Improvements in or applicable to Water Gauges for Steam Boiler or other Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28 h Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Water Gauges for Steam Boiler
or other Purposes.
We, JOHN CAMERON of s.s. Glengariff, City of Cork Steampacket Co. Ltd.
of Cork, Ireland, Marine Engineer and JOHN KING, Superintendent Engineer
City of Cork Steampacket Co. Ltd., aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in or applicable to water gauges
for steam boilers or other purposes. It is designed to have less liability to cause
damage in case of fracture of the glass, and in other ways to be superior to water
gauges hitherto in use.
In carrying the invention into effect, the valves above and below the gauge glass
are formed in a peculiar manner. One of them, say the top one, is formed of a
barrel in which a valve plug or segmental valve plug operated by a handle is fitted.
The orifice in the barrel, which communicates with the gauge glass, is made in the
form of a slot, but the plug which is capable of being rotated so as to completely
cover over the slot in the barrel is formed with a valve seating, preferably a round
hole, chamfered to form a valve seat. The valve employed is preferably a ball
placed loosely in the barrel in such a manner that normally the steam will pass
through the orifice into the gauge, but in the event of the glass breaking, the
escape of steam will cause it to fly against the seat in the plug and close the orifice
automatically. To admit of a large body of steam being blown through to clean
the gauge or remove obstructions, etcetera, the plug is rotated by the handle so as
to uncover the elongated opening on the internal face of the barrel; thus, when a
large body of steam is blown through for cleaning purposes, the ball will fly
against this opening, which being elongated is incapable of being closed by the
ball.
The valve at the other end of the gauge glass is also by preference a ball loosely
mounted in a skeleton cup, the latter formed in such a manner that if rotated into
one position the ball is free to fly up against the valve seating on the occasion of a
fracture of the gauge glass, while if rotated into another position, a portion of the
cup is interposed between the ball and the seating, so that the ball is incapable of
fying against the seating. The cup is carried by a spindle operated by a handle.
It will thus be seen that the valves both at top and bottom are instantly lifted to
their seats when the gauge glass is broken, by the force of the escaping steam, and
yet when it is desired to blow through the glass to clean all working parts from
accumulated sediment, the valves are prevented from automatically closing by
simply turning the handle in the manner described.
In
The gauge may of course be fitted direct on the boiler or to a water column.
order to obtain an indication in the glass of the true water level, I prefer to locate
the blow through valve at the upper part of the water gauge, namely, either on the
top of the barrel, or on top of the chamber between the barrel and the glass.
Instead of ball valves, Corliss, mushroom or any other suitable valves may be also
employed. In the case of mushroom valves, I prefer to form a knob or rounded
projection on top thereof, which will not in the slightest interfere with the said
mushroom valve seating itself properly when closing. Thus if the mushroom
valve fly against the seat on the occasion of a fracture of the gauge glass and it be

page_text: desired to bring the valve away from its seat again, the spindle is rotated and the
valve is forcibly removed from its seat, the knob or rounded projection by coming
in contact with the valve seating forcing the valve away from its seat.
Dated this 27th day of August 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or applicable to Water Gauges for Steam Boiler
or other Purposes.
We, JOHN CAMERON of S.S. "Glengariff," City of Cork Steamparket Co.
Ltd., of Cork, Ireland, Marine Engineer, and JOHN KING Superintendent
Engineer, City of Cork Steampacket Co. Ltd., aforesaid, 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 certain improvements in or applicable to water gauges
for steam boilers or other purposes. It is designed to have less liability to cause
damage in case of fracture of the glass, and in other ways to be superior to water
gauges hitherto in use.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a water gauge fitted with the invention,
showing the automatic valves in their normal position;
Figure 2 a front elevation partly in section showing the elongated slot ;
Figure 3, a side elevation partly in section showing the position of the valve
when blowing through the glass;
Figure 4, a detail view of a slight modification.
Figure 5, an elevation of the shut-off valve applied to a water column.
Figure 6 detail view in section of the valve.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 & 3, the valves above and below the gauge glass A
are formed in a peculiar manner. One of them, say the top one, is formed with a
circular barrel or chamber B in which a segmental valve plug or Corliss valve C
operated by a handle D is fitted. The orifice E in the chamber B which com-
municates with the gauge glass A is made in the form of a slot, but the plug or
valve C which is capable of being rotated so as to completely cover over the slot E
in the barrel B is formed with a valve seating F, preferably a round hole, chamfered
to form a valve seat. The valve employed is preferably a ball G placed loosely in
the chamber B in such a manner that normally the steam will pass through the
orifice E into the gauge, but in the event of the glass breaking, the escape of
steam will cause it to fly against the scat F and close the orifice automatically.
To admit of a large body of steam being blown through, to clean the gauge or
remove obstructions, etcetera, the seat F is rotated by the handle D so as to
uncover the elongated opening E on the internal face of the chamber B; thus,
when a large body of steam is blown through for cleaning purposes, the ball G will
fly against this opening, which being elongated is incapable of being closed by the
ball.
The valve at the other end of the gauge glass is also by preference a ball G
loosely mounted in a skeleton cup H, the latter formed in such a manner that if
rotated by the handle 1 into the position shown in Figures 1 and 4, the ball G is
free to fly up against the valve seating J on the occasion of a fracture of the gauge
glass A, while if rotated half a turn, a portion of the cup H is interposed between
the ball G and the seating J, so that the ball G is incapable of flying against the
seating J. The cup H is carried by a spindle operated by the handle I.

page_text: It will thus be seen that the valves both at top and bottom are instantly lifted
to their seats when the gauge glass is broken, by the force of the escaping steam,
and yet when it is desired to blow through the glass to clean all working parts
from accumulated sediment, the valves are prevented from automatically closing
by simply turning the handles D and I in the manner described. I is the blow
through cock handle which may be coupled to a lever on the valve plug C by the
rod 12.
A slight modification in the construction of the skeleton cup H is shown in
Figure 4, in which it is made elongated and in such a manner that the ball G shall
roll to the extreme end of the cup and so allow a clear passage for the water and
steam when it is desired to blow through the glass to clean the working parts from
accumulated sediment. The ball being thus at the end of the cup it is out of the
direct passage of the escaping steam.
The gauge with our automatic shut off valve may be fitted direct to the boiler
as depicted in Figures 1, 2 and 3 or to a water column. The latter arrangement
is shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which K is the water column with the automatic
valve applied at the bottom thereof. This arrangement of applying the valve to
the water column is an equivalent of the other plan and will answer equally well.
The other reference letters shown in these figures will be understood by referring
to the preceding description. Instead of ball valves, mushroom or any other
suitable valves may be employed. In the case of mushroom valves, I prefer to
form a knob or rounded projection on top thereof, which will not in the slightest
interfere with the said mushroom valve seating itself properly when closing. Thus
if the mushroom valve fly against the seat on the occasion of a fracture of the
gauge glass and it be desired to bring the valve away from its seat again, the
spindle of the cup or holder in which the stem of the valve is mounted is rotated
and the valve is forcibly removed from its seat J, by the knob or rounded
projection coming in contact with the valve seating, forcing the valve away from
its seat J.
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. The improvement in automatic shut-off valves for water gauges (of that kind
in which when the glass breaks, the force of the steam or water impinging against
it forces it against the valve seat and so prevents the escape of steam or water,
until the connection with the boiler is cut off), namely, forming the said valve seat
in a segmental plug or Corliss valve fitted within the chamber or barrel of the
cock and capable of rotating therein, and providing immediately behind said plug
or Corliss valve in the chamber aforesaid, an elongated slot communicating with
the gauge glass in such a manner that by simply rotating the said plug or valve,
the valve seat will be removed, and the slot uncovered and exposed substantially
as and for the purposes described.
2. In combination with a water gauge for steam boilers, an automatic shut-off
ball valve having a rotatable skeleton cup mounted at right angles to the axis of
the valve seating, and within which the ball is mounted in such manner that if the
glass breaks, the force of the steam or water impinging against the ball shall force
it against the valve seating, while by simply rotating the said cup a portion of a
turn, it will be interposed between the ball and the seating so that the ball is
removed entirely therefrom substantially as described.
3. An automatic shut-off valve for water gauges having a knob or rounded
projection on the face thereof, in combination with a spindle or holder at right
angles to the valve stem, and within which the latter is mounted, in such manner
that by simply rotating the said spindle or holder the face of the valve is forcibly
removed from its seat by the rounded projection or knob coming in contact with
the valve seating substantially as described.

page_text: 4. The automatic shut-off valve for water gauges combined and arranged
substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of May 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.