Improvements in Valves.for Compound Direct-action Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE INGERSOLL-SERGEANT DRILL Co. (
corporation organized under the laws of the State of West Virginia, United
States of America), of No. 26. Cortlandt Street, in the City of New York,
United States of America.]
Improvements in Valves.for Compound Direct-action Engines.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to what are known as "steam-actuated valves for
compound direct-action engines, in which the two cylinders are in line with each
other, and the two pistons are attached to the same rod, such engines being
especially applicable. to.rock-drills, and operated by steam, air, or other fluid under
pressure.
According to the present invention, it is proposed to employ a cylindrical vessel
having a bore of smaller diameter through one half of its length, constituting the
high pressure cylinder, and a bore of larger diameter through the other half of its
length, constituting, the low pressure cylinder, which, cylinders are in line with each
other. The piston-rod or drill-bar has upon it the high and low pressure.pistons
working respectively in the cylinder bores of smaller and larger diameter.
Outside the cylindrical vessel. is the. valve chest..containing the valve, which
serves for induction and eduction, and the two attached pistons for operating it.
The said pistons being practically embodied with and constituting parts of the
valve, might obviously be made in one-piece. with it, but for convenience. of. fitting
up,. they are preferably.made separate, the pistons being on a rod, and receiving
the valve snugly between them, and the valve. having at its ends lugs which are
.slotted to receive the said rod. The valve preferably has a flat. face working on a
flat seat on the engine cylinder. The valve chest is bored. cylindrically, at its ends,
to receive the valve pistons,.and is enlarged. in the middle portion of its length to
give.steam room.above.and-at. the ends of the valve, the. steam inlet being in the
50.enlarged middle portion. The said chest may have cushions, in its ends, but these
have nothing, to do with the present invention.
In the valve-seat there are three ports. One port. is the main. exhaust, port, and
is always open to the atmosphere through a side passage, which also.keeps.the.space
between the engine pistons. open to the atmosphere. The other ports communicate
respectively with the outer ends of the cylinder bores. The..cove..in: the face' of
the valve is long enough.to.cover and bring into communication, the, two ports. last
mentioned, or one of these two ports and the main exhaust port, and the movement
permitted to the valve is sufficient to take it from, one of said, positions to the other,
its faces being of such length, on opposite sides of the cove, that when the main
exhaust and the port of the low pressure cylinder are brought into communication
through the said cove, the other port and high pressure cylinder bore are open to
the steam in the valve chest, and that when the two ports of the outer ends of the
cylinders are brought into communication, the main exhaust port is closed. In the
valve chest, close to jone end thereof, there is a small port which communicates
with the high pressure cylinder bore at a suitable point in the length thereof, and
there is also close to the other end of the said chest, another small port, which

page_text: communicates with the low pressure cylinder bore at a suitable point in the length
thereof, and the engine pistons are respectively of such length or thickness that
they will, at proper times during their stroke, cover and uncover those ends of the
said ports within the cylinders, for the purposes of admitting steam from each
cylinder bore in turn to its respective end of the valve-chest, to act on the piston
thereof, and of opening the other end of the valve-chest to the exhaust space
between the engine pistons, and of thereby producing the necessary movement of
the valves for the changing of the stroke of the engine pistons.
Haring now fully described its construction, the operation of the invention will
now be described, first supposing the engine pistons to be moving to the left in a
horizontal direction. The valve is now at the right hand end of its stroke, the
port being open to admit steam to the bore of the high pressure cylinder, and the
port on the other side being open to the main exhaust port. The inner ends of
the small ports, which communicate with the high and low pressure cylinders as
before mentioned, are covered and closed by the engine pistons, but when the latter
have moved a little further to the left, they will uncover and open the said ports,
and steam will be allowed to pass from the cylinder through one port to the
corresponding end of the valve-chest, to act on the valve piston, and the opposite
end of the valve chest will be opened through the other port to the exhaust space
in the cylinder between the pistons. The valve will then be quickly moved to the
left, and will assume a position opening the high pressure bore to the low pressure
bore through the end port, the valve cove, and the other end port. The pressure
on the outer faces of the two pistons now being in equilibrio, and their inner faces
open to the exhaust, they will move to the right by reason of the greater area of
the low pressure piston. In this movement the pistons will again cover and close
the small ports, and keep them closed until they have moved far enough to again
uncover and open the said ports, when steam will pass through the port to the left
hand end of the valve chest, to act on the valve piston, and the right hand end of
the valve-chest will be open to the exhaust space between the engine pistons. The
valve will then move to the right and assume the position first described, and the
pistons will again make their stroke to the left.
In order to facilitate starting the engine whenever it has been used in an upright
or nearly upright position, a branch passage between the steam space of the valve
chest and the port may be provided. This passage will, when the engine is in
operation, be closed by a screw valve arranged to be manipulated by hand. By
opening this valve, steam is admitted through the said passage and port to the low
pressure cylinder bore, and when the engine is thereby started, the said hand valve
is closed, and the engine proceeds with its work as before explained.
One important feature of the valve which constitutes the subject of the present
invention, is, that there are at both ends of the valve-chest in the cylindrical bores
provided for the valve pistons, ports, each of which provides both for the supply
of the steam from the cylinder to its respective end of the valve-chest, and for the
exhaust of the steam from its respective end of the valve-chest, making the action
of the valve very positive and prompt.
The motive fluid to be employed in the engine has been herein referred to as
"steam," and to the valve as "steam-actuated," but it is evident that the invention
might be applied to engines in which air or other fluid might be used as the
motive agent.
Dated this 11th day of September 1894.
:
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Valves for Compound Direct-action Engines.
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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 :-
"3
This invention relates to what are known as 66 steam-actuated valves for
compound direct-action engines, in which the two cylinders are in line with each
other, and the two pistons are attached to the same rod, such engines being
especially applicable to rock-drills, and operated by steam, air, or other fluid under
pressure.
The following is a description of the construction and operation of the invention,
with reference to the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 represent a central longitudinal section of a rock drill engine
embodying the invention, the said figures representing the pistons and the valves
in different positions.
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the valve chest and part of the engine
cylinder, in the line xx of Figs. 1 and 2; and
Fig. 4 a transverse section of the same in the line y y of Figs. 1 and 2.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A A¹ designate a cylinder having a bore A of smaller diameter through one half
of its length, constituting the high pressure cylinder, and a bore A¹ of larger
diameter through the other half of its length, constituting the low pressure cylinder,
which cylinders are in line with each other.
B is the piston rod or drill-bar, on which are the high and low pressure
pistons CC, working respectively in the cylinder bores A A', of smaller and
larger diameter.
Dis the valve chest containing the valve E, serving for induction and eduction,
and the two attached pistons a a' for operating it. The said pistons being
practically embodied with and constituting parts of the valve, might obviously be
made in one piece with it, but for convenience of fitting up, they are represented
as made separate, the pistons being on a rod b, and receiving the valve snugly
between them, and the valve having at its ends lugs cc, which are slotted to
receive the said rod. The valve is represented as having a flat face, and working
on a flat seat d on the engine cylinder. The valve chest is bored cylindrically at
its ends to receive the pistons a a', and is enlarged in the middle portion of its
length to give steam room above and at the ends of the valve, the steam inlet i
being in the so enlarged middle portion. The said chest is represented as having
cushions in its ends, but these have nothing to do with the present invention.
In the valve seat d, there are three ports eff. The said port e is the main
exhaust port, and is always open to the atmosphere through a side passage h,
which also keeps the space between the pistons C C¹ open to the atmosphere.
The ports ff communicate respectively with the outer ends of the cylinder
bores A A'. The cove in the face of the valve E is long enough to cover and
bring into communication the two ports ff', as shown in Fig. 2, or the two
ports fe, as shown in Fig. 1, and the movement permitted to the valve is
sufficient to take it from one of said positions to the other, its faces being of such
length on opposite sides of the cove g, that when the ports ef' are brought into
communication through the cove g, as shown in Fig. 1, the port and high pressure
cylinder bore A are open to the steam in the valve chest D, and that when the
ports are brought into communication, as shown in Fig. 2, the main exhaust
porte is closed. In the chest D, close to one end thereof, there is a small port j,
which communicates with the high pressure cylinder bore A, at a suitable point in

page_text: the length thereof, and there is also close to the otlier end of the said chest
another small port, which communicates with the low pressure cylinder bore A'
at a suitable point in the length thereof, and the pistons C C are respectively of
such length or thickness that they will, at proper times during their stroke, cover
and uncover those ends of the said ports within the cylinder A A', for the purposes
of admitting steam from. cacli cylinder bore in.turn.to.its respective end of the
valve chest, to act on the piston a or a', and of opening the other end of the valve
chest to the exhaust space between the engine pistons C C', and of thereby
producing the necessary movement of the valves for the changing of the stroke of
the engine pistons.
The operation of the invention is as follows; first supposing the pistons C C¹ to
be moving to the left, as shown in Fig. 1. The valve is now at the right hand end
of its stroke, the port being open to admit steam to the bore A, and the port f
being open to the main exhaust port e. The inner ends of the portsj jare
covered, and closed by the engine pistons, but when the latter have moved a little
further to the left, they will uncover, and open the said ports, and steam will be
allowed to pass from the cylinder through the port to the corresponding end of
the valve chest, to act on the valve piston a, and the opposite end of the valve
chest will be opened through the port to the exhaust space in the cylinder A A"
between the pistons. The valve will then be quickly moved to the left, and will
assume the position shown in Fig. 2, opening the high pressure bore A to the low
pressure bore A' through the port f, valve cove g, and port f¹. The pressure on
the outer faces of the two pistons now being in equilibrio, and their inner faces
open to the exhaust, they will move to the right by reason of the greater area of C¹.
In this movement, the pistons will again cover and close the ports jj', and keep
them closed, until they have moved far enough to again uncover and open the
said ports, when steam will pass through the port to the left hand end of the
valve chest, to act on the valve piston a', and the right hand end of the valve chest
will be open to the exhaust space between the pistons CC. The valve will then
move to the right, and assume the position first.described with reference to Fig. 1,
and the pistons will again make their stroke to the left.
In order to provide for starting the engine, whenever it has been used in an
upright or nearly upright position, the pistons should have arrived in their lowest
position, as, owing to the weight of the drill, they almost invariably would, we
provide, as shown in the transverse sectional view, Fig. 4, and partly shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, a branch passage & between. the steam space of the valve chest and
the port This passage will, when the engine is in operation, be closed by a
screw valve arranged to be manipulated by hand. By opening this valve, steam
is, admitted through the said passage k and port f¹ to the cylinder bore A', and
when the engine is thereby started, the said valve is closed, and the engine
proceeds with its work under the control of the valve E.
One important feature of this valve is, that there are at both ends of the valve
chest in the cylindrical bores provided for the valve pistons, ports, each of which
provides both for the supply of the steam from the cylinder to its respective end
of the valve chest, and for the exhaust of the steam from its respective end of the
valve chest, making the action of the valve very positive and prompt.
The motive fluid to be employed in the engine has been herein referred to as
"steam," and to the valve as "steam.actuated," but it is evident that' the invention
might be applied to engines in which. air or other fluid might be used as the
motive agent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to. me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is -
1. In a direct-action compoundlengine, having its high and low pressure cylinders
and corresponding connected pistons in line with each other, the combination with
an induction and eduction valve common to both cylinders, of a valve chest which

page_text: contains said valve, and in which there is at one end a direct communication with
the high pressure cylinder, and at the other end a direct communication with the
low pressure cylinder, at such points in said cylinders as to be passed by and
opened and closed by their respective pistons in their movements in both directions,
whereby communication is opened and closed between each end of each of said
cylinders and the corresponding end of the valve chest, for admitting steam to
said valve chest from said cylinders, and exhausting it from said valve chest into
said cylinders, substantially as herein set forth.
2. In a direct-action compound engine having the two ends of its cylinder bored
of smaller and larger diameter, and connected pistons having corresponding
smaller and larger diameters, the combination of a valve for controlling the supply
and exhaust of steam to and from the ends of said cylinder, a valve chest containing
said valve and provided with a steam inlet, and cylindrically bored at its ends,
two pistons connected with the valve and working in the said cylindrically bored
ends, the said cylindrically bored ends each containing a port communicating with
the corresponding end of the cylinder and with said ports, each constituting both a
supply port to the valve chest from its respective end of the cylinder and an
exhaust port from the valve chest to its respective end of the cylinder, substantially
as and for the purpose herein set forth.
3. The combination with the high and low pressure cylinders A A¹ and their
contained pistons C C¹, all in line, the said cylinders having a valve seat from
which two ports ff¹ lead, one to the outer end of each cylinder, and a third
porte communicates with both cylinders and with an exhaust opening between
the said pistons, of the valve chest D and its contained valve E, having
cove in its face, and having pistons a a¹ at its ends, the said valve chest having,
at its ends, ports ; j¹ communicating directly with the said cylinders A A¹
respectively, for controlling the movement of the valve by the movement of the
pistons C C³, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 31st day of May 1895.
શ
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.