IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CYLINDERS and Valves oF STEAM-ENGINES. ALSO APplicable to PUMPS FOR Raising
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Payton, of 38, Masbro Road, Brook Green, in
the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer, and Alexander Wilson, of
the Vauxhall Iron Works, Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey,
Mechanical Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CYLINDERS
and Valves oF STEAM-ENGINES. ALSO APplicable to PUMPS FOR Raising,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Payton and Alexander
Wilson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August
1880.
(E
WALTER PAYTON, of 38, Masbro Road, Brook Green, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, and ALEXANDER WILSON, of the Vauxhall Iron Works,
Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey, Mechanical Engineer. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CYLINDERS AND VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES, ALSO APPLICABLE
TO PUMPS FOR RAISING, FORCING, AND EXHAUSTING WATER, AIR, AND OTHER
FLUIDS."
Our Invention relates to the passages and valves by means of which steam is
admitted to and passed out of the interior of steam engine cylinders, and it has for
its object the construction of such parts in such a manner as. will allow of the
valves having a much shorter travel than is usual with ordinary valves, and reduce
considerably their friction when in motion.
In carrying out our Invention we provide the said steam engine cylinders with
a valve chest containing a valve face having ports connected by the usual passages
with the two ends of such cylinders, and we also provide the valve chest cover,
which is placed parallel with the said valve face of the cylinder, with a valve face
containing exactly similar ports, also connected by passages through the valve
chests with the two ends of such cylinders.
The said valves we construct in two parts, preferably of a circular or disc form,
but with a large portion of their centres removed, and we connect such parts
together by fitting a portion of one of them within the other, or otherwise, in such
[Price 6d1

page_text: The
a manner as will permit of such parts moving in the direction of their axes.
outer plane surfaces and circular edges of the two said parts are exactly similar,
and when placed in position between the valve face of a cylinder and the valve
face of its valve chest cover, and in contact with each, the two said parts form
valves, which having reciprocating motion given to them by eccentrics or otherwise
will control the admission of steam to and the exhaust of steam from the ports in
the said cylinder and the ports in the said valve chest cover, all of which ports are
curved to suit the circular form given to the exterior and interior edges of the two
parts of the said valves. The valve face of the cylinder may be provided with an
exhaust passage between its ports, and steam may be admitted to the valve chest
in the usual manner, in which case the said valves will have their outer edges
projecting so as to form the usual lap, and at the same time provide a sufficient
amount of surface, upon which the steam may press, and so keep them in contact
with their respective valve faces, but we prefer to place between the said ports in
the valve face of the cylinder a passage connected with the boiler, through which
steam may be admitted to the interior of the said valves, and in this case we form
the lap and pressure surfaces on the interior edges of the valves, and allow the
steam to exhaust at their outer edges into the valve chest, which we provide with
an outlet leading to a condenser, a low pressure cylinder, or the air, as may be
desired. The two parts forming the said valves are kept apart, and pressing against
their respective faces when steam is not acting upon them by spiral or other
suitable springs, and to prevent steam escaping through the junction of the said
two parts of the said valves they are fitted with tongued rings or other suitable
packing.
The valve rod may be connected to the valves in any suitable manner, but we
prefer to use for this purpose a circular hoop or bridle. enclosing the valves in
such a way as will not prevent their being pressed against their respective valve
faces.
As it is most important that the ports in the valve face of the cylinder and those
in the valve face of the valve chest cover shall exactly correspond when in position
we screw or otherwise fix one end of a stud in the body of the cylinder in a
position central to the ports in its valve face, and such stud we form of sufficient
length to allow of its entering a hole bored in the valve chest cover, the position of
such hole being also central to the ports formed in its valve face. This arrange-
ment will not only compel the said cover when being fixed to assume its correct
position, and ensure the coincidence of the said ports, but the said stud and hole
can be used as centres for a template, by means of which the several ports may be
marked off and accurately positioned. The passage by which the steam enters the
valve may form a part of a jacket surrounding the said cylinder, and when two
cylinders are placed side by side the said jacket and passages may be common to
both such cylinders.
Our Invention may be also usefully employed in place of the valves ordinarily used
in pumps for raising, forcing, and exhausting water, air, and other fluids, and when
applied to the pumps of direct acting steam pumping engines reciprocation may be
given to the valves by connecting them in any convenient manner with the piston
rod of such engines. Reciprocation may also be given to them by connecting them
by means of a valve rod to the piston by which the main steam valve of such
engines is in some cases operated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Walter Payton and Alexander Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th February 1881.
WALTER PAYTON, of 38, Masbro Road, Brook Green, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, and ALEXANDER WILSON, of the Vauxhall Iron Works,
Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey, Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CYLINDERS AND VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES, ALSO APPLICABLE
TO PUMPS FOR RAISING, FORCING, AND EXHAUSTING WATER, AIR, AND OTHER
FLUIDS."
Our Invention relates to the passages and valves by means of which steam is
admitted to and passed out of the interior of steam engine cylinders, and it has for
its object the construction of such parts in such a manner as will allow of the
valves having a much shorter travel than is usual with ordinary valves, and reduce
considerably their friction when in motion.
Our said Invention is also applicable to pumps for raising, forcing, and exhausting
water, air, and other fluids, as it may in many cases be usefully employed in place
of the mitre, clack, or other valves ordinarily used in such pumps.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will now proceed to more particularly describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
In the said Drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate a steam engine cylinder
constructed and fitted with a modification of the passages and valves above referred
to, Figure 1 being a longitudinal section; Figure 2, a transverse section; Figure 3,
a plan of the valve chest with the cover of the same removed, and Figure 4 a plan
of the under side of the valve chest cover.
In all of the said Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, E is the cylinder, a part of which is
formed into the valve chest a containing the valve face b, and the said valve chest a
has connected to it by screwed studs and nuts the cover c, which is placed parallel
with the valve face b, and has formed upon or attached to its inner surface a valve
face exactly similar and opposite to the valve face b. The said valve face bis
provided with a port at e, which is connected by means of the passage e¹ with the
interior end e² of the cylinder E, and another port is formed in it at f, which is
connected by means of the passage f¹ with the interior end f² of the said cylinder.
The valve face d of the cover c is also provided with ports at g and h exactly
opposite and similar to those at e and f in the valve face b, and the said ports g
and h are connected with the passages e¹ and f¹ leading to the interior ends of the
cylinder E by means of the passages g¹ and h' formed in the cover c, and the
passages a' and a² formed in the valve chest a, the said passages e¹ and f¹ having
their capacities sufficiently enlarged between their points of junction with the
passages a¹ and a² and the interior ends of the cylinder E to allow of their receiving
the additional steam supplied to them by the said passages a' and a².
In carrying out this part of our Invention, and in order to adapt it to different
kinds and sizes of cylinders, it will be sometimes necessary to somewhat vary the
construction of the passages connecting the ports in the valve faces b and d with
the interior ends of such cylinders, and such variation may be made as required
without in any way affecting the peculiarities of our Invention, provided such
passages are constructed in a manner equivalent to that above described, and that
the ports and e are connected with one interior end of any such cylinders, and
the ports h and f with the other interior end in as direct and free a manner as may
be possible and consistent with such cylinders' peculiarities.

page_text: The dimensions of the said passages will also vary with the speed at which
engines are required to be run, and in arranging such dimensions it must be borne
in mind that, according to our Invention, each end of the cylinder is supplied with
steam, and is exhausted through two distinct ports and passages, the dimensions of
each of which will therefore require to be only one half those necessary when only
one port and passage are used.
When however two passages are brought into one before opening into the
cylinder, as is the case in Figure 1, the part between the junction of the two
passages and the entrance to the cylinder should be widened out so as to have its
capacity doubled.
The valve face b is provided with an opening j situated centrally between the
ports e and f, and such opening is connected by a passage, as shown in Figure 2,
with the jacket which surrounds the cylinder E, and is kept in direct communi-
cation with the boiler through the pipe . The valve chest a has an outlet
passage at a³, by means of which the exhaust steam may pass from it into a
condenser, a receiver, or the open air, and the valve face d of the cover c has
situated centrally between its ports g and h an opening similar and opposite to
the opening in the valve face b, and such opening is in communication with a
chamber formed in the cover c, to serve as a receiver of steam supplied through
the opening j.
The shape and dimensions of the openings j and 7 are determined by the
dimensions of the valves about to be described, but they should in all cases be such
as will remove all metal from the centre of the valve faces which is not necessary
for the efficient working of the valves thereon.
The opening jis provided with a pillar j¹ cast solid with the cylinder and
strengthened by a plate, and into such pillar is screwed the stud m in such a
position as to be exactly in the centre of the valve face b, and the upper end of
such stud m is fitted into a hole bored in a pillar strengthened by a plate cast solid
in the centre of the opening of the cover c, the centre of which hole is exactly in
the centre of the valve face d, and the object of such stud m and the manner of
fitting it is that it may serve as a guide or steady pin to the cover c, to ensure its
being always placed in such a position on the valve chest a as will ensure the
concentricity of the valve faces b and d, and the exact coincidence of the ports g, e,
and h and f
The valves are constructed of two principal parts, as shown at i and i¹, each of
which is of a circular or disc form, but with a large portion of its centre removed
so as to form a ring, the internal diameter of the outer face of which is equal to the
distance between the interior edges of the ports of either of the valve faces b and d
measured on the line A, B, minus twice the lap given to the valves on the inlet
side, which lap is in this case equal to the width of either of the ports measured on
the line A, B.
The external diameter of each of the said parts or rings is equal to the distance
between the outer edges of the two ports of either of the said valve faces b and d
measured on the line A, B, and such parts or rings when provided with the flexible
joint or packing n, to be described lower down, and placed in position between the
valve faces b and d, and in contact with both in the manner shown by Figures 1
and 2, their outer surfaces form valves which, having a to and fro motion given to
them over the valve faces b and d by means of an excentric or its equivalent
connected to the rod o¹ of the adjustable circular bridle o, will alternately admit
steam to and exhaust it from the two ends of the cylinder E. This will be better
understood by reference to Figures 1 and 2, which clearly show by means of
arrows the direction of the steam as it passes from the boiler through the jacket k
and opening j into the interior of the valves and the receiver U, and the manner in
which the reciprocating action of the said valves controls its admission to and
exhaustion from the said cylinder simultaneously through the coinciding and
opposite ports g and e connected with one of its interior ends, and the similar
ports h and f connected with its other interior end.

page_text: The said flexible joint or packing n is used to connect the two parts i and i
together in such a manner as will prevent steam escaping from the interior of the
valves at their point of junction, and at the same time allow the said two parts i
and to move freely in the direction of their axes through a short distance, in
order that they may maintain contact with their respective valve faces, should any
wear of such faces or the faces of the valves take place.
The said flexible joint or packing n may be conveniently constructed of sheet
phosphor bronze or other suitable metal cut into rings of the required size, two
of which having the dished or curved form given to them illustrated in enlarged
section by n¹ and n, Figure 5, by means of suitable dies, by spinning in a lathe,
or in any other well known way, are fitted and soldered together in the manner
shown by Figure 6, so as to form an U shaped ring, to the ends of which the
circular solid flanges n* and n are securely soldered.
The two parts of the said valves i and ¹ have recesses turned in them at iª
and 3, into which the said flanges n* and n³ are accurately fitted and secured by
screws, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
i
The said U shaped ring should be constructed of metal as thin as is consistent
with its withstanding the pressure of steam to which it may be subjected to allow
of its opening and closing with a spring action through a distance of about one
eighth part of an inch, as such spring action is useful for the purpose of keeping
the parts i and in contact with their valve faces during such times as steam may
not be acting upon them, and the two flanges n' and n when soldered to the
said U shaped ring should be turned concentric with each other, so that when
secured to the parts and they may also ensure the concentricity of those parts.
The interior surface of the said U shaped ring is at all times exposed to the
pressure of the steam in the interior of the valves, and such pressure is always
usefully employed in pressing the rings and apart and in contact with the valve
faces b and d, and the dimensions of the said U shaped ring should be such as will
allow of a pressure being exerted within it for that purpose somewhat greater than
the pressure acting in a contrary direction to which the said rings i and i¹ are
exposed during the time they are so situated as to entirely close the ports g, e,
or h, f.
In reference to the above described method of constructing the valves we would
however have it understood, that although we prefer to use it on account of its
simplicity, its non-liability to rust and clog, and to the fact that it has no opening
through which steam may escape to waste, we do not confine ourselves to that
method entirely, but claim in connection with our above mentioned improvements
the use of any other equivalent to the above method of constructing the valves
which may be open to us, such as that illustrated by Figure 7, in which p and p
represent in section one side of the two principal circular parts of the valves fitted
the one within the other, and packed at their junction with the ordinary tongued
circular packing ring p², and pressed apart by means of the spiral spring p³ and
the pressure of the steam acting upon the projecting parts pt and p³.
Nor is it essential to the carrying out of our Invention that the steam in passing
from the boiler to the interior of the valves should be first admitted to a jacket
surrounding the cylinder, as if not required such jacket may be dispensed with,
and the steam may be supplied direct to the opening by means of a short passage
cast on the cylinder in the ordinary manner, or to the opening of the cover c if
preferred by means of a pipe attached in any convenient way.
The delineation of the curved interior and exterior edges of the ports g, e, h,
and may be made in a variety of ways, but we prefer to arrange them in such a
manner that the circular interior and exterior edges of the valves shall in all cases
exactly coincide with the circular edges of the said ports at the moment the said
valves are in position for opening or closing them.
Having now fully described the nature of our Invention as illustrated by
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, it will be obvious that by means of its duplicate arrangement
of valves and ports the admission of steam to and its exhaustion from a cylinder

page_text: may be controlled by valves moving through one half the distance required by the
ordinary single valves moving over single ports, and that motion may consequently
be given to such valves by much smaller excentrics and valve gear than those used
for such ordinary valves. Another advantage consequent upon our Invention is
that as the valves are greatly reduced in weight, and are not subject to steam
pressure except upon a very small surface their friction is greatly reduced, and they
are capable of being moved with much greater freedom, ease, and rapidity at a
greatly reduced cost for power and wear and tear of parts.
Some of the above advantages but not all may be secured by two other modifi-
cations of our Invention, in one of which we make the steam inlet opening j into
an exhaust passage and admit steam from the boiler to the valve. chest a both in
the usual manner, and we construct the valves with lap on their exterior edges
and use their interior edges for exhausting as in ordinary valves, and as in this
modification the steam pressure is on the outside of the valves we make the flexible
joint or packing n the reverse way, that is, with its open side outwards, as shown
in Figure 8, and we arrange the curves of the ports in the manner ordinarily
employed when circular valves are used.
In the other modification we make the ports rectangular and with straight edges,
and we make the valves circular and the same as in the other modifications, except
at those parts in contact with the two valve faces which we make rectangular.
This modification although practicable is however more expensive to construct
than either of the preceding, and in carrying our Invention into practice we prefer
to use for steam engine cylinders the modification first described and illustrated by
the Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In applying our Invention to the cylinders of pumps for raising, forcing, and
exhausting water, air, or other fluids in place of the mitre, clack, or other valves
ordinarily used in such pumps, either the first or second of the above described
modifications may be advantageously used, the said valves i and in such cases
being operated in any well known manner or in any other way that may be found
most convenient.
When either of the said modifications is used in pumps for raising or forcing
water or other incompressable fluids the said valves are made without lap, and the
interior and exterior edges of the said ports are made to coincide with the interior
edges of the said valves when in mid position upon their valve faces.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our Invention,
and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we
would observe in conclusion that we do not claim generally the use of circular
valves operated by hoops or circular bridles, nor do we claim the use of ports curved
in any peculiar manner, or valves the interior of which is in communication with
the boiler and the exterior with the exhaust; but what we claim as novel and
original and as the Invention secured to us by the herein before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the construction and arrangement of the cylinders with their
valve chests and valves of steam engines and pumps with double valve faces,
double ports, and double passages, in the manner and for the purposes herein
described and illustrated in the Drawings here unto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Payton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
WALTER PAYTON. (L.S.),