US904562A - Internal-combustion engine. - Google Patents

Description

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908,

Patented 'Nov. 24, 190;},

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Inventor:

' E. RATHBUN. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Q cylinders shall receive the same amount and To all whom it may concern:

EDWARD RATHBUN', or TOLEDO, OHIO.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908 Application filed. February 21, 1908. Serial No. 417,117.

Be it known that I, EDWARD RATHBUN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at T0- ledo, in'the county. of Lucas and State'of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the'same.

My invention relates to engines, and particularly to multi-cylinder explosion engines of the vertical type, and comprises means for avoiding the external pipes commonly provided for distributing the charge to the different cylinders and for. collecting the exhaust gases from the different j cylinders. These pipes, as usually arranged, cover the sides of the engines to a considerable extent, often interfering with access to the parts of the valve gear and making it difficult to make adjustments, on the exhaust side of the engine, without danger of being burned by contact withthe hot exhaust piping; and such piping always gives the engine a, confused, complicated appearance and adds considerably' to cost of manufacture. Furthermore, it is frequently a matter of great difiiculty to so design such external piping that all character of. charge, and shall all exhaust alike; and there is always danger of the ex ternal piping being bent, broken, deranged, or caused to leak.

To obviate these objections, \according to my invention I provide-a single housing or base or crank-case for a plurality-of cylinders, the several cylinders being fitted thereto; and I provide insaid housing, base or crank-case a single supply passage for all the cylinders, and a single exhaust passage for all the cylinders, said passages in the said housing having ports through which said passages are placed in connection with corresponding branch passages formed in the walls of the several cylinders. In this way I avoid the numerous pipe-branches commonly found on four-cycle explosion engines, avoid unequal distribution. of the charges to difi'erent cylinders, make the valve gear readily accessible, greatly 'decrease cost of manufacture, and greatly simplify the engine in appearance. A

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate an engine constructed in accordance with my invention. The engine shown is provided with four cylinders, butit will be apparent that this number may be greater or smaller, as preferred.-

In said drawings: Figure 1 shows a side view of the engine-thoside shown being the supply side; Fig. 2 shows a similar. elevation of the exhaust side of. the engine; Fig. 3 shows a central verticsihs'ectron through one of the cylinders and the housing; Fig. 4 shows a transverse section of one of the cylinders; and Fig. 5 shows a horizontal section through the housing on line X-X of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional detail views.

In said drawings, 1 designates the housing (also commonly termed base or crank-case, in the art; the term housing being hereafter used herein to designate this part) and 2, 2 designate the several. c'ylinders. In the construction shown and preferred, these cylinders are separate from each other and from the housing, but are carefully fitted thereto, at joints 3. The engine is provided, as usual, with pistons, crank-shaft, connecting rods, valves and valve gear, etc.; but these parts it is not necessary to discuss. Each cylinder is provided with a cored-out water jacket 4, and the housing is provided with cored-out longitudinal water-passages, 5 and 6, for supplying and carrying oft, respec tively, the cooling water, these passages 5 and 6 communicating with the jackets 4. In the said housing is a cored-out supply passage, 7 extending lengthwise on one side of the engine; and on the opposite side of the housing there is a corresponding exhaust passage, 8. There beingbut one housing for all the cylinders, the engine therefore requires but one supply connection, at 9, (com municating with passage 7 In the walls of each cylinder are cored-out supply and exhaust passages, 11 and 12 respectively, which communicate respectively with passages 7 and 8 in the housing, through ports eral uniformly notwithstanding variation of atmospheric temperature, and also of cooling the'exhaust, so preventing overheating of the exhaust pipe. To still further cool the exhaust, I provide (see particularly Fig. 7) a duct 15 connectingwater passage 5 and exhaust passage 8, and a valve 16 by which the iiow of water through this duct into the exhaust passage may be regulated.

Since the finishing of the meeting faces of the cylinders and housing is an operation that must be performed in any case When thecylinders are separable from the housing, and since this operation is all that is required for making the joints between the cylinder fuel supply, exhaust, and Water passages, and the corresponding passages of the housing, the forming of these passages for the cylinders in the walls of the cylinders themselves greatly decreases cost of manufacture; for the elaborate branched pipes for supply and exhaust, commonly re quired, and which require careful fitting to the cylinders, are no longer needed. Furthermore, since the connections of the sevcylinders to the supply and exhaust passages 7 and S are of the'same size and character, the performance of the several cylinders is substantially identical. And as above stated, and as appears from the drawings, the placing of these passages inside the walls of the housing and cylinders leaves the engine cylinders unobstructed by outside piping, making'the valve gear readily accessible, and giving the engine the uncomplicated appearance characteristic of many two-cycle engines.

Since the supply water passage 5 is alongside the exhaust passage 8, the inner surface of this portion of the housing is prevented from being heated by the exhaust gases to such extent as to cause carbonization of lubricating oil splashed against thissurface.

The water passages 5 and 6v also tend to pre-' vent overheating of the depending lower ends of the cylinders.

The water supply passage, 5, is connected to the. several jackets by means of pipes 13 extending up through the jackets to near the tops thereof. The jackets are connected to the passage 6 for carrying off the water by similar pipes 14. The water being supplied to and taken from-the jackets near their tops, elficient circulation of the water through the jackets is insured, and dead spaces 1n WlllClf clrcula-tion 1s inactive are.

avoided. To regulate the flow to the difi'erent jackets (which is sometimes desirable; for example, whenthe engine is set on an inclinc) I provide see Fig. 6) valve screws 17 of the cylinders, as indicated in Fig. 2 and by removing the plugs 18 the valve screws may be adjusted as desired.

What I claim is 1. An internal combustion engine including in combination a housing and a plurality of cylindersmounted side by side thereon, said housing having formed in it a common supply passage for the cylinders and a common exhaust passage for the cylinders, both said passages extending lengthwise of the housing, said cylinders each having a supply passage and an exhaust passage formed. in its walls, connected to the supply and exhaust passages ofthe housing, respectively, and extending substantially to the top of the cylinder.

2. An internal combustion engine including in combination a housing and a plurality of separate cylinders separable from and mounted side by side on said housing, the latter having formed in it a common supply passage for the cylinders and a common exhaust passage for the cylinders, both said. passages extending lengthwise of the housing, said cylinders each having asupply passage and an exhaust passage formed in its walls, extending substantially to the top of the cylinder, said cylinder and housing having in their meeting faces ports connecting the said passages of the cylinder and housing.

3. An internal combustion engine including in combination a housing and a plurality of cylinders mounted thereon, said cylinders having water jackets, the housing having formed in. it passages for the supply and carrying oil of cooling water extending lengthwise of the housing past said cylinders-the jackets communicating in parallel with said passages. I

4. An internal combustion engine including in combination a housing and a plurality of cylinders mounted thereon, said hous-.

ing having" formed in it passages for the supply and carrying off of cooling water, said cylinders having ackets and pipes within their external outlines extending supplying and carrying oll the cooling Water.

5, An internal combustion engine lnclud- .;ing in combination a housing and a plurality of cylinders mounted thereon, said housing having formed init a common supply passage for the cylinders and a common exhaust passage for the cylinders, said cylinders each having a jacket and supply and exhaust assages substantially surrounded by the, 3' ac et, extending to substantially the top of the cylinder, and connected with the corresponding passages in tlfe housing.

6. An internal combustion engine including in combination a' housing and a plurality of cylinders mounted thereon, said housing' having formed in it a common fuel sup- .ply passage and a common exhaust passage for the cylinders, and having also formed in it a common water-supply passage and a common water-discharge passage, said passages all extendin' longitudinally of the I housing, said cylin ers each having a jacket and having supply and exhaust passages extending substantiallynto the top of the cylinder, substantiallysurrounded by the jacket, and connectedto the corresponding fuel sup ply and exhaust passa and water-discharge passages of the housin 7 An internal combustionrengine including a cylinder, a housing forming a base therefor and having in it parallel exhaust and water passages,-andvalved.Ineans conmeeting said passages, I

8. An internal combustion engine includ ing a cylinder, and a crank case housing forming a base for said cylinder and having initswalls exhaust and water passages, the latter between the exhaust passage and the es in the housing, the' said jackets connectec to the water-supply ing a crank case'housing and a jacketed cylinder for which said housing forms. a base, one end face of said cylinder seated on said base, said cylinder and base separable from each other but having their meeting faces proximated to form a joint, said housing having fuel supply and exhaust passages and water passages, said cylinder having corresponding passages, the passages of the cylinder and houslng being in commumcation through ports in the meeting faces.

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD RATHBUN.

Witnesses:

H. M. MARBLE, FRANK E, RAFFMAN.

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