US1577715A - Air cleaner for internal-combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

March 23 1926. 1,577,715

. R. o. HENDRICKSQN AIR CLEANER FOR INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 2o, 1921 Mn/66S Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

asians- UNITED S'IATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT oi HENnRIcxsoN, or RACINE, WIscONsIN, AssIcNoR 'ro` J. I.. cAs:a PLOW woRxs COMPANY, or RACINE, WISCONSIN, A, CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

AIR CLEANER RoR INTERNAL-CCMBUSTION ENGINES.

' Application filed April 20, 192'1. Serial No. 463,074.

To au whom z't may concern:

Be it. knownthat I, Roun'r O. HnNnl'ncK- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Cleaners for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thc following is a specification.

When the air employed for combustion in internal combustion engines is taken directly from the atmosphere to the carburetor or to the engine Cylinder it is apt to be charged with dirt and grit which is very injurious to the engines, accumulating therein and causing undue wear. It is the purpose of the present' invention to provide a means for filtering the air before it reaches the carburetor or the engine and thus remove the grit and dirt therefrom materially prolonging the life of the engine and the periods between repairs.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this application I have shown and in the following specification described a preferred form of the invention; it is to be understood however, that the specific disclosure is for the purpose of exemplification only and that the scope of the invention is defined in the following claims in which I have endeavored to distinguish it from the prior art so far as known to me without however, relinquishing or abandoning any portion or feature thereof.

In the drawings Fig.. 1 is a side elevatlon of an engine of ordinary type to .which my invention has been applied; Fig. 2 an end elevation partly in section of the preferred form of my invention and Fig. 3 a vertical section through same on a plane perpendicuvlar to that of Fig. 2.

In the preferred form of the invention shown the main body of the device is preferably in the nature of a casting 4 which 1s formed or provided at 5 with a chamber which, in use, is filled or packed with a body 6 of wool or other similar fibrouspervious or absorbent material. In the specific construction shown the body of wool is supported upon a screen 7 and 1s packed between the same and a perforated horizontal wall 8, perforations in which serve for the admission of air. At 9, I Plg. 2, is a cover plate for closing the opening through vwhich the fibrous material is packed into chamber 5. The air to be cleaned enters the device through an orifice 10 which preferably ls connected to an air heater 11, (seo -Fig. 1), surrounding the exhaust manifold material is confined and which receives theair after it is filtered through the wool. An outlet :nozzle 17 for the air projects into the chamber 16 and is flared at 18 and provided with an internal annular rib 19 for a purpose which will appear. Beneath the outlet chamber 16 is an oil chamber 20 which communicates with chamber 16 "through a narrow passage 21. The oil chamber 20 is separated from the fiaring passage 14 by Wall 22 which is perforated at 23. The oil chamber is filled with oil through a filling opening 24 provided for this purpose. The openlng or openings'23 are somewhat above the bottom of the chamber 20 so that the dirt contained in the oil can ksettle to the bottom and may be drawn off' from `time to time through the plugged opening 26. A transverse partition 27 extends across the oil chamber at substantially the middle thereof as seen in Fig. 3, butterminates somewhat short of the bottom of the chamber so that there is a free passage through the partition, the purpose of which is to reduce splashing of the oil. y

The operation of the device will now be apparent. The air heated in the stove 11 enters the passage 10 due to the suction of theengine and passing through the opening 13 rushes up the passage 14. In so doing it carries with it considerable amounts of the oil issuing through the openings 23 and the oil is deposited in the brous Or absorbent material as the air is d awn through the latter. Thus the .fibrous material is kept saturated with oil which drips therefrom into the air outlet chamber 16 and finally reaches the oil chamber again through the opening 21. The grit and dirt contained in the air are separated therefrom by the oil saturated fibre and the cleaned air entering the chamber 16 is drawn off through the outlet 17, the ribs or beads on the flared inner end of whichserve to interce t any .drops of oil which may be entrained y the air. Obviously the en argement of the outlct at the entering end and the enlarged space about the edges of the same very greatly reduce the speed of the air at this point so that it readily deposits any oil which it may contain.

I claim:

1. An air cleaner con'xprisiug a filter chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet, fibrous material in saidchamber, an oil chamber beneath the same to receive the oil dripping' from said fibrous material, an air passage adacent the oil chamber and leading tothe chamber containing the fibrous matcrial, there being an unobstructed passage for oil between said chamber and said air passage, and an outlet for air intermediate the filter and oil chamber.

2. In a device of the class described, acasing, a filter chamber in the upper part thereof containing a fibrous mass, an oil chamber for receiving oil from the fibrous mass located in the bottom of the chamber. an airchamber intermediate the filter and oil chambers and communicating with both` an air outlet communicating with said air chamber, a substantially vertical air passage communicating adjacent its bottom with the oil chamber, and an air passage communicating with the lower end of the first saldfpassage and with the upper end of the lte'r chamber.

'3. In a device of the class described,l a casing` having a mass of filtering `material therein, anair chamber below said mass, an air outlet for conductin the air from said chamber, an oil chamber low said air 'chamber and communicating therewith and receiving oil therefrom, an air inlet passage adjacent the oil chamber, there being unobstructed openings to permit thc `oil from the oil chamber to flow into the air passage.

4. In,a device of the class described, a casing, a filter chamber within the casing having upper and lower perforated walls, a mass of 011 filtering material in the filter chamber, an air chamber below the filter chamber, an air outlet therefrom, an oil chamber beneath said air chamber and conimunicating therewith, a vertical inlet passage for the air having at the opening at the upper end thereof,A a second vertical passage communicating with the first at the bottom and adjacent the oil chamber, perforations in the wall, separating the oil chamber from the second said vertical passage and a substantially horizontal passage connected to said vertical passage and extending upon lie upper perforated wall of the filter cham- 5. In a d evice of the class described, a fil# ter chamber having perforate upper and lower walls, a mass of fibrous material in said chamber, an air chamber immediately below said filter chamber, an air outlet from said chamber having a downwardly turned flaring inlet nozzle, an oil chamber beneath and communicating with said air chamber, a substantially vertical air inlet passage adapted to receive air at its upper end, an

' air passage extending from the lower end of the first said air passage upwardly to the upper perforate wall of the filter chamber,

therebeing openings connecting said oil' chamber with the latter said air passaofe.

ROBERT o. HENDRICKSN.

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