IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORKING STEAM EXPANSIVELY
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS OF OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORKING STEAM EXPANSIVELY." -A
communication from Camille Polonceau.
Sealed the 18th March 1859, and dated the 5th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
October 1858.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MEANS OF OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORKING STEAM EXPANSIVELY," com-
municated to me by Camille Polonceau, a foreigner residing abroad, to be as
follows:-
According to this Invention separate slide valves are employed for effecting
the induction and eduction of the steam, (instead of employing the same valve
for both purposes), which separate valves have such gear or appliances, and
are so arranged and acted on that they may be regulated independently of
each other, and the induction may thus be controlled, regulated, or varied
without interfering with the regulation of the eduction, and vice versa.
For this purpose these slide valves may be so contrived as to act directly
against the cylinder ports, and for working them a double link on

page_text: Stephenson's link motion principle may be employed. By these means steam
may be admitted into the cylinder by one slide valve contrivance, or double
valve on each side alternately, and exhausted by a distinct and separately
adjustable slide valve, both arranged so that they may act in suitable com-
bination, but yet so that each may be moved, adjusted, or regulated inde-
pendently of the other, whereby steam may be effectively applied expansively,
and expansion varied as desired.
In one arrangement a double link is employed, or two links so connected that
they may be worked together as a single link when actuated by the excentric
rods as usual, one for the forward and one for the backing motion. To a slide
block in each link is attached a valve rod, each valve rod being connected with a
slide valve, that is to say, one with a valve for the eduction, and the other with
a valve for the inlet; the eduction valve being like an ordinary slide, with
sufficient lap not to uncover the steam ports; the inlet or steam valve
consists of two parts or valve plates, each acting against a steam port; each
slide, viz., that for exhaust and that for induction is also separately acted on
by a reversing lever, serving also to vary expansion, such levers being so
arranged that they may be worked separately or together, as required; both
inlet and exhaust levers may be on the same reversing shaft; the eduction
valve may be kept at maximum travel by setting its lever at the first notch of
the expansion gear quadrant or toothed catch plate, while the inlet may be
shifted to vary expansion, which will be regulated according to the distance of
its slide block from the centre of the link; the eduction valve retaining the
same travel, however expansion or cut off may be varied. For reversing, both
levers are worked.
In another arrangement (also with link motion) the valves may be placed
one under the other, the eduction or under valve having at its extremities
ports or steam ways corresponding to the cylinder steam ports; the other
valve is a sliding plate, so contrived that it may, in the combined action of the
two slides, serve to close the steam ways in the eduction valve, which latter
will thus regulate both exhaust and pressure on shifting its lever to the proper
notch of the quadrant; the upper valve effects or regulates expansion at any
point of the link's range in either direction of motion, so that to reverse action
the eduction valve lever only need be shifted. Where reversing is not
required, a single link is sufficient for working the expansion valve, the
eduction being actuated by the end of the link corresponding to the connection
of one of the excentric rods. Various suitable forms of links and of valve
gear may be adopted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send,
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One:
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael
Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Michael Henry, my executors, administrators, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MEANS OF OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORKING STEAM EXPANSIVELY," com-
munication from Camille Polonceau, a foreigner residing abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael Henry, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly 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 I, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
This Invention consists of certain improved means or arrangements appli-
cable to steam engines for working steam expansively.
According to these improvements separate slide valves are employed for
effecting the induction and eduction of the steam, instead of employing the
same valve for both purposes, which separate valves have such gear or
appliances, and are so arranged and acted on that they may be regulated
independently of each other, and the induction may thus be controlled,

page_text: regulated, or varied without interfering with the regulation of the eduction,
and vice versâ. For this purpose these independent slide valves may be so
contrived as to act directly against the cylinder ports, and for working them a
double link on Stephenson's link motion principle may be employed. By
these means steam may be admitted into the cylinder by one slide valve
contrivance or double valve on each side alternately, and exhausted by a
distinct and separately adjustable slide valve, both valves being so arranged
that they may act in suitable combination, but yet so that each may be moved,
adjusted, or regulated independently of the other, whereby steam may be
effectively applied expansively, and expansion varied as desired.
In one arrangement a double link is employed, or two links so connected
that they may be worked together as a single link when actuated by the
excentric rods as usual, one for the forward and one for the backing motion.
To a slide block in each link is attached a valve rod, each valve rod being
connected with a slide valve, that is to say, one with a valve for the eduction,
and the other with a valve for the inlet, the eduction valve being like an
ordinary slide, with sufficient lap not to uncover the steam ports. While the
inlet or steam valve consists of two parts or valve plates, each acting against
a steam port, each slide, videlicit, that for the exhaust and that for the
induction, is also separately acted on by a reversing lever, serving also to vary
expansion, (such levers being so arranged that they may be worked separately
or together, as required.) Both inlet and exhaust levers may be on the same
reversing gear shaft.
Figure 1 of the Drawings exemplifies such an arrangement adapted for
Iocomotives. A is the cylinder; a, a, steam ports; b, b, eduction ports;
c, c, ports in the cylinder face leading into a, a, b, b; B is the inlet valve, and
its valve rod. This valve B consists of two valve plates B¹, B', each acting
against one of the steam ports a, a, and connected together by a rod s. C is
the exhaust valve, which only acts against the eduction ports b, b, and v² is its
valve rod; h is the exhaust. D is a double link shewn in transverse section
Figure 2; and d¹, d, its excentrics, one for the forward, and the other for
the backing motion, and to slide blocks in this double link piece the valve
rods v³, v², are connected. E, F, are the levers for reversing adjusting the
valves, and regulating expansion, the lever E regulating the valve C, and the
lever F the double valve B; el, ell, ell, being the connections of the lever E,
and f, ff, those of lever f. G, expansion gear quadrant, and g the lever
shaft. The eduction valve may be kept at maximum travel by setting its
lever E at the first notch of the expansion gear quadrant or toothed catch
plate, while the inlet valve may be shifted (by its lever), as desired, to vary

page_text: expansion, which will be regulated according to the distance of its slide block
from the centre of the link, the eduction valve retaining the same travel,
however expansion or "cut off" may be varied. For reversing, both levers
are worked.
In another arrangement, also with link motion, the valves may be placed
one under the other; the eduction or under valve has at its extremities ports or
steam ways corresponding to the cylinder steam ports; and the other valve is a
sliding plate, so contrived that it may in the combined action of the two slides
serve to close the steam ways in the eduction valve, which latter will thus
alone regulate both exhaust and pressure, by shifting its lever to the proper
notch of the quadrant, while the upper valve effects or regulates expansion or
"cut off" at any point of the link's range in either direction of motion,
so that to reverse action the eduction valve lever only need be shifted.
Figure 3 exemplifies this arrangement. A, cylinder as before; o, o, steam
ports; I, eduction or under valve, having formed through it steam ways or
ports i, i, leading to and corresponding with the ports o, o; J is the upper or
"cut off" valve; v¹, valve rod of the valve I, and v¹ of valve J; E and F, valve
levers; e, el, e, f, f", f, connections; D, link; G, toothed quadrant; and
g, lever shaft as before. Here the valve J will cut off steam at any point of
the link's range, and at any position of the valve I, so that the engine may be
reversed by shifting the latter only. Where reversing is not required (as
for example in stationary engines) a single link is sufficient for working the
expansion valve, the eduction being actuated by the end of the link corre-
sponding to the connection of one of the excentric rods.
Various suitable forms of links and of valve gear may be adopted. Thus,
for example, instead of the particular form of link shown, single links connected
together may be used, or links turned in the reverse condition (i.e., with the
concave side towards the excentrics, so as to actuate the valve rods directly),
or any other suitable form. When desirable, as, for example, at stations, the
levers may be attached together so as to work like an ordinary arrangement.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the employment and application in engines where steam is worked
expansively, of separate slide valves for induction and eduction (instead of
using the same valve for both purposes), such separate valves having such gear
or appliances, and being with these so arranged and actuated that they may
be operated independently of each other in such manner that induction and
eduction may be controlled, regulated, or varied without interference one with
the other.

page_text: Second, the employment and application in steam engines, working expan-
sively, of separate and separately adjustable slide valves as described, one such
slide being for regulating induction, and the other for regulating eduction;
and such slides being so arranged and operated that while their action with
respect to each other and to the direction of motion may be suitably arranged,
their respective action on the steam ports and the eduction may be regulated
independently.
Third, the arrangement of separate and separately adjustable slide valves
acting directly on the ports, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth, the arrangement of separate and separately adjustable slide valves
one over the other, substantially as herein-before described.
Fifth, the particular arrangements especially adapted for locomotives herein-
before described and represented in the Drawings.
Sixth, the application of a double link or of two links on Stephenson's link
motion principle, for actuating the valves, substantially in the manner and
for the purpose herein-before described (however the details and connections
thereof may be varied).
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
W*. BRASIER,
12, Cursitor Street.
M. HENRY. (LS.)