Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 13th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 15th Nov., 1887
ALOIS RIEDLER, of Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Professor
in the Polytechnic Academy, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improved mechanism for ensuring the closing of automatic
pump valves; and it has for its object to reluce as much as possible the resistance
which such mechanism usually offers to the action of such valves when the latter
are opening.
This object is attained by arranging in connection with each valve a rod which
extends through a stuffing-box into the valve casing and which is, within the said
casing, in loose contact with the valve, the said rod, after the valve has been closed,
being drawn back, (either by the mechanism itself or by a special force acting upon
the rod) and removed from the valve within the valve casing accordingly in the
automatic opening of the valve, during the next stroke of the pump piston, the valve
has no actuating parts to lift or move and consequently no resistance due to such
parts to overcome.
In order to attain the aforesaid object, the improved mechanism can be arranged so
that the valves of a pump are actuated alternately, the common driving being effected
by one cam only or by an eccentric or crank. In this manner the actuating parts
(actuating rods and transmitting levers) are moved in such a manner by the common
driving device that a pump valve is closed by one rod whilst at the same time the
actuating rod of the second valve is drawn back from the latter.
The excentric of a steam engine can be employed as the common driving device, the
said excentric driving the valve motion of the steam engine and the mechanism for
closing the pump valves in the described manner.
According to the said invention the valve casing is provided with stuffing boxes
through which pass the actuating rods, which press the valves upon their seats immediately
before the commencement of the piston stroke during which they have to be closed,

page_text: and liberate them again immediately before the commencement of the succeeding
piston stroke, so that they can open automatically.
If two valves are to be operated alternately the proper motions of the actuating rods
are produced by a swinging double-armed lever. The said actuating rods may be
suspended by links from this lever, which by means of a rotating cam is so displaced
in one direction that it lifts the actuating rod of say the suction valve and at the same
time forces down the actuating rod of the discharge valve. The said cam may act
upon a special arm carrying a friction roller, the said arm being firmly connected with
the double-armed lever or it may act upon one or the other of the arms of the said lever.
The motion of the double-armed lever in the opposite direction is produced through
the medium of the actuating rod of the discharge valve, this rod being of such an area
in transverse section that the pressure of the column of liquid above the discharge
valve acting upon its terminal surface tends to lift it immediately after the closing of
the said discharge valve. Therefore as soon as the cam commences to present its
shallowest portion to the friction roller the actuating rod of the discharge valve will
he lifted, so that the said friction roller constantly remains in contact with the
circumference of the said cam. The double-armed lever is thus gradually displaced in
such a manner that it causes the suction valve actuating rod to approach the said
suction valve. As soon as the cam commences to present to the friction roller the
part of its circumference of the smallest radius, the said suction valve actuating rod is
forced completely down upon the suction valve so that the latter is closed.
Now, should the construction of the pump not admit of the utilization of the pressure
of liquid for maintaining the friction roller in contact with the cam this liquid pressure
can be replaced by that of a spring which acts either upon the discharge valve actuating
rod itself or upon the double-armed lever. If only one valve is to be actuated, the
cam can move the actuating rod directly without an intermediate lever.
According to a modification of the said invention the actuating rod of a valve, or, if
two valves are to be actuated alternately, both actuating rods can by reason of their
sectional area, be subjected immediately after the closing of the corresponding valves
to a pressure of liquid which tends to lift them. Each actuating rod is in this case
alternately forced down upon its corresponding valve, immediately before the commence-
ment of the piston stroke during which the valve has to be closed, by a double armed
lever which is oscillated by an excentric or crank placed at 180 degrees relatively to the
crank of the steam engine. The double armed lover does not act directly upon the
actuating rods the latter being suspended by means of links from single armed levers
adapted to be pressed down alternately by the double armed lever. This arrangement
is made in order that the downward motion of the arms of the double armed lever
which are curved so as to remain in constant contact with the single levers and to
touch only at one point, shall be transmitted to the single levers first slowly and then
rapidly for closing the valves.
As soon as a valve is closed and the corresponding lever arm, commences to move
upwards, the pressure of liquid acts upon the corresponding actuating rod thereby
lifting the connected single lever and establishing contact between this lever and the
adjacent arm of the double armed lever.
The liquid pressure can in this case also be replaced by spring pressure.
According to another modification the actuating rod of the valve (if one valve alone
is to be actuated) or both actuating rods (if two valves are to be actuated alternately)
are continually subjected to a pressure of springs, weights or columns of liquid tending
to press these rods down upon their valves. Prior to the commencement of the stroke
of the pump during which a valve is open, the corresponding actuating rod is lifted
off this valve by means of a double-armed lever which is oscillated by an excentric or
a crank. The excentric may be placed at 180 degrees relatively to the pump crank
so that the excentric and crank pass simultaneously over the dead points, but the
result of this arrangement is that the double armed lever moves very slowly at the
moment where it is to let one actuating rod descend for the purpose of closing the
corresponding valve, and lift the other for the purpose of liberating the other valve to
allow it to open automatically. This defect can be removed by employing single

page_text: intermediate levers as herein before described or by placing the excentric at a different
angle relatively to the pump crank.
When employing an excentric as described, the ends of the double armed lever
must after each closing of the valve swing a certain distance freely downwards and
then swing upwards again so far as to lift the respective actuating rod off the valve.
This free upward and downward movement can take place in slots of the actuating
rods or, beside the actuating rods in forks.
In steam pumps the excentric which moves the main or distributing slide valve of
the steam engine can also serve to produce the oscillations of the double armed
actuating lever. The guide rod of the slide valve, which is prolonged to the
outside, is then connected by means of a rod with the arm which sets the said double
armed lever in oscillation.
In order to cause the oscillation of actuating levers in which the throw of the
driving excentric is to alternate with that of the pump crank, use can be made of
the expansion slide valve driving excentric placed at 180 degrees relatively to the
steam engine crank.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to Means for Ensuring the Closing of
Pump Valves.
I, ALOIS RIEDLER, of Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Professor
in the Polytechnic Academy do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to improved mechanism for ensuring the closing of automatic
pump valves and it has for its object to reduce as much as possible the resistance
which such mechanism usually offers to the action of such valves, when the latter are
opening.
This object is attained by arranging in connection with each valve a rod which
extends through a stuffing box into the valve casing and which is within the said
casing in loose contact with tho valve, the said rod after the valve has been closed
being moved back, either by the mechanism itself or by a special force acting upon
the rod, and removed from the valve within the valve casing. In the automatic
opening of the valve, during the next stroke of the pump piston, the valve has
accordingly no actuating parts to lift or move and consequently no resistance due to
such parts to overcome.
In order to attain the aforesaid object the improved mechanism can be arranged so
that the valves of a pump are actuated alternately the common driving being effected
by one cam only or by an eccentric or crank. In this manner the actuating parts
(actuating rods and transmitting levers) are so arranged that at the moment, when
the suction valves are closed by their rods, the said mechanism withdraws the rods
from the discharge valves and vice versa. The eccentric of a steam engine can be
employed as the common driving device, the said eccentric driving the valve motion
of the steam engine and the mechanism for actuating the rods by which the pump
valves are closed in the described manner.
The said rods may be made in the form of endwise movable rods, extending
through stuffing-boxes into the valve cases, as above described or in the form of small
oscillating shafts, arranged within the valve cases and having one end projecting
outward through a stuffing-box, while their middle portion carries a radial arm by
which the valve is closed.
In the accompanying drawing several methods of carrying the said invention into
practice are shown.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in vertical section of the valve cases of a suction
valve and a discharge valve of a pump, the valves being provided with end wise
movable rods, and the lever by which these rods are actuated being moved in one
direction by a cam and in the other direction by the pressure of the column of liquid
acting upon the driving rod of the discharge valve.
Figure 2 shows similar valves and rods in combination with an actuating lever

page_text: swung by a crank or an eccentric and acting alternately upon either rod, which is
lifted by the pressure of the column of liquid."
Figure 3 also shows similar valves and rods, the latter being weighted, and an
actuating lever swung by an eccentric being arranged to lift the rods alternately.
Figure 4 is a diagram of the path of the pump crank and of an eccentric for driving
the actuating lever of the rods, the eccentric being placed at a certain angle of
lead relatively to the pump crank.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatical side elevation of a steam pump in which the
eccentric moving the slide valve of the steam engine serves also to produce the
oscillations of the actuating lever of the rods.
Figure 6 is a diagrammatical side elevation of a valve case, wherein the valve is
provided with a rod in the form of an arm fixed to a shaft, this shaft being oscillated
by means of a reciprocating cam piece and a spring.
Figure 7 is a similar view to Figure 6, provided with a swinging lever for
oscillating the driving shaft.
The actuating rods s, s shown in Figures 1 to 3 extend into the valve-cases
through stuffing-boxes t, immediately before the commencement of the piston
stroke during which a valve has to be closed, the respective rod urges the valve
upon its seat. and immediately before the commencement of the succeeding piston
stroke the said rod liberates the said valve again, so that it can open auto-
matically.
If two valves (for instance a suction valve and a discharge valve) are to be
operated alternately, the proper motions of the rods are produced by a swinging
double-armed lever h h. As clearly shown in Figure 1 the operating rods are
suspended by links from this lever, which by means of a rotating cam d is moved in
one direction so that it lifts the rod s₁ of the suction valve and at the same time
forces down the rods of the discharge valve v. In the drawing the cam d is shown
as acting upon a special arm carrying an antifriction roller r, the said arm being
rigidly connected to the double armed lever hh. It is obvious however that the
cam d may as well be so arranged as to act upon one or the other of the arms of the
said lever h. The motion of the double armed lever hh, in the opposite direction
is produced through the medium of the actuating rods of the discharge valve v, this
rod s being of such an area in transverse section, that the pressure of the column of
liquid above the discharge valve acting upon its terminal surface tends to lift it
immediately after the closing of the said discharge valve. Therefore, as soon as the
cam d commences to present its shallower portion d, to the antifriction roller r, the
actuating rods of the discharge valve o will be lifted, so that the said antifriction
roiler constantly remains in contact with the circumference of the cam d. The
double armed lever hh, is thus gradually displaced in such a manner that it causes
the actuating rods, to approach the suction valve , and in the moment, when the
can d commences to present to the antifriction roller the part of its circumference
of the smallest radius, the said drivers, is forced completely down upon the suction
valve e, so that the latter is closed.
Now, should the construction of the pump not admit of the utilization of the
pressure of liquid for producing the motion of the double armed actuating lever hh,
in one direction, as described, this liquid pressure can be replaced by that of a spring,
which acts either upon the actuating rods itself, or upon the actuating lever hh. If
the closing of one valve only is to be controlled, the cam can move the rod directly
without an intermediate lever.
In the modified construction shown in Figure 2, it is supposed that both actuating
rods s and s, are by reason of their sectional area subjected immediately after the
closing of the corresponding valves, to a pressure of liquid, which tends to lift them.
Each actuating rod is in this case alternately forced down upon its corresponding
valve, immediately before the commencement of the piston stroke during which the
valve has to be closed, by a double armed lever hh, which is oscillated by a crank or
an eccentric e placed at 150° relatively to the crank of the pump. As clearly shown

page_text: in the drawing, the double armed lever does not act directly upon the actuating
rods s and these latter being suspended by means of links from single armed
levers H and H, adapted to be pressed down alternately by the swinging double
armed lever h. This arrangement is made in order that the downward motion of
the arms of the lever shall be transmitted to the single armed levers H and H¹
first slowly and then rapidly for closing the valves, and in order to obtain a gradual
increase of speed, the arms of the lever h h are curved so as always to touch the
single armed levers H and H' only at one point, which, during the downward
movement, gradually approaches the pivot of the respective lever H or H'.
As soon as a valve is closed and the corresponding lever arm, commences to move
upwards, the pressure of liquid acts upon the corresponding actuating rod s, thereby
lifting the connected single armed lever H and establishing contact between this lever
and the adjacent arm of the double armed lever h, h¹.
It is obvious that in this case also the liquid pressure can be replaced by spring
pressure.
According to the modification shown in Figure 3 the actuating rods are continually
subjected to a pressure of springs, as shown at f, or of weights, or columns of liquid
as shown at f, this pressure tending to press these said rods down upon their valves.
Prior to the commencement of the stroke of the pump during which a valve is to be
open, the corresponding rod is lifted off this valvo by means of a double armed
lever h¹ which is oscillated by an eccentric e or by a crank. In this case also,
the eccentric e may be placed at 180° relatively to the pump crank, so that the
eccentric and crank pass simultaneously over the dead points, but the result of this
arrangement is, that the double armed lever h' moves very slowly at the moment
where it is to let one actuating rod descend for the purpose of closing the corresponding
valve, and to lift the other for the purpose of liberating the other valve to allow it to
open automatically. This defect can be removed by employing single armed
intermediate lovers, such as the levers H H', as herein beforo described or by placing
the eccentric e relatively to the pump crank K at an angle of lead of 90° + 8 as
shown in the diagram Figure 4.
When employing an eccentric placed at an angle of lead the ends of the double
armed lever must, after each closing of the valve, swing a certain distance freely
downwards and then swing as far upwards again before lifting the respective
actuating rod off the valve. This free upward and downward movement of the ends
of the actuating lever can take place in slots of the rod-shaped drivers, or the
said free ends are made forked shaped and embrace the actuating rods beneath a
collar or shoulder. At the moment when the pump crank arrives at its dead point K,
Figure 4, the eccentric placed at an angle of 90+ relatively to the said crank K,
has reached the position and this must coincide with the closing of the discharge
valve v. However, the downward movement of the lever arm h, in consequence of
which the pressure of the spring f, acting upon the driver s was allowed to close the
valve v continues while the eccentric is advancing from e² to e, viz., to its dead point.
Consequently the free end of the lever arm will freely swing downward in the slot
of the actuating rods while the eccentric is advancing by the angle e²e, and here-
after, when the eccentric moves from e to the free end of the lever arm / will
ascend sufficiently high within the slot of the actuating rod s as to commence to carry
along the said rod. During the further advance of the eccentric from e³ to e¹ the
rod s reaches its highest position. In the same time, while the eccentric is advancing
from to, the lever arm allows the weighted rod a to descend upon the suction
valve and to close this valve at the moment when the eccentric reaches the
position. The portion of a complete revolution of the eccentric corresponds to
the free downward and upward motion of the lever arm within the slot of the
actuating rod s¹.
In the modified constructions shown in Figures 6 and 7, the actuating rods by
which the valve is forced to its seat at the moment when the valve should close,
instead of having the form of an end wise movable rod, consists of a shaft s² extending
across the valve case p and carrying two radial arms h² and h³, the arm h inside

page_text: the valve case being adapted to act upon the valve v, and the arm 3 outside the said
case serving for rocking the shaft s² by means of a suitable actuating mechanism.
In both cases shown, a spring which may be replaced in any suitable way by the
pressure of a column of liquid or by a weight is connected to the free end of the
lever arm ³ in such a manner that it tends to withdraw the arm h² from the valve u,
and consequently the force of this spring must be overcome by the actuating
mechanism at the moment when the shaft is to be so turned as to press the arm h²
down upon the valve. It is obvious however that, instead of the arrangement,
similar to that hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2, an arrangement
of the kind shown by Figure 3 may be employed, viz. a spring or equivalent part
continually tending to keep the valve closed, and counteracted by the rod actuating
mechanism during the periods when the valve has to be open.
For the purpose of closing the valve, the construction shown by Figure 6 com-
prises a tappet e reciprocated by means of a crank or eccentric on a suitable
guide the said tappet c being provided with an incline c¹ c¹, against which the
roller of the lever arm ³ is caused to bear under the action of the spring. While
the eccentric is advancing from e to e¹, the arm 2 moves downward to close the
valve and as the incline c¹ c¹ is of concave form, the movement of the said arm 2 will
be a gradually accelerated one, like that produced by the curved lever arms hand h
Figure 2. The advance of the eccentric from e² to e³ coincides with the upward motion
of the arm, whereby the valve v is liberated.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 7 the closing of the valve is obtained by
means of a single armed lever H2, which is oscillated by a crank or eccentric e, the
said lever H carries at its free end an antifriction roller r in contact with the lever
arm. The edge cc of the lever arm 3 held in contact with the antifriction
roller by the spring is likewise curved inward in order to impart to the arm ² an
accelerated motion.
Instead of an eccentric placed at an angle of lead & relatively to the pump crank, as
supposed in Figures 6 and 7, the stroke of the eccentric may be made to alternate
with the strokes of the pump crank, in an analogous manner as in the arrangement
shown in Figure 2. In this latter case, the curve c c occupies the whole length of the
incline of the reciprocating tappet c, or the whole length of the lever arm ½³, while in
the first case there are straight or concentric portions c'n on either end of the curve,
and while the eccentric is making its ways from e¹ to and from e³ to e the roller r
moves along the rectilinear or concentric portions c¹n without actuating the driver
shaft s².
Figure 5 illustrates the case of a steam pump in which the eccentric e, moving the
main or distributing slide valves of the steam engine serves at the same time to
produce the oscillations or reciprocations of the part operating the actuating rod. In
the case shown this actuating part is a double armed lever h h, the guide rod n of the
slide valve S being prolonged to the outside, and then connected, by means of a rod
or link m to the lever h, h.
In order to cause the oscillation or reciprocation of actuating parts, in which the
throw of the driving eccentric is to alternate with that of the pump crank, as herein-
before described with reference to Figures 2 and 3, use can be made of the expansion
slide valve driving eccentric, provided that it be placed at 180° relatively to the steam
engine crank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
:-
First. In a piston pump the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating
rod adapted to be swung or reciprocated toward the valve and back again, and of a
suitable actuating mechanism for moving the said rod toward the valve just before
the movement of the piston is reversed the said actuating rod being moved a sufficient
distance to carry the valve along and force it to its seat, the said mechanism liberating
the valve again before the following change of stroke.
Second. In a piston pump the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating

page_text: rod adapted to be swung or reciprocated toward the valve and back again, of a
rotating cam adapted to move the said actuating rod toward the valve, and of a
column of liquid, a spring or a weight, adapted to move the said rod in the opposite
direction.
Third. In a piston pump, the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating
rod adapted to be oscillated or reciprocated, of a column of liquid, a spring or a
weight continually tending to lift the said rod off the valve, and of an actuating
mechanism driven by an eccentric or rotating cam and adapted to force by means of
the actuating rod the valve to its seat at the moment when the piston stroke changes
and to cease acting upon the said rod before the following change of stroke, in order
to admit of the action of the aforesaid pressure to liberate the valve.
Fourth. In a piston pump the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating
rod adapted to be oscillated or reciprocated, of a column of liquid, a spring or a weight,
continually tending to move the said actuating rod in one direction, and of a lever
oscillated or a tappet reciprocated by a crank or an eccentric, the said lever or tappet
being adapted to move the actuating rod in the opposite direction and having curved
actuating surfaces in order to impart to the said actuating rod an increasing motion.
Fifth. In a piston pump the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating
rod adapted to be oscillated or reciprocated, of a column of liquid, a spring or a
weight continually tending to force the said actuating rod down upon the valve and
of an actuating mechanism driven by a crank or eccentric and adapted alternately to
counteract the aforesaid pressure upon the actuating rod in order to allow the valvo
to open automatically, and to cease acting upon the said rod, which is then allowed to
close the valve under the action of the said pressure.
Sixth. In a steam pump the combination with a self acting valve of an actuating
rod adapted to be swung or reciprocated toward the valve and back again, of a
suitable mechanism for moving the said actuating rod a moment before the com-
mencement of each piston stroke during which the valve has to be closed toward the
valve a sufficient distance to force the same to its seat, and for liberating it again
before the following change of stroke, and of the eccentric of the slide valve of
the steam engine, the said eccentric imparting motion to the operating mechanism of
the actuating rod.
DL: 19:1 October 1907
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