The modern form of spraying carburetor is provided with two chambers, one a mixing chamber through which the air stream passes and mixes with a gasoline spray, the other a float chamber in which a constant level of fuel is maintained by simple mechanism. A jet or standpipe is used in the mixing chamber to spray the fuel through and the object of the float is to maintain the fuel level to such a point that it will not overflow the jet when the motor is not drawing in a charge of gas. With the simple forms of generator valve in which the gasoline opening is controlled by the air valve, a leak anywhere in either valve or valve seat will allow the gasoline to flow continuously whether the engine is drawing in a charge or not. The liquid fuel collects around the air opening, and when the engine inspires a charge it is saturated with gasoline globules and is excessively rich. With a float-feed construction, which maintains a constant level of gasoline at the right height in the standpipe, liquid fuel will only be supplied when drawn out of the jet by the suction effect of the entering air stream.
MAYBACH’S EARLY DESIGN
The first form of spraying carburetor ever applied successfully was evolved by Maybach for use on one of the earliest Daimler engines. The general principles of operation of this pioneer float-feed carburetor are shown at [Fig. 44], A. The mixing chamber and valve chamber were one and the standpipe or jet protruded into the mixing chamber. It was connected to the float compartment by a pipe. The fuel from the tank entered the top of the float compartment and the opening was closed by a needle valve carried on top of a hollow metal float. When the level of gasoline in the float chamber was lowered the float would fall and the needle valve uncover the opening. This would permit the gasoline from the tank to flow into the float chamber, and as the chamber filled the float would rise until the proper level had been reached, under which conditions the float would shut off the gasoline opening. On every suction stroke of the engine the inlet valve, which was an automatic type, would leave its seat and a stream of air would be drawn through the air opening and around the standpipe or jet. This would cause the gasoline to spray out of the tube and mix with the entering air stream.
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Fig. 44.—Tracing Evolution of Modern Spray Carburetor. A—Early Form Evolved by Maybach. B.—Phœnix-Daimler Modification of Maybach’s Principle. C—Modern Concentric Float Automatic Compensating Carburetor.
The form shown at [B] was a modification of Maybach’s simple device and was first used on the Phœnix-Daimler engines. Several improvements are noted in this device. First, the carburetor was made one unit by casting the float and mixing chambers together instead of making them separate and joining them by a pipe, as shown at [A]. The float construction was improved and the gasoline shut-off valve was operated through leverage instead of being directly fastened to the float. The spray nozzle was surrounded by a choke tube which concentrated the air stream around it and made for more rapid air flow at low engine speeds. A conical piece was placed over the jet to break up the entering spray into a mist and insure more intimate admixture of air and gasoline. The air opening was provided with an air cone which had a shutter controlling the opening so that the amount of air entering could be regulated and thus vary the mixture proportions within certain limits.