US599653A - Ralph b - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I:

. R. '13. RAIN. MULTIPLE OYLINDER VAPOR ENGINE.

No. 599,653. Patented Feb. 22, 1898,

I'D" I J Milne s.

n1: Norms PETERS co, PHDTOJJTHQ. WASHINGTON o c UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIGE.

RALPH B. HAIN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MIOIIIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE MONITOR VAPOR'ENGINE AND POWER OOMPANY, OF sAME PLACE.

MULTIPLE-CYLINDER VAPOR-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,653, dated February 22, 1898.' Application filed February 6, 1897. Serial No. 622,290. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, RALPH B. HAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at, Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple-Cylinder Vapor-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.

My invention relates to improvements in multiple-cylinder vapor-engines; and its obje'ct is to provide the same with certain new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which I v Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 a plan view of the same with parts broken away to show the construction. I

Like letters refer to like parts in both figures.

The device consists, essentially, of a series ofbase compression combustible-vapor en-' gines, having a common crank-shaft, with cranks set at. such relative angles that the engines act in succession, the charge in the first engine in the series being fired by the usual means and the other charges being firedin succession by the escape of a portion of the charge of the preceding engine through a suit-,

able port connecting the various cylinders of the engines.

A A A are the cylinders.

B is the intake and firing port of the first cylinder, closed by a check E and provided With firing mechanism D.

B are passages from each base to the upper end of each cylinder, which passages are closed by checks E. The series of cylinders are connected by ports B, provided with checks E, Each p'ort opens into the cylinder first in series at such point that said port will be uncovered by the piston Nin that cylinder when the piston in the next cylinder is at the beginning of its power stroke. This point will depend on the relative angle at which the cranks L are adjusted, which angle is preferably not more than sixty degrees. The

.of the next cylinder in the series.

other end of said port B opens into the top Each cylinder is provided with a piston N, connected by a rod M to one of the cranks L aforesaid. Each cylinder is also provided with an exhaust-port 0, opened by the descent of the piston to exhaust the charge, and each base also has the usual intake Ofor the incoming charge.

Each check E is provided with a stop to hold the same closed,consisting of a screw K,adapted to be turned down on said check.

Relief-valves F arev provided on each cylinder and base, except the first in the series. The one on the middle base is not shown in the drawings. Said valves are each held closed by a spring I, engaging a knob J on the valve-stem and held open by a pawl G,

engaging a groove H in said stem.

1- The operation of the first engine in the series, when the check E between it and the next one is closed andthe relief-valves F are all open, is the same as a complete single-cylinderbase compression-engine, the other pistons running idle and working air freely I through therelief-valves F. By closing the relief-valves of the next cylinder and base and releasing the check E between it and the first cylinderthis second cylinder will take charges through 0 andBi the same as the first cylinder. Said charges will be fired as the piston of the first cylinder descends and uncovers the port B" by a portion of the charge in the first cylinder escaping through said port. The third cylinder in the series can in like mannerbe brought into action by releasing its check-valve E and closing its relief-valves F F. The drawings show but three cylinders; but it is evident that the series may be prolonged indefinitely. By adding three more cylinders and placing the cranks at sixty degrees apart the cylinders would come into action in succession equidistant around the entire revolution of the shaft, thus making a very steady impulse. Any desired number of .cylinders could be thus connected in series in series, as described. By cutting out a part of the cylinders, as described, the power is more economically reduced than by reduced charges in a single large cylinder.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and Wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a multiple-cylinder vapor-engine, the combination of the two cylinders, a piston in each of said cylinders, a crank-shaft common to both of said pistons, a firing mechanism upon the leading cylinder only, and ports connecting said cylinders, said ports being so arranged and said pistons operating in such relation to each other and to said ports as that the respective ports will be uncovered by the leading piston substantially when the succeeding piston begins its working stroke and a portion of the charge flows from the one cylinder to the other to explode the charge in said other cylinder at the proper time, substantially as described.

2. A multiple-cylinder vapor-engine, consisting essentially of a series of cylinders having pistons connected to a crank-shaft and acting on the same in succession, ports connecting said cylinders in series and opened by the movements of the pistons successively to permit a portion of the charge to flow from one cylinder to the other to fire the charge in said other cylinder, and means for firing the charges in the first cylinder of the series of cylinders, substantially as described.

3. A multiple-cylinder vapor-engine, consisting essentially of a series of cylinders having pistons connected to a crank-shaft and acting on the same in succession, ports connecting said cylinders in series and through which the firing charges flow, a check-valve for controlling the flow between said ports, means for locking said check-valve in closed position, a relief-valve in one cylinder, and means for locking said relief-valve in open position.

4. In a multiple-cylinder vapor-engine, the combination of a series of cylinders, pistons connected to a crank-shaft, said shaft having cranks arranged at an acute angle to each other and to move the pistons in series, firing mechanism for the first cylinder of the series, ports connecting the remaining cylinders, checks in said ports, means for closing said checks, and relief-valves on the bases and cylinders, except the first of the series, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a complete and operative vapor-engine, one or more supplementary engines, acting in succession therewith and upon a common crank-shaft, ports connecting said engines in series and arranged to be uncovered by the leading piston, substantially when the succeeding piston begins its working strokes, checks in said ports, means for holding said checks closed, reliefvalves in the cylinders and bases, having springs to close the same and pawls engaging grooves in the valve-stems to hold the same open, substantially as described.

6. In a multiple-cylinder vapor-engine, a series of cylinders, and bases connected therewith, a shaft extending through said bases and having a crank in each base, said cranks being arranged in series, pistons in Said cylinders connected to said cranks by rods, ports connecting said cylinders in series,and opened by each preceding piston in the series as the succeeding piston begins its power stroke, exhaust-ports in said cylinders opened by said pistons, intake-ports in each base, passages from each base to the top of the corresponding cylinder, check-valves in the connectingports, means for holding said valves closed, relief-valves on the cylinders and bases and an igniter on the first cylinder of the series to fire the charges therein, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH B. HAIN. Witnesses:

LEWIS E. FLANDERS, LUTHER V. MOULION.

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