Improvements in Sliding Gate Valves for Sprinkler-cars and other Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1899-Accepted, 21st Apr.,
1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sliding Gate Valves for Sprinkler-cars and other
Purposes.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., Fel. Ch. Inst. P.A., F.I. Inst.,
practising as Phillips and Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the Administrative County of London, Engineer and Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from The
American Car Sprinkler Co. Corporation, organised under the Laws of the State
of Massachusetts, and doing business at Worcester, Massachusetts), and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and inexpensive
sliding-gate-valve having gate-sections and valve-seats arranged so that when
one valve-seat and gate-section have become worn, the parts may be adjusted,
so that another valve-seat and gate-section may then be used, and to combine a
valve of this class with simple and efficient actuating connections for controlling
the flow of water from the sprinkler-pipe of a sprinkler-car.
To these ends this invention consists of the sliding-gate-valve and the com-
binations therewith as hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in
the claims at the end of this specification.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a side view of a sprinkler-car provided with a valve and actuating
connections constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional-view of the valve,
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional-view thereof, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the valve-stem, and
Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the gate-sections.
In the employment of that class of sprinkler-cars, illustrated for example, in
British Letters Patent No. 16943 dated July 30, 1896, it has been found difficult
to provide shut-off devices for controlling the flow of water through the sprinkler-
pipe.
This arises from the fact that the shut-off connections of sprinkler-cars of this
character are necessarily located near the tracks on which the cars run, so that it
is difficult to prevent dirt and grit accumulating upon the same.
Furthermore, dirt and grit is frequently carried in suspension by the water
employed in sprinkler-cars of this class, and in practice it has been found that
this grit or dirt, as well as the dirt or grit which works in from the outside, causes
the valves to wear rapidly and become leaky.
The especial object of this invention is to provide sprinkler-cars of this class
with sliding-gate-valves of simple and inexpensive construction which may be
readily cleaned, each of said valves comprising valve-seats and sliding-gate-
sections, arranged, so that when one valve-seat and a sliding-gate have become
worn from the presence of grit or from other causes, the parts may be adjusted so
that another valve-seat and sliding-gate may then be used.
Referring to the drawings, A designates a car-body which may be mounted
to run on wheels B, and may carry a water tank.

page_text: Secured at one side of the car-body and connected to the tank in the usual way,
is a packet casing 10 in which is or may be fitted a valve for controlling the pass-
age of water to the main sprinkler pipe 12.
A hollow valve box section 11 carried by a vertical shaft 14 is mounted to
swivel or turn in the packed casing 10, and may be operated or swung towards
either side so as to bring the sprinkler to any desired angle with the car by means
of the vertical shaft 14 and operating handle 16.
t
Extending from the swivelling section 11 is the main sprinkler-pipe 12.
The supply of water for the main sprinkler-pipe may be as above stated con-
trolled by a valve which valve may be operated by a valve-stem 13 and lever 15.
Extending from the turn-plug section 11 and connected to the main sprinkler-
pipe 12 is a supplemental sprinkler-pipe 17.
To control the flow of water through the supplemental sprinkler-pipe 17, the
sliding-gate-valve V is provided, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 2.
The valve comprises a valve-casing of a substantially inverted T-shape
having a cylindrical body portion 20, with an inlet port 21, and an outlet port 22
near the bottom thereof.
Extending up through a stuffing-box in the cover 23 of the valve-casing, is a
valve-stem 24.
The valve-stem 24 is provided near. its lower end with a fixed collar 25 and a
removable collar 26 for holding the gate-sections on the valve-stem.
On the lower end of the valve-stem 24 is an elastic washer or cushion 27 secured
in place by a screw 28.
The gate-sections 29 are substantially semi-cylindrical in shape, and are pro-
vided with hubs fitting loosely on the valve stem, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3.
Dowel-pins are arranged to loosely connect the gate-sections 29, and mounted
on these dowel-pins are coiled springs 30 normally tending to hold the gate-
sections into engagement with the sides of the valve-casing.
To prevent the gate-sections from turning on the valve-stem, the upper hub
is provided with a transverse slot or key-way 31 engaging a snug or projection 32
extending down from the collar 25 of the valve-stem.
The gate-sections 29 are provided near their edges with sockets 33, and remov-
ably mounted in the sockets 33 of one of the gate-sections are small rollers 34.
These rollers 34 extend out from the surface of the gate-section 29 in which
they are journalled, far enough to hold the gate-section away from the side of the
valve-casing, leaving a clearance between one valve-seat and one sliding-gate-
section, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3.
By means of this construction it will be seen that only one of the sliding-gates
is allowed to engage with its valve-seat at a time, and when one of the sliding-
gates and the seat therefor become worn to an undesirable degree, it is simply
necessary to transfer the rollers 34 from one gate-section to the other gate-section
in order to bring the other valve-seat and gate-section into action.
When this change is made, the valve-casing is also preferably reversed, so
that the port 22 will become the inlet port, and the port 21 will become the
outlet port, so that the gate-section in action will close with the pressure rather
than against the pressure of the water, although this reversal of the valve-casing
is not necessary when the water pressure is comparatively light.
Removably threaded into the bottom of the valve-casing is a washout-section 35
having an upwardly extending stem co-operating with the washer or cushion 27
on the valve-stem 24 to form a stop, limiting the motion of the sliding-gates.
Where the location of the valve does not allow convenient access to a washout-
section in the bottom of the casing, washouts may, of course, be removably
threaded into the sides of the casing, or other convenient part thereof.
In applying a valve of this construction to a sprinkler-car, a yoke-piece 36 is
preferably threaded on the upper end of the valve-stem 24, and is held from
turning thereon by a set-screw 37.
Extending up from the yoke-piece 36 is a link 38 (see Fig. 1) which connects

page_text: with an operating lever 39 pivoted on the up-right shaft 14, so that the operat-
ing connections will turn with the valve as the sprinkler-pipe is swivelled or
turned out from the side of the car, and these operating connections will hold
the valve-stem from turning with respect to the valve-casing.
In operating a sprinkler-car as thus equiped, the supply of water from the
main sprinkler-pipe may be turned on or off as desired by the lever 15, and the
water distributed through the supplemental-pipe 17 may be graduated or varied
to suit the different conditions of road-way upon which the sprinkler-car is being
employed the handles or levers for controlling the action being conveniently
located for the use of the operator.
Numerous changes may be made in the construction of the sliding-gate valve
by those who are skilled in the art, and valves constructed according to this inven
tion may be applied and used to advantage for other purposes besides that of
controlling the supply of water delivered by a sprinkler-car.
It is not desired therefore, to be limited to the precise construction which is
herein shown and described, but obvious variations must be made to suit special
circumstances.
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 valve substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a sliding gate valve, the combination of a valve-casing having inlet and
outlet ports, a valve stem, two spring-pressed gate-sections mounted on the valve-
stem, and means for holding either gate-section out of engagement with the adja-
cent side of the valve-casing, whereby when one valve-seat and gate section have
become worn the parts may be adjusted so that the other valve-seat and gate-
section may then be used, substantially as described.
3. In a sliding-gate valve, the combination of an inverted T-shape valve-
casing having a cylindrical body portion with inlet and outlet ports near the
bottom thereof, a vertically movable valve-stem, substantially semi-cylindrical
gate-sections mounted on the valve-stem, and springs normally tending to hold
the gate-sections in engagement with the casing substantially as described.
4. In a sliding-gate valve, the combination of a valve-casing having inlet and
outlet ports, a valve-stem, two spring-pressed gate-sections mounted on the valve-
stem, and rollers removably journalled in either gate-section desired whereby
when one valve-seat and gate-section have become worn the other valve seat and
gate-section may then be used, substantially as described.
5. In a sliding-gate valve, the combination of an inverted T-shape valve-casing
having a cylindrical body portion with inlet and outlet ports near the bottom
thereof, a vertically movable valve-stem, semi-cylindrical gate-sections mounted
on the valve-stem, means for holding the gate-sections from turning on the valve-
stem, springs normally tending to hold the gate-sections in engagement with the
casing, and rollers removably journalled in either gate-section desired whereby
when one valve-seat and gate-section have become worn the parts may be adjusted
so that the other valve-seat and gate-section may then be used substantially as
described.