Improvements in Reciprocating Valves for Compound Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reciprocating Valves for Compound Engines.
We JOHN BONNER, Master Mechanic, CHARLES W. MOTT, Commission
Broker, and HERMAN HERMANSEN, Restauranter, all of 928 F Street N.W.
Washington D.C. U.S.A. 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 relates to improvements in reciprocating valves for compound
engines, and the manner in which they are connected with the high and low pressure
or primary and secondary cylinders of compound steam engines; and it has for one
of its objects to provide a connection which will admit of a valve, having a con-
paratively small number of pistons, being employed and will enable the said valve
to thoroughly control communication between the two cylinders of a compound
engine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a reciprocating valve for the
purpose mentioned, embodying an exceedingly cheap and simple construction, and
one in which the pistons or enlarged portions may be readily adjusted on the valve
body or may be readily removed and replaced by others when necessary.
With the foregoing ends in view, the invention will be fully understood from the
following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed
drawings, in which :
Fig. 1, is a sectional view illustrating my improved valve and connection in
conjunction with a compound engine, and :
Fig. 2, is a view showing the valve casing in section and the valve in elevation.
Referring by letter to said drawings: A, B, indicate the high and low pressure
cylinders, respectively, of a compound engine; C, indicates the piston rod which is
provided in the cylinders A, B, with pistons D, and E; F, indicates the casing of
my improved valve. This casing F, is provided with ports a, b, which communicate
with passages G, H, leading to opposite ends of the high pressure cylinder A, and
is also provided with ports c, d, which communicate with passages c¹, d', leading to
opposite ends of the low pressure cylinder B, which passages c', d', are arranged in
the ordinary manner. The casing ports a, and b, are each connected to the end of
the cylinder that farthest from them by the crossed connecting passages G, H,
and in consequence of this a valve having but four pistons or enlargements may be
employed to control communication between the high and low pressure cylinders A, B,
as presently described.
The valve casing F, is further provided with live steam and exhaust porta e, f,
and with annular grooves which communicate with the ports a, b, c, d, e, and f, and
in it are arranged the bushing sections J, J¹, of which two are employed; the
section J, being arranged to cover the ports a, b, e, and the section J', to cover the
perts c, d, f, as better illustrated in Fig. 1. The bushing or lining section J, is
provided with four circular series of apertures u, h, i, which communicate with the
casing ports a, e, and b, respectively, as better shown in Fig. 2, and the bushing or
lining section J1, is provided with four circular series of apertures j, k, and I, which
communicate with the casing ports e, f, and d, respectively. Said bushing or lining
sections J, J', may be secured against movement in any suitable manner and the
ends of the casing F, may be closed by heads m, or other suitable means.
L, indicates the reciprocatory valve which is arranged and adapted to slide in
the bushing sections J, J', and may have its stem n, connected with valve gearing

page_text: (not illustrated) in the ordinary manner. This valve L, comprises a tubular body
portion M, which has one end closed and connected to the stem n, and has its
opposite end open and is provided throughout its length with exterior threads p,
and at its middle with apertures 9, and adjacent to its closed end with apertures r,
the four pistons or enlarged portions N, P, Q, and R, which are interiorly threaded
to engage the exterior threads of the body M, and may have packing rings as s,
and the nuts S, which are arranged on the body M, on opposite sides of the pistons
and are designed and adapted to hold the said pistons against movement on the body.
This construction of valve is highly advantageous inasmuch as when the valve is
removed from its casing, the several pistons may be adjusted and adjustably fixed
in position and. may when desired be readily removed with the aid of a wrench and
be replaced by new pistons or enlarged portions. As the pistons or enlarged
portions of the valve are the only parts of the same subjected to frictional wear,
it will be readily observed that the usefulness of the valve may be indefinitely
prolonged by renewing the said pistons when they are worn.
The peculiar connection between the valve casing and the high pressure cylinder
before described admits of the employment of but four valve pistons which is an
important advantage as a valve having but four pistons may be more cheaply
manufactured and may be more easily kept in repair than one which has a greater
number of pistons. The employment of a valve having but four pistons is also
advantageous inasmuch as it is adapted to conduct the steam in a more direct
course than one which has a greater number of pistons. For instance with the
valve in the position shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that steam entering through
the casing port e, is enabled to pass through the bushing ports h, and i, casing port b,
and passage G, to the high pressure cylinder A, and move the piston D, in the
direction indicated by arrow, while the steam back of said piston is enabled to pass
through the passage H, casing port a, bushing ports g, valve body M, apertures 9,
bushing portsj, casing port c, and passage cl, to the. low pressure cylinder B, and
move the piston E, therein in the direction indicated by arrow. The steam back
of said piston E, is enabled to pass through the passage d', casing port d, and
bushing ports, and k, to the exhaust port f. When the position of the valve is
changed by the valve gear (not illustrated) direct communication will be established
between the steam inlet port e, and the right hand end of the high pressure
cylinder and between the left hand end of said high pressure cylinder and the right
hand end of the low pressure cylinder, and between the left hand end of the low
pressure cylinder and the exhaust, and in consequence the pistons D, E, will be
moved in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
1. The combination of the high and low pressure cylinders of a compound
engine, pistons arranged in said cylinders and connected together, a valve casing
having the ports a, d, adjacent to its opposite ends, the ports b, c, at points between
the ports a, d, and its middle, the induction port e, arranged in a plane between the
planes of the ports a, b, and the exhaust port f, arranged in a plane between
the planes of the ports c, d, the passages connecting the ports c, d, and the opposite
ends of the low pressure cylinder, the passage H, connecting the port a, and the
end of the high pressure cylinder farthest from said port, the passage G, connecting
the port b, and the opposite end of the high pressure cylinder and crossing the
passage H, and the valve arranged in the casing and comprising the hollow tubular
body provided with openings at its ends and at an intermediate point of its length,
pistons R, N, mounted on said body adjacent to the ends thereof, and the
pistons P, Q, mounted on the tubular body at points between the pistons N, R, and
the intermediate openings in said tubular body, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. The combination of the high and low pressure cylinders of a compound

page_text: engine, pistons arranged in said cylinders and connected together, a valve casing
having the ports a, d, adjacent to its opposite ends, the ports b, c, at points between
the ports a, d, and its middle, the induction port e, arranged in a plane between the
planes of the ports a, b, and the exhaust port f, arranged in a plane between
the planes of the ports c, d, the passages connecting the ports c, d, and the opposite
ends of the low pressure cylinder, the passage H, connecting the port a, and the
end of the high pressure cylinder farthest from said port, the passage G, connecting
the port b, and the opposite end of the high pressure cylinder and crossing the
passage H, and the valve arranged in the casing and comprising the hollow tubular
body provided with openings at its ends and at an intermediate point of its length
and exteriorly threaded, the pistons N, P, Q, and R, having threaded apertures
receiving the tubular body and engaging the threads thereof and nuts mounted on
the threaded body on opposite sides of the pistons, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. The combination of the high and low pressure cylinders of a compound
engine, pistons arranged in said cylinders and connected together, a valve casing
having the ports a, d, adjacent to its opposite ends, the ports b, c, at points between
the ports a, d, and its middle, the induction port e, arranged in a plane between the
planes of the ports a, b, and the exhaust port f, arranged in a plane between
the planes of the ports c, d, the passages connecting the ports c, d, and the opposite
ends of the low pressure cylinder, the passage H, connecting the port a, and the
end of the high pressure cylinder farthest from said port, the passage G, connecting
the port b, and the opposite end of the high pressure cylinder and crossing the
passage H, bushings arranged in the casing and having ports communicating with
the casing ports a, b, c, d, e, and f, and the valve arranged in the casing and com-
prising the hollow tubular body provided with openings at its ends and at an
intermediate point of its length, pistons R, N, mounted on said body adjacent to
the ends thereof, and the pistons P, Q, mounted on the tubular body at points
between the pistons N, R, and the intermediate openings in said tubular body,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 8th day of October 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.