IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Eames, of Watertown, in the State of
New York, United States of America, and John McIntosh, of Liverpool,
England, for an Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Eames
and John McIntosh at the Office of-the Commissioners of Patents on the
28th March 1881.
"
FREDERICK WILLIAM EAMES, of Watertown, in the State of New York, United
States of America, and JOHN MCINTOSH, of Liverpool, England. IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM TO MARINE ENGINES."
The object of this Invention is to avoid what is known to marine engineers as
"racing," which action is due to the pitching of the steam vessel, and the consequent
rising of the screw propellor out of the water.
To prevent this racing it is necessary so soon as the engine speed is increased
to provide for the instant stoppage of the supply of steam thereto.
For this purpose we employ what is known as a pneumatic lever for closing the
steam supply valve, jointing its stem to an arm on the valve spindle. This lever
is held out of action by coiled springs, but when exhausted of air it will by its
contraction close the valve and stop the supply of steam. The shell of the pneumatic
lever is connected by a pipe to the condenser, a valve of peculiar construction being
interposed to bring the pneumatic lever alternately into communication with the
open air and with the condenser. This valve consists of a vertical cylinder which
fits like a trunk piston in a fixed cylindrical case. The valve is open at its upper
end, and closed at bottom, where it connects by a link with a bell crank lever.
The pipe leading from the pneumatic lever enters the top of the cylindrical case,
and the pipe leading from the condenser enters at one side of the case. In the
cylindrical valve an opening is made corresponding with the opening in the case,
and when these openings are in coincidence the pneumatic lever will be exhausted
through the valve into the condensor.

page_text: In the opposite side of the valve, and at a different level, is a second opening
and in the case a second opening thereto. When these are in coincidence, which
will occur when the valve is at rest, the pneumatic lever will be brought by this
valve into connection with the atmosphere.
It has been said that the cylindrical valve receives its motion from a bell crank
lever. This lever is operated by reason of its connection with a diaphragm which
has a constant tendency through springs to keep the cylindrical valve open to the
atmosphere.
The diaphragm is mounted in an air tight box which is in communication with
a pipe having two valve seats, and communicating at one end with the condenser
and at the other with the atmosphere.
These valve seats are alternately closed and opened by valves connected rigidly
together by a rod which extends upwards and is connected to the spindle of a
governor of any approved construction, the object being that as the engines indicate
an undue speed the governor shall move the valves so as to close the air valve and
open a passage to the exhaust. Immediately this occurs the diaphragm will be
caused to rock its bell crank lever, lift the cylindrical valve in connection there-
with, and connect the pneumatic lever with the exhaust. The moment this is
effected the pneumatic lever will close the throttle valve and cut off the supply of
steam to the engines.
In place of deriving the endway motion of the cylindrical valve from a governor
actuated by the engines, a pendulum or its equivalent receiving an oscillating
motion from the pitching of the ship may be used. This will of course render the
use of the diaphragm and its valves unnecessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick William Eames and John McIntosh in the Great Seal
-Patent Office on the 28th September 1881.
FREDERICK WILLIAM EAMES, of Watertown, in the State of New York, United
States of America, and JOHN MCINTOSH, of Liverpool, England. " IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF STEAM TO MARINE ENGINES."
The object of this Invention is to avoid what is known to marine engineers as
"racing," which action is due to the pitching of the steam vessel and the consequent
rising of the screw propeller out of the water.
To prevent this racing it is necessary, so soon as the engine speed is increased, to
provide for the instant stoppage of the supply of steam to the engines.
For this purpose we employ what is known as a pneumatic lever for closing the
throttle valve, jointing its arm to an arm on the valve spindle. The pneumatic
lever is held out of action by coiled springs; but when exhausted of air it will by
its contraction close the valve and stop the supply of steam. The shell of the
pneumatic lever is connected by a pipe to the condenser, a cylindrical valve being
interposed to bring the pneumatic lever alternately into communication with the
open air and with the condenser.
This cylindrical valve may be actuated in various ways; thus, for example, we
may actuate it by means of a governor, which, as the speed of the engine increases,
will cause the valve too rise and open a communication between the pneumatic
lever and the condenser, thereby causing the pneumatic lever to operate upon the
throttle valve and cut off the steam. In place of deriving the endway motion of
the cylindrical valve from a governor actuated by the engines, or pendulum or its
equivalent, receiving an oscillating motion from the pitching of the ship, may be
used.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in sectional elevation the pneumatic
lever apparatus for working the supply valve. A is the pneumatic lever connected
by a pipe a with an air tight cylindrical case B. Fitting this case, and capable of
sliding freely therein, is the cylindrical valve C, which is made hollow and closed
at bottom for the purpose to be presently explained.
Pendent from the pneumatic lever is a rod a' fitted with a cross bar a² which
slides over vertical guides a³ secured to any convenient fixed point. The opposite
ends of these rods are fitted with stops, the lower one to limit the downward
movement of the cross bar a², and the upper ones to retain in position coiled
springs a which surround the guide rods and press upon the cross bar. The use
of these springs is to draw down the pneumatic lever and retain it in the position
shewn in the Figure. These springs will however yield when a vacuum is formed
in the pneumatic lever, and thus allow it to come into action.
Attached to the underside of the cross bar a² is a link a which connects with
an arm a on the spindle d of the throttle valve D of the steam supply pipe D'.
Pendent from the closed end of the valve C is a link rod c which connects with
the horizontal arm of a bell crank lever c' having its fulcrum at a fixed point c².
The vertical arm of this bell crank lever connects with the rod e of a flexible
diaphragm E. Surrounding this rod e is a coiled spring e' which lies between a
stop on the rod and the diaphragın box, and serves by its elastic pressure, which is
communicated through the bell crank lever, to hold down the valve C in the position
shewn in the Drawing.
The diaphragm E is mounted in an air tight box which is in communication
with a pipe e having two valve seats, and communicating at one end with the

page_text: pipe leading from the main pipe F (to be presently more particularly referred to),
and at the other with the atmosphere.
These valve seats are. alternately closed and opened by valves e³, e³, connected
rigidly together by a rod et which extends upwards and is connected to the spindle
of a governor of any approved construction, the object being, that as the engines
indicate an undue speed, the governor shall move the valves es, e³, so as to close the
air valve and open a passage to the condenser.
The upper portion of the rod e is surrounded by a coiled spring e³ which is
attached by its lower end to the casing through which the rod e¹ passes, its upper
end bearing against the underside of a screw nut e adjustable axially on a threaded
portion of the rod et
By means of this nut the spring e³ may be compressed to any desired degree,
and the speed at which the engine shall run may be determined accordingly.
Immediately the passage to the condenser has been opened by the depression of
the valves e³, e, the diaphragm E will be caused to rock its bell crank lever and
lift the cylindrical valve in connection therewith into the dotted position, which
movement will connect the pneumatic lever with the condenser.
For this purpose the condenser is coupled to the cylindrical case B by the pipe F
before mentioned, and an opening is made in the side of the valve C to come into
coincidence with the opening to the pipe F when raised to its dotted position. On
the opposite side the case B, and at a different level, an opening is made to admit
air into the case, and a corresponding opening is made in the side of the valve C
which comes into coincidence therewith when the valve drops to its drawn position.
It will now be understood that the moment the opening in the valve C rises to the
level of the pipe F, the air in the pneumatic lever A will be drawn into the
condenser, and the pneumatic lever will close the throttle valve and cut off the
supply of steam to the engines.
So soon as the speed of the engines is reduced to the normal rate the governor
will by reason of its connection with the valve rod et cut off the exhaust from the
diaphragm box and admit air at back of the diaphragm E. The spring e² will then
be free to act, and through the bell crank lever it will draw down the valve C,
thereby cutting off communication between the cylindrical case B and the condenser,
and admitting air through the valve C and pipe a to the pneumatic lever A.
The coiled springs a will now draw down the lever and effect the opening of
the throttle valve D, which will then supply steam to the engines as before.
Fig. 2 shews an arrangement of our improved steam regulating apparatus fitted
with a pendulum for controlling its action. H is the pendulum, mounted loosely on
a fixed spindle h and oscillating botween two stops 1, 2, carried by two arms h¹ of
a four-armed rock lever H', also mounted loosely on the spindle h. To a third
arm h² of this lever the cylindrical valve C before mentioned is connected by. a
pendent link c, and the fourth arm h³ is weighted to hold the stop 1 in contact
with the pendulum H, and to balance the valve. The cylindrical case B containing
the valve C is connected to the pneumatic lever A and to the condenser in the
manner above described.
When therefore the pendulum is caused to oscillate by the pitching of the ship,
which lifts the propeller out of the water, the weighted arm h³ will be free to raise
the valve C, and the pneumatic lever will be thereby put in communication with
the condenser. The result of this will be to exhaust the pneumatic lever and effect
the cutting off of the steam by the throttle valve D, as above explained. On the
return motion of the pendulum the rock lever H¹ will be caused to bring down
the valve C to its depressed position, and thereby through the action of the
pneumatic lever open the throttle valve.
Fig. 3 shews an arrangement of our improved steam regulating apparatus fitted
with an oscillating closed tube I which is weighted with mercury or its equivalent,
and is intended to act like the pendulum upon the valve C by the pitching of the
ship. The spindle i on which this oscillating tube is mounted carries an arm ¿¹

page_text: which is connected to the link C and serves to impart an endway motion to the
valve, thereby putting the pneumatic lever in action as above explained.
The valve C is in this arrangement set horizontally instead of vertically as
before for convenience of arrangement, but the construction and principle of action
of the steam regulating apparatus will not vary from that described with reference
to Fig. 1.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Regulating the Supply of Steam to Marino Engines," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent we claim,―
Controlling the action of the throttle valve of marine engines by means of a
pneumatic lever brought into communication with the condenser or equivalent
exhaust apparatus, in the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Eames, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.