IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF Steam Pumping aND OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Rogers, of Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF Steam Pumping aND OTHER
ENGINES."
Sealed the 13th March 1874, and dated the 27th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Rogers at
the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th September 1873.
I, JOHN EDWARD ROGERS, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM PUMPING
AND OTHER ENGINES," to be as follows:-
•
-
My Invention consists in working the valves of steam pumps and
other reciprocating engines by the direct action of the steam or other
motive power employed.
For illustration of my Invention as applied to steam pumps (and
which would be similar in other engines), besides the ordinary ports

page_text: t
employed to work the main piston I employ in addition two auxillary
ports, having communication with the valve piston in the steam chest,
the main piston allowing the steam from behind it to enter these ports
after it has passed them in its stroke. Each of these auxillary ports are
fitted with a small auxillary valve, having its larger surface exposed to
the steam as it enters down the ordinary pört for working the main
piston, and the smaller surface exposed to the action of the steam from
the auxillary port. By this arrangement it will be seen that these
auxillary valves are kept in their seats at whichever end at which
the main piston may be receiving steam, but as it approaches the
opposite end, and having passed the auxillary port (that end being the
exhaust, and there being therefore no pressure on the auxillary valve
from the ordinary port), the steam lifts it, and enters on the valve piston
and drives it in the direction necessary, which motion is repeated as the
main piston performs its stroke.
If I choose to do so I can use auxillary ports without their valves, but
in this case I have the valve piston arranged with ports which are cut
off by the said piston in its course either way, and allow a larger steam
space behind the said piston at both ends, which, when it has cut the
steam off, will perform the remainder of its stroke by expansion. For
the exhausting of this valve piston I employ a tube or rod passing
through it with closed ends, and also through the exhaust port or ports
communicating with it, and which rod or tube extends a suitablo
distance beyond the faces of the valve piston; thus it is kept in its
proper position by the steam chest lids or other suitable stops, ports
being cut in it to allow the steam to exhaust at proper times.
I use at my option either the circular or slide valve in the working of
my engine.
I also, if necessary, use stops to regulate the lift of the auxillary
valves which may be double faced

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Edward Rogers in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
EDWARD ROGERS, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Edward Rogers, Her
special licence that I, the said John Edward Rogers, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Edward
Rogers, my executors, administrators, 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 THE METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM PUMPING
AND OTHER ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Edward Rogers, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Edward Rogers, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say) :—
My Invention consists in working the valves of steam pumps and
other reciprocating engines by the direct action of the steam or other
motive power employed.
For illustration of my Invention as applied to steam pumps (and
which would be similar in other engines), besides the ordinary ports

page_text: "
'
"
employed to work the main piston I employ in addition two auxillary
ports, having communication with the valve piston in the steam chest,
the main piston allowing the steam from behind it to enter these ports
after it has passed them in its stroke. Each of these auxillary ports are
fitted with a small auxillary valve, having its larger surface exposed to
the steam as it enters down the ordinary port for working the main
piston, and the smaller surface exposed to the action of the steam from
the auxillary port. By this arrangement it will be seen that these
auxillary valves are kept in their seats at whichever end at which the
main piston may be receiving steam, but as it approaches the opposite
end, and having passed the auxillary port (that end being the exhaust,
and there being therefore no pressure on the auxillary valve from the
ordinary port), the steam lifts it, and enters on the valve piston and
drives it in the direction necessary, which motion is repeated as the main
piston performs its stroke.
If I choose to do so I can use auxillary ports without their valves,
but in this case I have the valve piston arranged with ports, which are
cut off by the said piston in its course cither way, and allow a larger
steam space behind the said piston at both ends, which, when it has
cut the steam off, will perform the remainder of its stroke by expansion.
For the exhausting of this valve piston I employ a tube or rod passing
⚫ through it with closed ends, and also through the exhaust port (or ports
communicating with it), and which tube or rod extends a suitable
distance beyond the face of the valve piston; thus it is kept in its
• proper position by the steam chest lids or other suitable stops, ports
being cut in it to allow the steam to exhaust at proper times.
I use at my option either the circular or slide valve in the working of
my engine.
I also, if necessary, use stops to regulate the lift of the auxillary
valves, which may be double faced.
That my Invention may be better understood I have annexed
Drawings thereof, which I now proceed ts describe.
Fig. 1 shews an elevation in section of the cylinder with the arrange-
ment of valves. a, a¹, and bare the auxillary valves, working in
combination with the main valve d; I, I', and H are the ordinary
exhaust and feed ports; E and E' are two auxillary ports leading from
the interior of the cylinder on to the ends of the main valve d and

page_text: auxillary valve b; k is an ordinary piston; O shews the entrance of the
steam for working the engine; L is a finger worked by the shaft and
handle W for putting the main valve D in position for starting; m, m,
and n, n, are stops for regulating the working of the auxillary valves a, a³,
and b; and flare ports leading from the ordinary ports I and T¹ into
the space above the auxillary ports a and a².
the space above the auxillary ports a and a².
Fig. 2 shews the same engine in section.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with the steam chest removed, for the
purpose of more distinctly shewing the proposed arrangement of the
ports.
Fig. 4 shews an arrangement of the same valve motion as previously
shewn and described in Fig. 1, with the exception of the auxillary
valves a and a¹ in Fig. 1, and as applied to those engines in which the
length of the piston exceeds the stroke.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew another method of exhausting the main valve D
instead of exhausting by the auxillary valve b. Instead thereof I use
branch ports h, h¹, and h, which are uncovered alternately by the main
valve, the centre port h¹ having continual entrance into the ordinary
exhaust through the side of the main valve d, as shewn,
A similar arrangement may be made with the branch ports h, h¹, and
h, in the main valve d, by allowing the port ³ to come alternately in
communication with the exhaust h.
Fig. 7 shews another construction of the auxillary. valve 6 in com-
bination with the main valve d.
Fig. 9 shews the method of governing the auxillary valves a and a¹
(which may also be applied to the auxillary valve 6 by the variations in
the pressure of steam working the engine.
For illustration of the working of the engine:-Suppose the valve d
to be in the position shewn in Fig. 1, the steam entering the passage I'
on to the piston k (moving it in the direction of the arrow) will also have
entered through the passage f¹ on to the auxillary valve a', forcing it
into its place and stopping the communication of the passage e¹ with the
main valve d, but after the piston has passed the opposite auxillary
port e the steam lifts. the auxillary valve a and enters on the main
valve.d, forcing it over and changing the action of the steam to the

page_text: other side of the main piston, which steam will also close the auxillary
valve a in its turn, the auxillary valve 6 being brought into the same
position to the main valve, as here shewn, so allowing the steam to pass
away into the ordinary exhaust port h after it has done its work, and
thus leaving no hindreance to the steam acting on the other end.
The auxillary valve is constructed in the following manner :-A
piece of suitable metal is turned to fit the chamber where it works, as
shewn, then grooved or cut away to the necessary distance from each
end, as shewn in section in Fig. 2, so that when the main valve d has
passed over the end of the auxillary valve 6 to the point where the 1
grooves are cut, it allows the steam to pass into the exhaust h, as
described and shewn. This auxillary valve 6 may be constructed from
a piece of tubing, having its ends closed, and then drilling holes into it
to allow the steam to pass into the exhaust.
Another method of constructing the auxillary valve-b is shewn in 1
Fig. 7. In this case the ends are made larger, and act as valves by
closing on to the faces of the main valve d. Or, if preferred, a tube may
be employed, which would of course be closed in a similar manner.
Fig. 4 shews the main valve d and the auxillary valve 6 applied to
that class of engine where the main piston k exceeds the stroke, the said
piston uncovering the auxillary ports e and e¹ (which in this case are
crossed) alternately, and allowing the steam to move the main valve d
and exhaust similar to Fig. 1.
Fig. 8 shews another method whereby the auxillary valves a and a¹
may be dispensed with, the steam in this case entering beneath the main
valve d, passing through it to the face by the passage e², which are cut
-off and opened alternately as the steam is brought to act on them.
The auxillary valves e and e¹ are arranged in the cylinder as shewn in
· Fig. 1.
Fig. 9 shews the method of governing the action of the auxillary :
valves by the variation in the pressure of the steam for working the
engine, the steam entering through the passage R on to the under side
of the small piston P in the cylinder X, the piston rod being jointed to
the lever S, as shewn. On the other end is jointed the stopper n, and
working over the fulcrum S¹, so it will be seen that when the pressure
of the steam acting on the piston P varies, the auxillary valve a in its

page_text: turn varies in its lift, thereby allowing more or less steam to enter the
main valve d, and thus governing the speed of the engine as desired.
The lever S may be extended, and attached to a spring or other
counterbalance.
I may also govern the action of both auxillary valves from one
cylinder instead of two, as shewn.
Any of the arrangements I have shewn can be made to work in com-
bination with the ordinary slide valves. They may also be arranged for
the pump and engine to work vertically.
The auxillary valves a and a² may have equal surfaces exposed to the
steam. In this case they would cut off the steam and fall into their
places by their own gravity, or by the additional pressure of the steam
upon their upper faces.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that
without limiting myself to the precise detail herein described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied
or modified to some extent without departing from the nature of my
Invention, what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,
-
First. The auxillary valves a, a¹, and b, in combination with the main
valve d.
Second. The use of the auxillary valves a and a¹ in combination with
any other method of exhausting the main valve d.
-
Third. The use of the auxillary valve 6 in combination with the main
valve d, or the method of exhausting, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, in com-
bination with any other auxillary valve or valves.
Fourth. Governing the alternate working of independent auxillary
valves a, a¹, (or their equivalents) by the main supply of steam to either
side of the main piston k.
Fifth. The method of admitting steam on to the main valve d and
auxillary valve b, as shewn in Fig. 8.
Sixth. The use of stops governing the working of the auxillary
valves a, a¹, and b, as shewn in Fig. 1, or other equivalent stops, which

page_text: may be adjusted by the variation of the steam or other motive power
employed, as shewn in Fig. 9.
Seventh. The use of the main valve & and auxillary valves b, or the
arrangement of ports, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6, and also the com-
bination of these, or any other method of exhausting the main valve d
with the ports e and e², in combination with a piston constructed as
shewn in Fig. 4, substantially as herein-before described, and as illus-
trated in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Edward Rogers, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1874.