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From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Patent specification for an engine induction system featuring concentric passages and movable valve elements.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 148\1\  scan0136
Date  8th July 1936 guessed
  
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460,377
For instance, with such a construction, through the walls of the outer and inner passages and diametrically through the enlargement on the external surfaces of the inner passage there may be arranged to extend a spindle on which are mounted the movable valve element for the outer passage and the movable valve element for the inner passage.
The relative positions of the throttles with respect to the closing of the passages may be varied in accordance with the particular requirements, so as to ensure that they are arranged to operate in a desired out-of-step relation.
This relation may be fixed in assembling the device or it may be arranged to be readily adjusted either during running or otherwise as occasion may require.
In all cases the relation of the movable valve element associated with the outer passage will be such that the inner passage may be slightly open when the outer passage is substantially or completely closed.
The inner surface of the outer passage may immediately in the vicinity of the throttle be spherical in shape or it may be of any other form adapted to secure a desired variation in area of the passage permitting the flow of fluid in accordance with the variation of the position of the movable valve element, for example it may comprise an internal spherical portion and further on one or both sides of the movable valve element there may be located portions having converging walls so as to form a converging, diverging passage generally of the character of a Venturi passage.
The throttle for the inner passage may be of the disc or butterfly type, or it may be of barrel formation.
For instance, it may be an externally spherically surfaced member or a cylindrical member through which a passage extends adapted to be brought into or out of register with the adjacent portions of the inner passage and thus resembling in effect a stop-cock, the portion of the passage within which it is located being of a corresponding form.
While the constructions above described are preferred constructions, the invention extends also to constructions or arrangements in which the valve elements are of a form other than the valves or throttles described above.
Thus a device or arrangement in accordance with the invention may comprise a generally cylindrical element arranged with its axis at right angles with the common axes of the inner and outer passages and at convenient points furnished with apertures registering with the passages and containing a rotatable valve body similarly furnished with apertures adapted to be brought into the first-mentioned apertures at appropriate times in order to secure a regulation of the flow of air or air and fuel through the outer and inner passages.
Normally, in accordance with the invention, the inner passage will be provided with extensions opening into or adjacent to the cylinder head, and conveniently into auxiliary valve chambers or in the vicinity of valves whereby the mixture flowing therethrough may be admitted to the engine cylinders while the outer passage is similarly arranged to extend to the cylinder heads, the admission of air therefrom to the cylinder heads being controlled by additional valves. By this way a degree of what is known as stratification of the mixture delivered to the engine cylinders may be secured.
Where, as is usual, the device or arrangement in accordance with the invention comprises inner and outer passages within the space between the walls of such passages there may be provided webs adapted to sub-divide the flow of fluid through the outer passage and these webs may be arranged to extend throughout the length of the passage or may be located merely at certain portions thereof and, optionally, they may be of a form to permit turbulent flow. Thus, for instance, they may be of spiral or helical formation.
The invention extends to means which may be located between the carburettor and the engine in the induction system thereof and to a carburettor comprising means of the character defined as an integral part thereof or as an attachment or supplement.
Numerous advantages may be secured by the invention in addition to those generally above indicated.
For instance, in accordance with the invention, at varying speeds of operation of the engine, or under varying load conditions, a speed of travel of air adapted to secure the supply of fuel at the desired rate, will be obtained through one passage which will normally be the smaller of the passages and be located within an outer passage while the necessary quantity of additional air is supplied by way of the other passage.
The arrangement of the two passages one within the other, the inner being the one which primarily is effected in leading fuel to the engine cylinder, will be of advantage also in many cases in that the heat taken up by the vaporisation of the fuel will be abstracted from the air

460,377
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passing through the outer passage and not from the external air, and this will operate in the direction of securing an adequate supply of air to the engine cylinders under widely varying conditions of operation, and particularly under conditions which are unfavourable, as for instance in the case of aeroplane engines at considerable elevations; for the cooling effect obtained will in such case act in the direction of overcoming the inconveniences arising from the attenuation of the air.
The invention will be described in detail and by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 illustrates in plan view an induction system of a six cylinder engine.
Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the portion of the system comprising the valve elements.
Figure 3 being a view in end elevation thereof,
Figures 4 and 5 are views in section of the portion of the induction system comprising valve elements adapted to be associated with, for instance, aircraft engines,
Figure 6 is a similar view illustrating the application of the invention to Diesel engines.
Referring to Figure 1, to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine 1 is secured a manifold 2 in which are provided a main inner passage 3 and a main outer passage 4 from which extend respectively branches 5 and 6 to each of the cylinders. These branches may open into an inlet valve chamber associated with the respective cylinder or with separate inlet valve chambers associated with each cylinder.
The manifold is connected to a branch 7 within which is an inner passage 8 with a conduit 9 enclosing movable valve elements adapted to control the flow of fluid through the passages 3 and 4.
In the conduit 9 there is provided a centrally disposed conduit 10 registering with the inner passage 8 in the branch and on this conduit there is formed a generally spherically surfaced portion 11 about which is engaged an annular valve element 12, while within the conduit there is arranged a second movable valve element 13.
In the case of the construction illustrated in Figure 2 the internal surface of the conduit 9 is cylindrical whereas in the case of the construction illustrated in Figure 4 within the conduit there is arranged a member 14 which in effect is a choke tube this member being formed in two halves and a similar member is provided in the construction shown in Figure 5, the form of the choke tubes in the two cases being however, somewhat different.
In the case of Figure 6, a choke tube is not provided and the difference between the construction shown in this figure and that shown in Figure 2 is simply in respect of the relative positions of the two valve elements 12 and 13.
The annular valve element 12 is pivoted, as shown in Figure 3, at one point on a pin bearing 15 and it is furnished at a diametrically opposite point with a sleeve 16 passing through a bearing 17 the sleeve being connected with, for instance, a lever 18 as shown in Figure 1 which is connected through the member 19 furnished with a turnbuckle with the common control element 21 which is connected through the link 22 furnished with a turnbuckle 23 with the lever 24 connected to the spindle 25 of the inner valve element 13 so that motion may be simultaneously imparted to both of the valves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An induction system for internal combustion engines in which there are provided two concentrically arranged tubes providing passages for the supply of working fluid to the engine and in which are provided movable valve elements controlling the flow of such passages are arranged to be rotated about the same or a common axis.
2. An induction system as claimed in Claim 1 in which adjacent to the position where the movable valve elements control the flow of working fluid through the outer passage, the form thereof is such that when the valves associated with the passages are in the open position, flow throughout substantially the whole of the space between the inner and the outer passage is secured.
3. An induction system as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the inner of the tubes is furnished externally with a spherical enlargement and on the diameter of the enlargement at right angles to the common axis of the two tubes there is rotatably arranged an annulus constituting the movable valve element for regulating the flow of fluid through the outer passage while on the same diameter the movable valve element for regulating the flow of fluid through the inner passage is arranged.
4. An induction system as claimed in Claim 3 in which through the walls of the outer and inner passages and diametric-
  
  


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