Year: 1888

page_text: EDWARD DIXON Princess Avenue, Hull, Managing director in Hull, for Blundell
Spence & Coy. Limited, Manufacturers of Paints Colors and Varnishes and Oil
Boilers and refiners do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention consists of an apparatus that by means of electricity immediately
cuts off the steam from an engine and so stops the same almost immediately. The
apparatus is worked from one or more electric pushes that may be fixed in many
different places at any required distance, from the engine. The apparatus is formed
by a combination of a solenoid or solenoids with levers catches and weights or spring
or springs. The power released by electricity disconnects the governor and allows
the throttle valve to be closed by a weight or it may directly close the same or any
other valve by which the steam may be cut off from the Engine. The apparatus is
reset by raising the weight or compressing a spring.
Dated this Fourth day of September 1888..

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Electric Apparatus for Stopping a Steam Engine from a Distance.
I EDWARD DIXON of Princess Avenue, Hull, Managing Director, in Hull, for
Blundell, Spence and Company, Limited, Manufacturers of Paints, Colors and
Varnishes, and Oil Boilers and Refiners, 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 relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for cutting off the
supply of steam to the engine through the action of a current of electricity, the
advantage being, that any given point in the works supplied with motive power by
the engine, the working of the engine may be at once arrested by touching a key or
pusher within the electric circuit.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shews in diagram my improved apparatus in combination with the steam
governor and the throttle valve of the engine which it is designed to control. .Fig. 2
is a detached side elevation of the apparatus which serves to disconnect the governor
from the throttle valve, and thereby to stop the supply of steam to the engine.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of this apparatus, and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 3.
Referring to Fig. 1, A is a ball governor of any approved construction, and Ba
weighted throttle valve situate, say, in the steam supply pipe of the engine. Keyed
to the throttle valve spindle is an arm B1, formed with a line of holes to receive an
adjustable stud pin. Upon this stud pin catches a connecting arm A¹ pivotted to a
bell-crank lever A2 having a forked limb, which embraces the rising and falling sleeve
of the governor A. Through this arm A¹, the throttle valve is controlled by the
varying speeds of rotation of the governor, and it is by the disengagement of the
arm A from the stud of the arm B', that the weight is allowed to drop and close
the throttle valve and cut off the supply of steam to the engine.
I will now explain the means whereby the governor and throttle valve are for the
time disconnected.
Attached to the connecting arm A' is a chain C, which passes over supporting
guide,pullies, and connects, at its pendent end, with a hollow spindle carrying a
weight C. This spindle drops over a fixed guide rod, and passes through a fixed
guide formed for it in the bracket casting C².. Surrounding the spindle and the fixed
guide rod, at opposite ends of the weight C, are coiled springs c, which act as
buffers for the weight C, and prevent it striking against the guide arms of the
bracket casting.
Situate near the weight C, is a horizontal rock shaft D, provided with a radial
stud d, which underlies the weight.C when that is in a raised position.
The rock shaft D is supported in suitable bracket bearings, and keyed to it is an
arm D, which, by reason of the weight C bearing on the stud d, is caused to
bear against a catch lever E supported on a fulcrum pin e carried by the bracket
casting..
This lever E carries a cylindrical core of soft iron E', which stands up within a
solenoid E carried by a clip from the bracket casting.

page_text: This solenoid is connected by insulated wires with an electric battery, for the
purpose of receiving a current therefrom as occasion may require, and thereby
drawing up the core of soft iron E', and consequently lifting the catch lever E.
The lever E is counterbalanced, so that its normal position will be horizontal, at
which time its catch will be presented to the arm D', and serve to hold it in the
position shown at Fig. 3.
D2 is a weighted arm keyed to the rock shaft D, for the purpose of returning
the arm D, after being depressed (as will be presently explained) to its drawn
position.
D³ is a third arm keyed to the rock shaft D, and capable of moving in a limited
space between stud pins projecting from a quadrant on the bracket casting. By
means of this arm and studs, the axial movement of the rock shaft. D is limited.
Supposing, now, that it is desired to stop the action of the steam engine, a pusher
or key situate at any poi it within the electric circuit of the battery is touched, and
caused to complete the circuit. The current will then flow through the solenoid, and
by a momentarily attractive force imparted thereto, will draw up the core of soft iron,
and cause the catch lever E to rise to the dotted position of Fig. 3. The arm D₁ of
the rock shaft D being thus released, the stud pin & will no longer serve to sustain the
weight C, and that weight falling to the dotted position, will, through its chain C,
lift the connecting arm A¹ to the dotted position of Fig. 1, and thereby disengage the
throttle valve, which, through a weighted arm on its spindle, will close and cut off
the supply of steam to the engine.
To restart the engine, the attendant in the engine room will be required to
reset the apparatus, and again connect the governor with the arm B' of the throttle
valve spindle.
This he will do by raising the weight to the drawn position of Fig. 2, and
hitching the catch of the arm A' onto the stud pin of the throttle valve arm B. In
raising the weight C, it will pass the stud pin d of the rock shaft D, the stud
yielding to its upward pressure, but so soon as the weight again presses on the stud,
the arm I will be brought into contact with the balanced catch lever (which has fallen
to its normal position), and the weight will thus be sustained as before, leaving the
governor free to control the speed of the engine.
From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the apparatus may
be made to act directly, instead of indirectly, on the throttle valve, or indeed upon
any equivalent valve of the engine, the weighted chain being so connected with the
spindle of the cut-off valve, as to close the passage for the steam. In such case, the
connecting arm or rod A¹ of the governor being permanently attached to an arm of
the valve spindle, will transmit the movement to the governor which it receives from
the throttle valve. It will also be obvious that in place of using a solenoid, an
electro-magnet with a rocking armature might be used for lifting the balanced catch
lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
The arrangement of apparatus above described, whereby, through the agency of an
electric current, the supply valve of a motive-power engine may be caused to stop the
engine at any desired distance therefrom.