IMPROVE- MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SPRING SAFety Valves.” AND
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Coe, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SPRING SAFety Valves.”
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SPRING SAFETY VALVES."
Sealed the 26th May 1876, and dated the 15th December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Coe
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th December 1875.
I, WILLIAM JOHN COE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SPRING SAFETY VALVES," to
be as follows:-
1st. In the spring lock-up safety valve as ordinarily constructed there
are several defects. (1st.) The upper portion or lid of the chest is
generally screwed on; this involves a large diametered expensive screw
and a great tendency to put a severe distorting or twisting strain on the
spring, throwing it out of truth; steam is also apt to get into the

page_text: spring and corrode it, while if the spring breaks the valve flies out and
the boiler has at once to be thrown out of use till the valve has been
taken to pieces and a new spring inserted. It is to obviate all these
evils that this my Invention is designed.
"
"
2nd. The spindle of the valve rises through a brass diaphragm with a
long (deep) boss or bearing so as to entirely cut off the steam from the
valve chest or box. A vertical flange on this diaphragm surrounds the
cup
or round base upon which the spring or springs rest, thus still
further cutting off from the springs any steam that might insinuate
itself in between the spindle and the easy fitting boss on the diaphragm.
Or in place of this arrangement I screw a sort of thimble on the valve
spindle, the parallel bell of which fits round the boss of the diaphragm,
and thus prevents steam from entering the chest. In order to let out
any water or steam that may thus pass between the spindle and the
diaphragm I drill out a drain pipe from the space immediately above
the diaphragm to the outside of the chest.
3rd. The "cup" may be either loose or screwed on the spindle till it
reaches the collar or shoulder on the spindles upon which it rests.
Grooves are cut out of it for two vertical helical springs, one inside the
other. If one breaks by screwing down the other a bit it can be made
to work alone till the end of the voyage.
4th. Above these two springs is a large horizontal brass washer
grooved to hold or receive the spring or springs, and steady the same,
and working freely in a brass bush round the upper part of the chest.
This washer has also a broad bearing on the spindle to still further
ensure accuracy.
5. The spindle now passes through a deep brass bush with a square
flange at the top, which is screwed into a brass seating in the lid of
the chest. This brass bush when screwed down bears on the large
horizontal brass washer described in part 4. By screwing this brass bush
up or down the pressure on the valve is regulated. The square flange
of this bush and also the bolts for fastening on the lid I lock in any
convenient manner with padlocks. The simplest plan of doing this
is to put a large peculiarly shaped cast-iron washer on one of the bolts
of the lid, one flat side of the washer pressing against the square flange

page_text: aforesaid; by putting a padlock in the bolt turned with its head down-
wards for the purpose one lock will lock both. Where however it is
desirable two locks can be used. In other respects my valve is similar
to lock-up valves of the ordinary type, it is therefore needless to enlarge
further.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William John Coe in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN COE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
,
WHEREAS 'Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth. year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William John Coe, Her
special licence that I, the said William John Coe, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as the said William
John Coe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH SPRING SAFETY
VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
John Coè, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent,
"

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William John Coe, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon:-
1st. In the spring lock-up safety valves as ordinarily constructed
there are several defects. The upper portion or lid of the chest is
generally screwed on; this involves a large diametered expensive screw
and a great tendency to put a severe distorting or twisting strain on the
spring, throwing it out of truth; steam is also apt to get into the :
spring and corrode it, while if the spring breaks the valve flies out and
the boiler has at once to be thrown out of use till the valve has been
taken to pieces and a new spring inserted. It is to obviate all these
evils that this my Invention is designed.
2nd. The spindle of the valve rises through a diaphragm with a long
(deep) boss or bearing of brass so as to entirely cut of the steam from
the valve chest or box. A vertical flange on this diaphragm surrounds
the cup or round (base) upon which the spring or springs rest, thus still
further cutting off from the springs any steam that might insinuate
itself in between the spindle and the easy fitting boss on the diaphragm.
Or in place of this arrangement I screw or cast a sort of thimble on the
valve spindle or cup, the parallel bell of which fits round the boss of the
diaphragm or brass bush, and thus prevents steam from entering the
chest. In order to let out any water or steam that may thus pass
between the spindle and the diaphragm I drill out a drain pipe from:
the space immediately above the diaphragm to the outside of the
chest.
3rd. The "cup" may be either loose or screwed on the spindle till it
reaches the collar or shoulder on the spindle upon which it rests.
Grooves are cut out of it for two vertical helical springs, one inside the
other. If one breaks by screwing down the other a bit it can be made
to work alone till the end of the voyage.
4th. Above these two springs is a large horizontal brass washer
grooved to hold or receive the spring or springs, and steady the same,
and working freely in a brass guide bush round the upper part of the

page_text: chest. This washier has also a broad bearing on the spindle to still
further ensure accuracy, which it does to such an extent as to usually
enable me to dispense with the brass guide bush, as shown in
Drawing.
•
5. The spindle now passes through a deep brass nut with a square
or hexagonal flange at the top, which is screwed into a brass seating in
the lid of the chest. This brass nut when screwed down bears on the
large horizontal brass washer or cup described in in part 4. By screwing
this brass nut up or down the pressure on the valve is regulated. The
square flange of this nut and also the bolts for fastening on the lid I
lock in any convenient manner with padlocks. The simplest plan of
doing this is to put a large peculiarly shaped cast-iron washer on one
of the bolts of the lids, one flat side of the washer pressing against the
square flange aforesaid; by putting a padlock in the bolt turned with
its head downwards for the purpose one lock will lock both. Where
however it is desirable two locks can be used; or by so shaping the
brass nut that when screwed down to its furthest limit it shall put the
requisite compression on the spring all locking of this part can be
.dispensed with.
A, A, are the valves with curved lip B; the functions that this
lip B performs are as follows:-As the steam is making its exit from the
valve it strikes against the curved lip B (this being of a proportionate
area to the valve), and thereby assists in raising the valve to its proper
height for a free escape of steam, and does not allow of any accumu-
lation of pressure within the boiler; the valve returns to its seating as
soon as the load on both sides of the valve are in equilibrium, with as
little loss of pressure as possible. c, spindle, held in place by spring. or
springs D. The left-hand Figure shows the apparatus as designed with
one spring, the right with two springs. E is a pintle or base screwed
or resting on a shoulder on spindle c; this is best made with a groove or a
flange to act as a guide to keep the spring in place, and usually has a
downward flange E¹ sliding on bush L so as to keep out steam. F is a cap

page_text: sliding loose on spindle c with flanges F¹ to act as guides for spring D;
.G, brass nut for screwing down upon cap F so as to compress spring E-
to the required limit; it usually is made to work in a screwed brass
bush H; I, cap to cover spindle and take weight off valve when desired
by the agency of cotter J and lever K.
In erecting the apparatus I first bolt the base M in position and
place the valves A in their seats. I then bolt on the casing N and insert
the valve spindle c, then the pintle E, then the spring or springs. The
latter can be of varying diameters, in which case they are concentric
with each other or equal in size, in which case one is twisted into the
other, as shown in the Drawing. The cap is next placed, then the
cover P, previously fitted with bush H, is bolted on, and then the
brass nut G, previously fitted so as to give the exact requisite pressure,
is screwed down. The cross head I is then put on, cottered, and the
cotter padlocked. The lever K completes the apparatus.
In use whenever the pressure of the boiler goes above the allowable
maximum it raises the valve A, the confined steam beating against the
flange B opens the valve still further, and the steam escapes into
chamber Q, from which it is drawn off by a pipe or pipes, not shown
in the Drawing, being prevented from entering the spring chamber by
the bush L, assisted usually by flange F¹. The flange R prevents
the spindle rising too high should a spring break. Occasionally
to prevent the valve sticking in its place and to ascertain that it is in
working order the weight can be taken from it by pressing on the
lever K.
Now what I consider new and desire to protect under the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The mode of bringing the compression upon the spring of lock-
up safety valves F and small screwed bush G bearing thereon, or
their mechanical equivalents, so that the valve can be screwed up with
comparatively little power, and little or no twisting strain shall be
brought upon the spring.
2. The arrangement of bush L and flange E¹ or their mechanical
equivalents, substantially as described, for preventing the steam.
escaping into the spring chamber.
3rd. The use of a double spring, for the purposes described.

page_text: 4th. The arrangement of valves, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Coe, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the
vear of our Lord 1876.
Witness,
WM. P. THOMPSON,
Patent Agent,
6, Lord Street,
Liverpool.
WILLIAM JOHN COE. (L.S.)