US1307282A - Internal-combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

J. P. WARD.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. I918.

Patented June 17, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

J. P. WARD INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. I918.

Patented June 17, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 amen/tor Jkvz 7%56 Wax/m7 JOHNYPRICE WARD, OF MCKINNEY, TEXAS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1919.

Application filed April 29, 1918. Serial No. 231,434.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-IN PRICE WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at McKinney, in the county of Collin and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do 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.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and it relates more specifically to a fluid transmission mechanism for rotary internal combustion engines.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved rotary internal combustion engine having all its working parts arranged compactly and inclosed in a casing that is formed of few and simple parts.

Another object is to provide an engine of this character having all of its working parts easily accessible for cleaning, repair, etc.

Another object is to provide an improved fluid transmission device that is operated entirely and directly by the rotation of the rotor; and

Another object is to provide an engine of this character which is durable, thoroughly practical and highly efficient.

Other objects and advantages may become apparent to persons who read the following details of description .in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an engine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental sectional view along the same line as Fig. 2, but the working parts being shown in a different relation to the main body or casing; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an improved abutment hereinafter described in detail.

Referring to these drawings in detail in which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the main body or casing 10, in the present disclosure, comprises three castings 11, 12 and 13, the casting 12 being secured to the casting 11 by any appropriate means, as indicated at 14, and the casting 13 being secured to the diametrically opposite side of the casting 11 by similar means 14, suitable packing 15 being provided between the elements 11 and 12 and between the elements 11 and 13. An inlet 16 and an outlet or exhaust 17 communicate with a rotor-chamber 18, the point of communica tion being preferably adjacent to and on opposite sides of an' abutment 19 which is mounted for reciprocation in a cavity or a chamber 20 in the casing elements 11 and 13. A sprlng 21 is also positioned in the cavity 20 and constantly presses the abutment 19 inward, but allows this abutment to move outward under the influence of convexed surfaces or cam elements 22 which constitute elements of a rotor 23 which is keyed on a shaft 24:, the latter being journaled in the parallel spaced walls of the rotor-chamber 11.

A cavity or abutment-seat 25 is formed in the members 11 and 12, and a reciprocatory abutment 26 is disposed in the seat 25. A spring 27 is arranged to press the abutment 26 inward, and the rotor 23 presses the abutment 26 outward by means of its convexed surfaces 22. Each of these convexed surfaces has one end terminating at the base of a radial shoulder 28 and has its other end terminating at the crest of another radial shoulder 28, these radial shoulders, in the present disclosure being diametrically opposed. The crest of each radial shoulder is contiguous to the cylindrical inner surface of the casing elements 11, so that when the rotor turns under the pressure of the products of the combustion between the abutment 26 and one of the shoulders 28, only a small quantity of the fluid may pass from the space between the shoulder and abutment, but in order to reduce the escape of the fluid to the minimum, I provide spring pressed packings 29 adjacent to the shoulders 28. Within the elements 11 and 12 is formed a cavity or cylindrical compression chamber 30 having a valve seat 31 and a valve closure 32 at its lower end. The elements 31 and 32 constitute a check-valve which allows the entrance of the combustion fluid into the chamber 30 from the rotorchamber 18 but prevents the return of the fluid directly into the chamber 18 from the chamber 30. The chamber 30 communicates with the chamber or abutment-seat 25 through the medium of a port 33 which is adapted to register with an inlet port 34 in the abutment 26 when the latter is in its outer position. However, when the abutment 25 is in its inner position, as shown in Fig. 2, the inlet port 34 is closed by the adjacent surface of the member 11.

The abutment 26 is formed with a fluid transmission chamber 35 and an outlet port 36, the latter being closed by the adjacent surface of the member 11 when the abutment 26 is in its outer position, but communicating with a space between the abutment 26 and the opposing shoulder 28 when this abutment is in its inner position. It will be seen, therefore, that the chamber 35 is adapted to receive fluid from the cham ber 30, through the medium of the ports 33 and 34, and to transmit the fluid therefrom to a combustion chamber which constitutes the space between the abutment 26 and the o posing shoulder 28. Igniting means is indicated at 37.

In order that the transmission of fluid from the chamber 30 to the chamber 35 may be approximately complete, a piston 38 is mounted to reciprocate 1n the chamber 30, and a spring 39 constantly presses the piston 38 inward or downward. Therefore when the compression of gas in the chamber 30 has been somewhat relieved by the flow of fluid through the port 33, the spring 39 causes the piston 38 to force the remaining fluid from the chamber 30 into the chamber 35.

Appropriate cooling means such as a water jacket indicated at 40 may surround the rotor-chamber.

In order that the transmission of fluid through the outlet port 36 may be increased or decreased, I provide a gate 41 having a slot therein, and a screw 43 extends through this slot into the-abutment 26. By loosening the screw 43 the gate or slide 41 may be moved in either direction and the screw 43 may then be tightened for holding the member 41 in its adjusted position.

The operation of this engine is as follows:

Assuming that the rotor is rotating in the direction of the arrow, the combustible fluid is drawn in through the inlet 16 by means of the suction of the continually enlarging suction chamber which is indicated by the numeral 45 in Fig. 2. The suction of the fluid through the inlet 16 continues until the approaching shoulder 28 reaches the abutment 19. As soon as the shoulder 28 passes the inlet 16, the suction chamber becomes a compression chamber, and a new suction chamber is created between the shoulder 28 and the abutment 19. However, the said compression chamber is now continually reduced in size, because of the approach of the shoulder 28 to the abutment 25, and the fluid from this compression chamber enters the compression chamber 30 through the valve seat 31 and is trapped therein by means of the valve 32. It will be understood that the pressure of the fluid in the chamber 31 will be very high because of the smallness of the chamber 30 as compared with the size of the compression chamber from which it received the fluid. Shortly after the last said compression chamber becomes extinct by reason of the shoulder 28 reaching the abutment 26, the said shoulder passes the said abutment, and the latter is forced inward by its spring 27, thus moving the port 34 out of communication with the port 33, and moving the port 36 into communication with the combustion chamber indicated at 46. The ignition takes place shortly after the shoulder 28 passes the abutment 25, and, in the meantime, fluid from the chamber 35 has flown into the combustion chamber, it being understood that the combustion chamber 35 was filled with fluid under high pressure while the ports 33 and 34 were in communication with one another. The force of the combustion between the abutment 26 and shoulder 28 forces the rotor to continue its rotation, and as soon as the combustion chamber 46 reaches the exhaust port or outlet 17, the combustion chamber becomes the 100 exhaust chamber; and this exhaust chamber is so divided by the abutment 19, that the front portion thereof begins a new inlet or suction chamber, and the foregoing operation is repeated.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be seen that I have provided a rotary internal combustion engine which is fully capable of attaining the foregoing objects.

Although I have described this embodi- 110 ment of my invention Very specifically, it is not intended to limit my invention to these exact details but I may make minor changes within the scope of the inventiv idea disclosed in the foregoing description and fol- 115 lowing claims.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a rotary internal combustion engine; a fluid transmitting device comprising a casing having a rotor-chamber, a fluid- 120 compression chamber, and an abutmentseat; a rotor mounted in said rotor-chamber and operable to compress fluid in said fluidcompression chamber; an abutment in said abutment-seat and movable from an inner 125 position to an outer position, said abutment being formed with afluid-transmitting chamber which is in communication with said fluid-compression chamber and out of communication with said rotor-chamber 130 when said abutment is in its outer position,

said fluid-transmitting chamber being in communication With said rotor-chamber and out of communlcatlon wlth sald compression I chamber when said abutmentis in its inner position, and means to drive the compressed fluid from said compression chamber into said fluid-transmitting chamber.

2. In a rotary internal combustion engine; a fluid transmitting device comprising a casing having a rotor-chamber, a fluid-compression chamber, and an abutment-seat; a rotor mounted in said rotor-chamber and operable to compress fluid in said fluid-compression chamber; an abutment in said abutment-seat and movable from an inner position to an outer position, said abutment being formed with a fluid-transmitting chamber which is in communication with said fluid-compression chamber and out of communication with said rotor-chamber when said abutment is in its outer position,

fluid-compression chamber; an abutment in said abutment-seat and movable from an inner position to an outer position, said abutment being formed with a fluid-transmitting chamber which is in communication with said fluid-compression chamber and out of communication with said rotor-chamber when said abutment is in its outer position, said fluid-transmitting chamber being in communication with said rotor-chamber and out of communication with said compression chamber when said abutment is in its inner position; means to prevent fluid from returning directly into said rotor-chamber from said compression chamber; and a piston operable in said fluid-compression chamber for forcing fluid therefrom into said transmitting chamber.

4. In a rotary internal combustion engine; a rotor-housing comprising a rotorchamber having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet, an outlet, cavities in said cylindrical surface, and a port connecting one of said cavities with a second one of the cavities; a rotor in said housing, said rotor provided with shoulders, and convexed surfaces each terminating at the base of one hit shoulder and at the crest of another shoulder; an abutment slidable radially in said one of the cavities and provided with a chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port; an abutment between said inlet and outlet of the rotor-housing; means for moving the first said abutment inward; and means for moving the second said abutment inward, said convexed surfaces being effective to move said. abutments outward, the first said port being communicative with said inlet port when the latter is in its outer position, said outlet port being closed when the first said abutment is in its outer position and being open toward one of said shoulders when the first said abutment is in its inner position.

5. In a rotary internal combustion engine'; a rotor-housing comprising a rotorchamber having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet, an outlet, cavities in said cylindrical surface, and a port connecting one of said cavities with a second one of the cavities; a rotor in said housing, said rotor provided with shoulders, and convexed surfaces each terminating at the base of one shoulder and at the crest of another shoulder; an abutment slidable radially in said one of the cavities and provided with a chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port; an abutment between said inlet and outlet of the rotor-housing; means for moving the first said abutment inward; and means to allow combustible fluid to enter the second said cavity from the rotor-chamber and to prevent returning of the fluid, said conveXed surfaces being effective to move said abutments outward, the first said port being communicative with said inlet port when the latter is in its outer position, said outlet port being closed when the first said abutment is in its outer position and being open toward one of the said shoulders when the first said abutment is in its inner position.

6. In a rotary internal combustion engine; a rotor-housing comprising a rotorchamber having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet, an outlet, cavities in said cylindrical surface, and a port connecting one of said cavities with a second one of the cavities; a rotor in said housing, said rotor provided with shoulders, and having convexed surfaces each terminating at the base of one shoulder and at the crest of another shoulder; an abutment slidable radially in said one of the cavities and provided with a chamber having an inlet and an outlet port; an abutment between said inlet and outlet of the rotor-housing; means for moving the first said abutment inward; and means in said second one of the cavities to force combustible fluid therefrom into said chamber of the first said abutment, said convexed surfaces being effective to move said abut- -& 1,307,282

ments outward, the first said port being In testimony whereof I have hereunto set communicative with said inlet port when my hand in the presence of two subscribing 10 the latterbis in itis mater I1:0sitifin, fsaid out wltnesses.

let ort ein c ose w en t e rst sai abut inent is its outer position and be- JOHN PRICE WARD ing open toward one of said shoulders when Witnesses:

the first said abutment is in its inner posi- P. G. ROGERS,

tion. R. D. ERWIN.

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