Improvements in Valve Gear for Steam Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1898-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valve Gear for Steam Engines.
I, EUGEN KLEIN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and resident of No. 58,
Hauptstrasse, Schoeneberg, near Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
Steam engines provided with ordinary valve gear or with expansion slide valves
of the usual kind have the disadvantage that the steam is throttled before entering
into the passages of the cylinder whereby considerable loss of steam power is
caused. This invention relates to valve gear which may readily be provided on
any engine with known valve gear not working economically, thus avoiding the
above mentioned disadvantage in such manner that the expansion is not regulated,
as hitherto customary, between the boiler and valve casing, but between the latter
and the cylinder.
This improved valve gear consists of an ordinary distributing slide valve and an
expansion slide valve, which latter is rotatably mounted on an axle vertical to the
distributing slide valve and provided with striking surfaces which, on the reversal
of the valve by means of the reversing mechanism acting in the usual manner,
abut against striking bodies and thereby cause the expansion slide valve to rotate,
whereupon in the end positions the steam inlet passages provided in both valves
are opened and closed alternately. The striking bodies causing the opening or
closing of the steam inlet passages may be rigidly mounted in which case they
are preferably formed by the walls of the valve casing; they can however be
also arranged in such manner that they may be adjusted by hand or automatically.
In the latter case, the automatic adjustment of the striking bodies may preferably
be effected by a device co-operating with the regulator of the machine so that the
cutting-off of the steam, effected by the valve gear, and consequently the degree
of expansion, corresponding to the existing strain on the engine, are regulated
automatically.
In the accompanying drawings are shown two modifications of such valve gear.
Fig. 1-5 represent valve gear, in connection with which the striking bodies
effecting the cutting-off of the steam are adjustable and automatically regulated
by the regulator of the engine.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and part front elevation.
Fig. 2 is a section on line x-x of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a section on line y-y of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a separate view of the arrangement of the adjustable striking bodies,
and
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the connection between the valve gear and the
regulator of the engine.
In Fig. 1-3, 1 represents the distributing slide valve which is constructed as a
flat slide valve and provided with steam inlet openings 2 and a steam exhaust
bort 3.

page_text: The steam inlet openings 2 are preferably in form of slots directed radially;
they may however also consist of radially arranged series of holes or may be formed
in any other suitable manner.
The expansion slide valve 4 is rotatably mounted on a pivot 5 rigidly connected
with the distributing slide valve 1, such expansion slide valve 4 being provided
with steam inlet ports 6 whose form is equivalent to that of the steam inlet ports 2
of the distributing slide valve 1. According to the central position of the expansion
slide valve 4, as shown in the drawing, the inlet ports on one side of the valve
are exactly identical with those of the distributing slide valve and are consequently
quite open, whereas on the other side, the inlet ports 2 of the distributing slide
valve are covered by the full parts of the expansion slide valve and consequently
completely closed, as indicated in the drawings by dotted lines. The inlet ports 2
of the distributing slide valve communicate with passages or channels 7, 8 (Fig. 3)
which, on the reciprocating movement of the slide valve, communicate with the
inlet passages 9 of the cylinder. The valve gear is arranged within the valve
casing 10, provided in the majority of cases, through which a rod 11 passes, which
is rotatably mounted in a stuffing box or the like and provided with a bearing 12.
On both sides of the bearing 12, sleeves 13, 14 with inclined end surfaces 10, 16
are slidably mounted on the rod 11, such sleeves 13, 14 bearing ribs 17, 18 with
inclined striking surfaces 19, 20 (Fig. 4). The expansion slide valve 4 carries
attachments or projections 21, 22 sliding along the ribs 17, 18 and being provided
with striking surfaces 19, 20 corresponding to the sloping of the projections 21, 22,
As soon as one of the attachments or projections 21, 22, during
the reciprocatory movement of the slide valve, comes in contact with the
corresponding striking surface 19, 20, the inclined part of the former slides along
the latter, whereby the respective attachment is raised and consequently the expan-
sion slide valve 4 oscillates on the pivot 5. The rod 11 is provided on both sides
of the bearing 12 with bosses 23, 24 which engage between the sleeves 13, 14 and
possess sliding faces coacting with the inclined surfaces 15, 16 of the sleeves.
The rod 11, so far as the regulator is arranged as shown in Fig. 5 which is suit-
able in most cases is connected with the regulator 28 of the engine by means of
levers 25, 26, 27 (Fig. 5). In cases differing from the latter, the transmission
is established in any suitable manner. On varying the speed of rotation of the
regulator 28, the rod 11 rotates in one or the other direction, whereby a separation
or moving apart of the sleeves 13, 14 against the action of springs 29, 30 (Fig. 1)
or in the opposite direction of rotation, a moving together of the sleeves is effected
by means of the bosses 23, 24. By this adjustment of the striking surfaces 19, 20
of the sleeves 13, 14, the co-operation of the same with the attachments or projec-
tions 21, 22 of the expansion slide valve and thereby the period of the cutting off
of the steam and the degree of expansion is regulated automatically. The recip
rocatory motion of the valve gear is effected in the usual manner by means of
the valve rod 31.
The
According to the modification as shown in Fig. 6 an automatic regulation of
the cutting-off of the steam through the regulator is not taken into account.
striking bodies coacting with the attachments or projections 21, 22 of the expan-
sion slide valve are in this case formed by walls of the valve casing 10. The con-
struction and operation of the distributing slide valve 1 and the expansion slide
valve 4 with a slot 33 on a projection or attachment 32 of the valve I is moreover
the same as with the modification according to Fig. 1-5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a valve gear for steam engines, the combination of a distributing slide
valve 1 with an expansion slide valve 4 rotatably mounted on a pivot 5 which is
rigidly secured to the distributing slide valve such expansion slide valve 4 being
provided with attachments 21, 22 which, on striking or abutting against fixed

page_text: or adjustable striking bodies, cause the expansion slide valve to oscillate, the
inlet openings provided in both valves being opened and closed in the end positions
alternately substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a valve gear for steam engines, the combination of a distributing slide
valve 1 and an expansion slide valve 4 rotatably mounted on the former and pro-
vided with attachments 21, 22, with a valve casing 10 whose walls form striking
bodies against which the attachments of the expansion slide valve strike the inlet
openings provided' in both valves being opened and closed alternately substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a valve gear for steam engines, the combination of a distributing slide
valve 1 and an expansion slide valve 4 rotatably mounted on the former and pro-
vided with attachments 21, 22, with slidable striking sleeves 13, 14 which coact
with the attachments of the expansion slide valve and with means for adjusting
the striking sleeves substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. In a valve gear for steam engines, the combination of a distributing slide
valve 1, an expansion slide valve 4 rotatably mounted on the former and provided
with attachments 21, 22, and slidable striking sleeves 13, 14 coacting with the
latter, with bosses 23, 24 arranged between a rotatable rod 11 and engaging be-
tween the striking sleeves and with means for effecting a rotation of the rod 11
and thereby a displacement of the striking sleeves 13 14 by means of the regu-
lator 28 of the engine substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON.
Chartered Patent Agents,
19, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Filing Agents.