IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES. RELATING TO VALVE MOTIONS, GOVERNOR, AND DRAIN PIPES."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Wyllic, of the Firm of Geo. Forrester & Co..
Engineers, Liverpool, and John McFarlane Gray. Engineer with the said
Gen. Forrester & Co., both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES. RELATING TO VALVE
MOTIONS, GOVERNOR, AND DRAIN PIPES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Wyllie and John
McFarlane Gray at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents. with their
Petition, on the 29th April 1865.
We, ANDREW WYLLIE. of the Firm of Geo. Forrester & Co., Engineers,
Liverpool, and JOHN MCFARLANE GRAY. Engineer with the said "Geo. For-
rester & Co., both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES. RELATING
TO VALVE MOTIONS, GOVERNOR. AND DRAIN PIPES." to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates, first, to an improvement in the valve motions of
engines having oscillating cylinders. In oscillating engines. as generally
constructed. the eccentric rod is not attached immediately to the valve lever,
but to a curved traverse link, guided and susceptible of a vertical motion.
[Price 8d.]

page_text: One end of the valve lever traverses this link, and the curve is designed to
obviate the irregularity that would otherwise result from the combined move-
ment of the cylinder and eccentric. Our improvement consists in adapting
the traverse link to be used as a reversing gear in combined engines and for
variable expansion. We accomplish this by constructing the traverse link so
that it can be thrown into inclined positions, but still retaining a vertical
notion: this vertical motion is made to be of itself just suflicient to uncover
the steam ports and give sufficient lead to the valve: and we depend upon the
inclination of the traverse link for the rest of the motion of the valve. The
traverse link is horizontal when the engine is stopped; by inclining it one
way the engine goes ahead" by inclining it the other the engine is
reversed." The terms used in this description apply to vertical engines, but
our improvements refer to oscillating engines generally.
Our Invention relates secondly to an improvement in the gear for
working a separate expansion valve. Separate expansion valves are frequently
worked by a link motion similar to the ordinary reversing link, with double
eccentric rods, but the expansion link has only one end attached to an eccentric
rod, and the other end is carried by a radial rod from the shaft, or is supported
in a circular guide, so as to admit of the shifting of the link for altering the
grade of expansion, but maintaining that end of the link almost stationary
when the engine is working. and almost at about the same distance from the
centre of the shaft. In addition to these there are generally pulling rods and
levers for shifting this link. Our improvement consists of a simplification of
this gear. We use one eccentric rod, as before. but we attach the other end
of the link direct to the end of a lever, used for shifting the link, so that the
attachment for support forms also the means for shifting the link, and we
modify the curve of the link so as to compensate for the nature of the curve
in which the supported end is shifted.
Our Invention relates thirdly to an improved method for reversing when
the valves are worked from a separate shaft driven by toothed gearing from
the crank shaft. This has been done by shifting two intermediate driving
wheels, as in "Maudslay's three-cylinder engines. We propose to accomplish
it by shifting only one intermediate driving wheel perpendicularly with the
line joining the centres of the two adjacent wheels. When the three centres
are in a line the engine is stopped, the intermediate driver is shifted to one
side for motion ahead. and the other side for reversing. The teeth of the
wheels should be made involute. We propose also to work expansion valves
with toothed gearing, as above, and to alter the grade of expansion by shifting
one intermediate driving wheel.

page_text: Our Invention relates "fourthly" to an improved governor for steam engines.
We purpose to introduce a self-acting steam valve to regulate the admission
of steam to the engine, the opening of this valve to be dependent upon the
difference between the pressure of steam in the boiler and the pressure of
steam at the valve before the steam passes the valve. The same end has been
sought by means very similar in Waddel's steam governor:" but there the
opening of the valve has been regulated by the difference between the pressures
on the opposite sides of the valve itself.
Our Invention relates fifthly" to an improved drain pipe for horizontal
cylinders. We propose to lead a pipe from the under side of the cylinder, at
the centre of its length. In condensing engines we lead this pipe to the
condenser with a retaining valve on the pipe, and in non-condensing this opens
to the atmosphere. The pipes should have cocks or valves to regulate the
amount of opening.
Our Invention relates "sixthly" to an improved arrangement of drain
pipes for cylinders which are not horizontal. On the side of the cylinder. at
the top, we place a pipe with two openings into the cylinder, so that when the
piston is at the top there is a communication between the top of the piston.
but when the piston has moved down a small distance it closes the lower
opening. so that the communication is only open while the piston is near the
top position. The pipe is placed to drain from the upper side of the piston
into the lower end of the cylinder, and a common drain cock is placed at the
bottom of the cylinder, which in the case of condensing engines has a branch
pipe leading to the condenser, and another branch opening to the atmosphere
with a valve on it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent. filed
by the said Andrew Wyllie and John McFarlane Gray in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ASDREW
WYLLIE, of the Firm of George Forrester and Company. Engineers. Liverpool.
and JOHN MCFARLANE GRAY, Engineer with the said George Forrester and
Company, both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria. by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did. for Herself. Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto us, the

page_text: said Andrew Wyllie and John M°Farlane Gray, Her special licence that we,
the said Andrew Wyllie and John M Farlane Gray, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we. the said Andrew Wyllie and John
McFarlane Gray, our, 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, RELATING TO VALVE MOTIONS, GOVERNOR, AND DRAIN
PIPES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Andrew Wyllie
and John McFarlane Gray., our executors or administrators. by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we. the said Andrew Wyllie and John McFarlane
Gray. do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement (that is to say):--
Our Invention relates, first. to an improvement in the valve motion of
engines having oscillating cylinders. In oscillating engines, as generally
constructed, the eccentric rod is not attached immediately to the valve lever,
but to a curved traverse link, guided and susceptible of a vertical motion.
One end of the valve lever traverses this link, and the curve is designed to
obviate the irregularity that would otherwise result from the combined
movement of the cylinder and eccentric. Our improvement consists in
adapting the traverse link to be used as a reversing gear in combined
engines, and for variable expansion. We accomplish this by constructing
the traverse link so that it can be thrown into inclined positions, but still
retaining a vertical motion: this vertical motion is made to be of itself just
sufficient to uncover the steam ports and give sufficient lead to the valve:
and we depend upon the inclination of the traverse link for the rest of the
motion of the valve. The traverse link is horizontal when the engine is
stopped by inclining it one way the engine goes ahead; "by inclining it
the other the engine is reversed. The terms used in this description apply
to vertical engines, but our improvements refer to oscillating
generally.
engines
Our Invention relates, secondly, to an improvement in the gear for working

page_text: a separate expansion valve. Separate expansion valves are frequently worked
by a link motion similar to the ordinary reversing link with double eccentric
rods. but the expansion link has only one end attached to an eccentric rod.
and the other end is carried by a radial rod from the shaft, or is supported in
a circular guide, so as to admit of the shifting of the link for altering the
grade of expansion, but maintaining that end of the link almost stationary
when the engine is working, and always at about the same distance from the
centre of the shaft in addition to these there is generally pulling rods and
levers for shifting this link. Our improvement consists of the simplification of
this gear. We use one eccentric rod, as before. but we attach the other end
of the link direct to the end of a lever. used for shifting the link. so that the
attachment for support forms also the means for shifting the link, and we
modify the curve of the link so as to compensate for the nature of the curve
in which the supported end is shifted.
Our Invention relates. thirdly, to an improved method of reversing when
the valves are worked from a separate shaft driven by toothed gearing from
the crank shaft. This has been done by shifting two intermediate driving
wheels, as in Maudesley's three-cylinder engines. We propose to accomplish
it by shifting only one intermediate driving wheel perpendicularly with the
line joining the centres of the two adjacent wheels: when the three centres
are in a line the engine is stopped. the intermediate driver is shifted to one
side for motion ahead, and the other side for reversing. The teeth of the
wheels should be made involute. We propose also to work expansion valves
with toothed gearing, as above. and to alter the grade of expansion by shifting
one intermediate driving wheel.
Our Invention relates, fourthly, to an improved governor for steam engines,
We propose to introduce a self-acting steam valve to regulate the admission
of steam to the engine, the opening of this valve to be dependent upon the
difference between the pressure of steam in the boiler and the pressure of
steam at the valve before the steam passes the valve. The same end has been
sought by means very similar in Waddel's steam governor, but there the
opening of the valve has been regulated by the difference between the pressure
on the opposite sides of the valve itself.
Our Invention relates. fifthly. to an improved drain pipe for horizontal
cylinders. We propose to lead a pipe from the inside of the cylinder at
the centre of its length. In condensing engines we lead this pipe to the
condensor with a retaining valve on the pipe, and in non-condensing engines
this pipe opens to the atmosphere. The pipes should have a cock or valve to
regulate the amount of opening.

page_text: Our Invention relates, sixthly, to an improved arrangement of drain pipes
for cylinders which are not horizontal. On the side of the cylinder, at the
top, we place a pipe with two openings into the cylinder, so that when the
piston is at the top there is a communication between the top of the piston
and the under side of the piston, but when the piston has moved down a small
distance it closes the lower opening. so that the communication is only open
while the piston is near its top position. The pipe is placed to drain from the
upper side of the piston into the lower end of the cylinder, and a common
drain cock is placed at the bottom of the cylinder, which in the case of
condensing engines has a branch pipe leading in the condenser and another
branch opening to the atmosphere with a valve on it.
That these our several improvements may be more readily seen and
understood we have hereunto annexed Drawings.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the first part of our lavention. Figure 1 is
a side elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan shewing the traverse link with its
shifting gear and the valve lever: Figure 3 is an end elevation shewing the
eccentric rod and a section through the traverse link.
G is the traverse link; it is a circular disc, and carried in a frame or
strap F; this frame is guided on E. E. the columns of the engine; M is a
lever attached to the traverse link or disc; the lever M is connected by the
side rods L. L, to the guided nut K on the screwed spindle N the screwed
spindle N is carried by the column E and the plate Q, which plate Q is also
attached to the column E by the nut guide rods R. R. The screwed spindle N
has fixed collars at each side of the column E, so that when the screwed
spindle is turned by means of the hand wheel P the nut K traverses the
screwed spindle N. and the traverse link or disc moves round in the frame F.
Vertical motion is communicated to the traverse disc by one eccentric S on
the crank shaft U; O is the eccentric rod. The vertical travel of the traverse
disc is just that required to open the steam ports and to give sufficient lead
at the beginning of the stroke, the rest of the travel of the valve being
accomplished by the inclination of the traverse curve. The position of the
eccentric on the shaft is with its centre in a line with the centre of the crank.
and on the same side of the shaft. H is the valve lever traverse block:
J, the valve lever: and W. the valve spindle, all as commonly constructed.
The eccentric rod is attached to the traverse disc by the stud V. When the
traverse link is inclined, as drawn, the engine crank T moves from right to
left in the direction of the arrow. When the lever M is vertical the traverse
curve will be horizontal, and the engine will be stopped. When the inclination
is as much on the other side the engine goes in the direction contrary to that

page_text: indicated by the arrow; and in intermediate positions the engine works more
or less expansively, 'as with the common link motion. If the centre of V. the
eccentric rod stud. were in the centre of the disc the valve would have the
same lead for all grades of expansion. As drawn the steam lead on the
bottom side is increased at the expense of the steam lead on the top side as
the traverse curve approaches dead stop position. The radius of the traverse
curve may be taken either as for the ordinary traverse link from the centre
of trunnion, or it may be altered to give the same cut off up and down, or
otherwise, as desired. The proper radius can be found by trying a skeleton
model.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the second part of our Invention. Figure 4 is a
side view, and Figure 5 is a front view, both in elevation, shewing our
improved expansion link as applied to a pair of inverted cylinder screw
engines with expansion valve on the back of the common slide valve. Only
one expansion link is shewn in Figure 4, but in Figure 5 both are shewn.
In
A is the crank shaft; B. the eccentric; C, the eccentric rod, attached to
the expansion link D: the other end of this expansion link is attached to the
lower end of the bell crank E, which is also the shafting lever for altering the
position of the expansion link; F is a notched quadr. nt for fixing this
handle E in the required position; and G. G, are the valve spindles.
setting out the curve of the link D we take trial centres for H, J, and K, and
construct a skeleton model of the lever E. the eccentric rod C. and a blank
templet of link D. We attach the eccentric rod, not to the eccentric, but
true to the centre of the shaft. and traverse the link through its different.
positions. marking on the blank templet for each position the centre of the
valve spindle block at half stroke. When these points are connected they
give a curve which for a portion of its length is almost circular. We take
this part for the curve of the link and make it the approximate circular curve.
The amount of opening of the valve, the positions of H and J on the link, the
position of the curve J, L, and the length of K, J, all affect the action of the
valve, and by their variations almost any desired grades of cut-off can be
attained. The position of the centre of the eccentric on the shaft is about the
same as with the common expansion link.
Figures 6 and illustrate the third part of our Invention. Figure 6 is a
side elevation of our toothed valve gear, as adapted to horizontal screw engines
with two or more cylinders. A is a pinion on the end of the crank shaft. the
shaft is turned down to receive the pinion; B is an intermediate wheel centered
on sliding blocks, which are kept in position by the screw D, which is worked.

page_text: by the hand wheel E; C is a pinion on a horizontal shaft: this horizontal shaft
extends along the engine and carries an eccentric or crank for each slide valve;
F is a rod from one end of these eccentrics working the valve spindle G. The
wheels are shewn as mounted on brackets bolted to the front of the condenser,
and to a projection cast on the side of the crank shaft pedestal. The screwed
spindle is shewn as carried over the top of condenser to the hand wheel E at
the back of the condenser. By this arrangement of tooth'd gearing we alter
the position of the eccentrics on the shaft C in relation to the position of the
cranks on the shaft A virtually the same as if we shifted loose eccentrics on
the shaft A itself. When the intermediate wheel is shifted to bring its centre
out of the line of centres of the other two wheels the circumferential movement
of the wheel C will be double the amount of shift of the centre of the wheel B.
whatever be the size of the wheel B. When the shift required is considerable.
that is, when there is little cover on the slide valves, then the wheel B should
be also of large diameter, so that the teeth will vary less in the depth to which
they gear, and for the wheels we prefer involute teeth. The Drawing shews
this arrangement as applied for a reversing valve motion for the the main
slide valves, but it is also applicable to expansion valves.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the fourth part of our Invention.
A is a piston valve, and G. a ring valve, both cast on the spindle F. moving
freely in the valve box H; D is the cover of this valve box; E, a regulating
pin to fix the amount of opening of the valve: F is a small steam pipe leading
to the boiler or to the main steam pipe near the boiler; J is a spiral spring
tending to keep the valve open, and fitted with adjusting screws; B is the
steam inlet, and C the steam outlet. The action of the valve is as follows:-
When the load on the engine requires the full pressure of the steam the
pressure in the steam pipe at the valve will be almost equal to the pressure
of the steam in the boiler, and the pressure on the piston valve on the side N
will almost equal the pressure on the side A. and being assisted by the pressure
of the spiral spring J the valve will be fully opened; but when the load on the
engine is suddenly reduced the pressure on N will also be reduced, and the
pressure on the boiler remaining the same the pressure on A side of the valve
will now overcome the pressure on N side, and the valve will partly close
until the increasing pressure on N, together with the increased pressure of the
spring J. balance the steam on the A side of the valve. The ring valve G is
introduced for the purpose of more effectually throttling the steam. Instead
of the spiral spring J the valve can be kept open by bringing the spindle of
the valve through the cover D, and not through at the inlet end. The area

page_text: on the A side would then be less than the area on the N side, and this difference.
of areas would act in the same way as the spring J. If the valve be placed
vertically the weight of the valve might be adjusted to take the place of the
spring J.
Figure 10 illustrates the fifth part of our Invention; it shows the cylinder
in section. A is the piston, shown at the inner end of the stroke, and B is
the drain cock, shewn in the bottom in the middle of the length of the cylinder,
as already described. As drain pipes are at present applied to steam cylinders,
if left open they blow during the whole of the steam stroke, but by our
arrangement they would only begin to blow when the piston had already gone
as far as half the stroke and half the thickness of the piston, and one drain
pipe or cock would do for both ends of the cylinder.
Figure 11 illustrates the sixth part of our Invention: it represents a vertical
cylinder. A is the piston; B is a pipe making a communication between the
top and bottom of the piston when the piston is at the top of its stroke, and
allowing any water then on the top of the piston to escape to the part of the
cylinder below the piston, from which it can escape by the lower drain
cock C. The pipe B may be fitted with a cock. so as to regulate the amount
of opening. Instead of an outer pipe the same object could be attained by
making a groove inside the cylinder as between the two openings of the
pipe B.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the details herein set forth, as the same may be varied without
departing from the peculiar character of our Invention, but what we
claim is,
1stly, in reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, the valve motion reversing gear
for oscillating engines by giving opposite inclinations to the curve of the
one eccentric,
traverse link combined with a vertical motion from
herein-before described.
as
2ndly, with reference to Figures 4 and 5, the expansion link, as herein-before
described.
3rdly, with reference to Figures 6 and 7, the toothed gearing valve motion,
as herein-before described.
4thly, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, the steam governor, as herein-before
described.
5thly, with reference to Figure 10, the arrangement of drain pipes, as
herein-before described.

page_text: 6thly, with reference to Figure 11, the arrangement of drain pipes, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we. the said Andrew Wyllie and John McFarlane
Gray, have hereunto set our hands and seals. this Twenty-fourth day
of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
ANDREW WYLLIE.
(L.S.)
JOHN MCFARLANE GRAY. (L.S.)