Improved Drain Cock for Steam Engine Cylinders.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 2'st Aug., 1889-Accepted, 21st Sent., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Drain Cock for Steam Engine Cylinders.
We ROBERT WILLIAM FIELDWICK of Cromer House and GEORGE FRANCIS HARVEY,
of Fairlawn, Oxford Road, both of Putney, S.W. in the County of Surrey, engineering
students, do bereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to drain cocks for draining off or discharging the condensed
water from steam engine cylinders and consists in an improved construction or
arrangement of said drain cocks by means of which a single drain cock can be utilised
for draining both ends of a steam engine cylinder.
Our improved draincock consists of a taper plug cock the shell or body of which is
made with two lateral branches opposite each other like the body for an ordinary
straight way cock; the branches being screwed or provided with flanges in the
ordinary manner for connecting the same to the drain pipes attached to the cylinder
ends, each branch being placed into communication with one cylinder end. The
larger end of the taper body is closed by a flange bolted or otherwise attached to the
same and having a central opening to which a pipe leading to the drains is attached
in any ordinarily used manner. We make the taper plug hollow, open at the wider
end and with two inlet openings in its conical sides corresponding with the lateral
openings in the body. In the interior of the plug we cast a midfeather or partition
plate dividing the interior into two halves and separating the inlet openings. Upon
the smaller end of the plug projecting beyond the casing we fix a handle or a lever
connected by rods to a handle in any ordinarily used manner by means of which the
cock can be opened or closed. The plug may be tightened by means of a nut screwed
upon the projecting end outside the handle or lever in the usual way or in any other
suitable ordinary manner.
When the cock is open the water blown out from either end of the cylinder when
steam is admitted to the same, is propelled into the hollow plug and diverted by the
midfeather or partition towards the large end of the cock and into the drain pipe.
Steam and water are thus prevented by the midfeather from entering the opposite end
of the cylinder from which the steam is exhausted, and the current of water and steam
produces a partial vacuum in the half of the plug and pipes connected to that end
in consequence of which water contained in that end of the cylinder is also
drained off.
Deted this 22nd day of November 1888
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Draincock for Steam Engine Cylinders.
We ROBERT WILLIAM FIELDWICK of Cromer House and GEORGE FRANCIS HARVEY
of Fairlawn, Oxford Road, both of Putney, S. W. in the County of Surrey, engineering
students, 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 :-
Our invention relates to draincocks for draining off or discharging the condensed
water from steam engine cylinders applicable also for draining valve chests and
consists in an improved construction or arrangement of said draincocks by means of
which a single draincock can be utilised for draining both ends of a steam engine
cylinder, or by means of a modification of the 'arrangement both said ends and the
steam chest.

page_text: On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto,
Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of our improved draincock.
Fig. 2 a sectional plan of the same.
Fig. 3 a sectional plan of a modification of the cock.
Our improved draincock consists of a taper plug cock a the shell or body b of
which is made with two lateral branches c c¹ opposite each other like the body of an
ordinary straightway cock, the branches being screwed or provided with flanges e e¹
as shewn, in the ordinary manner for connecting the same to the drain pipes d d¹
attached to the cylinder ends, each branch being placed into communication with
one cylinder end. The larger end of the taper body is closed by a flange bolted
or otherwise attached to the same. The flange has a short pipe g cast on it to
which a pipe h leading to the drain is screwed as shewn or otherwise connected in
any ordinary manner. The taper plug a is made hollow and open at the wider
end, and with two inlet openings in its conical sides corresponding with the
branches e and c¹ of the body b. In the interior of the plug we cast a midfeather
or partition plate m dividing the interior into two halves and separating the inlet
openings. Upon the smaller end of the plug a projecting beyond the casing & we
fix a handlen or a lever connected by rods to a handle in any ordinarily used
manner by means of which the cock can be opened or closed. The plug may be
tightened by means of a nut o screwed upon the projecting end outside the handle
or lever in the usual way or in any other suitable ordinary manner.
When the cock is open, the water blown out from either end of the cylinder when
steam is admitted to the same is propelled into the hollow plug a and diverted by
the midfeather or partition m towards the large end of the cock and into the drain
pipe . Steam and water are thus prevented from entering the opposite end of the
cylinder from which the steam is exhausted and the current of water and steam
produces a partial vacuum in the half of the plug and pipe connected to that end, in
consequence of which the water contained therein is also drained off.
Fig. 3 shows a sectional plan of a modification of the cock hereinbefore described.
The shell or body p of the cock is made with three branches p¹, p², p³, to each of
which a pipe is connected, the branches p¹ and p² communicating with the ends of
the cylinder and the branch p³ with the steam chest of the cylinder. The taper plug r,
which is otherwise arranged like the plug a hereinbefore described with reference to
figs. 1 and 2, is formed with three inlet openings and with a three winged partition s
as shewn on fig. 3, the three chambers formed thereby being open to the wide end of
the plug and body p, which has a drain pipe attached to it in the manner herein-
before described. By this arrangement of draincock the steam chest can be drained
as well as both ends of the cylinder by means of a single cock.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
Firstly, in a draincock for steam engines the arrangement of a conical shell with
two or more inlet branches and a hollow plugs with a corresponding number of inlets
divided from each other by midfeathers or partitions and communicating through the
large end of the plug and shell with the drain pipe, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly, the construction or arrangement of cock for draining both ends of a steam
engine cylinder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figs. 1 and 2
of the drawings.
Thirdly, the construction or arrangement of cock for draining both ends of a steam
engine cylinder and the steam chest substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to fig. 3 of the drawings.
Dated this 12th da.. ..
1000