Iм- PROVEMENTS IN SLUICE VALVES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brown and Charles Neale May, both of
Devizes, in the County of Wilts, Engineers, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN SLUICE VALVES."
Sealed the 13th July 1858, and dated the 9th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brown and
Charles Neale May at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th February 1858.
I, WILLIAM BROWN, and I, CHARLES NEALE MAY, both of Devizes, in the
County of Wilts, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLUICE VALVES," to be as follows:-
Our improvements in sluice valves are shown in the Drawings. hereunto
annexed.
Fig. 1 represents a lateral vertical séction of a sluice valve arranged accord-
ing to our Invention, through the valve case A, showing the valve B, which
moves on a centre.at f. a is the pipe or channel to be closed by the valve
B; the position thereof in the Drawing represents the passage full open. It
is covered and closed by traversing the valve from right to left by means of the
segment of teeth h and pinion C, fixed on shaft i, which passes through a stuffing
box k, k; and to which shaft a lever or handle is placed to give motion to
the pinion C. The pinion C and shaft i are held in position by a flange D; the
whole of which is free to be withdrawn from the case-A, by removing the

page_text: part of the stuffing box. The passage a on the one side of case A is in line
with that a¹ on the other side, as will be seen by the longitudinal section of
the passages Fig. 4, showing a modification of the same valve and case in
transverse section.
Fig. 2 shows the same valve having a cycloid introduced for the purpose
of communicating the motion, instead of the pinion and toothed segment; 1, 1,
are a series of pins projecting on the periphery of the valve-B;-upon which the
cycloid m (shown in plan at Fig. 3) acts. The other parts are the same as in
the other example.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent the same kind of valve, Fig. 4 being a transverse
section, and Fig. 5 a side view of the valve case A, but in which motion is
communicated to the valve B by a lever r placed on the centre or fulcrum on
which the valve B moves; the shaft f forming that fulcrum, passes through a
stuffing box p, as. seen in Fig. 4. This valve may be actuated by other
means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed,
by the said William Brown and Charles Neale May in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th August-1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BROWN and CHARLES NEALE MAY, both of Devizes, in the County of Wilts,"
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her-reign,
did, for Herself, -Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said:
William Brown and Charles Néale May, Her spécial licence that we, the
said William Brown and Charles Neale May, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we; the said William Brown and Charles
Neale May, our 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
SLUICE VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Brown and Charles Neale Máy, our executors or administrators, bý
an instrument in writing under our, or. their, or one of their hands, and

page_text: seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 William Brown and Charles Neale
May, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters marked thereon, that is to say:
Our Invention relates to improvements in sluice valves or cocks, and con-
sists in the form and arrangement of the parts which is such that the working
parts may be readily removed for repair or cleaning, without disconnecting the
valve case from the pipes. These improved valves at the same time occupy a
very limited space compared with the passage opened and closed thereby..
In the Drawings hereunto annexed, Fig. 1 represents a lateral vertical sec
tion of a sluice valve arranged according to our Invention taken through the
valve case A, showing also the valve B which moves on a centre at f. Figure
is a transverse section of Fig. 1 on line b, b. a is the pipe or channel to be
closed by the valve B. The position of the valve in the Drawing represents
the passage closed, while the position of the valve represented dotted, shows
the passage full open. The passage is covered and closed by traversing the
valve from left to right by means of the segment of teeth h and pinion C,
fixed on shaft i, which passes through a stuffing box and gland k, k¹. To
this shaft a lever or handle is fixed to give motion to the pinion C. The pinion C
and shaft i are held in position by a flange shewn dotted D, the whole of which
is free to be withdrawn from the case A, by removing the parts K and k¹.
Instead of the flange D, we sometimes carry the shaft i through the
pinion, and step it into a bearing s formed in the casing, which produces less
friction in working than flange D.
:
The passage a on the one side of case A is in line with that a¹ on the
other side, as will be best seen by the section Fig. 5, showing the interior of
the passages, this Figure being a modification of the valve to be herein-after
described.
This direct line of communication between a and a¹ permits a free flow of
the fluid through the valve. The casing A is formed with little more than
sufficient room to contain the valve which is enclosed at top by a plate t
carrying the stuffing box K. The opening covered by plate t is. of sufficient.
area to permit the withdrawal of valve B; it is fixed by flanges and bolts, and
otherwise jointed in a water-tight
In Figs. 1 and 2, the fulcrum.or

page_text: centre pin on which the valve moves, is cast to the case A, and the valve
simply rests with its half round socket or fork on f. c, c, are wedge-form
surfaces on the back of valve B; and on the valve case which compress the
valve closely against its face when closed.
:
When it is desired to remove the valve or pinion to clean it; or for examina-
tion or to repair, it is simply necessary to remove the bolts securing plate t
'which when removed leaves the pinion C and valve B free to be removed
from the case A, and which also is as readily reinstated. The valve B and its
facing are faced as usual in sluice valves.
Fig. 3 represents a modification of our improved sluice valve, which instead
of being actuated by means of a rack or segment of teeth and pinion as
'described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, has motion communicated to it
by means of a cycloid or snail piece m acting on a series of pins 1, fixed on
the periphery of the valve B. The cycloid or snail piece m, as represented in
under side plan at Fig. 4, is fixed to a collar or flange D, (before mentioned.
with reference to Figs. 1 and 2,) formed on the shaft i, the rotary motion of
which imparts by the action of snail piece m on pins 7, 1, the lateral motion
required for opening and closing the valve. The-valve in this case is mounted
on a joint pin f¹, instead of merely resting on its fulcrum-f, as before ex-
plained. If it is desired to take out the valve B, the pin f' must be removed
for this purpose, the opening at the top and stuffing box plate must be made
of sufficient area to permit its withdrawal; the part in this Figure is simply
sufficient to permit the removal of cycloid m, and allow of the valve being
got at.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent another modification of our improved value, Fig. 5:
being a transverse section, and Fig. 6 a side view of the valve case A, but in
which motion is communicated to the valve B by a lever fixed on the ful-
crum f; which in this instance is fixed to and moves with valve B. The
shaft, forming the fulcrum, passes through a stuffing box p, as seen in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 represents a valve to be actuated by means of a toothed pinion; it
will be seen that the teeth are on the opposite side of the fulcrum or joint
pin f. The case A is formed to contain the whole, and is fitted with a suit-
able shaft and pinion, all in manner similar to that before described with
reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
Our improved arrangement of sluice valve may be formed and arranged as
described, but may be actuated by other means than such as herein-before
mentioned and shown in the Drawings.
Having described the nature of our Invention and the manner of performing

page_text: the same, we declare that what we claim as of our Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the form and arrange-
ment of the parts of a sluice cock or valve as herein-before described and reprc-
sented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Neale May, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight.
CHAS. N. MAY. (L.S.)