Improvements in Ball Valves.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1893—Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Valves.
I GEORGE HENRY WALL of Lindridge House, 98 Upper Tulse Hill,
London, S., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the class of ball valves used for automatically stopping
the escape of fluid or to check or prevent it flowing in the wrong direction, the
object being to provide such a ball valve with a stem or rod which shall serve as a
handle whereby the ball valve can be readily inserted into or removed from its place
and that will assist in retaining it in position for action. The stem may be solid
with or detachably secured to the ball valve and may be of any convenient shape.
A ball valve having such a stem or handle is applicable to almost every apparatus
where such valves are used, and especially so to water gauges of steam or other
boilers. These automatic valves are employed to close the passages and prevent
the escape of fluid in case of breakage of the glass tube. In the Specification of
Patent No. 14952 of 1888 in which the valve is taken out and put in from the front
the ball valve is shewn supported by a holder by means of which it is taken out
and put into its place. I am aware that an inclined plane has been employed so
that when the front screw plug is removed the ball valve will roll out of its place.
I am also aware that a flexible rod or spring has been made for supporting a ball
valve in a water gauge the opposite end of such spring being held or secured to the
front screw plug or cover, but in this invention the stem or handle is not relied on
to support the ball valve when in position but solely to serve as a means by which
it may be put in or removed from its place, the stem or handle is quite free to
move with the ball valve and in any direction as it is in no way connected to any
other part.
Any convenient method of supporting the ball valve when in position may be
adopted, several methods are mentioned in Patent No. 14,952 of 1888, the method
I prefer to adopt in connection with this invention is by forming three or more
projections in the chamber of the water gauge arm immediately below the glass
tube, the ball valve rests on these projections and the spaces between them become
passages to the usual blow-through cock of the water gauge, it is evident similar
projections may be formed on the end of the screw of the blow-through cock but
the method of supporting the ball valve forms no part of this invention as herein-
before stated. The stem or handle enters and rests freely in a cavity which is made
in the usual screw plug or cover and is sufficiently long to be taken hold of when
the screw plug or cover is removed, the ball valve is prevented from coming too
far out of its place front-wise by the inside face of the screw plug or cover or the
end of the stem or handle may be of a suitable length to take a thrust against
the inner end of the cavity of the screw plug for the same object. It is evident
that a ball valve with a stem or handle attached to it will not be able to revolve
every way, but this is found to be no practical objection as it has sufficient range to
go freely up or down, as the case may be to its seat and shut off or retain the fluid
with certainty. This description of a ball valve having a stem or handle will
apply generally to almost all forms of back-pressure valves or other apparatus in
which such ball valves are used and is sufficient to set forth the nature of the
invention.
Dated this 24th day of February 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Valves.
I GEORGE HENRY WALL of Lindridge House, 98 Upper Tulse Hill, London,
Engineer 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 the class of ball valves used for automatically stopping
the escape of fluid or to check or prevent it flowing in the wrong direction, and the
object is to provide such a ball valve with a stem or rod which shall serve as a
handle whereby the ball valve can be readily inserted into and removed from its
place, and assist in retaining it in position for action.
The stem may be solid with or detachably secured to the ball valve and may be
of any convenient shape; a ball valve having such a stem or handle is applicable to
almost every apparatus in which such valves are used.
In water gauges of steam or other boilers these automatic ball valves are
employed to close the passages and prevent the escape of fluid in case of the
breakage of the glass tube.
О
In Specification of Patent No. 14952 of 1888, the ball valve is shewn supported
by the part by means of which it is taken out and put into its place; but in the
herein described invention the stem or handle is not for holding the ball valve when
in position but solely to serve as a means by which it may be put in or removed
from its place. The stem or handle is quite free to move with the ball valve as it
is in no way connected to any other part. Any convenient method of supporting
the ball valve when in position may be adopted, the method I prefer to use in
connection with this invention is by forming four projections in the chamber of the
water gauge arm immediately below the glass tube, the ball valve rests on these
projections and the spaces between them serve as passages to the usual blow-
through cock.
It is evident similar projections may be formed on the end of the
screw of the blow-through cock, but the method of supporting the ball valve forms
no part of this invention as hereinbefore stated. The stem or handle enters and
rests freely in a cavity made in the screw plug or cover which closes the orifice
through which the ball valve is introduced into the chamber, and it is sufficiently
long to be taken hold of when the screw plug or cover is removed; the ball valve
is prevented from coming too far frontwise by the end of the stem or handle taking
a thrust against the inner end of the cavity of the screw plug, or the inside face of
the screw plug may be made to effect the same purpose.
The accompanying drawings show the stem or handle applied to the ball valve
of a water gauge and also to the ball valve of ordinary back-pressure apparatus.
Corresponding parts in the drawings are indicated by like letters of reference.
Fig. 1, is a part sectional elevation, Fig. 2, is a part sectional plan, and Fig. 3, a
section through line X, X, of a water gauge in which A, A are projections which
support the ball B in the chamber C, these projections are formed solid with the
body casting D. E is the stem or handle with which the ball is introduced and
removed from the chamber. F is the screw plug or cover having a cavity G which
is large enough to provide that the handle E does not prevent the free movement
of the ball; it will be seen that by removing the screw plug F the ball B can be
easily taken out by means of the handle E. "H is the seated orifice which the ball
closes when the glass tube J bursts.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional elevations of back-pressure apparatus and Fig. 7 is
a sectional plan of Fig. 6 through line X, X. In each of these arrangements the
ball valve B can be easily removed from the chamber C by means of the handle E.
The ball rests freely on the seat H and prevents the fluid flowing in the wrong
direction.

page_text: 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 improved arrangement whereby a ball valve is provided with a stem or
handle, not connected to any other part, by means of which the ball valve can be
put in and removed from its place substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of November 1893.
GEORGE HENRY WALL.