IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING AND REVERSING THE VALVES OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Carshalton, and Thomas East-
wood, of Lambeth, both in the County of Surrey, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING AND REVERSING THE VALVES OF STEAM AND
OTHER ENGINES."
Sealed the 29th March 1870, and dated the 3rd December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith and
Thomas Eastwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 3rd December 1869.
We, JOHN SMITH, of Carshalton, and THOMAS EASTWOOD, of Lambeth,
both in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING AND REVERSING THE VALVES OF:
STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to a substitute for the now generally used "link
motion" for working and reversing the valves of steam and other

page_text: engines, and consists, according to one modification, in attaching the
excentric rods to an oscillating bar, having a slot in the centre thereof
through which a pin attached to the valve spindle is passed. The said
oscillating bar works in and imparts its motion to a " compensating
box" contained within the fork of the valve spindle, the pin attaching
the parts together also passing through the said box. Wedges are
inserted between the oscillating bar and the compensating box to take
up or compensate for any wear that may occur by reason of the friction
or lamination of the surfaces, the said wedges being supplied with
flanges by which they are secured to the box by bolts, thus enabling
them to be drawn farther into the said box when required, and adjusting
screws may be caused to press on liners to compensate for the wear of
the sides of the oscillating bar and compensating box. The pin does
not come in contact with the slot in the oscillating bar, thus preventing
any wear at that part of the motion.
According to another modification we use a plain oscillating bar,
which may be either square, round, or of any other suitable form, and
we pass this bar through a compensating box of similar construction to
the one above described, the box in this case jointing on to the valve
spindle at its forward end instead of at or near the centre as before;
and so that the oscillating bar may pass freely through the box it is at
one end made separate from the joint, a pin from the said joint.passing
through and being keyed therein. It is preferred that all pins should
be supplied with bushes, so that they may be renewed with facility when
required, and that packing strips be placed between the flanges of the
wedges and the compensating boxes for the same purpose. The
reversing levers are connected either to the top or bottom excentric rod,
as usual, the excentric rods and oscillating bar only being raised and
lowered for reversing, the compensating box remaining stationary.
L
It will be seen that our improved motion entirely dispenses with the
link motion and its numerous disadvantages, the inconvenience and
expense consequent on frequent case-hardening, and the wear of the
blocks and the links in which they work being entirely obviated by our
improved compensation motion, which may be adjusted with the greatest
accuracy in an infinitely short space of time.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd June 1870.
-
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SMITH, of Carshalton, and THOMAS EASTWOOD, of Lambeth, both in the
County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood,
Her special licence that we, the said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as wc, the
said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING AND
REVERSING THE VALVES OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 we, the said John Smith and Thomas Eastwood,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to a substitute for the now generally used link
motion" for working and reversing the valves of steam and other
engines.
And in order that our Invention may be clearly understood, we will
proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying Sheet

page_text: of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view of one form of our Invention ;
Fig. 2 is a plan of a "compensating box" and its connections; Fig. 3;
a view of a simpler form of our Invention; Fig. 4, a plan of the same;
and Fig. 5, a view of a still more simple form of our Invention.
In Figs. 1 and 2 are attached the excentric rods a, b, to an oscillating
bar c, baving a slot d in the centre thereof, through which a pin e
attached to the valve spindle fis passed. The said oscillating bar c works
in and imparts its motion to a "compensating box "g contained within
the fork of the valve spindle f, the pin e attaching the parts together also
passing through the said box g. Wedges h, h, are inserted between the
ends of the oscillating bar e and the compensating box g to take up or
compensate for any wear that may occur by reason of the friction or
lamination of the surfaces, the said wedges being supplied with flanges,
by which they are secured to the box by bolts, thus enabling them to be
drawn farther into the said box by bolts when required, and adjusting
screws may be caused to press in liners i to compensate for the wear of
the sides of the oscillating bar and compensating box. The pin e does
not come in contact with the slot d in the oscillating bar C, thus pre-
venting any wear at that part of the motion.
According to another modification illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,
we use a plain oscillating bar k, which may be either square, round, or
of any other suitable form, and we pass this bar through a compensating
box of similar construction to the one above described, the box / in
this case jointing on to the valve spindle m at its forward end instead of
at or near the centre, as before; and so that the oscillating bar k may
pass fairly through the box r it is at one end made separate from the
joint n, a pin from the said joint passing through and being keyed
therein. It is preferred that all pins should be supplied with bushes, 80
that they may be renewed with facility when required, and that packing
strips be placed between the flanges of the wedges and the compensating
boxes for the same purpose. The reversing levers and bars o are con-
nected either to the oscillating bars c or k, or to the top or bottom
excentric rod, as usual, the excentric rods and oscillating bar only being
raised and lowered for reversing, the compensating boxes remaining
stationary, and so that the respective excentric rods may be brought to
act in a direct line with the valve spindle. The oscillating bars c or k
may be curved or arched, as shewn at p, q, thus making the action

page_text: more perfect, but the valves may be worked without the said curve, as
in Fig. 5, if desired.
It will thus be seen that our improved motion entirely dispenses with
the link motion and its numerous disadvantages, the inconvenience and
expense consequent on frequent case-hardening, and the wear of the
blocks and the links in which they work being entirely obviated by our
improved compensation motion, which may be adjusted with the greatest
accuracy in an infinitely short space of time.
Having thus fully described our Invention, what we claim and desire
to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. The oscillating bars c and , to which the excentric rods a, b,
are attached, and from which they receive their oscillating motion, as
herein described.
Second. The compensating boxes g and furnished with liners, bushes,
and wedges to take up the heat of the frictional surfaces, as herein
set forth.
Third. The curved or arched parts p, q, to allow the excentric rods
a, b, to work direct on to the valve spindles.
Fourth. The joint n, having a projecting pin passing into the
oscillating bar k, so that it may pass freely through the compensating
box, as herein specified.
And, fifth. The simplifications in working and reversing the valves of
engines, whereby the first cost and repairing expenses of this part of the
machinery are materially reduced, and the link motion partly or entirely
dispensed with.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Thomas Eastwood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May One thousand
eight hundred and seventy.