Improvements in Controlling Valve Apparatus for Steam Steering Gear and other Machinery Capable of being Similarly Controlled.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 7th Mar.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Controlling Valve Apparatus for Steam Steering
Gear and other Machinery Capable of being Similarly
Controlled. .
We DAVIS & COMPANY LIMITED of 12 Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Engineers and WILLIAM ROBERT GARDEN HAY of Garford Street
Engineering Works Garford Street, Poplar in the County of Middlesex, Director
and Manager of the said company do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in valve apparatus for effecting control of
the steam, or other fluid, employed as the motive power for the machinery such as
steam steering gear and other machinery capable of being similarly controlled and
have for their object the economisation of the steam or fluid employed and the
better control thereof under varying conditions.
As an example-In using the improved controlling valve in connection with a
steam steering apparatus of the character indicated in the Specifications respectively
of Letters Patent granted to George Daniel Davis Nos. 586 of 1881 and 13873
of 1889 and known as Davis's Steering Gear the improved valve is applied over,
or in other relation to, the ordinary controlling valve and so as to control the
or less steam
amount of steam allowed to pass to that ordinary valve as more
power is required as the helm is worked over more or less either way regulating
the power to the work to be accomplished.
The form of the moving part of this new valve may vary that is to say it may
be of piston form or of the throttle valve or other type adapted to the purpose
in either case it forming with the ports co-operating with it a governor to the
steam supply.
Supposing the new valve to be of cylindrical piston form having one, two, three
or other number of piston parts strung or formed on one central rod which
actuates them in unison. relatively to a corresponding number and arrangement of
ports or passages for the steam communicating with suitable channels of inlet, and
outlet to the ordinary controlling valve.
This piston head or piston heads is, or are, so arranged that they can never
entirely close their ports but can only restrict or increase the flow and their
movement is governed by the movements of the rudder actuating mechanism, by
means of suitable connections-for instance the controlling shaft worked by the
steam steering wheel by suitable gear may operate a screw stem carrying a
travelling screw nut or part and this part is by a suitable connection caused to
reciprocate the rod of the piston or multiple piston valve referred to, and in a
corresponding manner other forms of the new controlling valve are operated.
The invention is equally applicable to other forms of steering apparatus and to
other machinery working under similar conditions of variability of load, or
intermittency of movement in working.
In operation, say with a Davis's steering gear worked by steam the following
may be stated as among the advantages attained by the use of the invention-a
great saving of steam is effected under ordinary conditions-the steam is adjusted
to and varies relatively with the load-the engine is kept more under control and
therefore a truer course can be kept- shocks on the admissions of steam are
lessened and consequently the engine will run more smoothly.
".

page_text: In practice when the tiller and the steering engine are alike amidships and it is
required to put the helm over steam is supplied by the engine controlling valve
worked by the steam steering wheel and as the helm goes over an increased supply
of steam is allowed to pass by the new governing valve which valve is regulated
by the "tell tale"
or shutting off gear of the steering engine and to bring the
helm back to midships a reverse action takes place and the new governing valve
gradually closes and lessens the supply of steam as the helm comes amidships and
the load decreases.
Dated the 5th day of April 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Controlling Valve Apparatus for Steam Steering
Gear and other Machinery Capable of being Similarly
Controlled.
We DAVIS & COMPANY LIMITED of 12 Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Engineers and WILLIAM ROBERT GARDEN HAY of Garford Street
Engineering Works Garford Street, Poplar in the County of Middlesex, Director
and Manager of the said company, 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 improvements in valve apparatus for effecting control
of the steam, or other fluid, employed as the motive power for the machinery such
as steam steering gear and other machinery capable of being similarly controlled
and have for their object the economisation of the steam or fluid employed and the
better control thereof under varying conditions.
As an example-In using the improved controlling valve e in connection with a
steam steering apparatus of the character known as "Davis's Steering Gear" (in
reference to which Letters Patent were granted to George Daniel Davis Nos. 586
of 1881 and 13873 of 1889 respectively) the improved valve is applied over, or in
other relation to, the ordinary controlling valve b and so as to control the amount
of steam allowed to pass to that ordinary valve as more or less steam power is
required as the helm is worked over more or less either way regulating the power
to the work to be accomplished.
The form of the moving part of this new valve c may vary that is to say it may
be of piston form or of the throttle valve, or other type adapted to the purpose in
either case it forming with the parts & co-operating with it, a governor to the steam
supply.
Supposing the new valve c to be of cylindrical piston form having one, two, three
or other number of piston parts strung or formed on one central rod which actuates
them in unison relatively to a corresponding number and arrangement of ports or
passages for the steam communicating with suitable channels of inlet and outlet to
the ordinary controlling valve b.
This piston head or piston heads is, or are, so arranged that they can never
entirely close their ports but can only restrict or increase the flow and their
movement is governed by the movements of the rudder actuating mechanism, by
means of suitable connections, for instance the controlling shaft worked by the
steam steering wheel by suitable gear may operate a screw stem carrying a
travelling screw nut or part and this part is by a suitable connection caused to
reciprocate the rod of the piston or multiple piston valve referred to, and in a
corresponding manner other forms of the new controlling valve are operated.
The invention is equally applicable to other forms of steering apparatus and to

page_text: other machinery working under similar conditions of variability of load, or
intermittency of movement in working.
In operation, say with a "Davis's steering gear" worked by steam the following
may be stated as among the advantages attained by the use of the invention a great
saving of steam is effected under ordinary conditions the steam is adjusted to and
varies relatively with the load the engine is kept more under control and therefore
a truer course can be kept-shocks on the admissions of steam are lessened and
consequently the engine will be run more smoothly.
In practice when the tiller and the steering engine are alike "amidships" and it
is required to put the helm over, steam is supplied by the engine controlling valve b
worked by the steam steering wheel and as the helm goes over an increased supply
of steam is allowed to pass by the new governing valve which valve is regulated by
the "tell-tale" or shutting off gear of the steering engine and to bring the helm
back to "midships a reverse action takes place and the new governing valve c
gradually closes and leaves the supply of steam as the helm comes amidships "
and the load decreases.
"
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention as applied to a steam steering
apparatus.
Figure 2 shows a sectional elevation of the parts more immediately relating to
the invention, shown in Fig. 1 and drawn to a larger scale illustrating respectively
the ordinary controlling valve b and the automatic regulating valve c.
Fig. 3 is a section drawn to the same scale as and taken upon the line A-B of
Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a view of the controlling valve c and parts connecting same with the
shutting off screw parts, and drawn to the same scale as Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a like view of the valve c to that shewn in the preceding figure, but
taken at a right angle thereto.
The valve c is formed with two or more ports having through ports d, e, f. This
valve is worked by the lever g here shown of bell crank form and has the
seating a.
"
The opposite end of this bell crank lever to that connected to the valve
stem c', is linked by links, one of which is shewn at c, to the threaded
"tell-tale
nuth, which engages the thread of the screw j, which screw is
mounted on the vertical rod k carrying the bevel gear wheel k¹, which engages
with the gear wheel mounted on the cross shaft carrying the steering wheel l
and being operated for its rotation by said wheel.
g is a rod forming a fulcrum for the cranked arm g.
The position of the "tell-tale" nut h relatively to the ends of the screw j and
other surrounding parts that are fixed indicates the position of the rudder such as
'amidships" or more or less "hard over."
66
The lower end of the rod x also carries the bevel gear wheel m, which gears with
and rotates the gear wheel m³, keyed on the shaft m which shaft carries the
ordinary and well known screw and out parts not shewn for obtaining the automatic
"hunting motion" commonly employed in steam steering apparatus whereby the
helm is made to move in exact response to the movements of the steering wheel.
m³ is the nut which thus coöperates with the screwed shaft m³, n is one of a pair
of usual cylinders for steam with piston not shown and piston rod o to which is
centred the connecting rod p attached to the eccentric pin pl projecting from
the face of the disc p³ on the shaft p which forms the main driving shaft and
carries the worm p shown by dotted lines. This worm engages the worm
wheel p mounted on one end of the spirally grooved barrel p around which
is wrapped the steering chain actuating the rudder.
In the ordinary arrangements of steam steering gear of the character shown
-but without our present invention-it has been necessary to turn on the full

page_text: "
supply of steam by the movement of the steering wheel to perform any operation
of the rudder, whether the operation was the lighter one of starting from
midships or the heavier one of putting the helm "hard over
" and waste of
steam was a necessary consequence.
The full flood of steam supplied being in the former case in excess of require-
ment and regardless of the power actually needed.
"
By means of the present invention an auxiliary regulation of the supply of steam
supplied to the main controlling valve is provided, whose movement being obtained
by connection with the "tell-tale" the supply of steam is enabled to be proportioned
to the amount of work actually to be performed as the "tell-tale moves from
"amidships" towards "hard over at either side the connections to the auxiliary
regulating valve o cause that valve to increase the supply of steam relatively to the
increase of strain on the rudder to be overcome.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In steam steering and similarly controlled machinery, an auxiliary valve c
actuated by the movements of a "tell tale" part moved synchronously with the
helm, to control the supply of steam to the main controlling valve according to the
position of the helm and to regulate the supply of steam to the amount of resistance
to be overcome, substantially as set forth.
2. In steam steering apparatus the valve c and its connections to the "tell-tale "
parth and screw j in combination with the ordinary steam supply and valve
controlled parts of a steam steering apparatus, substantially as set forth.
3. In steam steering apparatus having an axis by which the main controlling
valve for steam supply to the piston cylinder is operated and a
"tell-tale" part
moved by the said axis, the combination therewith of an auxiliary controlling
valve and its connections, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 24th day of December 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.