Improvements in Valve Gears for Pumping Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 10th Dec. 1892-Accepted. 28th Jan.. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valve Gears for Pumping Engines.
PHILIP RUDOLF BJÖRLING 8 Fishpond Road, Hitchin, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:―
Firstly-In using a slide-valve, in connection with pistons or plungers, when the
said pistons or plungers are actuated partially by a spindle links levers and pins
from a cross-head or any other contrivance, secured to the piston rod and partially
by live steam. This claim for pumps with one or more cylinders and a box
containing springs, steam, water oil or compressed air, fixed on the valve-spindle
between the connecting link and the valve-chest.
:
Secondly I provide on the valve-face besides the ordinary steam and exhaust
ports an additional set of ports for actuating the valve-moving pistons or plungers.
Thirdly I may provide two adjustable tappets or collars on the valve spindles
one on each side of the valve-moving pistons or plungers arranged so that the
motion of the spindle actuates the pistons or plungers either the whole or part of
their travel.
Fourthly I make the adjustable tappets large and long and allow them to
work into the pistons or plungers, so as to make the steam or other liquid or fluid to
act as a cushion to prevent knocking.
Fifthly Instead of having the adjustable tappets on the spindle on each side of
the slide valve moving pistons or plungers inside the valve chest I adopt a box into
which the lever that actuates the spindle works and arrange the box so that the
distance the lever has to travel each way before it moves the spindle can be
adjusted without removing the valve chest cover. Another advantage to this
arrangement is that the motion of the slide-valve can always be seen.
Sixthly Instead of having the adjustment in the box I arrange the adjustment
in the top of the valve moving lever.
Seventhly -I employ the same valve-gear for pumps with two cylinders either
side by side or one on the top of the other by means of coupling the valve spindle
of one cylinder to the piston rod of the other in such a manner that the cylinders
operate each others slide-valve.
In carrying out my first invention I make my slide-valve of the ordinary D type
fitting between lugs or collars on a square or circular distance-piece between the
two valve-moving pistons or plungers. The valve-moving pistons or plungers are
actuated by a valve spindle one by a lever of the second order if two cylinders are
used and one by a lever of the first order, or I use one D valve and one B valve and
both levers of the first order; but if only one cylinder is employed, I prefer to use
a lever of the first order and a D valve. On the end of the valve spindle I forge
or by any other means provide a collar working in a box; a spring is inserted in
the box on each side of the collar, and an adjusting screw is provided on each
end of the box to give the necessary tension to the springs. One of the screws is
provided with an eye by means of which the box is connected to the top of the
lever by means of one or more links. Sometimes I may use steam, water, oil or
compressed air instead of the springs in the box, in that case I provide hollow
spindles, sliding or telescope pipes, or flexible pipes or tubes, for admitting the fluid,
liquid or gas, whichever I use.
་
In carrying out my second improvement I provide a port in each end of the
valve face on the cylinder in a line with the ordinary main steam ports each leading
to one of the valve-moving cylinders and one between these two ports leading to the
main exhaust. These ports are opened and closed alternately by the extension of

page_text: the main slide-valve or by an auxiliary slide valve actuated by the main valve
spindle, the main slide valve or by the valve-moving pistons or plungers.
In carrying out my third improvement I dispense with the spring box and instead
provide the valve spindle with two fixed or adjustable collars or nuts one on each
outer-side of the valve-moving pistons or plungers so that the valve spindle when
actuated by the main levers move the valve a short distance sufficient to open the
ports admitting steam to the valve-moving cylinders or if the steam should fail to
move the valve the valve spindle will actuate it the whole length of the travel.
My fourth improvement consist in making the adjustable tappets large and long
so as to act as pistons and allow them to work into bored recesses in the valve-
moving pistons or plungers so as to allow steam or other liquid or fluid to act as a
cushion to prevent the tappets from knocking especially in cylinders of large
dimensions.
In carrying out my fifth improvement I secure the valve-moving pistons or
plungers to the valve spindle. The end of the valve spindle I provide with a right-
handed screw thread on this I screw a box, made of wrought-iron or any other
suitable material, provided with a long slot into which the valve-moving lever works
into the other end of the said box I screw a guide-rod which is provided with a
guide bracket and screwed into the box so that the distance the valve-moving lever
travels before it actuates the valve spindle can be adjusted to any distance required.
To secure the sixth improvement I make the slot in the box previously described
just long enough to accommodate the end of the valve-moving lever, and provide
the top of the lever with a slot and an adjustable die, and provide adjusting screws
to regulate the travel in the top of the actuating lever.
These my improvements I also adopt for duplex pumps that is pumps with one
cylinder at the side of the other or on the top of the other and the valve spindle of
one cylinder coupled to the piston rod of the other cylinder in such a manner that
the cylinders operate each others slide-valve.
The advantages 1. claim as a superiority of these my improvements above any
other gear known to me are :-An uniform length of stroke under all conditions,
procured by the cylinder always having full port opening. That in my duplex
arrangement in case one side, that is one cylinder and one pump opposite one
another should be disabled the other steam and water cylinder can still be kept
working by simply changeing the top levers from one side to the other. Lastly
that I am always able to see that the slide-valves are travelling properly, and that
as the tappets wear I can easily adjust them without interfering with any joints,
when I use my fifth and sixth improvements.
Dated this the Twenty-second day of March 1892.
PHILIP RUDOLF BJÖRLING.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valve Gears for Pumping Engines.
PHILIP RUDOLF BJÖRLING, 8 Fishpond Road, Hitchin, in the County of
Hertfordshire, 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 :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in valve gears for pumping engines
and has for its object the reduction of cost in their manufacture, greater efficiency
of action and, increased durability, also the great advantage that the, duplex
arrangement can be altered to simplex in a few minutes.
In carrying out my inventions I firstly: use a slide-valve in connection with
pistons or plungers, when the said pistons or plungers are actuated partially by a
spindle, links, levers and pins from a cross-head or any other contrivance, secured
to the piston-rod, and partially by live steam, for pumps with one or more steam

page_text: cylinders. I also employ a box containing springs, steam, water, oil or compressed
air, fixed on the valve-spindle, between the connecting link or links and the valve-
chest. Secondly I provide on the cylinder valve-face besides the ordinary
steam and exhaust ports an additional set of ports for actuating the valve-moving
pistons or plungers. Thirdly-I provide two adjustable tappets or collars on the
valve-spindle, one on each side of the valve-moving pistons and plungers arranged
so that the motion of the spindle actuates the pistons or plungers either the whole
or part of the travel. Fourthly:-I make the adjustable tappets large and long,
and allow them to work into the pistons or plungers, so as to make the steam or
other liquid or fluid, to act as a cushion to prevent knocking. Fifthly :--Instead
of having the adjustable tappets on the valve spindle on each side of the valve-
moving pistons or plungers inside the valve-chest I adopt a box into which the
lever that actuates the spindle works and arrange the box so that the distance the
lever has to travel each way before it moves the spindle can be adjusted without
removing the valve-chest cover or covers. Another advantage to this arrangement
is that the notion of the slide-valve can always be seen. Sixthly :-Instead of
having the adjustment in the box I arrange the adjustment in the top of the valve-
moving lever or levers. Seventhly :-I employ the same valve-gear for pumps with
two cylinders, either side by side or one on the top of the other by means of
coupling the valve-spindle of one cylinder to the piston-rod of the other in such a
manner that the cylinders operate each others slide-valve.
For the better explanation of the aforesaid improvements, which relates
principally to the valve-gear, I have annexed hereto 3 sheets of drawings shewing
valve gears of different construction to suit different modes of applying my
improvements. My first and second improvement are represented in vertical
section Fig. 1, and part sectional plan Fig. 2, Sheet 1; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a
sectional elevation of my third improvement; Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a section of my
fourth improvement; my fifth improvement is shewn in sectional elevation Fig. 5
and plan Fig. 6, Sheet 3; my sixth improvement is shewn in Fig. 7, Sheet 2;
Fig. 8, Sheet 1, and Fig. 9, Sheet 2, illustrate different ways in which I arrange
my main steam ports to suit either one D and one B valve, or two D valves, these
arrangements of ports I prefer on account of the simplicity and cheapness of the
lever arrangement, the action of the valves being in all cases identical. Referring
to the Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1, A is the slide-valve, B and B are the valve-moving
pistons or plungers; C the valve-spindle, on the end of which is forged or in any
other way provided, a collar or piston F, D and E are two lugs between which the
slide-valve A fits, this slide-valve is of the ordinary D type, and with the lever
arrangement shewn in Fig. 1 the valve for the other cylinder is also
of the D type, but if the lever arrangement, shewn in Fig. 3, Sheet two,
is used and the main ports are arranged as shewn in Fig. 8, Sheet 1,
I use
one ☐ and one B valve. If arrange the gear as in Fig. 3, and
the main ports as in Fig. 9, Sheet 2, I employ two D valves.
G Fig. 1,
Sheet 1, is a box in which the collar works; H and H¹ are two
springs; J and K are two adjustable screws, the screw K is provided with an
eye L, by means of which the box G is connected to the end of the levers M and N,
by means of the links O and P. My second improvement consists in providing a
port on each side of the cylinder valve-face in a line with the ordinary main steam
ports, Qleading to the valve moving cylinder R, and port S to the valve-moving
cylinder T, also an exhaust port U leading to the main exhaust or direct to the
atmosphere.
The action of this gear is as follows:-Supposing the main steam piston and rod
are travelling from left to right the top of the lever M will move towards the left,
forcing the spring box G in the same direction and compressing the spring H' till
it has obtained enough power to move the valve-spindle C, valve-moving pistons or
plungers B and B₁ and slide-valve A. As soon as the main valve or auxiliary
valve, as the case may be has slightly opened the auxiliary port S, the steam will
rush into the valve-moving cylinder T and finish the travel of the valve.
But as

page_text: the main steam piston continues its stroke, it will gradually move the lever M
towards the right, compress the spring H in the spring box G till sufficiently
compressed to move the slide-valve till it opens the port Q and admits steam into
the valve-moving cylinder R and by that means move the valve-moving pistons B
and B and the elide-valve A to the extreme right, and so on as long as steam is
admitted into the valve-chest.
In Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is shewn my third improvement, A is the slide-valve;
B and B the valve-moving pistons or plungers; C the valve-spindle fitted with two
fixed or adjustable collars H and H¹. The valve-spindle is actuated by the lever M
and connecting link or links O. The ports in this case are arranged for simplex
gear with an ordinary D valve covering them, but if I adopt this gear for duplex
pumps, I sometimes arrange them as shown in Fig. 8, Sheet 1, when I employ one D
and one B valve; at other times I employ the arrangement shewn in Fig. 9,
Sheet 2, when I use two D valves. In Fig. 8, I cross the main steam port A in the
left hand cylinder to port B in the right hand cylinder, port C to port D, port E in
the right hand cylinder to the port F in the left hand cylinder, and G to port H.
In Fig. 9 I double cross the ports, passing port A to port B, port C to D, as before,
but I make the port E to cross to the opposite end of the left hand cylinder H, and
port G to F, so that the two ports F G and E H cross one another, one above and
one below. My fifth improvement is illustrated by Fig. 4, Sheet 2, I make the
adjustable collars H and H', on the valve-spindle Clarge so as to act as pistons
working in the ends of the valve-moving pistons or plungers B and B', to prevent
knocking, especially in large pumping engines.
The action of the gear provided with my third and fourth improvements is
exactly like the action previously described, except that there are no springs to
compress the lever M and valve-spindle C travel freely on till the tappets H and H¹
touch the valve-moving pistons or plungers B and B', moving them till the steam is
admitted to the valve-moving cylinders by the extension of the main slide-valve or
auxiliary valve.
Figs. 5 and 6, Sheet 3, illustrates my fifth improvement. In this case A is
the slide-valve, B and B' the valve-moving plungers; C the valve-spindle, which,
in this case, has no tappets, but is screwed at both ends; G is a box provided with
a slot F in which works the lever M. A guide-spindle H is screwed into the outer
end of the box G, guided in a bracket K. The slot F is made of such length as to
give the lever M the required travel before it moves the valve-spindle; the action
of the gear is the same as in the previously explained case.
My sixth improvement is shewn in Fig. 7, Sheet 2, in which I form a slot F in
the valve-spindle C and continue the spindle at H, as a guide. In the top of the
lever M, I form a radial slot into which works a die or block G. In the ends of
the slot in the lever I provide set screws L and L' for adjusting the play of the
lever before it moves the valve-spindle C, valve-moving plungers B and B', and
slide-valve A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. In using one or more slide-valves in connection with pistons or plungers for
moving the slide-valve, when the said pistons or plungers are actuated partly by
levers, links and spindles and partly by live steam for pumps with one or more
cylinders.
2. In arranging levers in the manner described so that I can, when two cylinders
are employed, work them either simplex or duplex.
3. In arranging the main and auxiliary ports in the manner described for pumps
and pumping engines with two cylinders, so that I can use either two D valves, or
one and one B valve.
4. Using the spring box substantially as herein before described for pumps with
one or more cylinders.

page_text: 5. Using tappets on the valve-spindle for to partly actuate the slide-valve, before
it is moved by live steam.
6. Using a box with a slot on the valve-spindle substantially as herein before
described.
7. Using a lever for moving the valve-spindle furnished with a slot and die or
block, as herein before described, when used in connection with slide-valves actuated
partially by levers and links and partially by live steam.
Dated this 9th day of December 1892.
PHILIP RUDOLF BJÖRLING.