US2471421A - Atmospheric pressure engine with lateral support for burners - Google Patents

Description

May 31, 1949- o. z. FRAZIER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ENGINE WITH LATERAL SUPPORT FOR BURNER-S Filed Sept. 11, 1945 Imneqtor Orr/1112 Z. Fi'azzm Qttorncg? Patented May 31, 1949 UNITED STATE Jf ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ENGINE LATERAL SUPPORT FOR BURNERS Orville Z. Frazier, Elkhart, Ind.,'-assignor of onehalf to Harold Andresen,- Elkhart, Ind.

3 Claims.

This'invention relates to atmospheric pressure engines such as use pressure of the atmosphere at one side of a piston to actuate the piston in its power stroke, by creating a subatmospheric pressure at the other side of the piston.

.An object of the invention is to create a sub atmospheric pressure within the cylinder of an engine of the described type in an improved manher, without suchinjection of fuel as characterizes prior practice.

Another object is to create suction within an engine cylinder through travel of a piston and to -drawaflame into the cylinder responsive to such suction, the flame serving to'consume oxygen'in the cylinder and'thus reduce pressure materially below that of the atmosphere.

Another object is to provide a cylinder with a port through which a flame is drawn during a certain portion of each operating cycle and to actuate a valve controlling said port by a novel and improved mechanism.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axial vertical sectional view of my improved engine.

Fig. 2 is a View of the engine in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of the cylinder and piston, showing how a flame is drawn in during initial portion of the down stroke.

Fig. 4 is a View in front elevation of a shielded burner employed by the engine.

In these views, the reference character I designates a cylinder vertically disposed at an elevation above a base 2 and rigidly mounted on said base by a pair of legs 3. A head 4 integral with said cylinder closes its upper end and is formed with a central exhaust port 5. A downwardly seating check valve 6, preferably of a disk type controls this port, and lift of said valve is regulated by a thumb screw 1 set into a cage 8 for the valve,

Reciprocatory in said cylinder is a piston 9, of the usual inverted cup type, and a connecting rod I is pivoted to a bracket I l carried centrally and interiorly by said piston. Said rod extends downwardly through the open lower end of the cylinder to engage a crank pin l 2 fixed on a disk 13 secured on one end of the engine shaft I4. Said shaft is horizontally journaled in a pair of spaced standards l5 upstanding from the base 2 and rigidly carries a suitable fly wheel [6 between said standards. The shaft l4 further rigidly carries a cam wheel l1, preferably at a side of the standards I5 opposite to that adjoined by the crank disk, and

an endless cam groove l8 formed in the inner face of said cam wheel is arcuate and coaxial with said wheel except as regards a chordal portion 'I-8a. An opening i9 is preferably drilled in the cam wheel outwardly of the chordal portion of the groove to correct such lack of dynamic balance as would otherwise result from an excess of weight at that point. Said groove preferably extends arcuately for about 240 degrees, the extent "of the chordal portion thus being about degrees. Inserted and rotatable in said groove is a'roller Isa journaled on the lower end of a vertical slide bar 20, and slots 2! and 22 in said bar respectively receive the shaft M and a pin 23 on the cylinder to guide the bar in its reciprocation. In exterior proximity to the cylinder, the upper portion of said slide bar is materially enlarged and apertured as indicated at 24 to accommodate a shelf 25 rigidly outwardly projecting from the cylinder, Removably installed on this shelf is a liquid fuel tank 25 on which an ordinary wick type burner 27 is secured. The flame of the burner 2? rises in outward proximity to an air inlet port 28 opening into the cylinder just below its closed top end, and a valve member 29 fixed on the enlarged top portion of the slide bar 20, above the aperture 24, bears on a plane vertical face of the cylinder to control said port. Preferably the cylinder carries an upward extension 30 on which the valve member 29 may travel. It is preferred also to equip the burner 27 with a sheet metal hood 3| comprising a wall laterally spaced from the cylinder and having wings 3la extending into close proximity to the plane face which seats the valve member 29, said hood also closing the top of the chamber thus formed to receive the burner flame. This hood prevents disturbance of the burner flame by wind or other air currents created independently of the engine.

In operation of the described engine, the inlet port 28 (shown closed in Figs. 1 and 2) is progressively uncovered as the piston starts its down stroke, and is fully uncovered when the piston has traveled approximately one third of such stroke. During the mid portion of the down stroke (about one third), the port is again closed and remains closed during completion of the downstroke and throughout the upstroke, By thus timing relative travel of the piston and valve member 29, the burner flame is drawn by infiowing air through the port 28 and into the cylinder during initial portion of the downstroke, substantially filling the space above the piston and substantially consuming the oxygen content of such space. Closing of the sliding valve member cuts the flame off from 3 its source before completion of the downstroke, but combustion within the cylinder will be prolonged during the short time interval required to complete down travel of the piston. Hence, when the piston is fully lowered, a material pressure reduction below that or the atmosphere has been created in the cylinder by oxygen reduction. The differential thus created on the down stroke between pressure within and without the cylinder causes the piston to be actuated on its upstroke by a considerable atmospheric pressure, the flywheel storing sufiicient energy to efiect the piston down stroke. On each upstroke, nitrogen and the products of combustion are exhausted through the port 5, the lift of the check valve 6 being preregulated by the screw 7 to afford suitable freedom of escape. The check valve immediately seats, however, as pressure beneath it is relieved.

Starting of the described engine is effected, after lighting the burner, by giving the fly Wheel a turn and on larger sized en ines, starting devices ma be in comeinternal com bustion engine The e1 .e is stopped by extinguishing the name. Speed power evolved may be regulated by raising or lowering; the wick and thus varying the size of the flame.

While the principle of using atmospheric pressure to actuate a piston in its power stroke is by no means novel, engines of this character undergone no material development over a long period of years, and their original development was in very crude forms. Because of their extreme simplicity and consequent low cost, improved by the present invention, engines are particularly well suited for use as toys and for fractional horse-power units.

Relatively low cost of the described engine follows from elimination of any carburetor, from the highly simplified valve mechanism, the absence of any spark plug or ignition circuit, and from the substitution of a very simple sheet metal '4 connecting rod for that used in engines now common, such material being made feasible because the stresses on the rod are entirely tensional during the power stroke.

W hat I claim is:

1. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder having an inlet port, a burner in exterior proximity to said port, a support for said burner laterally carried b the cylinder, a valve member exteriorly slidable on the cylinder to control said port, and an actuator for the valve member apertured to accommodate said support.

2. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder having a headed upper end and an inlet port adjacent to such end, a burner in exterior proximity to said port, a support for the burner laterally carried by the cylinder in downwardly spaced relation to said port, a valve member exteriorly slidable up and down on said cylinder to control the port, and an actuator for the valve member having an enlarged upper portion apertured to accommodate said support.

3. in an engine as set forth in claim 2, said cylinder having an upward extension on which a slideway for th valve member is extended, hood carried by the burner and extending in proximity to the cylinder and its said extension to shield the burner flame.

ORVILLE Z. FRAZIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 343,875 Weisz June 15, 1886 991,989 Helm May 9, 1911 1,028,511 Weisz June 4, 1912 2,176,272 OLeary Oct. 17, 1939

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