IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC MACHINERY AND HYDRAULIC AND OTHER' VALVES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Walker and John Frederick Augustus Pflaum,
Engineers, both of Leeds, in the County of York, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC MACHINERY AND HYDRAULIC AND OTHER'
VALVES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Walker and John
Frederick Augustus Pflaum at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents ou
the 20th May 1880.
BENJAMIN WALKER and JOHN FREDERICK AUGUSTUS PFLAUM, Engineers, both
of Leeds, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC MACHINERY
AND HYDRAULIC AND OTHER VALVES."
:
This Invention has for its object improvements in hydraulic machinery and.
bydraulic and other valves.
:
Our Invention refers to the working of valves of hydraulic engines with two.
cylinders and cranks working at right angles. The valves of hydraulic engines do
not require lap or lead, and in the case of bydraulic engines working at right angles,
we cause the crank pin of one engine to give motion to the valve of the other
engines by means of an arrangement of levers and vales to effect this purpose. The
valves of blowing engines also do not require either lap or lead, and the Invention
is applicable to the valves in these engines.
Our Invention refers also to the reversing of hydraulic engines. This we effect.
by the introduction of a third valve worked by hand. This valve may be either
fitted in the same valve box with the working valves of the engines or in a separate.
valve box at a distance, and the working valves may be either actuated by the
arrangement above described or by eccentrics or otherwise.
We apply a second power to hydraulic cranes to lift smaller weights, with a
corresponding reduction in the quantity of water used, in the following manner :-
We fit a second rain to work by a gland within the larger ram, which is required
to hoist the full weight to be lifted by the crane. This in itself is not new, but we
connect therewith a valve box and pipes, by which the man attending to the crane
can apply either power by the working of one lever only without any other adjust-
ment being required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Walker and John Frederick Augustus Pflaum in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th November 1880..
BENJAMIN WALKER and JOHN FREDERICK AUGUSTUS PFLAUM, Engineers, both
of Leeds, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC MACHINERY
AND HYDRAULIC AND OTHER VALVES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in hydraulic machinery. and
hydraulic and other valves.
Our Invention refers to the working of valves of hydraulic engines with two
cylinders and cranks working at right angles. The valves of hydraulic engines do
not require lap or lead, and in the case of hydraulic engines working at right angles
we cause the crank pin of one engine to give motion to the valve of the other
engine by means of an arrangement of levers or parts such that the said valve
moves in unison with the engine by which it is actuated, the stroke of the valve
commencing and ending with the stroke of the actuating engine.
Figure 1 is a plan of an hydraulic engine to which our Invention is applied.
a and a' are a pair of hydraulic cylinders in which rams b, 61, work, and these rams
are coupled by the connecting rods c, c¹, with the cranked axis d, which has its
cranks at right angles. The engines are rendered double acting by the addition of
another pair of cylinders e, e¹, which are always in connection with the pressure
main. They receive other rams b*, bx, which are prolongations of the rams 6 and b¹
respectively. f and f¹ are arms formed of a piece with the rams b and b¹, each
with each, and from these arms the movements for the valves are derived; the
arm being coupled with the valve of the cylinder a' and the arm f¹ with the
valve of the cylinder a.
Figure 2 shows to a larger scale a longitudinal section of one of the engines, and
Figure 3 is a plan with portions in section. In these Figures it is clearly seen that
the arms upon the rams give motion to slotted slides g and gl, and within the
opening in the slide in cach case there are inclines g*, which as the slide moves to
and fro communicate transverse motion to a die h or h¹ as the case may be. These
dies are fixed upon the extremities of the valve rods and .. The rod i it will be
seen carries the valve belonging to the cylinder a¹, whilst the rod i¹ similarly
carries the valve k of the other engine.
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section taken through the valves, and Figure 5 is
a transverse section.
It will be obvious that the cranks of the engines might be coupled with other
parts introduced with the sole object of transmitting movement to the valve of the
other engine, but this would be an unnecessary complication, and the motion
required for the valve of the one engine is most simply derived from the other
engine by means of connections such as the Drawings represent.
Our Invention also relates to blowing engines.
The valves of blowing engines also do not require either lap or lead, and the
Invention is applicable to the valves in these engines.
In this case we mount the valve belonging to one blowing cylinder upon the
piston rod of the other blowing cylinder.
Figure 6 is a section of a blowing engine of this construction. a and a¹ are the
two blowing cylinders, and 6 and 61 are light pistons working within them; c is
the piston rod of the piston b, and c¹ is the piston rod of the piston b¹. These
rods receive motion by means of connecting rods from cranks at right angles upon
a shaft which is driven by a steam engine. The entrance and the exit of the air
to and from the blowing cylinders a and a¹ is controlled by the double piston
valves d, d, and d', d', the valve d, d, being on the rod c', and the valve d¹, d', on

page_text: the rod c. These valves work in the corresponding valve cylinders e and e¹, and
passages through the sides of the valve cylinders pass to the ends of the blowing
cylinders. The mouths of these passages are passed over by the piston valves so
as alternately to establish communication with the outer air and the pressure main.
The two valve cylinders have to be somewhat different in form, but in each
caso tho air entrances are marked f and the ways to the pressure main are
marked g, J.
Our Invention refers also to the reversing of hydraulic engines. This we effect
by the introduction of a third valvo worked by hand. This valve may be either
fitted in the same valve box with the working valves of the engines or in a separate
valve box at a distance.
The slide valves of the hydraulic engine are each formed with two compartmonts,
and they cover three ports; the centre port leads to the cylinder of the engine, and
the two outer ports are connected with the supply and the outlet respectively.
The additional or reversing valve serves to change the connections of these ports,
so that the port by which the pressure water previously passed on its way to the
engine becomes the outlet port, whilst the port which previously was the outlet
becomes the inlet..
The arrangement may be further explained by the aid of the Figures 7, 8, 9,
and 10 of the Drawings. Figure 7 is a plan of the face upon which the several
valves work; Figure 8 is a section through the valve face, the valves, and other
parts; Figure 9 is a section at right angles to Figure 8, and taken through the
reversing valve, with the ports over which this valve works; Figure 10 is a similar
section taken through the ports and one of the double slide valves of the hydraulic
engine.
a is a passage admitting pressure water to the valve chest; b is the reversing
valve, and c, d, and e are the ports over which this valve works. In the position
in which the reversing valve is represented in Figure 9 it covers all the ports, and
when the valve 6 is thus placed no water being able to pass out of the valve chest
the engines are stopped.. When the workman moves the valve b from this position
he uncovers one or other of the ports c and e, leaving the other one covered by the
valve and in connection with the central port d, which is the outlet. The port c
is connected by a passage with the ports c¹ and c¹¹, over which the valves f and g
of the hydraulic engine work, and so the pressure water enters one of the com-
partments of each double slide valve of the hydraulic engine. When the position of
the valve is such as to bring this compartment into communication with the central
port or the pressure water flows into the cylinder of the engine with which
this port is in connection. On the other hand when the double slide valve for g
assumes such a position that the port ¹ or h¹¹ is in communication with the
port e or el the water passes back out of the cylinder through the interior of the
.reversing valve b to the outlet.
It is obvious that when by changing the position of the reversing valve b and
making the ports e, e¹, and e¹¹ inlets and c, c, and c¹¹ outlets, that the direction in
which the engine runs will be reversed.
A similar arrangement is applicable to engines having three or other number of
cylinders.
The reversing valve need not be in the same valve box with the valves of the
hydraulic engine, as the ports c and e may be connected with the ports c¹, cl,
and e, ell, by pipes of any convenient length.
Another part of our Invention relates to hydraulic cranes.
We apply a second power to hydraulic cranes to lift smaller weights, with a
corresponding reduction in the quantity of water used, in the following manner:-
We fit a second ram to work by a gland within the larger ram, which is required
to hoist the full weight to be lifted by the crane. This in itself is not new, but we
connect therewith a valve box and pipes by which the man attending to the crane
can apply either power without any adjustment being required.

page_text: Figure 11 is a vertical section of the lower part of an hydraulic crane provided
in accordance with our Invention with two powers, either of which is at any time
available without any locking of one of the rams or other adjustment being
required. The hoisting chain is operated in the usual manner by being passed
over a wheel or pulley a which rises with the rain or rams. The wheel a is carried
upon the top of the smaller ram b, and this ram is received within the larger ram c,
which serves also as the smaller hydraulic cylinder of the crane. d is the larger
hydraulic cylinder; it is fixed to the foundation and receives its supply of pressure
water by the pipe e in the usual manner. The smaller cylinder receives a
separate supply by means of a central pipe f fixod within the cylinder d and passing
through a gland in the bottom of the cylinder or ram c. When pressure water is
admitted to the pipe f only the smaller power of the crane can be exerted, and the
expenditure of water is proportionally reduced; the lesser ram b then rises, the
larger ram c remaining down." When the load is such as to demand the full power
of the crane the pressure water is admitted by the pipe e, and the larger ram c
rises, taking up the ram b within it.
Figure 12 is a section of the valve which we employ for working this two power
crane. g is the inlet for the pressure water; h is the outlet in communication with
the central port in the valve face; i and are two other passages in connection
with ports, one on either side of the exhaust port. The passage i is connected with.
the pipe e of Figure 11, and the passage communicates with the pipe f in the
same Figure.
In the position in which the valve is shown in the Drawing all the ports are
covered, and if a load has previously been raised the crane remains stationary with
the load suspended. By a small movement of the valve the port connected with
the cylinder of the raised ram is brought into connection with the outlet, and then
the load descends. By a movement of the slide valve in the opposite direction the
same port will be uncovered to receive pressure water, and the load will be raised.
Similarly the other port can be opened to the outlet or uncovered to receive
pressure water when the other power of the crano is in use. .
Figure 13 shows in section another convenient arrangement for the valve. Lis
the valve chest supplied with the pressure water by the passage m, and n is a slide
valve which can be moved within it by means of a lever handle o, either so as to
allow the pressure water to enter the passage p or so as to place this passage in.
communication with the outlet q; in this latter position the valve is represented
in the Figure. The passage p leads into the pipe f of Figure 11 and feeds the
smaller cylinder of the crane. A branch from the passage p leads to the pipe e
of Figure 11, and when water is allowed to pass by this branch the larger hydraulic
cylinder of the crane is supplied and the crane is able to exert the higher power.
The entrance to the branchir is guarded, however, by a stop valves, but this valve,
can be displaced from its seat by means of a treddle t, upon which the workman
when he requires the larger power places his foot before moving the hand lever o.
The treddle operates upon a lever u and raises a stem v, which enters through a
stuffing box to the underside of the valve s.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,―
First. The arrangement of hydraulic engines having the cranks at right angles
so that the valve of the one engine is coupled with the other engine and made to.
move in unison with it, substantially as described..
Second. The construction of hydraulic engines, substantially as described in
respect to the Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the annexed Drawings.
Third. The arrangement of blowing engines having the cranks at right angles, so,
that the valve of one blowing cylinder is coupled with the other blowing cylinder.
and made to move in unison with it, substantially as described.
t
Fourth. The construction of blowing engines, substantially as described in
respect to Figure 6 of the annexed Drawings.

page_text: Fifth. The means for reversing hydraulic engines, substantially as described in
respect to Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the annexed Drawings.
Sixth. The arrangement of hydraulic cranes having two powers, so that the
pressure water is supplied separately to the larger hydraulic cylinder, substantially
as described, in order that the ram in this cylinder may remain down without
locking whilst the lower power of the crane is in use.
Seventh. The construction of hydraulic cranes with the valves which operate
them, substantially as described in respect to Figures 11, 12, and 13 of the annexed
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
BENJAMIN WALKER. (L.S.)