An Improved Safety Stop Valve.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Stop Valve.
1, JOHN MELVILLE FOSTER, of Elizabeth, in the County of Union, State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of an improved safety stop valve to be applied to piping
for conveying steam.or other finid under pressure as from the generator to the point
of consumption the main object of my invention being to construct such a safety
stop valve that it will automatically and immediately shut off the supply in case of a
burst or breakage on the delivery side of the valve and so that the valve can be
quickly closed also from points at a distance from the valve, as in case of an accident
requiring the immediate stoppage of the engine and finally that it can be easily and
quickly re-opened.
In the accompanying three sheets of drawings-
Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of my improved appliance.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modification.
Fig. 8 is a half-end elevation of the same.
Fig. 4 is n corresponding half plan, and
Figs. 5 and 6 are views of a four-way cock used in connection with the construc-
tion shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.
In carrying out my invention I employ a balanced valve in the main piping
controlled by a diaphragm which is subjected to the fluid pressure on the delivery
side of the valve tending to open the valve such action being opposed by a spring
or springs tending to close the valve to its seat.
While I may use either a diaphragm or piston I will here show and describe my
valve as provided with a diaphragm which I prefer but it should be understood
that by the use of the term diaphragm "in this specification I do not exclude
the use of a piston. Again, while 1 may use either adjustable springs or adjustable
weights to counteract the fluid pressure on the diaphragm, I prefer to use springs
but by that term "springs" in this specification I do not exclude the use of their
equivalent adjustable weights.
I may say at the outset, that in carrying out the details of construction of my
invention I have adopted many of the features of the Foster regulator described
in United States Patents No. 584951 and No. 550217.
I will first describe my invention with reference to the construction shown in
Fig. 1.
My stop valve may be placed at any suitable point in the main pipe A, A',
which conveys the steam or other fluid under pressure the direction of flow being
indicated by the arrows, A being the pipe on the admission side and A' the pipe
on the delivery side of the valve. The valve B is a balanced valve having two
discs & seating in this case downwards upon two circular seatings d in the inner
circular casing D within the outer casing. Over this valve casing D is an upper
dish shaped casing E' closed in above by a flexible diaphragm E which at its
margin is clamped in place by an open cover plate or hood F. The opening aud
closing of the balanced valve B to its sent are controlled by means of the
diaphragm E through the medium of leverse e resting at their outer ends in pockets e
in the casing E', and connected at their inner ends to the upper end of the stem b'

page_text: of the valve which stem passes up through the centre of the casing E' preferably
with a close fit. The centre piece E of the flexible diaphragm has arms with pin
and slot connections e' with the levers ee at points between their opposite ends.
Upon the upper side of the centre piece E carried by the flexible diaphragm are
supported the adjacent ends of toggle lovers T T which bear at their outer ends
against levers ( pivoted on the cover F and acted on by spiral springs W on the
horizontal rod R substantially as described in the Specification to the United States
Patent No. 584951 above mentioned except that in tho present instance I have
shown two springs instead of one. The pressure of these springs can be adjusted
to meet various requirements by means of the nuts rr.
There is a restricted communication between the delivery side of the valve and the
space below the diaphragm which I will term the diaphragm chamber, through a
passage G.
There is communication between the piping A on the admission side of the valve
and the diaphragm chamber through piping 2 controlled by a hand valve 3. This
hand controlled valve is to be normally kept closed.
From another point of the diaphragm chamber extends piping 4, 5, to any suitable
point of discharge normally closed by a quick opening gate valve 6 whose lever is
to be connected by mechanical or electrical connections (as chains, cords or wires) to
various distant points such for instance as the chief ongineer's room on a steamship,
or the office of a factory, or other suitable points from which it may be desirable to
control the stoppage of the engine. A stop valvo 9 is provided in the piping 4.
From the diaphragin chamber I also provide a third cominunication which may bo
through the same piping 4 and piping 7 to the main delivery pipo A' at any desired
distance beyond the stop valve. There is a check valve 8 in this pipe 7.
To open the valve B, supposing it to be closed, as indicated in the drawing, and
supposing the stop valve 9 to be closed, it is merely necessary to open the valve 3
in the piping 2 when the pressure on the underside of the diaphragm will raise
the latter and with it the valve B admitting steam or other fluid under pressuro
through the valve to the delivery side and thence through the restricted passage G
to the diaphragm chamber on the under side of the diaphragm. When the valve B
is once opened the starting valve 3 should be then closed and tho stop valve 9
opened.
The pressure of the springs W is so adjusted that it will not overcome the steam
pressure on the under side of the diaphragm to close the valve until the delivery
pressure is diminished markedly below the working pressure of the steam or other
Huid. In case, however, there should be a break or burst on the delivery side of
the stop valve as for instanco, in the main delivery pipe A' neur the engine the
pressure on the under side of the diaphragm will instantly diminish particularly
through the connection of the pipe 4, 7, and the springs to to will close the valve B
to its seat.
If the engineer or any one in authority in the engineer's room, or at the office
of a factory, or at other distant points to which the connections from the valve 6
oxtend, wishes to close the valve B, as for instance in the case of fire, or when
an explosion is heard, or to stop an engine in caso of accident, all that is necessary
is to operate the chain or other connection to open the discharge valve 6 and the
pressure on the underside of the diaphragm E will be sufficiently diminished to
allow the springs W to close the valve B. This valve B will then remain closed
until the diaphragm E is again raised by the admission of pressure through the
piping and as the valve is balanced it can be easily opened against the pressure
of the springs W.
While my present invention, as shown and described, is similar in many of its
detailed features to the Foster regulating valve of United States Patent No. 534951
before mentioned, it will be seen that the valve in my present invention closes to
its seat in a direction opposite to that in which the valve in the regulator closes.
In the modification illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive I have shown my invention
as embodied in self contained form, that is, one in which the piping containing the

page_text: valves or cooks is connected to and carried by the valve casing itself. In this
construction the two valves 3 and 9 of Fig. 1 are replaced by a single four-way
cock 39 having a three-way plug, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The piping 12
(corresponding to piping 2 of Fig. 1) is in this case tapped into the neck of the
valve casing on the admission side and connects with one branch of the four-way
cock 39 which has a connection 14 with the diaphragm chamber. The diametri-
cally opposito opening of the valve 39 leads to the discharge pipe 15 containing
the quick opening gato valve 6 which may be controlled directly by hand or
through the medium of chains or other connections from distant points.
fourth branch of the four-way cock leads to piping 16 containing the check valve 8
and to the piping 7 which as explained in connection with Fig. 1, is to be connected
to the main delivery pipe at any desired distance beyond the stop valve. There
may also be a connection through a branch 17 (Figs. 3 and 4) with the nock of the
valve casing ou the delivery side. The other parts of the apparatus are the same
as described with reference to Fig. 1.
The
To open the stop valve B in this construction the three-way plug of the four-way
cock is turned to the position illustrated in Fig. 5 when steam will be admitted to
the diaphragm chamber from the adinission side so that the valve B will be opened
against the pressure of the springs. Then the three-way plug of the cock 39 is
turned to the position illustrated in Fig. 6 thus cutting off connection of the diaphragm
chamber with the admission side and opening it to the delivery side the piping 7
aud the discharge pipe 15 as is the case when the valve 8 of Fig. 1 is closed and
the valve 9 of that figure is opened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A stop valve for piping for conveying steam or other fluid under pressure,
comprising a casing containing a balanced valve, a diaphragin open to the delivory
pressure to hold said valve open, springs to counteract said delivery pressure to close
the valve when the delivery pressure diminishes below a determined point and means
for adjusting the springs substantially as described.
2. A stop valve for piping for conveying steam or other fluid under pressure,
comprising a casing containing a balanced valvo, a diaphragm chamber containing
a diaphragm controlling said valve, piping connecting said diaphragm chamber
with the piping on the delivery side to subject the diaphragm to the delivery
prossure to hold said valve open, springs to not on the diaphragm against the delivery
pressure and close the valve to its seat, when said pressure is diminished below u
determined point and means for adjusting the springs substantially as described.
8. A stop valve for piping for conveying steam or other fluid under pressure,
comprising a casing containing a balanced valve, a diaphragm controlling said
valve, adjustable springs to counteract said delivery pressure, a restrictod opening
between the diaphragm chamber and the delivery side of the valvo and piping
controlled by valves connecting the diaphragm chamber with the main delivery pipe,
whoreby on a diminution of pressure there below a determined point the stop valvo
will be closed substantially as described.
4. A stop valve for piping for conveying steam or other fluid under pressure,
comprising a casing having a balanced valvo, a diaphragm chamber having a
diaphragm controlling said valve, and a restricted passage connecting the said
chamber with the delivery pressure, springs to act on the diaphragm in opposition
to the delivery pressure and a discharge pipo leading from the diaphragm chamber
and containing a quick opening gats valve substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
5. A stop valve for piping for conveying steam or other fluid under pressure,
comprising a casing containing a balanced valve controlling the flow of fluid, a
diaphragm chamber containing a diaphragm adapted to be acted upon by the delivery
pressure, and controlling said valve, springs to act on the diaphragm in opposition to

page_text: the delivery pressure and a pipe controlled by a valve and directly connecting the
admission side with the diaphragm chamber to open the stop valvo substantially as
set forth.
Datod this 24th day of August 1896.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17 St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.