IMPROVEMENTS IN THROTTLE AND EXPANSION VALVES FOR ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR, OR BY LIQUIDS OR GASES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Michael Murton, of Strood, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, and Jonathan Millington, also of Strood aforesaid, in
the County of Kent, Foreman to the said Frederick Michael Murton,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THROTTLE AND EXPANSION VALVES
FOR ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR, OR BY LIQUIDS OR GASES."
Sealed the 12th March 1861, and dated the 13th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Michael Murton
and Jonathan Millington at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th September 1860.
We, FREDERICK MICHAEL MURTON, of Strood, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, and JONATHAN MILLINGTON, also of Strood aforesaid, in the County of
Kent, Foreman to the said Frederick Michael Murton, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THROTTLE AND EXPANSION
VALVES FOR ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR, OR BY LIQUIDS OR
GASES," to be as follows:--
This Invention relates to valves used in connection with governors such
as are employed in steam engines for regulating the speed thereof by opening
and closing the orifice by which the steam has to pass from the boiler to the
cylinder of the engines, as is well understood by engineers, and the present
improvements consist in so constructing such said valves, and of connecting:
them with the said governors as that they shall possess a twofold action,
namely, to throttle the steam in its passage from the boiler or other reservoir

page_text: of power, and also to work it expansively according to the speed at which the
engine is going. In other words, we propose to impart to such said valves
or compound valve, a combined reciprocating and rotatory motion or differen-
tial action, the reciprocating motion being vertical and the rotatory motion
horizontal, or in opposite directions. The following are the mechanical
arrangements for effecting the above movements, that is to say, we form the
spindle of the governors double, one spindle being solid, and fitting in another
spindle, which is hollow or tubular; the hollow spindle, which is long, is sup-
ported at its lower end by a step, and the upper end of said spindle is con-
nected to the pendulum rods to which the governor balls are fixed; the solid
spindle aforesaid is formed shorter, and is connected at its upper end to the
short bent ends of the pendulum rods; the lower end of this spindle is con-
nected by a cotter to the hollow spindle, and also to a double-ended cup valve,
slots being formed in the aforesaid hollow spindle to enable the said cup valves
to be moved vertically as desired; these valves fit in metal rings or bushes
fixed inside a flange pipe, into which steam or other vapour, liquid, or gas
enters: the edge of each of the aforesaid cup valves has inclined notches formed
thereon, and the upper edge of each of the bushes or valve seats aforesaid has
inclined notches also formed thereon, inclining in the same direction to the
notches on the valves, so that as the valves rise by the descent of the governor
balls, the steam passes through the apertures between the inclined notches and
enters the cylinder of the engine, and as the governors revolve, the valve rotates
and cuts off the steam, more or less quickly according to the speed of the engine
and the work performed thereby, the governor spindle in this case, the hollow
spindle, is driven by bevil gearing from the engine in the usual way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Michael Murton and Jonathan Millington in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
MICHAEL MURTON, of Strood, in the County of Kent, Engineer, and JONATHAN
MILLINGTON, also of Strood, aforesaid, in the County of Kent, Foreman to the
said Frederick Michael Murton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the

page_text: said Frederick Michael Murton and Jonathan Millington, Her special licence,
that we, the said Frederick Michael Murton and Jonathan Millington, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Frederick Michael Murton and Jonathan Millington, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THROTTLE AND EXPANSION VALVES FOR ENGINES
WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER VAPOUR, OR BY LIQUIDS OR GASES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Michael Murton and
Jonathan Millington, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 we, the said Frederick Michael Murton and
Jonathan Millington, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:―
This Invention .relates to valves used in connection with governors such as
are employed in steam engines for regulating the speed thereof, by opening
and closing the orifice by which the steam has to pass from the boiler to the
cylinder of the engine, as is well understood by engineers, and the present
improvements consist in so constructing such said valves, and of connecting
them with the said governors as that they shall possess a twofold action
namely, to throttle the steam in its passage from the boiler or other reservoir
of power, and also to work it expansively according to the speed at which the
engine is going. In other words we propose to impart to such said valves or
compound valve a combined reciprocating and rotatory motion, or differential
action, the reciprocating motion being vertical and the rotatory motion hori-
zontal, or in opposite directions. The following are the mechanical arrange-
ments for effecting the above movements, that is to say, we form the spindle
of the governors double, one spindle being solid, and fitting in another spindle
which is hollow or tubular, the hollow spindle which is long is supported at
its lower end by a step, and the upper end of said spindle is connected
to the pendulum rods to.which the governor balls are fixed; the solid spindle
aforesaid is formed shorter, and is connected at its upper end to the short bent

page_text: ends of the pendulum rods, the lower end of this spindle is connected by a
cotter to the hollow spindle, and also to a double-ended cup valve, slots being
formed in the aforesaid hollow spindle to enable the said cup valves to be
moved vertically as desired, these valves fit in metal rings or bushes fixed
inside a flange pipe, into which steam or other vapour, liquid, or gas enters,
the edge of each of the aforesaid cup valves has inclined notches formed
thereon, and the upper edge of each of the bushes or valve seats aforesaid has
inclined notches also formed thereon, inclining in the same direction to the
notches on the valves, so that as the valves rise by the descent of the governor
balls the steam passes through the apertures between the inclined notches, and
enters the cylinder of the engine, and as said governors revolve, the valve
rotates and cuts off the steam more or less quickly according to the speed of
the engine, and the work performed thereby by the governor spindle, in this
case the hollow spindle is driven by bevil gearing from the engine in the
usual way.
In order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible, we
now proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheets
of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thereon respectively as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE SHEET OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 exhibits a full size elevation of a steam engine governor shewing
the adaptation of our improvements thereto drawn partly in section; Figure 2
an elevation of one of our improved throttle and expansion valves detached
from the governor; Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2. At each of the
foregoing Figures we employ similar letters of reference to denote corre-
sponding parts in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such
said Figures respectively.
A, A, is the spindle of the governor which is ordinarily made solid, but for
the purposes of this Invention said spindle must be made hollow; B, a rod
fitting loosely into the spindle A; C, a casting securely fixed on the spindle A;
this casting is formed with a stuffing box at D, through the packing of which
the rod B works steam-tight; E are two ordinary governor balls or spheres
of metal, respectively fixed upon the pendulum rods G, G, the upper ends
whereof are formed bent or cranked as at 1, 1, the rods G, G, are connected to
the casting C by pins 9, 9, and said casting is formed with recesses to receive
the rods G, G, and keep them steady when in action; H is a square piece of
metal, which has a hole formed through it sufficiently large for the screwed

page_text: part of the rod B to pass freely through the piece of metal H, and parts
affixed thereto slide in the opening X of the piece C, and the piece H has
recesses formed therein to receive the short bent ends 1, 1, of the rods G, G,
which operate thereon as hereafter stated; I is a screwed collar of brass fitting
upon the screwed part of the rod B, the lower part of the collar I is formed
enlarged, and with a shoulder as exhibited for connecting said collar between
the piece H and a strap K fixed on to the piece H, so that as the collar I is
moved round from right to left or vice versa, which may be effected by a
lever wheel L fixed on to the collar I, the effect will be to ensure the lifting
or lowering of the rod B, as the case may be, and also the valve M. The con-
struction of these valves or compound valve, and mode of connecting same to
the rod B and with the valve box are as follows:-M is a double cup valve of
gun metal or other suitable metal, the stem N whereof fits loosely around the
spindle A; O is a key or cotter fitting tightly in slots formed in the rod B
and stem N, a slot is also formed in the spindle A of sufficient length and
size for the key or cotter O to pass freely through and along as the rod B is
raised and lowered; the edges of the cupped parts at X, X, of the double cup
valve M have inclined notches 2, 2, formed thereon, and there are similar
curved notches formed on the edge of the valve seats P, P, the cupped parts
of the valve M have their outer surfaces formed cylindrical, and the seats of
such said valve are similarly formed and fitted so as to move easily therein,
the said valve seats are fixed in openings formed in the valve box Z as ex-
hibited at Figure 1; Q is the induction passage to be connected with the pipe
leading from the steam boiler or other reservoir of power; and R is the
passage leading to the interior of the cylinder of an engine; S, S, are stuffing
boxes in which the spindle A revolves steam-tight.
The operations of throttle and expansion valves constructed as above
described are as follows:-Suppose the governor balls to be down, as would
be the case on first starting an engine, the valves M would be raised in their
seats, and thus leave passages or openings, as at Figure 2, between the notched
edges of the valves and those of their respective seats, thus allowing free
passage for the steam or other motive power from the boiler or other reservoir
of the power into the cylinder of the engine, the steam or other motive power
pressing on the top of one valve or cup, and underneath the other valve or
cup produces equilibrium of pressure at the same time as the spindle A and
governor balls revolve, and raise or lower the rod B and the valves M, M,
fixed thereto; said valves will cut off the steam or other motive power more
or less gradually according to the speed at which the engine is going, and
the adjustment of the said valves in their seats, which may be regulated by the

page_text: collar I, as before stated, and by these means the valves or compound valve
may either be worked as a throttle valve only, or as an expansion valve, or
both as desired.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention of "Improvements in Throttle and Expansion Valves for Engines
worked by Steam or other Vapour, or by Liquids or Gases," together with the
best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect,
we would remark, in conclusion, that we hereby declare our Invention to con-
sist in, and we claim the combination of the parts marked A, B, C, D, H,
I, K, L, M, N, O, P, S, Z, 1, 2, in the construction of throttle and expansion
valves for engines, and the connecting of same with the governors thereof in
the manner above particularly described, set forth and represented at the
several Figures of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, or any modifications
thereof in which such said valves are so arranged as to receive a compound
movement, or combined reciprocating and rotatory motion or differential action
through the agency of the spindle and pendulum rods of the governor, as above
described, and especially we claim the valves and stem M, N, and P for the
purposes above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonathan Millington, one of the parties
hereto, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JONATHAN MILLINGTON. (L.S.)