Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 30th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
I, JAMES WEIR, of 2 Commerce Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows,
that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its objects to render feed or force pumps more efficient
and to make thein and their valves less liable to get out of order, my improvements
being specially designed for pumps working against high pressures and with heated
water or high lifts.
In my Patent Specification No. 7457 of 1884 I described and claimed certain
arrangements of groups of small valves for feed and force pump and my prosent
Invention comprises improved modifications of such arrangements designed for more
completely carrying out the objects I have in view. In my present improved arrange-
ments I place the group of pump delivery valves directly over the lift or suction valves
and I prefer to make the delivery valve seats large enough to allow the lift valve to be
introduced or removed through them, so that the plate in which the delivery valve
seats are may be a fixture if desired. I arrange for limiting the opening of the lift
valves and for guiding them when open in connection with the delivery valves above
them or in connection with the delivery-valve seats, in such a way as to prevent
rocking of the lift valves when open. The valves are of metal and of the well known
disk form with flat or conical bearing edges, and the lift valves are formed with guide
feathers or guide spindles on their under sides. In one modification each lift valve is
made with a spindle on its upper side which is fitted to work in a tubular spindle or
socket formed on the under side of the delivery valve above, the lift or extent of
opening being limited by the space allowed for it in the tubular spindle. Or the
tubular spindle or socket may be formed on the lift valve a solid spindle being formed
on the delivery valve to work in it. In another modification guide feathers are formed
on the top of each.lift valve to work in the valve seat or opening of the delivery valve
above it; or guide feathers may be formed above the seat of the lift valve to guide the
edge of the valve when open and preventing rocking, a central spindle formed on the

page_text: top of the valve acting as a stop by encountering the bottom of the delivery valve
above. In some cases guides above the lift valves may be dispensed with if the
arrangement for stopping the valve or limiting the extent of opening is such as to
prevent rocking. Thus the guide feathers of the delivery valve may be extended
downwards to act as a stop to the lift valve and extending to its outer edge; or
feathers may be formed on the top of the lift valve to encounter the underside of the
plate in which the delivery valve seats are formed; or again, the delivery valve may
be formed with a central spindle extending down, but in this case the lift valve is
made with the middle depressed so that the bottom of the upper valve spindle may be
a little below the seat of the lift valve.
My improved arrangements of lift and delivery valves hereinbefore described are
advantageously applicable in various kinds of feed or force pumps and especially with
duplex direct-acting or non-rotative steam pumps in which I adopt certain further
improvements. The steam cylinders of such pumps are frequently made with double
ports at each end, for the purpose of cushioning the piston at the end of its stroke, the
innermost only of each pair of ports being put in communication with the exhaust so
that the piston encloses steam on passing such innermost port. In many cases and
especially when the pump works with a condenser sufficient steam is not effectively
enclosed in this way without making the inner port at a considerable distance from the
end of the cylinder, or in words without having a large clearance space and consequent
waste of steam. By my Invention I am enabled to adopt a comparatively small
clearance space as I obtain an effective cushion by admitting steam of full pressure
into the end of the cylinder as soon as the inner port is closed by the piston by forming
a passage with a check valve in it in the side of the cylinder and so placed as to allow
steam to pass from one side of the piston to the other when the piston is in a position
to close the inner port. Or the slide valve by which the steam is distributed to the
cylinder may be constructed to have the same effect. For this purpose the cavity of
an ordinary slide valve is made larger than ordinarily so as when the valve is at half
stroke to put the two cylinder ports in communication with each other, the exhaust
port in the port face being at that time closed by a bar formed across the cavity of the
valve. With this arrangement when the piston approaches either end of its stroke the
full-pressure steam on one side of it can pass to the other side so as to insure on
the latter side a sufficient pressure to form an effective cushion.
Dated this Sirth day of A nuil 1007
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Steam or other Feed or Force
Pumps and their Valves.
. I, JAMES WEIR, of 2 Commerce Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, 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, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its-objects to render feed or force pumps more efficient
and to make them and their valves less liable to get out of order, my improvements
being specially designed for steam pumps working against high pressures and with
heated water or high lifts.
In my Patent Specification No. 7457 of 1884 1, described and claimed certain
arrangements of groups of small valves for feed and force pamps and my present
Invention comprises improved modifications of such arrangements designed for more
completely carrying out the objects I have in view. In my present improved
arrangements I place the group of pump delivery valves directly over the lift or
suction valves, and I prefer to make the delivery valve seats large enough to allow the
lift valves to be introduced or removed through them, so that the plate in which
the delivery valve seats are may be a fixture if desired. I adopt certain arrangements,
hereinafter particularly described, for limiting the opening of the lift valves, and for
guiding them and preventing them from rocking when open.
My improved arrangements of lift and delivery valves are advantageously applicable
in various kinds of feed or force pumps, and especially with duplex direct-acting or
non-rotative steam pumps in which I adopt certain further improvements. The steam
cylinders of such pumps are frequently made with double ports at each end, for the
purpose of cushioning the piston at the end of its stroke, the innermost only of each
pair of ports being put in communication with the exhaust, so that the piston encloses
steam on passing such innermost port. In many cases, and especially when the pump
works with a condenser, sufficient steam is not effectively enclosed in this way without
making the inner port at a considerable distance from the end of the cylinder, or, in
other words, without having a large clearance space and consequent waste of steam.
By my Invention I an enabled to adopt a comparatively small clearance space as I
obtain an effective cushion by admitting steam of full pressure into the end of the
cylinder as soon as the inner port is closed by the piston, employing for this purpose
devices hereinafter particularly described.
In more particularly describing such details of my improvements I shall refer
to two sheets of explanatory drawings which are hereunto appended.
Figure, 1, on sheet, 1, of the drawings is a plan of a portion of plate in which
openings and seats are formed for a group of small valves for a pump and figures, 2,
to 8, are sectional elevations of modifications of valves made according to my present
Invention. Figures, 9, and 10, on sheet, 2, are a plan and section of the steam

page_text: In
cylinder of a direct-acting steam pump showing one modification of parts for obtaining
a good cushion with moderate clearance space according to my Invention; and
figure, 11, is a section of another modification of parts for the same purpose.
these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
The valves, 13, 14, figures, 2, to 8, sheet, 1, of the drawings, are of metal and of the
well known disk form, with conical or flat bearing edges; and the lift or suction
valves, 14, are formed with guide feathers, 15, on their under side, or they might be
made vah guide spindles working in guide eyes in gratings or bridges fixed in the
valve openings. In one modification, figure, 2, each lift valve, 14, is made with a
spindle, 16, on its upper side which is fitted to work in a tubular spindle, 17, formed
on the under side of the delivery valve, 13, above, the lift or extent of opening being
limited by the space allowed for it in the tubular spindle, 17. Or the tubular spindle
or socket, 17, may be formed on the lift valve, 14, a solid spindle, 16, being formed
on the delivery valve to work in it as shown in figure, 3. In another modification,
shown in figure, 4, guide feathers, 18, are formed on the top of each lift valve, 14, to
work in the valve seat or opening of the delivery valve, 13, above it. Or as shown in
figure, 5, guide feathers, 19, may be formed above the seat of the lift valve, 14, to
guide the edge of the valve when open and to prevent rocking, a central spindle, 20,
formed on the top of the valve acting as a stop by encountering the bottom of the
delivery valve, 13, above. In some cases guides above the lift. valves, 14, may be dis-
pensed with if the arrangement for stopping the valve or limiting the extent of
opening is such as to prevent rocking. Thus, as shown in figure, 6, the guide
feathers, 21, of the delivery valve, 13, may be extended downwards to act as a stop to
the lift valve, 14, this valve being made with a flat top surface to bear up against the
feathers, 21, of the valve above. Or as shown in figure, 7, feathers, 22, may be formed
on the top of the lift valve, 14, to encounter the under side of the plate, 23, in which
the delivery valve seats or openings are formed; or again, the delivery valve, 13, may
be formed with a central spindle, 24, extending down, but in this case, as shown in
figure, &, the lift valve, 14, is made with its middle depressed so that the bottom of the
upper valve spindle, 24, may be a little below the top of the seat of the lift valve.
In the cushioning device shown in figures, 9, and 10, on sheet, 2, of the drawings, a
passage, 25, 26, with a check valve, 27, is formed in the side of the cylinder, 28, and
this passage has its ends or ports in the cylinder so placed as to allow steam to pass
from one side of the piston, 29, to the other, when the piston has so nearly reached
the end of its stroke as to just close the inner of the two ports, 30, 31, by which steam
enters from the valve casing. The check valve, 27, has a spring applied to it to
ensure its closing whenever the exhaust commences from the inner side of the piston.
In the modified cushioning device shown in figure, 11, the slide valve, 32, by which
the steam is distributed to the cylinder, 28, is made with a larger cavity than ordinarily
so as when the valve is at half stroke to put the two inner cylinder ports, 33, 34, in
communication with each other, the exhaust port, 35, being at that time closed by a
bar, 36, formed across the cavity of the valve, 32. In addition it is necessary to form
a communication at each end between the passages of the two ports, 30, 31, which may
be done either by means of a spring check valve, 27, as shown at the right-hand side
of figure, 11, or by means of a small passage, 37, in the valve, 32, as shown at the
left-hand side of the figure. With this arrangement when the piston, 29, approaches
either end of its stroke the full-pressure steam on one side of it can pass to the other
side so as to insure on the latter side a sufficient pressure to form an effective
cushion.
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
1-In combination in feed or force pumps, the using of groups of small lift or
suction valves and delivery valves, the arranging of the lift or suction valves severally
directly under the delivery valves, the making of the delivery valve seats or openings

page_text: large enough for introducing or removing the lift or suction valves through them, and
devices for guiding and stopping the lift or suction valves when open, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2-The several improved constructions of combined lift or suction and delivery
valves for feed or force pumps substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in
figures, 2, to 8, of the accompanying drawings.
3-In a direct-acting steam-pump cylinder having two ports near each end, the
providing of a passage with a check valve in it in the side of the cylinder near each
end to put the steam side of the piston in communication with the other side when
the piston covers the innermost of the two ports substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and as shown in figures, 9, and 10, of the accompanying
drawings.
4-The modified device for obtaining a good cushion in the cylinder of a direct-
acting steam pump, substantially as hereinbefore described, and as shown in figure, 11,
of the accompanying drawings.
Dutad thie Tsvanty-ninth day of December 1887
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.