US2034323A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1936. A. R. BERNARD 2,034,323

AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 15, 1934 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES AIR CLEANER Auguste Louis Rene Bernard, Rueil-Malmaison,

France; Rene Bernard (nee Bournonville) executrix of said Auguste Louis Ren Bernard,

deceased Application October 15, 1934, Serial No. 748,412 In Belgium October 16, 1933 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to devices for the purifying of air fed to an internal combustion engine for permitting the combustion of fuel therein.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of this kind which is simpler than those used up to the present time.

The essential feature of the present invention consists in the provision of a filter or strainer carried by an organ rotated by the engine.

Ina preferred embodiment of the invention this organ consists of the fiy-wheel of the engine.

Preferably, according to the present invention, this filter is so arranged as to be located, at-least partly within the limits of the space occupied by the fiy-wheel in projection in the direction of the axis of said fiy-wheel, and in such manner that the air to be fed to the engine fiows through said filter in a direction substantially parallel to said axis.

Whereas this filter may be arranged laterally to the fly-wheel, or in juxtaposition therewith, yet it is preferable to have the filter occupy, with respect to the fiy-wheel, a position corresponding to that of the web provided in a great number of fiy-wheels.

Of course, in this case, the peripheral portion of the fiy-wheel is connected to the hub thereof not through a solid web but through arms between which are provided passages for the fiow of the air to be fed to the engine through the filter.

Advantageously the filter is adapted to be removed toward the front, so as to facilitate the cleaning thereof.

Preferably, in order to obtain a purification as perfect as possible, I combine with the filter a centrifugal purifier through which the air to be fed to the engine fiows in a direction opposite to that of the centrifugal force. This purifier is advantageously mounted in front of the filter and it may be carried by the rotary organ that carries the filter.

When the engine includes a cooling system, such for instance as a radiator, through which air is sucked in by a centrifugal fan also carried by the ciated with the first one, being for instance carried by the same rotary organ as the filter.

Anyway, the system constituted by the combination of both purifiers is so arranged that air flows along a sinuous path, first moving toward 5 the axis of rotationibetween the fins or the like of the first centrifugal purifier), then vmoving away from this axis, then again toward the axis (between the fins or the equivalent of the second centrifugal purifier) and finally toward the passages leading to the filter.

If, when issuing from the simple or double centrifugal purifying device above referred to, air (which is already freed from dust to a considerable degree) is moving toward the outer face of the fly-wheel, I preferably provide a partition or wall closing this external face of the fly-wheel and deflecting said air toward the central part of the fly-Wheel so as to cause it to flow through the filter which is disposed in this central part.

It will be readily understood that with such a system including three stages of purification, the most part of the impurities is stopped by the first centrifugal purifier. The second purifier will stop and retain in its peripheral portion a great portion of the remaining impurities, which will be removed by cleaning this purifier at suitable intervals. Finally, the filter will stop the particles that shall have passed through the two purifiers and will complete a practically perfect removal of dust from the air that is to be fed to the engine.

As the filter, with such an arrangement, will be called' upon merely to complete the purification, dirt will but very slowly accumulate thereon so that this filter, if cleaned at suitable intervals of time (which may be relatively long), will never exert an exaggerate resistance to the flow of air as it is the case, after a very short time of working, with filters through which the air to be fed to the engine passes directly from the outside.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be hereinafter described, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, and in which:

The only figure is a cross sectional view of the purifying device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment of the invention, the filter l is carried by a fiy-wheel 2 having a rim which is relatively large in the radial direction. 60 This rim is connected to the hub of the fiywheel through arms 6.

In this rim are provided, in the usual manner, the conduits of centrifugal fan 5, which is to suck in the cooling air that is to flow through vided with small blades for driving the cooling air. They are connected, on the internal side of the 'fiy-wheel, with an annular orifice I of a chamber 8 itself connected with the air outlet of the radiator.

Fly wheel ,2 carries, ,on the side ofiits external face, the, centriiugalgpurifierj 3;" jpurifierfiis provided, in the usual manner, with passages, provided for instance between small blades, lea ing toward the central part of the fiy-wh'e (for instance equal to a quarterofthe, radius of the fiy-wheel) and they srg mva in such manner as to open into the external face of the flywheel at their end which is closer to the axis of rotation.

In order to facilitate the construction of the device, these passages are obtained by securing to the peripheral portion of the external face of the fly-wheel an annular plate 9 which constitutes one of the walls of these passages and the inner edge of which limits, on the outside, the annular orifice ID of these passages toward the external face of the fly-wheel.

, The fly-wheel is further provided, along the inner edge of this annular orifice III, with an annular deflector ll (preferably rigid with plate 9) adapted to deflect toward the periphery the stream of air that has passed through purifier 3. Advantageously, between plate 9 and deflector H, I provide small blades 12 adaptedto keep in rotation the stream of air that has passed through purifier 3.

I fix to the external face of the fly-wheel thus devised a kind of drum l3, for instance of stamped sheet metal, having a peripheral portion which may be cylindrical and of a diameter equal to that of the fly-wheel. This peripheral part is connected to the external edge of plate 9 and it carries a circular flange extending in front of the external face of the engine so as to deflect the air that has passed through the spaces between blades l2 againtoward the axis of rotation through annular passage l4 existing between said flange anddeflector I I.

Within drum I3 and in the peripheral part thereof I provide blades l5 adapted to'coact with blades l2 for keeping the air present in this drum in rotation.

This annular passage l4 which is formed by the deflector II and the drum [3 constitutes the second centrifuga purifier since the air is forced to flow through his .passage'from the periphery 'of the flywheel toward the center thereof.' Such dust particles which have not been removed from the air current by the first centrifugal purifier, which is formed by the passage 3, are subjected to the centrifugal purifying eifectof this second rotating passage N.

If the device included only these elements, passage I4 would communicate directly with the space existing between the arms 6 of the flywheel, and it would sufiice to provide an annular partition l6 limiting, between the frame I! of the engine and the internal edge I8 of the rim, a chamber IQ for collecting the air to be fed to the engine, which is subsequently led to the engine proper through conduits 20.

But, in order to increase the purifying action of filter I, I advantageously position this filter in the circular space existing inside annular deflector ll. Owing to the relatively small radial dimensions of the passages of purifier 3, this circular space is of relatively large diameter, for

' pasty material, such as oil.

instance three quarters of the diameter of the fly-wheel.

The filter or strainer I is preferably given the form of an annular plate consisting of at least one thickness of a filtering material (for instance a fabric) stretched by means of an external ring adapted. to be insertedin asuitable housing pro- The stream of air that has flown through the two purifiers 3 and I4 arranged in series is thus compelled to flow through filter I in order to pen- Ihese passages are of relatively short lng'tlietrate into chamber Hi.

In order to permit of readily taking the device to pieces, I provide means for permitting removal of drum l3 with a view to cleaning and removing the filter.

In this .case, said drum I3 is provided with springs or equivalent means 22 adapted to exert a certain pressure on the filter so as to maintain it in its housing when the drum is fixed in position on the flywheel.

The removable arrangement above referred to is advantageously obtained by providing a hole in the central part of drum I3,and by applying against the edges of said hole a milled nut 23 adapted to be screwed on an extension 24 of the engine shaft in such manner that when said nut is tightened it exerts on drum l3 a pressure that applies the edges of said drum against those of the annular plate 9.

.As for the filter, it is provided with a central hole adapted to fit on a sleeve 25 leaving a passage for the extension 24 above referred to.

It will readily be understood that when drum I3 is removed it is possible, by catching the end of sleeve 25, to remove-the filter with a view to cleaning it. y

Besides,'as above explained, it will not be necessary to perform this cleaning operation very often.

On the contrary, drum l4, in the peripheral part of which dust is deposited which has passed through purifier 3 should be cleaned more frequently. I

' This dust will adhere'to this peripheral part against which it shall have been thrown" by the centrifugal part. g

Besides, adhesion canbeimproved by coating this peripheral part of the'drumwlth a liquid or It should be noted that when drum I3 is removed, if dust drops from said"drum, ,itcannot penetrate into the engine, owing to the presence of the filter.

In the case of the engine being provided with a crank for starting the engine, as shown at 26, it will be readily understood that this crank can be fixed, on the outside of the device above described, to the extension 24 above referred to.

Of course, the filter, instead of being'of fiat shape, might be of frusto-conical orcorrugated shape, or it might be provided with pleats, either radial or concentric.

While I have, in the preceding description, disclosed what I deem to be a practical and efficient embodiment, it should be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: g

1. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fiy-wheel, a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fly-wheel,

and centrifugal purifying means mounted in series with said filter in front thereof.

2. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fly-wheel, a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fly-wheel and at least one centrifugal purifying device carried by said fiy-wheel and connected in series with said filter, in front thereof.

3. In connection with an internal combustion engine having a fiy-wheel, a filter for the air to be fed to said engine carried by said fiy-wheel and two centrifugal purifying devices carried by said fiy-wheel in series with each other and with said filter, in front thereof.

4. In connection with an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fiy-wheel having a rim, a hub and arms connecting said rim with said hub, a centrifugal purifier carried by said rim having passages the inlets of which are provided on the periphery of said rim and the outlets of which open in a peripheral direction into the external face of said fiy-wheel, a second purifier, also carried by said fiy-wheel, having passages leading toward the axis of said fiy-wheel along the external face thereof, and a filter mounted in said fly-wheel between said rim and said hub, so that air fiowing out from said second purifier is caused to flow through said filter.

5. In connection with an internal. combustion engine, the combination of a fiy-wheel having a rim, a hub, and arms connecting said rim with said hub, an annular plate fixed to said rim in front of the periphery thereof, a curved flange carried by the external face of said rim so that the peripheral portion of said rim, said plate and said fiange form an annular curved passage the inlet and the outlet of which are both directed toward the periphery of the fly-wheel, means in said passage for exerting a centrifugal action on the air flowing therethrough, a drum connected to the outer edge of said annular plate, and-covering the external face of said fiy-wheel, so as to form a passage connected in series with the first mentioned passage leading toward the center of the fiy-wheel, means in the last mentioned passage for exerting a centrifugal action on the air fiowing therethrough, and a. filter directly connected with said last mentioned passage and mounted in said fiy-wheel between said rim and said hub, whereby air coming from said second mentioned passage is forced to flow through said filter before being allowed to flow out in thespaces provided between said arms between said rim and said hub,

6. A combination according to claim 5 in which said filter is removably mounted in said fiy-wheel, said drum being removably fixed on said annular plate, so as to permit of removing and cleaning the filter.

AUGUSTE LOUIS RENE BERNARD.

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