Valves of Direct-acting Engines or Pumps.
Year: 1885

page_text: Valves of Direct-acting Engines or Pumps.
I, EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of the firm of Popplewell, Colton, & Co., of
Victoria Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the county of Middlesex, Fellow of
the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE VALVES
OF DIRECT-ACTING ENGINES OR PUMPS" (a communication to me from abroad by
Frank William Jenkins, of Staats Zeitung Building, in the City of New York,
U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer) to be as follows:―
This invention relates to an improved method of and means or apparatus for
actuating the valves of direct-acting steam engines or steam pumps.
By this invention the motion of the slide valve is made entirely independent of
the motion of the piston rod.
It consists in actuating the slide, piston, or like valve of the cylinder by a cam-
shaft, the latter being driven by an auxiliary steam engine through intermediate
transmitting gear.
In the case of a slide valve the cam on the cam shaft engages with walls or
extensions on the same, the shaft passing through a stuffing box in the valve-chest.
This shaft carries a large spur wheel gearing into a pinion on a second shaft driven
by a small auxiliary steam engine which may be of the oscillating type.
In case of duplex pumps, two steam-cylinders are arranged parallel to each other
and the transmitting gear wheels located intermediately between said cylinders,
the slide valves being actuated by separate cams placed upon the crank shaft. If
desired, the slide-valves of more than two engines may be operated by the same
cam-shaft, which extends then transversely through the different steam-chests.
The advantage of the improved independent valve-gear is that an absolutely
positive motion is imparted to the slide valve, which motion can be maintained
whether the main piston is in motion or at rest. When the auxiliary steam-motor
CD
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page_text: which drives the slide-valves has been set in motion steam may be admitted to the
main cylinder and by proper adjustment of the throttle-valves the speed of the
piston or the number of strokes per minute may be made to correspond to the speed
of the slide-valve or valves. When the engine is once running, either the speed of
the valve-driving motor or of the main cylinder piston may be regulated by their
respective throttle-valves, so that the speed of the motor can be adjusted to that of
the main steam-cylinder piston, or vice versa.
By this independent valve-gear the motion of the main piston can be fully
controlled and the same be made to make very short strokes in the middle of the
cylinder, or it may go to the end and pause for such a length of time according to
the quick or slow reciprocating motion of the main slide valve.
Dated this 30th day of June 1885.

page_text: Valves of Direct-acting Engines or Pumps.
I, EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of the firm of Popplewell, Colton and Co., of
Victoria Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of
the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from abroad by Frank William Jenkins, of Staats Zeitung
Building, in the City of New York, U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer) and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to an improved valve-gear for the steam-oylinders
of direct-acting pumps, whereby the motion of the slide-valve is made entirely
independent of the motion of the piston-rod; and the invention consists of the
combination, with the steam-cylinder and its slide-valve; of a cam-shaft that
actuates the slide-valve, and an auxiliary steam-motor that imparts rotary motion
to said cam-shaft by an intermediate transmitting gearing.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section
on line x-x Fig. 2, of a steam cylinder with my improved valve-gear.
Fig. 2 is a plan, partly in horizontal section of two steam cylinders and duplex
pump connected thereto.
·
Y y, Fig. 2.
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same on line
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
In the drawings, A, represents a steam-cylinder, A¹, a direct-acting pump,
actuated by the piston of the steam cylinder, B the slide-valve and C the valve-
chest of the steam-cylinder. The steam-cylinder A is provided with the usual
steam inlet and exhaust channels and with steam passages by which steam is
supplied for cushioning the piston at each end of its stroke. The slide-valve B is
made of the usual construction and provided with upwardly extending transverse
walls b, that are engaged by a cam d on a shaft D which passes transversely
through slide chest C and which turns in a stuffing-box d' at one side of the same.
The can-shaft D is provided with a gear-wheel e, which meshes with a pinion e¹
on a crank-shaft e² that turns in brackets ea attached to the valve-chest C, its
crank being connected with the piston of a small auxiliary steam-cylinder E, that
turns in bearings in a second pair of brackets f in the main cylinder A.
Steam is supplied through one of the hollow gudgeons of the auxiliary steam-
cylinder E either by means of a valved pipe g, that communicates with the steam
supply-pipe G in front of the throttle-valve, as shown in the upper half of Fig. 2,
or the steam may be supplied to the auxiliary steam-cylinder by a shorter valved
connecting pipe g from the steam-chest, as shown in the lower half of Fig. 2. The
exhaust-steam passes off through the opposite hollow gudgeon of the auxiliary
steam-cylinder E to the atmosphere. The piston-rod of the steam-cylinder E is
connected to the crank-shaft e².
By admitting steam to the auxiliary steam-cylinder E, an oscillating motion is
imparted to the same by the action of its piston, which latter rotates the crank-
shaft e that imparts by the pinion e¹ and gear-wheel e rotary motion to the cam-
shaft D. The cam of the shaft D reciprocates the slide-valve B and actuates the

page_text: same without any mechanical connection with the piston-rod or any other part of
the steam-engine.
In case of duplex-pumps, two steam-cylinders are arranged parallel to each
other and the transmitting gear wheels e, e¹ located intermediately between said
cylinders, the slide-valves being actuated by separate cams placed upon the cam-
shaft. If desired, the slide-valves of more than two engines may be operated by
the same cam-shaft, which extends then transversely through the different steam-
chests.
The advantage of the improved independent valve-gear is that an absolutely
positive motion is imparted to the slide-valve, which motion can be maintained
whether the main piston is in motion or at rest. When the auxiliary steam-motor
which drives the slide-valves has been set in motion, steam may be admitted to
the main-cylinder and by proper adjustment of the throttle-valves the speed of the
piston or the number of strokes may be made to correspond to the speed of the
slide-valve or valves. When the engine is once running, either the speed of
the valve-driving motor or of the main-cylinder may be regulated by their
respective throttle-valves, so that the speed of the motor can be adjusted to that of
the main-cylinder or vice versa.
By this independent valve-gear the motion of the main piston can be fully
controlled and the same be made to make very short strokes in the middle of the
cylinder or it may go to the end and pause for such a length of time according to
the quick or slow reciprocating motion of the main slide-valve.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a steam-cylinder and its slide-valve, of an independent
auxiliary motor moving at greater speed than the slide-valve and intermediate
transmitting mechanism by which motion is imparted to said slide-valve by the
motor, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a main steam-cylinder having separate steam supply
and exhaust passages and its slide-valve of a transverse cam-shaft actuating said
slide-valve, transmitting mechanism and an auxiliary steam motor that moves at
greater speed than the slide-valve and imparts rotary motion to the mechanism
and crank-shaft substantially as set forth.
3. An independent valve-gear for steam-cylinders of direct-acting pumps, con-
sisting of a slide-valve, a transverse cam-shaft actuating said slide-valve, an
intermediate transmitting mechanism and an auxiliary steam-engine that moves, at
greater speed than the slide-valve and imparts rotary motion to the mechanism,
substantially as set forth.
Duted this 2nd
1000