IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND GENERATORS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jeremiah Head, of Middlesbrough, in the County
of York, Iron Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM ENGINES AND GENERATORS."
Sealed the 27th May 1873, and dated the 13th March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jeremiah Head at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th March 1873.
I, JEREMIAH HEAD, of Middlesbrough, in the County of York, Iron
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES AND GENERATORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the governors, slide valves,
and pistons of steam engines, and to an improved form of vertical steam
generator.
According to my improved arrangement of governor I propose to
combine a cataract containing a liquid, by preference oil, in lieu of
using air, as heretofore, with a conical pendulous governor; the object

page_text: of using the liquid being to impede the too rapid or sudden rise and fall
of the governor ball or balls.
In constructing my improved governor I prefer to place the cataract
cylinder at the top of the governor so as to slide up and down upon a
piston secured to the governor spindle and revolving therewith. The
said cylinder is connected to the balls by means of links secured to the
arms upon which the balls are hung. A constricted passage or aperture
is provided either in the cylinder or in the piston for the purpose of
preventing the accumulation of momentum in the moving parts in an
upward or downward direction. The vertical movement of the governor
is conveyed to the steam controlling gear by an upright stud in the
centre of the upper cylinder cover.
My improvement in slide valves consists in the introduction of a
hollow cylindrical expansion slide working within a similar main slide,
the said expansion slide being worked from one end of the valve chest
and the main slide from the opposite end.
The main slide is worked by an eccentric of its own in the ordinary
manner, but the expansion slide is worked from a separate eccentric, the
rod of which is cut or divided in some part of its length, the two
contiguous ends terminating in small blocks sliding in separate slots
in a double slot link working on a fixed centre. These blocks are simul-
taneously moved in opposite directions by links connecting them through
levers with the before-mentioned stud upon the top cover of the cataract
cylinder. The resistance of the liquid in the cataract serves to hold
firmly the sliding blocks whilst it permits of their travel in the slots as
fast as the liquid in the cataract can be forced through the constructed
aperture or passage before mentioned.
My improvement in pistons consists in the employment of severed
or cut metallic packing rings of the description known as Ramsbottom
rings, placed in pairs in the annular grooves of the piston, one ring
breaking joint with the other in each pair, and each ring being prevented
from turning round by a stud secured to the piston between the ends of
the ring. By this arrangement of the rings in pairs in lieu of having cach
ring in its own groove their expansive action is less impeded by friction,
and by the fact of their breaking joint leakage at the joints is prevented.
The improved steam generator consists of a vertical shell of cylindrical
form, containing a fire-box and flue also cylindrical, which fire-box and

page_text: flue are both traversed by cross water tubes disposed in pairs or other-
wise, the tubes in the upper end of the flue above the water line serving
as superheaters. The flue is continued into a chimney surmounted by
the damper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters atent,
filed by the said Jeremiah Head in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEREMIAH
HEAD, of Middlesbrough, in the County of York, Iron Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Jeremiah Head, Her special
license that I, the said Jeremiah Head, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jeremiah Head, my executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM ENGINES AND GENERATORS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Jeremiah Head, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jeremiah Head, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying

page_text: Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:―
My said Invention relates to improvements in the governors, slide
valves, and pistons of steam engines, and to an improved form of
vertical steam generator.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of my Drawings represents my improved engine
half in front elevation and half in vertical section; Figure 2 is a corre-
sponding side elevation also partly in section; and Figure 3 is a plan
of the engine corresponding to Figure 1. The rest of the Figures on
this Sheet of Drawings are enlarged (except in the case of Figures 19
and 20) details of my various improvements in steam engines, which I
shall herein-after more fully refer to.
I shall first proceed to describe my improved arrangement of governor
wherein I combine a cataract containing a liquid, such, for example, as
oil or creosote, the latter not being affected by ordinary grades of heat
or cold and not corroding, the metal being well adapted for this purpose,
in lieu of using air as heretofore. This liquid cataract is combined with
a cross-armed conical pendulous governor, the object of using the liquid
being to impede the too rapid or sudden rise and fall of the governor
ball or balls.
In constructing my improved governor I prefer to place the cataract
cylinder a (see Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) at the top of the governor so
as to slide up and down upon a piston 6 (Figure 4) secured to the
governor spindle c working through a stuffing box, such piston revolving
with the spindle. The said cylinder a is connected to the governor
balls d by means of links e secured to the arms fupon which the balls
are hung and hinged at e¹ to the cylinder. A constricted passage or
aperture g (Figure 4) is provided either in the cylinder a, as shewn, or
in the piston b, for the purpose of preventing the accumulation of
momentum in the moving parts in an upward or downward direction.
The vertical movement of the governor is conveyed to the steam con-

page_text: trolling gear by an upright stud h in the centre of the cover on the top
of the cataract cylinder; i is a filling plug, and k is a cock for adjusting
the size of the constricted passage g (see Figures 4 and 5).
My improvement in slide valves is illustrated by Figures 7 and 8,
which represent respectively a vertical section on an enlarged scale of
the steam cylinder and valves, and a corresponding horizontal section of
the same taken along the line A, B, in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a front
elevation of the valve chest; Figure 10 is a plan of the same; Figure 11
is a cross section taken along the line C, D, in Figure 7.
According to this part of my Invention I introduce a hollow cylindrical
expansion slide (see details, Figures 12, 13, and 14) working within a
similar main slide m (shewn in detail at Figures 15, 16, 17, and 18), the
said expansion slide being worked from one end of the valve chest n,
and the main slide m from the opposite end, as shewn more clearly in
Figure 7. The main slide m is worked by an eccentric o (see Figures 1
and 3) of its own in the ordinary manner mounted on the crank shaft p,
but the expansion slide is worked from a separate eccentric q, also
mounted on the crank shaft, the rod of which is cut or divided in
some part of its length, as shewn in the detail, Figure 19, the two
contiguous ends of such rod terminating in small blocks s, &, sliding in
separate slots curved in opposite directions in a double slot link t work-
ing on a fixed centre u (see Figures 19 and 20). These blocks are simul-
taneously moved in opposite directions by links v, v³, connecting
them through lever arms w, w¹, with the before-mentioned stud h
upon the top cover of the cataract cylinder a, as shown clearly in
Figure 2.
The resistance of the liquid in the cataract serves to hold firmly the
sliding blocks 8, 81, whilst it permits of their travel in the slots of the
link t as fast as the liquid in the cataract can be forced through the
constricted aperture or passage g before mentioned.
In making my cylindrical valves and m and the valve box n in
which they work I prefer to arrange so that each valve can be split
from end to end on one side, as shewn in Figures 12 and 16. The outer
surface of each valve is left quite plain or without grooves or recesses
for a small space on each side of the line of such split, and a corre-
sponding strip x, x¹, (Figure 11) is provided inside the valve box, and
inside the outer valve, which strips are also kept free from recesses. The

page_text: object in this is that when after a time (or even to commence with) the
valves or either of them become slack in working, and permits steam to
pass them, I may be enabled to take such valve or valves out and split
them by drilling small holes at intervals (see Figures 12 and 16), and
inserting steel wedges. When the valves are replaced, care being taken
throughout to make the splits break or cross joint, the steam entering
the splits expands the valves, and causes them to fit tight, while at the
same time the other parts of their circumference being entire resist more
than a limited amount of expansion of the metal, and so reduce the
friction which might otherwise take place.
My improvement in pistons is illustrated in Figures 7, 7, and 8, and
consists in the employment of severed or cut metallic packing rings y
of the description known as Ramsbottom rings, placed in pairs in the
annular grooves of the piston, as shown clearly in Figure 7", one ring
breaking joint with the other in each pair, and each ring being prevented
from turning round by a stud z (Figure 8) secured to the body of the
piston between the ends of each ring. By this arrangement of the rings
in pairs in lieu of having each ring in its own groove their expansive
action is less impeded by friction, and by the fact of their breaking joint
leakage at the joints is prevented.
The improved steam generator is illustrated on Sheet 2 of my Drawings,
wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section of the steam generator; Figure 2
is a side elevation; Figure 3 is a top plan view; Figure 4 is a cross
section taken along the line A, B, in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a similar
view taken along the line C, D; and Figure 6 is a horizontal section
taken through the fire-door.
My improved steam generator consists of a vertical shell a of
cylindrical form containing a bell-shaped cylindrical fire-box 6 and flue c,
also cylindrical, which fire-box and flue are both traversed by cross
water tubes d, d, disposed in pairs or otherwise (see Figures 4 and 5),
the tubes d¹ in the upper end of the flue c above the water line e, e,
serving as superheaters. The flue c is continued into a chimney f
provided with a damper 9 placed on the top thereof, as shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider

page_text: to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination of a cataract cylinder containing a liquid with
a conical cross-armed pendulous governor, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated on Sheet 1 of the
Drawings annexed.
Second. Actuating the steam controlling gear of a steam engine from
a stud on the top of a cataract cylinder, whether such cylinder contain
air or a liquid, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in
Sheet 1 of the Drawings annexed.
Third. The use of a cylindrical expansion valve working within a
cylindrical slide valve, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated in Sheet 1 of the Drawings annexed.
Fourth. The actuating the said inner cylindrical expansion valve from
the opposite end of the valve chest to that from which the cylindrical
slide valve is actuated, substantially as herein-before described and illus-
trated in Sheet 1 of the Drawings annexed.
Fifth. The use of a link containing two slots curved in opposite
directions working on a fixed stud for the purpose of varying the travel
of an expansion slide valve, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated on Sheet 1 of the Drawings annexed.
Sixth. The introduction by springing over the periphery of a solid
piston of a pair of split metallic packing rings into each of one or more
grooves formed therein, the split in one ring of cach pair breaking joint
with that in the other ring, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figures 7, 7", and 8 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings
annexed.
Seventh. The construction and use of a vertical cylindrical boiler or
steam generator having a cylindrical or conical fire-box and a vertical
cylindrical flue, wherein both the fire-box and flue are traversed by
cylindrical or conical horizontal or nearly horizontal water tubes, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and illustrated (on Sheet 2 of the
Drawings annexed.
Eighth. The application and use to and in a vertical boiler containing
a vertical flue or uptake of horizontal or nearly horizontal cylindrical or
conical cross tubes situate above the water level so as to act as super-

page_text: heaters of the steam, substantially as herein-before described and illus-
trated on Sheet 2 of the Drawings annexed.
Ninth. The application of an external damper to the top of the
chimney of the vertical flue of a cylindrical vertical boiler containing a
fire-box for the burning of the fuel for raising steam, one surface of
such damper being always exposed to the outer air, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated on Sheet 2 of the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeremiah Head, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Third day of September
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
JEREMIAH HEAD. (L.S.)