Internal-combustion engine

Application filed January 26, 1923. Serial No. 614,957.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William Huskisson, subject of the King of England, and resident of Larchmont Woods, New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in InternalCombustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines adapted to develop power from the combustion of hydrocarbons, and my improvements are directed to the novel construction of an engine whereby liquid fuel, even of such heavy grade as 14 degrees Baume, or bunker oil, may be employed for operation under a comparatively low compression pressure in the Combustion chamber; a further object of my improved construction being to render the engine free from all strains, to thereby eliminate risks of fracture and breakdown.

The invention especially relates to improvements in the construction of a combustion chamber, cylinders and pistons of the well known, opposed piston type of engine.

In this type of engine one piston covers and uncovers air ports near the top of the upper cylinder, and the other piston covers and uncovers exhaust ports, for the escape of the products of combustion, near the bottom of the lower cylinder, a space between the ends of the pistons serving as the combustion chamber, when the pistons are at their innermost positions.

Whereas at the present time most high compression or Diesel engines are operated with liquid fuels of 28 to 20 degrees of Baume gravity, it is the purpose of my improvements to so construct the engine that it can be efficiently operated with the less costly, so called bunker oils, which are usually burned under steam boilers and have a gravity of 14 to 11 Baum4.

For this purpose it is necessary that the engine be designed so that the maximum volume of combustible charge is enclosed in a space presenting the minimum surface of retaining wall. Therefore, I construct the combustion chamber as nearly spherical as possible.

Also, it is recognized that where turbulence exists-in a combustion chamber it is possible to ignite and completely burn a spray of liquid fuel at much lower compres sions than obtain in the ordinary Diesel engines.

This condition is provided for by my improved construction.

There are many internal combustion en- 60 gines burning liquid fuel which is sprayed into their combustion chambers, in which the compression pressure is much lower than that which obtains in the ordinary Diesel engine, the method employed to secure igni- 65 tion being by radiating heat off a hot bulb, plate or the like, and so transferring it to · the air charge compressed in the combustion chamber, raising the temperature therein in excess of that due to the heat of compres- 70 Sion.

With the opposed piston type of engine, as known, having the liners and combustion chamber part of the same casting, the great range of temperature to which some parts 75 thereof are exposed, gives rise to unequal expansion, and results in ultimate fracture.

Therefore, an important feature of my invention consists in the construction of the combustion chamber, as a breech, in the form 80 of a separate unit, especially adapted to withstand the temperatures to which it will be subjected. The cylinder liners, which are also separate units, extend at opposite sides from the breech. Also, the opposed pistons, 85 at their inward portions where they co-act with each other and the breech to complete the enclosing wall of the combustion chamber, are of substantial· thickness and characterized by their quality of beat absorption 90 and radiation. ’

Other, features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:—Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, 95 (taken on the line 1—1 of Fig. 2) of an engine embodying my invention, wherein provision' is made for the intake of air, under pressure, to whirl contactingly about the cylihder bore in one direction and to return 100 axially thereof, for scavenging purposes.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2—2 of Fig.

1, ana

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1, excepting that it is taken in a plane transverse 105 thereto, and includes modified air intake means.

In the two different forms of my invention shown, I have illustrated only such portions of an engine as are necessary to ex- 110

Q 1,486,583 emplify the features of improvement, it being understood that the opposed pistons 1, 2, appearing in both forms, are suitably adapted to actuate an engine shaft as by 5 known means.

These pistons however work in separate cylinders, whereof the upper cylinder has a liner 3 for piston 1 and the lower cylinder has a liner 4 for piston 2.

io The liner of the upper cylinder in Fig. 3, is pierced with ports 5 near the top for the admission of air, and at its lower end this liner, in both views, is secured to the upper end of a breech 6, that is in the form of 15 a cylindrical casting, having a cylindrical bore 7. The liner of the upper cylinder in Fig. 1 is without air intake ports, because in this form of my invention other means of air admission are provided and will be re20 ferred to hereinafter. The liner of the lower cylinder in both forms is pierced with ex.haust ports 2^a, and at its upper end is secured to the lower end of breech 6.

The breech 6 is provided at one side with ²⁵ a fuel admission nozzle 8; and at the other side it may have air admission means 9 for starting purposes.

The upper breech end 10 extends between the liner 3 and the upper perimeter of bore ³⁰ 7, in inverted conoidal form; and the lower breech end 11 extends between the liner 4 and the lower perimeter of bore 7 in conoidal form. In this manner the breech bore is accorded a diameter less than that of the lin³³ ers, and may bear the relation of about half the diameter of the liners.

The upper piston 1 is provided at its inner end with an inverted conoidal portion 12, complementary to breech end 10, which ter⁴⁰ minates in a cylindrical portion 13, having a concaved face 14; the diameter of portion 13 being less than the diameter of bore 7, that a clearance may be left between the periphery of portion 13 and bore 7.

⁴³ Also the lower piston 2 is provided at its inner end with a conoidal portion 15, complementary to breech end 11, which terminates in a cylindrical portion 16, having a concaved fa<ce 17, whose diameter bears the ⁵⁰ same relation to bore 7 as that of portion 13.

The breech bore 7 is of greater length than is necessary so far as the capacity of the combustion chamber is concerned, but the entry of piston portions 13 and 16 within the ³⁵ bore from its opposite ends, thereby reduces the effective length of the bore, at the time of maximum compression, and hence determines the capacity of the confined space which constitutes the combustion chamber.

⁸⁰ The pistons operate in their liners with working clearances between thein conoidal portions and the respective conoidal surfaces of the breech.

The inner ends of the pistons are cast ⁸⁵ with a heavy thickness of metal, to which is added the substance of the portions 13 and 16. The object of this great thickness of metal at the piston ends is that thereby, in conjunction with the great thickness of metal possessed by the breech, a combustion 70 chamber is provided whose entire surrounding wall will store up an unusual proportion of the heat liberated during combustion, and will restore it to the compressed air charge during compression, so that the charge re- 7.» ceives more heat ana achieves a higher temperature than that due to compression, at the moment when the liquid fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber.

Turbulence is induced in the combustion c:) chamber, near the end of the compression stroke, owing to the great volume of air forced from the liners past the parrow annular spaces between the piston portions 13 and 16 and the bore of the combustion chain- ⁸ 5 ber, as said piston portions enter therein.

The improved structural features of my engine ensure that all parts are free to expand under a rise in temperature, the high temperatures and pressures obtaining at and ει» immediately after ignition of the fuel being resisted by a relatively small, compact ana symmetrical breech casting.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 3 exhaust occurs through the ports 2^a in liner 4, as they are uncovered by piston 2 at the end of the expansion stroke, and then the intake ports 5 in liner 3 are uncovered by piston 1, to admit air under suitable pressure, which sweeps lengthwise through 100 liner 1, the bore of breech 6, and liner 4, to effectually scavenge the engine, through ports 2^a, prior to the succeeding inward strokes of the pistons for compressing the new charge of air. 105

The air intake means for the form of my invention shown in Fig. 1, wherein the liner 3 has no intake ports, consist of ports 17^a, arranged at opposite sides of the breech 6, each of the ports having fitted therein a valve ¹¹⁰18, controlled as by a cam 19, whereby, through interconnecting means of usual character (not shown) these valves may be opened, and held open, in the operation of the engine, within the period while the ex- ¹¹³haust ports 2^a are open.

The ports 17^a are disposed approximately tangentially to the bore of the liner 3 (see Fig. 2) and may be directed interiorly at an upward inclination, the purpose of which ¹²⁰general disposition is that the entering streams of air will whirl contactingly around the liner in the form of a hollow column, indicated by the arrow line a, and will be reflected back from the piston 1, still whirling, ¹²³in a central column, indicated by the arrow line δ, sweeping the residual burned gases before it through liner 3, breech bore 7, and. line'· 2, for expulsion at ports 2^a.

This feature of scavenging air intake is ¹³⁰

1,486,583 a separate breech element fitted between said cylinders and having an opening therethrough cylindrical at each end and of a diameter substantially the same as that of 40 the cylinders, said opening being of relatively small diameter centrally with reference to said ends, said breech being provided with tangentially disposed inlet ports at the junction of one of the end portions of the 45 breech opening with the central portion, and pistons moving in said cylinders and having terminal portions corresponding in diameter

.......’’ ⁷ 50 in part adapted to my engine construction from the invention of Gregory D. Moguliano under whose patent application, Serial No. 527,685 filed January 7, 1922, I am 5 licensed.

In both forms of my improved engine, the air blast passing from liner 3, through the breech bore and liner 2, will sweep away any carbon deposit or “whiskers” which might otherwise form around the sprayer.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by —------r----------------.- = .

the foregoing disclosure. to the central portion of the breech ope g