US761613A - Gas-engine. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 31, 1904.

F. ALS EITZ. GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1903.

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F. A. SBITZi' GAS ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1'7, 1903.

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PATENT OFFIC FREDERICK sEITz, oE NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION, forming part of Letters Patent .No. 761,613, dated May 31, 1904.

Original application filed July 12,1902, Serial No. 115,254. i t No.139,384.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. SEITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at N ewark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines; and I do hereby declare the followingto 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 of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has'reference generally to improvements in explosive gas engines in which gas or vapor, as from gasolene or other gas, is ignited, preferably by means of an electric spark, the present invention being a division of my previous application for Letters Patent, filed July 12, 1902, Serial No. 115,254.

1 My present invention has for its principal objects to provide a double-acting reciproeating engine in which the explosions of the gas take place uponopposite ends of a piston formed or provided with a tubular throat in which the upper end of a crank-rod is arranged upon 'a wrist-pin to thereby greatly simplify the general construction of this class of engines by a reduction of operative parts, and, furthermore, to provide a piston which keeps itself cool and dispensing with the use of a piston-rod moving in a stuffing-box and its packings, thereby avoiding the use of these. parts and doing away with the danger of overheating the piston-rod and destroying its usefulness, as well as that of the stuffing- .box and its packing, whereby the ordinary explosive and double-acting reciprocating gasengine is so often rendered inoperative or at least very'ineflicient.

Afurther purpose of this invention is to provide, in connection with the cylinder of an explosivegas engine, a hollow or trunk piston, upon the opposite ends of which the explosions take place, the crank-rod of the engine being directly'and operatively connected with a wrist-pin in the interior portion of the piston.

.The present invention therefore consists in Divided and this application filed January 17, 1903. Serial (No model.) i

the construction of explosive-gas engine hereinafter set forth; and, furthermore, this invention consists in the various arrangements and organizations of devices and combinations of parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the said devices and parts, all of which will be more fully set forth in the following description of my invention andthen finally embodied in the clauses of the claim. The. invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of an explosive-gas engine embodying'the principles of this invention, a portion of the fly-Wheel'being represented in vertical section; and Fig. i

2 is a side view of the engine'looking in the direction of'the arrow w in said Fig. 1, with the fly-wheel omitted and the main shaft or axle of the engine represented in transverse vertical section. .Fig. 3 is a vertical repre sentatio-n, on anenlarged scale, of the cylinder of the engine and a portion of the supporting -frame, illustrating in connection therewith the hollow'or trunk piston and a manner of connecting the crank-rod to'said piston. Fig; 4e is'a face view of a sparking device used in connection'with the cylinder and a contact making and breaking device'at the side of the cylinder; and Fig. '5 is a vertical section of the said sparking device, taken on line 5 5 in said Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a top or plan view of the engine. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken 'onfline '7 7 in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken online 8 8 in said Fig. 3 and Fig. 9 is a similar sec tion taken on line 9- 9 in'said Fig. 3, the valveoperating mechanism having been omitted from said three Figs. 7,8, and 9.

Similar characters of reference are 'em-' ployed in all of the said above-described views toindi'cate'corresponding parts.

.Rferring now to the said drawings, the referen'ce character 1 indicates the complete engine, and 2 the cylinder of the same. This cylinder, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 3 of the drawings, is open at both ends, the upper end being closed by means of a suitable cover 3, secured upon the end of the cylinder by means of bolts 4 or in any other usual manner. The lower open end of the cylinder has secured thereto by means of bolts 6 or in any other suitable manner a cover 5, which is provided with a suitably-disposed guide or bearing 7 for the reception of a flanged or other suitably-constructed sleeve 8. Between a shoulder 10 of the said cover 5 and. the upper marginal edge of the said sleeve 8 there may be a suitable arrangement of packingrings- 9. Depending from the said cover 5 are a pair of suitably-constructed half-shells 11, formed with perforated flanges 12 for the reception of bolts 13, by means of which the two half-shells can be secured together to provide a chamber 14, in which a main or crank shaft 15 and other connecting parts of the engine are movably arranged. The said cylinder 2 may also be provided with bracket-like supporting members 17, by means of which the engine is secured in its operative position in the body of a vehicle or upon a suitable supporting-frame when the engine is used as a stationary engine. As will be seen from an inspection of said Fig. 3, the upper internal portion 18 of said cylinder 2 is made slightly smaller than the lower internal portion 19 of the cylinder, the purpose of which will be more particularly specified in the following description. The walls of said cylinder are cored to form an annular chamber 20, and in a like manner the lower cover4 and its guide or bearing=7 is cored to provide an annular chamber 21. The purpose of this is that a cooling medium may be fed by means of a pipe 22 into said chamber 21 and then by means of a pipe 23 into the chamber 20, whereby the movable parts within the said guide or hearing 7 and the cylinder 2 during the explosions are kept perfectly cool. A complete circulation of the cooling medium is thus maintained through the said guide or bearing 7 and the cylinder 2, the medium passing from the chamber of the cylinder through an outlet or pipe 24, connected with a, chambered part in the upper cover 3, substantially as illustrated.

The piston of, the engine consists, essentially, of a hollow member or trunk 25, having its upper end closed, as at 26, and having annular grooves in which are suitably-disposed packing-rings 27, adapted to move upon the inner cylindrical surface of the reduced portion. 18 of the cylinder 2 during the reciprocatory movements of the piston. The lower end portion of "said piston 25 is enlarged, as at 28,.the said enlarged portion being also provided with a set of annular grooves in which are arranged certain packing-rings 29, this said enlarged part 28 of the piston being movably arranged in the enlarged lower portion 19 of the cylinder 2. Connected with and extending in a downward direction from the said sleeve 8, the throat 30 being provided in its tubular part with a wrist-pin 31, to which is secured the upper end of the crank-rod 32 of the engine. Thus it will be evident that while the chambers 20 and 21 are kept perfectly cool by the introduction of a cooling medium into the same air will at all times enter through the throat 30 into the interior or trunk portion of the piston 25, thereby keeping the same perfectly cool. It will also be evident that by this manner of attaching the crank-rod to the wrist-pin in the throat of the piston a stufling-box and the usual connecting-rod moving through said box, which in gas-engines of this character are subject to deteriorating influences of the heat and explosive gases produced in the lower portion of the cylinder, are entirely dispensed with. The said piston 25 may also be provided with a suitable arrangement of holes or perforations 33, through which air can pass from the interior of the piston into that portion of the enlarged part 19 of the cylinder 2,. so as to cushion the said piston during its upward stroke when the annular shoulder 34 of the piston arrives near the inner annular shoulder 35 within the cylinder 2.

The main or crank shaft 15 previously mentioned is rotatively arranged in bearings 36, connected with said half-shells 11, and is provided with a fly-wheel 37. Each half-shell 11 may also be provided with an opening normally closed by a cover 38, which can be removedto permit of the inspection of the parts of the engine which are placed in the said chamber 14, formed by the said half-shells.

As will be noticed from an inspection of the several figures of the drawings, the upper portion of the cylinder 2 is made with a pair of oppositely-extending valved members 39 and 40, respectively provided with the open parts 41 and 42, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7. In like manner the lower portion of the cylinder 2 is made with a pair of oppositely-extending valved members 43 and 44, respectively provided with the openings 45 and 46, as illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings. The said valved members 39, 40, 43, and 44 are each provided with a suitable valve-seat 47 and a guide 48, and movably arranged within each guide 48 is a valve-stem 49, provided at one end with a valve-disk 50 and at the opposite end with a nut 51 and spring 52, the purpose of said springs 52 being to force the respective valve-disks normally in their closing relation with the valve-seats of the respective valve members 39, 40, 43, and 44. The upper and lower valve members 39 and 43, which act, respectively, as gas-inlets or inlet-valves to the upper portion 18 and the lower portion 19 of the cylinder 2, are suitably connected by means of a suitably-constructed inlet tube or duct 53, into which leads a valved tube or member 54, with which is connected a gas pipe or duct 55, coming from a carbureter 01 any suitable construction. The valvein this tube or member (not shown herein) is of any suitable and well-known construction and can be set by means of a hand-lever 56 for varying the supply of the gas or vapor, as may be desired. The flow of the gas or vapor through said valved tube or member'54 may also be maintained constant by means of an ordinary butterfly=valve 57, which is actuated by a crank 58 and a rod 59, pivotally connected with said crank 58. This rod 59 extends ina downward direction'and is niovably arranged in a pair of guides or bearings 60, as shown, the lower end of said rod 59 being forced in sliding contact, preferably by means of a spring 61 and under normal conditions,with the circular portion 63 of a laterally-movable disk or collar 62 on the main shaft or crank-axle 15. This disk or collar 62 is made with a chambered portion 64, in which there is a spring 65, the said spring acting by compression against a plate 66 and the inner part of said chambered portion 64 to normally force or retain the said disk or collar 62 in the position indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. As soon as the speed of the engine increases beyond the speed desired a pair of governor-balls 67, which are pivotally connected with the fly-wheel, as shown, will move in an outward direction, whereby a pair of arms or fingers 68 are forced against the inner end of the disk'or sleeve 62, and thereby move the latter in the direction indicated by the arrow y in said Fig. 1. A cam-shaped shoulder or flange 69 is thereby brought beneath the lower end of the rod 59, and the butterfly-valve 57 is automatically closed. The supply of the explosive gas or.

vapor being'thus shut out from the inlet-valves of the engine, the speed of the engine decreases, and the balls 67 assuming their normally lowered positions the arms or fingers 68 are withdrawn from their active engagement with the end of the disk or sleeve 62. The spring immediately returns the said disk or sleeve 62 to its initial normal positions indicated in said Fig. 1,"with the lower end of the rod 59 again riding upon the circular portion 63 of the disk or sleeve 62. The valve 57 is thus again brought in its open position in the tube or member 54, and the inflow of the explosive mixture is permitted. In this manner the supply of the explosive mixture or vapor to either end of the cylinder and piston-therein is controlled automatically and maintained constant to cause the engine to run at a uniform speed.

The upper and lowervalve members 40 and 44, which act, respectively, as the exhausts or gas-outlets for the exploded mixture, are suitably connected by means of a pipe or duct 7 O, substantially in themann'er illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The respective valve-disks in the respective valve- chambers 39, 40, 43, and 44 are each independently actuated and raised from their I respective valve-seats by a set of independent slides 71 of any suitable construction, each slide moving in a guide 72, secured to the front of the cylinder 2 and having a roller 73 inits lower forked end 74. A short stud 75 upon a suitable portion of each slide 71 and a spring 76, attached to the stud and a portion of the guide 72, retains each slide in its operative position in the respective guides 72. Rotatively arranged in bearings 77 is a spindle 78, this spindle being provided with a requisite number of properly-set cams 79, which during the rotary motions of the spindle 78 are successively and properly brought in operative engagement with the respective rollers 73, whereby the respective slides 71 are moved in their guides 72 and whereby the several inlet and exhaust valves are properly actuated to admit the explosive mixture at the proper time and in the proper direction either above or beneath the piston and at the same time cause the proper exhaustion or withdrawal of the gas fromthe exploded mix' ture. To produce the rotary motion of the said spindle 7 8,1 have provided the one end of said spindle with a worm 80, with which is in mesh a pinion 81. This pinion 81 is secured upon the upper end of a rod 82 and has a worm-wheel 83 at its lower end, which in turn is driven from a pinion 84 on the end of the main shaft or crank-axle 15 of the engine. The igniting or sparking device, which is secured, preferably, to the side of the cylinder 2, may be of any suitable construction, the same consisting, essentially, of a plate 85, of

insulating material, provided with four bind- Connected with the respective posts 86 and 87 is a pair of spring-contacts and 91, and connectedwith the respective posts 88 and 89 is another pair of spring- contacts 92 and 93. The binding-post 86 has attached thereto a wire 94, which leads to a sparking coil 95. I a battery 97, leads from said coil 95 by means of circuits 9698 to the post 87. wires 99 100 from the coil 95 are connected to a jumpv sparking device 101 upon the upper portion of the engine-cylinder to cause the explosion of the gasolene mixture above the piston at. the proper time, when an electric circuit is completed by means of the contacts 90 and 91, through the post 87 wires 98 and 96, through battery 87 or other source of electrical energy, and wire 94 to said sparking coil 95, as represented in Fig. 1 of. the

drawings. The binding-post 88 has attached thereto a wire 102, which is connected with the wire 94, that leads to the coil 95. The cir-.

A second wire 96, in which there is Circuitcuit is completed through said coil 95, the

wire 96, and battery 97 by means of the wire 103 to post 89. Connected with the respective wires 100 and 99 of the coil 95 are the wires 104and 105, which lead to a sparking stud 105 upon the lower portion of the cylinder2to cause the explosion of the gaseous mixture beneath the piston.- at the proper time, when an electric circuit is established by means of the contacts 88 and 89, through the post 93, wires 103 and 96, through the battery 97 or other source of electrical energy, and the wires 94 102 to the said sparking coil 95, as clearly illustrated in said Fig. 1. The electrical contacts between the spring- contacts 90 and 91 and between the spring contacts 91 and 93 'are successively made by means of a sleeve 106 on the spindle 78 and which rotates the same, the said sleeve 106 being provided with a pair of differently-spaced projections 107, which are respectively brought in lifting engagement with the spring- contacts 91 and 93 to complete the electrical circuits through the various parts and devices in the manner and for the purposes hereinabove described.

The many advantages of my present invention and the operations of the various parts of the engine will be fully understood from the above description and need not, therefore, be described in detail herein.

Of course it will be evident that various changes may be made in the several arrangements of the devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof, without departing from the scope of my present invention. Hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the device and parts as described in the previous specification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings; nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the constructions of any of the said parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an explosive-gas engine, the combination, with a cylinder having an upper reduced portion 18 and a lower enlarged portion 19 forming an annular shoulder 35, of a hollow piston in said cylinder having its upper end movably arranged in said reduced portion 18,

and provided with an enlarged part 28 movably arranged in said enlarged portion 19 of the cylinder, said piston being provided with openings 33, the said openings being arranged in the piston to admit a portion of air in the space between the piston and cylinder, the said openings during the upward stroke of the piston being cut off by the cylinder to imprison the air between the shoulders formed by the enlarged parts of the cylinder and the piston to produce a cushioning effect, a crankrod, and means for operatively connecting one end of said crank-rod in the hollow portion of said piston, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an explosive-gas engine, the combination, with a cylinder, having an upper reduced portion 18 and a lower enlarged portion 19 forming an annular shoulder 35, of a hollow piston in said cylinder having its upper end movably arranged in said reduced portion 18, and provided with an enlarged part 28 movably arranged in said enlarged portion 19 of the cylinder, said piston being provided with openings 33, the said openings being arranged in the piston to admit a portion of air in the space between the piston and cylinder, the said openings during the upward stroke of the piston being cut ofi by the cylinder to imprison the air between the shoulders formed by the enlarged parts of the cylinder and the piston to produce a cushioning effect, a tubular throat connected with said piston, a crankrod, and means for operatively connecting one end of said crank-rod in said tubular throat, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an.explosive-gas engine, the combinati0n,with a cylinder having an upper reduced portion 18 and a lower enlarged portion 19 forming an annular shoulder 35, of a hollow piston in said cylinder having its upper end movably arranged in said reduced portion 18, and provided with an enlarged part 28 movably arranged in said enlarged portion 19 of the cylinder, said piston being provided with openings 33, the said openings being arranged in the piston to admit a portion of air in the space between the piston and cylinder, the said openings during the upward stroke of the piston being cut off by the cylinder to imprison the air between the shoulders formed by the enlarged parts of the cylinder and the piston to produce a cushioning effect, a tubular throat connected with said piston, a crankrod, and a wrist-pin in said tubular throat with which one end of said crank-rod isoperatively connected, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an explosive-gas engine, the combination, with a cylinder having an upper reduced portion 18 and a lower enlarged portion 19 forming an annular shoulder 35, of a hollow piston in said cylinder having its upper end. movably arranged in said reduced portion 18, and provided with an enlarged part 28 movably arranged in said enlarged portion 19 of the cylinder, said piston being provided with openings 33, the said openings being arranged in the piston to admit a portion of air in the space between the piston and cylinder, the said openings during the upward stroke of the piston being cut off by the cylinder to imprison the air between the shoulders formed by the enlarged parts of the cylinder and the piston to produce acushioning effect, a lower cover on said cylinder, a guide in said cover, and a sleeve in said guide, a tubular throat con- .nected with said piston movably arranged in said guide and sleeve, a crank-rod, and means for operatively connecting one end of said crank-rod in said tubular throat, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In an explosive-gas engine, the combination, with a cylinder having an upper reduced the cylinder, said piston being provided with openings 33, the said openings being arranged in the piston to admit a portion of air in the space between the piston and cylinder, the said openings during the upward strokeof the piston being cut off by the cylinder to imprison the air between the shoulders formed a by the enlarged parts of the cylinder and the piston to produce a cushioning effect, a lower cover on said cylinder, a guide in said cover, and asleevein said guide, atubular throat connected with said piston movably arranged in said guide and sleeve, a crank -rod, and a wrist-pin-in said tubular throat with which one end of said crank-rod is operatively connected, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set" forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of January, 1903. a 1

- 7 FREDERICK A. SEITZ. Witnesses: 1 FREDK. O. FRAENTZEL,

GEO. D. RICHARDS.

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