Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 22nd Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1887.
16
We, WILLIAM HORNSBY and FREDERICK JAMES CRIBB both of the Spittlegate Iron
Works, Grantham in the County of Lincoln, Engineers do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In compound steam engines various ways have before been devised for admitting
high pressure steam to the low pressure cylinder at the time of starting the engine and
for at the same time allowing the steam escaping from the high pressure cylinder to
pass directly to the exhaust so that the power of the engine at the time of starting is
very greatly increased.
This we effect in a simple way by means of a single valve in the steam supply.
The valve is a sliding valve working over a valve face in which are four parallel
ports.
The sliding portion of the valve is formed with a single port through it near one
end and an arch or hollow or recess near its other end.
Through port No. 1 at one end of the series of four ports high pressure steam passes
to the high pressure cylinder the next port No. 2 leads to the low pressure cylinder,
through the next No. 3 steam is exhausted from the high pressure cylinder and the
fourth No. 4 is a port leading directly to the exhaust in connection with the
atmosphere.
With the valve at one end of its travel the engine works as a compound engine;
high pressure steam is admitted freely through the port in the valve and through port
No. 1 in the valve face to the high pressure cylinder. The exhaust from the high
pressure cylinder passes through port No. 3 into the recess in valve and from this
recess through port No. 2 to the steam chest of the low pressure cylinder from which
passes to the exhaust in the ordinary manner-the fourth port to the exhaust is at
this time closed.
it
When the valve is shifted endwise to the opposite end of its travel the port through
the valve is brought partially over port No. 2 and admits high pressure steam to the
low pressure cylinder whilst the end of the valve has travelled partly beyond port No. 1

page_text: so as to allow high pressure steam to pass also to the high pressure cylinder. At the
same time the recess of the valve is made to cover ports Nos. 3 and 4 so that
the exhaust from the high pressure cylinder entering the recess of the valve
through port No. 3 is conducted directly to the exhaust in connection with the
atmosphere through port No. 4 instead of as before to the low pressure cylinder.
With the valve in its central position all the ports are covered and no steam
can enter either cylinder so that the valve acts as a stopping and starting valve.
A lever or other appliance may be used for shifting the valve. At one extremity
of the movement of the lever or other appliance the valve will be in position for
admitting steam to both the high and low pressure cylinders and consequently for
starting the engine. At the opposite end of its movement it is in position to allow of
the engine working as a compound engine-whilst in its central position the engine is
stopped.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound Traction, Locomotive, or Portable Steam
Engines.
We, WILLIAM HORNSBY and FREDERICK JAMES CRIBB both of the Spittlegate
Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, 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 :-
In compound steam engines various ways have before been devised for admitting
high pressure steam to the low pressure cylinder at the time of starting the engine
and for at the same time allowing the steam escaping from the high pressure cylinder
to pass directly to the exhaust so that the power of the engine at the time of starting
is very greatly increased.
This we effect in a simple way by means of a single valve in the steam
supply.
The valve is a sliding valve working over a valve face in which are four parallel
ports.
The sliding portion of the valve is formed with a single port through it near one end
and an arch or hollow or recess near its other end.
Through port No. 1 at one end of the series of four ports high pressure steam passes
to the high pressure cylinder, the next port No. 2 leads to the low pressure cylinder,
through the next No. 3 steam is exhausted from the high pressure cylinder, and
the fourth No. 4 is a port leading directly to the exhaust in connection with the
atmosphere.
With the valve at one end of its travel the engine works as a compound engine;
high pressure steam is admitted freely through the port in the valve and through
port No. 1 in the valve face to the high pressure cylinder. The exhaust from the high
pressure cylinder passes through port No. 3 into the recess in valve and from this
recess through port No. 2 to the steam chest of the low pressure cylinder from which
passes to the exhaust in the ordinary manner-the fourth port to the exhaust is at
this time closed.
it
When the valve is shifted endwise to the opposite end of its travel the port through
the valve is brought partially over port No. 2 and admits high pressure steam to the
low pressure cylinder whilst the end of the valve has travelled partly beyond port No. 1
so as to allow high pressure steam to pass also to the high pressure cylinder. At the
same time the recess of the valve is made to cover ports Nos. 3 and 4 so that the exhaust
from the high pressure cylinder entering the recess of the valve through port No. 3 is
conducted directly to the exhaust in connection with the atmosphere through port No. 4
instead of as before to the low pressure cylinder.
With the valve in its central position all the ports are covered and no steam can enter
either cylinder so that the valve acts as a stopping and starting valve.

page_text: A lever or other appliance may be used for shifting the valve. At one extremity of
the movement of the lever or other appliance the valve will be in position for
admitting steam to both the high and low pressure cylinders and consequently for
starting the engine. At the opposite end of its movement it is in position to allow of
the engine working as a compound engine-whilst in its central position the engine is
stopped.
The drawing annexed shews a valve constructed to act in the manner above
described.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the valve and Figure 2 a back view partly in
section.
The ports in the valve face are numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 to agree with the above
description-the sliding valve is shewn in its central position covering all the ports so
that no steam can pass to either cylinder and when consequently the engine would be
stopped.
The valve rod passes out through a stuffing box to be coupled to a starting 1
lever.
When the starting lever is moved in a way to move the sliding valve over to the
left hand end of its travel part of the port A¹ formed through it will overlap part of
the port No. 2 and boiler steam will pass direct to the low pressure cylinder whilst the
right hand end of the sliding valve will have been moved beyond part of the 2
port No. 1 so that steam passes also to the high pressure cylinder. At the same
time the arched recess A³ of the sliding valve covers the ports 3 and 4 so that the
steam from the high pressure cylinder is conducted through the port 4 direct to the
exhaust.
When the engine has been started the valve can be shifted over quickly to the opposite
end of its traverse. Steam will then pass through the port A' of the sliding valve to
the port 1 and so to the high pressure cylinder whilst the arched recess A' covers
ports 3 and 2 and the high pressure exhaust is conducted to the low pressure cylinder-
port 4 is covered and remains out of action.
In the drawing we have not shewn any way of leading passages from the ports 1, 2, 33
and 4 to the high and low pressure cylinders of a steam engine and to the exhaust
rospectively as this will be readily understood and would more or less vary with the
form of engine that was being constructed.
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 :-
3
In compound traction, locomotive or portable steam engines the use of a stopping
and starting valve formed as herein before described, of a sliding valve formed with
a port A' and arched recess A² and capable of being slidden over a valve face having
four ports in it leading to the high and low pressure cylinders and the exhaust as 4
described so as in one position to admit steam to both high and low pressure cylinders
and provide a direct exhaust from the high pressure cylinder-in another position to
cause the engine to work compound and in a third position to shut off steam from both
cylinders.
Dated this 20th day of Angust 1887