Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Amount of Opening of Valves, Bulkhead Doors, and the like, especially applicable to Deck Indicating Plates for Ships.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 29th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Amount of Opening
of Valves, Bulkhead Doors, and the like, especially applicable
to Deck Indicating Plates for Ships.
I, JOSEPH HAMILTON GIBSON, of 12 Brattan Road, Birkenhead in the
County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for indicating, at the place where a valve etc.
is operated, the amount of opening of the valve, as for example on board ship,
where a valve below the water level is operated from the deck, and where,
therefore, the amount of opening of the valve requires to be indicated on the deck..
In such cases the valve is usually operated by a turn key at a deck plate, the
motion being transmitted by suitable gearing to the valve and the amount of opening
of the latter being indicated by the deck plate.
As at present constructed deck indicating plates comprise the following;-a
fixed casing in which the end of the spindle which is operated by the turn key
is housed; a nut fitting on a screwed portion of the said spindle and having
wings engaging with grooves in the casing which prevent it from rotating when
the spindle is rotated, and which therefore traverses the spindle axially as the
latter is turned to operate the valve; and a loose inner indicating casing having
helical cam grooves in which the wings of the nut fit, and which is therefore
rotated relatively to the outer casing as the nut is given an axial movement by
the rotation of the spindle. It is found in deck plates of this type that the
axial depth required is greater than can in many cases be allowed, that the
friction due to the sliding motion and the obliquity of the cam grooves is excessive,
and that, as the screwed portion of the spindle is apt to rust up, great pressure has
to be exerted between the sliding parts to prevent the nut from rotating with the
spindle; and the object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by
dispensing with the sliding nut, and, by substituting therefor differential spur
gearing which can be housed within the outer fixed casing, to greatly reduce the
weight and dimensions of the arrangement.
According to my invention I carry the end of the spindle, which operates
the valve or door, in a fixed cylindrical casing provided with an external flange
which, when the apparatus is fitted on a deck, is recessed into the deck; within
this casing is an inner indicating cylindrical casing adapted to rotate, and held in
position by a loose flange fitting in a recess in the flange of the fixed casing, aud, if
desired, also freely pivoted on the spindle. In most cases the spindle makes, a
number of complete rotations in moving the valve or door from one extreme
position to the other, and the object therefore is to provide a reducing gear by
means of which a number of complete turns of the spindle shall cause the
indicating inner casing to move through a fraction of a revolution relatively to
the outer fixed casing, and thereby indicate definitely, by means of suitable
marks, the amount of opening of the valve. I accomplish this by providing
two wheels having an unequal number of internal teeth; one wheel is attached to
the fixed outer casing and the other to the indicating inner casing; the two wheels
are located adjacently to each other and the teeth of each are adapted to be
operated by a pinion mounted freely but eccentrically ou the spindle. As the wheel

page_text: attached to the outer casing is fixed, it will be seen that as the centre of the pinion
is, in virtue of its eccentricity, carried round the axis of the spindle as the latter
rotates, the pinion will be caused to rotate relatively to the spindle us it gears with
the fixed wheel; and that since the number of teeth in the wheel attached to the
indicating casing is not equal to the number of teeth in the other wheel there is of
necessity a relative rotation between the two casings. I make use of this relative
rotation between the casings to indicate the amount of opening of the valve, which
is of course dependent upon the number of turns made by the spindle from its
extreme positions. The square head of the spindle, to which the key is applied to
operate the valve, is housed within the inner casing and the latter is fitted with a
plug which closes up the fitting.
I attach great importance to the fact that all the gearing is snugly housed within
the casing the axial dimensions of which can be reduced to very small limits, and
that as the movement of the working parts is one of rotation there is consequently
comparatively little friction.
Where it is desired to lock the spindle, as in the case of valves for flooding the
magazines of a warship, the lock may be attached to the square head of the spindle,
the lock bolts being adapted to shoot through openings in the two casings.
The amount of movement of the inner casing relatively to the outer casing for
any given number of rotations of the spindle may be varied by varying the relative
number of teeth in the wheels.
The arrangement houses completely in the thickness of a wood deck, is entirely
self contained, and can be adapted generally to record the number of turns made
from its extreme positions, by a spindle operating a valve or other device.
In cases where difficulty is experienced in arranging a single pinion to gear with
the two wheels, the pinion may be made of two parts of different diameters, the
parts being secured together so as to lie adjacently and concentrically.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1895
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Amount of Opening
of Valves, Bulkhead Doors, and the like, especially applicable
to Deck Indicating Plates for Ships.
I, JOSEPH HAMILTON GIBSON, of 12 Brattan Road, Birkenhead in the County
of Chester, 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 :—
This invention relates to apparatus for indicating, at the place where a valve
etc., is operated, the amount of opening of the valve, such for example as on
board ship, where a valve below the water level is operated from the deck, and
where, therefore, the amount of opening of the valve requires to be indicated on
the deck. In such cases the valve is usually operated by a turn key at a deck
plate, the motion being transmitted by suitable gearing to the valve and the amount
of opening of the latter being indicated by the deck plate.
As at present constructed deck indicating plates comprise the following ;-a fixed
casing in which the end of the spindle which is operated by the turn key is
housed; a nut fitting on a screwed portion of the said spindle and having wings
engaging with grooves in the casing which prevent it from rotating when the
spindle is rotated, and which, therefore traverses the spindle axially as the latter is

page_text: turned to operate the valve; and a loose inner indicating casing having helical.
cam grooves in which the wings of the nut fit, and which is therefore rotated.
relatively to the outer casing as the nut is given an axial movement by the rotation:
of the spindle. It is found in deck plates of this type that the axial depth
required is greater than can in many cases be allowed, that the friction due to the-
sliding motion and the obliquity of the cam grooves is excessive, and that, as the
screwed portion of the spindle is apt to rust up, great pressure has to be exerted.
between the sliding parts to prevent the nut from rotating with the spindle; and
the object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by dispensing with the
sliding nut, and, by substituting therefore differential spur gearing which can be
housed within the outer fixed casing, to greatly reduce the weight and dimensions
of the arrangement.
I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figs. I, II, and III show the invention applied to an indicating deck_plate ;;
Fig. IV shows the application to a bulkhead fitting; and Figs. V and V show
the method of fitting a locking device. The elevations are, in each case,
diametral sections; Fig. II is a plan view; and Figs. III and VI are sectional
plans on the lines A. A of Fig. 1, and B. B. of Fig. V, respectively.
Throughout the drawings similar parts are iudicated by the same reference
figures, and in the case of sections, the direction in which they are viewed is
indicated by the small arrows placed adjacent to the letters denoting the plane of
section.
1 is the spindle which operates the valve or door, the end of this spindle is
carried in a fixed cylindrical casing 2 provided with an external flange 21 which,
in the case of a deck plate ia recessed into and fixed to the deck 3, and in the.
case of a bulkhead fitting is fixed to the bulkhead 4.
In the case of a deck plate the spindle is fitted with a collar 5, and in the
case of a bulkhead fitting a gland 6 may be provided. The indicating plate or
casing 7 is fitted within the casing 2, and is located by the loose flange 8 which
is recessed into 21, and may be freely pivoted about the spindle 1 as shown in.
the drawings. Two wheels are provided with internal teeth, the number of teeth.
differing by say one tooth; one of these, 9, is fixed to the casing 2, and the
other, 10, is fixed to the indicating plate 7 and rotates therewith. A pinion 11
gearing with both wheels 9 and 10 is carried freely on the eccentric collar 12:
formed on the spindle 1. When the spindle is rotated, the centre of the pinion is.
carried round the axis of the spindle, and as the wheel 9 is fixed, the pinion
rotates on its own axis as it is carried round, and as there are unequal numbers of
teeth in the wheels 9 and 10, there is of necessity relative movement between
them and therefore between the two casings to which they are respectively
attached. The amount of rotation of the plate 7 relatively to the casing 2:
depends of course upon the number of turns given to the spindle, and the dimen-
sions are so arranged that when the spindle is rotated between its extreme-
positions, the plate 7 rotates, relatively to the casing 2, through a fraction of a
revolution only. An arrow head or other mark is made on the plate 7 and the-
extreme positions, usually lettered "open" and "shut are marked on the casing 2.
as shown in the drawings.
"
The spindle is usually provided with a square head adapted in the case of a
deck plate, to be operated by a key; but in the case of a bulkhead fitting,.
a hand wheel such as 13 may be fitted. A plug 14 is provided to close the
fitting.
When there is an appreciable difference in pitch between the wheels 9 and 10,
the pinion 11 may be made in two parts 11 and 11', as shown in Fig. IV, the two.
parts being secured together in any convenient manner.
The amount of movement of the plate 7 relatively to the casing 2, for any
given number of rotations of the spindle, may be adjusted by varying the number
of teeth in the wheels.
When it is desired to lock the spindle, as in the case of valves for flooding the

page_text: magazines of a warship, a lock may be attached to the head of the spindle, the
lock bolts being adapted to shoot through openings in the two casings.
I have shown, in Figs. V and VI, the usual Admiralty type of lock fitted to
my invention; the head of the spindle is provided with a key-way and the key or
spanner which operates the spindle is adapted to engage therewith and so operate
the spindle. The lock 15 has an internal projection 16 which fits this key-way
and prevents the lock turning relatively to the spindle; the; lock is also provided
with an external projection 17 which, when the lock is put in position, engages
with one of a series of notches formed in the plate 7 and shown in Fig. VI; this
double engagement of the lock prevents the rotation of the spindle. The lock
has also a bolt 18, operated by a key mechanism, and adapted to shoot into the
recess 19 formed in the plate 7 and thus secure the lock in position.
I attach great importance to the fact that all the gearing is snugly housed
within the casing the axial dimensions of which can be reduced to very small
limits, and that as the movement of the working parts is one of rotation there is
consequently comparatively little friction; the arrangement houses completely in
the thickness of a wood deck, is entirely self contained, and can be adapted
generally to record the number of turns made from its extreme positions, by a
spindle operating a valve or other device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. The improved apparatus for indicating the amount of opening of valves,
bulkhead doors and the like, which consists of a fixed casing such as 2; a
movable casing such as 7; two wheels having internal teeth, one wheel being fixed
to each casing; a pinion, freely pivoted on an eccentric portion of the spindle
which operates the valve, and adapted to gear internally with the said two wheels
as the spindle is rotated; substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated.
"
2. The improved apparatus for indicating the amount of opening of valves,
bulkhead doors and the like, substantially as described and illustrated in
Figs. 1, II, and III.
3. The improved apparatus for indicating the amount of opening of valves,
bulkhead doors and the like, substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. IV.
4. The improved apparatus for indicating the amount of opening of valves,
bulkhead doors and the like, substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. V.
and VI.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1896
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.