Improvements in Valves for Steam and other Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valves for Steam and other Engines.
I, CHARLES VOGEL of Fort Lee, in the State of New Jersey, United States of
America Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
These improvements relate to a circular valve that is rotated continually and
controls the admission and exhaust of steam or other fluid under pressure to the
cylinder of the engine.
'
The valve is flat on its face or nearly so and circular, and it sets upon a similar face,
and it is rotated by a spindle passing up through the seat and having a prismatic end
or head entering a recess in the valve, so that the valve is rotated by such spindle,
and the valve can be lifted off for cleaning or repairs.
The valve chest has a removable cover preferably circular, with a central recess for
a stem that projects upwardly from the top of the valve to guide it in its rotation.
The steam is admitted to the valve chest at, one side so that the steam pipe does not
have to be disturbed in removing the cover.
The exhaust port is central to the valve soat, and the spindle that drives the valve
is in the exhaust port, and in the valve are ports for the passage of the steam through
the valve to the ports leading into the cylinder or cylinders and there is also a recess
in the valve forming the exhaust port to the centre.
This valve may be used with one cylinder having ports leading to the two ends, or
with two cylinders, either single or double acting, but it is especially adapted to three
single acting cylinders with plunger pistons and direct connecting rods to three equi-
distant cranks on one main shaft. In this case the valve seat is on the head that is
common to the three cylinders, and the ports pass direct to such cylinders, and there
are two steam ports through the valve and two exhaust recesses in its face, the three
ports being radial and at 60° apart so that the one valve controls the admission of
steam and the exhaust successively to each cylinder, and the valve is rotated by
gearing to the shaft, and makes one revolution to two revolutions of the crank
shaft.
Dated this First day of October 1889.
CHARLES VOGEL.
By Brewer & Son, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valves for Steam and other Engines.
1 CHARLES VOGEL of Fort Lee in the State of New Jersey United States of
America Machinist, 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:-
This invention has for its object the supply of steam to two or three cylinders by
one circular and rotary valve, and the exhausting of the steam directly through such
valve.
Rotary valves have before been used in steam engines. By my present improve.
iments the construction of the valve is simplified, and the spindle that is employed for
driving the valve passes up from below such valve and is in or adjacent to the
exhaust port, so that risk of leakage around such spindle is avoided and the valve can
be lifted out of the chest for cleaning or repairs without disturbing the other parts
except to remove the cover of the steam chest.

page_text: In the drawings
Figure 1 is a plan of the engine with the cover of the steam chest removed and the
valve taken out ;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the valve;
Figure 3 is an inverted plan showing the face of the valve;
Figure 4 is a section of the engine at the line a Figure 1, and
Figure 5 is a section of the valve at the line y y, of Fig. 2.
"I have represented three steam cylinders A B C and within each cylinder is a
plunger or piston D and the main driving shaft E has upon
three cranks at one
hundred and twenty degrees apart, and there are connecting rods F from the
respective cranks to the pistons or plungers D.
C
My present improvements are especially adapted to single acting engines, such as
represented, but not necessarily limited thereto, and when three cylinders are made
use of, a more uniform revolution of the main driving shaft is secured. The head G
common to all three cylinders, and in it are the ports 2, 3, 4 to the respective
cylinders, and upon this head G is the steam chest formed by the short cylinder or
rim H and I is the cover of the steam chest, which is secured in any suitable manner.
I prefer to screw the same into place, there being a flange to the cover and a screw-
thread around the upper portion of the steam chest.
The valve seat is on the same plane, or nearly so, as the top of the head G, and it is
preferably turned off level: but it might be more or less conical, and the face of the
valve K corresponds to the valve seat. This valve K is circular and it is preferably
provided with a stem 5 passing up into circular recesses in the centre of the cover I
which stem aids in retaining the valve in its position as such valve is revolved. I
make use of a valve-moving spindle L within the case 6 which case is preferably cast
with the steam cylinders A B C and it is tubular for the reception of said spindle and
there may be a gland or stuffing box at the lower end of this spindle, as at 7 to make
this spindle steam tight, and this spindle is made use of for giving the proper rotary
movement to the valve K and for this purpose suitable gearing is employed for
connecting the spindle L with the main driving shaft E. I have represented a
pinion 8 on the driving shaft E gearing to a wheel M upon the shaft N and bevel
gear wheels, 9, 10, on the spindle L and shaft N respectively, and when the valve K
revolves once to two revolutions of the shaft E the gear wheel M will be twice the
size of the pinion 8.
At the upper end of the spindle L is a T head or clutch 12 and
pin 13, the latter passing into a central hole 14 in the under side of the valve, and
there is a cross slot 15 for the T head 12 (see Figure 3) so that the spindle L can
give to the valve the proper rotary movement, but the valve can be easily lifted off the
end of the spindle when the cover I of the steam chest is removed. This gives access
to the face of the valve and to the valve seat for cleaning, grinding, facing or repairing
by the simple removal of the cover of the steam chest.
The valve K is provided with the necessary ports for the passage of the steam and
for the exhaust, and these ports are located in such relation to the ports 2, 3, 4 that
steam will be admitted to the cylinders in succession and the exhaust will be opened
at the end of the stroke of each piston. With this object in view the ports 2, 3, 4 are
placed at sixty degrees apart, and the valve K is provided with steam-ports 16 and 17
through it, and exhaust passages 19 and 20 formed as recesses or cavities in the face
of the valve, and 1 remark that to strengthen the rim of the valve I have shown
bridges at 21 across the steam ports 16 and 17 but these bridges may be omitted.
The ends of the steam ports and of the exhaust passages are radial, or nearly so,
and the plane surfaces of the valve face at 22 and 23 being wider than the ports 2, 3, 4
cover such ports successively and allow the steam to act expansively, and according to
the width of these faces 22 and 23 in comparison with the width of the ports 2,
and 4, the steam will be allowed to act expansively to a greater or less degree.
3
It will now be apparent that as the steam port 16 opens to admit steam through the
port 2 the port 4 will be covered by the surface 22 and then such port 4 will be
opened to the exhaust simultaneously with the covering of the port 3 by the surface 23
and in the further movement of the valve the port 3 will be opened for the admission

page_text: of steam during the time that the steam is acting expansively in the cylinder A and the
steam will by this time have been exhausted from the cylinder C and its piston have
completed its upstroke as the port 16 opens to admit steam to the port 4, and the
part 22 covers the port 3, and at this time steam will be exhausted from the cylinder A
by the port 2 and passage 20, and so on the operations will be performed successively,
and as the valve K makes one revolution to two revolutions of the shaft E the steam
port 17 and the exhaust passage 19 will act the same as has before been described in
connection with the ports 16 and the exhaust passage 20.
It is to be understood that the steam can be admitted to the valve chest in any
suitable manner. I have shown a connection at P for the steam pipe and a passage
way leading up into the side of the circular steam chest at 25 and a connection or
pipe at Q for the exhaust, there being an opening at 27 down through the valve seat
into such exhaust, the opening 27 being adjacent to the valve moving spindle L, and
the exhaust passages 19 and 20 being united by a central circular passage in the
face of the valve. Such exhaust passages 19 and 20 are always open to the exhaust 27
and Q.
A rotary valve has been made with a central hollow spindle forming an exhaust
tube. This construction renders the valve difficult of access for cleaning or repairs.
In other cases the rotary valve has had two cylindrical walls and rested upon an
annular rib in which are the ports leading to the cylinders, the steam being within the
inner cylindrical wall and the exhaust port around the outer wall.
In my improvements the valve resting on a flat seat and having ports through it
and exhaust ports in its under surface and being rotated from below the seat is easily
made and is accessible for repairs or for grinding or finishing the face of the valve or
the seat.
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
First The combination with the cylinder and piston in an engine, of a circular
steam chest having a lateral opening through which steam is supplied, and circular
valve-seat having ports therein leading to the cylinder and a central exhaust port, a
circular valve covering the exhaust port and having ports and recessed exhaust
passages, a spindle for rotating the valve, having a T head or connection and passing
up from beneath the valve, so that the valve may be removed from the spindle, and a
removable cover to the steam chest, substantially as set forth.
Second The combination, with the cylinder and piston in an engine, of a circular
steam chest baving a lateral opening through which steam is supplied, and a circular
valve seat having ports therein leading to the cylinder and a central exhaust port, a
circular valve covering the exhaust port and having ports and recessed exhaust
passages and a central stem, a spindle for rotating the valve, having a T head or
connection and passing up from beneath the valve, so that the valve may be removed
from the spindle, and a removable cover to the steam chest, having a central socket
for the valve stem substantially as set forth.
Third: The combination with the cylinders A B C, their pistons, connecting rods,
main shaft and cranks, of a head to the three cylinders, having steam ports in it, a
steam chest upon such head, having a central exhaust and lateral steam supply, a
removable cover to the steam chest, a valve having two stean ports and recessed
exhaust passages and covering the central exhaust port, a spindle passing up from
below for rotating such valve, and gearing for connecting the spindle and the main
shaft, so that the valve may revolve once for every two revolutions of the main shaft
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of June 1890
CHARLES VOGEL.
By Brewer & Son, Agents.