The Knowledge Bank at The Ohio State University Ohio State Engineer Title: Sleeve Valve Engines Creators: Johnstone, Donald T. Issue Date: Mar-1927 Publisher: Ohio State University, College of Engineering Citation: Ohio State Engineer, vol. 10, no. 3 (March, 1927), 12, 18, 20. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/33874 Appears in Collections: Ohio State Engineer: Volume 10, no. 3 (March, 1927) 12 THE OHIO STATE ENGINEER SLEEVE VALVE ENGINES By DONALD T. JOHNSTONE, '29 HE advent of the automobile into modern Knight Company, and the Yellow Sleeve Valve industry has given rise to extensive re- Works. Of these, the Willys-Overland Company search and experimental work on valves is the largest producer. and valve gear for the internal combustion The single sleeve valve engine invented by P. engine, consequently, we may classify our present Burt and commonly known as the Burt-McCal- automobile engines by the type of valve and valve lum, or Argyll engine, is now used in Europe but gear with which they are equipped. The two pre- promises to become an extensive American prod- vailing types are the poppet valve and sleeve uct due to the asquisition of the basic patents by valve with their respective gear. Of the many the Continental Motors Corporation, of Detroit, sleeve valve engines on which patents have been Michigan. taken out, only two have come into extensive com- As its name implies, the distinguishing feature mercial use: the double sleeve valve, invented by of the Knight double sleeve engine is the valve Charles Y. Knight, an American automobile engi- construction. The valve functions are performed neer; and the single sleeve engine, invented by by two concentric ported sleeves which are placed P. Burt, a Scotch engineer. between the cylinder wall and piston. These Charles Y. Knight was the pioneer of sleeve sleeves are given a reciprocating motion past valve engine design. In 1905 Knight began work ports in the cylinder walls to admit and release along this line and built a car equipped with the the gases. Each sleeve has an exhaust port on first sleeve valve engine. His principal desire one side and an inlet port on the opposite side, was to eliminate the noise which the poppet valve the passage for either the inlet or exhaust being engine created, for at this early stage of motor open when the three ports on a particular side car development many of the poppet valve en- are in registry. As the sleeves move upward they gines were made with much of the valve train pass into an annular space between the cylinder outside of the case so that the noise of metallic wall and an especially constructed cylinder head surfaces coming into contact with each other so that during the compression and power strokes could not be muffled. At the time the Knight the gases do not come into contact with the cyl- engine was invented, the best engines were very inder wall, but are separated from it by two lay- noisy even though operating speeds were low as ers of cast iron and two films of lubricating oil. compared with out present engine speeds. The inlet passage begins to open when the bottom The sleeve valve design was not considered edge of the port in the outer sleeve, moving down- practical by American manufacturers at this wardly, passes the top edge of the port in the in- time; but after convincing tests Knight succeeded ner sdeeve, also moving downwardly but at a in selling his British rights to the Daimler Motor slower rate. The inlet passage closes when the Company, of Coventry, England. The Daimler bottom edge of the port in the inner sleeve, mov- Company was the largest producer of expensive upwardly, passes the top edge of the port in the motor cars in England, consequently it occupied outer sleeve, also moving upwardly. This passing a very important place in the British motor car of the edges of the ports in the sleeves takes place industry. Immediately following the adoption while they are opposite the inlet port in the cyl- of the sleeve valve engine by Daimler, Knight inder wall. The inlet ports of the two sleeves placed his rights with one manufacturer in each also come into registry 360 degrees of the crank of the principal countries of Europe. The Mer- motion later, when the piston has started on its cedes concern secured the German rights, the power stroke, but these ports are then high up Minerva Company of Antwerp the Belgian rights, between the cylinder wall and cylinder head, and and Panhard-Levassor of Paris the French rights. the port in the inner sleeve is sealed by a ring These firms were recognized as the foremost in in the cylinder head. The strokes of both sleeves motor car manufacture in Europe, so his success are alike, but the lengths of their connecting rods with these firms created a great interest through- are different. out the automobile industry of the world. The Sleeve vailye engine ports can be made larger British Daimler concern adopted the new engine than is consistent in poppet valve engine design for their total production and in 1908 exhibited due to the fact that the sleeve valve engine pro- models equipped with this engine at the London duces less noise when operating. The fact that show, but the other European manufacturers exceptionally large port area can be obtained turned only a part of their production to the with the sleeve valve never has been an important Knight enigne. factor in the design of American racing car en- After his striking success in Europe, Knight gines because these engines are not designed for returned to this country, where he planned to quiet operation. The desired port area can be ob- place his patents with four manufacturers, in- tained with the poppet valve if the noise they stead of one as in each of the countries of Europe. make is no objection. To obtain maximum effi- The licenses were eventually placed with the F. B. ciency with the poppet valve, the lift should be Stearns Company, the Columbia Motor Car Com- one-fourth the clear diameter and rapid, but this pany, the Stoddard-Dayton Company, and the construction is not adhered to except in racing en- Moline Aotomobile Company. These four licenses gines where the height and lift are determined are now controlled by the Willys-Overland Com- only by the physical properties of the metals. At pany, the F. B. Stearns Company, the Sterling- (Continued on Page 18) 18 THE OHIO STATE ENGINEER SLEEVE VALVE MOTORS haust valve head; the spark plug is so surrounded (Continued from Page 12) with water that it is sufficiently cooled; and the piston head has never given any undue trouble. moderate speeds the specific output of sleeve valve Compression ratios are as high in the present engines is apparently about 15 per cent greater sleeve engine as in any poppet valve engine, so it than poppet valve engines. seems that this saving of heat tends to greater The sleeves are operated by their connection mechanical efficiency. to an eccentric shaft which is driven from the Formerly, lubrication of the sleeves was the crankshaft at half engine speed. The stroke in greatest problem in the sleeve valve engine de- the older type engines at least, was from 1 to 1% sign because, with the original splash lubricat- inches. The reciprocating motion of the valve ing system, the oil would not travel upward mechanism creates a problem of balance in this along the surface of the sleeves. At the present engine and the speed of the original Knight en- time, some makers have installed pressure lubri- gine had to be kept comparatively low because of cating systems which have overcome the original the inertia of the sleeves, but refinements in the troubles, and others that depend on the splash sleeve construction have cut down weight so that system, have provided holes and grooves for oil now the sleeve valve engine can be operated at reception and distribution. Refinements of the speeds equal to the average poppet valve engine. past few years have practically eliminated the ob- Tests have shown that the power required to op- jections to the sleeve valve engine due to lubrica- erate the valve gear does not lower ;the mechani- tion difficulties. cal efficiency of the engine to any appreciable ex- The latest models of the Daimler motor cars tent, although greater starting torque is required are equipped with steel valve sleeves, and due to due to congealed oil on the surface of the sleeves. this fact an increase of power has been secured The distinguishing point about the 'valve gear is which places this particular sleeve valve engine that the valves are positively operated and valve on a level basis at least as high as the best of timing is therefore absolutely independent of the poppet valve engines intended for normal use. speed. The Daimler Motor Company manufactures four The construction of the combustion chamber different engines ranging from 114 cubic inches and cylinder in the Knight engine allows a piston displacement developing 55 brake horse- greater percentage of heat energy, released by power, to 350 cubic inches displacement develop- combustion, to be transformed into useful work ing 120 brake horsepower. The power increase than the construction of the conventional poppet in each case is at the top of the speed range and valve type allows. The proportion, of heat which results partly from the higher speeds made pos- passes into the cooling jacket varies with the sible by the use of steel valve sleeves.