CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DIMINISHING VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Squire Farron, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, Brassfounder, for the Invention of “CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN DIMINISHING VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Squire Farron at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd August 1870.
I, SQUIRE FARRON, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lan-
caster, Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DIMINISHING VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My improved diminishing valve consists of an equilibrium valve
fitting in a suitable case; the valve is acted upon by an adjustable
weight on a lever connected to the valve spindle, the other end of which
lever is connected by a rod to an oval tube spring bent in a C form, into
which tube the steam enters after it has passed through the equilibrium

page_text: valve; by this arrangement when the escaping steam is above the
pressure required the oval tube moves by the extra pressure of steam,
and acting on the lever partially closes the equilibrium valve, thereby
contracting the spaces for the passage of the steam and reducing the
pressure in the off pipe. This diminishing valve is applicable to all
purposes where diminishing valves are used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Squire Farron in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SQUIRE
FARRON, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Brass-
founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Squire Farron, Her special licence that
I, the said Squire Farron, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Squire Farron, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DIMINISHING
VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Squire Farron, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument 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 Squire Farron, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement (that is to say) :-
My improved diminishing valve consists of an equilibrium valve
fitting in a suitable case; the valve is acted upon by an adjustable
weight on a lever connected to the valve spindle, the other end of which
lever is connected by a rod to an oval tube spring bent in a C form (and
commonly known as a Bourdon spring), into which tube the steam
enters after it has passed through the equilibrium valve; by this
arrangement when the escaping steam is above the pressure required
the oval tube moves by the extra pressure of steam, and acting on the
lever partially closes the equilibrium valve, thereby contracting the
spaces for the passage of the steam and reducing the pressure in the off
pipe. This valve is applicable to all purposes where diminishing valves
are used.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2
an edge view of a diminishing valve constructed according to my
improvements.
a is the casing of the valve; and b, the lid of the casing containing the
stuffing box, c, through which the spindle d passes; to this spindle are
cast or fixed the equilibrium valves d¹ and d², the former being rather
larger than the latter, as usual; these valves fit upon seatings made in
the partitions of the casing a. The upper end of the spindle d is pro-
vided with a bridle d³, through which passes the lever e, whose fulcrum
is at e¹, and this lever is provided with an adjustable weight e², the
position of which is varied according to the pressure required. The end
of the lever e is connected by the regulating screws f, nut f¹, and
bridle f, to one end of the oval tube or Bourdon spring g, the other
end of which is connected to the under side of the casing a. By this
arrangement when the steam has passed through the equilibrium valves
it is free to enter into the Bourdon spring, and if the pressure of the
escaping steam is too high the opening of the spring draws down the
end of the lever e and partially closes the equilibrium valves, thereby
contracting the spaces for the passage of the steam, and reducing the
pressure in the off pipe, whereas if the steam is escaping at too low a
pressure the contraction of the Bourdon spring opens the equilibrium

page_text: valve and allows more steam to pass, thus keeping the steam in the off
pipe at an uniform or nearly uniform pressure.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 4 a plan of a diminishing valve
constructed according to a modification of my Invention; in these views
the parts marked a, b, c, d, d¹, d², e, f, f', and f%, are very similar to
those described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2, but the lever e, which is
shortened, is fixed to the spindle h, which passes through the stuffing
box c in the casing a, and to it is fixed the lever h³, connected above by
the regulating screw f and nut f¹ to the end of the Bourdon spring g,
and below by the links f² to the weighted lever i, whose fulcrum is at i¹;
the operation of this diminishing valve is precisely similar to that shewn
in Figs. 1 and 2.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described two
convenient modes of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to be
understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the details given, as
the construction of the equilibrium or other valve through which the
steam whose pressure has to be diminished passes may be varied; but
what I claim is, the application of the Bourdon spring to diminishing
valves in the manner and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Squire Farron, have hereto set 1
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.