IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS IN PIPES OR CONDUITS
Year: 1885

page_text: I DAVID FULTON of 1 St James Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS
IN PIPES OR CONDUITS" (communicated to me from abroad by Doctor Emile
Laroche of Angers France) to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to means for interrupting the flow of fluids in pipes or
conduits and is intended to serve as an economical and easily applied substitute for
the ordinary sluice or stop valve. My invention is applicable to pipes or conduits
used for heating or for other purposes and for conveying hot water, hot air or steam:
and also to pipes conveying gas water or other fluids under pressure. The inven-
tion is especially applicable in situations where the supply of fluid is required to.
be interrupted or diverted only at comparatively long intervals of time. The
improved stopper is applied within a chamber which I interpose between the
lengths of piping which it is intended at times to disconnect. Branches on each
side of the chamber connect it with the piping. The stopper which I introduce
into this chamber consists of a slab of wood or other suitable material to the back
of which is firmly secured a diaphragm of caoutchouc or other suitable flexible
material or substance. Between the diaphragm and the slab is a presser plate, a
projection from which passes through the slab and comes opposite to the end of
a capstan nut which works upon a screw held in line with the said projection from
the presser plate. The capstan nut is turned by means of handles or by a key so
as to advance and press upon the end of the projection from the presser plate. The
diaphragm and slab are thus forced against the recessed lip or margin surrounding
the inlet branch and the ingress of fluid' to the chamber is thus prevented. The.
screw on which the said nut works is carried by a cross bar having an arm at each
end the said arms sliding on guide bars secured to and projecting from the afore-
said slab. The chamber is closed by a removable packed cover secured in position
by means of screws or bolts. The portion of piping which has been cut off in the
aforesaid manner may be emptied by means of a cock, valve or plug. When it is
1 o77

page_text: desired to re-establish a thoroughfare the cover of the chamber is removed and the
nut Blackened so as to permit of the removal of the stopper. Instead of a screw
and nut as herein before described a wedge or wedges may be employed to force the
slab and diaphragm against the lip or ledge surrounding the inlet branch. If
desired my improved stopper may be made double so as to cut off a fluid supply on
both sides of the chamber. The chamber may be made of metal, fire-clay or other
material corresponding to the material of the pipes with which it is combined.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Interrupting the Flow of Fluids in
Pipes or Conduits.
"
I DAVID FULTON of 1 St James Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS
IN PIPES OR CONDUITS (communicated to me from abroad by Doctor Emile
Laroche of Angers, France) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawings:-
My said Invention relates to means for interrupting the flow of fluids in pipes or
conduits and is intended to serve as an economical and easily applied substitute for
the ordinary sluice or stop valve. My Invention is applicable to pipes or conduits
used for heating or other purposes and conveying hot water, hot air or steam and
also to pipes conveying gas, water or other fluids under pressure. The invention is
especially applicable in situations where the supply of fluid is required to be
interrupted or diverted only at comparatively long intervals of time.
And in order that the said invention may be properly understood I will now
proceed more particularly to describe the same reference being had to the annexed
two sheets of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, to be as
follows:
On Sheet 1 of the said drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a section of a pipe
formed with a chamber to contain the improved stopper. Fig. 2 is a plan of the
same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan. Fig. 5 is
a cross section of the chamber and Fig. 6 is a plan of the cover.
The example selected for illustration shows the invention as applied to a pipe
for the conveyance of a fluid such as hot water in connection with, for example a
thermo-syphon or other heating apparatus or it might be for the conveyance of
gas or water under little or no pressure. The section of pipe I. I' to which the
'

page_text: stopper is applied is formed with a chamber A. sufficiently large to admit the
hereinafter described stopper. This chamber is formed semi-circular at the bottom
and is closed at the top by a lid B. which may be secured in any suitable manner
by bolts or screws or clamps but which I prefer to hinge to the pipe at b. as
shown, the opposite side being held down when the lid is closed by means of a
hinged bolt Y. and nut provided with handles X. whereby the nut can be turned
so as to force the lid B. against the top flange R. of the chamber A. and thus form
a fluid tight joint. To assist in making this joint I secure a packing of rubber to
the lid the said packing being held in position by means of a plate V. as shown. The
pipe I. I is formed with faucet ends C. C' so as to receive the ends of the
connected pipes. The stopper which the chamber A is intended to receive, consists
of a plate L. recessed in front and of the sectional form shown at Fig. 3 of the
drawings. The plate L is flat on the top and semi-circular at the bottom so as to
fit the chamber. A flange. U. is cast on the top so as to, provide a convenience for
grasping and lifting the stopper out of the chamber and an arrow may be marked
on the said flange as shown at Fig. 4 so as to indicate the direction in which the
screw Q. must be turned to close the valve. A bar O. is bent into the shape shown
at Fig. 4 and its free ends are secured in recesses in the sides of the plate. L.
A second bar Q¹ is secured between the bent arms of the first named bar and serves
to confine a nut provided with handles T. by means of which the screw Q. is
advanced and retired. On the end of the screw Q. which passes through the
plate L. are fixed circular plates P. P¹ and over these plates is placed a covering of
rubber S. which when the screw Q. is advanced presses on the side of the chamber
and prevents the ingress of fluid from the pipe I. The plates P. P¹ have preferably
a little play on the end of the screw Q. so as to allow the rubber packing S. to bed
itself more easily against the side of the chamber. To allow of the escape of fluid
from the chamber A. and from the cut off portion of the piping, I provide an
escape passage Z. which is closed by a screwed stud as shown or by other suitable
means. The said stud may have a squared head so as to be turned by a key or it
may have holes through which a wrench or bar may be introduced. Instead of
the hinged lid B. shown and described I may employ such a lid as is shown at
Fig. 6 in which three bolts E are employed to secure the lid in position. In
operating my invention it is only necessary to open the lid B. place the stopper
in the chamber A and turn the nut T. so as to advance the packed plates P. P¹
whereby the ingress of fluid to the chamber is cut off.. By reversing the nut T.
and so retracting the plates P. P¹ the stopper can be removed from the chamber so
as to re-establish the flow of fluid through the pipes. As has been already said
my improved stopper is more particularly applicable in situations where the fluid
to be cut off is under little or no pressure. When applied to pipes under pressure
it would be necessary to reduce or nullify the pressure by diverting or allowing
the fluid to escape at a point in advance of the situation at which the stopper is
to be applied. The figures on Sheet 2 of the drawings illustrate the application
of my improved stopper to the outlet from a tank or reservoir. The chamber to
contain the stopper is formed on the end of the pipe leading from the reservoir as
shown at Figs. 7, 8, 11 and 12, and is open, above, beneath and in front, the side
walls b, having flanges a in front to take the thrust of the stopper as more clearly
shown in the horizontal section fig. 12. The top of the chamber is closed by the
hinged door B. which is secured in front by a hinged bolt as in the foregoing
example. The frame of the stopper is of the formation already described but is flat
at the bottom as well as at the top owing to the modified form of the chamber.
As the chamber is permanently open in front and at the bottom I prefer to box in
the stopper by sheet iron plates d. d. as shown at Fig. 9 so as to prevent the
stopper from being tampered with by unauthorised persons. The lid night be
secured by a padlock. The boxed in stopper is formed with a plate L' and over-
hanging ledge as shown at Fig. 10 by which it is supported from the top of the
chamber. Instead of being boxed in by sheet iron as described a casing night be
cast in one with the stopper plate L. or a cast iron casing X. might be secured

page_text: thereto as shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings. In this latter formation fitting
strips S' S₁ are cast on the sides and end of the said casing X. to bear on the
interior of the chamber. The sides and end X. and the plate L. to which they are
secured form a rigid stopper frame in which is supported the screw Q. whereby
the movable cut-off plates P. P¹ with their packing S. can be pressed against the
end of the pipe I so as to cut off the flow of fluid or be retracted so as to permit
of the removal of the stopper frame X. L. with the cut-off plates P. P¹ S. The
pipes and chambers may be of any suitable material and the form of the chamber
is also capable of modification for example the chamber might be made wider at
The
the top than at the bottom so as to facilitate the introduction of the stopper.
stopper might also be made double acting so as to close two ingress openings into.
the same chamber a right and left hand screw placed between the valves serving
to operate both cut-off plates simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
.
1. The method of interrupting the flow of fluids through pipes by the introduction
into a chamber of a portable stopper substantially of the construction hereinbefore
described and shown or any mere modification thereof.
2. The portable stopper consisting of the plate L, bars O, Q¹ screw Q. nut T. and
packed cut-off plates P. P' constructed and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described and indicated.
3. The combination of the said. stopper with the chamber A provided with a
packed lid B. and relief opening Z. substantially as described and shown.
4. The portable stopper described with reference to sheet 2. of the drawings for
application to the outlet pipes of tanks and reservois substantially as described
and shewn.