Improvements in Pumps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May. 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 24th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pumps.
FREDERICK EDWARDS 62 Bishopsgate Street, Within, London E.C.
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in pumps, valves, guards, studs & valve-
seats.
The ordinary valves and their guards are kept in place by studs screwed into
the valve seats, each guard being held down by being screwed on to the stud, and
further secured with a lock nut & split pin, the result being that the guard & valve
may work loose without being seen, and the valve cannot be renewed without
removing and replacing the split pin, nut and guard, all of which, owing to their
inaccessible position, occupy considerable time.
In steam engine air pumps, in order to render the head valves accessible, I fit
a door in the upper part of the pump through which access is obtained to the head
valves, enabling them to be examined even when the pump is at work.
In order to add security to the valves, their guards and studs, and enable the
valves to be renewed more quickly, I fit each valve with a long substantial stud
which passes through the outer part of the pump, the outer end of the stud being
always accessible even when the pump is at work; the advantages of this
arrangement are as follows:-
The size and strength of the stud are not dependent upon the size of the hole
through the valve, this can in my arrangement be the smallest part of the stud
instead of as at present the largest part. In consequence of the guard not having
to be taken off the stud to renew the valve, the guard can be so secured to the stud
that it is absolutely impossible for it to work adrift, in fact, if desired, the two can
be made in one piece.
The firmness of the stud can be tested, & if necessary increased & the valve-seat
screwed down more tightly, when the pump is actually at work.
In case the pump is required to throw a larger quantity of water, the lift of the
valves can be increased without stopping the pump.
When it is required to renew a valve, the guard & stud can be manipulated from
outside, i.e., the stud released and unscrewed with a spanner from outside until the
valve can be taken out & replaced, after which the sund can again be screwed up
& locked-also from outside.
The whole of the valves can be taken out, examined, replaced or renewed in an
extremely short time.
In steam engine air pumps, the studs which hold the guards, & upon which the
head-valves work, assist in holding the head-valve-seat and barrel in place, & this
bolting down of the head-valve-seat becomes unnecessary, and with this arrange-
ment the fact of lifting the air pump cover releases the whole of the head-valves,
leaving them at once ready for examination.
In some cases I so construct the valves studs seats & guards that if one or more
of the valves become defective, their guards can be screwed down on to the seat
and thus enable the pump to go on working with the remaining valves.
Dated this 6th day of May 1896.
FRED. EDWARDS.

page_text: Improvements in Pumps.
I, FREDERICK EDWARDS, of 62 Bishopsgate Street, Within, London E.C.,
Consulting Engineer, 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 of improvements in pumps relates more particularly to improve-
ments in the construction and arrangement of valve-studs, valve-guards, and
valve-seats for the lift valves used in pumps. The ordinary lift valves at present
in use usually have their guards kept in place by studs screwed into the valve
seats, each guard being held down by being screwed on to the stud and further
secured by a lock nut and split pin, or by two nuts and a split pin, the result being
that the guard and valve may work loose without this being seen, and the valve
cannot be renewed without removing and replacing the split pin, nut or nuts, and
guard, all of which, owing to their inaccessible position, occupy considerable time
to remove, and, by repeated removals, wear and become slack at the parts which
require to be tight.
In the old fashioned type of pump containing foot, bucket, and head valves, it is
the foot or bucket valves which give the most trouble, consequently with such a
pump it is practically of no use to make special provision for the security of the
head-valves and their renewal, while the other valves, which give more trouble and
necessitate the pump being specially overhauled from time to time on their
account, remain in existence. In the Specification of my Patent No. 5175 of 1894
I have shown how to construct a steam engine air pump without foot and bucket-
valves so that the only valves requiring attention are the head valves remaining at
the top of the pump.
Now according to this invention in order that such valves may be readily
examined, cleaned or renewed, even when the pump is at work, and also to add to
the security of the valves and their guards and studs, I construct and arrange
these parts and the pump casing as I shall now explain by the aid of the accom-
panying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a steam engine air pump
embodying my invention.
1 are the valves controlling openings 2 in a valve or seat plate 3 at the top of
the pump barrel 4, the said valves opening into a valve chamber 5 that is provided
at one side with a discharge branch 6 and at the opposite side with an opening 7
normally closed by a door 8, the arrangement being such that upon removing the
said door access can be readily gained to the valves for the purpose of ex.imining
cleaning or renewing them, as may be desired, even when the pump is at work.
Each valve is fitted to slide vertically on the end 9 of a long substantial stud 9
which is screwed through the top or cover 10 or outer part of the pump and has
its outer end 9b always accessible from the outside even when the pump is at
work and the door 8 is not off. The inner end 9 of the stud is held in a hole or
recess 3ª in the valve seat 3. 11 is a guard on the stud 9 to limit the opening
movement of the valve.
The advantages of this arrangement are as follows:-The size and strength of
the stud 9 are not dependent upon the size of the hole through the valve 1 and the
size of that part 9 of the stud on which the valve works can be retained the same
size in the valve and instead of being the strongest part of the stud, as it is in the
old type of stud, becomes the weakest part in consequence of all other parts being
made stronger, in fact these other parts can be made of any desired strength with-
out reducing the width of the valve-seating or the area of the holes 2 through the
valve-seat 3. Also that part of the stud which enters the valve-seat can be made

page_text: of the same diameter as the part on which the valve works, or less, as may be
desired.
In consequence of the guard 11 not having to be taken off the stud 9 each time
a valve has to be examined, cleaned turned or renewed, the guard can be so secured
to the stud that it will be quite impossible for it to work loose. Thus the stud and
guard may be made in one piece as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1; or it
can be screwed tightly on the stud as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1 and be
locked in position by a deep, tightly fitting nut 12 with set screw 13, so that it is
impossible for it to work adrift and yet lead to no inconvenience when a valve has
to be renewed. A set screw 13 may also be passed through the guard 11 if
desired. Or the guard may be recessed at its underside and be screwed tight up
against a collar 9 on the stud as shown in Fig. 2, a tightly fitting lock nut 12
serving as before to prevent the guard working loose. With the arrangement of
guard shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1 the valve, valve-stud, guard and lock
nut can, if required, all be renewed whilst the pump is going full speed, without
Joss of vacuum and without loss of water. The firmness of each stud can be
readily tested, and if necessary the stud can be screwed down more tightly whilst the
pump is at work and the door 8 is in place. Again, if it be required that the pump
shall be capable of throwing a larger quantity of water, the lift of the valves can
be increased while the pump is at work by screwing up the studs to the required
extent.
To renew a valve when the pump is going full speed, without loss of vacuum and
without loss of water, the door 8 is removed, the jam nut 14 on the outside of the
corresponding stud 9 is released, and the stud screwed quickly up with a ratchet
spanner from the outside until the inner end 9 of the stud is sufficiently above the
top of the seat 3 to enable a valve to pass, the old valve still being in place and
still working, but with an increased lift. Then a new valve is inserted under the
old one, after which the stud is raised high enough to allow the old or upper valve
to be withdrawn which is then done, after which the stud is again screwed down in
place and locked by the jam nut 14 on the top.
By the arrangement described each stud can be entirely manipulated by a mau
froin the outside without being in the way of the man who is changing the valve,
the result being that the whole of the valves can be changed in a very short
time without stopping the pump, without loss of vacuum, and without loss of
water.
Another feature of the arrangement described is that when it is desired for any
reason to dispense with studs for holding down the valve-seat 3 and pump barrel 4
the studs 9 can be made to serve this purpose by simply screwing them tight up
against the valve seat 3. A further feature of the arrangement is that if through
any cause it is necessary to lift the air pump cover 10, the mere lifting of the cover
will release the whole of the valves and leave them lying on their seats ready for
examination. It will also leave the valve seat free to be lifted and examined if
separate fastenings such as studs and nuts be dispensed with.
In some cases I so construct the valve-studs, seats and guards that the lower ends
of the studs do not bear on the seats, so that if any one of the valves become
faulty and a new one be not ready for insertion, the corresponding guard can be
screwed hard down on to the defective valve, so as to jam it on its seat, and put it
out of use, the pump then working with the remaining valves.
Fig. 3 shows an arrangement of this kind in which the inner end 9ª of the stud
and the depth of the hole 3* in the valve seat are such that there is sufficient
clearance to permit of the endways movement of the stud to fix the valve on its
seat when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:--
1. A pump wherein the valve chamber is provided with a removable door and

page_text: the movement of the valves is limited by guards carried by studs that extend
through and are carried by the outer part of the pump and are capable of being
adjusted in position from the outside of the pump, substantially as herein described
for the purposes specified.
2. In a pump, a valve guard carried by a stud the inner end of which extends
through the corresponding valve and normally enters or bears against the valve
seat and the outer end of which extends through and is carried by the outer part
of the pump case and is capable of being operated to move the stud end ways so as
to vary the lift of the valve, or allow of the ready renewal of the valve, or to put
the valve out of use substantially as described.
3. A pump provided with a removable door 8 and with valves, valve seats, valve
guards and valve studs constructed, arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference to and shown in Fig. 1; or modified as shown in
Fig. 2; or as shown in Fig. 3 of the.drawings annexed.
4. In a pump making the valve guards adjustable from the exterior of the pump
casing substantially as described.