Improvements in High Pressure Equilibrium Steam and Water Taps.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1886
Complete Left, 27th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 27th May, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in High Pressure Equilibrium Steam and Water
Taps.
I, JOSEPH ALLMARK, of 160 Oldham Road, Tonge, Middleton, near Manchester in
the county of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN HIGH PRESSURE EQUILIBRIUM STEAM AND WATER TAPS to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of constructing steam or water taps for
high pressures, to give uniform expansion and contraction together with all but porfect
equilibrium; to the working parts. My improvements consist in the construction of
shell or jacketed taps with hollow plugs which allow the steam or fluid to operato
upon the plug and barrel whether the tap is open or shut; being an improvement on
a former Patent [No. 1262 April 27th 1872 in which I was joint patentee together
with John Chadderton and Benjamin Haigh,] and to remedy a defect heretofore
existing in said patent where the steam is admitted at the large end of hollow plug
only, and is thereby continually jamming the plug into the barrel, making it difficult
to open or shut under pressure, especially under the high pressures now so universal
in land and marine boilers.
I overcome this defect and prevent this jamming by supporting the barrel from one
side of the shell only, leaving a space at each end of barrel through which the steam
or fluid passes from the chamber to the plug; thus equalizing the pressure to such a
degree as to prevent jamming, and still give a little extra surface on the large end of
plug, to keep it down against the inner sides of barrel, thus obviating the necessity of
holding the plug down in barrel with packing or other mechanical means, and con-
sequently protecting the working parts from undue pressure usually employed to keep
plug and barrel together; and at the same time to give free circulation, which
prevents silting up of passages with dirt and other foreign substances.

page_text: This design or form of shell and barrel is well adapted to any form of plug, whether
gland, inverted, nut and washer, or open bottom cock; and is also applicable to
equilibrium and reducing taps.
I now proceed to describe in what manner the same is to be performed.
I use a similar form of shell or jacket as in my previous invention, Pat. No. 1262
April 27th 1872, which has now become public property so far as hereto existing, and
which can be used by myself or any other person.
Instead of admitting the steam through the large end of hollow plug only, as in
my former invention aforesaid, I support the barrel into which the plug is ground
from one side of the shell, and disconnect it at the apex, and make the lower end of
plug into small end, leaving a space between shell and each end of barrel large
enough to give an area equivalent to the full area of bore of tap; thus forming a
chamber at each end and all round the barrel, except at that part where it is con-
nected with the outer shell, and which forms the outlet branch.
The inlet branch opens into the before mentioned chamber and to the space above
and below barrel. The plug, being open at the bottom and perforated at the top,
allows the steam or fluid to pass completely round the working parts and through the
hollow part of plug, whether the tap is open or shut; thus giving all but perfect
equilibrium and even expansion and contraction to the working parts.
I next proceed to explain the various forms of plugs for which this tap is specially
adapted, and shall describe the gland plug first.
I make the taper of the plug to such an angle that the size is increased sufficiently
in the length of barrel to allow of a strong shank on the large end of plug to pass
through stuffing box, and still to give a little more area on the top than the bottom of
plug in other words, the shank reduces the area upon which the steam or fluid is
acting, but the increase of diameter in the length of barrel more than compensates for
this loss, leaving a margin upon which the steam or fluid operates sufficiently to
dispense with the necessity of holding the plug into the barrel with packing or other
mechanical means. The plug is made hollow to the depth of barrel, open at the small
end and perforated between the shank and the outer edge of the large end of plug,
each end of which comes into the spaces above and below the barrel. In the centre
of the plug and on one side is made an opening, to correspond with the outlet, which
opening, when turned to the outlet, allows the steam to pass through to any desired
place; and when turned half way round the opening is brought to the blank side of
the barrel, shutting off the communication with outlet, yet leaving the steam or fluid
in circulation round the working parts; and so giving an uniform expansion to the
plug and barrel, keeping them true together at the very time when taps most require
to be steam tight.
The body of the tap is cast with an opening at one end large enough to allow the
plug to pass into the barrel; such opening being made up with parts prepared to
receive gland either screwed into the body of the shell or provided with flanges and
bolted to body of shell to make a steam tight joint. The shank of plug is turned a
little smaller at the top end of stuffing box to form a cone, against which the packing
is forced by the gland when screwed down, and thus prevents displacement of plug
when there is no pressure in the pipes or other vessel to which the tap may be attached;
and is provided with a square above the stuffing box to receive a key in the usual
manner.
Having described the construction of gland cock, which is also applicable to open
bottom cocks, I proceed to a description of the other two forms, i.e., inverted plugs,
and nut and washer plugs, neither of which have stuffing boxes, but are provided
with bearings above and below barrel and chambers, into which the plugs are ground
to a steam tight joint. Each of these plugs is cast hollow, and of sufficient length to
communicate with chamber at each end of barrel by means of two ports or openings
which come opposite the aforesaid chambers, and allow the steam or fluid to pass
through the plug whether the tap is open or shut; and is in every other respect
similar to gland tap before described; thus making each form of tap to be unaffected

page_text: by pressure, working in all but perfect equilibrium, free circulation, and even expansion
and contraction of working parts.
"
When used as an equilibrium tap for regulating purposes, a lever or other
mechanical arrangement can be attached to the shank of plug, and connected to
"
governors' or any other variable motion which will open or close the ports or
passages as required. For reducing purposes a Bourdon spring or a diaphragm may
be attached to shank of plug to open or close the ports to any required flow.
By the term "barrel used throughout this specification I mean that portion of
the tap into which the plug is ground, and which may go under different names in
different parts of the country.
Taded the oth 1
T11000

page_text: Taps.
I JOSEPH ALLMARK, of 160 Tonge Lane, Middleton, in the county of Lancaster,
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 to high pressure steam and water taps, portions of which
formed the subject of my former invention Patented April 27th 1872. No. 1262. by
me, in conjunction with John Chadderton and Benjamin Haigh; the chief features of
which were evenness of expansion and contraction.
Owing to the great increase of pressures used for marine and other engines some
modification is absolutely necessary in order to open and close the tap under pressure
with ease and safety.
I attain this end by making the tap in such a manner as to so nearly equalize the
pressure at each end of the plug as to make it unaffected by pressure except in a
sufficient degree to keep the plug down in the barrel without the aid of packing or
other mechanical means. I use a similar form of shell or jacket as in my former
aforesaid Patent, but instead of joining the barrel to the shell at the apex I hold the
barrel by a wrist from the outlet side only of the shell, and form the outlet through
the said wrist, leaving a chamber at each end of the barrel and all round the same,
except where the wrist or outlet branch comes.
Instead of admitting the steam through the large end only of the plug as in
my aforesaid previous patent; I make the small end of the plug to come at the
bottom and cast it hollow nearly the length of the barrel, and I perforate the top
end. The plug is so placed that the hollow end comes into the chamber below
and the perforations open into the chamber above, thus forming a passage from
each end of the plug into the chambers, which passage is never broken whether
the tap is open or shut. I make the taper of the plug in such a manner as to
get a little more area on the large end after allowing for a strong shank to pass
through the stuffing box. This difference in the area is to obtain a pressure inwards
sufficient to keep the plug down in the barrel automatically, thus preserving the
wearing parts of the barrel from the undue pressure usually arising from packing and
other mechanical means now employed to attain this result; and at the same time
obtaining free circulations and also even expansion and contraction.
Another improvement consists in forming a stuffing box instead of a nut and
washer, thus avoiding leakage in any room or place where the tap may be fixed. The
shank of the plug in the stuffing part, being conical, the gland forces the packing
against the increasing diameter and prevents the plug from becoming displaced when
there is no pressure in the pipes or other vessel to which the tap may be attached.

page_text: This construction of tap is applicable to open bottom or angle cocks, as the inlet
branch may be placed in any part of the chamber, on the sides or bottom; also for
very dirty water or steam they can be made with a thoroughfare straight through, in
which case the ports would require to be elongated and narrowed to get sufficient cover
when the tap is shut.
I now proceed with a description of a plug cock with nut and washer. In this tap
the bearings are above and below the chambers; and the plug is ground in the barrel
to a steam-tight joint. The plug is cast hollow, long enough to communicate with the
chambers through apertures cast in the plug to correspond thereto; bars being left
in sufficiently strong to keep the plug together, the top end being provided with a
square head for opening and shutting the tap; and a nut and washer attached to the
bottom to keep the plug in its place. In this form the plug is in perfect equilibrium
and is applicable to inverted cocks, the only difference being in placing the square
head for opening and shutting at the small end instead of the large end.
When used as an equilibriumi tap a lever is attached to the square of the plug and
is connected with governors or other variable motion; the same being done when
used as a reducing tap, connecting the lever to a diaphragm or Bourdon spring acted
upon by back pressure to open or close the ports to the required flow.
Having now declared the nature of my invention I now proceed to describe my said
invention and in what manner it is to be performed in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference
marked thereon.
Fig. 1 represents plan, and Fig. 2 longitudinal section of a gland tap with bolted
cover marked (m) which is held to the body of the tap by four set bolts (7) and
nuts (r); the gland (n) being of the usual type, through which the shank (f) of
the plug passes. The square head for receiving the key to open and close the tap is
shown at (p) and the port () in plug turned one quarter round from the outlet
branch (e).
The outer shell is marked (a) from which the barrel (k) is supported by the
wrist (b); through this is formed the outlet branch (e) and is the same in each form
of tap shewn and described. (ee) shews the inlet to chamber (d) and to hollow part
of plug (h), also to apertures (f) formed in the top end of plug (c). The opening (D)
is large enough to allow the plug (c) to pass through; (g) is the stuffing box, the
shank (f) being taper to form a cone against which the packing is forced.
The arrows indicate the direction of the steam or water.
Fig. 3. is a plan of screwed cover, (p) indicating the square to receive the key,
(m) forming the stuffing box, and (n) the screwed gland.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of open bottom cock; the inlet (ee) in this case
being at the bottom and communicating with the chamber (d) and to the hollow
part of the plug (h) also to the apertures (f) which are formed in the top of the
plug (c). The cover (m) is screwed into the body (a) at (1), making up the opening
through which the plug (c) is to pass, and forming the stuffing (9). The gland (m)
screws into this part to hold down the packing to make a steam tight joint round
the shank (ff). Fig. 4 can be made with cover as shewn in Fig. 2 or vice versa.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of Fig. 6, but Fig. 2 has a section the same in all material
particulars, only differing in the manner in which it is attached, Fig. 5 having a
screwed end, while Fig. 2 is shown with flanges. The cross section of Fig. 4 is
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 and presents a similar difference with regard
to the manner of attachment. In this view I shew the plug (c) turned halfway
round, the port being against the blank side of the barrel, (k) being in this position
full shut. The inlet communicating with the chamber (d) is shewn at (ee) and (i) is
the port in the plug which forms the outlet for the steam or water when turned to
the outlet branch (e). The wrist which holds the barrel is marked (b) as in all the
other drawings.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a nut and washer tap having no stuffing box, but
is ground together except at the chambers (d) and the outlet (e). The plug (c) being
hollow at () communicates with chamber (d) through the apertures (f) so that a

page_text: complete circulation of steam or water is kept up whether the tap is open or shut to
the outlet (e) as in the two other forms shown. The port () in the plug (c) is shown
moved round from the outlet (e). (r) shews the bars between the apertures (f),
which hold the plug together. The square head for the key at (p) and the wrist (b)
holding the barrel (k). The plug (c) is held in its place by a washer (s) and nut (t).
The relative parts in each drawing are indicated by the same letters.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the "nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The supporting of the barrel from the outlet side only of the shell, leaving a
chamber above and below the working parts of the barrel in gland and open bottom
cocks.
2. The adjusting of the top and bottom areas of plug in gland and open bottom
cocks so as to obtain an increase of pressure on the larger end sufficient to keep the
plug in the barrel automatically.
3. Adapting the annular chamber and hollow plug to nut and washer and inverted
forms of cocks.