IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Whittles, Engineer, Rochdale, Joseph Scho-
field, Manufacturer, Littleborough, Edmund Leach, Manager, Little-
borough, James Lord, Solicitor, Rochdale, all in the County of Lancaster,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Whittles, Joseph
Schofield, Edmund Leach, and James Lord at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th April 1858.
We, HENRY WHITTLES, Engineer, Rochdale, JOSEPH SCHOFIELD, Manu-
facturer, Littleborough, EDMUND LEACH, Manager, Littleborough, JAMES
LORD, Solicitor, Rochdale, all in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF
STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
These improvements are effected by means of a regulator for adjusting the
position of the valve or valves for cutting off the steam from the cylinder more
or less according to the load upon the engine. We effect this by means of a
rod in two parts connected to the valve or valves, which is lengthened or
shortened by a screwed collar or double boxed nut, receiving motion from a
regulator worked by a reciprocating action from a convenient part of the
engine, and influenced by the engine governor, so that as the load varies
motion is given to the screwed collar in one or the other direction, thus
cutting off the steam at an earlier or later part of the stroke of the piston, as
may be required. The regulator having connection with the injection valve
or tap, by its action limits the supply of water to the condenser in proportion
to the quantity of steam used. Should the engine run too fast, or under other
circumstances, the regulator will shut off the steam and water altogether, and
thereby stop the engine.

page_text: 1
Secondly, in an improved air pump, which both draws the water and air
from the condenser, and also discharges it by the action of the under-side of
the piston, and which pump may also be made at the same time to act as a
steam engine, and give out power by the admission of steam above the piston
as it is descending, and by the withdrawel of that steam into the condenser as
the piston is ascending. The rod of the piston being connected to the beam
or other moving part of the engine thus exercises a motary power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield, Edmund Leach, and
James Lord in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th October
1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
WHITTLES, Engineer, Rochdale, JOSEгH SCHOFIELD, Manufacturer, Little-
borough, EDMUND LEACH, Manager, Littleborough, JAMES LORD, Solicitor,
Rochdale, all in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield, Edmund Leach, and James Lord,
Her special licence that we, the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield,
Edmund Leach, and James Lord, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield, Edmund
Leach, and James Lord, our 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield, Edmund Leach,
and James Lord, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one or more of us, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield,
Edmund Leach, and James Lord, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is
to say) :-
Our said Invention consists, firstly, in an improved combination of parts to
regulate the speed of steam engines by self-regulating cutters, giving a greater
or less supply of steam to the cylinder and water to the condenser, so as to
obtain uniform speed and economise steam. These improvements are effected
by means of self-acting regulating apparatus attached to cutters connected
with the slides or valves of steam engines, so that the positions of the cutters
may be adjusted to increase or decrease the supply of steam to the cylinder,
sooner or later, quicker or slower, as required. The cutters are attached to a
rod in two parts, which is lengthened or shortened by a screwed collar or
double box nut, receiving motion from a regulator worked by a reciprocating
action from any convenient part of the engine, the said regulator being
influenced by the governor, so that as the load varies motion is given to the
screwed collar in one or the other direction, thus cutting off the steam at an
earlier or later part of the stroke of the piston, as may be required. Separately
or in connection with the aforesaid regulator, we employ an arrangement for
the purpose of speeding the action of the cutters, the movements of which are
determined by the governor, and adjustable studs or pulleys fixed to side
pipes or other convenient part of the engine. The aforesaid cutters are slides
connected with the ordinary slide valves of steam engines to cut off steam
from the cylinder, so as to work expansively or shut it off altogether, similar
to the cutters described in Whittles and Schofield's Specification, dated
January 31st, 1857, No. 290.
Our Invention consists, secondly, in an improved air and motary pump,
which both draws the water and air from the condenser, and discharges the
same by the action of the under side of the piston; which pump may act as a
steam engine by admitting steam above the piston when descending, and by
the withdrawal of steam into the condenser as the piston ascends, the rod of
the piston being connected to the beam or other convenient part of the engine,
thus exercising motive power.
These improvements will be understood by reference to the two Sheets of
Drawings attached, with the figures and letters of reference thereon. In
Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a plan of our improved regulator; Fig. 2 is an elevation of
the same; Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detached views of some of its parts. In
Sheet 2, Figs. 1 and 2 are views of our apparatus for acting upon the cutters

page_text: with greater or less speed, thereby cutting the steam off earlier, and Figs. 3
and 4 are views of our improved air and motary pump.
In Sheet 1, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, a represents the slide valve furnished
with cutters b, connected to a rod in two parts c and d, with screws at their
ends, the threads of one being right handed and the other left; the said screws
fit corresponding threads in the screwed collar or double box nut e, so that
when the latter is turned round in opposite directions, we increase or decrease
the distance between the two extreme ends of the rod.
In our improvements we make the adjustments self-acting, by connecting
one extreme end of one rod to one cutter, and the extreme end of the other
rod to the other cutter, so that as motion is given to the screwed collar or
double nut in one direction, the two cutters get farther apart, so as to cut off
the steam sooner, and when the motion of the nut is reversed the two cutters
are brought nearer together and cut off the steam at a later part of the stroke
of the piston. The motion is given to the double nut e by placing on it a bevil
wheelf, both so fitted with key and groove, or other suitable contrivance, that
the double box nut may slide freely in the hole of the wheel, and yet be turned
when rotary motion is given to the wheel, the sliding of which is prevented by
means of a stationary bearing g. The wheel f is turned by being geared into
another bevil wheel h, fixed to the regulator shaft i, upon which are fastened
two ratchet wheels k and 1, having teeth in contrary directions. A swing arm
or lever m works loose upon the shaft, carrying two catches or palls n and o,
intended to act when required upon the ratchet wheels by means of the
alternate oscillating movement of the lever m, obtained by connecting it by
the rod p, with the slide rod or other convenient moving part of the engine.
We place loose upon the regulator shaft i another lever q, operating by the
rod upon two sectors or lifters s and t, seen detached at Figs. 4 and 5,
designed to lift and so disengage the catches from the ratchet wheels as
required; both catches may be disengaged at the same time, when the shaft
and wheels will be in a state of rest, or one catch only may be disengaged, the
other remaining in action, thus giving motion to the shaft and wheels. We
also place upon the regulator shaft another sector or lifter u, (seen detached at
Fig. 6,) working independently of the others for the purpose of shutting off
the steam in case of excessive speed. The lever q is connected in any suitable
manner with the governor, so that as the engine increases or decreases in
speed, one or the other of the catches is brought into action. The sectors are
placed in such relation to each other that when the engine is working
regularly at the desired speed both catches are lifted off, but when the speed
increases, one catch is raised and the other depressed in order to turn the.

page_text: ratchet wheel and to act upon the cutters so as to lessen the quantity of steam
admitted into the cylinder. If the speed be too slow, the opposite catch and
wheel are put into motion, causing the cutters to admit more steam until the
required speed is obtained. If from excessive speed the balls of the governor
extend to their utmost limit, the sector u is turned, until the arm v connected
with it rests upon the projection w, so that the shutting-off catch shall be at
work without being influenced by other parts, thus shutting off the steam and
stopping the engine.
The regulator shaft i is furnished with friction pulleys x, pressed together
by the spring y, so that when the cutter rods are extended or contracted to
their limit, the spring and pulleys will yield and prevent strain or breakage.
In order to regulate the supply of water to the condenser, we have com-
munication from the regulator shaft by means of wheels, screws, or other
suitable contrivance, to the ordinary or other injection valve or tap, whereby
we open or close the same, so that the requisite quantity of water only may be
admitted into the condenser.
In cases where a valve or valves are used independently of the ordinary
slide valves, whether intermediate or otherwise, the same or somewhat similar
arrangements may be employed.
In Figs. 1 and 2 (Sheet 2) we represent our improved mode of acting with
greater speed upon the cutters or slides which are connected to the rods a and
b, working in the double box nut c, which is connected with the regulator
shaft i; the ordinary reciprocating rod d for working the valves bas pivots e,
for supporting a lever f, connected by the rod g to a link rod or bracket h,
having bosses or collars i, on or attached, through which the rods pass. The
end of the lever f comes in contact with studs or pulleys k, adjustable to any
position required, so that as the rod d reciprocates, the leverf is acted upon by
the adjustable studs or pulleys moving it up and down, and causing the collars
i to come in contact with other collars fixed to the rods a and b, so as to
raise or lower the cutters at each stroke, thus more speedily cutting off steam
from the cylinder; the traverse of the cutters depending upon the positions
of the studs or pulleys k and lever f.
In Sheet 2, Figs. 3 and 4, we represent our improved air pump, consisting
of a cylinder m of the usual construction, having a foot valve n and a delivery
valve o, the same as in ordinary use, the bucket or piston is shewn at; P without
any valve on the upper side thereof; in the descending stroke we admit steam
from the boiler by means of an ordinary slide or valve g; or one of any other
construction. In the ascending stroke the steam is discharged from the air
pump into the exhaust pipe, or direct into the condenser r, through a connect-

page_text: ing pipes, whereby a partial vacuum is formed in the upper part of the air
pump, thus obtaining motary power; the water and air from the condenser
being admitted into the lower part only of the air pump during the up stroke,
and discharged therefrom into the hot well t by the descending stroke of the
piston. We work the valve and regulate the steam by the regulating
motion before described in the first part of our improvements, on Sheet 1,
Figs. 1 and 2.
To the connecting pipe s we attach a foot valve in order to prevent any
water from passing out of the condenser into the upper part of the air
pump, if from any cause the water should rise too high in the condenser.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be distinctly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein set
forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof; but we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge
and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,―
Firstly, a self-acting mechanical contrivance for regulating and adjusting the
cutters or slides so as to cut off the steam from the cylinder sooner or later,
and to speed the action of such cutters or slides as may be required for
effecting saving of steam, regularity of speed, and stopping the steam engine;
also for apparatus for regulating the quantity of condensing water required for
condensation, as shewn and described.
And, secondly, an improved motary air pump into which steam is admitted
above the piston so as to produce motive power, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Whittles, Joseph Schofield,
Edmund Leach, and James Lord, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.