IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND WORKING OF SLIDE VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES, PUMPS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Stannah and George Pinker, both of Southwark
Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND WORKING OF SLIDE VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES,
PUMPS, AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 3rd December 1878, and dated the 8th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Stannali and George
Pinker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1878.
JOSEPH STANNAH and George PinKER, both of Southwark Bridge Road, in the
County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND WORKING OF
SLIDE VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES, PUMPS, AND OTHER PURPOSES.."
This Invention relates to improvements in working the valves of direct-acting
pumps, air compressors, or any apparatus where a direct reciprocating motion is
required without the use of cranks, shafts, or other similar mechanism. We dis-
tribute the steam by an ordinary slide valve, this valve being moved at each stroke
of the main piston by a weighted lever, or by an air or steam chamber, or by a
spring and a small auxilliary piston, the pressure of steam on the small auxilliary
piston acting in such a manner that the slide valve is reversed at each stroke of the
main piston without the use of tappets or studs, either concealed or exposed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Stannah and George Pinker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th December 1878.
"
JOSEPH STANNAH and GEORGE PINKER, both of Southwark Bridge Road, in the
County of Surrey. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND WORKING of Slide
VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES, PUMPS, AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to improvements in actuating the valves of steam
cylinders whereby the said valves are moved or reversed at each stroke of the
main steam piston without the use of tappets, studs, or any striking parts whatever.
For this purpose we use a small auxiliary steain cylinder, a piston or pistons, and
an arrangement of steam ports, together with a weight or a cushion of steam or
compressed air, or a spring may be employed in place of the weight. We find it
advantageous, however, to use a weight, the said weight either forming the slide
valve, and working vertically on a plain face, as in an ordinary vertical steain
engine, or it may be made independent of the valve.
The auxiliary steam ports are arranged in such manner that when the main
piston is at one end of the cylinder steam is admitted to the corresponding end of
the small steam cylinder, and the small piston is forced to the other end, raising by
means of a crank the weight and slide valve combined therewith, and admitting
steam behind the main piston, which then takes its stroke to the other end of the
cylinder, where steam being admitted by means of the auxiliary ports to both ends
of the small cylinder, the pressure on the small cylinder is balanced, and the weight
or slide valve falls, and admitting steam behind the main piston, it takes the stroke
back, and the motion before described is repeated.
When a spring or cushion of steam or air, or an independent weight, is used to
continually press the small piston to one end of its cylinder, the slide valve may
work horizontally. The weight or spring may be either contained in the steam
jacket or be outside.
The essential features, therefore, of our Invention consist in the use of a weight
or spring and a small auxiliary steam cylinder and piston or pistons to work the
slide valve, the steam moving the valve in one direction, the weight or spring
bringing it back.
And in order that our Invention may be more readily understood, we will now
describe the Drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinal and transverse sections showing the arrangement
in which a horizontal slide valve is used. a is the main cylinder and b the piston;
a', a², are the small auxiliary steam cylinders, and b', 62, 63, 64, are pistons sliding in
the same, being joined together with a neck or rod; c is the steam valve; is a
crank or lever working from the centre or axis o, on the end of which is the
weight w; x1, x2, are steam ports; 81, 82, are the main steam ports. The steam
port &¹ being open the piston will move to the right; the port x is blocked by the
piston b, but steam entering up the passage y and the perforations (shown in dotted
fines) in the piston b¹ keeps the weight w raised and the valve c open.
As soon as
the main piston b has passed the port a, steam enters it by passing through the
perforations in the piston, 6 acts on the face thereof. The pressure on 6 and 6+ are
now equalized, and the weight w having nothing to support it, falls and carries the
conbined valve pistons 61, 62, 63, 64, to the left-hand end of the small cylinder,
reversing the valve c, and admitting steam through the port 82. The chamber a¹ is
now exhausted through the port x' and chamber a² through the port z. The main
piston b will now travel back to the position shown in the Drawing, when steam
passing up will force the small piston out and raise the weight w, and the motion
before described will be repeated. By changing the relative position of the
weight w to the valve c the cylinder may be placed in any desired position.

page_text: Figure 3 is an external view with the steam jacket removed; Figure 4 is a trans-
verse section; Figure 5, a horizontal section; and Figure 6 a longitudinal vertical
section of valve apparatus, showing another arrangement in accordance with our
improvements, in which steam is admitted by a vertical slide m, which is moved
by the weight w by means of small pins n on the back of the slide. The weight w,
by means of the lever working on the centre o, continually presses the combined
piston 61, 62, 63, 64, to one end of small cylinder a.
The action of this apparatus is practically the same as that described above in
reference to Figures 1 and 2, in this case, however, the main cylinder is exhausted
through the ports p¹, p².
And having fully described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing or carrying the same into practice, we would remark that we do not
claim any of the parts separately, which are well known and in common use; but
what we claim is,―
The improved arrangement of the pistons 61, 62, 63, 64, slide valve c, and steam
ports a¹, x2, acting in combination with a weight or spring, or cushion of air or
steam, to actuate and reverse the position of the slide valve c, substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and shown by Figures 1 and 2
of the Drawings annexed.
We also claim the improved arrangement of the pistons 61, 62, 63, 64, acting in
combination with a lever or crank and weight w for reversing the position of the
valve m, separate ports p', p², being arranged for admitting and oxhausting the
steam, substantially in the manner herein-before described and represented in
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Stannah, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
J. STANNAH. (L.S.)