Improvements in Steam Vacuum Pumps.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1894--Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Vacuum Pumps.
1. HENRY BIRKBECK of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck of 34, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communica-
tion to me from the Mining and Dredging Power Company, Contractors, a
corporation organized under the laws of West Virginia, and located in the
City County and State of New York, United States of America) and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in steam vacuum pumps of the
character for which Letters Patent of the United States of America were granted
to Edward D. Harsen No. 514598 dated February 13th, 1894, whereby the action
of the pump and its gate-operating cylinders and valve gears is rendered more
effective and reliable the gates being moved accurately to such an extent as
required for the opening and closing of the suction and discharge ports and the
actuating pistons cushioned in such a manner that the opening and closing takes
place without concussions and the invention consists of a steam vacuum pump the
main chamber of which is provided with a tapering lower part and with suction
and discharge pipes which are opened or closed by vertically movable gates that
are guided in air-tight chambers above the guideways of the gate-casings said
chambers being provided at their upper ends with stuffing boxes for the stems of
the gates and with bonnets on each side by which the gates end can be inspected.
On the flanged top of the gate chambers are supported on suitable brackets the
cylinders by which motion is imparted to the gates the stems of the gates being
connected to the pistons while the piston rods are extended through stuffing boxes
in the tops of the cylinders and connected by pivot links with fixed points on the
pump chamber and with oscillating valves that are arranged in cylindrical chests
at one side of the cylinders said valve chests being connected by ports and
channels with the upper and lower ends of the cylinder so as to produce the
proper actuating and cushioning of the pistons and gates and thereby the casy
motion of the same.
The invention consists further of certain details of construction which will be
fully set forth hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings: :-
Fig. 1 represents a frout elevation of this improved steam vacuum pump.
Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through one of the gates and gate-operating
cylinders of the same drawn on a larger scale.
Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3 Fig. 2 through the valve
chest of the cylinder drawn on a still larger scale.
Figs. 4 to 8 are details of the oscillating valve and valve piston by which the
steam or other operating medium is supplied to the gate-operating cylinder.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the drawings:
A represents the pump chamber of this improved steam vacuum pump. The
upper part of the pump chamber A is made cylindrical in shape while the lower
part is preferably made tapering towards the base A¹ so as to facilitate the easy
How of material to the discharge pipe when pressure is applied on the material in
|the pump chamber. The lower tapering part of the pump chamber A is connected

page_text: by straps a with the base plate and provided with suction and discharge pipes B B
which are arranged at the lower part of the pump chamber A and connected by
pipes respectively with the place from which the material is to be conveyed. The
suction and discharge pipes B B are arranged in line with or at right angles to
each other provided with gates C for opening or closing the same said gates being
guided in ways of the gate casings C2 C3 and pivotted at their upper parts to valve
stems D D which are connected with the pistons E of upright cylinders F.
The gate casings C2 C3 and the suction and discharge pipes B B are provided
at their upper ends with upwardly extending brackets which serve to support the
two semi-sections of air-tight chambers CC which sections are provided with
outwardly extending flanges d d' at their upper and lower ends the lower flanges
being bolted to the brackets of the gate casings C³ C³.
The air-tight chambers C4 C5 are provided at their opposite ends with suitable
ways for the gates and at their upper ends with stuffing boxes e for the
stems D D of the gates C. The middle portions of the side walls of the gate
chambers C C are provided with bonnets e¹ by which the pivot connection of the
gates with their stems may be inspected so that any injury to the same can be
quickly repaired. The chambers C C act in the nature of guides for the gates
and serve for the purpose of rendering the gate casings perfectly air-tight so that
the air is prevented from entering into the casings whereby a better vacuum can
be maintained in the pump and the latter be operated in a more reliable and
effective manner and with less loss of power. On the upper flanges of the air-tight
chambers C C are supported upright brackets F1 to which the lower heads of the
gate actuating cylinder Fare boited. The upper ends of the stems D D' of the
gates C C are connected with the pistons E and guided in suitable stuffing
boxes in the lower heads of the cylinders while the piston rods E' are guided in
stuffing boxes fl in the upper heads of the cylinders F. The pistons E are
provided with tightly fitting packing rings of any approved construction. The
piston rods E are extended beyond the upper heads of the cylinders and are
connected at their upper ends by pivot inks f2f3 with fixed lugs f₁ attached to
the sides of the pump chamber A the links 3 being again connected by pivot-
rods with crank arm on the spindles of oscillating slide valves by which
steam water or compressed air is admitted into the cylinders for operating the
pistons E.
The oscillating slide valve G is arranged in a cylindrical valve chest G¹ arranged
at one side of the cylinder the body of the chest being made advantageously in one
casting with the cylinder and provided with inlet exhaust and cushioning ports for
the steam or other actuating medium. The oscillating slide valve G consists of a
cylindrical main-valve g and an interior valve g' which are both provided with the
necessary inlet exhaust and cushioning ports as shown in Figs. 3 to 8 by which
the slide valve and the chest are connected with the upper and lower ends of the
cylinder so that the operating medium is supplied to one end of the cylinder while
it is exhausted at the other end.
The interior valve g' is located within the main valve g their inlets exhaust and
cushioning ports being made to register at the proper time the inlet exhaust and
cushioning ports in the steam chest so that the piston connected with the gate of
the suction or discharge pipe can be raised or lowered as may be required.
By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the piston in the steam cylinder is at
the bottom of the cylinder with the valves set ready to raise the piston and gate.
The chambers for the steam and cushioning ports for the up-stroke are shown by
dotted lines the chambers for the exhaust port in full black lines. The main-
valve g is connected by the pivot links and levers f2f3f as shown in Fig. 4 with
the upper end of the piston rod E' and is so arranged that at either end of the
stroke the main valve will be ready to admit steam at one end and exhaust at the
other end while the cushioning ports will be opened at the proper time.
The interior valve g₁ is called the operator's valve and is operated by the
engineer when the piston is at either end of its stroke and main valve ready to

page_text: admit steam by moving the lever connected with the interior or operator's valve
and admitting thereby steam to the main valve. As the ports are open it enters
into the cylinder and the piston commences to move. The main valve being
connected to the piston rod by the intermediate lever and links it moves with
the piston rod.
The operator's valve remains stationary except when moved by the operator and
as the main valve continues to move with the piston rod it closes the steam and
exhaust ports at the proper time and opens the cushioning ports and admits steam
or other operating medium so as to properly cushion the piston whereby a separate
cylinder above the working cylinder as shown in the Harsen Patent referred to
can be dispensed with.
As two cylinders are arranged one for gate of suction pipe and the other for the
gate of the discharge pipe two actuating levers H have to be arranged on the
engineer's platform which is located above the pump A as shown in Fig. I said
levers being connected by pivot links h bell-crank levers hand rods h* with
cranks on the spindle of the operator's valve g¹. A third lever I is arranged
which operates a two-way valve I by which alternately water or steam is supplied
to the pump chamber the water being supplied in a spray so as to produce the
condensation of steam in the pump chamber and thereby the vacuum by which
the material is sucked in while the steam is used for the purpose of forcing
out the material sucked into the pump chamber through the discharge valve
and by a suitable conveying pipe to the place where the material is to be
deposited.
The function and operation of the vacuum pump itself is fully described in the
Harsen Patent before referred to and does not require any further description in
this connection. It may only be added that the two-way valve I' as well as the
valves of the cylinders have to be operated at the proper time so as to produce the
prompt and reliable working of the pump and gates.
Any approved construction of slide-valve and valve gear for operating the
supply of steam or other actuating medium to the cylinders may be used as I do
not desire to coufine myself to the special construction of the oscillating valve
shown in the drawings.
By the arrangement of the air-tight chambers for the gates of the suction and
discharge pipes the proper working of the gates without admitting air to the pump
is obtained while by the proper cushioning of the pistons the easy and noiseless
working of the gates is secured so that the vacuum pump can be worked in a more
reliable manner and with less friction less steam and with less pounding action than
with the vacuum pumps of this class heretofore in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a pump chamber suction and discharge pipes arranged at
the lower part of the same gates guided in casings in said pipes air-tight
chambers provided with ways arranged above the guideways in said casings said
chambers being provided with stuffing boxes at their upper ends for the stems of
the valves so as to prevent access of air to the air-chambers gates and pumps
substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of a pump chamber suction and discharge pipes at the lower
part of the same gates guided in casings in said pipes gate actuating cylinders
above said gates and pistons in said cylinders connected with said gates a valve
chest oscillating valves in said valve chest said chest and valves being provided
with inlet exhaust and cushioning ports means for connecting the piston rods with
the main oscillating valves for automatically setting said valves and a lever
mechanism for operating the oscillating interior or operator's valves for admitting
the actuating medium to the cylinders substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a pump chamber of suction and discharge pipes

page_text: arranged at the lower part of the same gates guided in casings of said pipes and
air-tight chambers arranged above the guideways of said gates said chambers
being made in two sections provided with ways in line with the ways in the
casings and with a stuffing box on the upper ends for the stem of the gate
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of a pump chamber having suction and discharge pipes gates
guided in casings of said pipes air tight chambers provided with ways for said
gates upright brackets supported on said chambers and gate actuating cylinders
supported on said brackets substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of a pump chamber provided with a two-way supply valve
for the water and steam suction and discharge pipes at the lower part of the pump
chamber gates located in said pipes gate-operating cylinders above said valves
valve chests on said cylinders exterior main-valves in said chests interior operator's
valves said chests and valves having inlet exhaust and cushioning ports means for
connecting the piston rods of the cylinders with the main valves and levers con-
nected with the interior or operator's valve said levers admitting live steam so as
to operate the pistons and gates while the connection of the piston rods with the
main valves produces the cutting off of the steam and the proper cushioning of the
pistons and gates substantially as set forth.
6. In a vacuum pump the combination with a pump chamber having a suction
or discharge pipe a gate guided in a casing in said pipe a gate-actuating cylinder a
piston in said cylinder a stem connecting the gate with the piston a piston rod
guided in the upper head of the cylinder a valve chest on the cylinder an oscillating
main-valve in said chest an oscillating interior or operator's valve in the main
valve said chest and valves having inlet exhaust and cushioning ports a lever
connection between the piston rod and main valve and an actuating lever connecte
with the operator's valve substantially as set forth.
Dated this 25th day of September 1894
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings. Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.