US549626A - Fourths to henry m - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 She ets-Sheet 1;

- F. BURGER.

BALANCED GAS ENGINE.

No. 549,626. Patented Nov. 12, 1895.

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F.BURGER.

BALANGED GAS ENGINE.

No. 549,626,. Patented. Nov. 12', 1895.

AN BREW EGRANAM. PHOTU-LITHQWASKINGIDN. DCv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ BURGER, OF FORT l/VAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FCURTHS TO HENRY M. W'ILLIAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

BALANCED GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,626, dated November 12, 1895.

Application fil d August 1, 1894. Serial No. 519,209. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ BURGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort lVayne, Allen county, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Balanced Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to balanced gas-engines, and its object is to improve and simplify the construction,arrangement,and mode of operation of such engines; and it consists in the various features of invention, substantially as herein after more particularly pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is atransverse horizontal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

The objects of my present invention are to provide a gas-engine which shall be capable of running at a relatively very high speed; which shall operate at a practically uniform rate of speed the explosion taking place at each rotation; which shall be simple in construction and occupy relatively little space; which shall be specially adapted, among other things, for use in operating electric plants; in which the explosive mixture shall be used in the most economic way, being in contact with the cylinder the shortest possible time, in order not to be cooled or condensed therein before the explosion takes place, and generally to improve the construction and operation of such devices and to be able to furnish a practical high-speed-balanced gas-engine at a reasonable cost.

It will be evident that the various features of my invention may be changed or modified to adapt them to engines of various sizes, styles, &c., and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the precise construction and arrange ment of parts set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, although the embodiment therein shown is one of the most practical and simple with which I am familiar. I

The engine herein shown is of what is known as the upright type, although of course it may be of any other, and is shown as being supported upon a suitable base or foundation A, which may be of masonry, stone, or other well-known material.

The base proper B of the engine is made of metal, cast or otherwise, and constitutes what may be termed a crank-shaft chamber H, and is provided with heads B B, which are tightly secured thereto and which furnish bearings for the shaft H, which shaft is provided with the cranks H H H and with a fly or balance wheel H Connected to this basepiece is a body portion or cylinder B ,which is secured to the base in any suitable manner, and is provided with suitable passages for the air and gas, &c., and is made hollow in the usual manner to provide a water-jacket B Connected to this bodyportion, and preferably forming a part thereof, are the lateral extensions B B, which nor only form a communicating passage L between the crankshaft chamber H and the cross-head chamber J, hereinafter referred to, but also form a con.- venient'inclosure for the connecting-rods M, between the cranks H and the cross-head O.

Mounted on the body portion of the frame is a top or cap piece B which may be made integral therewith, but is preferably separated therefrom, and attached in any suitable way so as to form a practically gas-tight inclosure and to embrace the connecting-rods and the upper piston, as well as furnish a continuation of the chamber H, in the form of the cross-head chamber J, communicating with H through the passages L.

Mounted in the cylinder are two working pistons C and D, the former being arranged in the upper portion of the cylinder and connected to the cross-head O by a bearing or sleeve P, and thus being arranged to operate the cranks H H through the medium of the connecting-rods M, and the other working piston D being arranged in the lower portion of the cylinder and connected by the connecting-rod D to the crank H of the shaft. It

will be observed that these cranks H H H are arranged diametrically-opposite each other with relation to the axis of the shaft, so that the shaft is rotated by the working pistons as they simultaneously approach each other and simultaneously recede from each other, Fig. 1 showing them in their extended position and Fig. 2 showing them in their adjacent position. It will thus be seen that I apply the power to the shaft in the most desirable way, as one piston is pulling up on its cranks as the other piston is pushing down on its crank, thereby producing a balanced action on the shaft.

Arranged in suitable relation with the piston O are a series of ports E, they being shown in the form of openings extending entirely around the cylinder and communicating with a passage E, through which the air and gas mixture enters the cylinder, and also similarly arranged adjacent the piston D are the exhaust-port passages or ports F, communicating with the exhaust-pipe F, and it will be observed that these exhaust-ports are considerably larger in area than the inletports E, and it will further be observed that both sets of ports are controlled by the movements of the respective pistons and uncovcred at the ends of the strokes. In the present instance the supply of air and gas to the ports E is shown as being taken from the cross-head chamber J, through the pipe N, and as being controlled by the governor N, this being shown as a typical form of governor, in which the block N slides under the control of the balls, so as to allow more or less of the inflammable mixture to pass into the cylinder in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art, and it is obvious that any other well-known form of governor may be used.

\Vhat is usually termed the combustion or explosion chamber W, in the present instance is formed in the space in the cylinder between the pistons C D when they are in their adjacent or nearest positions, as shown in Fig. 2, and connected to said combustion or explosion chamber is some sort of an igniter, (shown in the present instance as a red-hot tube G,) connected with the cylinder in an obvious manner and operating in the usual way, although an y other well-known an d practical igniter may be used.

Some suitable air and gas mixer is connected to supply the mixture to the chamber H, and I have shown a typical mixer K, arranged in proper relation to the biston D to be controlled thereby, and, while this is the preferable arrangement, any other equivalent arrangement may be adopted without departing from my invention.

Such being the preferred construction and arrangement of the engine I will now proceed to set forth its mode of operation, so that its advantages may be better understood. Assuming that the base, body, and cap are tightly secured together against the passage of air or gas and that the pistons are in the position shown in Fig. 1--that is, in their most extended position up and down-the products of combustion in the cylinder are being exhausted through the exhaust-ports F, passing out by their ownexpansifm, and further being forced out by the incoming explosive mixture through the ports E, which are just uncovered. It will be seen that as soon as the pistons C and 1) move toward each other the inlet ports E will first be closed, while the exhaust-ports remain partially open, allowing time for the burned charge or products of combustion to be completely exhausted. A further movement of the cranks, causing the pistons C and D to approach each other, completely closes the exhaust-ports and forms what is termed the combustion chamber \V, compressing the combustible gases therein, where they are ignited by means of the igniter G in the usual way and exploded, actin g and reacting upon. the working pistons C D, forcing the piston C- upward and the piston D downward. simultaneously and under the same pressure, and these being connected to the cranks in the manner heretofore set forth thus operate to constitute a balanced engine,there being practically the same force applied to move the cranks I1 upward as is applied to turn the crank 11 downward, thus conducing to the even, smooth, and uniform rotation of the shaft with the least possible jar or vibration Meal 1- while, as the pistons C and D have approached each other from the position shown in Fig. 1 until they assume the position shown in Fig. 2, they have reduced the pressure in the chambers J and H, which are in communication with each other through the passages L, and as soon as the passage K, leading to the air and gas mixer, is opened a charge is drawn into the chambers by the partial vacuum therein. As soon, however, as the explosion takes place and the piston D commences to move downward, it closes the passage K and the outward movement of the pistons G 1) tends to compress the charge into the crankshaft chamber II and the chamber J and the communicating passages L, and this compres sion continues until the inlet-ports E are opened by the extreme upward movement of the piston 0, when the charge of explosive gases is allowed to enter the cylinder. Meanwhile, and before the ports E are opened, the exhaust-ports F have commenced to be opened, thus permitting the burned gases or products of the previous combustion or explosion to begin to pass out of the exhaustports before the fresh gases are permitted to enter; but on the further movement, and as the pistons reach their extreme outward positions, the exhaust-ports are completely open and the inlet-ports also allowing the incoming charge to clear the cylinder of the burned gases, and then. the operations are continued as before.

It will be seen that by this construction, by using two working pistons which approach and recede from each other and are connected to complementary cranks on the shaft, the cranks may be of half the usual length and still the full explosive and expansive or condensed to any extent by the action of.

the cooled cylinders, a most economic and efficient high-speed-balanced gas-engine is produced.

What I claim is 1. In a gas engine, a cylinder, two working.

pistons, a crank-shaft having cranks connected with said pistons, a closed crank-shaft chamber, a cross-head chamber, and passages connecting the two chambers, substantially as described.

2. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder and two working pistons mounted therein, of a crank-shaft, direct connections between the crank-shaft and one of the pistons, connections between the crank-shaft and a cross-head connected to the other piston, a closed crank-shaft chamber, an inclosed cross-head chamber, and passages connecting the two chambers, substantially as described.

3. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of the two working pistons therein, inlet ports controlled by one of the pistons, and outlet ports controlled by the other piston, and connections between the working pistons and the crank shaft, substantially as described.

4. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of two working pistons therein arranged to simultaneously approach and re-- cede from each other, inlet ports controlled by one of the pistons, outlet ports of larger size controlled by the other piston, both ports being arranged to be opened when the pistons are at their extreme limits of motion, and connections between the pistons and the crank shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder, of two pistons therein moving simultaneously in opposite directions, inlet and outlet ports controlled by the pistons in their extreme positions, a combustion chamber formed between the pistons at their nearest positions, and an igniting device connected to said combustion chamber, substantially as described.

6. In a gas engine, the combination with the inclosing case forming a chamber, of a cylinder having two working pistons mounted therein,'inlet and outlet ports controlled by the pistons, and an inlet port to the chamber controlled by one of the pistons, substantially as described.

7. In a gas engine, the combination with the inclosing case forming a chamber, of a cylinder mounted therein, two working pistons mounted in the cylinder, a shaft in the chamber, connections between the working pistons and shaft inclosed within the case, inlet and outlet ports controlled by the pistons, an inlet port to the chamber controlled by one of the pistons, an igniter connected to the combustion chamber, and a governor controlling the passage of the gases from the chamber to the cylinder, substantially as described.

8. In a gas engine, the combination with the cylinder having a water-jacket and provided with inlet and outlet ports, of two pistons mounted in said cylinder, a crank-shaft connected to said pistons, a crank-shaft chamber and a cross-head chamber having communicating passages,and connections between said chambers and the inlet ports, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANZ BURGER.

WVitnesses:

G. P. KRAMER, I. A. FAIRGRIEVE.

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