Water to Hydraulic Cylinders.
Year: 1886

page_text: Water to Hydraulic Cylinders.
I, EDWARD REYNOLDS of Vickers Sons and Company Limited of Sheffield in
the County of York, Engineer and Steel Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:―
In
My Invention relates to such hydraulic presses or hoists as, either on account of
the great pressure required to be produced or of the great area over which the
pressure is to be exerted, are provided with two or more hydraulic cylinders.
such cases it may happen, in respect of presses, that, owing to inequality of
thickness of the piece of work (such as armour plates) acted upon, or, in the case
of hoists, owing to unequal distribution of the load over the platform, one or more
of the cylinders may have a tendency to move in advance of the other or others,
thus putting undue strain upon the working parts and framing. My invention
has for its object to prevent this action, and it consists in so connecting the
bydraulic cylinders with the water pressure supply by means of automatically
acting valves, that on the occurrence of a tendency of the plunger experiencing the
lesser resistance to travel in advance of the one which is more resisted, such
tendency will cause the flow of the water pressure to the cylinder of such less
resisted plunger to be automatically restricted or more or less cut off, so that the
said tendency will be checked, the water pressure supply being made proportionate
to the resistance to which the plunger is exposed.
The arrangement of the said valves and appliances for actuating the same may
be variously modified according to the construction of the press or hoist employed.
Thus in the case of a forging press in which two cylinders are arranged side by
side, acting upon a cross-head of some width, such as may be required for forging
armour plates, I, according to one arrangement, provide in the head of the press
two inverted hydraulic cylinders in which work two plungers, the lower ends of
which bear upon the cross head whose ends work between or against vertical
guides, and which are connected to the piston rods of small inverted hydraulic
cylinders that serve to raise the cross head and hold it in the raised position when
it is not acted upon by the plungers. The arrangement described, in so far as

page_text: regards the T shaped cross head, the guides and lifting cylinders, being according
to my previous practice, forms no part of my present invention.
The cross head is made, according to my previous practice, of an inverted T form,
the lower part or cross of the T being guided between the columns of the press
and the middle vertical part being arranged to work up and down between vertical
guides situated between the two hydraulic cylinders. The cross head is provided
with small passages both in its horizontal and its vertical part for the admission of
the water pressure to the hydraulic cylinders through passages formed in the
plungers. There are two such passages in the vertical part of the cross head, one
leading to each cylinder, and between these is a central passage or chamber into
which passes a supply pipe hanging down from the top of the press frame, where.
it is connected by a ball and socket joint to the pipe leading from the source of
pressure, a suitable water-tight packing being provided where the pipe enters the
central chamber. Thus the hydraulic cylinders are supplied with water pressure
through the cross head while this moves up or down, the water being made to flow
from the central chamber through side openings at the upper end of the cross head
into the two side passages and thence through the horizontal part into the cylinders.
For effecting the before described automatic regulation, the said side openings
through which the central chamber of the cross head. communicates with each of
the side passages are provided with valve seats capable of sliding therein, and to
the vertical guides of the cross-head are fixed valves capable of sliding through the
side of the cross-head and of seating upon the said seats, cup leathers being
provided both for the sliding seats and the valves to work through. The cross
head works with a certain amount of play between its guides, so as to admit of a
small amount of canting thereof, and thus, if owing to the before mentioned reason,
the plunger of one hydraulic cylinder tends to move in advance of the other, the
resulting slight inclination of the vertical part of the cross head towards the
one side of the guides will cause the valve there situated to close more or less
completely on its seating and thus more or less completely shut off the water
pressure supply to the cylinder, the plunger of which tends to move in advance of
the other. The seating is arranged to slide as described in order that when, owing
to the valve not closing accurately, the water pressure still leaks through and thus
continues the canting action on the cross head, the excessive pressure thus exerted
upon the valve may enable it to push the seating inwards and thus preserve the
valve from injury. The seating is made of larger diameter at the end next the
central chamber than at the other end in order that when it is relieved of
the inward pressure of the valve, the water pressure in the central chamber will
push the seating back into its original position, a small hole or passage being provided
to allow of the escape of any leakage of water between the two parts of the seating.
In addition to the above described valves, safety valves are provided in the side
passage of the cross head, which are pushed open by coming in contact with the
guides when the canting of the cross head continues owing to the continued
leakage past the valve, and thus allow the water pressure to escape.
Although I have described the automatic regulating valves as applied to a press
with two cylinders only, it will be evident that they may equally well be applied
to presses with three or more cylinders, so as to effect the regulation when the
cross head is canted in any direction. In applying my invention to presses in
which the water pressure is not supplied through the cross-head by the central
telescopic pipe arrangement described, but through fixed passages leading directly
into the hydraulic cylinders, I arrange the automatic regulating valves in direct
communication with the cylinders, and I act upon them by means of a strong bar
or bars so arranged that the cross heads in moving up and down along it or them,
will actuate them so as to close the one or the other valve when it is canted by
the advance of the corresponding cylinder. Or, according to another arrangement,
a connection is established by rods, levers, racks and pinions, screw spindles, or
other suitable gear between the ends of the cross head and the automatic valves,
so that by the relative motion of the two ends of the cross head due to the canting

page_text: It
action of the cylinders, the valves are actuated in the above described manner.
will be understood that although I have described the invention as applied to
presses with inverted hydraulic cylinders and downwardly moving cross heads,
it is equally applicable to presses, hoists or other analogous hydraulic machinery
with cylinders and cross heads or platforms working in an upward, horizontal, or
inclined direction.
Improvements in Apparatus for Regulating the Supply of
Water to Hydraulic Cylinders.
I, EDWARD REYNOLDS of Vickers Sons and Company Limited of Sheffield in
the County of York, Engineer and Steel Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to such hydraulic presses or hoists as, either on account of
the great pressure required to be produced or of the great area over which the
pressure is to be exerted, are provided with two or more hydraulic cylinders. In
such cases it may happen, in respect of presses, that, owing to inequality of
thickness of the piece of work (such as armour plates) acted upon, or, in the case
of hoists, owing to unequal distribution of the load over the platform, one or more
of the cylinders may have a tendency to move in advance of the other or others,
thus putting undue strains upon the working parts and framing. My invention
has for its object to prevent this action and it consists in so connecting the
hydraulic cylinders with the water supply by means of automatically acting
valves, that on the occurrence of a tendency of the plunger experiencing the lesser
resistance to travel in advance of the one which is more resisted, such tendency
will cause the flow of the water pressure to the cylinder of such less resisted
plunger to be automatically restricted or more or less cut off, so that the said
tendency will be checked, the water pressure supply being made proportionate to
the resistance to which the plunger is exposed.
The arrangement of the said valves and appliances for actuating the same may
be variously modified according to the construction of the press or hoist employed.
Thus, in the case of a forging press in which two cylinders are arranged side by
side, acting upon a cross-head of some width, such as may be required for forging
armour plates, I according to one arrangement, provide in the head of the press two

page_text: inverted hydraulic cylinders in which work two plungers, the lower ends of which
bear upon the crossbead' whose ends work between or against vertical guides, and
'which are connected to the piston rods of small inverted bydraulic cylinders that
serve to raise the crosshead and hold it in the raised position when it is not acted
upon by the plungers. The arrangement described, in so far as regards the
T shaped crosshead, the guides and lifting cylinders, being according to my
previous practice, forms no part of my present invention.
The cross head is made, according to my previous practice, of an inverted
T form, the lower part or cross of the T being guided between the columns of the
press and the middle vertical part being arranged to work up and down between
vertical guides situated between the two. hydraulic cylinders. The cross head is
provided with small passages both in its horizontal and its vertical part for the
admission of the water pressure to the hydraulic cylinders through passages formed
in the plungers. There are two such passages in the vertical part of the cross head,
one leading to each cylinder, and between these is a central passage or chamber
into which passes a supply pipe hanging down from the top of the press frame,
where it is connected by a ball and socket joint to the pipe leading from the source
of pressure, a suitable water-tight packing being provided where the pipe enters
the central chamber.. Thus the hydraulic cylinders are supplied with water
pressure through the crosshead while this moves up and down, the water being
made to flow from the central chamber through side openings at the upper end of
the crosshead into the two side passages and thence through the horizontal part
into the cylinders. For effecting the before described automatic regulation, the
said side openings through which the central chamber of the cross head communi-
cates with each of the side passages, are provided with valve seats capable of
sliding therein and to the vertical guided parts of the cross head are fixed valves
capable of sliding through the side of the cross-head, and of seating upon the said
seats, cup leathers being provided both for the sliding seats and the valves to work
through. The cross head works with a certain amount of play between its guides
so as to admit of a small amount of canting thereof, and thus, if owing to the
beforementioned reason, the plunger of one hydraulic cylinder tends to move in
advance of the other, the resulting slight inclination of the vertical part of the
cross head towards the one side of the guides will cause the valve there situated to
close more or less completely on its seating and thus more or less completely shut
off the water pressure supply to the cylinder, the plunger of which tends to move
in advance of the other. The seating is arranged to slide as described in order
that when, owing to the valve not closing accurately, the water pressure still leaks
through and thus continues the canting" action on the crosshead, the excessive
pressure thus exerted upon the valve may enable it to push the seating inwards
and thus preserve the valve from injury. The seating is made of larger diameter
at the end next the central chamber than at the other end in order that when it is
relieved of the inward pressure of the valve, the water pressure in the central
chamber will push the seating back into its original position, a small hole or
passage being provided to allow of the escape of any leakage of water between the
two parts of the seating. In addition to the above described valves, safety valves
are provided in the side passages of the cross head, which are pushed open by
coming in contact with the guides when the canting of the cross head continues
owing to the continued leakage past the valve, and these allow the water pressure
to escape.
Although I have described the automatic regulating valves as applied to a press
with two cylinders only, it will be evident that they may equally well be applied
to presses with three or more cylinders, so as to effect the regulation when the
cross head is canted in any direction. In applying my invention to presses in
which the water pressure is not supplied through the cross-head by the central
telescopic pipe arrangement described, but through fixed passages leading directly
into the hydraulic cylinders, I arrange the automatic regulating valves in direct
communication with the cylinders, and I act upon them by means of a strong, bar
.

page_text: or bars so arranged that the cross head in moving up and down along it or them,
will actuate them so as to close the one or the other valve when it is canted by the
advance of the corresponding cylinder. Or, according to another arrangement, a
connection is established by rods, levers, racks and pinions, screw spindles or other
suitable gear between the ends of the cross head and the automatic valves, so that
by the relative motion of the two ends of the cross head due to the canting action
of the cylinders, the valves are actuated in the above described manner. It will
be understood that although I have described the invention as applied to presses
with inverted hydraulic cylinders and downwardly moving cross-heads, it is
equally applicable to presses, hoists or other analagous hydraulic machinery with
cylinders and cross heads or platforms working in an upward, horizontal, or
inclined direction.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of a hydraulic
forging press having its crosshead A pressed down by the rams B of two hydraulic
cylinders C, the crosshead being raised again by the pistons of two smaller
cylinders D when the pressure in the main cylinders C is relieved. In this
construction, the supply of high pressure liquid to the cylinders C is by a
telescopic sliding pipe E passing through a ball joint, and by valves F, and
passages G formed in the crosshead. Fig. 1 is a section to a larger scale taken at
the top of the upper limb of the crosshead shewing the arrangement of valves.
Outside the valves F are blocks H free to slide a little transversely in recesses of
the crosshead, these blocks bearing against the guiding surfaces K. When by the
advance of the one or the other end of the crosshead before the other, the cross-
head becomes somewhat canted, then the one or the other by the blocks H is
pushed inwards closing more or less that one of the two valves F on the stem of
which it bears and thus throttling or stopping supply of working fluid to that one
of the two cylinders C, the ram of which is in advance of that of the other. Each
of the seatings of the valves F is fitted in a hole with a shoulder that prevents the
seating from being pushed outwards by the pressure of the fluid on its larger
annular area inside, but if the block H, besides merely closing the valve F on its
seating, should continue to move inwards the seating can yield inwards, and after-
wards when the push of the block ceases, the internal pressure on the annular area
of the seating moves it back against the shoulder. At L on each side is situated
a relief valve the stem of which projects so that when, by the farther canting of
the crosshead, it comes against the guiding surface K, the valve is opened inwards
allowing relief of pressure in the passage G and consequently in that one of the
cylinders C that has its ram in advance. Fig. 2 is a vertical section partly in
elevation of a hydraulic forging press in which the supply of working fluid is
direct into the tops of the cylinders B. Fig. 3 is a plan shewing one of the valve
boxes in section, and Fig. 4 is a part plan on X X of Fig. 2. In this case the top a
of the crosshead A has pivotted on it by a ball joint an arm N which embraces
but can slide along the two sides of a vertical bar P that is pivotted at p p on the
fixed framing. The two edges of the bar P are preferably grooved as shewn in
Fig. 4 so as more conveniently to obtain sufficient bearing surface for the arm N
which causes the bar P to turn on its pivots p. On the upper end of the bar P is
fixed an arm Q from which two rods R R extend to the valves F that control the
supply to the cylinders C C. When either of the two rams B B advances more
than the other, the crosshead A (the upper end a of which has a little freedom
between the guides K), has its top a thus moved towards the one side. By this
movement, the arm N which is jointed to a causes the bar P to turn a little on its
pivots p, and the arm Q, being thus moved towards the one side, pushes the one
or the other of the rods R which closes that one of the valves F towards which it
is directed, thus throttling or stopping supply of working fluid to that one of the
two cylinders C C, the ram of which is in advance.
The seating of the valve F is, as described with reference to Figa 1 and 1ª
moveable backward, and when it is pressed back from its seat by an extreme
movement of the rod R it allows escape of working fluid by the outlet o.

page_text: Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate arrangements of gearing by means of which the canting
of the crosshead can be made to act on the supply valves of the hydraulic cylinders.
As shown in Fig. 5, two racks S S, attached to the crosshead, gear with equal
pinions fixed on a shaft T mounted in eyes of rods U which extend down to the
supply valves. When the one end of the crosshead descends beyond the other
taking with it one of the racks S, then as neither of the pinions on the shaft T
can outrun the other, the shaft T must itself become canted to the same extent as
the crosshead, depressing one of the rods U, and consequently throttling or closing
one of the supply valves namely that of the cylinder, the ram of which is in
advance. Similarly, as shewn by Fig. 6, when either of two nuts S S, which
are attached to the crosshead and embrace screws W W of rapid pitch geared
together, advances beyond the other, the screw on that side is necessarily depressed,
canting the framing Y to the same extent as the crosshead to which the nuts S S
are connected. Either of the screws W W themselves, or separate rods attached
to the framing Y being connected to the supply valves, one or other of these
valves is throttled or closed by the canting of the crosshead.
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 :-
In hydraulic presses having several cylinders with separate rams acting on a
crosshead, connecting the crosshead to the supply valves of the cylinders in such a
manner that when the crosshead becomes canted by the advance of one or other
of the rams, it throttles or closes the supply valve of the cylinder the ram of which
is in advance, substantially as herein described.
200
م
T
1
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.