An Improved Bye-pass for Sliding Valves for Use with Steam or other Pressure Fluid.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 24th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bye-pass for Sliding Valves for Use with Steam or other
Pressure Fluid.
We, JAMES ASHTON FLETCHER and SAMUEL FLETCHER, both of Borough Brass
Works, Cavendish and Blandford Streets, Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to that class of stop, junction, or controlling valve, in
which a double faced slide, a cylindrical plug or piston, or other equivalent
construction is employed as the valve, and is moved or slid-off the corresponding
seating or seatings in a rectilinear direction to allow the passage of the fluid:
and the invention relates more particularly to valves of large dimensions
where the pressure of the fluid tends to prevent the easy opening of the valve.
In valves of this class as at present in use, the valve itself is commonly intro-
duced from underneath the valve body through a suitable opening to which
is bolted a cover for examination of the seatings or introducing the valve, and
a bye-pass is commonly provided consisting of an additional small valve with
two branches bolted to suitable facings upon the main valve body to allow a
preliminary passage of the working fluid from one side of the main valve to
the other. In a construction of this kind four extra joints are required, and
trouble often results from unequal expansion of the main valve body and the
smaller bye-pass valve with its connecting branches, and the object of the pre-
sent invention is to do away entirely with such a construction of bye-pass with
its attendant troubles and additional expense.
The invention consists generally in forming within the cover (which is em-
ployed to examine the valve or close the opening through which the main valve
is introduced) ports or passages leading from one branch of the main valve to
the other branch, and in attaching to, or arranging upon, a central termination
of these ports or passages a small controlling bye-pass valve in such a manner
that upon opening this bye-pass a preliminary flow of steam or other fluid takes
place through these ports or passages within the cover from one branch of the
main valve to the other branch to equalise the pressure on both sides of the said
main valve, and thus allow it to be easily and quickly opened. Such a construc-
tion does away entirely with the additional joints required in the ordinary
bye-pass fitted upon a pipe or pipes, and at the same time affords a compact
bye-pass practically forming portion of the body of the main valve, and, there-
fore, not liable to leak through unequal expansion.
In carrying the invention into effect according to one modification as applied
to a large valve of the type wherein two parallel disc faces mounted upon a
spindle slide between two faced seats attached to the oppositely placed branches
of the valve body, the construction is as follows: -The valve itself is introduced
underneath the valve body through a suitable opening closed by a jointed cover
after such introduction, and further, the valve is easily operated by a screwed

page_text: spindle riding in a suitable nut attached to the upper part of the said body.
The passage of the working fluid takes place from one branch to the other when
the valve is open, and in large valves of this kind when the valve is shut great
pressure naturally results upon one or other side of the disc valve. The jointed
cover is constructed with two cored ports or passages running from either side
of the cover to a chamber formed centrally therein and opening out into the
said chamber. The outer end of these cored ports or passages open out through
the cover on its inner side just opposite two ports or passages formed in the
valve body, and opening out respectively into each branch on the outer sides of
the main valve seatings. The centrally disposed chamber formed in the cover
is fitted with a valve seat leading into one of the cored ports or passages, while
the other port or passage opens out immediately above the said valve seat. The
outer portion of this centrally disposed chamber has a suitable plug gland
screwed into it carrying a small screwed spindle and valve of any type, and this
valve closes down upon a small valve seat leading to one port or passage.
It is evident that the construction of jointed cover with the two ports or pas-
sages and the small external valve will form a bye-pass and that opening the
small valve will allow the fluid pressure to pass from the branch on one side
of the main valve through one cored port and passage, past the valve seat and
down the other cored port and passage into the branch on the other side of the
main valve seat. When, therefore, in operation and the main slide valve is
closed, all that is necessary to produce easy opening of said slide valve is, in
the first instance, to open the small bye-pass valve, and allow the working fluid
to pass through round the main valve through the cover, thus equalising the
pressures.
In carrying the invention into effect according to another modification, the
cored ports and passages in the jointed cover herein before referred to are
brought out completely through the said cover at the bottom thereof, and these
cored ports or passages at their exit on the bottom of the said cover may lie
respectively a little on either side of the axis thereof. A small valve fitted in
a separate valve body with two chambers is constructed of such dimensions that
one chamber covers the exit of one port or passage, while the other chamber
covers the exit of the other port or passage, the small valve itself forming a com-
municating medium between these two small chambers. It is evident, in this
case also, that the opening or shutting of this small valve will allow a bye-pass
of the working fluid to take place through the ports and passages and small
valve body from one side to the other of the main valve body and equalise the
pressure on the said main valve as a preliminary to opening it; and all in a
similar manner to the modification first described.
The following minor modifications in the constructions of the improved bye-
pass and its application may be employed without departing from the subject
of the present invention. The ports or passages may be cored, drilled, or other-
wise formed in the jointed cover, and they may pass from the inner faces of such
jointed cover in any direction towards the centre and outer face of the said cover.
The bye-pass valve with its seat and fittings may be attached directly at an
angle to the outer face of the jointed cover, or, on the other hand, a separate
valve box containing the said bye-pass with suitable ports may be attached by
separate flange to the bottom of the said jointed cover.
The bye-pass valve may be of any type, and, may, itself be a small auxiliary
slide valve, mitre seated valve, plug cock or the like. This construction of
bye-pass within a jointed cover which closes the opening for the introduction
or examination of the main valve may be equally well employed where the
main valve is other than that described in the first modification, such for
example, as a piston grating valve, sliding between grated seats, or a tapered
sluice valve sliding between tapered seats.
It is to be clearly understood that the leading and essential feature of this
invention is the construction of a bye-pass within the cover which closes the

page_text: opening through which the main valve is introduced or examined, and that
the leading and essential objects are to reduce the number of joints now com-
monly employed, to obviate entirely the frequent leakage in said joints through
unequal expansion, and to provide a cheap and efficient construction.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
An Improved Bye-pass for Sliding Valves for Use with Steam or other
Pressure Fluid.
We, JAMES ASHTON FLEICHER and SAMUEL FLETCHER, both of Borough Brass
Works, Cavendish Street and Blandford Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, 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:-
This invention relates to that class of stop junction, or controlling valve, in
which a double faced slide, a cylindrical plug or piston, or other equivalent
construction is employed as the valve, and is moved or slid-off the corresponding
seating or seatings in a rectilinear direction to allow the passage of the fluid;
and the invention relates more particularly to valves of large dimensions
or to high pressure valves where the pressure of the fluid tends to prevent the
easy opening of the valve.
In valves of this class at present in use, the valve itself is commonly intro-
duced from underneath the valve body through a suitable opening to which
is bolted a cover for the examination of the seatings or introducing the valve,
and a bye-pass is commonly provided consisting of an additional small valve
with two branches bolted to suitable facings upon the main valve body to allow
a preliminary passage of the working fluid from one side of the main valve to
the other. In a construction of this kind four extra joints are required, and
trouble often results from unequal expansion of the main valve body and the
smaller bye-pass valve with its connecting branches, and the object of the
present invention is to do away entirely with such a construction of bye-pass
with its attendant troubles and additional expense.
The invention consists generally in forming within the cover (which is em-
ployed to examine the valve or close the opening through which the main valve
is introduced) ports or passages leading from one branch of the main valve to
the other branch, and in attaching to, or arranging upon, a central termination
of these ports or passages a small controlling bye-pass valve in such a manner
that upon opening this bye-pass a preliminary flow of steam or other fluid takes
place through these ports or passages within the cover from one branch of the
main valve to the other branch to equalise the pressure on both sides of the said
main valve, and thus allow it to be easily and quickly opened. Such a construc-
tion does away entirely with the additional joints required in the ordinary
bye-pass fitted upon a pipe or pipes, and at the same time affords a compact
bye-pass practically forming portion of the body of the main valve, and, there-
fore, not liable to leak through unequal expansion.
In the accompanying drawings:

page_text: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a stop valve constructed according to our
invention Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the valve cover showing the bye-pass
and controlling valve.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified construction of valve cover, and Fig. 4
is a section of the same on the line rr.
Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a stop valve fitted with a bye-pass valve which
can be controlled from the top of the stop valve, the bye-pass valve-box being
shown in section: and Fig. 6 is a section on the line y y of part of the valve
cover.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the main valve is of ordinary construction, the
top of the valve body A being closed and fitted with a stuffing box B through
which the valve spindle C passes. The upper end of this spindle is screwed and
works in a nut formed by a liner D to which the boss of the hand wheel E is
secured. This liner is carried in a bridge piece I supported in the usual manner
on pillars (not shown) attached to the valve body. The lower taper part C₁ of
the spindle C is detachable and is secured thereto by the screw formed upon
the end of the said spindle. The valve G which is of the disc type is fixed to
the tapered part C of the spindle by a flat key C, and it slides between the two
faced seats H, H thereby controlling the passage through the two branches of
the valve body. The valve G is introduced through the opening A¹ at the
bottom of the valve body and this opening is closed by a removable cover K
which is secured by bolts and nuts (not shown) to the valve body. This cover
is constructed with two cored ports or passages L, M forming the bye-pass.
These ports or passages open on the inner side of the cover respectively oppo-
site the passages L', M¹ formed in the valve body and in free communication
with the respective branches of the valve. The passage M terminates within
the cover in a chamber J (see Fig. 2) below the end of the passage L and this
chamber communicates with the passage L through the opening N controlled
by a valve (). The chamber is fitted with a removable plug gland P carrying
the valve spindle 01, a suitable handwheel (2 being provided for operating the
valve.
It will be seen that the cover K, with the ports or passages L, M and the
valve 0, and the passages L¹, M' form a bye-pass for the pressure fluid from one
side of the main valve G to the other; and, when the valve casing is connected
for working all that is necessary to produce and easy opening of the valve G is,
in the first instance, to open the bye-pass valve thereby allowing the working
fluid to equalise the pressures on the two sides of the valve through the
passages L, M.
In the modification of our invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the pas-
sages L, M are brought completely through to the outside of the cover K termi-
nating one on either side of the axis. A separate valve box K¹ is fitted to the
outside of the cover with a face to face joint and is secured thereto by bolts and
nuts K2. This valve box is constructed with two curved passages L², M2 com-
municating with each other through a hollow plug valve P1. With the valve
box in position these passages open into the passages L, M in the cover K thus
forming the bye-pass through which the pressures upon the two sides of the
main valve can be equalised by operating the plug valve P¹.
Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the passages L, M, in the valve cover K are con-
structed as shown in Fig. 4 and a separate valve box K³ is provided upon the
side of which is formed a horizontal casting K containing a valve formed by
the coned end of the spindle P³. The passages L³. M³ formed in this valve box,
in free communication with the passages L, M in the cover K, communicate
with each other through the valve P3. The valve spindle P3 passes through a
stuffing box K and is attached at its outer end to a lever Q. To one end of
this lever is jointed a rod R which projects upwards and passes through a guide S
which swivels on a collar T attached to one of the bridge supporting pillars,
the upper end of the rod being fitted with an operating handle R'. This con-

page_text: struction of bye-pass valve and its fittings is specially adapted for use with stop
valves which are fixed in places where the bottom of the valve casing is inacces-
sible. The bye-pass valve can be readily opened or shut from above by operat-
ing the handle R¹.
It is obvious that the construction of bye-pass within the cover which closes
the opening for introduction and examination of the main valve, as above
described, may be equally employed where the stop valve is of another type
than that illustrated such, for instance, as a piston grating valve sliding between
grated seats or a tapered sluice valve sliding between tapered seats.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what 1 claim is:-
1. A bye-pass for steam or fluid pressure slide valves or the like, consisting
of a passage or passages communicating with both sides of the valve, said pas-
sage or passages being constructed within the valve cover and means for con-
trolling the flow of fluid through the passage or passages substantially as
described.
2. In steam or fluid pressure slide valves or the like, the construction of bye-
pass with auxiliary controlling valve, substantially as described and illustrated
in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In steam or fluid pressure slide valves or the like, the combination of a
valve cover provided with bye-pass openings with a separate valve box con-
structed with passages communicating with said openings and fitted with a
controlling valve substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. In steam or fluid pressure slide valves or the like, the combination of a
bye-pass, constructed by forming passages within the valve cover, and provided
with an auxiliary controlling valve, with means for operating said bye-pass
controlling valve substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of
the accompanying drawings.
That th
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MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.
and 13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.