IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Simpson and Alfred Gardner, both of
Ilford, in the County of Essex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER
MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 17th June 1870, and dated the 14th April 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Simpson
and Alfred Gardner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 14th April 1870.
We, WILLIAM SIMPSON and ALFRED GARDNER, both of Ilford, in the
County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR
OTHER MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows:-
This Invention is divided into two parts, the first part relates to an
improved method of constructing the slide valves of engines worked by
steam or other motive power so as to equalize the pressure thereon or
constitute it an equilibrium valve.
The second part relates to certain improvements upon a former Patent
granted to us, the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner, and bearing

page_text: date the 1st day of March 1869, for "Improvements in the Construction
of Engines Worked by Steam or other Motive Power," and consists of
an improved method of constructing some of the parts therein described
and referred to as presently described. As regards the improvement
above referred to in slide valves, it consists in constructing the same in
the following manner, that is to say:-We form the slide valve circular,
or as a hollow double-headed piston, fitting into a truly bored passage
cast on the side of the cylinder of an engine, the ports or passages in the
cylinder and valve box being so arranged and constructed as to encircle
the aforesaid hollow circular slide valve, so that when the said valve is
surrounded by steam or other motive power, the pressure shall be the
same all over the exposed surface of the valve. The centre part of the
aforesaid hollow piston or valve forms the eduction passage for the steam
or other motive power at each stroke of the engine. We propose to
form the cylinder and valve box of one entire mass of metal so that the
part that is to receive the valve simply wants boring out at those parts
where the piston heads of the valve have to work. The action of the
valve for covering and uncovering the ports or passages leading from the
valve box into the cylinder of the engine at the proper times may be
effected in the ordinary way.
We now proceed to describe the second part of these improvements,
ns follows: —Instead of embracing the excentric plate, marked C in the
Specification of the aforesaid former Patent of the 1st day of March 1869,
directly by the cross heads, marked A, B, in the said Specification, and
preserving the direct action of the piston rod and piston by the meaus !
therein described, we propose by this present Invention to effect the
above objects in the following manner :-We fit semicircular shoes
around the periphery of the aforesaid excentric plate, and those parts of
the said shoes that are to be in contact with the aforesaid cross heads we
form flat, so that when properly adjusted between the cross heads, as
the excentric plate revolves, the flat parts of the aforesaid shoes will slide
on the flat surfaces of the cross heads; we also adapt blocks on the
engine shaft, in which are grooves for the tie rods to slide in, instead of
the tie rods pressing against the collars on the excentric plate, as described
in the Specification of the aforesaid former Patent of 1st of March 1869.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner in the
Great Scal Patent Office on the 14th October 1870.
filed by the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner in the
Great Scal Patent Office on the 14th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, WILLIAM
SIMPSON and Alfred Gardner, both of Ilford, in the County of Essex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner, Her
special license that we, the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION
OF ENGINES WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner,
our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Simpson and Alfred
Gardner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
-
This Invention is divided into two parts, the first part relates to an
improved method of contructing the slide valves of engines worked by
steam or other motive power, so as to cqualize the pressure thereon or
constitute it an equlibrium valve.

page_text: The second part relates to certain improvements upon a former Patent
granted to us, the said William Simpson and Alfred Gardner, and
bearing date the 1st day of March 1869, for "Improvements in the
Construction of Engines Worked by Steam or other Motive Power," and
consists of an improved method of constructing some of the parts therein
described and referred to as presently described.
As regards the improvements above referred to in slide valvas, it
consists in constructing the same in the following manner, that is to
sayWe form the slide valve circular, or as a hollow double headed
piston, fitting into a truly bored passage cast on the side of the cylinder
of an engine, the ports or passages in the cylinder and valve box being
so arranged and constructed as to encircle the aforesaid hollow circular
slide valve, so that when the said valve is surrounded by steam or other
motive power, the pressure shall be the same all over the exposed surface
of the valve. The centre part of the aforesaid hollow piston or valve |
forms the eduction passage for the steam or other motive power at cach
stroke of the engine. We propose to form the cylinder and valve box of
one entire mass of metal so that the part that is to receive the valve
simply wants boring out at those parts where the piston heads of the
valve have to work. The action of the valve for covering and uncovering
the ports or passages leading from the valve box into the cylinder of the
engine at the proper times may be effected in the ordinary way.
We now proceed to describe the second part of these improvements
as follows:-Instead of embracing the excentric plate, marked C in the
Specification of the aforesaid former Patent of the 1st day of March 2
1869, directly by the cross heads marked A, B, in the said Specification,
and preserving the direct action of the piston rod and piston by the
means therein described, we propose by this present Invention to effect
the above objects in the following manner :-We fit semicircular shoes
around the periphery of the aforesaid excentric plate, and those parts of 3
the said shoes that are to be in contact with the aforesaid cross leads
we form flat, so that when properly adjusted between the cross heads,
as the excentric plate revolves, the flat parts of the aforesaid shoes
will slide on the flat surface of the cross heads. We also adapt blocks
on the engine shaft in which are grooves for the tie rods to slide 3
in, instead of the tie rods pressing against the collars on the excentric
plate as described in the Specification of the aforesaid former Patent
of 1st of March 1869.

page_text: And in order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible,
we now proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for
carrying the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illus-
trative Sheet of Drawings accompanying these Presents, and to the
numeral Figures and letters of reference marked thereon respectively,
as follows:-
Figure represents a sectional elevation of the valve, valve box, and
cylinder of an engine constructed according to our said Invention; Figure 2
shews the said valve box and induction pipe for the steam in transverse
and vertical section, and the perforated rings by which the steam enters
into the cylinder at the ports near the top and bottom of the cylinder;
Figuro 3 is a horizontal section through the line A, B, at Figures 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a section through the line C, D, at Figure 1; Figures 5, 6, 7,
represent three views of our improved mechanical arrangements for
converting reciprocating motion of the piston rod of an engine into rotary
motion of the main driving shaft, as above referred to under the second
part of our said Invention; Figure 5 is a front elevation; Figure 6 an
edge view of Figure 5, and Figure 7 a cross section through the line E, F,
at Figure 5. At each of the above-mentioned Figures we employ similar
letters of reference to denote corresponding parts wherever such parts
can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
As regards Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, A marks the valve box, and B the
cylinder, cast in one entire piece of metal; a, a, are the ports or passages
of the cylinder, communicating with the valve box and slide valve by
perforated rings of metal C, C, fitted steam-tight into recesses formed
in the valve box as shewn D, the slide valve formed as a pipe with a
flange or head b, b, at each end thereof. The parts b, b, and C, C, should
be turned and bored true and packed so as to move steam-light one
within the other; E is a rod connected to the slide valve at c, for imparting
up and down motion to the said valve for the admission and emission of
steam into and out of the cylinder at the proper times, motion being
imparted to the slide valve by the ordinary means; F, steam pipe,
communicating with a steam boiler.
Assuming the slide valve and piston to be in the position represented
at Figure 1, and steam to be admitted into the valve box A, it will
appear evident that there will be an uniform pressure of steam upon every

page_text: part of the slide valve, and the ports or passages a, a, being covered the
steam cannot pass out of the valve box into the cylinder until the slide
valve is moved up or down. Now suppose the slide valve to be moved
downwards, the steam would enter at the bottom of the cylinder and
force the piston thereof up, by which time the slide valve would have
been moved upwards, and uncover the top port and allow the steam to
enter the cylinder to force the piston down, and the steam that was below
the piston will pass off by the eduction pipe G, and by the time the
piston had arrived at the bottom of the cylinder the position of the slide
valve would be reversed, and the steam that was above the piston would i
pass off down the centre of the slide valve through the eduction pipe,
and steam be again admitted below the piston and so on in succession
at each stroke of the engine. By these improved means we obtain a
simple, durable, and eflicient equilibrium slide valve.
We now proceed to describe the improvement referred to under the
second part of our said Invention, and represented at Figures 5, 6, 7, of
the Drawing, as follows:-Referring to the Specification and Drawing
of our former Patent, dated the 1st of March 1869, Numbered 623, we
would here remark that the present improvement consists in adapting
shoe pieces II to the excentric plate C, and guide brasses I to the said :
excentric plate and guide rods D, as shewn, so that as the said excentric
plate revolves the flat surfaces at h, h, of the shoe pieces II slide against
the flat surfaces of the plates A, B, between which they should be
accurately fitted and adjusted by the nuts i, so as to move freely between
them when lubricated, thereby lessening the wear of the said plates; and
further, the guide brasses I in combination with the said shoe pieces
arranged as above described and represented, ensure more steady and
direct movement of the piston rod connected therewith than the method
described in the Specification of the aforesaid former Patent.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our ;
said Invention for " Improvements in the Construction of Engines
Worked by Steam or other Motive Power," together with the best
means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into practical
effect, we would remark in conclusion, that we hereby declare our Inven-
tion to consist in, aue we claim as follows:-
First. We claim the mode above described and represented by the
Drawing of constructing the slide valves of engines as constituting an
improved equilibrium valve.

page_text: Secondly. We claim the shoe pieces H, and brasses I, shewn at
Figures 5, 6, 7, of the accompanying Drawing in combination with the
other parts there shown and more particularly described and referred to
in the Specification and Drawings of the aforesaid former Patent of
the 1st of March 1869.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Simpson, one of the
parties hereto, have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twelfth
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy.