IMPROVEMENTS IN BALL AND OTHER VALVES OR COOKS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Harry Frederick Hill at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th December 1883.
HARRY FREDERICK HILL, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham
Brass Founder, "IMPROVEMENTS IN BALL AND OTHER VALVES OR COOKS
"
This Invention relates to improvements in ball and other valves or cocks for
measuring regulating and supplying steam water or other fluid under pressure and
it has for its object the improvement of the construction and action of such valves
or cocks.
In ball valves constructed according to one modification of this Invention the
seat for the valve is formed of glass, earthenware or other vitreous substance and
the valve is made with a part formed of rubber, leather, asbestos or other similar
material. The valve is made somewhat like a plunger and is loose and works in
guides in the outlet part of the cock with its lower part bearing against the lever
on which it slides when opening or closing, and the valve is also formed with a
stud or projection which protrudes upwardly through between the valve seat and
comes into contact with a small ball valve in the upper part of the casing of the
cock, which ball valve would unless prevented by the projection or stud press
against the upper part of the valve opening. In some cases the stud or projection
may be on the upper valve instead of being on the plunger valve. By this
arrangement the valve is closed when the lever is either at its highest or its lowest
position and the automatic closing of the valve is insured when any accident occurs
to the float or when the valve proper is removed for repairs. In order to prevent
the ball or float when in a normal condition allowing the ball valve to close and
prevent the passage of water when the supply in the cistern falls low, a chain is
suitably attached to the valve casing and to the ball or float, so that in the event
of the ball or float becoming detached or leaking and consequently sinking in the
water, the small ball valve will close by the pressure of the water or other fluid.
Instead of the sustaining chain a regulating rod or support in the cistern under the
ball or float may be employed if desirable. A further improvement consists in
forming the lever carrying the ball or float with a hinged part so that the float
lever may be adjusted without the necessity of bending the lever as required to be
done with ball cocks as at present.constructed.

page_text: In another modification of the Invention as applied to ball cocks the valve
opening instead of being circular is ellipsoidal in plan, the valve being fixed or
forming part of the float lever. This improved formation of the valve seat greatly
facilitates the rapid and effective closing of the valve, the ellipsoidal opening or
slit-like aperture being formed with its greatest length at right angles to the length
of the float lever.
The improved method of forming the valve seat of glass, earthenware or other
vitreous substance in combination with a valve having rubber, leather, asbestos, or
similar material on it is applicable to other than ball valves and by forming the
seat of such vitreous substance the corrosion of the seating is prevented and a
perfectly tight closing action is better maintained In some cases it may be
desirable to form the valve with a vitreous closing part and the seat of rubber or
other similar substance and in some cases it may be found advantageous to form
the valve seat ellipsoidal in plan.