A Shock-absorbing Flywheel
Page 49
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WE. have recently seen the specificataon of an interesting patent by Mr. Thomas Henry Barton, of Chilwell Road, Beeston, Notts. He is, of course, a director of Barton Transport, Ltd., which has done much to pioneer the oil engine for road vehicles. His invention consists of a shock-absorbing flywheel which has as its object the reduction of noise and the minimizing of shocks imparted to the transmission.
The flywheel, according to Mr. Barton's design, consists of a heavy external
rim, which is independent of the central portion or hub ; the. latter is connected to the crankshaft as in normal practice. Betwen the hub and the rim is a cushioning ring ; the drive for the transmission is taken from the rim of the flywheel.
Mounted upon the hub is a resilient ring, about 2 ins, thick, which may be made of rubber, either solid or reinforced, so that it can be inflated. To maintain vertical alignment of the parts side plates are fitted over the rubber to enclose it, overlapping the rim and hub.
The plates are secured to the rim by means of screws or bolts, which are carried through both plates and through the resilient ring which they enclose. This arrangement permits relative circumferential movement, in accordance with the flexibility of the rubber. The rim lags and accelerates on the firing strokes and the compression strokes respectively, thus tending to impart a greater degree of sweetness to the running of the engine.