US1165023A - Fluid-actuated engine. - Google Patents

Description

A, I. RICH, la. lFLUID CTUATED ENGINE. APPLICAHM FlLED FEB.27,19i2.

Paened Dc. 2l, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Minis-7J A. 1. RICH, 1R. FLUID ACTUATED ENGINE.

4AVPLCFWIO FILED FEB. 2]. 191.).

lzltmmd Dea 21, 1915.-

2 SHEEI'Sf-SHEET 2.

20 chamberiare*storedfm` ameservoir or presumrnnsrnrns PATENT ALFRED JosE'rH nien, Jn., orsAN rnl'iNcisco, CALIFORNIA.

IELUID-ATUATED ENGINE.

' vTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,

producing great power to operate any suitable machinery, but more .particularly .adapted forg'use inlpropellin'g automobiles, Where anengine ofy great 'power and'little weight is; desired, and theK invention rhas'forfits jprincipal object toprovide' an engine of I the internalcombustion type wherein the ex` h'lust gases from each sexpl'osion -in'ithel'firing sure accumulatingv chamberfunder compi-ession, and then projected iwith great propel# ling force against a suitable vaned Wheel or turbine to'propel thevehicle. i

A further'fobject is to providean engine Aof theinternal combustion type in whichV the gas to be exploded is forced into the firing i. chamber under ,compression and the expanded gasesafterthe explosion has taken place` are forced 'by their -own expansion into 'a' suitable pressure accumulating chamber and stored therein, one explosion after another,

.until a suicient pressure has accumulated it0 drive tl1`e=:'cai'.-l 1

Another and important object is to pro# vide an engine of the above character, with a means forgvarying the volume of the explo4 sivelchargewhich is intermittently 'admitted into the ring chamber thereof, without in-v creasing or decreasing the timing of the ex`r plosionzinfthe combustion chamber.

The ,invention comprises a 'cylindrical combustionor firing chamber, provided with the usual water jacket and spark plug, means for intermittently admitting highly 'explosive gasI underpressure into said combustion chamber, 'valve controlled means operated by the explosionv of the gas in`-lsaid chamber for permitting the expanded gases to escape therefrom into a receiving or ac by 4suitable bolts and may be removed for cumulating chamber, that said gases may be stored-therein under a greater pressure than the explosive pressure thereof, and means for projecting the gasesv contained in said accumulating chamber under pressure l Specification of Letters Patent.

ALFRED JOSEPH RICH, v Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing Patented Dec. 21,19L5.

Application filed February 27,1912. Serial N o. 680,311.

against a ser-ies of turbine blades or vanes mounted on the shaft to be operated.

With the above mentioned and other obconstruction and novel combination of parts fhereinafter fully described, `illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claim hereto appended, may be resorted to with-l jects in view, the intention consists in the outdeparting. from the spirit or sacriiicing.`

- 'any advantages of the invention.

y. To comprehendl the invention reference 7'should be hadto the accompanying sheets lof drawings disclosing a complete conframe anddisclosing the firing chamber,

the 'supply tank for gas under pressure, the accumulating chamber for receiving the ei:- plodecl gasesfrom the firing chamber, the

structed device for fully carrying out my i housing containing the turbine wheels for i transmitting power to the drive shaft, and

the connections and timing gears associated with each part.

section thereof and the several pipes 0r communications leading intosaid chamber.

Fig. 2 is a view of the iringgcliamber disclosing the detachable.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofthe combustion chamber showing the position of the gas intake, the exhaust, and' the spark plug. Fig. et is a detail'view of the rotary valve in the gas inlet pipe. y y Referring more particularly to the drawings,the reference numeral 1 designates a suitable vehicle frame capable of supportn 'A ingthe various parts of my invention and on the forward end of .vliicli-isinounted a hollowv spherical iiring chamber 0 sur rounded byu suitable cooling or waten i.

jacket 3 formed between the wallsQ and 22 thereof, and which is connectedby. an inlet ,"pipe 4 and an outlet pipe 5, toV a cooling radiator 'mounted on the front -of the rframe in advance of the firing chamber,.the

vvchamber beingprovided With .a removable section or plate 2 which is secured thereto the purpose of examining the interior ,of the chamber. The firing chamber is also provided with a `spark plug 3 for firing the charge of gas in said chamber. Gas having -a turn plug or is supplied under vthe firing chamhigh explosive properties, pressure to the interior of ber 2 from a` suitable supply tank or reservoir Ga by a pipe 7 which entersthefiring chamber at a point as disclosed 'in Fig. 2 of the drawings, fthe pipe being provided at a point adjacent the firing from the firing chamber into the pipe.

The charge of gas is"intermit tent'ly.. admitted into the firing chamber by-fa disk valve 9,- rotatably mounted in the inlet pipe 7 and provi ed with spaced openings 10 ex-4 tending therethrough,l which Ialternately' register with the opening in thel pipe 7, the valve being operated in' a hereinafter described manner.

ranged within` the inlet pipe 7 between the rotary, valve 9 operated by a 'suitable lever, not shown, which preferably extends to the steering wheel of the car.

The gases after, beingadmitted into the combustion chamber vand exploded in a hereinafter described manner,are forced vby theirvown expansion through a suitable pipe and the supply tank 6**,and-

is positioned in extends from the radiator to the combustion chamber water jacket, the operating of the 'w'ate'rpump circulating the water throughthe waterjacket surrounding the firing ,chamchamber v'with I" ber andthe radiator. check valve 8 which prevents ab'ackre;

` which arevia'dap'ted to The volume of gas admitted into the yfiring chamber isregulated by other suitable valve 11 ar- 12 into a storage or accumulating chamber 13, the pipe 12 projectingl slightly into the.

chamber as aty 14 and provided near the point of entering the firingv chamber with a ycheek valve 15, which prevents the return .flow ofthe expanded gases from theaccunailating chamber into the firing chamber.

The gases stored in the accumulating chamber 13 flow therefromthrough a suitable pipe or connection 1.6 into the forward end of a turbine casing 17 and discharge against the blades ofa suitable turbine wheel vprovided with af.

rotate the' same,

gear 30, the teeth of interm'esh Withsuitextending from the pevalve 9. .A connection.

provided withua bevel able, gear teeth 31 riphery7 of the disk S2/'extends froin the spark plu'g3f,"and the magneto also being.

' ground wire 33 which extends to anyisuitable part of the `vehicle,l preferably the ,fram'e.

iend lto the shaft of a waterpump 29,- lwhich.

thewater inlet pipe 4 whlch magneto contacts to the The operationof 'theengine is as follows: The parts being assembled and timed'to op'.

erate in the following' fr nann'er, and the accumulating chamber 13fstorefd with gas, the. valve 21 is opened permitting gas under pressure to escape from the'ch'ainber through the pipe'l wheel 18 keyed to the shaft19`rwhich may betermed the drive shaft ofth'e "vehicle, and l the rotation-'ofthe shaft19 will, through the`gears 22"'23,-25 rotate the magneto and 'gasitiining/ 'shaft 27.. The inlet valve 11 is"now operated"`admit ting the How of Ithe explosivegases` from and. to jstrike' against the turbine the tank 6a into the pipe 7, and as 'the diskl valve 9 is rotated and the portslO therein come in alinementwith the openingfinthe 18, keyed. to a shaft 19, with sulicient im# pact to .rotate said shaft and transmit power to other parts of the vehicle; the gases after losing their force escape from the rear end of said casing 17 through an exhaust pipe The drive shaft 19 is 'adapted to be thrown into geared' relation with the speed transmission 19 of the machine, to transmit-power therethrough to the rear .or propelling wheels of the vehicle. The ipe 16 1s provided intermediate the chamber' 13 and the casing 17 with a suitable hand operated valve or turn plug 21, which is preferably operated from a handle extending to v the steering wheel of the oar. y

The gas timing and ignition means operate in the following manner r-Keved tothe forward end of 22 which meshes with'a a shaft 24, on the other end of which is carried a bevel gear 25, which intermeshes with a suitable gear 26 on a shaft 27, which extends longitudinally The shaft 27 is connected at its rear end vtoA the shaft of a magneto 28 and at its forward of the vehicle frame.`

lating chamber the shaft 19 isa bevel gear gear 23, carriedby.

pipe 7, the gas is admitted into chamber 2 through the check valve l8, as fsoon as the gas isad-mi'tted into the combustion;`

chamber and the valve 9 has rotated to mi closed position, the magneto contacts and a sparkissues from the spark plug 3 igniting Ithe charge ofy gas in the cylinder andthe gas by its'high explosive qualities 13,' under 'a sion force than when admitted into the combustion chamber, and the pressure in the compression chamber maintained at the proper pressure.

The drive 'shaft may -atV anyy time be lthrown into geared relation with thespeed that power willbetrans- A driving j transmission so mitted therefrom to the rear or wheels of the vehicle.

It will be plosive gas from the accumul'ating'chamberto the'.

simultaneously-i this operation continuing the. timing mechanism-of actuates the check Valve 1 5 in the outlet pipe 1,2 and enters the accumu. f

greater expanf.

The shaft 27 is also'y For initial starting the shaft 24 is provided Within its length With a universal Oint 34 permitting the gear 23 of the .shaft '24 to be thrown out of mesh with the gear 22 on shaft 19 and thrown into mesh With a suitable gear 35 adapted to be operated by a suitable hand crank extending/near the operators seat; the -shifting of the shaft 24: from one position to the other being accomplished by the operation of the bell cranklever 36 which also extends Within easy reach ofthe operator.

Having thus fully described my improved invention what is claimed as new `and de- 1,5 sired to be protected'by Letters Patent is In an apparatus for the described purose, the combination with a ring chamber, a storage means for an explosive as, a connection. between the same and tie firing 2o chamber, a valve for controlling said connection, means for varying the volume of chargefof explosive gas to be admitted to said firing chamber, means Within Said chamber for exploding said gas under -pres- 25 sure, a pressure accumulating chamber for receiving the expanded gases after being exploded in sail tiring chamber, valve controlled communication between the firing chamber and said pressure accumulating chamber, a rotary pressure actuated motor,

means for discharging a propelling jet from Asaid pressure accumulating chamber against said rotary motor, and a geared connection between said motor and said iirst mentioned valve `for operating the same to control the 'admission of the explosive charges into the firing chamber, an initial starting means, and means for disconnecting said geared yconnection from Isaid rotor and positioning the same n coperation with said initial 4@ starting means, said initial starting means adapted for operating said first mentioned valve and said ignition means for supplying a charge bof fuel to the combustion chamber and, igniting 'the same. i 45 In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification in the presence of

Images