IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE GEAR FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: We, WALTER WILLS and FRANK WILLS, of Polden Street, Bridgwater, in the
County of Somerset, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE GEAR FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES to be as
follows:-
:
"
The improvements which constitute this invention relate to that class of valve
gear in which the valves employed for the admission and exhaust of steam or other
motive agent to and from the cylinders of engines are actuated by means of cams
carried either on the main or crank shaft or on a counter-shaft.
The valves may
be of the double-beat or equilibrium or similar type.
According to this invention the cams whereby the steam or other motive agent
is admitted to the cylinder are loosely carried on the shaft and are so shaped that
the valves are maintained open to admit the steam or other agent to the cylinder
during a longer or shorter period according to the portion of the periphery of the
cams in contact with the rollers carried at the lower ends of the rods through the
medium of which the valves are raised and lowered. The position of the rollers
on the peripheries of the said loose cams is controlled by the governor the sliding
collar of which is connected with the outer end of a spindle preferably contained
within the shaft upon which the cams are carried and which is made hollow to
receive the said spindle.
:
The spindle, which is rigidly connected to the loose cams by means of keys or
wedges passed through it and the cams, is capable of being moved horizontally in
the shaft. Accordingly as the sliding collar of the governor rises or falls in the
working of the engine the spindle aforesaid is moved and the cams connected
thereto are acted upon to cause the supply of steam or other agent to be reduced
or increased as the work varies-The shaft carrying the loose cains is slotted to
permit the requisite movements of the cams.
The exhaust valves are actuated by means of cams fixed on the shaft which
carries the loose cams.
Under a modification, the shaft which carries the cams, and which may be either
the main or crank shaft or a counter-shaft worked off the main shaft, is not made
hollow and the sliding spindle employed in the arrangement above described is
dispensed with. The cams which actuate the admission valves are connected
together outside the shaft by rods, and to a collar connected with the governor.
The speed of the engine is accordingly regulated by the governor as the work
required to be done varies.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Valve Gear for Steam and other Engines.
We, WALTER WILLS and FRANK WILLS, both of Polden Street, Bridgwater, in
the County of Somerset, Engineers, 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 :-
The improvements which constitute this invention relate to that class of valve
gear in which the valves by which the steam or other motive agent is admitted to
and exhausted from the cylinder of the engine are actuated by means of cams
carried either on the main or crank shaft or on a counter shaft. The valves may
be of the double-beat or equilibrium or similar type.
The cams which actuate the valves whereby the steam or other motive agent is
admitted to the cylinder are, under this invention, carried loosely on their shaft.
They are of approximately conical and spiral form and by them the valves are
maintained open to admit the motive agent to the cylinder during a longer or
shorter period according to the part of the periphery of the cams which is in contact
with anti-friction rollers carried in bearings at the lower ends of rods through the
medium of which the valves are actuated. The position of the cams relatively to
the rollers is regulated by the governor the sliding collar of which is connected by
a bell crank to the rear end or other part of a spindle. Under one arrangement
The cams are
this spindle is passed through the shaft which carries the cams.
rigidly connected to the spindle aforesaid by keys or wedges. The spindle is
capable of being moved along the hollow shaft, and is so moved by the rise and
fall of the sliding collar of the governor. Consequently, the cams are drawn
back wards and forwards according to the action of the governor, and the supply of
steam or other motive agent is thereby controlled and the speed of the engine
regulated. The shaft which carries the cams is slotted to allow of the requisite
movements of the cams.
The exhaust valves are actuated by means of cams formed on or 6xed to the
shaft which carries the loose cams aforesaid:
Under a modification, the shaft which carries the cams is not made hollow and
the sliding spindle employed in the arrangement above described is not used.
The cams which actuate the admission valves are, in this arrangement, connected
outside the shaft by rods or by other suitable means and to a sleeve connected with
the governor.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings, Fig. 1, thereon
represents a side elevation of the cylinder end of an engine fitted with valve gear
or mechanism constructed and arranged according to one method of carrying this
invention into practical effect. The valves shown are of the ordinary equilibrium
type. As is obvious, they may be of the double-beat or other similar or analagous
type. Fig. 2 represents a rear end elevation of the engine. Fig. 3, is a transverse
vertical section through one of the admission valves.

page_text: It will be convenient to consider the engine referred to as a steam engine, but
it is to be understood that the valves and the mechanism by which they are, under
this invention, actuated may be applied to an engine actuated by compressed air or
other motive agent.
On the hollow rotating shaft O are loosely carried the cams A. A. by which the
lift of the valves which govern the admission of the steam to the cylinder B is
controlled. The cams A. A, which rotate with the shaft Care rigidly fixed by the
keys L to the spindle I contained within the hollow shaft C which is slotted as
at O. O., Fig. 1, to receive the said keys L. Towards the rear end of the spindle I
is a collar N, which is partially embraced by a fork formed on the lower end of the
long arm of the bell crank M, pivotted at m to the bracket X. The short arm M¹
of the bell crank engages with the sliding collar H of the governor G. As the
collar H of the governor G is raised and lowered, in accordance with the variation
of the duty of the engine, motion is imparted to the spindle I and the cams A. A.
Carried in bearings in the lower ends of the rods F. F are the anti-friction
rollers E. E which bear upon the cams A. A. as shown. The rods F. F are vertically
adjusted and set by the nuts f. f bearing respectively above and below the cross-
heads K. K. Each crosshead K. is connected to a rod D-see Fig. 3-carrying the
valves d. d whereby the admission of the steam to the cylinder is governed.
lift of the valves varies in extent according to the part of the periphery of the
cams A. A. in contact with the antifriction rollers E. E of the rods F. F.
The
Views, drawn to an enlarged scale, of a cam A are represented at Figs. 4, 5 and 6.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, Fig. 5 an end view seen from the left hand of Fig. 4 and
Fig. 6 a transverse section on the line y. y. Fig. 4.
The position along the shaft C of the cams A. A is, as aforesaid, determined by
the governor and a greater or less quantity of steam is thereby admitted, and the
speed of the engine regulated, according to the duty required of the engine.
The valves by which the steam is exhausted from the cylinder are constructed
and arranged in a manner similar to that in which the admission valves are con-
structed and arranged. The rods S. S. from which the exhaust valves are operated,
and which correspond to the rods F. F of the admission valves, are adjustable by
the nuts ff and are furnished at their lower ends with antifriction rollers R. R,
but the cams P. P on which the rollers R. R bear are fixed to or formed on the
shaft C.
It will be seen that the valves are placed towards the different ends of the
cylinder B so that the steam is admitted thereto directly and with less diminution
of pressure than obtains where, as ordinarily, the steam is conducted to the ends of
the cylinder by ports from a centrally situated steam chest.
According to a modified method of carrying this invention into effect, the shaft
which carries the cams, and which may be either the main or crank shaft or a
countershaft rotated from the main shaft is not made hollow, and, instead of
employing a sliding spindle, such as I in the arrangement illustrated, the cams are
connected by rods or other suitable means connected to a sleeve operated by the
governor,
By placing the shaft C below the valves, the latter may be actuated directly
therefrom, the valve rods being for that purpose extended below the valves and
furnished with the antifriction rollers to work on the cams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
First. In a steam engine or similar motor, the use, for varying the duration of
time of the lift or opening of the admission valves, of cams such as A carried loosely
either upon a rotating shaft, which may be either the main or crank shaft of the
engine or a counter shaft rotated therefrom, and rigidly attached to a spindle
connected to the governor operating to vary the duration of time of lift or opening
of the admission valves substantially as hereinabove described.

page_text: Second. The modification hereinabove described in which the cams by means of
which the admission valves are operated are coupled together beyond or outside
their shaft by rods or other suitable means connected to a sleeve free to be moved
by the governor as the load on the engine varies.
Third. The combination of either of the arrangements referred to in the foregoing
claims and the mechanism for actuating the valves substantially as hereinabove.
described.