Steam reducing valves
Year: 1888

page_text: 1, GEORGE SPENCER of 66 Bennett Street, Newton, Hyde in the County of
Chester, Mechanical Engineer, 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 reducing valves.
In my Specification to Letters Patent No. 8331 dated the 10th day of June A.D.
1887, I described and illustrated a reducing valve in which the valve was operated from
a piston through the intermediary of a link or connecting rod. The object of these
Improvements is to simplify the construction of the valve so as to obtain a more
direct action, and to increase its durability and certainty of action.
I will proceed to describe my Improvements with reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings.
In the figure, which represents a vertical section of the valve, A is the body or
casing of the valve; B is the piston working in a cylindrical part of the casing;
C is the piston rod; D is a spindle secured to the upper part of the piston; E is a
screwed sleeve surrounding the spindle D and fitting into an internal screw formed
within the upper part of the casing; F is a lock nut fitted upon the screwed sleeve E;
G is a spiral spring surrounding the spindle and abutting against the underside of
the screwed sleeve and against an enlargement H formed upon the spindle; I is the
valve; J is the high pressure steam inlet; K is the low pressure steam outlet; L is
the opening of an air valve, and M is a blank flange which is employed to cover
the hand hole N through which the valve and piston may be withdrawn and
inserted. The blank flange may alternately be fixed over the inlet J instead of over
the opening N, when it is desired to admit steam at a right angle to the exit
outlet, in which case N becomes the steam inlet. The various bolts and set.screws
for connecting together the different parts of the casing are not indicated in the
Figure, as their necessity and arrangement are well known and obvious.
The construction and arrangement of the whole of the upper part of the valvo
down to and including the piston are practically identical with the construction and
arrangement described in my former Specification and illustrated by the drawings

page_text: appended thereto, and do not therefore form part of this Invention. According
to my former Improvements the valve which controls the passage of the steam
was operated by a link from the piston rod, and had a rotary motion. In the present
Improvements, the valve is of the inverted mushroom or similar type and is
connected directly to the piston rod and seated immediately below the piston as
represented by the Figure.
The valve being connected to the steam pipes, steam enters through the steam
inlet and the screwed sleeve E is then rotated so as to compress or relieve the
spiral spring until the desired reduced pressure of steam is observed by a steam
gauge or other means on the side K of the valve. The lock nut F is then run down
the screw to secure it in that position. The screwed sleeve may be rotated by means
of a spanner fitting upon the hexagon head O of the sleeve.
It is evident that when desired, the spiral spring may be substituted by a weighted
lever, as in a safety valve, but I prefer to use the spring as illustrated by the
drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1) In a steam reducing valve; an inverted mushroom or similar valve directly
connected to the rod of a piston and constructed arranged and operated substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the appended drawing.
(2) In a steam reducing valve; the combination of a piston working in a
cylindrical part of the casing with a piston rod and an inverted valve; constructed
and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 10th day of December A.D. 1888.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.