IMPROVEMENTS IN COINING MACHINERY, AND IN APPARATUSOYED FOR REGULATING THE EXPANSION OF ELASTIC FLUIDS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Wollaston Blake, of Soho, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, and of London Street, in the City of London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COINING MACHINERY, AND IN APPARATUS
Scaled the 15th August 1861, and dated the 8th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Wollaston Blake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th April 1861.
I, HENRY WOLLASTON BLAKE, of Soho, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and of London Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COINING MACHINERY, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR REGULATING THE EXPANSION OF ELASTIC FLUIDS," to be
as follows:-
The Invention consists, firstly, in an improved mode of applying the pressure
of the atmosphere. to giving motion to the usual screw coining press by the
adaptation of slide, valves to the vacuum cylinder in lieu of the ordinary conical
valve and gearing hitherto employed, and for the application to these slide
valves of an adjusting screw with separate slide valve attached to it, by which
the passage of the air through the apertures is so controlled as to regulate the
force of the blow in the downward stroke, and the force of the recoil in the
upward stroke of the piston, and consequently the simultaneous and corre-

page_text: sponding action of the screw press to the greatest nicety, whereby improved
action and greater speed of working can be obtained.
The Invention also consists in a new and improved mode of giving action to
the layer-on or feeder which deposits the blank between the dies for the
purpose of being coined, and the same consists in giving motion to a lever
on a vertical spindle by means of another lever attached to the screw of the
coining press, an adjustment being given to each of these levers, by means of
which the stroke of the layer-on can be made constant, whilst the stroke of
the coining press screw can be varied at pleasure to suit the particular coin.
required to be struck; an adjustment is also introduced by which a pause is
given to the motion of the layer-on at each end of its stroke. These improve-
ments enable the operation of laying-on to be performed with greater nicety,
accuracy, and speed under the varying conditions of coining large or small
pieces at variable speeds than has hitherto been obtained.
The Invention also consists in a new method of feeding the blanks to
circular milling or marking machines, which consists in the insertion at inter-
vals of pieces of wood, copper, leather, or other material into the central
revolving disc of steel, the friction of which carries round the blank in contact
with it, and this causes it to enter the milling groove, the blanks being placed
in a trough or tube and kept up to the surface of the revolving feeder, and
caused to move onwards by any convenient method of applying the requisite
pressure, either by a spring.or by the weight of the blanks themselves.
The Invention also consists in the application to a cylinder in which the
pressure of air, steam, or other expansive vapour acts on a moveable piston, of
a circular valve independent of the slide or other valves used for the admission
or exit of the air or vapour by which the expansion of the elastic fluid in the
cylinder can be regulated at pleasure. For this purpose two moveable
cylinders are employed, one inside the other, and both placed within an outer
casing; the internal cylinder constantly revolves with the engine, and the air
or vapour is admitted into its interior at one or both ends, and escapes through
a longitudinal opening extending throughout nearly its entire length. The
second cylinder, which is external to this revolving cylinder, has also a longi-
tudinal opening through which the steam or air has to pass, and is capable of
being turned round by hand. to any position, by which means the aperture is
so placed as to cut off the air or steam at any portion of the stroke. This
arrangement of an expansion valve is also applicable to all descriptions of land
or marine steam engines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed:
by the said Henry Wollaston Blake in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WOLLASTON BLAKE, of Soho, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and of
London Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Wollaston Blake, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Wol-
laston Blake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Henry Wollaston Blake, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COINING MACHINERY, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR REGULATING THE
EXPANSION OF ELASTIC FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Henry Wollaston Blake, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Henry Wollaston Blake, 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 :—
The Invention consists, firstly, in an improved mode of applying the pressure
of the atmosphere to giving motion to the usual screw coining press by the
adaptation of slide valves to the vacuum cylinder in lieu of the ordinary
conical valve and gearing hitherto employed, and for the application to these
slide valves of an adjusting screw with separate slide valve attached to it, by
which the passage of the air through the apertures is so controlled as to
regulate the force of the blow in the downward stroke, and the force of the
recoil in the upward stroke of the piston, and consequently the simultaneous

page_text: and corresponding action of the screw press to the greatest nicety, whereby
improved action and greater speed of working can be obtained.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the vacuum cylinder of a coining press,
arranged as above described. A, B, is the vacuum cylinder; P, is the piston;
D is the slide valve passing over the openings E and F, so as to place the
cylinder alternately in connection with the vacuum in the chamber V below
and the atmosphere; I and G are two small supplementary slide valves,
placed over openings formed in the slide valve D, which openings serve to
admit air to the under side of the piston when the valve D is brought into
such a position as to cause these openings to coincide with the passage F.
I and K are thumbscrews to regulate the positions of the valves H and G,
and consequently the admission of the atmosphere to the under side of the
piston P when ascending during the recoil, and thereby controlling the
velocity of ascent. The slide valve C is moved by hand for the purpose of
starting or stopping the press, and by the adjustment of the screw L the area
of the aperture E can be regulated, by which action the pressure caused by
the vacuum V on the piston during the descent is varied at pleasure to suit
the force of blow required. The slide valve D is actuated by adjustable
tappets M and N placed on a moveable rod in the usual manner.
The Invention also consists in a new and improved mode of giving action to
the layer-on or feeder which deposits the blank between the dies for the
purpose of being coined, and the same consists in giving motion to a lever on
a vertical spindle by means of another lever attached to the screw of the
coining press, an adjustment being given to each of these levers, by means of
which the stroke of the layer-on can be made constant whilst the stroke of the
coining press screw can be varied at pleasure to suit the particular coin
required to be struck. An adjustment is also introduced by which a pause is
given to the motion of the layer-on at each end of its stroke. These improve-
ments enable the operation of laying-on to be performed with greater nicety,
accuracy, and speed under the varying conditions of coining large or small
pieces at variable speeds than has hitherto been obtained. This arrangement
is exhibited in Figures 2, 3, and 4. A, B, is an upright spindle, moved by
the lever A, C, the length of which is varied by the slot C at pleasure; this
lever A, C, is moved by the adjustable rod D, C, which is driven by the
lever D, E, placed on the central screw of the press. By varying the position
of the point C the are through which it moves can be kept constant, whilst
the arc through which D moves can be varied to suit the required stroke of
the press. The vertical spindle A, B, by means of the lever B, F, and

page_text: rod F, G, moves the feeder H. By the relative angles at which these levers
are set, and the action of a joint or clutch at I, and the spring I, K, the
motion of the layer-on can be so regulated as to produce a 'pause in its motion
at each end of its stroke. The collar M, N, is elevated and depressed by the
bent levers L, M, and N, O, so as to admit of the blank being placed between
the dies; and by the use of these bent levers instead of the usual straight
ones hitherto employed, the collar is kept depressed for a longer portion of the
stroke, thus giving more time for placing the blank, and enabling the presses
to work at a higher speed than otherwise could be done.
The Invention also consists in a new method of feeding the blanks to
circular milling or marking machines, which consists in the insertion at
intervals of pieces of wood, copper, leather, or other material into the central
revolving disc of steel, the friction of which carries round the blank in contact
with it, and this causes it to enter the milling groove, the blanks being placed
in a trough or tube, and kept up to the surface of the revolving feeder, and
caused to move onwards by any convenient method of applying the requisite
pressure either by a spring or by the weight of the blanks themselves.
Figure 5 is an elevation, and Figure 6 a plan, of a milling machine so
constructed. The blanks are placed in a trough A, and are pressed up to the
revolving surface B, C, by a spring or otherwise. In the surface of the
revolving disc B, C, made of polished steel there are inserted at intervals
small pieces of comparatively soft material, by preference of leather, which are
shewn at B and C, and these on coming in contact with the blank cause it by
friction to descend into the groove D, E, when the edges are milled or marked
in the usual way.
.
The Invention also consists in the application to a cylinder in which the
pressure of air, steam, or other expansive vapour acts on a moveable piston of
a circular valve independent of the slide or other valves used for the admission
or exit of the air or vapour, by which the expansion of the elastic fluid in the
cylinder can be regulated at pleasure. For this purpose two moveable
cylinders are employed, one inside the other, and both placed within an outer
casing. The internal cylinder constantly revolves with the engine, and the
air or vapour is admitted into its interior at one or both ends, and escapes
through a longitudinal opening extending throughout nearly its entire length.
The second cylinder, which is external to this revolving cylinder, has also a
longitudinal opening, through which the steam or air has to pass, and is
capable of being turned round by hand to any position, by which means the
aperture is so placed as to cut off the air or steam at any portion of the stroke.

page_text: This arrangement of an expansion valve is more especially applicable to land
and marine steam engines."
Figure 7 is a longitudinal section, Figure 8 a transverse section, and
Figure 9 an end view of the apparatus. A is a moveable cylinder, into which
the steam or elastic fluid is admitted at the open end A', and which has two
longitudinal openings a, a. This cylinder is mounted on an axis B, which
'constantly revolves at the same speed as the engine. C is an outer cylinder,
having a large longitudinal opening c, c'; this cylinder is enclosed by an outer
fixed casing D, and can be moved by the handle E at pleasure, so as to vary
the position of the face c' of the opening. As soon as one of the apertures a, a,
arrives opposite the passage F the steam or fluid passes through the
aperture c, c', and continues to do so till it is closed by the side c¹; the width of
the opening therefore regulates the period during which the steam or elastic
fluid can pass into the cylinder; and as this can be varied at pleasure by the
action of the handle E the degree of expansion of the elastic fluid can also be
regulated.
There may be one, two, or more openings in the internal cylinder, provided
the number of its revolutions is so regulated as to cause the period of free
passage through the two cylinders to correspond with the action of the
moveable piston. It will be remarked that the openings a, a, are not exactly
opposite each other; this is to compensate for the inequalities in the action of
the connecting rod, as will be understood by engineers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Wollaston Blake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
TT
זיזס זמחוזז
TATZ
WOLT LOMON DIAR
H. WOLD ASTON BLA KE. (..)
CV VOLGU