IMPROVEMENTS IN SLUICE VALVES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Davis, of 2, Ann Street, Globe Fields, Mile
End, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SLUICE VALVES."
Sealed the 12th July 1859, and dated the 14th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Davis at, the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
January 1859.
I, WILLIAM DAVIS, of-2, Ann Street, Globe Fields, Mile End, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SLUICE VALVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object 'improvements in sluice valves. For theso
purposes the case is cast or formed with a recess on one side of the water way
into which the valve passes when it is opened. The valve is circular where
.it closes the water passage, and it may be made with one or two bearing sur-
faces. The valve turns on an axis, and it is moved by means of a screw in
the following manner :-The valve has a projecting arm beyond the axis of its
motion, and such axis of motion is on one side of the water way or passage.
To the arm or projection of the valve is attached a rod with a screw formed
thereon. The pin by which the rod is attached to the arm of the valve works

page_text: in a curved slot formed through the arm. The screw works through a stuffing
box, which is kept tight by a suitable gland through which the end of the
screw rod passes, and it enters a hollow tubular screw key, which is closed at
its outer end, and it is fixed to the gland of the stuffing box by a second
gland or cover through which the hollow key passes, and by reason of its inner
end being formed with a projecting flange, it turns fluid-tight in a recess formed
in the outer gland, so that the key can be turned and yet remain fluid-tight.
The recess for the valve is closed by a hollow cover, which is fixed to the case
by screws and nuts, and the screw rod works within such hollow cover, and
the stuffing box through which it passes is formed at one end of such hollow
cover.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William 'Davis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
July 1859.
TÓ
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I, WILLIAM
DAVIS, of 2, Ann Street, Globe Fields, Mile End, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto-
me, the said William Davis, Her special licence that I, the said William
Davis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Davis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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
SLUICE VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said. William
Davis, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Davis, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per--
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in sluice valves. For these
purposes the case is cast or formed with a recess on one side of the water way,
into which the valve passes when it is opened. The valve is circular where:
it closes the water passage, and it may be made with one or two bearing sur
faces. The valve turns on an axis; and it is moved by means of a screw in
the following manner:-The valve. has a projecting arm beyond the axis of its-
motion, and such axis of motion is on one side of the water way or passage:
To the arm or projection of the valve is attached a rod with a screw formed.
thereon. The pin 'by which the rod is attached to the arm of the valve:
works in a slot formed through the arm. The screw works through a;
stuffing box which is kept tight by a suitable gland through which the end
of the screw rod passes, and it enters a 'hollow tubular screw key, which
is closed at its outer end, and it is fixed to the gland of the stuffing box by a.
second gland or cover through which the hollow key passes, and by reason of
its inner end. being formed with a projecting flanch it turns fluid-tight in a
recess formed in. the outer gland, so that the key can be turned and yet,
remain. fluid-tight. The recess for the valve is closed by a hollow cover
which is fixed to the case by screws and nuts, and the screw. rod. works within:
such hollow cover, and the stuffing block through which it passes is formed at,
one end of such hollow cover...
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front view of a sluice valve arranged according to my
Iuvention; Figure 2 is a plan; Figure 3 an edge view; and Figure 4 a
longitudinal section of: the same.
a, a, is the case of the valve furnished with flanges a', a', by means of which
it is bolted to the flanges of the main pipes which proceed from it on either
side;
6 is an axis fixed in the case; it passes through the arm or projection c
of the valve c.. This valve, is a disc of cast iron, into the front of which a
brass facing ring. is let, and it is turned true; it has at its back two inclines
,, which as the valve by turning on its axis b, is brought into a position to

page_text: A
close the inlet pipe, comes against other inclines, and the inclines act together
to force the valve firmly against the projecting ring or flange :d cast on-the-
case around the mouth of the inlet pipe, which is properly faced. The valve
is actuated in the following manner:-The arm or projection.c' has a slot c³
formed in it, and also is forked at its end to receive the extremity of the rod e,
and a pin e¹ fixed to this rod enters the slot c³. A hollow cover f encloses
the arm or projection c¹, and the rod e passes up through a tubular passage fl
at the top of this cover; g is a gland fitting into the passage f¹, and underneath
this gland, packing is introduced to make a tight joint round the rod e.
screw, e, is cut on the upper end of the rod e, and it enters a hollow key h,
which encloses it; this key at its lower end has a corresponding screw cut within
it, and is furnished with a flange h¹, over which the cover fits; the bolts j
connect both the pieces g and h with the hollow cover f. It will thus be seen
that by turning the hollow key h by a suitable spanner, the valve c may be.
made to cover and close the inlet pipe, or may be removed from it at
pleasure. If desired, the flange h¹ of the hollow key h may be ground into
the covering piece i as an additional precaution against leakage, and in some
cases, as when the valve is to be employed for the regulation of heated air for
hot blast, I use no packing, and I also omit the gland g, a tight joint being.
made only by grinding the flange h' into the covering piece i.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement, in which the hollow key h is made open at
the top so that the rod e may rise up through it. When this construction is
adopted, the position of the rod e serves to indicate the position of the valve c..
Valves of this construction are very suitable for use in gasworks.
For valves which are liable to have an excess of pressure sometimes on one
side and sometimes on the other, I fit the valve c with a facing ring on both
sides, and I make the valve somewhat wedge-shaped, that is to say, thinner at
the top than at the bottom, and projecting rings or flanges d are cast on the
case round the mouths of the pipes on both sides, and the faces of these pro-
jecting rings or flanges are formed at an inclination to each other corresponding
with the inclination of the two facing rings of the valve e. The method of
actuating the valve c may be modified in some cases; for example, I cause the
hollow key h to pass to the bottom of the tubular passage f¹, and I place the
packing over the flange h¹ of the key, and a gland is employed to keep the
packing in its place; or the valve may be actuated by a rod passing through
the stuffing box in the top of the hollow cover f, so that it can be turned freely
by applying a key to its upper end. At its lower end a screw is cut, and this
receives a nut which is embraced by the fork at the end of the arm or pro-

page_text: jection c¹, and the nut has pins on it entering the slots in the arm or projection.
Thus, when the rod is turned, the nut on its lower end travels and carries the
valve c with it.
It will readily be seen that the recess formed on one side of the case a to
receive the valve c when the passage is open, may either be under or over the
inlet and outlet pipes, as may be most convenient.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Davis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
WILLIAM DAVIS. (L.S.)