Improvements in Shut-off Valves for Steam Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shut-off Valves for Steam Engines.
I, ALBERT EMIL OLSEN, of the Steamship "Jupiter" Bergen, in the Kingdom
of Norway, 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 relates to an arrangement of valve for steam engines whereby the
steam can be quickly shut off either from the engine room or from any other desired
place as, for example, in the case of a ship, from the deck, the bridge, the forecastle
or other place so that in case the steam pipe should burst accidents to life and
limb which frequently take place from such cause when the steam can only be shut
off in the engine room are avoided.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation shewing my improved shut-off valve applied to
a steam boiler in conjunction with the usual supply valve:
Figure 2 is a plan of the same; and,
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are views of details.
A is the usual valve for starting and stopping the engine which is placed as usual
on the steam-dome or, as shewn in the drawing, on the boiler. a is the casing of the
valve with passages from the boiler to the engine, to the exhaust pipe etc. as usual.
My shut-off valve consists of a hit-and-miss valve arranged in the passage a' close
to the entrance to the boiler and is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 in the drawing;
it consists of two parts, a lower disc having sector-shaped openings 63, Figure 4,
corresponding with similar openings & in the upper disc b³, Figure 3.
The lower
disc is keyed to the spindle c and by means of the spiral-spring c¹ and nuts is
drawn towards the upper disc 2 fastened to the valve-casing a, and this disc & can
be instantaneously rotated or turned to such an extent that the openings b³ in this
disc will be covered by the parts between the openings 64 in the upper disc b² so as
to shut off the steam.
To effect this movement I employ an arm d, Figures 1, 2 and 5, which by means
of a pin o is keyed to the spindle c, Figure 1. In one of the two guide-brackets e,
fastened one on each side of the casing a, is a notch el, Figure 6, with which a
stop-catch d' engages and holds the arm in position; while the engine is in motion
the catch d' is engaged in the notch e¹ and can, if required, be secured in this
position by the spring d2, Figure 5; as long as this is the case the valve b', 6² is
open and the steam has free passage from the boiler to the engine (see Figure 2).
Should the steam-pipe burst or other like accident happen, the steam can be quickly
shut off by pulling the chain f which is connected with the stop-catch d' by the
ring g and the bell-crank g', Figure 2, or by the ring 9, guide-rod and bell-
crank g', Figure 5; by pulling the chain a slight longitudinal movement will be
transmitted to the stop-catch d' and the latter will become disengaged from the
notch e' in the guide-bracket e. The springs m being connected to the valve-arm d
will cause this arm together with the spindle to be slightly turned or rotated and
the valve b, b will be thereby quickly closed and the steam instantaneously
shut off.
The extent of rotation of the arm d, which is limited by the projections e² on the
guide-brackets e, is such as to cause the disc b' to turn to the required extent to
cover the openings 63 in the lower disc.

page_text: The disc b¹ has two small screws n the ends of which project a short distance
from the same; these screws are used in order to facilitate the opening and the
shutting of the disc b', that is to say, while the engine is in motion the ends of the
screws n bear against the upper disc 62 and thereby keep the two discs b', b² slightly
separated, Figure 1; when, however, the disc & is turned the said screws enter the
grooves n¹ in the disc 62 and the disc b¹ will by means of the spring c¹ be brought
close and tight against the disc_6².
The valve having been closed can be opened again by pulling the chain p whereby
the stop-catch d¹ will be caused by the spring d² to again engage with its notch and
the steam will be free to pass to the engine.
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. In shut-off valves for steam engines, the combination of a hit-and-miss
valve 6, 62 with a spindle c and a spring-arm d by the turning of which the
bit-and-miss valve b', is shut and the steam instantaneously shut off, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a shut-off valve for steam engines, the combination of a hit-and-miss
valve b², 6² with a spindle c, a spring-arm d having a stop-catch d¹ adapted to
engage in a notch e¹ on a guide-bracket e, which catch when disengaged will allow
the arm d to be turned and thereby cause the steam to be instantaneously shut off,
substantially as set forth.
3. In a shut-off valve for steam engines, the combination of a hit-and-miss
valve b¹, b² with a spindle c, a spring arm d having a stop-catch d' adapted to
engage in a notch e' in a guide-bracket e, which catch when disengaged will allow
the arm d to be turned by means of springs m secured to the arm d and acting
against the guide-brackets e, the steam thereby being instantaneously shut off,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a shut-off valve for steam engines such as is claimed in Claims 1, 2 and 3,
the stop-catch having a bell-crank g' with or without a spring d² and guide-rod h,
ring 9 and chain fas, and for the purpose, set forth.
5. In a shut-off valve for steam engines such as is claimed in Claim 1, the
hit-and-miss valve consisting of two discs 61, 62 with corresponding openings, the
first disc having screws n which, when the valve is turned, enter the grooves n³ in
the disc, substantially as set forth and for the purpose described.
Dated this 8th day of December 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.