Im- PROVEMENTS IN STEAM PUMPS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM PUMPS."-A communication from abroad by Adam
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the Office
of the Commissioness of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd March
1866.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM PUMPS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to certain improvements in the valve
motion of the steam cylinder of a steam pump, whereby the slide valve is
changed at the end of each stroke of the piston by the action of parts which
are arranged in the interior of the cylinder and operated by the piston or parts
attached to the same. This object is effected by connecting the slide valve to
a rod which connects with two pistons working in cylinders that are formed by
the ends of the valve chest. These cylinders connect by suitable channels
which are situated in the cylinder heads and communicate freely with
the cylinder, and from the outer ends of which suitable channels lead to the
steam space of the valve chest. Said chambers are bored out to receive small

page_text: piston valves, the stems or rods of which extend out into the main cylinder;
and whenever the main piston approaches one of the ends of its stroke, it
strikes the stem of one of said piston valves and throws open the communication
between the appropriate supplementary cylinder and the exhaust port. By these
means the equilibrium of the supplementary pistons which connect with the slide
valve is disturbed, and the slide valve is changed automatically. Small channels
passing through said pistons allow the steam to pass into the supplementary
cylinders, but these channels are so small in proportion to the channels leading
from the supplementary cylinders to the chambers in the cylinder heads, that if
one of said channels is opened by the action of the main piston on one of the
piston valves the steam from the supplementary cylinder escapes much quicker
than it can be replenished through the small channel, and thus the equilibrium
is disturbed and the slide valve changed.
The second part of this Invention relates to certain improvements in the
valves and valve chamber of the pump cylinder. The valves are constructed of
discs provided with annular recesses, which are filled with india-rubber or other
suitable soft and elastic material, so that an elastic face is obtained, whereby
metallic contact between the valve and its seat is avoided, and a valve is
obtained which can be easily kept tight, and which is not liable to wear out.
The valve seats are cast in the lining of the valve chest, so that when the
casting is received from the foundry it is ready to receive the valves without
requiring any previous fitting, turning, or grinding.
Lastly, I so arrange the valves and openings leading to and from the pump
cylinder, that by taking off the bonnet of the valve chest, convenient access
can be had to the valves and all the openings, whereby the pump can be
readily kept in working order.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 3
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Iler 3

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Clark, Her special licence, that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM PUMPS," a communication to me from abroad by Adam Scott
Cameron, of the City of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that is to say) :-
Said
The first part of this Invention relates to certain improvements in the valve
motion of the steam cylinder, whereby the slide valve is changed at the end of
each stroke of the piston by the action of parts which are arranged in the interior
of the cylinder and operated by the piston or parts attached to the same. This
object is effected by connecting the slide valve to a rod which connects with two
pistons working in cylinders that are formed by the ends of the valve chest. These
cylinders connect by suitable channels with chambers which are situated in the
cylinder heads and communicate freely with the cylinder, and from the outer ends
of which suitable channels lead to the steam space of the valve chest.
chambers are bored out to receive small piston valves, the stems or rods of which
extend out into the main cylinder; and whenever the main piston approaches one
of the ends of its stroke it strikes the stem of one of said piston valves and
throws open the communication between theappropriate supplementary cylinder
and the exhaust port. By these means the equilibrium of the supplementary
pistons which connect with the slide valve is disturbed, and the slide valve is
changed automatically. Small channels passing through said pistons allow the
steam to pass into the supplementary cylinders, but these channels are so small,

page_text: in proportion to the channels leading from the supplementary cylinders to the
chambers in the cylinder heads, that if one of said channels is opened by the
action of the main piston on one of the piston valves, the steam from the
supplementary cylinder escapes much quicker than it can be replenished through
the small channel, and thus the equilibrium is disturbed and the slide valve
changed.
The second part of this Invention relates to certain improvements in the
valves and valve chamber of the pump cylinder. The valves are constructed
of discs provided with annular recesses, which are filled with india-rubber or
other suitable soft and elastic material, so that an elastic face is obtained,
whereby metallic contact between the valve and its seat is avoided, and a
valve is obtained which can be easily kept tight and which is not liable to
wear out. The valve seats are cast in the lining of the valve chest, so that
when the casting is received from the foundry it is ready to receive the valves
without requiring any previous fitting, turning, or grinding. The valves and
openings leading to and from the pump cylinder are so arranged, that by
taking off the bonnet of the valve chest convenient access can be had to all
the openings, and the pump can be readily kept in working order. This
Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
represents a plan or top view of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the
same taken in the plane indicated by the line x, x, Figure 2; Figure 4 is a
similar section of the same, the line y, y, Figure 2, indicating the plane of the
section. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents an ordinary steam cylinder provided with a piston B. Steam
is admitted to this cylinder through ports a, a', and it exhausts through the
port ; and these ports are opened and closed by the action of the slide
valve C, which is of the ordinary construction, and which may be so arranged
as to admit steam under the valve, as shown in the Drawing, or which may
be constructed in any other suitable manner. This slide valve is seated on
the bottom of the steam chest D, the ends of which form small cylinders E, E',
bored out to receive small pistons F, F, which are connected to each other by
a rod G, and this rod is provided with two collars to straddle a standard c,
which rises from the back of the valve. Small channels d, d', passing through
the pistons F, F', form a communication between the interior of the steam
chest and the outer ends of the supplementary cylinders E, E', so that said
small pistons are exposed to a uniform pressure of steam from all sides. The
supplementary cylinders E, E', communicate through channels e, e', with

page_text: chambers H, II', which are formed in the cylinder heads and communicate
with the interior of the main cylinder A by means of openings,f'; these
chambers are bored out to receive piston valves I, I', the stems of which
project through the openings ff, into the main cylinder A, and they com-
municate by means of channels h, h', with the interior of the steam chest D;
said channels being so situated that the outer ends or heads of the piston
valves I, I', are continually exposed to the pressure of the steam which fills
the valve chest. By this pressure said piston valves are forced towards the
inner ends of the chambers H, II', whenever the inner ends of these chambers
communicate with the exhaust end of the cylinder, and in this position the
piston valves close the channels e, e', leading to the supplementary cylinders
F, F, as shown in Figure 2 of the Drawing, where the valve l' is represented
in position to close the channel e', the main cylinder being represented to
take steam through the port a and to exhaust through the ports a', b. As
the piston reaches the end of its stroke it comes in contact with the end of
the stem of the valve I', and pushes said valve out into the chamber H¹,
the channel e¹ is thrown open, and the outer end of the supplementary
cylinder E' is brought in communication with the exhaust port b; by these
means the equilibrium of the small pistons F, F', is disturbed, and the steam
acting on the outer head of piston F causes said pistons, together with the
valve, to change their position. The motion of the main piston is reversed,
and as soon as that end of the main cylinder containing the piston valve I is
brought in communication with the exhaust port the live steam pressing on
the outer head of said piston valve causes the same to fly in and to close
the channel e. In the meantime the steam passing through the small channels
d, d', in the supplementary pistons F, F', restores the equilibrium of said
small pistons until the main piston by coming in contact with the stem of the
valve I produces the subsequent change.
The steam piston B connects by a rod J with the pump piston which works
in the cylinder K. By placing the mechanism for changing the steam valve
in the interior of the steam cylinder the piston rod J can be made very short,
and the two cylinders A and K can be brought close together. The pump
cylinder K is provided with a valve chamber L, which contains four valves
j,j, k, k, and which communicates with the ends of the cylinder through
channels 2, , with the suction pipe through an aperture m, and with the
delivery pipe through an aperture 1. All these channels and openings are
exposed by removing the bonnet M, so that the same can be readily kept
clean, and the correct operation of the pump can be insured with little trouble.

page_text: The valves j, j, k, k, are constructed of discs which are provided with
annular recesses to receive a packing of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
material; this packing projects beyond the face of the valve, as clearly shown
in Figure 2, and if the valve comes down on its seat the packing forms a
tight joint, and the valve is prevented from coming in metallic contact with
its seat on account of the incompressibility of the rubber or other packing
confined in its recess. The seats o are cast of brass or other suitable material
independent of the pump, and they are faced off and then cast into the
lining, so that the same require no further attention when the pump casting
is received from the foundry. In order to retain the seats firmly in their
places they are provided with grooves p in their peripheries, as shown in
Figure 2. The cast iron which composes the pump runs into these grooves
and retains the seats. The valves j, j, k, l, are held in the proper position
in relation to their seats by pins 7 which screw into the centres of the seats,
and, if desired, springs » may be applied to hold the valves down upon their
scats, as shown.
I
The play of the pump is very simple, and will be readily understood. If the
steam piston moves in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Figure 2,
the valvejopens to admit water from the suction pipe, and the water in front
of the pump piston is forced out through the valve and through the
delivery pipe. If the steam piston moves in the direction opposite the
arrow marked on it in Figure 2 the valves j' and open and the valves j
and closc.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The method, herein described, of producing the change of the slide
valve by mechanism situated in the interior of the cylinder, consisting of the
valve chambers H, H', and valves I, I', in combination with supplementary
cylinders E, E', pistons F, F', and slide valve C, or any equivalent means
producing a like effect.
pump valves
2ndly. The arrangement of annular recesses in the faces of the
in combination with suitable packing to operate substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3rdly. Casting the valve seats o in the lining of the valve chest, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
4thly. So arranging the valves j, j, k, l, channels 1, 1, and apertures m, n,
in the valve chamber of the pump cylinder, that by removing the bonnet M

page_text: access can be had to all of them, and the pump can be easily kept in running
order.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISHI,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLAKK.
(L.S.)