Felix Millet 1892

[Tim Hole]

Hello all!

I am personally (sadly) not a vintage biker but I have a question for those who might know a thing or two.

The 1892 Felix Theodore Millet (bicycle with an engine) had a five cylinder engine around the wheel with a chain connecting the pedals to the rear wheel.

Can anyone give me any kind of insight into how they think this thing would run. Is there an exhaust at all?

Any thoughts would be really helpful.

http://032681.free.fr/1892_Felix_Theodore.Millet.jpg

http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/08/the_millet_moto.html?cid=145247790#comments

[cardan]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for asking what is the most interesting question I have yet to see posted on the internet!

Of course my initial answer is "no idea", but there are ways... Despite the 1888 patent date suggested on the link you provided, the only Millet patent I can find in a quick search is Swiss patent CH9899 of 21 January 1895, granted to Felix-Theodore Millet for "Une bicyclette a roue automobile". The patent is very detailed, with 18 pages of text (in French) and 14 detailed drawings. Great stuff!

The motor is in fact fairly conventional - at least in the sense that it has poppet valves for the inlet and exhaust. The exhaust valves are driven by a fixed cam in the usual way. The exhaust pipes run down the spokes to a collector around the rear hub, thence forward to the carburettor amidships. Here the hot gases spiral around the carburettor to preheat the inlet gases and better vaporise the petrol, before exiting via the exhaust pipes labelled g and g' on your posted drawing.

The patent is a must read if you want more info. It is available online at the European Patent Office: on the advanced search page http://ep.espacenet.com/advancedSearch?locale=en_EP just type 1895 in as the date and millet as the inventor and click "search". Let me know if you have a problem getting it and I will send you a copy.

Now my question for you: if you're not a vintage biker, why the interest in Millet's marvellous device?

Cheers

Leon

[L.A.B.]

To understand how this particular type of engine works, it's necessary to think of the crankshaft being fixed solidly to the machine and the engine as the part which actually rotates to supply the motive force to the wheel.

This type of engine was commonly used in aircraft up to the end of World War 1 (most famously in the Sopwith Camel fighter plane) and was known as a "rotary" engine, as the crankshaft was fixed to the aircraft and the propeller fixed to the main engine assembly, thus engine and propeller rotated together.

See Gnome rotary animation:
http://www.animatedengines.com/gnome.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_engine#Millet

(if you can't see the animation, go to the animated engines home page and switch off the control panel setting)



This type of rotary engine it not the same as a Wankel rotary engine that has rotors instead of pistons. http://www.animatedengines.com/wankel.shtml

After WW1, the German Megola used a similar type of engine: http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/OthersItoM/pages/Megola-1922-25.htm