IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES FOR STARTING, STOPPING, AND REVERSING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES AND MACHINERY."
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Betts Brown, of 80, Cannon Street,
London, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES FOR STARTING, STOPPING, AND REVERSING
STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES AND MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Betts Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th August 1871.
I, ANDREW BETTS BROWN, of 80, Cannon Street, London, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES FOR STARTING, STOPPING, AND
REVERSING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES AND MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in slide valves and
details, mainly applicable to the apparatus for which Patents were
granted to me, bearing date 8th January 1869, No. 61, and 7th April
1870, No. 1018. In the Specifications of the said Inventions I have

page_text: already described tho means by which I obtain a pressure of water by
an automatic pumping apparatus, and also the machinery employed for
steering and for working heavy steam and other engines. In such
machinery I have employed a slide valve of usual construction (as in the
steam engine), having two admission ports and one central exhaust
port; and I describe in the Specification of my said Patent, No. 1018,
1870, a subsidiary slide valve, which worked upon the back of the
main slide valve for the purpose of controlling the movement of the
tiller with the hydraulic cylinders which actuate it. This arrangement
I have found to be in practice so far imperfect, there being two working
faces;
and the arrangement which I will now describe dispenses with
the use of the second or subsidiary slide valve.
When a valve constructed according to my Invention is applied to
reversing engines it is so arranged that when in the centre of its stroke it
covers the two admission ports. When it is moved in either direction it
will admit water to or from either of the reversing cylinders applied for
actuating the weigh shaft. The spindle which works this valve passes
through both ends of the valve casing, and inside the casing the casing
This screwed
it has a screw of single or double thread formed upon it.
part of the said spindle works in a corresponding nut, which is fixed on
the back of the slide valve. At one end of the said valve spindle is
placed the reversing wheel, which, when turned by the attendant, causes
the said spindle to revolve. (Jointed levers may be used instead of the
screw above described.) The other or opposite end has a swivel joint,
which is connected by a rod to a small crank pin on the weigh shaft,
or to a shaft receiving its motion from it. By this means the motion
given to the slide valve by the turning of the reversing wheel in the
direction of opening the admission port is counteracted by the valve
spindle being pushed endways in the direction of closing the admission
port by the crank pin on the top of the weigh shaft. In this manner
the water admitted to the reversing cylinders by the slide valve is
automatically cut off at any point of the stroke of these cylinders.
When it is desired to stop, start, or reverse large engines valves by
hand power I form in the back of engines slide valve a cylinder having
a valve face with two admission ports; one exhaust upon this face my
improved slide valve works. The cylinder is fitted with a stationary
piston, so that when the valve moves in either direction the cylinder

page_text: moves and with it the valve face which counteracts the motion given to
the valve, and shuts the admission ports.
Although I have described my said slide valves applied to reversing
apparatus it will be obvious they are equally applicable arranged in the
› same manner for steering engines and other machinery actuated by the
pressure of fluids.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Andrew Betts Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
BETTS BROWN, of Cannon Street, London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Andrew Betts Brown, Her special licenco
that I, the said Andrew Betts Brown, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Andrew Betts Brown, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SLIDE VALVES FOR STARTING, STOPPING, AND REVERSING STEAM AND OTHER
ENGINES AND MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Andrew Betts Brown, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Andrew Betts Brown, do hereby

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
two Sheets of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in slido valves and
details mainly applicable to the apparatus for which Patents were
granted to me, bearing date Eighth day of January 1869, No. 61, and
Seventh day of April 1870, No. 1018. In the Specifications of the said
Inventions I have already described the means by which I obtain a
pressure of water by an automatic pumping apparatus, and also the
machinery employed for steering and for working heavy steam and
other engines. In such machinery I have employed a slide valve of
usual construction (as in the steam engine), having two admission ports
and one central exhaust port; and I describe in the Specification of my
said Patent, No. 1018, 1870, a subsidiary slide valve, which worked upon
the back of the main slide valve for the purpose of controlling the move-
ment of the tiller with the hydraulic cylinders which actuate it. This
arrangement I have found to be in practice so far imperfect, there
being two working faces; and the arrangement which I will now
describe dispenses with the use of the second or subsidiary slide 1
valve.
When a valve constructed in accordance with my Invention is
applied to reversing engines it is so arranged that when in the centre'
of its stroke it covers the two admission ports. When it is moved in
either direction it will admit water to or from either of the reversing
cylinders applied for actuating the weigh shaft. The spindle which
works this valve passes through both ends of the valve casing, and
inside the casing it has a screw of single or double thread formed upon
it. This screwed part of the said spindle works in a corresponding nut,
which is fixed on the back of the slide valve. At one end of the said
valve spindle is placed the reversing wheel, which, when turned by the
attendant, causes the said spindle to revolve. (Jointed levers may be used
instead of the screw above described). The other or opposite end has a
swivel joint, which is connected by a rod to a small crank pin on the
weigh shaft, or to a shaft receiving its motion from it. By this means
the motion given to the slide valve by the turning of the reversing
wheel in the direction of opening the admission port is counteracted by
the valve spindle being pushed endways in the direction of closing the

page_text: admission port by the crank pin on the top of the weigh shaft. In this
manner the water admitted to the reversing cylinders by the slide valvo
is automatically cut off at any point of the stroke of these cylinders.
When it is desired to stop, start, or reverse large engine valves by
5 hand power I form on the back of engine slide valve a cylinder having
a valve face with two admission ports, and one exhaust. Upon this face
my improved slide valve works. The cylinder is fitted with a stationary
piston, so that when the valve moves in either direction the cylinder
moves, and with it the valve face, which counteracts the motion given
O to the valve, and shuts the admission port.
Although I have described my said slide valves applied to reversing
apparatus it will be obvious they are equally applicable arranged in the
same manner for steering engines and other machinery actuated by the
pressure of fluids.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet No. 1 contains three views of my improved slide valve, and
illustrates its application to starting, stopping, and reversing steam
engines, and also to steering..
Fig. 1 shows the valve arranged to a pair of single acting steering
cylinders, of which A is the starboard cylinder, and B the port cylinder.
These have rams working in them D, D, cast together, and containing a
swivel block at their centre, which slides radially on the turned arm of
the rudder tiller O. The slide valve is shown placed at E, having its
valve spindle passing out at each end of the casing. One end of the
3 valve spindle is attached by a swivel joint F and connecting rod G to a
crank pin H fixed on the end of the rudder post. This crank pin is
placed at a sufficient distance from the centre of the rudder post to cause
the slide valve to close when the tiller O moves from its central or
midship position to hard over on either side, according to the direction.
the valve is opened. The other end of the spindle at I may be carried
any distance from the valve, and on its end has the steering wheel or
reversing wheel attached to it. The pipes J, J, and K, K, lead the
water. from the slide valve ports to the port and starboard cylinders, so
that when the valve is moved in either direction one cylinder receives
pressure of water, while the other exhausts, and vice versa, thus
causing the rams D, D, to move to and fro, as in the case of the common
steam engine cylinder.

page_text: To more clearly illustrate the action of this slide valve it is shown on
an enlarged sectional scale, Fig. 3, in which the extreme ports K and J
coincide with those connected with the pipes K, K, J, J, Fig. 1. The
valve spindle I has a screwed thread formed on it at L, which works in
a nut M. This nut fits into a recess on the back of the slide valve Q,
which allows a slight lateral motion of the valve as it wears. When
the wheel N (which is attached to the spindle and may be either the
steering or reversing wheel) is turned by hand the slide valve will be
caused to move on the valve face. The middle port O is the exhaust,
while P is the port admitting the high-pressed water.
The action of the valve is as follows:-Should the wheel N be turned
to the right hand the nut and slide valve Q will move and open the
port K, and this will in turn admit water to the cylinder A, exhausting
from that at B. Motion will then take place in the rams D, D, which,
carrying with them the tiller and rudder post in the direction from:
cylinder A to B, the crank pin H will close the slide valve by pulling
the valve spindle I with valve and nut bodily on end towards the rudder
post. By moving the wheel N to the left hand the opposite result will
take place, but the valve will again bo closed by the contrary action of
the crank pin H. Internally opening relief valves are applied to the
valvo chest to give the rudder elasticity, but these are already well
known, and are therefore not shown.
Fig. 2, Sheet No. 1, shows an application of a cylinder and my
improved slide valve for reversing the link motion of a steam engine,
and which is identical with that already described, with the exception
that the cylinder is double acting. C is the lever or arm of the weigh
shaft from which the usual reversing links are actuated; H, the crank
pin; G, the connecting cut off rod; F, the swivel; I, the valve spindle;
N, the hand wheel; K, K, the admission pipe to top of cylinder;
J, J, pipe to bottom of cylinder; R, connecting rod from piston rod S
to lever C.
When it is desired to use a simple lever to actuate the motion of the
slide valve Q, and yet have a self-acting variable cut off as described,
the jointed lever arrangement, Fig. 1; Sheet No. 2, is preferred. In
this case the screw and nut are dispensed with, and the valve spindle I
is adapted to lay hold directly of the slide valve. At one end only it is
jointed at L to a beam or lever M. To one end of this beam M at T
the cut off connecting rod G is jointed, while at the other end at U the

page_text: The hand lever works
The operation of this
connecting rod of the hand lever N is jointed.
upon W as a fulcrum, and has also a joint at V.
valve is much the same as that described in Sheet No. 1, namely, when
the lever N is moved in the direction of V to U the port J is opened,
5 but by a motion of the cylinders and crank pin (as in Fig. 1, Sheet No. 1)
the valve is closed by the connecting rod G. moving its end of the
lever M, and consequently the valve spindle I in an opposite direction,
or from H to T, and so counteracting the motion of the hand lever N
with its connecting rod, which previously was described as being moved
0 from V to W. By this arrangement an automatic' and variable cut off
in the motion of the cylinder rams is obtained.
-
-
When it is desired to move heavy and large slide valves directly by
hand, and without the intervention of link motion, an arrangement¨
having a similar property of variable and automatic cut off is made use
5 of, and which I will now describe by referring to the sectional view,
Fig. 2, Sheet 2. The valve is shown in longitudinal section; A is the
valvé chest which has a single admission port B, and an exhaust.
port O. The slide valve D has cast in one piece with it à cylinder, E,
which is bored throughout and fitted with a piston F, having its rod
O passing out at each end of the cylinder, and abutting against the valvo
chest at G, G. On the back of the slide valve cylinder E, and in one
piece with it, is formed another but much smaller valve face H,
which
has two admission ports K and J leading by pipes respectively to the
top and bottom of the cylinder at K and J. Between these ports an
5 exhaust port L-communicates by a passage with the exhaust cavity in
the slide valve. D at M. On the valve face H works a miniature
slide valve N actuated by a small valve spindle O, which passes
through a stuffing box in the valve chest, terminating in the usual lever
arrangement necessary for being worked by hand.
.
0. The action of this valve is as follows:-When the slide valve N is
moved up so as to uncover the port J the pressure of fluid will cause
the cylinder E to move in a direction from K to J, but in doing so the
port J will be closed, the valve N remaining stationary. As the limit
of travel of the valve N is fixed by the catch points P, Q, and as this is
5 equal to the stroke of the large valve, then any movement of the
miniature valve N will be immediately followed by a similar movement
of the large valve and cylinder D and E, the latter being variably and
'

page_text: automatically cut off, and held in the position assigned to it by that of .
the small valve N.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and parti-
cularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to carry
my improvements into practice, I would have it understood that I do 5
not confine myself to the exact details set down, as modifications may
be made without departing from the leading features of my Invention ;
what I do claim is,―
First. Controlling the motion of rams or pistons in steering ships, and
reversing engines and other machinery, by one valvo, which, being 10
opened by the hand of the attendant, is closed by the motion of the
said rams or pistons (or by mechanism receiving motion from them)
gradually and continuously, substantially as described.
Second. Working and controlling the motion of heavy slide valves
by a valve, which being opened by the hand of the attendant, is closed 15
by the direct motion of the said heavy slide valve gradually and con-
tinuously, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
Fig. 2, Sheet No. 2.
Third. The arrangement of the screw valve mechanism in conjunction
with rams or pistons and cylinders, substantially as herein-before 20
described with reference to Sheet No. 1, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, for steering
ships and reversing engines, and other machinery.
Fourth. The arrangement of link or lever valve mechanism in con-
junction with rams or pistons and cylinders, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in Sheet No. 2, Fig. 1, for steering 25
ships and reversing engines, and other machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Betts Brown, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-third day of February
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-two.
i
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