IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE VALVES OF DUPLEX STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, LEON BERNARD CARRICABURU, of N° 32 West 31st Street, in the City and
State of New York, United States of America, Inventor, do hereby declare
the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE
VALVES OF DUPLEX STEAM ENGINES, to be as follows:-
Steam engines have been made with a D or B slide valve, and with pistons in
cylinders to move such valves, and ports have been provided for admitting steam,
near the end of the stroke, to pass through a port and act upon the valve moving
piston, and the pistons have been cushioned by the exhaust steam so as to lessen
or avoid concussion.
An engine of this class is represented in my English Patent, N° 11,427, granted
August 19, 1884.
My present invention has for its object the duplication of the engine and valve
and the crossing of the ports so that the cylinder of one engine furnishes the steam
that moves the valve of the other engine, and the pistons are cushioned, and the
valve moving pistons after giving motion to the valves are drawn back out of
the way.
The ports passing from one main cylinder of one engine to the valve moving
cylinder of the other engine cross diagonally and the ports of one set open into the
steam cylinders direct and through these the steam passes at the proper times to
move the valve moving pistons, and the ports of the other set open preferably into
the exhaust ports of the engine, and through these the exhaust takes place at one
side of the valve moving pistons, and afterwards the steam acts to move the valve
moving pistons away from the valve.
In this arrangement the valve of the second engine is moved as the piston of the
first engine completes its stroke, and upon the movement of the piston in the
reverse direction the steam from the port is exhausted with the exhaust of
the engine, and then the steam is admitted to move the valve moving piston back
out of the way; hence at each movement the active valve moving piston and the
valve only are moved by the steam, the opposite valve moving piston having
previously been drawn back.

page_text: Steam Engines.
I, LEON BERNARD CARRICABURU, of No 32 West 31st Street, in the City and
State of New York, United States of America, Inventor, 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,
.reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
Steam engines have been made with a D or a B slide valve, and with pistons in
cylinders to move such valves, and ports have been provided for admitting steam,
near the end of the stroke, to pass through a port and act upon the valve moving
piston, and the pistons have been cushioned by the exhaust stem, so as to lessen
or avoid concussion. An engine of this class is represented in my English Patent
N° 11,427, granted August 19th, 1884.
My present invention has for its object the duplication of the engine and valve
and the crossing of the ports so that the cylinder of one engine furnishes the steam
that moves the valve of the other engine, and the pistons are cushioned, and the
valve moving pistons, after giving motion to the valves, are drawn back out of
the way.
The ports passing from one main cylinder of one engine to the valve moving
cylinder of the other engine cross diagonally, and the ports of one set open into
the steam cylinders direct, and through these, steam passes at the proper times to
move the valve moving pistons, and the ports of the other set open preferably into
the exhaust ports of the engine, and through these the exhaust takes place at one
side of the valve moving pistons, and afterwards the steam acts to move the valve
moving pistons away from the valve. In this arrangement the valve of the second
engine is moved as the piston of the first engine completes its stroke, and upon
the movement of the piston, in the reverse direction, the steam from the port is
exhausted with the exhaust of the engine, and then the steam is admitted to move
the valve moving piston back out of the way; hence, at each movement the active
valve moving piston and the valve only are moved by the steam, the opposite valve
moving piston having previously been drawn back.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram representing parts of the two engine
cylinders with the valve-moving pistons and the ports in my duplex engine.
Fig. 2, is a cross section, in smaller size, representing the two engine cylinders and
valve moving pistons and ports in my duplex engine.
I make use of two cylinders placed side by side. One cylinder is provided with
a piston and the ports 4, 5, 6, 7 and with a valve F, valve-moving pistons G, G¹,
in the cylinders H, H', the same as in my aforesaid patent, and the operation of
the valve F, in admitting the steam and in allowing the exhaust to pass away by
the port M, is identically the same as in my said British patent; but I provide
cross-ports between the valve moving cylinders of one engine and the main
cylinder of the adjacent engine, so that the valve of one engine is moved through
the agency of the other engine, thereby causing the piston of the first engine to

page_text: complete its stroke and remain quiescent until the piston of the second engine
directs the steam in such a manner as to cause the movement of the valve of the
first engine and the reverse.
By reference to my aforesaid patent the movement of the piston and valve of
one engine will be fully understood; and it is only necessary to describe the
manner in which the ports cross from the main cylinder of one engine to the valve-
moving pistons of the adjoining engine, in order that the construction and
operation of the present improvements may be apparent.
It is to be presumed that the piston C, of the cylinder N° 1, is moving in the
direction indicated by the arrow. The steam will pass in from the chest C², by
the port 7, and the exhaust is opened by the port 5 to M. As soon as the piston C,
covers over the port 5, the vapours are compressed in the cylinder and the piston
cushioned, the port 4, being covered by the valve F. The port 20, leading from
the cylinder No 1, to the valve moving cylinder H2, of the cylinder N° 2, is opened,
when the piston C, passes by it, and the steam acts in the cylinder H2, of
engine No 2, to move the piston G³, rod, and the valve F¹, from the position
shewn by full lines, so that the steam will be admitted by the port 40, to act upon
the piston C¹, of the engine N° 2. The movement of the valve F¹, opens the
exhaust in cylinder No 2, through 60 to M2, and in so doing the ports 8, 2 and 3
are opened to the exhaust in the cylinder N° 2, to relieve the pressure behind
the valve moving piston G¹, and at both sides of the valve moving piston G, of
the engine N° 1, and the exhaust continues at each side of the piston G, of the
engine N° 1, until the piston C¹, of the engine No 2, passes over the port 2, leading
to the engine No 1, and as soon as the movement of the piston C¹, allows the live
steam to pass into the port 2 (the port 3 being opened to the exhaust by the
port 60 of engine N° 2) the steam acts through 2, upon the piston G, to shift the
valve F, of engine N° 1, and admit steam by the port 4, to act upon the piston C.
The piston C¹, now remains at the right hand end of the engine N° 2, and the
piston C, starts from the left hand end of engine N° 1, and in its movement the
steam acts through the port 5, (that is closed by the valve F, from the exhaust M)
and the live steam travels through the port 30 to the cylinder H2, of engine N° 2,
and acts against the piston G2, to move the same back out of the way; but it does
not move the valve F¹, and when the piston C, of engine N° 1, uncovers the
port 20 of engine N° 2, piston G2, of engine N° 2, remains stationary, the pressure
being balanced. The piston C, of engine N° 1, continuing to move to the right,
the exhaust thereof is open through 6 to M, and by 80 and 90 to both sides of the
piston H, of engine N° 2; but as the piston C, passes over the end of the port 6
and cushions against the confined vapours, the live steam passes by 80, into H+, of
the engine No 2, and acts upon the piston G, to move the valve F, of engine N° 2,
and admit steam by the port 70 to act upon the piston C₁, of engine N° 2, and
move the same to the left. These operations are repeated, the valve moving
piston being drawn back out of the way in each instance after having moved the
valve, and the piston of one engine remaining quiescent, at the end of the stroke,
until the valve is moved by the steam admitted from the cylinder of the other
engine, upon the completion of the stroke of the piston, thus causing the pistons to
move with regularity, the motion of one piston commencing slightly before the
piston of the other engine stops, so as to render uniform the movements of pumps
actuated by these engines, and. there are no devices liable to become misplaced or
out of order, and the whole of the parts are inclosed and not liable to external
injury.
It is usually preferable to allow sufficient space between the ports 2 and 8, and
the ends of the cylinders Hand H¹, for the exhaust steam to be confined and
cushion the respective. pistons G and G¹; and in order that the live steam may
pass in behind such pistons there is a small channel from the upper end of each
port leading toward the cylinder head, as is usual in this style of engine. The
ports 20 and 80, are similarly constructed. It will also be understood that the
pistons C and C, of the respective engine will cushion upon the exhaust steam at

page_text: the respective ends of the stroke, so as to prevent concussion, and that the live
steam will continue to act against the piston until the piston of the other engine
approaches the end of its stroke and causes the movement of the valve of the first
engine.
India rubber, or other material, may be introduced at P, as in the aforesaid
patent, to prevent concussion of the valve against the end of the rod of the valve-
moving piston.
Upon reference to my aforesaid Patent, it will be seen that the valves are-moved
in a manner corresponding generally to that hereinbefore described, and I remark
that two such engines, as shewn in said patent, may be arranged to operate
together and form a duplex pumping engine, by arranging the ports leading to the
valve-moving pistons to cross from one engine to the other, in the manner herein
described, and I remark that, the valves may be either D or B valves, as fully set
forth in said patents.
In my British patent N° 7909 of June 30, 1885, the two pistons are constantly
in motion, but in my present application one piston remains stationary until the
other nearly completes its movement.
I do not claim a duplex engine having crossing ports, and in which the ports
from one steam cylinder to the valve moving cylinder of the other engine pass
through a moving part, such as a valve, that serves to close or vary the action of
the steam according to its position, as such has before been proposed or used.
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. The combination, with two cylinders and their pistons and valves and valve-
actuating pistons, of the ports 2, 3, 8, 9 and 20, 30, 80, 90 extending from the
valve moving cylinders of one engine to the cylinder and ports of the opposite
engine, substantially as set forth.
2. In a duplex engine having steam actuated valves, the combination, with two
cylinders, their pistons and valves, of four valve-moving pistons with their cylinders
having ports crossing from one engine to the other, substantially as specified, by
means of which one engine causes the valve of the other to be moved just before
stopping, and remains quiescent until its valve is moved in its turn by steam from
the other engine, without the intervention of mechanism to open, close, or control
said crossing ports, substantially as set forth.