Improvements in Valves.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
Improvements in Valves.
We, JOSEPH SAMUEL LOVERING WHARTON and WILLIAM SATTERTHWAITE HALLO-
WELL, both of Germantown Junction, in the City and County of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturers, 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:-
This invention has for its object to provide a valve adapted particularly for use
in connection with a steam-trap, of a form which comprises a chamber mounted
on tubular trunnions, one of which is connected with a steam and water inlet and
the other with an outlet and with a valve, the chamber being weighted so that
it normally stands in position to close, the said valve, but when filled with water
the chamber overcomes the weight and turns on its trunnions, thus opening the
valve and permitting the discharge of water.
The present invention consists in certain improvements comprising a valve
adapted to be opened and closed by oscillating movements of a rotary conduit, such
as the outlet trunnion of the trap above described, and to be closed more particu-
larly and with less liability to leakage than heretofore.
The invention consists in the improvement which we will now proceed to describe
and claim.
Of the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this Specification, Figure 1
represents a side elevation of our improved valve.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same, the valve being opened.
Figure 3 represents a view similar to Figure 2, the valve being closed.
Figure 4 represents a section on line 4, 4, Figure 3.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.
Referring to the drawing:-
The casing of the improved valve comprises the body a, the tubular neck a¹, at
one end of said body having a stuffing box a² and the tubular valve guide or nut a³
at the other end of the casing, said guide having an internal screw-thread a¹ and
being connected with the body a by means of screws or bolts u³.
The body a has an outlet or waste pipe a6, which may extend to any convenient
point. Within the neck a¹ of the casing is journaled a tubular conduit 60, which
extends through the stuffing box a², and is adapted to rotate therein. The said
conduit may be considered an extension of the outlet trunnion c of a steam-trap,
and is here shown as rigidly connected by a coupling c¹ with said trunnion, so
that the conduit 610 will rotate with the trunnion. The conduit 610 is provided at
its inner end with an annular valve seat b¹, which opens into the space within the
body a of the casing, and communicates through said space with the outlet aº, so
that when the said valve seat is unobstructed water can flow from the trunnion c
through the conduit 610 and through the casing to the outlet aº.
d represents a valve which is formed to close upon the seat b¹, said valve is
secured to a stem b, which has a screw-thread 2 engaged with the internal thread a³,
formed in the guide a³. The stem b and valve d are connected with the conduit 610
by a sliding connection, which imparts a rotary motion from the conduit to the

page_text: valve, and at the same time permits the valve to move towards and from the seat b¹.
Any suitable sliding connection adapted to operate as above indicated may be
employed.
I have here shown as such connection two pins or rods f, f affixed to a flange on
the stem 6 and passing loosely through orifices b³, formed in a flange on the con-
duit 610, said pins being parallel with the valve stem and sliding freely in the
orifices 6³.
It will be seen that when the conduit 610 is rotated by the water discharging
movement of the chamber of the steam-trap, the casing being of course stationary,
the valve-stem 6 will be rotated in the same direction and will be caused by the
engagement of its screw-thread with the thread in the fixed guide a³ to move from
the valve seat and open the latter, as shown in Figure 2, so that the water can
escape freely through the conduit 610, the casing a and the outlet aº. When the
conduit 610 is rotated in the opposite direction by the return movement of the
chamber to its normal position after the discharge of the water, the valve is moved
in the opposite direction, thus closing on the seat, as shown in Figure 3. We find
that by moving the valve toward and from the valve seat we obtain a more satis-
factory result, there being much less liability of leakage, thus making the trap
more efficient and more easily kept in order.
In a device of the characted specified the rotation of the conduit 610 must be less
than a complete one. Therefore in order to properly operate the valve, the pitch
of the screw-threads must be such or so steep as to open the valve for a prompt
and adequate clearance within considerable less than a full revolution of the con-
duit.
The valve d preferably has a somewhat loose or rocking connection with the
stem 6 by means of a convex base or plate d affixed to the valve, as shown in
Figure 3, said plate bearing loosely upon a concave seat da, formed on the end of
the stem b, and retained in place on said seat by means of a frame d³, which is
affixed to the stem, and has an orifice somewhat larger than the body of the valve
next to the base d¹, said orifice loosely surrounding the valve, while its margin
overhangs the concave seat and the edge of the base d', the base being therefore
permitted to rock or tip slightly with the flange on the end of the stem, so that the
valve accommodates itself more perfectly to the seat than it would if rigidly attached
to the stem.
The outer end of the stem b is provided with an adjustable stop-screw 6* which
limits the outward movement of the valve and stem by striking against a hardened
steel plate 65, inserted in a nut 66 screwed upon the guide a³.
We do not limit ourselves to the employment of the improved valve herein before
described in a steam-trap and may use it for any other purpose or purposes to
which it is applicable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:―
1st. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a stationary casing
having an outlet, a conduit journalled to turn in the casing and constituting the
inlet thereof, an annular valve-seat at the inner end of said conduit communicating
with said outlet, a valve opposite said seat having a screw-threaded stem engaged
with an internal thread in the casing, whereby the valve may be opened for a
prompt and adequate clearance within less than a full revolution of the conduit,
and a connection between the conduit and valve, through which rotary motion is
communicated from the conduit to the valve to cause a longitudinal movement of
the valve.
2nd. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a stationary casing
having a stuffing box at one end, an internal screw-thread at the other end, and
an outlet intermediate of said ends, a rotatable inlet-tube or conduit journalled in

page_text: he casing and passing through the stuffing box, said conduit having an annular
alve seat at its inner end communicating with the outlet of the casing, a valve in
he casing opposite the said seat and provided with a stem having a screw-thread
ngaged with the screw-thread on the casing, and a sliding connection for the con-
luit and valve, said connection being guided in an orifice in said rotatable conduit.
Dated this 1st day of March 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.