Improved Means for Operating the Valves of Steam and other Motive-power Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Operating the Valves of Steam and other
Motive-power Engines.
I ISAAC MOORHOUSE LIVSEY of Ashton-under-Lyne in the County of Lancaster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :--
My invention relates to improved means for effecting the admission and cutting
off of steam or other fluid under pressure to and from the cylinder or cylinders of
steam and other motive power engines or prime movers, and consists of the following
arrangement:
I employ a small auxiliary steam cylinder with an air cushioning cylinder attached
thereto and so mounted as to be capable of sliding to and fro, the pistons of these
cylinders being secured to one and the same piston rod, and from the centre of this
piston rod, a connection is made by rod and lever to the spindle of the admission
valve of the engine cylinder.
The operation is effected in the following manner. The auxiliary steam cylinder
with cushioning cylinder and their connections, are moved in a suitable slide by an
excentric, cam or crank, and in the direction to give steam admission to the main
cylinder of the engine; then steam is admitted to the small auxiliary cylinder thus
forcing its piston and connections in an opposite direction and thereby cutting off
steam by closing the admission valve of the large or main cylinder.
These motions are timed to the pulsations of the engine, the cut off being
automatically controlled by and connected to the governor.
Dated this 29th day of November 1889
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Operating the Valves of Steam and other
Motive-power Engines.
I ISAAC MOORHOUSE LIVSEY of Ashton-under-Lyne in the County of Lancaster
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to improved means for effecting the admission and cutting-off
of steam, or other fluid under pressure to and from the cylinder or cylinders of steam
and other motive power engines or prime movers and consists essentially of the
following arrangement. I employ a small auxiliary steam cylinder with an air
cushioning cylinder attached thereto, and so mounted as to be capable of sliding to
and fro, the pistons of these cylinders being secured to one and the same piston rod,
and this piston rod is connected to the admission valve of the engine cylinder either
directly as in the ordinary Corliss engine where one valve is used both for steam
admission and cut off or indirectly through a cut off slide or valve where such is
employed to close or blank the port of the admission valve.
The manner in which my invention is to be performed or carried into practical
effect will be readily understood on reference to the three sheets of drawings hereunto
annexed and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on Sheet 1 of the drawings is an elevation showing the application of my
invention to what are known as "Corliss" valves.
On Sheet 2 Fig. 2 is an elevation and Fig. 3 a plan view partly in section illustrating

page_text: the application to "slide-valves" and on Sheet 3, Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views
illustrating the application of the same to "piston-valves."
Referring to Fig. 1. A is the main valve rod actuated from an eccentric cam or
crank on the main or lay shaft of the engine so as to give a to and fro motion to the
auxiliary steam cylinder B the air cushioning cylinder D and the trunk C which
connects B and D together and slides in a bracket k.
Inside the cylinder B is a steam piston and inside the cylinder D is an air
cushioning piston and both these pistons are fixed to a piston rod G which is provided
at its centre with a block G* which is connected by rods E and levers F to the
spindles Fx of the Corliss valves.
The slide bracket k forms a divided hollow chest to which are permanently
attached the exhaust pipe M and the steam pipe N for the auxiliary steam cylinder B.
m and n are the corresponding exhaust and steam pipes attached to the said
cylinder which slide steam tight through stuffing boxes L in the side of the
chest K so that the connection is kept up whilst the cylinder B slides to-and-fro.
b is a lever to work the valve of the steam cut-off cylinder B, and is operated
by a rod c which is connected with the governor motion and automatically controlled
thereby.
The action is as follows:-
-
The steam and air cushioning cylinders B and D and trunk C together with
their pistons and their connections G, G*, E and F are moved altogether by the rod A
in the direction to give steam to the main cylinder of the engine.
Then steam is admitted to the small auxiliary cylinder B thus forcing its piston
rod G and connections in an opposite direction and thereby cutting off steam by
closing the admission valve of the main cylinder.
These motions are timed to the pulsations of the engine, the "cut-off" being
automatically controlled by its connection with the governor.
Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 Sheet 2 the slide valve J is connected to the air
cushioning cylinder D by means of a trunk E and a tube F; and the piston rod G
is elongated and passing steam tight through the tube F is attached to the cut-off
slide H on the back of the slide valve J.
The other parts are the same as before and the action is the same.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 Sheet 3, J, J, are the two main piston valves connected
together by the rods j j and H H are the two cut-off valves working inside the
main valves and both connected to and worked by the prolongation of the piston
rod G. The other parts are similar to those on Figs. 2 and 3 but the "cut-off"
in this case is produced by moving the cut-off valves in the same direction as the
main valves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
The combination with the main valve rod of an engine of a small auxiliary cylinder
and an air-cushioning cylinder connected together, and to the said main valve rod
so as to travel therewith, the pistons of these two cylinders being connected
together by a piston rod which works the cut-off valve, the action of the auxiliary
steam cylinder being connected to and automatically controlled by the governor
motion of the engine, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 29th day of Anonst 1890
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.