Clerk.27s work on the internal combustion engine Dugald Clerk

sir dugald clerk s two-cycle engine

clerk began work on own engine designs in october 1878 after modifying brayton engine spark plug. george brayton. brayton engines ( called ready motors made 1872 - 1876) , 1 of first engines use compression , combust fuel in cylinder. prior time commercial engines available had been lenoir engine 1860, non - compression engine worked on double-acting 2-stroke cycle, spent half of each stroke drawing gas cylinder. hugon engine improved version, both quite inefficient (95 , 85 cubic feet of gas per hp hour respectively). next commercial engine available (from 1867) otto & langen non compression, free piston engine, used atmospheric pressure power stroke, , consumed 1/2 gas of lenoir , hugon engines. in may 1876 otto developed engine using single-acting 4-stroke cycle compression in cylinder. clerk decided develop engine using compression, 2-stroke cycle, see benefit weight , smoothness of operation through having twice many power strokes.

clerk s initial experiment brayton ready motor in 1878 led him make improvements result in development of 2 stroke cycle. clerks engine used compression , novel system of ignition , 1 of these exhibited in july 1879. not until end of 1880 succeeded in producing clerk engine operating on 2-stroke cycle, became commercial product. clerk states clerk engine @ present in market first succeed in introducing compression of type, combined ignition @ every revolution ; many attempts had been made other inventors, including mr. otto , messrs. crossley, had failed in producing marketable engine. messrs. crossley have made otto engine in twin form , succeeded in getting impulse @ every turn.

dugald clerk author of 3 comprehensive books covering development of oil , gas engine inception, , including details of own work in area. first edition produced in 1886, , notes here taken 7th edition, revised , updated 1896.

in gas , oil engines , clerk refers significant earlier gas engine patents of barnett in 1838 , wright in 1833.