IMPROVEMENTS IN THE VALVES OF STEAM HAMMERS. WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Joy, of the City of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE VALVES
OF STEAM HAMMERS. WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES"
Sealed the 31st January 1861, and dated the 1st November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Joy at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st November
1860.
I, DAVID JOY, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE VALVES OF STEAM HAMMERS, WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in moving the valves of steam hammers,steam
pumps, and hydraulic engines (hitherto effected by levers, tappets, links, and
cams) by the direct action of the fluid or steam or gas actuating the hammer,
pump, or engine; this is done by allowing the piston, when near the endofthe
stroke either way, to pass over and uncover a port or hole on the side of the
cylinder, allowing the steam or fluid from the cylinder to pass direct on to
the end of the valve, which is a cylinder moving in a cylinder, or is attached
to a piston moving in a cylinder, and thus push it over to the reverse position,
the opposite action then takes place at the opposite end of the cylinder.
By the second part of my Invention I make the valve, as for steam hanımers,
hollow, and allow the steam after acting upon the lower side of the hammer

page_text: in lifting to pass through to the upper side to assistthedownstroke,thususing
the steam a second time over expansively; and I so arrange the regulator or
admission valve as to cut off steam from the upper side of the hammer piston
at the same time that it closes the exhaust from the lower side, while the
exhaust to the upper side is left free; or, I use a separate valve to cut off
the steam from the upper side of the piston and to close or open the exhaust
to the lower side, thus making the hammer either double-acting, using
the steam expansively, or single-acting. I regulate the length of stroke,
whether for hammer, engine, pump, or motor by having the ports for letting
steam or fluid at various places up the side of the cylinder, and opening
that one which gives the right stroke by a cock or valve; or I use only one
port for each end of the cylinder, and vary the stroke by increasing or dimi-
nishing this port and so accelerating or retarding the action of the valve
by these means; the hammer may, if necessary, be worked by hand only.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Joy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
Joy, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said David Joy, Her special licence that I, the said David Joy,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
David Joy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE VALVES OF STEAM HAMMERS, WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES,'
upon the condition(amongst others) that I, the said David Joy, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said David Joy, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists, first, in moving the valves of steam hammers, steam
pumps, and hydraulic engines (hitherto effected by levers, tappets, links, and
cams) by the direct action of the fluid or steam or gas actuating the hammer,
pump, or engine; this is done by allowing the piston, when near the end of the
stroke either way, to pass over and uncover a port or hole in the side of the
cylinder, allowing the steam or fluid from the cylinder to pass direct on to the
end of this valve, which is a cylinder moving in a cylinder, or is attached to a
piston moving in a cylinder, and thus push it over to the reverse position, the
opposite action then takes place at the opposite end of the cylinder.
By the second part of my Invention I make the valve, as for steam hammers,
hollow, and allow the steam after acting upon the lower side of the hammer
in lifting to pass through to the upper side to assist the down stroke, thus
using the steam a second time over expansively. And I so arrange the regu-
lator or admission valve as to cut off steam from the upper side of the hammer
piston at the same time that it closes the exhaust from the lower side, while
the exhaust to the upper side is left free; or, I use a separate valve to cut
off the steam from the upper side of the piston and to close or open the
exhaust to the lower side, thus making the hammer either double-acting using
the steam expansively, or single-acting. I regulate the length of stroke
whether for hammer, engine, pump, or meter by having the ports for letting
steam or fluid at various places up the side of the cylinder and opening that
one which gives the right stroke by a cock or valve; or, I use only one port
for each end of the cylinder, and vary the stroke by increasing or diminishing
this port and so accelerating or retarding the action of the valve, by these
means the hammer may, if necessary, be worked by hand only.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, Sheet No. 1, represent the first part of my. Invention of
improvements in valves, as applied to steam hammers; in all these Figures
the same letters refer to the saine parts.
a is the cylinder with a long block piston b; c is the valve chest, containing
the cylindrical balance valve d; the steam enters ate and exhausts at f. On
the ends of this valve are two small pistons g, g', sliding on the same cylinder
as the valve, and leaving a little more than the amount of the stroke required
for the valve at each end of the valve chest, which acts as cylinders to these

page_text: two small pistons; the steam is admitted alternately into these small cylinders
from the working cylinder a by its piston in ascending, passing over and
uncovering one of the small ports in the cylinder, and so permitting the
steam lifting the hammer to pass through h¹ into and lift the valve, thereby
shutting off the steam from the bottom of the cylinder and admitting it to the
top when the hammer descends, but again on passing the port the steam
from the top of the cylinder passes through that port and into the small
cylinder i, so driving the valve down and again reversing the flow of steam,
when the former action is again repeated. To regulate the length of stroke of
the hammer there are holes or ports h', h', h', at various clevations up the
lower part of the cylinder, which open out a channel, in which channel a
plug slides up and down worked by the lever m, by which any of the holes
may be opened or closed, thus allowing an early or late admission of steam to
lift the valve and reverse the stroke of the hammer, and so to lengthen or
shorten that stroke. In this port there is a small set screw S for regulating
the amount of steam admitted to act upon the valve, and this is so adjusted
that in no class of blow does the valve ever strike either end of the valve
chest; for the upper end of the cylinder or descending stroke the same
arrangement may be employed, or there may be but one port, as shewn at h,
at the greatest elevation required, and this port may be diminished or closed
entirely by the stop cock o and lever o¹, and thus the action of the valve
retarded or accelerated at pleasure, and with it the force of the blow increased
or diminished. The steam valve or regulator p is worked by the long hand
lever p, and may be set so as not perfectly to shut off the steam when the
the little slide Qisslipped down; in this position sufficient steam passes through
to hold the hammer bar in a position about half way up its stroke, as the ten-
dency of the valve d is to gravitate to the bottom of the chest and admit the
steam to the lower side of the piston; by slipping up the block Q the steam
may be entirely shut off and the hammer brought to rest on the anvil block.
The second part of my Invention is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2, >heet
No. 2, where the same letters apply to both Figures.
a is the cylinder; b, the piston; and the hammer block, which is also
practically a piston; c is the valve chest, and d the valve, which is actuated,
as shewn in Sheet No. 1; e is the steam inlet; and f, the exhaust. In
Figure 1 the steam is admitted only under the piston 6 to lift the hammer, the
same steam in the reversed position of the valve being passed through to the
top of the piston b, and also to the top of the hammer block b', thus acting
expansively on a greatly increased surface. Or, as in Fig. 2, the steam is
admitted alternately to both the upper and under sides of the piston b, and

page_text: also to the upper side of the hammer block 6', thus doubling the intensity
of the blows by using steam upon two surfaces instead of upon one only,
as is usual, or the steam may be shut off entirely from the top of the piston b
by a valve or stop cock at Z, and allowed only to act upon the top of the
hammer block . In both these cases the valve is partially suspended
by a spiral spring in the valve chest so as to give it a tendency to rise to
the top of the chest.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which it is to be carried into effect, I desire it
to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details
herein set forth; but I claim as of my Invention, and which to the best of
my knowledge and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,―
First, the employment of the pressure of the steam or fluid actuating the
hammer or engine to move directly the valve without the intervention of
levers, tappets, links, or cams.
Secondly, the regulation of the action of the valve so moved by the early
or late opening of the port admitting the pressure upon it, or by the choking
of that port.
Thirdly, the application of this means of moving the valves to steam ham-
mers, steam engines, steam pumps, water engines, or water meters.
Fourthly, the means of obtaining an increased area for using the steam a
second time over in stean hammers by admitting it to act upon the hammer
block as well as upon the piston, or admitting it direct upon both or only
upon the hammer block, as set forth in my Specification.
Fifthly, the combination of any of the above arrangements.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Joy, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named David Joy, in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
DAVID JOY. (L.S.)