IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM Pumps
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer;
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM Pumps."-A
communication from abroad by Samuel Williston, James Sutherland,
and Joseph Winslow Winslow, all of East Hampton, in the State of
Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 1st April 1869, and dated the 24th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
. on the 24th October 1868.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM PUMPS," to
be as follows:
These improvements relate to the kind of pumping engine known a
direct and double acting, consisting of a steam engine the piston rod
of which is connected at the end opposite to the steam piston, directly
Price 8d.]

page_text: to the piston of the pump attached to the same bed with the steam
cylinder. The main valve is worked by the direct action of steam
admitted and exhausted therefrom by the action of auxiliary valves
which derive their motion in one direction from the steam piston and
in the other by the action of the steam and by gravitation.
The principal features of novelty are the use of secondary valves
with their respective passages arranged in combination with the main
valve and the steam piston to perform their three-fold functions of
exhausting from one end of the main valve, admitting steam to the
other end, and to hold it therein.
The next improvement is packing the main and secondary valves by
means of a small steam cylinder arranged in a recess and provided with
steam passages and steam space at the bottom of the recess. The steam
piston is packed by means of a segmental ring and secondary spring
ring. Steam is admitted to the interior of the piston through passages
and made to act on a valve arranged in rear of or behind the secondary
spring. The pump cylinder is open at both ends and is enclosed in a
case or envelope which is divided at the middle into two compartments.
The water supply pipe and also the discharge valve are each provided
with a set of clack valves communicating with the two compartments
of the casing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Heury Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Edward Newtou, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward Newton,

page_text: 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 "IM.
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM PUMPS," being a communication to me from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Edward
Newton, 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 tho said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal l'atent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
the Drawings
by the following statement, reference being had to
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
:-
These improvements relate to the kind of pumping engine known as
direct and double-acting, consisting of a steam engine the piston rod of
which is connected at the end opposite to the steam piston directly
to the piston of the pump attached to the same bed with the steam
cylinder, and this engine is so arranged that no tappet arm or other
outside connection between the working parts and the valve is necessary.
The main valve is worked by the direct action of steam admitted and
exhausted therefrom by the action of auxiliary valves which derive their
motion in one direction from the steam piston and in the other by the
action of the steain and by gravitation.
By this arrangeinent all complicated mechanism generally used to
operate the steam valve is dispensed with and the steam engine and
pump can be placed nearer together than is usually the case, thus
making a lighter and more compact machine, and one that is necessarily
stronger and more durable than the ordinary steam pump inasmuch
that there is less chance for springing or breakage in the bed between
the cylinders, and the piston rod being short and unencumbered by
additional weight is not so easily sprung out of line.

page_text: The improvements consist, first, in the arrangement of the main steam
valve, the auxiliary valves, and the ports; second, in an improved
method of packing the steam valves; third, in an improved method of
packing the steam piston, all of which improvements are applicable to
steam engines generally; and, fourth, in an improved arrangement of
the water valves of the pump.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal
sectional elevation of our improved pumping engine; Fig. 2 represents
a plan of the main valve seat showing the steam passages for actuating
the valve in dotted lines; Fig. 3 represents a partial sectional view of
one of the auxiliary valves showing the method of packing it; Fig. 4
represents detail views of steam piston packing. The main valve is
moved by a direct flow of steam and held in its new position by the
expansive force of the steam by which it is moved until the steam
piston has performed its corresponding movement, when the expanded
steam escapes and the next flow of steam from the supply against its
other end takes place and moves it back again and holds it in the
same manner. The steam that is let on at one end of the valve is
supplied by the movement of a secondary valve at the other end of the
cylinder, which at the same time allows the steam to escape from the
end of the valve adjacent to it. As soon as the main valve has moved
the supply is cut off by the said secondary valve resuming its former
place, and the main valve is held by the confined steam until in its
turn it is released by the movement of another secondary valve which
also supplies steam to the other end.
A, Fig. 1, is the maiu valve working in a cylinder B and is provided
with annular grooves C, which are always in communication with the
exhaust passages D and D, also with packing rings E at each end kept
in position either by spiral springs F or by the action of live steam
introduced through the passages G. The main valve is packed by the
introduction into a cylindrical recess in it of a cylindrical packing H
of larger area at the top than at the bottom, through the lower surface
of which the steam passage is formed as at I, and leading therefrom to
the space above the said packing is a passage K for the admission of
steain to balance the upward pressure in the space I, and to press the
said packing down upon the valve face. By this arrangement, no
matter whether the face of the cylinder H wears or not, it will always

page_text: press on the valve face with a force due to the excess of the pressure
of the steam at the top as it is free to move towards the valve face in
the said recess in the valve A. L, L, represent the induction and
eduction passages, and L² represents the steam supply pipes. a and a¹
represent the secondary or auxiliary valves consisting of small pistons
working in corresponding valve chambers in the steam chest below
the main valve and having piston rods and projecting a short
distance into the piston cylinder C'. These auxiliary valves are caused
to move in an upward direction by the piston head C striking against
the piston rods, and they are moved in the opposite direction by the
action of the steam and by gravitation. Each of these secondary
valves performs two functions when raised by the piston head,
firstly, in allowing steam from the supply pipe to enter the main
valve cylinder at the end opposite to it and move the main valve; and
secondly, in allowing the escape of the steam from the end of the valve
cylinder adjacent to it, both these functions being performed at the same
time. They also perform another function when down, that of holding
the steam which has moved the valve A by its expansion in the cylinder
behind the said valve until the reverse movement of the valve is required
to take place, which is an important feature in engines of this description
when they are required to work at great speed, in the respect that it
counteracts any tendency of the valve to rebound, as they often do when
otherwise arranged. The valve a (shewn in the elevated position)
connects two sets of passages; one set e allows the steam to pass from
the supply through the valve and into the opposite end N of the valve
cylinder, and the other set e' allows the steam to exhaust from the
end N of the valve cylinder. The main valve is here shown just after
being moved by the steam admitted through the passage e. When the
main valve has thus moved it allows steam to pass into the main
cylinder through the passage L and move the piston C, which allows
the valve a to drop back to its former position, thus cutting off the
passages e and e¹ and leaving the main valve A to be held in position by
the expansive force of the steam confined behind it in the valve cylinder
until the valve a¹ at the other end of the main cylinder is raised by
the piston C, thus connecting the corresponding passages f and fand
exhausting the confined steam from the end N of the valve, and
admitting live steam to the end N¹ to reverse the movement of the
valve A. By this operation of the main valve the steam is economized

page_text: and is not allowed to blow through from one end to the other, and the
valve is rendered more sure of its movement by exhausting one side
at the same time that steam is let on at the other, thus preventing
"kicking," a very objectionable feature in the operation of steam
actuated valves. The steam may be allowed to enter the main valve
cylinder at the same end where the secondary valve is which admits it,
and exhaust from the opposite end, but we find the present arrangement
preferable for rapidly operating engines, for the reason that where the
exhaust pipe there is more or less back pressure or frictional resistance
to the exhaust steam, which retards the movement of the main valve to
some extent, while the movement of the steam through the long passages
will not be subject to the same objection, it being impelled by the high
pressure of the supply. It will be observed that if any leakage should
occur around the ends of the valve A or the packing H, it will escape
through the exhaust passages D or D', and therefore will not interfere
with the movement of the said valve. Ne represents spring pins
arranged in the ends of the valve to strike against the end of the valve
cylinder to ease the shocks of the valve, and N3 represents plugs passing
through the ends of the cylinder and seated in the same for the purpose
of feeling the action of the valve, or jarring it if it sticks, and for other
like purposes.
According to these improvements in piston packing a piston is
employed having an annular groove in its face wherein a segmental
ring g is arranged of two or three-segments provided with lap joints at
the ends, the contiguous surfaces of which are ground together at h.
In order to maintain this ring in contact with the cylinder at all times
whether steam is on or not a light secondary ring is provided 'of
sufficient strength, and arranged to keep them always in position.
aud ! represent passages leading from either side of the piston into
Over these passages valves
the space or groove i under the rings.
are arranged to close the passage from the exhaust side while opening
the passage from the supply side into the space by the action of the
In this way the force of the steam is made use of for packing
the piston while the steam is on, and removed when the steam is cut
off, and at the same time the common objection to self-packing pistons
that when steam is turned off they will lay on the bottom of the cylinder
and thus wear the cylinder out of. true form is removed, as in this
⚫ steam.

page_text: arrangement so little room is required that a very small amount of
space between the packing and the cylinder for expansion is necessary,
as when expanded the ends lap over each other.
Our improvements respecting the pump, which is double acting,
consists in the arrangement of the two hinged valves connected to the
suction pipe m' and two similar valves n and n' connected to the dis-
charge pipe n2; each pair of these valves, or each one singly, may be
placed for convenience of access in plugs or cylinders which are inserted
in the openings made in the shell of the pump, and may be fastened
there in any desired manner. When these valves are hung upon a plug
in pairs the arrangement of the lower plug consists merely of a single
cavity communicating with the suction pipe, and having an opening on
each side which the valves alternately uncover and close, allowing the
water to flow into either end of the cylinder as the piston is moved, and
preventing it from being forced out at the other end in the manuer of
ordinary valves in similar situations. The upper plug is divided by the
vertical partition and the horizontal partition p, and is provided with
the water passages q, q. The partitions o and p prevent the water from
being forced back into the cylinder, and cause it to flow into the passage
out of the delivery pipe or up into the air chamber.
The advantages we claim for this pumping engine considered as a
whole, and arising from the various improvements here described, united
and used in connection with each other are, perfect surety of operation,
for as the piston moves to the end of the cylinder it must operate the
small valve, thus moving the main valve by letting on steam to it, and
reversing its own motion, no dependence being placed upon outside or
complicated machinery; compactness and the small number of parts
and consequently cheapness of construction and the ease of access to the
water valves for examination or removal.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,—
First. The arrangement and construction of parts, as herein set
forth.
Secondly. The improved method of packing for valves and pistons, as
besoin described

page_text: And thirdly. The improved arrangement of valves and plugs in the
pump cylinder, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
H. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)