Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 7th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 8th Nov., 1887
I, DUNDAS WILLIAM PORTEOUS, of 55 Back Sneddon Street, Paisley, in the county
of Renfrew, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its object, to produce a simple and efficient arrangement of
valve gear by which the motion of steam or other motive power Engines can be controlled
either by hand or otherwise.
In carrying out this invention into practice-I employ, to actuate the valve or
valves of the Engine or Engines, one or more eccentrics, having an elongated hole
passing through each, fitted on flats on a shaft, so as to be made easily to slide across
it-This shaft may be either the crank shaft of the said Engine or Engines, or may
be a secondary shaft, which may be connected with the crank shaft by suitable gearing,
if desirable This shaft on which the said eccentric or eccentrics is or are fitted, has a
slot, corresponding to each eccentric, passing through it-in this slot a suitably
formed lever is suspended on a pin passing through said shaft at right angles to said
slot, and serving as a fulcrum for said lever-This said lever is formed with two
parts projecting beyond the diameter of the said shaft at the point where the said
eccentric is fitted on, and coming into contact with the ends of the said elongated hole
in the said eccentric-At another point of said lever other two parts project beyond
the diameter of said shaft, and come into contact with two inclined planes formed in a
clutch, fitted to slide on said shaft and turning with it; all in such a manner that
when said clutch is moved along said shaft, said lever is turned on its fulcrum and
causes said eccentric to move across said shaft-This said clutch may be operated by a
lever or other suitable means-Or it may have a screw thread formed on it, into which
a screw wheel is fitted, on turning which the said clutch may be moved along said
shaft, and cause said eccentric to move across said shaft so as to admit of the valve or
valves, of said Engine or Engines, actuated by it, opening the ports for the ingress or
egress of steam or other fluid. And if said screw wheel is prevented from turning,
the said clutch having screw thread, being connected with the crank shaft of said

page_text: Engine or Engines, is moved back along said shaft, by the movement of said Engine
or Engines, and at the same time causes the said eccentric to be moved across
said shaft so as to close said valve or valves actuated by it.-By means of this
arrangement the said Engine or Engines may be started, stopped or reversed
at pleasure-If desirable, the said projecting parts of said lever may be fitted
with rollers, so as to lessen the friction between said lever and the parts of said
eccentric, or inclined planes in said clutch with which they come into contact.
As a modification of my improved valve gear, I employ instead of the aforesaid
lever, an arm fixed to said eccentric and projecting to one side of it, having two
lugs in contact with said inclined planes formed in aforesaid clutch; or if desirable,
these said lugs on said projecting arm, may be fitted with rollers in contact with said
inclined planes of aforesaid clutch, to lessen friction.
Dated this Tenth day of December 1886.

page_text: Improvements in the Valve Gear of Steam and other Motive
Power Engines.
I, DUNDAS WILLIAM PORTEOUS, of 55 Back Sneddon Street, Paisley, in the
county of Renfrew, 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 has for its object, to produce a simple and efficient arrangement of
valve gear by which the motion of Steam or other motive power Engines can be
controlled either by hand or otherwise.
In carrying out this invention into practice-I employ, to actuate the valve or
valves of the Engine or Engines, one or more eccentrics, having an elongated hole
passing through each, fitted on flats on a shaft so as to be made easily to slide across
it-This shaft may be either the crank shaft of the said Engine or Engines, or may
be a secondary shaft, which may be connected with the Crank shaft by suitable gearing
if desirable This shaft on which the said eccentric or eccentrics is or are fitted, has a
slot, corresponding to each eccentric, passing through it, in this slot a suitably formed
lever is suspended on a pin passing through said shaft at right angles to said slot and
serving as a fulcrum for said lever-This said lever is formed with two parts
projecting beyond the diameter of the said shaft at the point where the said eccentric
is fitted on, and coming into contact with the ends of the said elongated hole in the
said eccentric-At another point of said lever other two parts project beyond the
diameter of said shaft and come into contact with two inclined planes or surfaces
formed in a clutch, fitted to slide on said shaft and turning with it; all in such a
manner that when said clutch is moved along said shaft, said lever is turned on its
fulcrum and causes said eccentric to move across, said shaft-This said clutch may be
operated by a lover or other suitable means-Or it may have a screw thread formed on
it, into which a screw wheel is fitted, on turning which the said clutch may be moved
along said shaft, and cause said eccentric to move across said shaft so as to admit of
the valve or valves of said Engine or Engines actuated by it opening the ports for the
ingress or egress of steam or other fluid And if said screw wheel is prevented from
turning, the said clutch having screw thread, being connected with the crank shaft of
said Engine or Engines, is moved back along said shaft, by the movement of said
Engine or Engines, and at the same time causes the said eccentric to be moved
across said shaft so as to close said valve or valves actuated by it. By means of this
arrangement the said Engine or Engines may be started, stopped or reversed at
pleasure-If desirable the said projecting parts of said lever may be fitted with rollers,
so as to lessen the friction between said lover and the parts of said eccentric or inclined
planes or surfaces in said clutch with which they come into contact.
As a modification of my improved valve gear I employ instead of the aforesaid
lever, an arm fixed to the said eccentric and projecting to one side of it, having two

page_text: lugs in contact with said inclined planes formed in aforesaid clutch; or if desirable
these said lugs on said projecting arm, may be fitted with rollers in contact with said
inclined planes of aforesaid clutch to lessen friction.
Having thus described the nature of my invention I will now proceed more
particularly to describe the manner in which the same is or may be performed or
carried out in practice, reference being made to the three sheets of drawings hereto
appended; that is to say-In the drawings, similar parts are referred to by the same
letters.
Figures 1 & 2 shew one arrangement of the improved valve gear, with eccentric
and clutch fitted on crank shaft of Engine.
Figures 3 & shew one arrangement, with the eccentric and clutch fitted on a
secondary shaft, geared to crank shaft, and Figures 5 & 6, 7 & 8 illustrate
modifications of my improved valve gear with projecting arm substituted for lever.
In Figures 1 & 2, A is an eccentric having an elongated hole passing through, the
sides of which are fitted to slide across two flats on the shaft B, which in this case is
the crank shaft. of the Engine; C is a slot passing through shaft B, in which is suspended
the lever D, on the pin E, as a fulcrum, the two projecting parts F, F, of the
lever D, are fitted so as to be in contact with the ends of the elongated hole in the
eccentric A. The two projecting parts G, G, of the lever D, are fitted with rollers P, P,
so as to be in contact with the inclined surfaces H, H, formed in the clutch J. The
clutch J, is fitted on the shaft B, so as to slide along it and turn with it. All in such
a manner that on operating the lever K, the clutch J slides along B and with the
inclined surfaces H, H, causes the lever D to turn on its fulcrum E, and move the
eccentric A across shaft B-By means of this arrangement the Engine may be started,
stopped or reversed at pleasure by operating the lever K.
In figures 3 & 4, A, A are two eccentrics, having each an elongated hole passing
through, fitted to slide across the secondary shaft L, which is connected with the crank
shaft B, by the two wheels M, & N gearing into one another-In the shaft L are two
slots C, C, having each a lever D suspended within it on a pin E-The two projecting
parts F, F of each of the levers D, D are fitted in contact with the ends of the
elongated hole in each eccentric A, and the projecting parts G, G, of the levers D, D
are fitted in contact with the inclined planes H, H, formed in the clutch J,
fitted on the shaft L, so as to slide along it and turn with it-The
clutch J has a screw thread formed on it, into which the screw wheel O
is fitted By means of this arrangement, on turning the wheel O, the clutch J
is moved along the shaft L, and causes the levers D, D to turn on their fulcrums E, E,
and slide the eccentrics A, A across the shaft L, so that the valves connected with
them open the ports for the ingress or egress of steam or other fluid to or from the
cylinders of the Engines. And if the screw wheel O, is prevented from turning, the
clutch J being connected with the crank shaft B, of the said Engines, is moved back
along shaft L by the movement of said Engines, and at the same time causes the
eccentrics A, A to slide across the shaft L, so as to close said valves actuated by them.
And thus the said Engines may be started, stopped or reversed at pleasure, by
operating the screw wheel O.
Figures 5 & 6 illustrate a modification in which, instead of the lever D, before
described, is substituted a projecting arm Q fixed to eccentric A, having the two
lugs G, G fitted in contact with the inclined planes H, H, formed in the clutch J.
In figures 7 & 8 the lugs G, G, are fitted with rollers P, P, in contact with the
inclined planes H, H, so as to lessen friction if desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The combination of eccentric or eccentrics with elongated hole passing through
each, fitted on flats on a shaft (which may be either the crank shaft of Engine or
Engines, or a secondary shaft connected to the crank shaft by suitable gearing)
moved across said shaft by a lever or levers, suspended in a slot or slots passing

page_text: through said shaft, said lever or levers being in contact with inclined planes or
surfaces formed in a clutch fitted to slide on said shaft and turn with. it-constituting
a valve gear by which the motion of steam or other motive power Engines can be
controlled by hand or otherwise :-Substantially as herein before described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
2nd. The combination of valve gear, consisting of eccentric or eccentrics fitted on
flats on crank shaft or secondary shaft, and having each a projecting arm fixed to one
side, provided with lugs in contact with inclined planes formed in a clutch fitted to
slide on said shaft and turn with it, so that on moving said clutch along said shaft
either by hand or otherwise, said eccentric or eccentrics is or are moved across said
shaft in such a manner as to control the motion of the Engine or Engines-
Substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings hereunto
appended.
3rd. The application of rollers at the points of contact in the herein before described
valve gears, to lessen friction when desirable-Substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
KLAS
.
DUNDAS WILLIAM PORTEOUS..