said case and the-other assembly comprising a reduction gear casing, shafts journalled in the casingandprojecting outwardly therefrom and a flywheel on "an outwardly projecting. portion of one of said shaftsp and readily separable and connectible coupling means on the crank shaft and an out- W'a'rcily projectingportion of the: last-mentioned sha;f=t,'-' whereby the first assemblpmay be remo'ved from 'the se'cond fonrepair or replacement by a similar assembly, without disturbing the secondass'embly.

2. An-internalcombustionengine comprising a fixed b'asa two unitary assemblies mounted on the base and readily separableand connectible couplingnieans for saidassemblies, one assembly' comprising a cylinder, a' piston, a crankcase, and a crankshaft "journalled in thecrank case, allremovably mounted on" the base,and-the other assembly-comprising a=reduction gear housing, a

stiib-shaf-t journalled in the housing, with its endsprojecting therefrom, in axial-alignment with said'crank shaft, a flywheelon the end of said stub shaft remote from the first assembly, a second shaft journalled in the housing and intermeshing gears on the stub shaft and the second shaft, said coupling means comprising interengaging elements on the stub shaft and crank shaft respectively, disposed between the adjacent ends of the crank case and the gear housing, whereby the first assembly may be removed as a unit from the base for repair and replacement, without disturbing the second assembly.

3(An internal combustion engine comprising a base and two unitary, readily separable assemblies, one assembly comprising a cylinder, a piston, a crank case, a crank shaft journalled therein, an ignition timer, and a coupling element on one end of the crank shaft, the other assembly comprising a reduction gear housing substantially permanently secured to said base, a gearshaft journalled in said housing in alignment with the crank shaft and having its ends projecting'outside of the housing, acoupling element on one end ofthegear shaft in interengaging relationwith the first-mentioned coupling element, a flywheel on the'other end: of the gear shaft, a second gear-shaftjournalledin thehousing, ofiset from the first, and intermeshing reduction gears, onthe gear shafts, whereby the first assembly: mayv be readily remoyedr as -a unit from the. base for repair and: replacement, without dismrbing'the: secondassembly.

- THEODORE: 0. 1 STRAUSS".

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesnare of record in the file 'of this pat'en'tz UNITED STATES, PATENTS Number Name Date 1,447,371- Andrewseta1; L-Mari 6; 1923 1,868,130 'Bauer et al. July 19, I932 2-,Ql8fl9 l -Kre'mser ;Gct. 291 1935 2,076,015 Bro'ome Apr;- 6-, 1937 2,170,548 Ghristian f-Aug.-22-, 1 939 Q EIGN EH 'IEN .S;

Number Country Date 131,232 Great Britainaflau-Aug 21 19 19