Two-cycle engine with stabilized combustion and method of operation therefor

In an internal combustion engine of the two cycle, spark ignition type, having a cylinder and a piston, the combination comprising:

• a combustion chamber opposite said piston substantially in the form of a figure of revolution about the longitudinal axis of said cylinder;
• an exhaust valve opening into said combustion chamber,
• working fluid intake means opening into said combustion chamber;
• intake manifold means for cooperating with said intake means to direct working fluid entering said cylinder therethrough to flow substantially tangentially into said cylinder and circulate therein about said cylinder axis and adjacent said cylinder walls;
• movable working fluid flow restriction means associated with said manifold means for maintaining the velocity of the working fluid entering said cylinder through said intake means as the rate at which the working fluid enters said cylinder decreases;
• an ignition chamber separate from said combustion chamber with a volume small relative to said combustion chamber;
• and
• a connecting passage joining said ignition chamber to said combustion chamber at a point near the periphery of said cylinder, whereby the circulating working fluid is stratified relative to residual exhaust gas from a prior cycle of operation, distributed along said cylinder axis and during the subsequent compression cycle the working fluid is compressed, at least in part, into said ignition chamber through said connecting passage and substantially all residual exhaust gas is excluded therefrom.

In an internal combustion engine of the two cycle spark ignition type having a cylinder and a piston, the combination comprising:

• a combustion chamber opposite said piston substantially in the form of a figure of revolution about the longitudinal axis of said cylinder;
• an exhaust valve opening into said combustion chamber substantially on said axis;
• working fluid intake means opening into said combustion chamber in close proximity to the periphery of said cylinder;
• intake manifold means for cooperating with said intake means adapted to direct working fluid entering said cylinder therethrough to flow substantially tangentially into said cylinder and circulate therein about said cylinder axis and adjacent said cylinder walls;
• movable working fluid flow restriction means associated with said manifold means for maintaining the velocity of the working fluid entering said cylinder through said intake means as the rate at which the working fluid enters said cylinder decreases;
• an ignition chamber separate from said combustion chamber, with a volume small relative to said combustion chamber;
• and
• a connecting passage joining said ignition chamber to said combustion chamber at a point near the periphery of said cylinder, whereby the circulating working fluid is stratified relative to residual exhaust gas from a prior cycle of operation, distributed along the axis of said cylinder and, during the subsequent compression cycle, the working fluid is compressed, at least in part, into said ignition chamber through said connecting passage and substantially all residual exhaust gas is excluded therefrom.

In an internal combustion engine of the spark ignition type having a cylinder and a piston comprising:

• a combustion chamber opposite said piston;
• exhaust expulsion means opening into said combustion chamber;
• working fluid intake means communicating with said combustion chamber;
• intake manifold means in combination with said intake means to direct working fluid entering said combustion chamber therethrough to flow into said cylinder and circulate therein about the axis of said cylinder, whereby the working fluid is stratified relative to residual exhaust gas in said cylinder;
• an ignition chamber separate from said combustion chamber;
• connecting passage means joining said ignition chamber to said combustion chamber in substantial alignment with the periphery of said cylinder and joining the ignition chamber substantially tangentially, whereby working fluid entering said ignition chamber from said combustion chamber circulates therein about an axis;
• and
• fuel supply means connected to said ignition chamber to supply a fuel-air mixture along said axis, whereby said fuel mixture is stratified radially relative to said working fluid entering said ignition chamber from said combustion chamber.

In an internal combustion engine of the two cycle, spark ignition type having a cylinder and piston, a combustion chamber opposite said piston, exhaust expulsion means substantially on the axis of said cylinder, and an ignition chamber separate from said combustion chamber but in direct communication through a connecting passage, the combination of:

• means for dividing the fuel supplied to said engine into an ignition portion for said ignition chamber and a power portion for said combustion chamber to affect a first stratification;
• means for establishing an axial circulation in said cylinder with a fuel-air mixture circulating around axially positioned exhaust gas in a second stratification;
• and
• means for establishing an axial circulation in said ignition chamber with excess air circulating around an axially positioned fuel-air mixture to establish a third or triple stratification in said engine.

In an internal combustion engine of the spark ignition type having a cylinder and piston and combustion chamber substantially co-axial with said cylinder, exhaust expulsion means opening into said combustion chamber substantially on the axis of said cylinder, working fluid inlet means opening tangentially into said cylinder and combustion chamber space adjacent the periphery of said cylinder, and a separate ignition chamber in direct communication with said combustion chamber through a passage, the method of charging the ignition chamber with fuel without loss of fuel into the combustion chamber, which includes as steps:

• directing said working fluid tangentially into said cylinder through said peripheral inlet means to establish a substantial circulation velocity inside said cylinder while displacing exhaust gas from a previous cycle of operation through said axially positioned exhaust expulsion means;
• subsequently compressing said working fluid into said ignition chamber through said connecting means, at least in part;
• and
• supplying fuel to said chamber during compression at a rate such that the volume of fuel vapors from said supplied fuel never exceeds the capacity of said chamber as the density and pressure of working fluid and fuel vapors increases.

In an internal combustion engine of the spark ignition type having a cylinder and piston and combustion chamber substantially co-axial with said cylinder, exhaust expulsion means opening into said combustion chamber substantially on the axis of said cylinder and fuel-air mixture inlet means opening tangentially into said cylinder and combustion chamber space adjacent the periphery of said cylinder, the method of charging said chamber with a fuel-air mixture and igniting said mixture, which includes as steps:

• directing said fuel-air mixture tangentially into said cylinder through said peripheral inlet means to establish a substantial circulation velocity inside said cylinder in a given hand about said cylinder axis while displacing exhaust gas in said cylinder from a previous cycle of operation through said axially positioned exhaust expulsion means;
• compressing said fuel-air mixture into said combustion chamber;
• and
• directing an ignition flame with substantial velocity essentially tangentially into said combustion chamber to establish a circulation therein about the length axis of said cylinder in a hand of rotation opposite to that of said circulating fuel-air mixture, to significantly retard the rate of rotation of said fuel-air mixture while igniting said mixture.