Improvements in and relating to Pumping Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES CROXALL BROOKS, of 117, North
33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, President
of Southwark Foundry and Machine Company.]
Improvements in and relating to Pumping Engines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 the construction of pumps, particularly of apparatus for
pumping water or similar fluids, although some features of my invention are
applicable to apparatus for pumping or compressing air or gases. The object of
my invention is to provide valves operating upon the admission and delivery ports
of the pump which will operate in such a way as to permit a considerable increase
in the speed at which the pump can be run and which also, are so constructed as to
minimize the injury and want of efficiency due to obstructions getting wedged in
between the valves and their seats.
::
The new device by which I secure the above noted advantages, and some others
which will hereafter be described will be best understood as described in connection
with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a vertical pumping engine
showing the valve actuating mechanism which I prefer to employ.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a part of the valve actuating mechanism.
Figure 3 is a vertical section through the pump proper.
Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the valves.
Figure a longitudinal section through the valve on section line 1-2 of
Figure 4.
Figure 6 a cross-section through the valve and valve seat.
Figure 7 a view illustrating a modification in a part of the valve actuating
mechanism shown in Figure 1.
Figure 8 a side elevation of the pumping engine showing still another modification
of the valve actuating mechanism.
Figure 8 is a diagram showing a point in the motion of the crank shaft at which
the valve begins to move.
Figure 9 is a front elevation of the pumping engine shown in Figure 8, partly
shown in section on the line x-x.
Figure 10 is a front view showing a modified construction of pump.
Figure 11 is a vertical section on the line y-y of Figure 10.
Figure 12 is a longitudinal section through a valve similar to that shown in
Figure 4 illustrating a mode of moving it positively to and from its seat.
Figure 13 is a plan view of the valve shown in Figure 12.
Figure 14 is a longitudinal section similar to that shown in Figure 12, showing a
modified construction: and
Figure 15 is a plan view of the valve shown in Figure 14.
A indicates the framing of the pumping engine which is placed as shown over a
bed B on which the pump proper stands. C is the steam cylinder of the engine,
D the main shaft, E the crank on the main shaft, F the connecting rod connecting
the crank D with the piston rod, extending from the steam cylinder to the pump;
or rather, I should say that the piston rod of the steam cylinder is connected with
the crank, because, in order to clear the main shaft the piston rod of cylinder C is

page_text: provided with a plate F' at its end, which is connected by rods F' with a plate F
which in turn is secured to the end of the piston or plunger rod N of the pump.
Referring now to the mechanism for actuating the valves, (see Figs. 1 and 2) G is
a lever pivoted at one end to a pin secured to the connecting rod F, and at its
other end suitably supported as by a link G' from the frame of the engine.
Pivotally secured to a suitable point on the lever G is a connecting rod G³, the
free end of which is secured to a lever arm G³ depending from a rock shaft G
which shaft is supported in suitable bearings on the frame and is provided with
arms G³ and G extending out in different directions and provided with pins g which
enter grooves H'H' on sliding cross-heads H which are supported on suitable
guides, and to which are attached the valve rods I I which operate the pump
valves. The grooves H'H' on the cross head H consist of a circular part H
having the same radius as the arm G³ or G and a portion H' which is preferably
substantially at right angles to the direction of the valve rod I. By this arrange-
ment it will be seen that the reciprocating motion of the arms G and G only
causes the cross head to move when the pin g is acting against the portion H' of
the groove; the pin moving through the portion H' backward and forward without
moving the cross head, and without actuating the valve connected with it.
The main feature of the above described device consists in the combining with
the connecting rod F of the lever G and of mechanism connected and operated by
a pin in said lever for actuating the valves. In many cases it is desirable that the
attachment of the lever G to the connecting rod should be made at a point some-
what to one side of the rod, such an arrangement is shown in Figure 7, where the
pin is shown at the end of a projecting finger F2 extending out from the connecting
. rod F.
While I prefer in many constructions to use the valve actuating mechanism
described above, or one of a similar character, practically the same motion can be
given to the valve rods by the modified device shown in Figures 8 and 9 in which
the arm G attached to the rock shaft G is connected with a projection 02
extending out from an eccentric ring O' working on an eccentric O secured to the
shaft D. In this construction the shaft G is in its connection to the cross head H
and valve rods I identical with the construction previously described. The valve
rods II are connected, one with the admission and the other with the discharge
valve or valves of the pump, the admission valves being indicated by the letter L
and the delivery valves by the letter L'. These valves are slide valves moving
over admission ports J and delivery ports J' on valve seats provided on the pump
casting, and the valves are situated on that side of the port toward which the water
moves and in each case are so arranged as to be capable of lifting from their seats.
To limit this movement from their seats and at the same time to permit the valves
to open freely under the pressure of the water seeking to pass through the valve
openings I arrange back bearings, as shown at M, in Figures 3,
and 11, and at M¹
and M2 in Figures 12 and 14 respectively. It will be seen that by thus constructing
and arranging the valves they partake of a double nature, for while they are essentially
slide valves, they are also, to a certain extent clack valves, since they are capable of
being lifted from their seats. Now the valve actuating mechanism is set in such
relation to the motion of the engine, and particularly to the crank on the main shaft,
that the valve is not moved by it until after the crank has passed its centre and
moved for some distance away from it. Thus in Figure 8 I have indicated a portion
of the crank pin path from w to to through which the crank passes before the valve
actuating mechanism actuates either the delivery or inlet valves. As a result of this,
the piston or plunger indicated by the letter N is in motion before the valves are
opened. The plunger as shown in Figures 3 and 11 moves in the chambers J and J'
and it will be seen, for instance with reference to the chamber J, that as the piston
moves down the admission valve I in the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 11,
will so to speak, be sucked off its seat, moving forward until it rests against the
back bearings M, the water then flowing into the chamber J through the openings
made between the valve and its seat by these movements, but this movement of the

page_text: plunger is, of course, very gradual, and sufficient water can enter the small cavities
thus formed. After the crank has passed the point w', the pin g of the arm G
comes in contact with the portion H2 of the groove in cross head H moving the
cross head downward, which acting through the rod 1 moves the valve L downward,
thus opening wide the ports of the admission valve seat. The valve being wide
open at the time the plunger is moving with the greatest rapidity, and closing
gradually as it passes this point until just before the downward motion of the
plunger ceases, the valve considered as a slide valve is again closed, and only open
to the extent in which it acts as a clack valve. During the downward motion of
the plunger the valve L remains closed; the pin g of the arm G' moving backward
and forward in the circular arc H of the crosshead and the pressure of the water
holding the valve firmly to its seat.
The action of the delivery valve L' during the upward motion of the plunger in
chamber J is exactly like that of the valve L during the downward motion of the
plunger, the valve L' being first forced from its seat by the pressure of the water
expelled by the rising plunger, it is gradually opened and gradually closed, so that
considered as a slide valve it is entirely closed before the plunger reaches its highest
point, and in its capacity as a clack valve it also remains firmly seated during the
downward motion of the plunger.
It will be seen that by the construction I have described there is little or no
frictional resistance to the motion of the slide valves which are always raised from
their seats before they are moved longitudinally to open or close the valve. The
frictional resistance, being merely that of the valve against the back bearings M,
with which their surfaces contact, may be made as small as may be desired, and a
pump equipped with valves constructed and operated in accordance with my
invention can be run at almost any desired speed without injury to its valve
mechanism. In order however to prevent the valves from forcibly striking their
seats or the bearings which limit their lift from the seats as they sometimes do
under heavy pressure, and also to regulate the lift and seating of the valves, I
prefer in some cases to arrange the bearings as shown in Figures 12 to 15; here
instead of lifting or closing the valves simply by the force of the water seeking to
pass through the valve openings I arrange bearings which not only limit the
movement of the valves from their seats but also lift them positively; in Figures 12
and 13 these are shown as cam grooves M' in which rollers r pivoted in lugs m¹ on
the valve, engage: the valve stem I is so connected with an operative part of the
pump that this cam groove will start to raise the valve slightly from its seat just
as the plunger begins to move in the pump chamber, and as the valve is lifted and
seated gradually, this effectually prevents any sudden jars or forcible striking of
the valve against the seat. Various other means can be used to perform the same
function; in Figures 13 and 14, links M2 pivoted at m to the seat and at m² to the
valve serve to lift and limit the movement of the valve in the same manner as the
cam bearings M'.
It is not unusual in pumps for obstructions to get permanently or temporarily
lodged between the valves and their seats. In order to minimize the trouble and
risk arising from this cause I construct my slide valves of a series of parts 1 &c.
secured so that they will move to and fro together, but each free to move indepen-
dently to and from their seats; thus, in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the independent
sections are provided with registering perforations 13 through which pass a portion
of the valve rod I of smaller diameter than the hole 13, the sections being held in
place by means of jam nuts 1 16. This construction insures simultaneous longitu-
dinal movement while permitting each section to move to and from its seat
independently so that if an obstruction gets beneath one section ? the remaining
sections of the valves can seat themselves. To secure proper alignment of the
valve sections they are cast or provided with end sections forming irregular
joints as indicated at 11 with each other, said joints insuring that if the valves do
have an independent motion it will be uniform and not tend to jam the different

page_text: '
sections together, and I also prefer to form abutments
perforations through which the binding rod I passes.
above and below the
In case of double acting pumps having chambers J and J' I prefer to arrange the
valves and valve seats as indicated in Figures 3 and 11, that is to say, with the
admission port and valve of one chamber on the same side and preferably in line
with the delivery port and valve of the other chamber, and by thus placing the
valves L L' of the chambers J J¹ I am enabled to connect and operate them by 'a
single valve rod I the two valves being connected as shown, to a rod I' which may
be a continuation of the valve rod I. This is advisable, since, as will be readily
seen, the motion of the two valves with respect to the ports which they operate
upon is exactly the same, the admission valve of the one cylinder opening at exactly
the same time and to the same degree as the delivery valve of the other chamber.
In this construction the bottoms of the receiving chambers indicated by K' and K'
are of course connected together as by a forked casting P1 (Figure 10), a similar
forked conduit casting P connecting the chamber K and K³ through which the
water flows into the pump, where, as in the construction illustrated in Figure 3
the chambers J and J' of the pump are separated by a space J³ so that the
plunger N passes between the stuffing boxes J³ through the air. I prefer to
connect the chambers J and J' by means of castings K which are separated into
chambers corresponding with the admission and discharge ports by means of a
diaphragm K', thus dividing them up and forming the chambers K³ and K* on
the one side and K and K on the other side, and I form these castings so that the
chambers K and K will each be provided with an air chamber K² at its upper
portion which will facilitate the flow of water both in leaving and entering the pump
in the well known way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A slide valve for pumps consisting of a series of separate cross bars /
secured together as described, and so that each section can move independently to
or from its seat.
Second. A slide valve for pumps consisting of a series of separate cross bars 7
having perforations 13 in combination with a rod I of less diameter than the height
of the perforations ³, said rod tying the sections together, while permitting
independent movement to and from the valve seat.
Third. A slide valve for pumps consisting of a series of separate cross bars 1
having projecting end pieces forming lap joints with similar parts of abutting
end pieces, and having perforations 73 in combination with a tie rod I passing
through perforations 13 and securing the sections together while permitting inde-
pendent movement of each section to or from the valve seat.
'
Fourth. In a pump, a chamber having admission and delivery valves L L'
arranged to slide over ports in their seats and each having bearings so arranged
as to permit them to rise from their seats in the direction in which the fluid flows
through them, in combination with a piston working in the pump chamber and
mechanism positively actuated and arranged to actuate said valves alternately in a
fixed relation with the motions of the piston and so that each valve will remain
over its seat in position to close the orifice until the piston has begun its motion to
suck in, or force out fluid, to or from the chamber, said valves first rising from their
seats and then moving longitudinally to open the port in the same.
Fifth. In a pump, a chamber having admission and delivery valves L L'
arranged to slide over ports in their seats and each having bearings adapted to lift
them positively from their seats in combination with a piston or plunger working in
the pump chamber and mechanism positively moved and arranged to actuate said
valves alternately in a fixed relation with the motions of the piston or plunger and
so that each valve will remain over its seat in position to close the orifice until the

page_text: piston or plunger has begun its motion to draw fluid into, or force it from the
chamber, said valves being first lifted from their seats and then moved longitudinally
to open the ports in the same.
Sixth. In a pump, admission and discharge slide valves L L' each made of a
series of sections / independently movable to and from their seats, and each valve
having back bearings placed so as to permit them to rise from their seats in the
direction in which the water flows through them, and positively actuated mechanism
arranged to actuate said valves alternately, and so that each valve will remain over
its seat in position to close the orifices until lifted therefrom by the incoming or
outgoing current of water.
Seventh. In a pump having chambers J J and a plunger N', admission and
delivery ports J J in each chamber arranged so that the admission and delivery
ports of chamber J will be respectively on the same side as the delivery and
admission ports of chamber J' in combination with slide valves L L'.having back
bearings arranged to permit said valves to move away from their seats in the
direction in which the water flows through them, said valves being secured together
in pairs so that they will simultaneously open the admission port of one chamber
and the delivery port of the other, and positively actuated mechanism arranged to
actuate two pairs of valves alternately.
Eighth. In a pump the combination of chambers J J' separated by a space J³, a
plunger N¹ working in said chambers and through said space, a series of slotted
delivery ports formed in valve seats J in each chamber, said delivery ports being
on opposite sides of the chambers J and J', similar slotted admission ports J*
arranged in each chamber on relatively opposite sides, castings K K secured to the
respective chambers registering with the admission and delivery passages respectively,
said castings having a diaphragm K' separating them into chambers K and K,
slide valves L L arranged in pairs and secured together so as to simultaneously
open and close the admission ports of one cylinder, and the delivery ports of the
other, said valves having back bearings-arranged to permit a movement to and
from their seats, and means for actuating said valves as described.
Ninth. In a pump the combination of chambers J J₁ separated by a space J', a
plunger N¹ working in said chamber and through said space, a series of slotted
delivery ports formed in valve seats J in each chamber, said delivery ports being
on opposite sides of the chambers J and J', similar slotted admission ports J
arranged in each chamber on relatively opposite sides, castings K K secured to the
respective chambers registering with the admission and delivery passages respectively,
said chambers having a diaphragm K' separating them into chambers K and KⓇ,
said diaphragm being arranged to form air chambers K in the admission and
delivery conduits, slide valves L L' arranged in pairs and secured together so as to
simultaneously open and close the admission ports of one cylinder and the delivery
ports of the other, said valves having back bearings-arranged to permit a move-
ment to and from their seats and means for actuating said valves as described.
Tenth. In a pump the combination with a steam cylinder, of a piston rod, a crank
shaft and a pump operatively connected therewith, a connecting rod joining the
cross head and the crank, a lever G pivoted to the connecting rod at points other
than those at which it is pivotally attached to the cross head and crank and actuated
thereby, a slide valve working over the port of the pump, and mechanism for
transferring motion as described, whereby the motion of an intermediate point on
the lever G may be transmitted to the slide valve.
Eleventh. The combination with a pump, slide valves LL' having back bearings
arranged to permit them to move away from their seats in the direction of the
current through them, a rock shaft G having lever arms G G arranged at
different angles, cross heads H H connected with the admission and delivery valves
respectively, and provided with oppositely arranged cam grooves H'H' as described,
said grooves being each engaged by a pin from one of the levers G' G' and means
for actuating shaft G' actuated by moving parts of the pump.
Twelfth. In combination with a pump, slide valves L L₁ having back bearings

page_text: arranged to permit them to move away from their seats in the direction of the
current through them, a rock shaft G having lower arms G G arranged at
different angles. cross heads H H connected with the admission and delivery valves
respectively, and provided with oppositely arranged cam grooves H'H' as described,
said grooves being each engaged by a pin from one of the levers G³ G, a connecting
rod arranged to connect the piston and crank shaft of the engine, a lever G
connected to said rod and pivoted to a link or guide as described, and a rod. G'
pivoted to said lever G and connected to an arm G³ of the rock shaft.
" Dated this 31st day of October 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.