IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINES, ALSO INCLUDING IMPROVE- MENTS IN PUMPS, SAID ENGINE BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM "ACHINERY IN WHICH A DIRECT ACTION IS REQUIRED
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Davis Hooker, of San Francisco,
California, in the United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINES, ALSO INCLUDING IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUMPS, SAID ENGINE BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Davis Hooker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 15th January 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DAVIS HOOKER, of San Francisco, California, in the United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DIRECT ACTING STEAM ENGINES, ALSO INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS, SAID
ENGINE BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRIVING PUMPS, STEAM HAMMERS, AND OTHER
MACHINERY IN WHICH A DIRECT ACTION IS REQUIRED," and have petitioned Her

page_text: Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, er
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration
that I really believe myself to be the first and true Inventor thereof..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Davis Hooker, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand
and seal, fully describes the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in direct acting
steam engines by which I am enabled to start the piston from any point
in the stroke, there being no dead point.
My Invention consists first, in a novel construction and arrangement
of ports in the supplemental piston in relation to ports leading to the
end of said piston chamber, and also ports leading to the auxiliary valve
in such a manner that the live steam constantly contained in the said
piston and supplied from the main valve chamber shall drive the main
valve for the first part of its stroke, and be supplied behind the end of
the piston at the last of its stroke to balance the valve, suitable provision
being made to compress the live steam so supplied so that it will be
impossible for the piston to strike the end of its chamber. The office
of the auxiliary valve is to exhaust the steam from said piston chamber
and supply steam to finish up the stroke of the main valve. The live
steam which was compressed behind the end of the supplemental piston
is always ready to drive it, and the main valvo the instant the auxiliary
exhausts the steam from the chamber at the opposite end of the piston.
My Invention further consists in the use of recesses in the main
cylinder heads within which the arms which are operated by the piston
to move the auxiliary valve are protected from being broken by the piston.
It also consists in constructing a valve bar which moves in suitable slots
and engages with the auxiliary valve so that the valves shall always be
in direct contact with the arm at starting, and so that the bar and valve
can be removed with very little trouble.
Referring to the accompanying Drawing for a more complote
explanation of my Invention,-
1
Fig. 1 is a plan showing the main valve face, and the auxiliary
valve.
38

page_text: Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the cylinder passing through the
auxiliary valve and chamber in the plane x, x; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal
section taken through y, y; Fig. 4 is a transverse section.
A is the steam cylinder, and B is the piston; D, D¹, are the front and
rear cylinder heads. The front one may be made only sufficiently
thick to allow of a recess or space g into which the arm J can lie abovo
the hole through which the rod passes, so that when moved back by the
piston it will be entirely protected and not liable to be broken.
The rear head D¹ may be made of sufficient depth to receive the
valve F, rod H, and arms G and J, as shown, so that the whole can be
removed together and present no obstruction to the removal of the
piston if it should be necessary or desirable. A similar recess to the
one described for the front head receives the arm J at this end, and thus
protects it. These arms J are secured to vertical rock shafts or rods H,
cach of which terminates at the upper end in a valve F which is ground
to fit its seat, and thus prevent leakage of steam from the chamber into
the cylinder. An arm G projects from the side of this valve and in an
opposite direction from the arm J within the cylinder, so that when the
piston B strikes the arm J the rock shaft or rod H will be rotated, and
the arm G will be moved towards the valve M. A passage from the
chamber which contains the arm G to the auxiliary 【valve chamber
serves to receive the rod or bar I through which the arm G operates the
valve M. In practice I employ a continous bar which moves in slots in
the face, and is cut out or recessed so that it clasps the auxiliary
valve M as shown, and extends from one cam or arm G to the other.
This is done in order to leave the valve and bar in direct contact with
the cam G toward which it was last moved by the action of the piston A,
and there will thus be no lost motion and consequently wear of the
valve at the points of contact which would otherwise occur at the high
rate of speed reached. It also renders it possible to remove the bar I
and the auxiliary valve M whenever it is necessary, by simply exposing
the main valve face.
In my present construction the auxiliary valve M is a simple slide
valve moving upon its seat and having two ports c leading to the ends
of the main cylinder A, as shown. The same valve alternately opens
and closes two ports a, a, which lead into the chamber P, near each
end, and a corresponding exhaust port, as will be hereafter described.

page_text: The main valve O moves upon the face b, alternately opening and
closing the ports e to the main cylinder, and also the exhaust port.
The piston N is made, as shown, hollow, for lightness, and also to
contain the live steam which is supplied to the valve chamber; but the
ends of this piston must be closed so as to allow it to cushion at each 5
end of its stroke as will hereafter be shown. This piston is made
smaller at its middle, and the upper part of the main valve extending
into this diminished space, so that the movement of the piston carries
the valve with it. A small port i is made in the lower part of the
piston N, at each side of the middle, and corresponding ports m are
made in the chamber P, the ports leading to the extreme end of the
chamber behind the piston.
A pin is secured to one end of the chamber P, and extends into a
hole or socket drilled into one side of the piston N, as shown in Figs.
3 and 4. This pin prevents the piston from turning, and thus keeps
the various steam passages in the proper line. The operation will be
as follows:-
When the piston A arrives at one end of the cylinder it forces the
arm or cam J back and rotates the shaft H and valve F, with its
arms G. This arm moves the bar I, and with it the auxiliary valve M,
thus opening the ports a and c. The parts then being in the position
shown, the steam, which is admitted from the supply pipe, fills the
chamber K, the space around the main valve, and the interior of the
piston N, which is closed at both ends. This steam passes behind the
piston N through the port m, and moves it so far as to open the port a,
which is, as described, a short distance from the end, and allows the
live steam from the auxiliary valve to pass through it to the chamber P
and finish the stroke of the piston. This is instantly moved to tho
opposite end of the chamber, thus moving the main valve o and opening
the port e, which, with the port c already opened by the auxiliary valve,
admits steam to the main cylinder, arresting the main piston, and
forcing it back for the return stroke. When the piston N reaches a
point which brings the ports and m together the live steam passes
through them and is admitted behind the piston N. This instantly
balances the pressure but it does not stop the piston, which has
immense velocity, and continues to move until the port i has just passed
the port m, when the live steam will be imprisoned and compressed by
any further movement of the piston, which is thus cushioned. The

page_text: main piston has meanwhile finished its stroke, and by moving the arm J
at that end, and through it the auxiliary valve, the exhaust port n will
be opened, thus allowing the steam to escape from the opposite end of
the chamber P. The pressure being thus removed allows the compressed
live steam, just described, to act and start the valve, moving it so far that
the new steam can be admitted through the ports a, which, as before
described, open a short distance from the end. By this arrangement I
am enabled to obtain a quicker movement of the main valve than if the
steam to start the piston were supplied by the auxiliary valve, and
can consequently drive the main piston at a very great velocity without
injury to the engine.
When the engine is to be run in connection with a condenser, or so
that it is operated by the vacuum instead of steam pressure, the port c
will be enlarged at its end and a valve c¹ will be introduced. This valve
will close after the piston has passed the main port, so that whatever
air may be contained in the cylinder will be prevented from escaping,
and so compressed as to act as a cushion for the piston. This valve
will in no way interfere with the action of the engine when it is driven
by steam; but it is only necessary when the engine is to be run by a
vacuum. In this case air will have to be admitted to the engine in
place of steam, as ordinarily used.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, show a modification of my engine, although
the main features of its construction are similar to those above
described. In this construction A is the steam cylinder, and B is the
piston; D, D, are two heads, so formed that their upper faces shall be
flush with the top of the auxiliary valve chamber, which lies above and
to one side of the center of the cylinder. Chambers E are made in the
heads D, and within these are placed the valves F, which are ground to
fit their seats. An arm G projects out at one side of the valve, and
a stem H extends down from the valve into the chamber g in the
head D, or it may pass directly into the end of the cylinder. A curved
arm or cam J is fastened to this stem, so that as the piston arrives at
one end or the other it will strike one of the cams and rotate the
valve F, to which it is attached, thus moving the arm G forward.
A hole is made from the chamber E to the auxiliary valve chamber K,
and a short rod or stem I passes loosely through the hole, so that when
the arm G moves forward it pushes the rod I, and by its movement
forces the auxiliary valve M to the end of its chamber, thus opening the

page_text: I am also enabled to make the motion of the auxiliary valve very short
in comparison with that of the main piston, and also to drive the
auxiliary valve with an accelerated movement.
The second part of my Invention consists in certain improvements in
5 force pumps, shown as applied to this engine in Fig. 3, whereby, I am
enabled to secure and pack the valve seat, guide the valve, and pack the
vacuum chamber by the use of a threaded valve spindle, which so secures
the supply valve and seat that they can be easily removed independently
of the discharge valve, and any or all the valves can be removed
independently of each other by simply taking off the cover of the
chamber.
My Invention further relates to the employment of a buffer and check
nut, by which I an enabled to regulate the lift of the valves.
Q is the valve box of the force pump, having the vacuum chamber R,
above which are the suction valve chambers S, which connect with either
end of the pump cylinder T. Above these again is the delivery valve
chamber U, which discharges at V, as shown.
The valve seats W are formed as shown, and turned to fit into openings
made for them in the bottom of the chambers. Upon these seats the
valves Z are placed. In the present case the valves are made circular
and of some clastic material.
The seats W are perforated, as shown, around the center so as to allow
the water to pass freely.
In order to guide the valve in its movements I employ a spindle I,
which in the case of the suction valve extends to a point just below the
upper or discharge valve scat. This spindle enters from below the
vacuum chamber, and has a screw thread cut upon it, so that as it passes
through the seat W this thread enters the thread cut into the seat, and
when the head or flange q at the outer end of the spindle reaches the
bottom of the vacuum chamber it will, when turned close, draw the
seat W firmly down, and hold it to its place, any suitable packing being
used around its flange. A packing can also be placed under the head or
flange q, and this serves to make a tight joint where the spindle passes
into the vacuum chamber. The upper or discharge valve is guided, and
its scat is kept in place by means of a spindle r, which enters the
chamber from the top and presses upon the top of the scat, a hole in the

page_text: the ports m in the chamber P, arranged substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Eighth. The valves fand passage i in the piston N, together with the
ports a, a', and the auxiliary valve M, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Ninth. The combination of the threaded valve scat W and the threaded
valve spindle and guide I with the valve Z and pump chamber, substan-
tially as and for the purpose described.
Tenth. In combination with the threaded valve seat W, threaded valvo
spindle and guide I, valve Z, and pump chamber, I claim the valve
buffer and check nut u, v, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Davis Hooker, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twentieth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three
Witnesses,
GEO. H. STRONG.
C. MILTON RICHARDSON.
WILLIAM DAVIS HOOKER. (L.S.)