F
SECTION F — MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  
ENGINES OR PUMPS
 F01 - 
F04

Note(s)

Guide to the use of this subsection (classes F01-F04)

The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme.

  1. In this subsection, subclasses or groups designating "engines" or "pumps" cover methods of operating the same, unless otherwise specifically provided for.
  2. In this subsection, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "engine" means a device for continuously converting fluid energy into mechanical power. Thus, this term includes, for example, steam piston engines or steam turbines, per se, or internal-combustion piston engines, but it excludes single-stroke devices. "Engine" also includes the fluid-motive portion of a meter unless such portion is particularly adapted for use in a meter;
    • "pump" means a device for continuously raising, forcing, compressing, or exhausting fluid by mechanical or other means. Thus, this term includes fans or blowers;
    • "machine" means a device which could equally be an engine and a pump, and not a device which is restricted to an engine or one which is restricted to a pump;
    • "positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, in which variations of volume created by the working fluid in a working chamber produce equivalent displacements of the mechanical member transmitting the energy, the dynamic effect of the fluid being of minor importance, and vice versa;
    • "non-positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, by transformation of the energy of the working fluid into kinetic energy, and vice versa;
    • "oscillating-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member oscillates. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member rotates about a fixed axis or about an axis moving along a circular or similar orbit. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary piston" means the work-transmitting member of a rotary-piston machine and may be of any suitable form, e.g., like a toothed gear;
    • "cooperating members" means the "oscillating piston" or "rotary piston" and another member, e.g., the working-chamber wall, which assists in the driving or pumping action;
    • "movement of the co-operating members" is to be interpreted as relative, so that one of the "co-operating members" may be stationary, even though reference may be made to its rotational axis, or both may move;
    • "teeth or tooth equivalents" include lobes, projections or abutments;
    • "internal-axis type" means that the rotational axes of the inner and outer co-operating members remain at all times within the outer member, e.g., in a similar manner to that of a pinion meshing with the internal teeth of a ring gear;
    • "free piston" means a piston of which the length of stroke is not defined by any member driven thereby;
    • "cylinders" means positive-displacement working chambers in general. Thus, this term is not restricted to cylinders of circular cross-section;
    • "main shaft" means the shaft which converts reciprocating piston motion into rotary motion or vice versa;
    • "plant" means an engine together with such additional apparatus as is necessary to run the engine. For example, a steam engine plant includes a steam engine and means for generating the steam;
    • "working fluid" means the driven fluid in a pump and the driving fluid in an engine. The working fluid may be in a gaseous state, i.e., compressible, or liquid. In the former case coexistence of two states is possible;
    • "steam" includes condensable vapours in general, and "special vapour" is used when steam is excluded;
    • "reaction type" as applied to non-positive-displacement machines or engines means machines or engines in which pressure/velocity transformation takes place wholly or partly in the rotor. Machines or engines with no, or only slight, pressure/velocity transformation in the rotor are called "impulse type".
  3. In this subsection:
  4. For use of this subsection with a good understanding, it is essential to remember, so far as subclasses F01B, F01C, F01D, F03B, and F04B, F04C, F04D, which form its skeleton, are concerned:
    • the principle which resides in their elaboration,
    • the classifying characteristics which they call for, and
    • their complementarity.
      1. Principle

        This concerns essentially the subclasses listed above. Other subclasses, notably those of class F02, which cover better-defined matter, are not considered here.

        Each subclass covers fundamentally a genus of apparatus (engine or pump) and by extension covers equally "machines" of the same kind. Two different subjects, one having a more general character than the other, are thus covered by the same subclass.

        Subclasses F01B, F03B, F04B, beyond the two subjects which they cover, have further a character of generality in relation to other subclasses concerning the different species of apparatus in the genus concerned.

        This generality applies as well for the two subjects dealt with, without these always being in relation to the same subclasses.

        Thus, subclass F03B, in its part dealing with "machines", should be considered as being the general class relating to subclasses F04B, F04C, and in its part dealing with "engines" as being general in relation to subclass F03C.

      2. Characteristics
        1. The principal classifying characteristic of the subclass is that of genera of apparatus, of which there are three possible:

          Machines; engines; pumps.

        2. As stated above, "machines" are always associated with one of the other two genera. These main genera are subdivided according to the general principles of operation of the apparatus:

          Positive displacement; non-positive displacement.

        3. The positive displacement apparatus are further subdivided according to the ways of putting into effect the principle of operation, that is, to the kind of apparatus:

          Simple reciprocating piston; rotary or oscillating piston; other kind.

        4. Another classifying characteristic is that of the working fluid, in respect of which three kinds of apparatus are possible, namely:

          Liquid and elastic fluid; elastic fluid; liquid.

      3. Complementarity

        This resides in association of pairs of the subclasses listed above, according to the characteristics under consideration in respect of kind of apparatus or working fluid.

        The subclasses concerned with the various principles, characteristics and complementarity are shown in the following table:

      Kind of displacement            Working fluid        Relations

                                                           of generality

      positive                non-                         in respect

                              positive                     of kind of

                                                           displacement

                rotary

      recipro-  or oscil-             liquid and

      cating    lating                elastic    elastic

      piston    piston   other        fluid      fluid   liquid

      MACHINES

      x                  x            x          x           F01B 

                x                     x          x           F01C 

                              x       x          x           F01D 

                              x                          x   F03B 

      x                  x                               x   F04B 

                x                                        x   F04C 

      ENGINES

      x                  x            x          x           F01B 

                x                     x          x           F01C 

                              x       x          x           F01D 

                              x                          x   F03B 

      x         x        x                               x   F03C 

      PUMPS

      x                  x            x          x       x   F04B 

                x                     x          x       x   F04C 

                              x       x          x       x   F04D 

It is seen from this table that:

 F02
COMBUSTION ENGINES (cyclically operating valves therefor, lubricating, exhausting, or silencing engines F01); HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
 F02B
INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (internal-combustion turbines F02C; plants in which engines use combustion products F02C, F02G)
 F02B

Note(s)

  1. In this subclass, the following terms or expression are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "positive ignition" means ignition by a source external to the working fluid, e.g. by spark or incandescent source;
    • "charging" means forcing air or fuel-air mixture into engine cylinders, and thus includes supercharging;
    • "scavenging" means forcing the combustion residues from the cylinders other than by movement of the working pistons, and thus includes tuned exhaust systems.
  2. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01, especially as regards Note (1).
  3. Engines with specified cycles or number of cylinders are classified in group F02B 75/02 or F02B 75/16, unless other classifying features predominate.
 F02B
Subclass index
ENGINES USING FLUID FUEL
Characterised by fluid to be compressed or by ignition 1/00 - 11/00
Characterised by the combustion, inlet or charging, or evacuation
combustion
chambers for: precombustion; air storage; combustion 19/00; 21/00; 23/00
charge: stratification; rotation 17/00; 31/00
introduction of fuel 13/00, 15/00, 49/00
inlet or charging, or scavenging
general characteristics; details 25/00 - 29/00; 29/00
pumps; details 33/00 - 37/00; 39/00
Special means for improving efficiency 41/00
ENGINES USING NON-LIQUID FUEL, THEIR COMBINATIONS WITH FUEL-GENERATING APPARATUS 43/00, 45/00
OPERATION CHARACTERISED BY TREATMENT OR PRETREATMENT OF FUEL, AIR, OR MIXTURE 7/00, 47/00, 49/00, 51/00
SPECIAL FORMS OR APPLICATIONS
Kinds of engine
kinds of piston: rotary, oscillating; reciprocating in rotary engines or movable cylinders; free-piston or without rotating main shaft 53/00, 55/00; 57/00, 59/00; 71/00
convertible or with interchangeable parts 69/00
with special auxiliary apparatus 67/00
other kinds; component parts, details, or accessories 75/00; 77/00
Combinations, not otherwise provided for, of two or more engines 73/00
Engines for particular use, combinations with other devices 61/00 - 67/00
RUNNING-IN 79/00

 F02C
GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; fluidised bed combustion apparatus F23C 10/00; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B 11/00; using gas-turbine plants in vehicles, see the relevant vehicle classes)
 F02C

Note(s)

  1. This subclass covers:
    • combustion product or hot gas turbine plants;
    • internal combustion turbines or turbine plants;
    • turbine plants in which the working fluid is an unheated, pressurised gas.
  2. This subclass does not cover:
  3. In this subclass, the following expression is used with the meaning indicated:
    • "gas-turbine plants" covers all the subject matter of Note (1) above and covers also features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants.
  4. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.

 F02D
CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K 31/00; cyclically operating valves for combustion engines F01L; controlling combustion engine lubrication F01M; cooling internal-combustion engines F01P; supplying combustion engines with combustible mixtures or constituents thereof, e.g. carburettors, injection pumps, F02M; starting of combustion engines F02N; controlling of ignition F02P; controlling gas-turbine plants, jet-propulsion plants, or combustion-product engine plants, see the relevant subclasses for these plants)  [4]
 F02D

Note(s)

  1. In this subclass, the following term or expression is used with the meanings indicated:
    • "fuel injection" means the introduction of a combustible substance into a space, e.g. cylinder, by means of a pressure source, e.g. a pump, continuously or cyclically acting behind the substance;
    • "supercharging" means supplying to the working space, e.g. cylinder, combustion-air pressurised by means of a pressure source, e.g. a pump.
  2. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.
  3. In this subclass, electrical aspects of control arrangements are classified in groups F02D 41/00-F02D 45/00.  [4]
 F02D
Subclass index
CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
Characterised by action on engine operation
on injection: general; low pressure; other means 1/00; 3/00; 7/00
by throttling air or fuel-and-air induction or exhaust 9/00
on valve-operating cycle; varying compression ratio 13/00; 15/00
cutting-out cylinders, rendering engines inoperative or idling 17/00
on delivery of fuel or combustion-air, not otherwise provided for 33/00
on two or more associated functions not otherwise provided for 37/00
Characterised by initiating or actuating means
non-automatic initiation, e.g. by operator 11/00
initiation by speed-sensing governors or by interior or exterior conditions, not otherwise provided for 31/00, 35/00
Programme control 28/00
CONTROL OF PARTICULAR ENGINES
engines: characterised by fuel; by combustion medium used; by supercharge 19/00; 21/00; 23/00
co-operating engines; reversible engines; engines driving vehicle or particular devices 25/00; 27/00; 29/00
OTHER CONTROL
Non-electrical 39/00
Electrical 41/00 - 45/00

 F02F
CYLINDERS, PISTONS, OR CASINGS FOR COMBUSTION ENGINES; ARRANGEMENTS OF SEALINGS IN COMBUSTION ENGINES (specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston internal-combustion engines F02B; specially adapted for gas-turbine plants F02C; specially adapted for jet-propulsion plants F02K)  [2]
 F02F

Note(s)

  1. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.
  2. Class F16 takes precedence over this subclass, except for subject matter specific to combustion engines.

 F02G
HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT ENGINE PLANTS (steam engine plants, special vapour plants, plants operating on either hot gas or combustion-product gases together with other fluid F01K; gas-turbine plants F02C; jet-propulsion plants F02K); USE OF WASTE HEAT OF COMBUSTION ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
 F02G

Note(s)

Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.


 F02K
JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (arrangement or mounting of jet-propulsion plants in land vehicles or vehicles in general B60K; arrangement or mounting of jet-propulsion plants in waterborne vessels B63H; controlling aircraft attitude, flight direction, or altitude by jet reaction B64C; arrangement or mounting of jet-propulsion plants in aircraft B64D; plants characterised by the power of the working fluid being divided between jet propulsion and another form of propulsion, e.g. propeller, F02B, F02C; features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants, air intakes or fuel supply control of air-breathing jet-propulsion plants F02C)
 F02K

Note(s)

  1. In this subclass, the following expression is used with the meaning indicated:
    • "jet-propulsion plants" means plants using combustion to produce a fluid stream from which a propulsive thrust on the plants is obtained on the reaction principle.
  2. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.
 F02K
Subclass index
PLANTS CHARACTERISED BY JET PIPE OR NOZZLE 1/00, 9/80
PLANTS WITH COMPRESSOR OR FAN 3/00, 5/00
PLANTS WITHOUT COMPRESSOR OR FAN 7/00
ROCKET-ENGINE PLANTS 9/00
CONTROL 1/15, 1/76, 7/00, 9/00
OTHER PLANTS 11/00

 F02M
SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF (charging such engines F02B)
 F02M

Note(s)

  1. In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "carburettors" means essentially apparatus for mixing fuel with air, the fuel being brought into mixing contact with the air by lowering the air pressure, e.g. in a venturi;
    • "fuel-injection apparatus" means apparatus for introducing fuel into a space, e.g. engine cylinder, by pressurising the fuel, e.g. by a pump acting behind the fuel, and thus includes the so-called "solid-fuel injection" in which liquid fuel is introduced without any admixture of gas;
    • "low-pressure fuel injection" means fuel injection in which the fuel-air mixture containing fuel thus injected will be substantially compressed in the compression stroke of the engine;
    • "pumping element" means a single piston-cylinder unit in a reciprocating-piston fuel-injection pump or the equivalent unit in any other type of fuel-injection pump.
  2. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.
 F02M
Subclass index
SUPPLYING WITH LIQUID FUEL
Carburettors
starting, idling; float-controlled fuel level; mixture control; throttling, mixing chambers 1/00, 3/00; 5/00; 7/00; 9/00
heating, cooling, insulating 15/00
multi-stage, register type; combinations of carburettors or fuels; combination with low-pressure injection 11/00; 13/00; 71/00
other characteristics; other details, or accessories 17/00; 19/00
Injection apparatus
general characteristics, injection without gas
with two or more sequentially-fed injectors; with two or more liquids 41/00; 43/00
with cyclic delivery characteristics; with fluid-actuated valves 45/00; 47/00
with pump or injector actuated by cylinder pressure or by the piston 49/00
electrically-operated 51/00
with heating, cooling, or insulating means; characterised by fuel pipes or venting means 53/00; 55/00
injectors combined with other devices 57/00
arrangements of apparatus relative to engine, related pump drives 39/00
other adaptations of pumps; other injectors 59/00; 61/00
other apparatus, details, or accessories 63/00, 69/00
testing 65/00
using high-pressure gas 67/00
low-pressure apparatus 51/02, 69/00, 71/00
SUPPLYING WITH NON-LIQUID FUEL 21/00
FEEDING OR PRETREATING AIR, FUEL, OR FUEL-AIR MIXTURE
Pre-treating fuel, air, or mixture
adding secondary air; adding non-fuel substances or secondary fuel 23/00; 25/00
by catalytic, electrical, or magnetic means, or by sound or radiation; thermally 27/00; 31/00
by re-atomising or homogenising; air cleaning; other treatment 29/00; 35/00; 33/00
Air intakes or silencers, induction systems 35/00
Fuel transfer to carburettors or injection apparatus 37/00

 F02N
STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES (starting of free-piston combustion-engines F02B 71/02; starting of gas-turbine plants F02C 7/26); STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
 F02N

Note(s)

  1. Attention is drawn to the Notes preceding class F01.
  2. The starting of engines which are not explicitly stated to be combustion engines is classified in this subclass in so far as their starting is equivalent to that of combustion engines.
 F02N
Subclass index
STARTING BY MUSCLE POWER 1/00, 3/00, 5/00
STARTING OTHERWISE
With mechanical energy storage 5/00
By fluid motor; by electric motor 7/00; 11/00
By direct action in the working chamber: by fluid pressure; by explosives 9/00; 13/00
By other apparatus, details, accessories 15/00
OTHER MEANS OR AIDS FOR STARTING 17/00

 F02P
IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES (specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B 53/12; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general, see section H; sparking plugs H01T)
 F02P
Subclass index
ELECTRIC SPARK IGNITION
Directly from generator; other installations 1/00; 3/00
Sparking plugs structurally combined with engine parts 13/00
Control: timing, distributing; other 5/00, 7/00; 9/00
Safety means 11/00
Other features 15/00
Testing 17/00
IGNITION OTHERWISE THAN BY ELECTRIC SPARK: BY INCANDESCENCE; BY DIRECT FLAME; BY OTHER MEANS 19/00; 21/00; 23/00