IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS AND TAPS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Hayes at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1882. Communicated to him
from abroad by Edouard Remy of Paris in the Republic of France.
JOHN HAYES, of No 27 Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS AND TAPS," [Communicated to him from
abroad by Edouard Remy of Paris in the Republic of France.]
This invention relates to certain improvements as hereinafter described in the
form and construction of "Cocks and Taps" used for the purpose of regulating the
passage of steam, water, gas and other fluids through the same, such cocks being
made in gunmetal, iron or other suitable material.
In all cocks heretofore used it has been the practice to fit. a conically shaped plug
into a similarly shaped shell and to secure it in position by either of the two
following methods viz by a nut and washer on the bottom end of same or by
means of a gland placed at the top end of the plug which fitting into a receptacle
called the stuffing box is kept tight against the escape of steam, air, gas, water or
other fluid used, by means of packing; a collar is formed at or by the top end of the
plug and the gland with its packing being secured by nuts and bolts in the
ordinary way keeps the plug down in position in its shell, and at the same time
prevents leakage at the stuffing box or gland.
Whilst these methods above described have their merits, and have long stood
the test of experience they are however open to one common, well known, and
serious disadvantage, which is this, viz, that the amount of friction set up between
the plug and the shell of such cocks, in order to prevent leakage, is so great that
each time the plug is moved a partial destruction of the same takes place, which is
frequently accellerated by the presence of dust, grit, and other foreign particles which.
find their way between the surfaces, and in consequence of this destructive action it
is generally observed that before a cock has been many weeks in use, the same begins
to leak and to cause trouble owing to the cutting and grooving which is caused as
above explained it being the usual custom each time a boiler or any other piece of
machinery is stopped from any cause for repairs etc, etc, to have these cocks seen
to one important feature always included under this category being the " grinding
in" of all cocks and taps.

page_text: The object of the present invention is to minimise if not to entirely prevent the
evils just described and to make it possible to obtain a cock that will not leak
and cause trouble and annoyance. this improvement is effected in the following
manner.
The improved Cock is of the ordinary conical pattern and is fitted on its upper
part with a gland which is taper on the outside or in the part where it is
inserted into the cock this gland is, secured or kept in position by bolts and nuts
in the ordinary way the spindle which passes through this gland is also coned or
tapered being smallest at the top end and increasing in diameter towards the
botton the gland being bored to correspond this spindle has attached to the top
of the same the handle by means of which the plug is opened and closed (this
operation being preferably carried out by a quarter of a turn or revolution) on
the lower end of this spindle is formed a square which fits into a similarly shaped
recess formed on the top part of the plug in the bottom end of the spindle for a
certain distance up the same a hole is made for the reception of a spiral or other
suitable spring the object of this spring being to keep the coned or tapered spindle
always pressing upwards against the coned seat formed in the gland as above
described and thus prevents the escape of steam or other fluid between the
spindle and its gland the form. given to this gland and its spindle with the
accompanying spring therefore make packing of any kind unnecessary
The principal feature of the invention however yet remains to be described
which is as follows.-
"
Instead of allowing the rubbing cutting and destructive process to continue and
take place each time the plug is turned or moved in its seat as already described
with all its attendant evils I cause the plug each time it is moved from the "closed"
or "sliut" position to that of "open" to be by the same movement raised from
its seat slightly or sufficient to effectually destroy all contact between the conical
portion of the plug and the shell or cock and thus destroy all chance of any
friction rubbing cutting or other destructive action each time the cock is opened
or closed
This is effected in the following manner.-on the plug itself a screw or thread is
formed preferably at the top of the plug though I reserve the right to place the
screw on or near the bottom of the plug instead of at the top
The thread or screw formed on the plug is by preference made a male thread
while the female thread to receive same is formed on the inside of the gland
already referred to this thread or screw can well be placed in any other fixed or
stationary part of the cock under this invention and if the screw were formed in
the bottom of the plug insted of at or near the top in that case of course the
female thread would have to be formed in a corresponding position in the interior
of the shell of the cock for facility in manufacture ease of access and cost of
renewals I prefer however to have the screw formed on the top of the plug and to
make the female thread on the inside of the gland placed on the upper portion of
the cock
As most cocks are generally opened and closed by a quarter of a turn or
revolution it is apparent that the pitch of the thread to effect this lift must be
greater than the required lift of the plug from its seat on average sized cocks I
give one sixteenth of an inch lift or rather more which if actuated by a quarter
turn of the handle means that the pitch of the screw must be four times greater
than the required lift of the plug
The principal feature of this invention as now shown is to retain for steam air
gas water and other cocks the rapidity of action in opening and closing, common
to the plug tap whilst by the same means is secured the freedom from wear and
tear undue friction leakage etc., etc., and ease of working experienced by the
ordinary screw down yalve or those which have a vertical lift to and from their
seat the samo being actuated by means of a screw or nut this class of valve being
necessarily much slower in their action than the plug tap and to which latter class
this invention properly belongs

page_text: The adoption of the screw thread on plug taps as already described also carries
with it another important advantage vis that much power is gained by means
of the screw and that by it the largest cocks can be easily started and turned from
one position to another which by cocks of the ordinary construction is not the case
their limit in point of size in fact being due to this very cause viz the difficulty of
opening and closing when large sizes are adopted and which frequently require
the force of several men exerted at the end of a lever of considerable length to
move the same
This improvement is applicable to all kinds of Cocks Taps and Fittings used
for regulating the flow of Steam Gas Air Water and other fluids the same being
quite novel and not before used or put into practice and for which I claim all the
advantages as now substantially described