IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE AND OTHER VALVES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE WITH
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Adams, of No. 5, Alfred Terrace, Spa
Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE AND OTHER VALVES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THERE WITH."
Sealed the 8th December 1863, and dated the 10th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Adams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th June 1863. -
I, THOMAS ADAMS, of No. 5, Alfred Terrace, Spa Road, Bermondsey, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE AND OTHER VALVES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THERR
WITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in slide and other valves
and apparatus connected therewith. For these purposes, when constructing
slide valves, in order that the pressure may be equalized or more or less
counterbalanced, what are called false ports are constructed, in order that the
steam or other fluid pressing on one side of a slide valve may simultaneously
press on the other side of such valve, either so as to balance or partially balance
the pressure, and thus admit of the valve being slid more readily and with less
power than when the fluid is pressing only on one side of the valve. A slide
valve is made in two parts; one acts or slides against the surface where the
ports are made into the steam or other cylinder or vessel, the other part
[Price 8d.1

page_text: acts against the valve box, in which false ports are made which correspond
in dimensions with or are formed of larger or smaller dimensions than the
ports or passages into the cylinder, according as it is desired to balance the
pressure on both sides of the valve, or to allow the pressure in one direction
to preponderate more or less on one side of the valve.
The two parts of avalve above mentioned have their inner surfaces inclining
to each other, and between them a wedge-formed piece or rectangular frame is
introduced, and these three parts are received into the ordinary rectangular
frame, and the inner or wedge-formed piece is arranged to be set up by set screws
or otherwise, so as to cause the two parts of the valve to separate from each
other, by which their wearing surfaces can be set up to the interior of the
valve box or chest, and thus compensate for the wear of the surfaces. Suit-
able passages are formed in order that the pressure in the real ports on one
side of a valve may correspond with the pressure in the false ports.
The three parts of a slide valve above described are held in the ordinary
rectangular frame or bridle, and are moved to and fro in the valve box or
chest by the valve rod in the ordinary manner. When using piston valves
the cylindrical or other section of valve chamber has formed in it what I have
called false ports on the opposite side to where the real ports are situated, and
a passage is formed in or through the valve, so that the pressure in the false
ports and in the real ports may be made to correspond.
In working slide or piston valves, when equalizing the pressure on each side,
a governor may with advantage be employed, and for this purpose I prefer to
use an axis with a screw or other suitable blade or blades rotating in a vessel
containing a fluid, and subject to the pressure of the fluid in a stand pipes
This axis is arranged to act on the excentric in such manner as to vary it.
position on its shaft, or the excentric may be similarly acted on by other
form of governor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Adams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ADAMS, of No. 5, Alfred Terrace, Spa Road, Bermondsey, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One:

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Adams, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Adams,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Adams, my execntórs, 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 SLIDE AND OTHER VALVES AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Adams, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 Thomas Adams, do hereby declare'
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:
.i
This Invention has for its object improvements in slide and other valves and
apparatus connected therewith. For these purposes, when constructing slide
valves, in order that the pressure may be equalized or more or less counter-
balanced, what are called false ports are constructed, in order that the steam"
or other fluid pressing on one side of a slide valve may simultaneously press
on the other side of such valve, either so as to balance or partially balance the
pressure, and thus admit of the valve being slid more readily and with less
power than when the fluid is pressing only on one side of the valve. A slide
valve is made in two parts; one acts or slides against the surface where the
ports are made into the steam cylinder or vessel, the other part acts against
the valve box, in which false ports are made which correspond in dimensions
with or are formed of larger or smaller dimensions than the ports or passages
into the cylinder, according as it is desired to balance the pressure on both
sides of the valve, or to allow the pressure in one direction to preponderate
more or less on one side of the valve. The two parts of a valve above men-
tioned have their inner surfaces inclining to each other, and between them a
wedge-formed piece or rectangular frame is introduced, and these three parts
are received into the ordinary rectangular frame, and the centre or wedge."

page_text: formed piece is arranged to be set up by set screws or otherwise, so as to cause
the two parts of the valve to separate from each other, by which their wearing
surfaces can be set up to the interior of the valve box or chest, and thus
compensate for the wear of the surfaces. Suitable passages are formed in
order that the pressure in the real ports on one side of a valve may cor-
respond with the pressure in the false ports. The three parts of a slide valve
above described are held in the ordinary rectangular frame or bridle, and are
moved to and fro in the valve box or chest by the valve rod in the ordinary
When using piston valves, the cylindrical or other section of valve
chamber has formed in it what I have called false ports on the opposite side
to where the real ports are situated, and a passage is formed in or through
the valve or the valve seat, so that the pressure in the false ports and in the
real ports may be made to correspond.
manner.
In working slide or piston valves when equalizing the pressure on each side,
a governor may with advantage be employed, and for this purpose I prefer to
use an axis with a screw or other suitable blade or blades rotating in a vessel
containing a fluid, and subject to the pressure of the fluid in a stand pipe.
This axis is arranged to act on the excentric in such manner as to vary its
position on its shaft, or the excentric may be similarly acted on by other form
of governor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan of one side of a slide valve of the form which is pre
ferred to be employed, but it may be varied in construction so longasthesystem
or arrangement of the parts is retained, as hereafter explained; Figure 2 shows
a section of two of such slide valves in a double valve box, such as is used
when two steam cylinders are together and have their slide box between them.
It will be evident, however, that a single slide valve in a single slide box for
one engine with one cylinder may be arranged in a like manner to one of the
two shown. The same letters are used to indicate the same parts in all the
Figures. In constructing each of the two slide valves shown in section in
Figure 2, there are two working surfaces a and b, one of which surfaces a
works against that side of the valve box where the ports or passages d, d, into
the cylinder are formed, whilst the other surface b works against the other side
of the slide box wherein the false ports are situated. Between the two sur-
faces a and b is a wedge-formed piece c, which fits the inclined inner surfaces
of the parts a and b; hence, when the outer surfaces of the parts a and b wear,
by setting up the wedge-formed piece c by screws c¹, cl, or otherwise, the
working faces of the parts a and b will be set up to the two surfaces or sides

page_text: of the valve box. The parts a, b, and c of a slide valve are received into and
worked by the frame or bridle d¹ in the ordinary manner. e, e, are the false
ports, which in the Drawings are shown to correspond in dimensions with the
real ports or passages d, d, into the cylinder, but this may, as above mentioned,
be varied if it be desired that the pressure on the sides of each of the slide
valves should not be in equilibrium. In the part of the slide valve there are
passages ca, c³, for the steam or other fluid to pass, and there are oblong slots.
or passages through the parts a and b, which communicate with the passages
c2, c; hence when a slide valve is at work the pressure in the real ports d
and the pressure in the false ports e, e, will coincide, and according to the re-
lative dimensions of the real and the false ports, so will be the amount of pres-
sure of the steam or other fluid acting on each of the two sides of a slide valve.
The bridle or frame d' is moved by ordinary slide rods g. Figure 3 shows a
section of a steam cylinder, with admissionandexhaust valves applied according
my Invention; h; h, is the admission valve, and i, i, the exhaust. Figure 4
is a plan of the admission valve. The steam enters and leaves the cylinder as
shown by the arrows in Figure 3. Figure 5 shows
my Invention applied to
to
D
a combined high and low pressure engine. Figure 6 is a plan of the valve.
Figure 7 shows my Invention as applied to a double cylinder engine; in this
arrangement each valve is formed in one piece, the wedges being in the
centre and forming the surface against which the backs of the valves work.
Figure 8 is a plan of the valve; Figure 9 shows two valves constructed.
according to my Invention applied to a single cylinder engine, one to regulate
the admission of steam and the other to regulate the exhaust; Figure 10
shows a section of two piston valves on the same valve rod, these pistons may
be cylindrical or of other section. In this arrangement d, d, are the real ports,
and e, e, are the false ports. The false ports and the real ports communicate
with each other by the passages through the valves a, a, as is shown by the
When it is desired to
Drawings, or they may be otherwise constructed.
use a governor to act on an excentric which works a valve such as above
described, the axis h, Figures 11 and 12, on which the excentric is placed,
gives motion to the excentric in the following manner :-The position of the
excentric i on the axis or shaft h, and its consequent action on a valve, will, by
thearrangement of apparatus shown in the Drawings, be caused to depend on
the action of a govern or, which in the Drawing is shown to consist of screw or
other suitably inclined blades k, k, which are driven by the axis h, but are
capable of sliding thereon. The screw or inclined blades k revolve within a
case 1, l, which is filled with any suitable fluid. m is a pipe which may rise
to a reservoir situated at any desired height above the vessel or case l, l.

page_text: The end of the hollow axis of the blades k rests against a spring k³, which
presses against the plate, which is capable of sliding on the shaft h, by
which arrangement when the plate is pressed away from the vessel / the
rod will move one end of the cranked lever ³, so as by the other end of
that lever to give motion by the pink to the excentric i on the shaft h. The
axis k' of the crank lever turns in bearings carried by the frame k³, which
is fixed to the shaft h. The excentric i by a strap j and connecting rod gives
motion to the valve in the usual manner. It will be understood that, so long
as the shaft h is driven at a speed which does not compress the spring and
cause it to react on the crank, the excentri i will continue to be driven by the
shaft without any change being made in its position on the shaft h, but
when by the quicker revolution of the shaft h motion is communicated to the
excentric by the interposed mechanism, the action of the excentric on the
slide valve will be modified to an extent depending on the distance the
excentric is moved round on the shaft.
Figure 13 shows my Invention applied to the link motion in place of to
the excentric, as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Adams, have hereunte set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THOMAS ADAMS. (L.B.)