US1798510A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

March 31, 1931. c. A. WINSLOW ET AL AIR CLEANER- 2 Shets-Shee Filed Sept. 25, 1924 March 31, 1931. c. A. WINSLOW ET AL AIR CLEANER Filed Sept. 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. Jffall,

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES A. WINSLOW, OF VALLEJO, AN D ELBERT J. HALL, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA AIR CLEANER Application filed September 25, 1924. Serial No. 739,961.

The object of this invention is to eliminate dust and other foreign matter from the air supplied to the carbureter of an internal combustion engine, the intake of an air compressor, etc., and to supply such air at a pressure generally exceeding normal atmospheric pressure, these operations being automatically performed without detracting from the power of the engine, compressor, etc.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent and suggest themselves as the nature of the invention is understood.

While the drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that in adapting the same to meet different conditions and requirements, various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the application:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on a vertical plane extending centrallythrough an air cleaner embodying our invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figured is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looldng in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on a vertical lane extending centrally through a modi ed form of the air cleaner,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane extending centrally through a further modified form of the air cleaner,

Figure 7 is a similar view of a still further modified form of the air cleaner, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 8-8 of Fi re 7, looking in the direction indicated y the arrows.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1 designates the casing of the air cleaner. The casing 1 has a frustro conical lateral wall 1, an upper end wall 2 which is preferably fiat, and a lower end wall 3 which is preferably of conical formation and which extends into the casing. The diameter of the base of the conical wall 3 is less than the diameter of the lower end of the lateral wall 1. A flange 4, which extends from the base of the conical wall 3 to the lateral wall 1, closes the space between the base of the conical wall and the lower end of the lateral wall and provides in conjunction with said walls a trough into which the dust is directed by said walls as it is separated from the air passing throughthe casing 1. Near its upper end the casing 1 is provided with a tangentially arranged air inlet 6 and near its lower end with a tangentially arranged dust outlet 7. An axially arranged clean air outlet pipe 8 passes through the upper wall 2 and has its lower end flared as at 9 and arranged in close proximity to the apex of the conical wall 3. An air intake pipe 10 has its discharge end arranged in communication with the air inlet 6, it extends forwardly from the casing 1, and it preferably has its forward endflared as at 11. A nipple 12 communicates'with the dust outlet 7 and extends rearwardly from the casing 1, and 1t and the pipe 10 may be secured to the lateral wall 1 in any suitable manner.

In practice, the discharge end of the clean air outlet pipe 8 is coupled to the air intake of the carburetor of a hydro-carbon englne, and the intake end ll of the air supply pipe 10 may if desired be arranged adjacent the cooling fan of the engine'so as to enable the fan to induce a rearwardly traveling current of air in the pipe 10'. If the vehicle in con- 90 necti-on with which the air cleaner is to be used ordinarily travels at a high rate, it will a not be necessary to position the intake end of the pipe 10 adjacent the fan for the reason that the velocity of the vehicle will induce the desired current of air in the pipe 10. Adjacent the casing 1, the pipe 10 is reduced in *diameter so that the current of air will reach its highest velocity just previously to its discharge into the casing 1. Some of the an me entering the casing 1 passes out through the ures 1, 2 and 3, in that the dust outlet 7 is.

dust outlet 7 and some out through the clean air outlet pipe 8. During its passage through the casing 1, the air travels about the vertical axis of the casing 1, and due thereto any dust carried by the air will be separated therefrom by centrifugal force. The dust separated from the air will be directed into the trough 5 by the lateral wall 1 and by the conical wall 3, and the air passing out through the outlet 7 will carry the dust with it. If desired a tube may be connected to the nipple 12 to carry this air and dust to any suitable point away from the engine where the air pressure is less than it is at the air intake of the device The cone 3 prevents the formation of a vortex and eddies in the whirling column of air in the casing with the result that the most efli cient cleaning results are attained. Due to the fact that the dust outlet opens to the atmosphere, and as the air inlet faces the direction of the motion of the vehicle and the outlet faces in the reverse direction, a lower pressure will be present at the outlet than at the inlet while the vehicle is in motion. The device will not therefore cease to function when the throttle to the engine is closed, as for instance when descending a steep grade with the result that as soon as the throttle is again opened clean air will be drawn.into the carburetor. The whirling column of air passing through thecasing 1 reaches its highest velocity at the intake end 9 of the pipe 8, and due thereto the separation of dust from the air is at maximum at the intake end of this pipe. The suction created in the pipe 8 by the internal combustion engine will draw air into the pipe 8 from the center or cleanest portion of the whirling column of air passing through the casing 1. Due to the fact that the air passing through the pipe 8 travels in a direction reverse to that in which the column of the air passes through the casing 1, any dust carried by the air passing into the pipe 8 will be precipitated upon the conical wall 3 and be directed thereby into the trough 5; Due to the induced draft in the pipe 10 and the suction created in the pipe 8 by the engine, and as the capacity of the pipe 10 is greater than that of the pipe 8, more air will enter the casing 1 than is drawn therefrom by the engine, with the result that there will be sufficient pressurein the casing 1 to positively drive the dust out through the outlet 7 and prevent any part thereof from being drawn into the pipe 8. l i

The de ice shown in Figures 4 and'5 differs primarily from the device shown in Figaxially arranged with respect to the casing 1. The lower edge of a cone 3 is spaced from the casingl in order to permit the dust separated from the air to pass out through the outlet 7. The outlet 7 a is formed in the apex of an inverted conical bottom 13 secured to the'lower end of the casing 1, and a nipple 12" is secured to the bottom 13 about the dust outlet 7". The cone 3 is supported within the casing 1 by means of brackets 14.

The device shown in Figure 6 is provided with a suction nozzle 15 which has a rearwardly and vertically disposed outlet 16 and which is secured to the bottom wall 13 about the dust outlet 7. The air traveling by the nozzle 15 creates a suction within the nozzle which draws the dust out of the casing 1 together with the air that passes by the intake end 9 of the pipe 8. In this device, the air intake pipe 10 is not arranged to permit air to be forced therein but is so arranged that the air is taken from a point above the engine and drawn therein by the suction induced in the pipe 8 and the nozzle 15.

In Figures 7 and 8 there is shown a still further modified form of the device, and inthis device the clean air outlet pipe 8 passes downwardly through the apex of the conical stricting a portion of a pipe 20 and by extending a portion 21 of the lateral wall 1 into saidrestricted portion. The pipe 20 is tangentially arranged with respect to the easing 1 and is provided "with a flared inlet end 22 which may be arranged to permit the cooling fan of the hydro-carbon engine or the velocity of the vehicle to force air therein. If desired the exhaust from the engine may be directed through the pipe 20.

The several devices described may be used as stated for internal combustion engines and they may also be used for air compressors or in connection with any device which requires a supply of clean air. When not used in connection with an internal combustion engine, any suitable means may be employed to induce a current of air in the pipes 10 and 21 or past the nozzle 15.

From the foregoing descriptiomtaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that the dust laden air enters the casing at the smaller end thereof, that the dust discharges from the casing at'the larger end thereof, and that the' clean air for the hydro-carbon engine is taken from the center and cleanest part or the whirling column of air within the casing. It will also be seen that the air enters the casing at a velocity which is either caused by the suction of the engine or by presand that this motion of the air increases gradually as it travels from. the smaller to the larger end of the casing, with the result that l the dust and other impurities separated from R casing through the dust outlet thereof, and\ this gradual increase in the whirling or centrifugal motion of the air is caused by the tapered formation of the lateral wall of the casing, the locationof the cone within the casing and the locatlon of apart of the clean air outlet pipe within the casing.

What is claimed is 1. An air cleaner comprising a casing of frusto conical formation, said casing being provided near its smaller end with an air intake and near its larger end with a dust outlet, a cone arranged within the casing and having a base diameter less than the diameter I 20 of the larger end of the casing, a flange extending from the base of the cone to the casing, and a clean air outlet pipe passing into the casing from one end thereof.

2. An air cleaner, comprising a frusto conical casing having its smaller end at the top, and formed with atangential inlet, the lower end being closed with a conical member except for an annular outlet, open to the atmosphere about the conical member, and a clean air outlet axiall dis osed in said casing above said conica me er.

In testimony where ii-weaflix our signatures' CHARLJES A: WINSLOW. ELBERT J. a

the air will be positively discharged from the

Images