CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hartley, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
ENGINES."
Sealed the 6th March 1860, and dated the 30th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hartley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
September 1859.
I, WILLIAM HARTLEY, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in an improved combination of
excentrics or cranks for working the valves for admitting and cutting off
steam, also in connecting the excentrics or cranks to the governor so that the
cut-off can be regulated according to the speed of the engine.
In performing my Invention the excentric for working the admission valve
may be fixed on the fly-wheel shaft or on a countershaft, and the excentric for
working the cut-off valve is placed upon either a fixed or a moveable excentric
which is placed upon the fly-wheel shaft or countershaft, the cut-off excentric
and the excentric or boss on which it is placed may be of the same amount of
excentricity or otherwise, and when adjusted so as to give the greatest amount.
of traverse will give steam throughout the stroke, and in the reverse position
will not give any steam at all or motion to the cut-off valve; but between the
limits the excentrics may be so adjusted as to cut off steam at any portion of

page_text: the stroke.
This arrangement can be regulated by hand or by suitable
apparatus connected to the governor. The connection between the excentrics
or cranks is effected by a worm and wheel, or by an arrangement of wheels, by
which the excentric or boss on which the cut off excentric is placed is driven
at the speed -the engine should work, therefore when the speed of the engine
varies the position of the cut-off excentric is also varied to admit more or less
steam.
Another part of my Invention consists in adapting and working slide valves
by machinery similar to that used in working Cornish valves; for this purpose
I connect a small piston to the valve rod or valve, which piston works within
a cylinder, and is acted upon by the steam in the side pipes, and opens
or closes the valve after it has been moved by the tappet or other suitable
mechanism.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hartley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HARTLEY, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Hartley, Her special licence that I, the said William Hartley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Hartley, 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Hartley, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 I, the said William Hartley, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in an improved combination of
eccentrics or cranks for working the valves for admitting and cutting off steam;
also in connecting the eccentrics or cranks to the governor so that the cut-off
can be regulated according to the speed of the engine.
:
The second part of my Invention consists in adapting and working slide
valves by machinery similar to that used in working Cornish valves; for this
purpose a small piston is connected to the valve rod or valve, which piston
works within a cylinder, and is acted upon by the steam in the side pipes;
and opens or closes the valve after it has been moved by the tappet or other
suitable mechanism.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the three accompanying Sheets of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
a is the
On Sheet 1, Figure 1, is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of the principal
parts of an horizontal steam engine to which the first part of my improve-
ments is applied; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detached views of my
improved combination of eccentrics, drawn on an enlarged scale.
steam cylinder; c is the piston rod which is connected by the connecting rod h
to the crank i, fixed on the crank shaft j; e and fare the steam ways in the
cylinder a; and k is the valve casings, which are made in the manner
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the Thirty-
first day of July, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 1731.
The mechanism for working the admission valves m, m, and cut-off valves n, n,
is attached to the countershaft q, which is driven at the same speed as the
crank shaft j, by a pair of spur wheels marked j¹ and q'. The wheel q' has a
suitably formed groove in its face for opening and closing the exhaust valves.A
quickly when the piston is near the end of its stroke; hence the exhaust valves
remain stationary during the greater portion of the stroke, or the exhaust
valves may be worked in a similar manner from the crank shaft. The
eccentric r, which works the admission valves m, is fixed to the shaft q, and it
is connected to the valve spindle m' by the eccentric's rod m²; to the eccentric
r is cast or fixed the eccentric boss'r, on which fits the eccentric s. for working
the cut-off valves n, the spindle n' of these valves being connected to the
eccentric's rod n². The eccentrics and s are connected by a set screw-s! fitting
in a segmental slot s² in the eccentric s, which is shewn detached in Figure 5.

page_text: The eccentric rimparts at all times the same amount of traverse to the admission
valves m, but the traverse of the cut-off valves n is variable, in order to be able
to cut off the steam at different portions of the stroke,. the extent of the variation
depending upon the eccentricity of the boss r' and that of the eccentric s. In the
present instance the same amount of eccentricity is given to both, consequently
when the eccentrics are in the relative positions shewn in Figures 4, 6, and 7, the
greatest traverse will be given to the cut-off valves, and steam will be admitted
nearly throughout the entire length of the stroke, but when the eccentrics are
brought into the reverse positions, as shewn in Figure 3, no motion will be
given to the cut-off valves, and no steam will be admitted to the cylinder, but
between these limits the eccentrics may be adjusted by the attendant loosening
the set screw s¹, and tightening it up again after the relative positions of the
eccentrics has been changed, so as to cut off the steam at any portion of the
stroke. In Figures 1 and 2 the eccentrics are shewn in the relative positions
for admitting steam during about three-fourths of the stroke; the exhaust
valves and the mechanism for working them are also shewn in these views;
but as they form no part of my present Invention it is not requisite to describe
them.
On Sheet 2, Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, represent different views of á
modification of the first part of my improvements; in these views I have
shewn how the requisite change in the position of the eccentric for working
the cut-off valves can be effected by the governor according to the load on the
engine. is the countershaft, similar to that shewn in Figures 1 and 2, on
Sheet 1, and driven in the same manner by the wheels j and q; to this shaft
is fixed the eccentric r for working the admission valves and the spur wheel q²;
this wheel gears into the pinion g³, which also gears into the pinion q; to this
latter is fixed the pinion t, gearing into, the internal wheel t'. The pinion q
and the pinions q' and t, are mounted on studs fixed in the worm wheel it,
which works in a casing or stand u; this worm wheel is moved partly round
in contrary directions by the worm u², fixed to the end of the rod u³, to which
rotary motion is given when the governor balls collapse or expand by bevel
wheels and a moveable catch box as is now customary. I wish to remark
here that the worm wheel u, and the casing in which it works, are described
in the Specifications of Letters Patent granted to me on the Nineteenth of
August One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, Number 2205, and on the
Thirty-first of July One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 1731.
To the back of the internal wheel t', which is loose on the shaft q, is cast or
fixed the eccentric boss t², corresponding to the boss marked in Figure 6.
The eccentric s for working the cut-off valves fits on the boss t2; this eccentric

page_text: is taken round by the stud s', fitting in a slot in the eccentric r. The mode of
operation is as follows:-While the engine is working at its proper speed the
governor holds the catch box above referred to out of contact with the bevel
wheels, and no motion is communicated to the worm u² and worm wheel u,
consequently the wheels and pinions remain in the positions shewn in Figures 8
and 9, because the wheel q2 has three times as many teeth as the pinion .q",
and the pinion t has one-third of the number of teeth in the internal wheel.t',
hence the wheels q² and t¹ revolve at the same speed and in the same direction;
as soon, however, as the governor balls expand the worm u² begins to revolve
and turns the worm wheel u partly round in the direction of the dotted arrow
in Figure 8; this motion of the worm wheel causes the pinion q³ to roll. over
the teeth of the wheel q², thereby giving increased action to the pinions q! and
t, and to the internal wheel t¹; the eccentric boss t is thus made to change the
positions of the eccentric s, so that the throw, or traverse of the cut-off valve
is reduced, thereby diminishing the quantity of steam admitted to the cylinder
until the governor balls regain their proper position, and thus stopping the
worm us. When the speed of the engine is reduced so that the governor balls
collapse sufficiently to bring the catch box in gear with the other bevel wheel,
the worm u revolving in the contrary direction, and the worm wheel u being
then moved upwards instead of downwards, produces the requisite change
in the position of the eccentric s for giving more steam to the cylinder.
In Figures 13 and 14, I have shewn a modification of the first part of my
Invention, in which an eccentric and a crank are combined for working the
admission and cut off valves. q' is a wheel driven as before described by a
wheel on the crank shaft; this wheel is furnished with a long boss q', working
in a fixed bearing; to the wheel q' is fixed or cast the eccentric r for working
the admission valve. The pinion v is fixed to the end of a shaft, which is
turned round when required by the governor of the steam engine; in the
manner described in reference to the worm u², in Figure 9; the pinion v gears
into the internal wheel v¹, the boss of which fits in the eccentric r, and to this
boss is fixed the crank pin so corresponding to the eccentric 8, referred to in the
previous Figures. When the crank pin 820 is in the position shewn, it is
imparting the greatest traverse to the cut-off valve, and when the internal
wheel ¹ has performed half a revolution, the crank pin so will be brought in
a line with the axis of the wheel q', consequently no motion whatever will be
imparted to the cut-off valve, but between these two limits the amount of
traverse can be regulated by the governor to suit the load on the engine.
On Sheet 3, Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 represent
different views of another modification of the first part of my Invention ;. in

page_text: these views the countershaft 9 is supposed to be driven at the same speed as the
crank shaft, as before described in reference to Figures 1 and 2; r is the
eccentric for working the admission valve fixed to the shaft q, to which is also
keyed the worm wheel w; the worm w', supported in bearings cast or fixed
to the eccentric w³, gears into the worm wheel w; to the axle of the worm w'
is fixed a mitre pinion w³, gearing into the pinion w³, to the back of which is
fixed the star or spoke wheel w', the spindle of the pinion w³, and star or
spoke wheel w revolves in a bush in the eccentric w, which is loose on the
shaft 9;
the star or spoke wheel is turned round when required by studs pro-
jecting from a lever actuated by the governor. The cut off eccentric 8, fits
upon the eccentric w³, and is connected to the eccentric r, by a stud s', as in
Figure 11. As long as the engine is working at its proper speed, the eccen-
trics r and 8, retain their relative positions, and the star or spoke wheel in
revolving with the eccentrics, passes clear of the studs projecting from the
lever connected to the governor, but when the speed of the engine increases
one of the studs in the said lever approaches the centre of the star or spoke
wheel, which in revolving strikes against the said stud, and causes the star or
spoke wheel and with it the mitre pinions w³, and w², and worm w³, to revolve
partly round, thereby giving motion to the eccentric w³, and causing the
:eccentrics to diminish the traverse of the cut-off valve, until the speed of the
engine is reduced; if the engine is working too slow, the other stud is brought
into action by the governor and acting on the other side of the star or spoke
wheef w', produces the requisite alteration in the position of the eccentric s
for giving more steam to the engine.
Figure 24 is an elevation, and Figure 25 a plan of part of a steam engine
to which the second part of my Invention is applied; in these views a is the
cylinder; k the side pipes or steam chests; m, m, the admission valves fixed
to the valve spindles m³ and m*; these valves are worked independently of
each other by tappets or other suitable agents acting on rods connected to the
studs ms and me, shewn in dots in Figure 24, in the same manner as the
Cornish valves now generally known and in use; e and f are the steam ways,
and e and f, are the exhaust steam ways, which are opened and closed by
the exhaust valves A. To each valve spindle is fixed a small piston B, working
in a cylinder attached to the valve casing; these pistons are so placed that as
soon as the tappet by which the valve has been opened passes beyond the end
of the rod acting on the valve spindle, the steam in the side pipe acting on the
upper surface of the piston presses the piston down, and thereby closes the
valve. It is evident that the pistons B may be made very small as they come
when the pressure
into action when the valve is in equilibrium, that is to say,

page_text: of steam on the back of the valve is balanced by the steam in the cylinder; I
wish to observe that the pistons B may be placed above the admission valves so
as to open them after they have been closed by the action of the tappets.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the details given, as they may be varied or modified without departing from
the peculiar character thereof; but what I claim is, first, the improved combi-
nation of eccentrics shewn and described in reference to Figures 1 to 7 for:
working the admission and cut-off or expansion valves of steam engines.
Secondly, the improved combinations of eccentrics shewn and described
in reference to Figures 8 to 12, and in Figures 15 to 28, for working the
admission and cut-off valves, and the mechanism by which the position of the.
eccentric for working the cut-off valve is regulated by the governor according
to the speed of the engine.
Thirdly, the improved combination of an eccentric and crank shewn and
described in reference to Figures 13 and 14, for working the admission and
cut-off valves, and the mechanism by which the position of the cut-off valve
is regulated according to the speed of the engine.
And, lastly, the application of a piston to the spindle of a slide valve for
opening or closing it; as shewn and described in reference to Figures 24 and 25.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hartley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
5.Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
W. HARTLEY. (L.B.)