IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS, GASES, AND OTHER ELASTIC FLUIDS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugène Bourdon, Engineer, of 36, Rue de Malte,
Paris, in the Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VALVES FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS, GASES, AND OTHER ELASTIC
FLUIDS."
Sealed the 2nd August 1867, and dated the 7th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eugène Bourdon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th May 1867.
.
I, EUGÈNE BOURDON, Engineer, of 36, Rue de Malte, Paris, in the Empire.
of France; do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS, GASES, AND OTHER.
ELASTIC FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
In regulating the flow of liquids, gases, and vapours I replace the ordinary.
metal valves and cocks by a flexible valve made with a membrane or a very
supple material, such as skin, leather, india-rubber, textile fabrics prepared with.
india-rubber, or wire cloth, or other metallic fabric, very flexible yet very close,
in fact, by a valve made of any material very soft, impervious to the fluid..
which it is intended to retain, and incorruptible by the said fluid; this valve
is laid over the orifices which it is to close, or raised when they are to be
opened by means of a lever arm at the end of which it is attached..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Eugène Bourdon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EUGÈNE
BOURDON, Engineer, of 36, Rue de Malte, Paris, in the Empire of France,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Eugène Bourdon, Her special licence that I, the said Eugène
Bourdon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Eugène Bourdon, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VALVES FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF LIQUIDS, GASES, AND OTHER
ELASTIC FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Eugène
Bourdon, my executors or administrators, by an instrunrent 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 Eugène Bourdon, 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 :-
: In the pipes used for conveying water, gases, or other elastic fluids there
áre cocks, and clack and other valves for regulating their distribution, and
when the pressure of the fluid is very great considerable power is required to
open and to close these cocks and valves. To overcome this difficulty I have
invented a flexible valve which opens easily with very little force; this valve
is nothing but a membrane, that is to say, a strip or band of supple material
fitting exactly on the edges of the openings, by which the water or the gases
are to issue in order to close the said openings; this strip or band is attached
to the end of a lever, which unrolls it in applying it on the orifice which is

page_text: to be closed, or winds it up in lifting it when the orifice is to be opened. I
make these valves of thin skin, of leather, of india-rubber, of gutta percha, or
other analogous material, according to the nature of the fluid which is to be
retained, and also according to the dimensions which I must give to them in
every case; these flexible valves must be of a material impervious to the fluid
which is to be retained, and not to be attacked thereby.
Thus for water or air I make my valves of leather, of india-rubber, of a
woven fabric prepared with india-rubber, or of gutta percha.
For illuminating gas I can make them of greasy leather, of cloth or felt
impregnated with a fatty matter, of sulphurized india-rubber, or analogous
material.
For steam I shall make them of wire gauze lined or coated with some soft
and elastic material which will fill its meshes, I might also use an assemblage of
small copper plates brought edge to edge by hinges, which would give them
the pliability requisite for the winding up and unwinding of the valve, or I
can use certain combinations of metallic plates and wires which have almost
as much flexibility as membranes.
It will be observed that one of the great advantages of these flexible valves
is that they close hermetically by fitting exactly on the edges of the openings
without any previous dressing or grinding of the surfaces in contact, which
saves labour, both in fitting these valves and in keeping them in repair.
I will now give some specimens of my flexible valves by means of the
Sheet of Drawing annexed to and forming part of this my Specification.
The Figures 1 and 2 are two sections of one of these valves in its box, the
first following the line A, B, and the second that C, D. M is the valve box
or chamber, it may be closed in front by a sheet of glass I which will permit
inspection of the working of the valve. The water enters by the elbow
pipe P, and issues by the orifice R, which is composed of a number of small
holes m, m, m, pierced in the plate T or bottom of the box.
All these
openings m, m, m, are closed by the flexible valve Q, which is a strip of leather
fitting exactly on the plate T. It will be evident that if the outlet R were a
single opening, the valve not finding sufficient support would sink into this
opening, and would soon be destroyed. The valve Q is attached at one end
to the extremity of a lever arm L and at the other on the plate T. The
lever L is joined to the axle K, K¹, which passes out of the box, traversing
with gentle friction the screw jacket J, and the conical part ✗ forms a
bermetical joint. A handle which fixes on to the end K' of this axle serves
to give it motion, that is to say, to open and close the valve Q. When the
lever is in the position indicated by L the valve is stretched, and the orifice R

page_text: closed, but when this lever is brought from L to L' it lifts the valve which
winds in the direction of Q', and then the orifice R or the passages.m, m, m,
'open almost without effort.
The Figs. 3 and 4 shew another arrangement of flexible valve, the same
letters indicating the same parts as in the preceding Figures. Fig. 3 is a
front view of the box with its valve, and Fig. 4 a section of it at X, X. M is
the box closed in front by the sheet of glass I; P, the inlet, and R, the outlet
pipe; T is a cylindrical concave plate adjusted at the bottom of the box, and
pierced with holes m, m, m, for the exit of the fluid by the pipe R; Q is the
flexible valve, say, of leather, attached by one end to the lever L, and at the
other on the plate T. This valve is opened and closed by means of the handle.f
fixed on the end K' of the axle of the lever L.
The Figs. 5 and 6 are a front and a sectional view at Y, Y, of another
flexible valve box replacing advantageously what is termed a two-way cock.
P is the inlet pipe, and there are two outlet pipes R and R separated by a
partition A which runs between the bottom of the box and the plate T. The
valve Q, Q, is double, it is shewn in the position in which it closes the two
orifices; if the lever L is turned to the right it opens the orifice R, and if it
is turned to the left it opens that R. This arrangement of valve has a great
analogy with the slide valves of steam engines, and might replace them very
advantageously, which I reserve the right of doing, the steam would arrive by
the pipe P, and enter into the cylinder at one end by the orifice R, and at the
other end by the orifice R, in this case the box M would be a steam chest.
The Fig. 7 is the front view of a flexible valve box, the plate T of which is
a cylindrical surface slightly convex, the effect being that the valve when
placed in the position shewn on the Drawing at Q finds itself lightly stretched
on the plate, which is a condition of good closing. When the lever comes
from L to L' the valve is entirely raised.
Fig. 8 is the front view of the same box with flexible valve, but the valve
is connected with the lever L in another way; it is still drawn and stretched
on the convex plate T, but drawn more directly.
Fig. 9 is a section through the middle of a box with flexible valve of a long
development. M is the box; P, the inlet orifice, and R, the outlet orifice.
The moveable end of this valve Q is attached to a rod L, which slides in a
stuffing box J; it is in pulling up this rod by its handle L' that the valve is
opened. The handle L' might be replaced by a rack, when the valve would
open and close by means of a pinion.
My flexible valve, made of the necessary dimensions and suitably arranged,
might re; lace the hatches of dams or sluices, and would be much more easily.

page_text: manoeuvered than such flood gates or hatches. I might also use it to replace
the regulating hatch of hydraulic wheels, it would then be applied upon a
sort of grating, which would support it, and through which the water would
pass when the valve was opened.
What I claim, as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent is,-
Firstly, the Invention of the membranous or flexible valve, opening and
shutting by means of a lever which removes it from the outlet orifice, or
applies it upon the said orifice without effort, whatever may be the pressure
that the fluid which fills the box exercises on this valve.
Secondly, the method of fitting this valve with a lever which spreads it over
the orifice or detaches it therefrom according to requirement.
Thirdly, the application of this valve to water, gas, and steam conduits,
making it of suitable material.
Fourthly, its use as a two-way cock, or as a distributor of gas or steam in
motive-power engines.
Fifthly, its use as a regulating hatch for hydraulic wheels.
Sixthly, its use to open and close the orifices or sluice openings of the gates
of locks and dams.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eugène Bourdon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
BRESSON, F.
36, Rue de Malte, at Paris.
E. BOURDON. (L.S.)