Improvements in and relating to Valves for use in connection with Steam Boilers and for other purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Valves for use in connection
with Steam Boilers and for other purposes.
We, JOHN ADDY HOPKINSON and JOSEPH HOPKINSON, both of the firm of
J. Hopkinson & Co., of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Enginers, do h seby
declare the nature of this invent.on to be as follows:
Our invention relates to valves for use in connection with steam boilers and for
other purposes.
An important feature of our said invention relates to isolating valves applicable
to the steam pipes and to the blow-off pipes of steam-boilers. According to this
part of our invention we arrange within a suitable casing a ball valve adapted for
opening and closing the thoroughfare of the said valve casing and operating as a
non-return valve. For supporting the said ball valve when it is not on its seat we
provide a support which should be inclined towards the said seat so that the ball when
resting on the said support will tend to roll towards its seat and will only be
restrained from doing so when there is a flow or current through the valve. The
said support preferably consists of two parallel narrow walls or rails on or between
the upper edges of which the ball rests:"
We prefer to construct the supports in such a manner that they may be
removable from the valve casing through a conveniently situated hole or aperture
below the valve, and we cast the supports with, or attach them to, a cap or cover
which cap or cover serves both to close the aforesaid opening and as the means for
attaching the valve supports to the casing. We may arrange the parts so that the
ball can be inserted and withdrawn through the aforesaid aperture in the casing
when the cover is removed or we may provide for this purpose another aperture
above the valve which aperture is also normally closed by a cap or cover.
prefer to provide a suitable stop in the valve casing to limit the travel of the ball
away from its seat. The said ball is constructed of any suitable material and
(especially when used as a steam isolating valve) it is preferably made hollow and light
so as to be very sensitive in its movements. The casing is so constructed that when
the ball valve is away from its seat there is ample area around the ball for the
passage of the fluid.
We
An important advantage of our improved valve is that the thoroughfare is not
obstructed by the ball when the valve is fully open. Moreover our said valve does
not when working make the disagreeable chattering noise which is so noticeable in
some non-return valves.
When applied for isolating the steam spaces of two or more boilers in a range or
series of connected boilers we prefer to place our improved isolating valve in the
radial pipe of each boiler. When used for isolating the water spaces or in other
words for preventing the entrance of water from the blow-off pipe of one boiler into
an empty boiler of the same range we place it in the blow-off pipe.
Another important feature of our invention, applicable to the isolating valves
above described and also to other valves, relates to a method of securing the valve
seats, in position. With the methods of securing valve seats heretofore in use
where the valve-seat and the casing are constructed of different metals there has
always been considerable trouble and inconvenience arising from the impossibility
of keeping the seats in place for any lengthened period, especially where such valves
are subject to wide variations of temperature. This defect is due to the differen-
tial expansion of the seat and the casing by reason of which very severe stresses are
set up and the valve seat is thereby warped and in a short time becomes loose and
liable to displacement. The defect is most apparent in valves used for high

page_text: pressures such as are common in steam boilers of the present time.
We
If the valve
seat and the casing were both constructed of the same metal no differential expan-
sion would occur and the seat would remain secure, and our invention is intended to
afford the means whereby a seat of brass or other metal different from that of the
casing can be fitted to such casing in such a manner as to be as free from the above
objectionable feature as if the two parts were constructed of the same metal.
effect this result by so fixing the seat that the differential expansion and contraction
thereof with respect to the casing is not rigidly resisted as in the former methods
of fixing the seat but such expansion is permitted without interfering with the truth
of the seat face or setting up any tendency to loosen the said seat in the body.
We
According to our invention we prepare the valve casing by recessing the same
for receiving a compound ring constructed of two different metals, one being the
same metal as the casing and intended to form a bed or backing for the other which
is of brass, gun-metal, or other metal suitable to form the valve seat propei.
fit the two rings accurately together face to face and preferably secure them by
screws, which screws are passed up through holes in the ring forming the backing
and are screwed into the ring forming the seat face. We prefer that the heads of
the said screws shall be made flush with the under face of the backing ring. Having
thus prepared our compound ring we then force the same by hydraulic pressure or
otherwise into the aforesaid recess or socket in the valve casing prepared to receive
the same.
We arrange the parts so that the backing ring only shall enter the
socket and this ring being as before stated constructed of the same metal as the
casing or body of the valve no trouble will arise from difference of expansion and
hence the seat will remain secure, or will not be hable to work loose.
Dated this 11th day of March 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Valves for use in connection
with Steam Boilers and for other purposes.
We, JOHN ADDY HOPKINSON, and JOSEPH HOPKINSON, both of the firm of
J. Hopkinson and Co., of Huddersfield, in the County of York, 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 :-
Our invention relates to valves for use in connection with steam boilers and for
other purposes.
One part of our said invention relates to isolating or check valves for steam boilers,
that is to say, to valves which have for their object the prevention of the flow of steam
into a boiler from one or more other boilers with which it is connected. The said
check or isolating valves can also be advantageously applied to the blow off pipes of
boilers that are connected to a common trunk blow off pipe. This part of our
invention has for its object to improve the construction of such automatically
acting valves, whereby we are enabled to ensure the isolation of each boiler in a
range of two or more connected boilers and so prevent the entrance therein of steam
or water through the steam and blow off pipes.
Another part of our invention, applicable to the said isolating valves and also to
other valves, relates to a method of securing valve-seats in position.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section, and
Figure 2 is a horizontal central section through an isolating valve constructed
according to our invention.
Figure 3 is a plan,

page_text: revation, and
Figure 5 is a side elevation of portions of two connected boilers showing the mode
of applying our improved isolating valves to the steam pipes and blow-off pipes of
the said boilers.
Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal central section through a parallel sliding
throughway valve provided with a velve seat con-tructed according to our present
invention.
Figure 7 is a central ection through a mushroom valve provided with our
improved seat, ".ú
Figure 8 a section of a portion of our improved valve seat drawn to a larger
scale
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A is the body or casing of the valve, within which
is arranged a ball valve B adapted for opening and closing the thoroughfare C of
the said valve casing and operating as a non-return valve. For supporting the said
ball valve when it is not on its seat we provide a support which should be inclined
towards the said seat so that the ball when resting on the said support will tend to
roll towards its seat and will only be restrained from doing so when there is a flow
or current through the valve from the boiler. The said support preferably consists
of two parallel narrow walls or rails D on or between the upper inclined edges D¹
of which the ball rests. In some cases the upper edge D' of the walls D may be
horizontal.
The said supports D are constructed in such a manner that they may be removed
from the valve casing through a conveniently situated hole or aperture E below the
valve, and they are cast with, or they may be attached to a cap or cover D2 which
cap or cover serves both to close the aforesaid opening E and as the means for
fixing the valve supports D in the casing. We preferably so arrange the parts
that the ball B can be inserted and withdrawn through the aforesaid aperture E
when the cover D2 is removed. We may however provide for this purpose another
aperture above the valve which aperture is normally closed by a cap or cover.
Fis a stop provided in the valve casing to limit the travel of the ball away from
its seat.
When the steam is flowing through the valve from the boiler, the ball B
will be held by the current against the stop F in the position shown by the dotted
circle. But when the flow from the boiler ceases or there is a return flow, the ball
will immediately roll down the inclined supports to its seat and close the thorough-
fare C thereby isolating the boiler. The said ball is constructed of any suitable
material and (especially when used as a steam isolating valve) it is preferably
made hollow and light so as to be very sensitive in its movements. The casing is
so constructed that when the ball valve is away from its seat there is ample area
around the ball for the passage of the fluid.
An important advantage of our improved valve is that the thoroughfare is not
obstructed by the ball when the valve is fully open. Moreover our said valve does
not when working make the disagreeable chattering noise which is so noticeable in
some non-return valves.
Our said valves are intended to be placed in the radial pipe a' and in the blow-
off pipe a² of each boiler a as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
The next part of our invention relates to valve seats. With the methods of
securing valve seats heretofore in use, where the valve seat and the casing are
constructed of different metals having substantially different coefficients of
expansion, such for instance as where gun metal seats are fitted into cast iron
casings, there has always been considerable trouble and inconvenience arising from
the impossibility of keeping the seats in place for any lengthened period, especially
where such valves are subject to extreme variation of temperature. This defect is
due to the differential expansion of the seat and the casing, by reason of which very
severe stresses are set up and the valve seat is thereby warped and in a short time
becomes loose and liable to displacement. The defect is most apparent in valves
used for high pressures such as are common in steam boilers of the present time.

page_text: If the valve seat and the casing were both constructed of the same metal little or
no differential expansion would occur and the seat would remain secure and our
invention is intended to afford the means whereby a seat of brass gun metal or the
like can be fitted to an iron casing, in such a manner as to be as free from the
above objectionable features as if the two parts were constructed of the same metal.
We effect the result by so fixing the seat that the differential expansion and con-
traction thereof with respect to the casing is not rigidly resisted, as in the former
methods of fixing the seat, but such expansion is permitted without interfering with
the truth of the seat face or setting up any tendency to loosen the said seat in the
body.
According to our invention we prepare the valve casing (see Figures 6 and 7
is
by recessing the same as at (for receiving a compound ring H. This ring
constructed of two rings of different metals, one ring being made preferably of
the same metal as the casing and intended to form a bed or backing for the other
ring which is of brass, gun metal or other metal suitable to form the valve seat
proper.
We fit the two rings h accurately face to face and preferably secure them
together by screws 2, which screws are passed up through holes formed in the
ring and are screwed into the ring ¹ forming the seat face. We prefer that the
heads of the said screws shall be made flush with the underface of the ing h.
Having thus prepared our compound ring we then force the same by hydraulic
pressure or otherwise into the aforesaid recess or socket G in the valve casing
prepared to receive the same. We arrange the parts so that the ring only shall
enter the socket, and this ring being as before stated constructed of the same metal
as the casing or body of the valve no trouble will arise from difference of expansion
and hence the seat will remain secure or will not be liable to work loose.
Our improved compound valve seat is also shown applied to the isolating valve
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
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 :-
First. A non-return valve wherein a ball is employed for closing the thorough-
fare, said ball, when it is not on its seat, being carried by an inclined support for
the purpose specified.
Second. A non-return valve provided with a ball-valve for closing the thorough-
fare, and with a pair of parallel walls or rails for carrying the said valve when it is
not on its seat, substantially as described.
Third. An isolating valve for application to the steam pipes and blow off pipes of
steam boilers constructed substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2
of the drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, specified.
Fourth. A compound valve seat composed of two rings of different metals, the
lower ring being made preferably of the same metal as the valve casing and
adapted to fit in a socket provided in the said casing, and the upper ring, forming
the seat face, being made preferably of the same metal as the valve and secured to
the lower ring but not held circumferentially by the valve casing, for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. A compound valve seat constructed and fitted in the valve casing sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 27th ov of Avust 1801
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.