Improvements in Blowing and Pumping Engines, some of which Improvements are applicable to other Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1892-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Blowing and Pumping Engines, some of which
Improvements are applicable to other Engines.
I, JEROME WHEELOCK, of Worcester in the County of Worcester, State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, 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:-
My invention relates chiefly to blowing and pumping engines but comprises
improvements that are applicable also to other engines.
One object of my invention is to provide for easily and expeditiously varying the
speed of the governor of a blowing engine relatively to the engine shaft and so
provide for changing the speed of the engine.
Another object of my invention is to provide the pumping cylinder of a blowing
or pumping engine with removable shells containing the suction and discharge valves
and their seats.
My said invention also provides an improved muffler for deadening the sound of
the air as it passes into the air cylinder of a blowing engine.
My said invention also provides improved mechanism for controlling the cut off
valves, whereby the said valves may be more efficiently controlled by the governor
than has hitherto been possible.
My said invention also relates to the valves and valve seats of steam engines,
and to metallic packing for pistons and rods, and comprises the improvements
hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a blowing engine illustrating a portion of my
invention.
Figure 2 is a partial central section of the air cylinder, showing my improved
arrangement of valves and muffer.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the valve shell looking towards the suction
valves.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the valve shell looking towards the discharge seat the
discharge valves being removed.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of an engine provided with my improved cut off
gear.
Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams of the operative parts of the engine shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a side view of an engine provided with a modification of the mechanism
for actuating my improved cut off gear.
Figure 9 is a partial top view of the same.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a portion of a steam and exhaust valve con-
structed according to my invention.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the same valve from another position and on
a smaller scale.
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a steam engine valve constructed according
to a modification of my invention.
Figure 13 is a side elevation of a piston provided with a single ring packing
constructed according to my invention.
Figure 14 is a cross section of a piston rod gland containing rod packing and
springs in accordance with my invention.
Figure 15 is an elevation of a sectional packing ring provided with my improved
springs.

page_text: packing spring snown
attached and detached respectively to and from the lugs for breaking the joints of
packing rings.
Figure 18 is a plan and
Figure 19 is an edge elevation of a packing ring provided with break-joint lug
and springs in accordance with my invention.
Figure 20 is a blank from which the break-joint lug is formed.
Figure 21 is a side elevation of a break-joint lug.
Figure 22 illustrates another form of spring, and
Figure 23 shows in perspective this spring attached to a break joint lug.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figure 1, A is the engine bed B is the air cylinder and C is the
steam cylinder which is carried by a thimble casting D fixed on the top of the air
cylinder. E is the crank shaft on which is fixed a gear wheel E' which meshes
with a gear wheel E that runs in a housing E³. The said housing forms a
peripheral bearing for the wheel 2 so that a central spindle or shaft for the said
wheel is dispensed with.
The steam cylinder valves are operated by a rod e¹ one end of which is pivoted
at e to the rear face of the wheel E2 and the other end of which is attached at 3 to
a levere that is pivoted at e¹ to the engine bed and is connected to the valve cranks
by a rode whereby motion is transmitted to the said valves. The usual eccentrics
for operating the valves are thus dispensed with.
Attached to the bed A is a bracket A¹ which is provided with arms a a¹ which
serve as bearings for the governor spindle F. Keyed on this spindle with a feather
key so as to admit of a sliding movement thereon is a pulley F' the circumference
of which is preferably covered with leather or other suitable material to make
frictional contact with the front face of the before mentioned gear wheel E², so that
as the crank shaft E revolves the governor spindle F will be driven thereby. The
speed of the governor spindle depends on the position of the pulley F' relatively to
the centre of the gear wheel E2 that is to say the speed of the governor spindle is
relatively small when the pulley F is near the centre of the gear wheels E and is
relatively great when the said pulley is near the circumference of the said gear
wheel.
to
The upper portion of the pulley hub is provided with an annular groove which
is constructed to receive the bifurcated end of a lever G which is pivoted at g
the engine bed. The other end of this lever is provided with a handle whereby
the said lever may be rocked about its pivot for the purpose of adjusting the
position of the pulley F relatively to the centre of the gear wheel E. A thumb
screw g in the handle end of the lever G serves to clamp the latter in position
against a segment or arc A² that is attached to the engine bed for the purpose.
It will be seen that by this means the pulley F1 can be moved nearer to or further
from the centre of the gear wheel E as desired and that the speed of the governor
relatively to that of the crank shaft can be thus easily varied at will.
The governor acts to regulate the trip cams of the steam cut-off valves through
a lever F which is pivoted on a projection a² of the arm a and is connected to the
said trip cams by a rod f'.
By my invention above described I am enabled to regulate the discharge of air
very readily between very wide limits according to the demands of consumption.
My improved blowing engine is therefore very advantageously applicable for
example for supplying air to a blast surface or cupola where a strong blast or current
of air is necessary when starting the fire and but very little air is required when
the metal commences to melt. For such purposes the engine must be able to work
quickly or slowly as may be desired. This can of course be accomplished by
partially closing the throttle valve of the steam cylinder but such action results in
wire drawing the steam excessively and consequently is very wasteful. By my
device the steam is admitted at full pressure through the full opening of the ports,
and is cut off completely at that point determined by the governor which is necessary

page_text: for the requirements, the expansion of the steam being relied upon to complete
the stroke.
Referring to Figures 2 to 4 the valve shells therein shown for the air cylinders
are the same as I employ for the steam cylinder and the valves may be constructed
and operated in the same manner, but I prefer to employ the shells only and
provide on their seats a series of valves which are automatically operated by the
air as it is drawn in and forced out of the cylinder by the piston.
The shell H contains two valve seats H H² the former of which is provided
with a series of flap valves h opening inwardly to permit air to pass into the air
cylinder as the piston moves away. As soon as the travel of the piston is reversed,
the said suction valves h shut down on their seats and close the ports automatically,
and the air which is contained in the cylinder will be forced out through a series
of holes provided in the discharge seat H. Each of the said holes /¹ is provided
with a closing disc actuated by a spring 3 interposed between it and a strap h
secured to the seat, so that when the air is forced through the opening h¹ the
discs are lifted from their seats against the pressure of the springs and when
the discharge is completed the springs act to immediately force the discs upon their
seats and close the holes.
My improved mufflers I for deadening the sound of the air as it is drawn into
the air cylinder are situated one in each suction opening H³. The said mufflers
are preferably made of loose wire I' retained between perforated walls 12. The
mufflers serve also as a convenient means for efficiently lubricating the air piston
without causing waste of lubricant. For this purpose I feed the lubricant into
the mufflers and the rush of air as it passes through the same carries the lubricant
forward into the cylinder in a finely divided condition and distributes the same
evenly.
My invention it must be understood is not confined to the particular construction
of the valves and their seats as above described, neither is it necessary that the
suction and discharge valves be contained in a single shell since the form may be
varied considerably. Moreover my invention can readily be applied to pumping
engines in general whether for air or liquid, that it is to say it is not confined to
blowing engines.
In Figures 5 to 9 which refer to an engine provided with improved cut-off gear
the engine bed supports at its forward end the crank shaft E carrying the eccentric G¹
which through the rocker H* imparts an oscillating motion to the arms of the main
valves.
The cut-off is controlled by trip cams ƒ ƒ³ the former of which is pivoted on
the valve-stem K and is provided with gear teeth to be engaged by similar
teeth provided on the hub of the lever which is pivoted on the shell, while the
latter cam is formed directly on the hub of the lever / which is pivoted on the
valve stem sec Figures 6 and 7. The levers are operated as follows: To
the eccentric strap G2 is attached a link j the other end of which is secured to the
lever which is pivoted on a stud ¹ journalled in the bracket or arm k² which is
adjustably secured to the plate k³ having a slot and bolted to or made integral
with the engine bed A. The lever is provided with a slot through which
the stud passes and by means of a nut k³ the stud k¹ is firmly clamped to the
lever the rear end of which is connected through the link 7 with the arm m of the
three-armed lever M*.
K* is the engine-governor, the balls of which cause the rise and fall of the rod n,
which is attached to one arm of the bell-crank lever J* pivoted at O to the engine
bed and the other arm of which pivotally supports the above mentioned three-
armed lever M*. The arm m¹ is connected by means of the rod p to the trip-
lever h. It will therefore be seen that each revolution of the main shaft E entails
a vibratory movement of the three-armed lever M* which results in one complete
forward and backward oscillation of the trip-levers and it will also be under-
stood that the amount of such oscillation will always be the same provided the bolt k¹
upon which the lever is pivoted is not shifted, which action would result in an

page_text: increase or decrease of movement on part of the lever M*, so that by these means
I am enabled to very closely adjust the running of the engine to the proper degree.
It is morcover evident that these trip-levers oscillate in different directions that is
to say when one trip is approaching its respective latch-link the other trip is receding
from its respective latch link.
On the other hand, it will readily be understood that the location of such forward
and backward movement on part of the trip levers is entirely under the control of
the engine-governor so that both trips are caused to simultaneously recede from
or simultaneously approach their respective latch links thus enabling the cut-off
valves to be liberated, at any desired point.
It is immaterial to the perfect action of my improvement what means are
employed to impart a vibratory movement to the three armed lever M✶ since any
mechanical device can be substituted for the one described and shewn as, for instance,
gearing may be employed to impart movement to a shaft, which imparts the required
movement to the said lever, such construction being illustrated in Figures 8 and 9
of the drawings, wherein is shown a rack 2 carried by the eccentric rod and
gearing with a pinion j³ which is mounted on a rock shaft * so as to turn there-
with while being free to slide thereon. The said rock shaft is connected by a
link with the arm m of the three armed lever M.
The improvements herein before described with reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8
and 9 are applicable to any engine-as for instance to the blowing-engine illustrated
in Fig. 1.
Figures 10 and 11 which I will now proceed to describe illustrate a valve of the
type known as the Wheelock valve, wherein both cut-off' and exhaust valve seats
are contained in a single shell, provided with my present improvements. My said
improvements have for their object to so construct the said shell and seats-that the
process of planing and scraping the same may be facilitated. My improvements
furthermore have for their object to strengthen the valve.
With these objects this part of my invention consists in making the exhaust
seat independent of and removable from, the shell, and of sufficient strength
that a re-inforcing bolt such as heretofore used may be rendered unnecessary.
J is the shell of the valve. K is the steam valve and L is the exhaust valve.
The seat K of the steam valve is made integral with the heads J of the shell and
the said steam valve obtains a reciprocating motion on the seat K' from the rocking
shaft Kas heretofore.
The scat K is provided at suitable intervals with bridges K³ in which the
shaft L for driving the exhaust valve L rests. The said bridges are planed at K
to allow of making close contact with the exhaust valve seat L which seat is made
removable and is retained in position and secured by screw k. The ends of the
said seat L are made slightly taper and constructed to fit accurately between the
heads J¹. It will be seen that the exhaust valve seat is firmly secured to the shell,
and can be readily removed when necessary and replaced by new seat in case of
breakage without requiring the whole shell to be replaced. In order to admit the
exhaust valve underneath the bridges K³ I provide in the exhaust seat face a
recess L³ of sufficient depth to receive the valve L, the top of which will be slightly
below the top face of the seat.
In this
In Figure 12 I have represented a modified form of removable seat.
instance a clear space or opening L' is made in the removable seat, and the lug L'
to which the valve driving link L is attached is formed on the lower face of the
said valve and projects through the said opening L. The operating shaft of the
valve is also located below the valve instead of between the exhaust and steam
valves as in the arrangement first described.
By this arrangement I am enabled to bring the exhaust and steam valves close
together and thereby reduce the clearance. Moreover by placing the driving
shaft L below the exhaust valve I remove from the steam space an obstruction
which in the previous arrangement interferes with the free passage of the steam
from the steam valve to the cylinder.

page_text: Although I have described and shown the exhaust seat as removable it is
obvious that I may make the steam valve seat removable and the exhaust seat
fixed, or they may be so arranged that either or both may be taken from the
shell.
The last part of my invention relates to packing whether for pistons or for rods,
of that class which involves the use of metal rings that are either expansive or
contractile and that are backed up by springs which force the rings against coincident
surfaces for maintaining a good packing contact.
Such rings are sometimes cut radially into two or more sections, and are some-
times cut only partially through in radial lines at several points and wholly through
at some one point.
The object of this part of my invention is to economically produce a sectional break
joint packing ring of minimum bearing surface and so arranged that the springs
may be attached and detached from the break joint lugs.
Heretofore the break-joint lug and the spring have been made from one and the
same piece of metal, necessitating a considerable waste of the metal sheet from
which the blank is cut and also causing inconvenience in the process of
manufacture. Moreover, if in the event of accident from any cause the spring
becomes broken from the lug the whole must be replaced although the lug itself
may be in good condition.
Referring to Figures 13 to 23 M is the lug and N is the spring. In Figure 20
the blank is seen to consist of a plain sheet of suitable thickness, which is bent into
the shape shown in Figure 21. It need not be of the same thickness of metal as the
springs inasmuch as it is constructed separate and complete in itself. The spring N
shown in Figure 22 is formed with slight recesses N'at the sides which recesses exactly
correspond with the length of the lug M Figure 21. The said lug is forced on the
spring and when the latter is in place, as shown in Figure 23 it forms a flush surface
with the sides of the break joint lug, and a continuous surface for the sectional ring
packing joint to slide upon and successfully break the joint at the bottom or inner
surface of the ring.
By
Figures 16 and 17 show another form of spring by which a narrow ring may be
used, and the spring may be applied to the outer base of the break-joint lug.
this method of construction I dispense with the recesses at the sides of the spring, but
I indent the top thereof as at N2 so as to fit upon the lug, the depth of the indent
being such that the top surface of the spring comes flush with the inner surface of
the end of the lug.
It will be readily seen that a spring may thus be attached without materially
interfering with its strength, and a lug may be made of any suitable metal of very
much less thickness for the wall of the lug. Moreover the sectional ring may be
entirely finished, and the spring applied or detached at will for repair or renewal, it
being advisable to make the springs of uniform dimensions.
For piston rod packing, springs of snbstantially the same character are employed,
but as shown in Figure 14 they are reversed in position, and are applied to the outside
of the lug instead of the inside as above described.
This part of my invention pertains in no manner to any particular variety of
piston or piston rod gland only, but it is obvious that it is applicable to any metallic
packing ring,
When applying my improved break joint lugs to air cylinder pistons of blowing
engines and the like, I preferably construct them of lignum vitæ or other suitable
hard wood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The mechanism for driving the governor substantially as herein described.
2. The combination with the mechanism for driving the governor of means for

page_text: varying the position of the friction disc, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination with a pumping cylinder of removable shells containing the
inlet and outlet valves and their seats, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the suction passages of a pumping cylinder of mufflers
constructed substantially as described for the purpose specified.
5. A blowing engine constructed substantially as described with reference to
Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The means substantially as described whereby the strips for controlling the
cut-off valve are caused to complete a forward and backward movement during
each revolution of the crankshaft in such a manner that one trip approaches its
respective latch-link, while at the same time the other trip recedes from its
respective latch-link.
7. The combination, with the means claimed in the last preceding claim of a
governor so arranged that the location of the forward and backward movement
on part of trips is controlled and both trips are caused to simultaneously recede
from or simultaneously approach their respective latch links for the purpose herein
set forth.
8. In a steam engine, a removable shell containing the seats for the steam and
exhaust valves so arranged that either seat or both seats may be removed from the
shell, for the purpose specified.
9. In a valve shell, the combination with a removable valve seat of a stationary
valve seat, having bridges which serve as guides and bearings for the removable seat,
substantially as set forth.
10. The arrangements for driving the valve substantially as described with
reference to Figure 12 of the drawings.
11. A valve constructed substantially as described with reference to Figures 10
and 11 or to Figure 12 of the drawings and operating as and for the purpose
specified.
12. The combination with an expansible or contractile metal packing ring of one
or more break-joint lugs provided with attachable and detachable springs the edges
of which springs are flush with the sides of the lug, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
13. The break-joint lngs for metal packing rings constructed substantially as
described with reference to Figures 13 to 23 of the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of July 1892
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.