IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE MOTIONS FOR STEAM-ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonathan Edge of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE MOTIONS FOR
STEAM-ENGINES.”
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonathan Edge at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th August 1882.
JONATHAN EDGE of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN VALVE MOTIONS FOR STEAM ENGINES
"
My Invention relates in the first place to a former Invention for which Letters
Patent number 2038 of the year 1879 and bearing date the twenty second day of
May have been granted to me. In the said Invention I employed buffing cylinders
in connection with certain valve motions. According to my present Invention I
provide the buffing cylinder with a central stop-ring and I mount two sliding
pistons loosely on each side of a collar on the cut-off valve rod. Springs extend
between the said pistons and the cylinder covers. When the said buffing cylinder
moves in either direction at the times when the cut-off valve spindle is held by the
catch the said stop-ring carries with it one of the pistons the other abutting against
the said central collar the two springs coming into action alternately as the buffing
cylinder moves to and fro. To render the cut-off motions more suitable for high
speeds I cause both the serrated stops and the trip levers or fingers to move in the
same direction but at different speeds so that one overtakes the other. In one
arrangement I connect one end of a lever which vibrates by the other end upon a
fulcrum with the buffling cylinder or with a part moving at the same speed and an
intermediate point on the said lever I connect with the valve-rod catch. The
serrated stop or stops with which the trip levers or fingers come into contact to trip
the valve-rod catch moves with the buffing cylinder and is connected with the
governor or this may be reversed the stop piece being connected by means of a
spring slide with the cut-off valve spindle and the trip fingers being carried by the
buffing cylinder and connected with the governor.
According to a second part of my Invention I employ stops which are controlled
LD.

page_text: by the governor to shift a sliding block or link end in a slotted lever by checking
the movements of a vibrating part or of vibrating parts with which such block or a
link end is connected. In one arrangement the sliding block is connected by
means of a link with a double armed or doubled faced serrated lever which is or may
be mounted upon the same fulcrum as the slotted lever. Two stops or a stop-piece
with two arms is or are mounted upon fulcra or upon a fulcrum or are otherwise
arranged to be moved by the governor so that either stop may be moved into
position to check the vibration of the said double armed lever in order that the
sliding block may be moved in one direction or the other in the slotted lever. The
sail stops may be in the form of a bell-crank lever which is connected by an arm
and rod with the governor The said sliding block may be connected by means of
a link with the valve rod. In another arrangement the said sliding block is
connected by means of a link with the centre of a toggle joint arrangement which
connects two parts of the valve rod whereby the length of the valve rod may be
said to be increased or decreased by the action of the governor. In such a case the
said slotted lever is so arranged as that when the block is at or near one end of the
slot the connecting joint of the three links moves in or nearly in a straight line but
as the block is shifted along the slot the toggle links are caused to vary their
angular inclinations whereby the length of the valve rod is increased or decreased
as aforesaid. If it is desired that the connecting joint of the three links shall move
in a straight line I arrange for the slotted lever to vibrate and suspend one end of
the said lever by means of a link from a part of the valve rod. In any case I may
substitute a solid lever for the slotted lever. The stopping arrangements may be
varied as for example two stepped stops may be fixed on a rocking shaft connected
with the governor and a lever or part, connected with the sliding block or link end
may engage with a sliding piece which would thereby be moved to and fro on the
said shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Jonathan Edge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th February 1883.
JONATHAN EDGE of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Engineer
MENTS IN VALVE MOTIONS FOR STEAM ENGINES "
"
IMPROVE-
My Invention relates in the first place to a former Invention for which Letters
Patent number 2038 of the year 1879 and bearing date the twenty-second day of
May have been granted to me. In the said Invention I employed buffing cylinders
in connection with certain valve motions. According to my present Invention I
provide the buffing cylinder with a central stop-ring and I mount two sliding
pistons loosely on each side of a collar on the cut-off valve rod. Springs extend
between the said pistons and the cylinder covers. To render the cut-off motions
more suitable for high speeds I cause both the stops and the trip levers or the
catch or catches to move in the same direction but at different speeds so that one
overtakes the other or I connect the stop piece by means of a spring slide with the
cut-off valve spindle.
According to a second part of my Invention I employ stops which are controlled
by the governor to shift a sliding block or link end in a slotted lever by checking
the movements of a vibrating part or of vibrating parts with which such block or
a link end is connected. The said sliding block may be connected by means of a
link with the valve rod or with a cut-off arrangement.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood I have attached hereunto a
sheet of drawings to which I will refer in this place. In the said drawings Figs 1
and 2 drawn to a scale of about two inches to the foot are illustrative of the first
part of my invention Fig 1 being a side elevation and Fig 2 a sectional plan of
parts of a steam engine. In the said Figs a is the main valve spindle which is
connected with the slide valve a¹ of a steam engine and b is the cut-off valve
spindle which is connected with the cut-off valve b. The spindle b carries a
buffing cylinder c which is secured to the spindle by means of clips c' or by suitable
means. In the centre of the said cylinder is a stop ring c² which is formed by
contracting the bore of the cylinder. The width of this stop ring is about equal to
the width of a collar d which is upon the spindle b. Two pistons e, e' are fitted
to slide in the cylinder one on each side of the stop ring and a spiral spring extends
between each piston and the end cover of the cylinder. When the buffing cylinder
moves in either direction at the times when the cut-off valve spindle is held by the
catch the stop ring c carries with it one of the pistons the other piston being
prevented from moving in the cylinder by the collar das for example-supposing
the cylinder to be moving in the direction indicated by the arrow the piston e' will
move with the cylinder which slides upon the piston e and the spring bearing upon
this piston becomes compressed. By this arrangement the two springs are brought
into action alternately as the buffing cylinder moves to and fro. The hinged
catch fis jointed by one end to a lever g which vibrates upon a fulcrum h and is
connected at its upper end by means of a link i with the buffing cylinder. The
stop piece j which is attached to the cut-off valve spindle b is thus permitted to
move in the same direction as the catch ƒ but at a slower speed. The main valve
by moving faster than the cut-off valve opens the passage for the inlet of steam.to
the cylinder. When the catch is tripped the collar d is suddenly moved back by
the spring into its central position within the buffing cylinder whereby the passage
for steam is closed and the steam is thus cut-off. The two valves then move
together at the same speed until at a point in the return stroke of the valve the

page_text: stop overtakes the more slowly moving catch j. and is locked thereby the spindle b
being then compelled to move with the catch until the latter is again tripped. This
buffing cylinder may be used in connection with other valves or valve motions
than those indicated in the drawings Fig 5 illustrates a modification. In this
example the serrated or stepped piece is fitted to slide upon a stop block Z which
is secured to the buffing cylinder rod b the piece k being acted upon by a suitable
spring or by springs which tend to restore the said piece to a central position
whenever it has been moved out of such position. A lever m is jointed by one end
to the piece and by the other end to the block and is formed with two arms
having fingers which pass below the catch f. The two trip fingers n, n are provided
with arms which are connected together and are connected by means of a lever and
rod o with the governor so that their ends are raised or lowered as in my former
Invention. When the serrated piece comes in contact with one of the trip fingers
the movement of the said piece is arrested and the block continuing to move the
lever m becomes canted whereby one of its fingers rises and lifts the catch off the
stop and the steam is cut off. I may modify this apparatus by arranging for the
piece which carries the trip finger n to slide but at a slower speed than the stepped
piece k as for example I might use the lever g in Fig 1 to impart a slower movement
to a sliding block which would carry the trip fingers the upper end of the lever
receiving motion from the rod b. Another modification is illustrated by Fig 6. In
this example the trip fingers are carried by a part n'. which would be secured to the
moving buffing cylinder represented in Figs 1 and 2. The serrated piece k is fitted
to slide on the block as in Fig 5 and is provided with a projection which lifts
a side cheek which is secured to the catch j at the times when the said catch is
to be tripped. The trip fingers n are provided with projecting studs which rest
upon a rod o¹ which is carried by levers p' which are upon a shaft q'. This shaft
is turned in its bearings by the action of the governor with which an arm on the
said shaft is connected by means of a rod ¹. The governor raises and lowers the
trip fingers which are carried to and fro by the buffing cylinder the serrated piece />
moving in the same direction but at a slower speed.
?'
The second part of my invention is illustrated by Fig 3 and 4. In Fig 3 p is a
lever which is mounted to vibrate upon a fixed stud or fulcrum q and is formed
with a slot which is curved to a radius equal to the length of a link r. In the
said slot a block s is fitted to slide and one end of the link r is hinged to the said
block as for example the end of the link may be forked and a pin fixed in the block
may pass through the ends of the fork. Upon the same pin is mounted one end
of a second link t which is connected by its other end with one arm of a curved
serrated piece u which is mounted to vibrate upon the fulcrum q but is not
attached to the slotted lever. Trip fingers n, n' are mounted upon a shaft v upon
which is an arm w which is connected with the governor, The slotted lever is
connected by means of a rod with an actuating excentric or part and the outer
end of the link is connected, with a valve or cut off rod y. It will be seen that
the piece will vibrate with the slotted lever. When by the action of the
governor the end of one of the trip fingers-say for example the finger n-is raised
the arm comes in contact with the said finger whereby the further movement
of the piece u is arrested the result being that the continued movement in the
same direction of the slotted lever has the effect of moving down the block s in
the slot. On the contrary when the end of the finger n¹ is raised the block is
raised or moved outwards in the slot. In the example illustrated by Fig 4 the
link r is connected with a lever arm which is upon the spindle of a vibrating cut-
off valve the steam being cut off earlier when the sliding block is moved outwards
in the slot and later when the said block is drawn nearer the fulcrum of the slotted
lever. To prevent the block from slipping in the slot by the effect of the working
strain I find it advantageous to provide the said block with flanges one of which
is loose and is acted upon by springs and bolts so as to clip the lever with an elastic
grip. I apply leather between the flanges and the lever. In Fig 1 I have
employed the slotted lever connected with the buffing cylinder to actuate a lever =¹
8

page_text: which carries fingers which disengage the catch j in the same manner as in the
case of the lever m in Fig 5 the catch being lifted earlier or later according to the
position of the sliding block in the slot. A lever having a block sliding upon it
instead of sliding in a slot may be used. I do not confine myself to the precise
details of the lever having a block shifted by my method so long as the
arrangement forms part of a steam engine valve motion. I may vary the arrange-
ments for arresting the movements of the part u as for example two stepped stops
may be fixed on a rocking shaft connected with the governor and a lever or part
connected with the sliding block or link end may engage with a sliding piece
which would thereby be moved to and fro on the said shaft.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said invention
and the manner in which I carry the same into practical I would have it to be
understood that I claim :-
First the buffing cylinder provided with the central stop and with two sliding
pistons and two springs and acting substantially as and for the purposes set forth
and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly the serrated stop piece fitted to slide upon a part which is carried by
the valve spindle and the arrangements for lifting the catch when the said sliding
takes place substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Thirdly arranging for the parts of trip motions to move in the saine direction
but at different speeds substantially as set forth and indicated with reference to
Figs 1, 5 and 6 of the attached drawings.
Fourthly the combination of parts arranged and acting substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and by Figs 5 and 6 of the
attached drawings.
Fifthly the apparatus substantially as set forth and indicated with reference to
Fig 3 of the attached drawings.
Sixthly shifting a block or sliding carriage in or upon a vibrating lever by
connecting the said block or carriage with a part which vibrates or moves to and
fro and which when arrested by a stop effects the shifting of the block or carriage
substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof I the said Jonathan Edge have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twelfth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three
Signed, sealed and delivered
in the presence of
EDWARD K DUTTON
41 John Dalton St, Manchester,
(Agent for the Patentee)
JONATHAN EDGE (L.S.)