"It is in these valves that the Knight motor departs from the usual style, and by this it eliminates the well-known 'pop, pop, pop' by which gas engines have been known all over the world."
As they looked over the engine, an expert in gasoline motors explained all the parts of the "Silent Knight" and showed the scientist and his boy friend just how the machine worked.
He said that the only big difference between the Knight motor and other standard makes of engines is that the Knight substitutes for the intake and exhaust valves an entirely new device composed of two cylinders, one within the other, sliding upon each other so as to regulate the flow of gas and the exhaust of fumes.
Early in his career as an inventor, while living in his home city of Chicago, Knight decided that gasoline engines had entirely too many parts—that they were too complicated—and he set about trying to simplify them. For one thing, he made a careful study of valves, and collected a specimen of every kind known to mechanics. The sliding locomotive valve seemed to him to hold the greatest possibilities for his work, and he began a series of experiments with sliding valves until he finally brought out his first engine in 1902.
Strange as it may seem, Knight's work was not recognized in his own country until after he had gone to Europe, where his engine was taken up by some of the biggest automobile manufacturers of England, France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy. After that it was taken up in the United States, and only now is coming to be generally known. The inventor now lives in England, where he was first successful, and he is still at work on improvements of his engine.
The motor expert went on to explain that the advantage of the Knight motor lay in the fact that the two sleeves or cylinders, which go to make up the combustion chamber or engine cylinder, sliding up and down upon one another, give a silent, vibrationless movement, as against the noisy action of the old style poppet or spring valve motors.
"But," interrupted the boy, "there are lots of other engines that run without making a noise nowadays."
"That is true," the man answered, "but most of them run quietly only when at low speed, or stationary. When they begin to hit the high places the noise of the poppet valves is very noticeable. A few years ago, when most engine builders were satisfied to make motors that would run, regardless of noise, they paid no attention to some of the finer mechanical problems, but since they have become more skilful, they are cutting down on the noise. But, as I say, the explosions are plainly heard when these engines are running at high speed. With the 'Silent Knight' the only noise is that of the fan and magneto, whether at low speed or the very fastest the motor can run. There can be no noise, for there is nothing for the sleeves to strike against."
The expert then went on to explain the motor in detail. The combustion chambers of the four or six-cylinder "Silent Knight," he explained, are made up of two concentric cylinders or sleeves, or, in other words, one cylinder within another. There is only the smallest fraction of an inch between them, and as they are well oiled by an automatic lubricating device they slide up and down upon each other with perfect ease. Of course the sleeves, which are made of Swedish iron, a very fine material for cylinder construction, are machined down inside and out so that they are perfectly smooth to run upon each other.
The two sleeves which go to make up one cylinder work up and down upon each other by means of a small connecting rod affixed to the bottom of each sleeve connected to an eccentric rod, which is driven by a noiseless chain from the engine shaft.