Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Steam or other Motive Fluid in Fluid Pressure Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept 1806
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1897-Accepted, 7th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1897-Accepted, 7th Aug., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Steam or other Motive
Fluid in Fluid Pressure Engines.
I, JOHN BROKENSHIRE FURNEAUX, of Victoria Works, Gateshead-on-Tyne, in
the County of Durham, Engineer, and ALEXANDER HORNE, of Victoria Works,
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in apparatus for distributing
actuating fluid in motors, (such as those of direct acting steam pumps) having
independent steam and exhaust valves to each end of the motor cylinder, the object
being to cause the said steam and exhaust valves when attaining a position wherein
one of the main steam ports of the engine cylinder is in communication with the
exhaust to, in an automatic way, rapidly alter their position so as to cause
the said port to be in full communication with the exhaust and the main steam
port to the opposite side of the piston to be in full communication with the steam
chest and consequently in a position for making a return stroke of the engine
piston and so on with respect to each stroke.
In one arrangement apparatus according to this invention, each end of the
motor cylinder is provided with separate steam and exhaust ports and passages
controlled respectively by steam and exhaust valves, the four valves being con-
nected to a common cross-head that is fixed to the rod of a piston mounted to work
in an auxiliary motor cylinder to the opposite ends of which steam is alternately
admitted by another valve that is intermittently operated by tappet mechanism
from the main piston rod. The rods of the steam exhaust valves are arranged in
in the same plane and pass through holes in the cross head so as to be each capable
of movement relatively thereto in opposition to a spring, the extent of movement
being limited in one direction by a nut or the equivalent stop and in the opposite
direction by the spring and a nut against which the one end of the spring acts, the
other end of the spring bearing against the cross head. The right and left hand
outer valves, which we will call for distinction 1 and 2 respectively, are steam
valves, one of them, viz. 1 opening inward and the outer (2) outward, the spring
of the former being arranged at the inner side of the cross-head and the spring
of the latter at the outer side of the cross head. The right and left hand inner
valves, which we will call 3 and 4 respectively, are exhaust valves, the former
opening outward and the latter inward, the spring of the former being arranged at
the outer side of the cross head and that of the latter at the inner side of the cross-
head. By means of the springs on the valve rods, the exhaust valves can be closed
before the steam valves are opened, and they also cause a rapid opening of the
steam valves to take place, thereby preventing the cutting action of the steam that
would take place if the steam were wire-drawn. The main steam and exhaust
passages may be cast in one with the motor cylinder and valve chambers and steam
be led from the main steam passage by a pipe to the valve chamber of the auxiliary

page_text: The exhaust of this motor may be controlled by a regulating valve so that
the altreation in the positions of the steam and exhaust valves can be effected at
any desired speed.
With the arrangement described, assuming the main steam piston to be making
its stroke from left to right. The steam valve 2 will be open so that steam will
be admitted passing to the left hand end of cylinder and the exhaust valve
will be open to exhaust so as to allow of free exit of steam from the right hand end
of the cylinder through the corresponding exhaust port and passage. The exhaust
valve 4 and steam valve 1 will at this time be closed. When the main piston has
passed the exhaust port leading to the exhaust valve 3, communication between the
right hand end of the cylinder and the exhaust is cut off and the steam contained
therein is subjected to compression. The main piston when it arrives in this position
operates the tappet mechanism and so actuates the valve of the auxiliary motor
which now admits steam to the outer end of the auxiliary motor cylinder and places
the inner end of that cylinder in communication with the exhaust so that the
auxiliary motor piston will make an inward movement equal to the amount of
lift which has been given to the said steam and exhaust valves. The inward move-
ment of the cross-head thereby produced, closes the steam valve 2 and exhaust
valve 3 and opens the steam valve I and the exhaust valve 4, thus admitting steam
to the right hand end of the motor cylinder and placing the left hand end of this
cylinder in communication with the exhaust whereupon the motion of main piston
is reversed. When this piston arrives nearly at the end of its new stroke, it reverses
the motion of the piston of the auxiliary motor and through the cross-head, moves
the steam and exhaust valves back into their original positions.
1100
Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Steam or other Motive
Fluid in Fluid Pressure Engines.
I, JOHN BROKENSHIRE FURNEAUX, of Victoria Works, Gateshead-on-Tyne, in
the County of Durham, Engineer, and ALEXANDER HORNE, of Victoria Works,
aforesaid, 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 has reference to improvements in apparatus for distributing
actuating fluid in motors (such as those of direct-acting steam-pumps) having inde-
pendent steam and exhaust valves to each end of the motor-cylinder, the object
being to cause the said steam and exhaust valves as the motor piston arrives near
the end of each stroke to rapidly and in an automatic way alter their positions so
as to enable the motor piston to make its return stroke as we shall now proceed to
explain with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a central
vertical section, Fig. 2 a side elevation and Fig. 3 a plan, illustrating one arrange-
ment of apparatus according to this invention, Fig. 4 is a vertical section through
an auxiliary cylinder and adjacent parts.
Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive illustrate another arrangement according to this invention
Fig. 5 shows a vertical section along the axis of the auxiliary cylinder and
through the steam and exhaust ports of the valve-chamber thereof:

page_text: Fig. 6 shows the auxiliary cylinder in elevation and also a section, perpendicular
to that shown in Fig. 5 along the axes of a steam and an exhaust valve:
Fig. 7 is a plan of the steam-chest:
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the cylinder with the steam-chest removed; and
Figs. 9 and 10 are elevations taken at right angles to each other, of a pump fitted
with apparatus such as shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive.
This
In each of the arrangements shown each end of the motor-cylinder 1 is provided
with separate steam and exhaust ports, 2 and 3 or 4 and 5, and passages, 2 and 3"
or 4 and 5", controlled respectively by steam and exhaust valves 2 and 3 or 4b
and 5b. The four valves are connected to a common crosshead 6 that is fixed to the
rod 7 of a piston 8 mounted to work in an auxiliary motor-cylinder 9 to the opposite
ends of which steam is alternately admitted by a piston-valve 10 (Fig. 4).
valve is intermittently operated by the main piston rod 11 by means of a tappet 12,
which alternately strikes against collars 13 and 13" (see Figs. 9 and 10) on a rod 14
connected with the rod 15 of the valve 10 by a lever 16 pivoted at 16 and, in the
case of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a link 17. In the arrangement
shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the rods of the steam and exhaust valves are arranged in the
same plane and at right angles to the main piston-rod 11, whereas in that shown in
Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive they are arranged around the auxiliary piston rod 7 and
parallel to the main piston-rod.
The
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the upper and lower outer valves 2
and 4 are steam-valves, one of them, riz. 2, opening inward and the other, 4
outward; whilst the upper and lower inner valves 3 and 5, are exhaust valves,
the former opening outward and the latter inward. In Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive, the
valves corresponding to those of Figs. 1 to 4 are marked with corresponding letters,
in this arrangement the directions of movement of the valve are reversed the
valves 2 and 5 opening outward and the valves 3 and 4 opening inward.
main steam and exhaust passages 2", 4" and 3", 5" respectively may, as shown, be
cast in one with the motor-cylinder and valve-chambers and steam be led from the
main steam-passage 18 by a pipe 19 to the valve-chamber 20 of the auxiliary motor,
which the pipe 19 joins at 19. The exhaust of this motor, which passes out and
into the main exhaust-passage 21 through a pipe 22 attached to the chamber 20
at 22", may be controlled by a regulating-valve or regulating-valves 23 so that the
alteration in the positions of the steam and exhaust valves 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be
effected at any desired speed.
If the main piston 24 be making its stroke from top to bottom the steam valve 2b
will be open so that steam will be admitted, passing to the upper end of the
cylinder 1, and the exhaust-valve 5b will be open to exhaust so as to allow of free
exit of steam from the lower end of the cylinder through the corresponding exhaust
port 5 and passage 5". The exhaust-valve 3b and steam-valve 4b will at this time
be closed. When the main piston 24 has closed the exhaust-port & leading to the
exhaust-valve 5b communication between the lower end of the cylinder 1 and the
exhaust is cut off and the steam contained therein is subjected to compression. The
main piston when it is arriving in this position, operates, by means of the tappet 12
and the collar 13" the valve 10 of the auxiliary motor which, now admits steam to
the lower end (Figs. 1 to 4), or the upper end (Figs. 5 to 10) of the auxiliary motor-
cylinder 9 through its port 25 and places the upper end (Figs. 1 to 4) or the lower
end (Figs. 5 to 10) of that cylinder in communication with the exhaust through
its port 26 so that the auxiliary motor-piston 8 will make an outward movement
(Figs. 1 to 4) or a downward movement (Figs. 5 to 10) equal to the amount of lift
which has been given to the steam and exhaust valves 2b, 3, 4b, and 5b. The out-
ward movement (Figs. 1 to 4) or downward movement (Figs. 5 to 10) of the cross-
head 6 thereby produced, closes the steam-valves 2b and the exhaust valve 5b and
opens the steani-valve 4b and the exhaust-valve 3, thus admitting steam to the
lower end of the motor-cylinder 1 and placing the upper end of this cylinder in
communication with the exhaust, whereupon the motion of the main-piston 24 is
reversed. When this piston arrives nearly at the end of its new stroke, it reverses

page_text: the motion of the piston 8 of the auxiliary motor and, through the cross-head 6,
moves the steam and exhaust valves 2b, 3b, 4, and 5b back into their original
positions.
Although the invention has been described in its application to steam engines
it will be obvious that it is equally applicable to engines driven by fluids other than
steam, such as compressed air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. Apparatus for distributing steam or other motive fluid in fluid-pressure
engines having independent steam and exhaust valves to each end of the motor-
cylinder, wherein the inlet valve of one end of the motor-cylinder and the exhaust-
valve of the other end open in one direction and the other two valves open in the
opposite direction, and the four valves are connected to the piston-rod of an
auxiliary motor, the steam distributing valve of which is controlled through tappet
mechanism from the main motor piston, the arrangement being such that as the
main piston arrives near each end of its stroke and compresses the motive fluid
contained in the corresponding end of the cylinder, the inlet-valve of that end of
the cylinder and the exhaust-valve of the other end of the cylinder are simul-
taneously opened and the other two valves simultaneously closed by the action of
the auxiliary motor, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. Motive-fluid distributing-apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding
claim, in which means are provided for controlling the exhaust from the auxiliary
motor cylinder in order to vary the speed at which the alteration of the positions
of the valves of the main cylinder is effected, substantially as herein before
described.
3. Apparatus for distributing steam or other motive fluid in fluid pressure
engines, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference respectively to and shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive and
in Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th dox of Lune 190
Dated this 28th day of Lung 190
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.