A NEW OR IMPROVED VALVE FOR DETERMINING INTERMITTENT FLOW OF FLUIDS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of N° 28. Southampton Buildings Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
VALVE FOR DETERMINING INTERMITTENT FLOW OF FLUIDS " communicated to
him from Abroad by Alexander Kaiser of Freiburg Switzerland
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th September 1883.
"
JOHN IMRAY of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex A NEW OR IMPROVED VALVE FOR DETERMINING INTERMITTENT FLOW
OF FLUIDS" [communicated to him from abroad by Alexander Kaiser of Freiburg
Switzerland]
This invention relates to a construction of valve and its arrangement in a passage
for fluid in such a manner that it determines an intermittent flow of the fluid.
According to one construction, the seating of the valve is arranged on a flexible
diaphragm of larger area than the valve orifice through its centre; the valve stem
is attached to a lever on which is a tumbling weight so shaped that when the
valve is closed, the centre of gravity of the weight is on the same side of the
fulcrum as the valve is, but when the valve is open, the centre of gravity is on the
opposite side of the fulcrum, the weight being prevented from going too far by a
stop. The valve remains closed until the pressure on the supply side of the
diaphragm so far exceeds that on the delivery side that the diaphragm is bulged
outwards raising the valve seating and the valve so that the centre of gravity of
the weight passes the vertical line of the fulcrum of the lever, whereupon the valve
immediately opens and remains open until the pressure on the delivery side of the
diaphragm becomes so much increased, or the pressure on the supply side becomes
so much diminished that the diaphragm bulges inwards lowering the seating, and
the valve descends bringing over the tumbling weight which keeps it closed until
the required difference of pressure on the two sides of the diaphragm is again
established. According to another construction, the valve seating is fixed and the
valve is made with a cavity covered by a flexible diaphragm to which is attached

page_text: the stem, that is jointed, as in the construction already described, to the lever and
tumbling weight. In this case, the effect of excess of pressure on the supply side
is first to bulge the diaphragm of the valve, raising the stem and causing the
weight to pass its dead centre, whereupon the valve, being relieved from the
weight, immediately opens. In order that there may be no lateral strain on the
valve stem, it may be jointed to slotted holes in two opposite levers, each provided
with a tumbling weight. Instead of the valve being made with a cavity covered
by a diaphragm on one side, it may consist of a hollow metallic socket covered by
a diaphragm on both sides, the one of these on the supply side having an aperture
through it to admit the fluid to the interior so as to bulge both diaphragms. Or
the valve may have attached to it an elastic hollow ball, or an expansible cavity
like a bellows with a passage from the supply side to the interior.
As an example of the application of a valve arranged as above described, let it
be supposed that a water pipe has its passage so adjusted by a cock as to deliver
1 gallon per minute, but that instead of there being a continuous slow flow of the
fluid, it is desired that once in every 10 minutes, 10 gallons should be discharged.
For this purpose, at a certain beight above the intermittent valve there is arranged
a vertical cistern pipe, capable of holding 10 gallons, in free communication with
the supply pipe and the supply side of the valve. While the valve remains closed,
the water gradually fills the cistern pipe until it attains such a height as to exert
on the valve sufficient pressure to cause it to open.. The valve thereupon opens
discharging rapidly the contents of the cistern, and the pressure being thus
sufficiently reduced, the valve closes and remains closed until the cistern is again
sufficiently charged. Obviously, instead of filling and emptying a cistern in this
way, a cylinder having a loaded piston may be filled, or a loaded expansible vessel,
the pressure being sufficiently raised to open the valve when the piston has been
raised or the vessel expanded to its full extent.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Imray in the Patent Office on the 22nd March 1884.
JOHN IMRAY of No: 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the county
of Middlesex A NEW OR IMPROVED VALVE FOR DETERMINING INTERMITTENT
FLOW OF LIQUID. A communication to me from abroad by Alexander Kaiser of
Freiburg, Switzerland.
This invention relates to a construction of valve and its arrangement in a
passage for fluid in such a manner that it determines an intermittent flow of the
fluid, According to one construction, the seating of the valve is arranged on a
flexible diaphragm of larger area than the valve orifice through its centre; the
valve stem is attached to a lever on which is a tumbling weight, so shaped that
when the valve is closed, the centre of gravity of the weight is on the same side
of the fulcrum as the valve is, but when the valve is open, the centre of gravity is
on the opposite side of the fulcrum, the weight being prevented from going too
far by a stop. The valve remains closed until the pressure on the supply side of
the diaphragm so far exceeds that on the delivery side that the diaphragm is bulged
outwards, raising the valve seating and the valve, so that the centre of gravity of
the weight passes the vertical line of the fulcrum of the lever, whereupon the valve
immediately opens and remains open until the pressure on the delivery side
of the diaphragm becomes so much increased, or the pressure on the supply side
becomes so much diminished, that the diaphragm bulges inwards, lowering the
seating, and the valve descends bringing over the tumbling weight, which keeps
it closed, until the required difference of pressure on the two sides of the diaphragm
is again established. According to another construction, the valve seating is fixed
and the valve is made with a cavity covered by a flexible diaphragm to which is
attached the stem, that is jointed, as in the construction already described, to the
lever and tumbling weight. In this case, the effect of excess of pressure on the
supply side, is first to bulge the diaphragm of the valve, raising the stem, and
causing the weight to pass its dead centre, whereupon, the valve, being relieved
from the weight, immediately opens. In order that there may be no lateral strain
on the valve stem, it may be jointed to slotted holes in two opposite levers, each
provided with a tumbling weight. Instead of the valve being made with a cavity
covered by a diaphragm on one side, it may consist of a hollow metallic socket
covered by a diaphragm on both sides, the one of these on the supply side having
an aperture through it to admit the fluid to the interior so as to bulge both
diaphragms. Or the valve may have attached to it a hollow elastic ball or an
expansible cavity like a bellows with a passage from the supply side to the
interior.
'
As an example of the application of a valve arranged as above described, let it
be supposed that a water-pipe has its passage so adjusted by a cock as to deliver
one gallon per minute, but that instead of there being a continuous slow flow of
the fluid, it is desired that, once in every ten minutes, ten gallons should be
discharged. For this purpose, at a certain height above the intermittent valve,
there is arranged a vertical cistern pipe, capable of holding ten gallons in free
communication with the supply pipe and the supply side of the valve. While the
valve remains closed, the water gradually fills the cistern pipe, until it attains
such a height as to exert on the valve sufficient pressure to cause it to open, the
valve thereupon opens discharging rapidly the contents of the cistern, and the
pressure being thus sufficiently reduced, the valve closes, and remains closed until
the cistern is again sufficiently charged. Obviously, instead of filling and emptying.

page_text: a cistern in this way, a cylinder having a loaded piston may be filled, or a loaded
expansible vessel, the pressure being sufficiently raised to open the valve when the
piston has been raised or the vessel expanded to its full extent.
Figs. 1 to 5 shew one arrangement of the before described valve apparatus in its
various positions. a is the valve, which in the positions at figs. 1, 2 and 3, rests
upon the raised seating b, so as to close the opening o, through which the liquid
is to flow intermittently into the space at A. The valve is forined with opening c
through which the liquid can pass beneath the flexible diaphragm attached to aud
enclosing its upward cylindrical extension. To the diaphragm-is attached the rod d
linked to the arm of the tumbling weight e, pivotted at f to a standard, and having
its centre of gravity at g. h is a stop for limiting the motion of the tumbling
weight. So long as the pressure p due to the liquid at A and to the downward
pressure of the weight e is greater than or equal to that, p¹, existing below the
opening o the parts assume the position at fig. 1, the valve being on its seat, and
the diaphragm in its lowest position, while the centre of gravity of the weight e is
in the position I to the left of the centre line y y' of its pivot. When the pressure p
begins to sink belows that at p', the liquid, in passing through the openings c of
the valve, will in the first place force the diaphragm upwards, against the
downward pressure of the weight, which will consequently rise, as indicated at
Fig. 2, the centre of gravity g gradually approaching the centre line y y' and when,
by the continued upward pressure the diaphragm has become fully expanded as at
Fig. 3, the movement of the weight will have brought its centre of gravity into
the position III, to the right of the line y y¹. The weight will now drop over
until arrested by the stop h, whereby it will allow the valve to be raised off its
seat by the pressure of liquid below as at Fig. 4, and such pressure will finally
raise the valve to the position at Fig. 5 allowing the liquid an unrestricted flow
through the valve opening. When the required quantity of liquid has passed
through the valve opening o, and the pressure p has sunk below p¹, the valve will
first begin to drop down on its seat again drawing the weight g with it and when,
by the motion thus imparted to the weight, its centre of gravity is carried beyond
the line y y again, it will drop over and the parts will assume the position at
fig. 1 again. As the pressure of the liquid from below will be equally exerted on
both sides of the valve within the diaphragm, it will be evident that such pressure
cannot effect the opening of the valve until the diaphragm is fully expanded.
Figs. 6 6, 7 and 7 shew one arrangement for applying the before described valve
apparatus for effecting an intermittent, discharge. The casing A containing the
valve apparatus is connected below to the supply pipe C, which is also in
communication either with the raised standpipe or chamber B, fig. 7, open at the
upper end or with a closed air vessel B fig. 7. In the former case, assuming
the inflow of liquid at m to be throttled by the cock F 30 as only to allow a
regulated small stream to flow up into the vessel B, then the column of liquid will
slowly rise, the valve a being closed until the head H of liquid above the outlet of
the chamber A overbalances the downward pressure upon the valve, whereupon
this will operate as described with reference to figs 1 to 5, and the charge of liquid
in B will flow off through the chamber A, the valve a closing again to allow of the
accumulation of a fresh charge, as soon as the pressures above and below it
have become equal. This arrangement is applicable with advantage in all
cases where it is desired to have a sudden discharge of a regulated and
comparatively large volume of water or other liquid at determined intervals
rather than a continuous flow of a small quantity such, for instance, as
for water-closets, and for certain descriptions of watermeters that give more
accurate registrations of large than of small quantities of liquid flowing through
them. The speed of action of the valve apparatus may be varied at will, either
by regulating the inflow of liquid into B by the cock F or by placing more or less
weight either at a upon the valve rod d, or at ẞ upon the tumbling weight e. In
the arrangement shewn at Fig. 8, the apparatus is employed in combination with.
a collecting chamber B with loaded piston N, for effecting an intermittent flow of

page_text: a comparatively large body of liquid between these two parts, while the discharge
at n¹ from the supply pipe C is regulated by the cock L to be continuous and very
small, the inflow at n being fully opened by the cock M. Assuming the downward
pressure of the piston N to be less than the downward pressure on the valve in A
and the chamber B to be charged with liquid above the piston, then the pressure p
of the liquid, entering a n, will, in the first instance, force the piston N slowly
upwards, discharging the liquid above it through the pipe at n'. When the piston has
arrived at the top of its stroke the space below it being now charged with liquid
at the pressure p¹, the pressure p in A will decrease, and the valve therein will
consequently open to the greater pressure p¹, and it will remain open until the
whole of the charge contained below the piston N has been forced by the sinking
of the latter to pass through the valve and through the upper pipe C into the space
in B above the piston N. Equilibrium of pressure being now re-established, the
valve in A will close again, and the before described operation will be repeated..
Thus, a fluid meter, such as is shewn at fig. 13 being introduced in the dotted'
position in the upper pipe C, fig 8, a periodical flow of a comparatively large volume
of fluid will be made to pass through it, although the discharge at n¹ is a very
small continuous one, such that could not be registered accurately by the meter in
the ordinary way.
The intermitting valve contrivance will be automatically put
out of action as soon as, by opening the cock L, the velocity of the fluid passing
through C corresponds to the pressure greater than the differential pressure at
which the valve is constructed to act. The valve will then remain open as at
Fig. 5, and the meter will then work with a continuous flow through it, as though
the apparatus A B were not connected thereto.
The air chamber Q in the piston N facilitates the opening of the valve at A
until the piston is set in motion. It will be evident that the motion of the
piston N may itself be utilised for registering the quantities of liquid passing
through the apparatus, by connecting it, by means of a piston rod and rack or by other
known contrivances, to a counter. In place of the cylindrical collecting chamber B
with loaded piston N, the arrangement at fig. 8 may be adopted where the
chamber B is formed of a spherical vessel T, having an elastic loaded diaphragm R,
which takes the place of the piston N; or the loaded bellows arrangement at B,
fig. 13 may be used.
Figs. 17 and 18 shewn another construction of the collecting chamber in which
the loaded piston is replaced by a weight X to which is attached the one end of a
flexible tube Y of slightly tapering form, whose larger end is connected to the
middle of the cylindrical chamber, in an inverted position, so that the liquid
pressure entering at the bottom, in forcing the weight upwards, will cause the
tube Y to assume the opposite inverted position indicated. Also the valve a, may
be variously modified, as indicated at figs 9 to 12, the valve being formed
as a drum at fig. 9, the lower end surface of which, constituting the valve proper
being also formed of an elastic diaphragm having a central hole through which the
liquid can enter. At fig. 10, the valve a is connected to its stem d by bent
pressure gauge tubes 11, which are straightened by the liquid pressure within
them, so as to raised the rod d, as indicated by the dotted lines. At figs. 11 and 12,
the enclosed space above the valve a is formed by a bellows arrangement with
flexible sides and rigid top attached to the rod d. In the arrangement at fig. 13
the valve a is formed entirely as a flexible sphere, which is collapsed by the action
of the tumbling weight e, and expanded by the liquid pressure from c. The above
described intermittent valve apparatus may also be used for automatically sup-
plying steam boilers with water as indicated at fig. 14, When the water level N
of the boiler K has sunk to a certain level, the float S, in sinking, will open the
valve V and allow steam to pass into the water reservoir ✗, the pressure in which
will then cause the admission valve W of the water supply pipe to close. The
pressures in K and X being now equal, the head of water H will act upon the
ntermittent valve apparatus A, so as to open it and allow sufficient water to pass
nto the boiler, until the rising float S closes the valve V again, whereupon the

page_text: pressure in X will sink, owing to the condensation of the steam, and the valve A
will close, while W will open to the pressure of the water supply. Figs. 15 and 16
shew a modification of the intermittent valve apparatus for preventing the action
thereof from becoming deranged when placed in an inclined position. For this
purpose, the tumbling weight e is duplicated on each side of the valve so that on
the apparatus assuming an inclined position, the decreased effect of the one weight
will be compensated for by the increased effect of the other weight.
The above described intermittent valve apparatus has the advantages over
constructions of the kind heretofore employed, that the action of the tumbling
weight decreases rapidly when a certain difference of pressure has been attained;
that the weight of the valve a and rod d are but small in comparison to that of
the tumbling weight e, and that the centre of gravity of the latter is situated only
slightly beyond the vertical centre line when the valve is open. Figs. 1° to 4* shew
another construction of the apparatus in which the seating of the valve is moveable,
being raised by the excess of pressure at p¹ from the position at fig. 1° to that at
fig 3, whereby the valve a is also raised, causing the tumbling weight e to be
moved over by the valve rod d, as before, and in tumbling over against the stop h
to effect the opening of the valve as at fig. 4*
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim:-
First In valve apparatus actuated by differences of pressure, the use of a valve
baving an elastic or flexible connection to a tumbling weight, such that the excess
of pressure below the valve shall first actuate the flexible connection, so as to move
the tumbling weight over to a certain point, after which the weight, in tumbling
over, shall effect the opening of the valve, substantially as herein described.
Second: The construction of intermittent valve apparatus arranged and operating
substantially as herein described, with reference to figs 1 to 6 and 9 to 13, and 15
and 16 of the drawings.
Third: The construction of intermittent valve apparatus, arranged and operating
substantially as herein described with reference to figs 1* to 4* of the drawings.
Fourth-The use, in combination with intermittent valve apparatus such as is
referred to in the preceding claims, of collecting chambers arranged and operating
substantially as herein described with reference to figs 7, 7, 8, 8, 13, 14, 17 and 18
of the drawings.
Fifth The use of the intermittent valve apparatus referred to in the preceding
claims in combination with a fluid meter, substantially as herein described with
reference to figs 8 and 13 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof, I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and seal
this Twenty First day of March in the year of our Lord, One thousand, eight
hundred and eighty-four