Improvements in Fluid-pressure Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by FREDERICK CARLETON AUSTIN, Manufacturer,
of Harvey, Illinois, United States of America.]
Improvements in Fluid-pressure Engines.
I, DAVID YOUNG, Patent Agent, of the Firm of D. Young & Co., of 11 and 12,
Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., 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:
―
This invention relates to steam and other motive fluid actuated engines, parti-
cularly adapted for pumps but capable of efficient service in other connections.
Prominent objects of the invention are, to avoid shocks commonly incident
to the initial and terminal movements of the piston and thereby avoid injury
to the check-valves of a pump or other devices which may be subject to the action
of the piston; to provide improved arrangements for supply and exhaust with
relation to the piston and the valve; to provide simple and effective means for
cushioning the valve; to secure free and comparatively direct exhaust from
the piston cylinder; and to provide certain novel and improved details serving
to increase the general efficiency of steam or other motive fluid actuated engines.
In a steam or other motive fluid engine embodying the various matters of
the improvement, the piston cylinder has its middle portion provided with
inlet and outlet exhaust ports which are in communication with a space or
chamber formed within the piston cylinder by recessing or diametrically con-
tracting the piston between its end portions. The piston cylinder is also pro-
vided with end ports adapted for alternate supply and exhaust and arranged to
extend toward and terminate suitably near its middle inlet exhaust port,
whereby a valve which controls the supply and exhaust, may place the middle-
inlet exhaust port of the piston cylinder alternately in communication with
one and the other of the said end ports. By this simple arrangement, the exhaust
from the end ports of the piston cylinder can pass into a comparatively large
chamber within the piston cylinder and thence out through a port in the latter.
The exhaust will therefore be comparatively direct and free.
The piston has its end portions provided with recesses, preferably annular,
and having small relief ports which open at the ends of the piston. When the
piston is at either end portion of its stroke, the recess of its advance end portion
will register with one of the end ports in the piston cylinder and hence the
piston will be steam or fluid cushioned, the only escape for the steam or other
motive fluid being by way of the relief port at such end of the piston. Also:
to start the piston on its reverse stroke, the supply, in order to get between an
end wall of the piston cylinder and an end of the piston adjacent thereto, must
primarily pass through the relief port at such end of the piston. In this way,
all shocks incident to the initial and terminal moyements of the piston are
avoided.
The piston cylinder is also provided with obliquely arranged supply and ex-
haust ports for the valve. These ports lead from opposite end portions of the

page_text: valve-chamber in directions to cross one another and open within the piston
cylinder respectively at opposite sides of its middle inlet exhaust port, the loca-
tion of their terminals within the piston cylinder being such that when the
piston is at either end of its stroke, one of such ports will communicate with
the middle recess or exhaust-chamber in the piston so as to exhaust from one
end of the valve-chamber, while the other one of such ports will communicate
with one of the end recesses in the piston and thereby supply the opposite end
portion of the valve-chamber with steam or other motive fluid supply let into
said end recess of the piston from the piston cylinder by way of the relief port
at such end of the piston.
The valve is also cushioned at each end of its stroke, and for such purpose the
inner wall of its chamber is provided with relief grooves, somewhat wider than
end flanges or heads of the valve, whereby, just before the valve completes its
stroke, either way, motive fluid admitted into the middle portion of the valve-
chamber will pass around the advance end of the piston so as to provide a
cushion between such end of the piston and the adjacent end of the valve-
chamber.
As a further simplified arrangement, the piston cylinder is provided with an
externally flat valve seat, and the valve casing is provided with a slot through
which the seating portion of the valve is arranged to extend so as to properly
contact with the flat valve seat.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure shows in part elevation and part vertical section a steam or other
motive fluid engine embodying the invention, and employed in connection with
a pump, the valve of the engine being in elevation with the exception of its
middle seating portion, which latter is partially broken away so as to expose
its port 7. This view also illustrates partly in section, but mainly in elevation,
the bed support and casing of a pump.
Figure is a section on line a in Fig. 1.
The piston cylinder A is ported for supply and exhaust of steam or other
motive fiuid employed for operating the piston B, and the valve-casing C which
is arranged external to and preferably upon the piston-cylinder, is adapted to
provide a suitable valve-chamber 1 for a reciprocating steam or other motive
fluid-actuated valve D adapted to control the supply and exhaust to and from
the piston-cylinder.
Live steam or other motive fluid is primarily admitted to the valve-chamber
by way of an inlet port arranged at the middle of such chamber (for example,
by a supply pipe 2 arranged to connect with the valve-chamber at a point
midway of the ends of the latter), and is ultimately exhausted through a port
or duct 3 arranged to lead from a point midway of the ends of the chamber
within the piston-cylinder.
The valve comprises a spool or flanged spindle provided with annular end-
flanges 4, fitted to work within the valve-chamber, and further provided with a
flat-faced seating portion 5 arranged to reciprocate upon a corresponding seat
and positioned between and somewhat back from the end flanges 4, so as to
leave annular spaces surrounding the reduced body or spindle portions 6, between
the middle flat-faced seating portion and the end flanges of the valve. The flat
face of the middle portion of the valve is recessed so as to provide it with a
port 7 arranged for co-operation with certain ports of the piston cylinder, and
as a matter of further improvement, the middle flat-faced seating portion of
the valve is made independent of the spindle or body portion, whereby it can
automatically take up wear. Thus, for example, the middle portion 5 of the
valve may consist of a block or casting, having in its flat underside, the port, or
chamber 7, and having its. top side concaved to receive an enlarged middle
portion 8 of the valve spindle or body, and the latter may have a couple of
flanges 9, arranged respectively at opposite ends of its middle portion 8 and
serving to provide abutments which engage opposite ends of the flat-faced valve

page_text: portion 5 and thereby cause the latter to move in unison with the valve body or
spindle. With such arrangement, an oblique slot or opening 91 can be made
through the bottom side of the valve casing, and the top side of the piston
cylinder can be provided with a flat valve seat. The opening 91 is in such
case of a width suitable to permit it to receive the lower part of the flat-faced
seating portion 5 of the valve, whereby said portion of the valve can simply
drop through such opening to an extent to permit its recessed flat underside to
bear upon the flat valve-seat on the piston cylinder. In this way the valve
chamber can be made cylindric from end to end, since the middle, flat-faced
seating portion 5 of the valve extends through a slot or opening in the wall of
the valve chamber and rests upon a flat valve seat external to the valve-chamber
and conveniently formed upon the top side of the piston cylinder. With such
arrangement, the weight of the middle portion 5 of the valve will tend to keep
it seated, and this will be supplemented by steam pressure within the valve
chamber.
The piston cylinder is provided with end ducts or ports 10 and 11 adapted
for alternate service as supply and exhaust ports and arranged to extend from
opposite portions of the piston chamber and connect with the valve-chamber
through opening 9, at points adjacent to but at opposite sides of the middle of
said valve-chamber.
The piston cylinder is also provided with a short inlet exhaust port 12
arranged intermediate of its ends and located between the upper terminals of
the ports 10 and 11, by which arrangement, the three ports 10, 11, and 12 all
have outer terminals opening laterally through the middle portion of the piston
cylinder.
The piston cylinder is also provided with a couple of small, obliquely arranged
ports or ducts 13 and 14, arranged for establishing communication between
end portions of the valve-chamber and the middle portion of the piston-chamber.
These ports cross one another as illustrated, whereby port 14 shown connecting
with an end portion of the valve-chamber at the right, extends to and com-
municates with the piston chamber at the left of the centrally arranged exhaust
port 12, the arrangement of port 13 being the converse of the foregoing.
The piston is recessed or diametrically contracted between its end portions,
thereby providing between the walls of such recess and the inner wall of the
piston-cylinder, a chamber which is at all times in communication with ports 12
and 3 and which therefore constitutes an exhaust chamber into which the
exhaust is admitted by the middle inlet exhaust port 12, and from which the
exhaust is discharged by way of port 3.
Each end portion of the piston is provided with a recess which is preferably
annular. These end recesses (as they may be termed) of the piston, are arranged
so that when the piston is at either end of its stroke, one of such recesses will
be in communication with one of the ports 10 and 11, while the remaining one
of such end recesses of the piston will be in communication with one of the
ports 13 and 14, an illustration of this being afforded by Fig. 1. Each end
recess of the piston is also provided with a small relief port 17, which extends
to and opens through the next adjacent end of the piston. Where these end
recesses of the piston are annular, and where the middle portion of the piston
is diametrically reduced to provide an annular middle exhaust chamber, as illus-
trated, the piston will have a pair of annular flanges 15 and 16 arranged at
each of its ends and disposed so as to provide the piston with an annular end
recess between each pair of flanges, and also provide it with a relatively larger
annular recess or chamber between the two pairs of such flanges.
The shift of the valve serves to bring its port 7 into position to connect the
short middle inlet exhaust port 12 of the piston cylinder with one of the piston-.
cylinder ports 10 and 11. and also to uncover the other one of said ports 10.
and 11. so as to place it in open communication with the portion of the valve--
chamber between the end 'flanges 4, 4, of the valve, whereby, the exhaust from

page_text: one end portion of the piston cylinder can take place through one of the ports 10
and 11 into the middle exhaust space or recess between flanges 15 of the piston
and thence out through exhaust port 3, while at the same time, live steam or
other motive fluid entering the middle portion of the valve chamber through
its port or pipe 2, can pass from the latter into one end of the piston cylinder
by way of one of the ports 10 and 11, according to the position of the valve.
In Fig. 1, the valve is at the right, and hence the exhaust has taken place
through ports 11, 7 and 12, into the middle exhaust recess or chamber and thence
out through port 3, while the admission of live steam which has served to drive
the piston to the right, has taken place through port 10.
The ports 13 and 14 serve to alternately supply steam from the piston cylinder
to opposite ends of the valve chamber for the purpose of operating the valve.
and also to exhaust from such end portions of the valve chamber into the
annular middle space or chamber between the back or inner flanges 15 of the
piston. Thus, at each end of a stroke on the part of the piston, one of the
ports 13 and 14 will be in communication with one of the end recesses between
a pair of relatively adjacent flanges 15 and 16 of the piston, and hence steam
entering such space by way of one of the reljef ports 17 of the piston, will pass
to one end of the valve-chamber. When the piston and valve are in the rela-
tive positions shown in Fig. 1, the steam from the end portion of the piston
cylinder at the left of the piston will pass through port 17 at the left into the
annular space between the two flanges at such end of the piston, and thence
through port 14 into the end portion of the valve-chamber at the right of the
valve, and thereby cause the valve to shift to the left for the purpose of revers-
ing the stroke of the piston.
to
When one of the obliquely arranged ports 13 and 14 is supplying one end
portion of the valve-chamber, the remaining one of such ports serves
exhaust from the opposite end portion of the valve-chamber into the annular
middle exhaust space between the two flanges 15 of the piston. For example,'
when the piston and valve are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, steain
from the portion of the piston cylinder at the left, will pass into port 17 in the
extreme left hand end of the piston, thence into the annular end space in the
piston next adjacent to its said end, and thence into the end portion of the
valve chamber at the right of the valve, by way of port 14, while on the other
hand, exhaust from the end. portion of the valve chamber at the left of the
valve, will take place through port 13 into the middle exhaust space between
flanges 15 of the piston, and thence out through port 3. In this way, the
annular end space formed in the end portions of the piston and provided with
ports 17; alternately co-operate with one and the other of ports 13 and 14 in
supplying the end portions of the valve-chamber for the purpose of operating
the valve, and that such annular end recesses in the piston also alternately co-
operate with one and the other of ports 10 and 11 for the purpose of slowly
exhausting such portion of the steam or other motive fluid as may be used as a
cushion and also for admitting steam or motive fluid between an end wall of
the piston cylinder and adjacent end of the piston for the purpose of starting
the latter on its stroke. It will be observed that when the piston is at either
end of its stroke, one of its annular end recesses will be in communication
with one of the ports 13 and 14, while its opposite, corresponding annular end
recess will be in communication with one of the ports 10 and 11, and that at
such juncture, the other one of said ports 13 and 14 will communicate with the
middle exhaust space or chamber in the piston.
With further reference to steam cushioning the piston at each end of its stroke,
and also providing for a comparatively slow initial movement on the part of
the piston, so as to avoid all shocks, it will be seen that when the piston reaches
the latter part of its stroke, either way, its extreme end flange which is ahead,
will after passing one of the ports 10 and 11 through which the exhaust has
been taking place, cushion on steam between such flange and the next adjacent

page_text: end of the piston cylinder, since at such juncture the only escape for the steam
thus providing a cushion, will be by way of a small relief port 17 through said
flange and thence through the annular space back of this flange into one of the
ports 10 and 11. As shown in Fig. 1 steam between the extreme end of the
piston at the right, is understood to have passed through port 17 at the right
hand end of the piston, thence into the annular space back of and next adjacent
to such port, and thence through ports 11, 7 and 12 into the space between
flanges 15 of the piston. It will also be seen that when the piston is at one
end of its stroke, live steam can, at the start, get back of the piston only by
way of one of the relief ports 17. Assuming the valve shown in Fig. 1 to have
shifted to the left, so as to connect ports 12 and 13 for the exhaust, from the
left hand end of the piston cylinder, live steam from port 11 must first pass
into the annular space in register with such port and thence pass through the
port 17 connected with such annular space in order to get between the right
hand end of the piston cylinder and the corresponding end of the piston. Of
course, as soon as the piston has moved to the left to an extent to cause its
extreme end flange at the right to pass port 11 the latter can then discharge
directly into the space between such flange and the opposite end of the cylinder.
In order to permit the valve to be adjusted or manipulated in the event of
either the valve or the piston sticking in their respective chambers, each end
of the valve casing is provided with a push rod E arranged to extend and work
through a stuffing box F and preferably having a flat head or flange 18 on its
inner end. These flat heads are arranged within the valve chamber and nor-
mally abut against the end walls thereof. Should occasion require, either of
these push rods, which are independent of the valve, can be pushed in toward
the latter so as to start it up or shift it, as needed. To prevent undue forcible;
impact between the valve and the inner ends of these push rods, the valve
chamber is provided with relief grooves or recesses 19 arranged near its ends
and made wider than the thickness of the end flanges 4 of the valve, in which
way when the valve is nearly at the end of its stroke, sufficient steam from the,
middle portion of the valve-chamber will pass the advancing end of the valve.
by way of one of the relief grooves 19 to provide a cushion between such end.
of the piston and the next adjacent end wall of the valve chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a steam or other motive fluid actuated engine, the combination of a
piston-cylinder provided with suitable supply and exhaust ports, the piston
recessed to provide an exhaust space or chamber through which the exhaust
from the said piston-cylinder is discharged, and a cut-off valve by which the
exhaust from the said piston-cylinder is admitted to the said exhaust space or
chamber in the piston, substantially as described.
2. In a steam or other motive fluid actuated engine, the combination of a
piston-cylinder provided with suitable supply and exhaust ports, a motive fluid
actuated cut-off valve, and a piston recessed to provide an exhaust-space through
which the exhaust from both the valve and piston-chambers is exhausted, sub-
stantially as described.
3. In a steam or other motive fluid actuated engine, the combination of a
piston recessed to provide an exhaust-chamber, the piston-cylinder having inlet
and outlet exhaust-ports communicating with said exhaust-chamber and having
ports for supplying and exhausting from its end portions, and a steam or other
motive fluid-actuated valve by which the inlet exhaust-port of the piston-
cylinder is alternately connected with one and the other of the said end ports,
the exhaust from the piston-cylinder being delivered to the exhaust-chamber in
the piston and also discharged therefrom, substantially as described.
4. In a steam or other motive fluid actuated engine, the combination of the

page_text: piston having recesses formed in its end portions and provided with ports lead-
ing to and through the ends of the piston, and the piston-cylinder having end
ports adapted for supply and exhaust and arranged to alternately communicate
with one and the other of the end recesses in the piston, substantially as described.
5. In a steam or other motive fluid-actuated engine, the combination of the
piston having ported recesses in its end portions, and an intervening recess
forming a middle exhaust-chamber, the piston-cylinder having end ports
adapted for alternate supply and exhaust and alternately in communication with
one and the other of the end recesses in the piston, and also having inlet and
outlet exhaust-ports in communication with the middle exhaust-chamber, a
valve-chamber having supply and exhaust ports alternately supplied from the
piston-cylinder by way of one of the end recesses in the piston, and exhausting
into the middle exhaust space or chamber in the piston, and a suitable valve for
alternately connecting the inlet exhaust-port of the middle exhaust-chamber
with one and the other of the end ports of the piston-cylinder, substantially
as described.
6. The combination of the piston-cylinder provided externally with a flat
valve-seat, the valve-casing arranged upon the piston-cylinder and having an
opening over the flat valve-seat, and the valve, having an independent seating
portion extending through the opening in the valve-casing and seating upon
the flat seat on the piston-cylinder, substantially as described.
7. In an engine of the class set forth, the combination of the piston provided
with two pairs of end flanges arranged to provide annular end spaces or recesses
and a relatively large middle space, and having ports 17 through its extreme end
flanges, the piston-cylinder provided with middle ports 12 and 3 communicating
with the middle recess in the piston, and having end ports 10 and 11 leading
from its end portions to points at opposite sides of the port 12, the valve-chamber
arranged external to the piston-cylinder and adapted for communication with
ports 10 and 11, and having end ports 13 and 14 crossing one another and
opening into the piston-cylinder at opposite sides of the port 12, and a steam or
other motive fluid actuated valve adapted for alternately connecting port 12
with one and the other of ports 10 and 11, substantially as described.
Dated the 3rd day of January 1899.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.