Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 29th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Aug., 1887.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of. Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of this apparatus is to stop automatically and instantaneously the flow
of a fluid such as steam from a boiler for example directly the rate at which the fluid
flows through the pipe or conduit to which the automatic stop valve is applied, exceeds
certain predetermined limits from any cause such as bursting of the steam pipe or
other receptacle to which the said fluid is supplied. With the arrangements heretofore
employed it is necessary in case of the bursting of a steam pipe to close the stop valve
at the end of the pipe near the boiler by hand. This is often rendered impossible
owing to the violent escape of steam and the boiler empties itself discharging a great
quantity of boiling water blown out along with the steam. When a number of
boilers are connected together the bursting of a single boiler or connection is
consequently attended with most disastrous results.
According to this Invention a valve composed of a ball or sphere is placed in a
chamber forming part of the pipe or conduit. The proportion between the capacity
of the chamber and the dimensions of the hall or sphere is so adjusted that so long
as the steam or other fluid is flowing at a rate not exceeding a certain predetermined
limit the ball or sphere remains in the bottom of the chamber in such a position as to
present no material obstruction to the flow but directly this limit is exceeded the rush
of steam or other fluid drives the ball against the outlet orifice of the chamber and the
ball being of greater diameter than this orifice the flow of fluid is stopped the pressure
maintaining the ball in the position for closing the outlet.

page_text: The chamber containing the valve may be connected with the pipes or conduits by
flanges, or other suitable couplings and the ball may be introduced into the chamber
through an opening in the upper part thereof the said opening being closed by a
suitable cap plate or plug or the ball may be introduced at one end of the chamber and
retained in position by means of a collar or other suitable device. It is obvious that
this valve may be employed for regulating or controlling the flow of gases or liquids
through pipes or conduits in all cases where it is required to keep the rate of flow
within certain limits and with this object the weight and dimensions of the ball or
sphere and the sectional area of the passage through the valve chamber must be
adjusted according to the result required.
Dated this 1st day of October 1886.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Valve for Steam or other Pipes or Conduits Conveying
Fluids under Pressure.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Léon Labeyrie of 25 Rue d'Allemagne Paris in the
Republic of France,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an apparatus the object of which is to instantaneously and
automatically stop the flow of steam or other fluils or liquids under pressure in the
case of the breakage of, or of an important leakage in the pipes or conduits conveying
them or the parts into which the said steam fluids or liquids are being conveyed such
as the steam chest or cylinder of a steam engine, the cylinder of hydraulic engine,
lift, or accumulator, etc.
In the case of such an accident happening to a steam engine, for example, the
usual remedy consists of closing by hand the valve or stop cock which is mounted at
the beginning of the steam pipe, on the boiler itself. But it may be impossible to so
close the steam valve in the midst of jets of scalding steam; the boiler then empties
itself, projecting all round streams of boiling water carried by the escaping steam.

page_text: In the case of a battery of steam boilers the steam pipes of which are in communication
with each other the accident caused by the explosion of one of the boilers or the
breaking of one of the steam pipes may amount to a disaster.
My automatic valve or spherical obturator consists of a solid or hollow ball made
of bronze or of any other metal or material not readily oxidizable and placed in the
interior of a spherical chamber the center of which coincides with the horizontal center
line of the pipe.
Its diameter is greater than that of the pipe so that when applied against the vertical
seat which is formed by the intersection of the interior of the spherical chamber and
the internal cylinder of the pipe, the ball is maintained in that position by the pressure
of the steam and completely close the steam pipe.
When at rest, the obdurator is seated on a horizontal seat provided at the bottom
of the spherical chamber and, in this position, leaves between its top surface and the
inside of the top part of the chamber a section crescent shaped at least equal in
sectional area to that of the steam pipe itself and through which the steam freely
circulates between the boiler and the engine.
The obturator chamber or chest is fixed immediately after the steam cock or valve
and can be cast into the same piece with the same.
The working of the obturator is based upon the following theory:
1°. The section of a steam pipe is always greater than that which would be sufficient
for the passage of the maximum quantity of steam required at any time for the
working of the engine.
20. The current of steam flowing in the pipe is intermittent owing to the alternating
motion of the piston; it is composed of a series of more or less rapid pulsations.
30. The streams of fluid travel, owing to their slight density, at the top of the
cylinder which is constituted by the horizontal part of the obturator chamber; they
can, therefore, bend and pass over the ball without displacing it or carrying it with
them.
4°. Should the flow of steam become regular, which is invariably the rule in case
of breakage or of considerable leakage, the inertia of the ball is overcome by the
strength of the stream; the ball is lifted from its horizontal seat and, rolling inside
the chamber in which it describes a trajectory at an angle of 45 degrees, it ascends
progressively reducing the section of passage until it becomes applied on the vertical
seat and hermetically closes the vertical aperture, thus preventing any further escape
of steam.
The operation of closing the steam valve may then be performed in absolute
security when, the obturator's chest being isolated from the boiler, the ball falls back
on to its horizontal seat by its own gravity.
This automatic obturator is entirely independent of any mechanism, springs, or
counter weights.
Being shut up in a closed chest, it cannot be tampered with and its action can
always be relied upon. It is, therefore, a perfect safety apparatus. The obturator
can also be used for the regulation of a maximum flow in a given size of steam, water
or gas pipe or, more exactly, for stopping the flow altogether should the flow at any
time or in any permanent fashion exceed the quantity of fluid or liquid yielded by the
pipe when opened in full. This result is arrived at by judiciously regulating both the
weight of the ball and its excentricity in respect of the centre line of the piping.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the chamber or chest A. The arrow indicates
the direction of the flow of the fluid. The ball B rests on its horizontal seat and the
dotted circle shows the position of the said ball when applied by the effect of the
pressure against the vertical seat and consequently obstructing the flow of fluid.
Cis the cover through which the ball B is introduced into its chamber; it can be
bolted to or screwed into the chest.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section through line MN. The crescent through which occurs
the flow of the fluid, that is the space comprised between the ball B and the wall of
the chamber A is of a section equal to one and a half times that of the pipe.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a vertical section through line Ur.
Fig. 4 is an elevation.
Fig. 5 is an horizontal section through line R S.
Fig. 6 is a Plan, the cover C being taken off.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section of an apparatus in which the excentricity of the ball B
may be varied for any given speed of flow by means of a regulating screw S to which
is attached the crescent T. S and T are hollow so that the position and freedom of
ball B can be ascertained by a mere probing operation, without undoing the packing
of cover C.
P is a purge cock.
Instead of introducing the ball B through the opening of cover C, the chamber A
may be perfectly closed and the ball B be introduced at one end of the chamber, made
larger than the other for the said purpose. A tube is then inserted and secured into
the said end so as to bring it to the same diameter as the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1º. My instantaneous and automatic valve which being placed at the forward end
or ends of one pipe or of a system of pipes automatically stops the flow of fluids in
case of rupture or leakage of the pipe or pipes conveying the same, the said result
being obtained by means of a ball which, when everything is in proper working
order, rests on its horizontal seat, allowing the fluid to freely circulate; and, on the
speed of the flow unduly increasing through any accident bursting or leakage is lifted
from its position of rest by the force of the current or stream of the escaping fluid
and applied against a vertical seat or aperture thereby closing the pipe and preventing
any further escape of fluid substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2°. The application of my said automatic valve to the regulation of a maximum
flow of fluids in a pipe or a system of pipes or conduits conveying them or in any
apparatus utilizing them substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
London, 29th June 1887.