IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM FIRE ENGINE AND OTHER PUMPS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Field, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in
the City of Westminster, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
SOWANE BY A AMITED DU"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Field at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on 'the'
2nd December 1869.
I, EDWARD FIELD, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the City of.
Westminster, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM FIRE ENGINE AND
OTHER PUMPS," to be as follows:-
Valves have been made of clastic material, such as india-rubber, in
various forms; but, so far as I know, they have never been successfully;
applied to pumps working at comparatively high pressures, for which
purpose according to my Invention I make the elastic valves circular
(by preference) in plan, and either flat, like washers, or coned, or of

page_text: other suitable form, preferring to use two such elastic valves placed face
to face, with their outer circumferences pressing against one another
like lips; and for the purpose of securing them firmly in their relative
positions, so that they may be enabled to withstand considerable back
pressure; I compress or hold their inner portions between suitable
adjustable coned or other plates or rings and corresponding seat plates
or ledges formed with or attached to the main body or valve support.
Instead of placing two elastic valves face to face, it may in some
cases be found convenient to use one elastic valve secured as described,
and bearing at its outer circumference against a suitable fixed or other
seat or facing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Field in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
FIELD, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the City of Westminster,
Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second 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 me, the said Edward Field, Her special licence that
I, the said Edward Field, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Edward Field, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 VALVES FOR STEAM
FIRE ENGINE AND OTHER PUMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Edward Field, 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 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

page_text: calendar montis next and immediately after the date of th
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Field, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
Valves have been made of elastic material such as india-rubber
in various forms, but, so far as I know they have never been success-
fully applied to pumps working at comparatively high pressures, for
which purpose according to my Invention I make the elastic valves
circular (by preference) in plan, and either flat, like washers, or coned,
or of other suitable form, preferring to use two such elastic valves
placed face to face, with their outer circumferences pressing against one
another like lips and for the purpose of securing them firmly in their
relative positions, so that they may be enabled to withstand considerable
back pressure;
I compress or hold their inner portions between
suitable adjustable coned or other plates or rings and corresponding
seat plates or ledges formed with or attached to the main body or valve
support.
Instead of placing two elastic valves face to face it may in some cases
be found convenient to use one elastic valve secured as described, and
bearing at its outer circumference against a suitable fixed or other seat or
facing.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I annex a Sheet of Drawings shewing several
modifications of valves arranged according thereto.
Figure 1 being a transverse section of an arrangement in which two
flat circular elastic valves provided with adjustable holding plates and
seats or ledges according to my Invention are placed face to face, and
Figure 2 a plan of part of the same.
a is the upper elastic valve, and a' the lower one, in this instance
both the valves are made quite flat like rings or washers with holes
through their central portions as shewn in section in Figure 6, and they
are forced into and caused to retain the shapes represented in Figure 1
by being compressed and held at their inner edges between their respec-
tive adjustable plates, and the corresponding seats or ledges, which
latter form portions of the main body or casting 6 of the apparatus,

page_text: 'b' being the seat or ledge of the upper valve a, and 6s the corresponding
scat or ledge of the lower valve a'. The scats or ledges 61 and 6* are
formed with circular abutments & and 6'; whose surfaces as will be seen
are at right angles to the surfaces of the seats or ledges; c is the
holding plate of the upper valve a, and c¹ the corresponding plate of
the lower valve a'. These two plates are cone shaped so that the inner
surface of the coned portion of each holding plate is parallel to the
surface of the corresponding seat or ledge, and the outer edges of the
elastic valves which project beyond the the holding plates and seats or
ledges are caused to press against each other like lips with a force
which will be directly proportioned to the pressure against them of the
fluid in the valve chamber A, B, by which they are surrounded. In
putting the apparatus together the elastic valves a and a¹ are first drawn
over their abutments 63, 6, so that they rest against their respective
seats or ledges b', 6, and the holding plates c, c', placed in their proper
relative positions, then the apparatus is placed in the valve chamber
A, B, over the suction opening c (a leather or other packing ring e
being interposed to make the joint), and the adjusting screw d is turned,
thereby causing the upper and lower holding plates to squeeze the.
elastic valves against their respective seats or ledges and against each
other, so that when a partial vacuum is created in the valve chamber,
or when the pressure of the fluid behind the valves is greater than that in
the valve chamber, fluid will be allowed to pass between the outer edges
or lips of the valves in the direction indicated by the arrows, so as to enter
the valve chamber, but that on the other hand any excess of pressure
of the fluid in the valve chamber over that behind the valves instead of
opening them will cause their lips to press more and more tightly
against each other, so as to prevent the fluid from passing between them
out of the valve chamber. The edges of the lips may be curved as
shewn in dotted lines, but I prefer to make them square shaped as
shewn in full.
Figure 3 represents another arrangement in which the holding plates c
'and care cast in one piece with the main body b, and the two elastic
flat circular valves a and a¹ are forced into their respective positions by
being drawn or stretched over their respective holding plates until the
edges of the valves enter into the spaces between the holding plates and
seats, when the elasticity of the valves will cause them to assume their
proper respective positions, as shewn in the Drawing. This is a very

page_text: simple arrangement, but for high pressures I prefer to employ - the
arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2, because the screw d and movable
plates c, c', enable the elastic valves to be more firmly adjusted and
held.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of an arrangement in which a single
circular elastic valve a is held in position between a circular seat 6' and
an adjustable holding plate c according to my Invention, so that the
outer edge or lip of the elastic valve instead of pressing against the
corresponding lip of another elastic valve as in the arrangements already
described, is caused to press against a fixed scat or facing forming a part
of the lower side of the valve chamber. In this case the holding plate c
and seat or ledge b' are made flat, and the elastic valve is formed at its
outer edge somewhat like an inverted plate, but it will be evident that
flat elastic valves provided with seats 6¹ and holding plates c made
conical, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3, or otherwise curved, may be
arranged singly with their lips bearing against a fixed seat or surface, as
shewn in Figure 4. It will also be evident that the forms of the holding
plates and seats and also the forms of the elastic valves may be more
or less varied without departing from the distinctive character of my
Invention. Thus, for instance, the elastic valves may be made in the
shape of a saucer, as shewn in Figure 5, or may have the form of the
frustum of a cone, as in Figure 7, and that the shapes of the holding
plates c, c¹, and seats 6', 6', may be made to correspond with the forms
of the elastic valves, but I'would remark that I prefer to use flat valves,
as shewn in Figure 6, because they are the most simple and will be
cheaper to manufacture than the others.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be carried into effect, I desire to remark that I am aware
that flat elastic valves have been used in such manner that the entire
side or face of the valve rests upon or bears against a fixed perforated
plate or seat, so that the entering fluid on passing through the per-
forations in the said plate or seat raises or moves the valve therefrom,
but by arranging the valves so that their outer circumferences or lips
only press against the faces of each other or against the seat of the valve
chamber, according to my Invention, they are enabled to withstand
very great pressure, because such pressure tends to condense the material
of which the valves are made by forcing them edgewise against their
circular abutment. I also secure a free passage or way for the fluid

page_text: and the valves will accommodate themselves more readily to any
inequalities in the surfaces against which they close.
I would have it understood that what I claim as new and desire to
have secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,―
First. The constructing and arranging elastic valves with holding
plates or rings, and corresponding seat plates or ledges contrived to hold
the elastic valves in such manner that when they are at rest only their.
outer circumferences or lips press against the surfaces against which the
.valves close.
Second. The constructing and arranging elastic lip valves for steam
fire engine and other pumps, with holding plates or rings and cor-
responding seat plates or ledges, substantially as shewn in and described
with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Field, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
W. LLOYD WISE,
Patent Agent,
London.
EDWARD FIELD. (L.S.)