Iм- PROVEMENTS IN VALVES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mann, of Blackfriars Road, in the
County of Surrey, Gas Engineer, and Samuel Owens, of Whitefriars
Strect, in the City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN VALVES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mann and
Samuel Owens at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th March 1875.
We, WILLIAM MANN, of Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Gas Engineer, and SAMUEL OWENS, of Whitefriars Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES," to be as follows:-
1
This Invention relates particularly to the improvement of that class
of valves commonly called slide or sluice valves, which are applicable for
gas, water, steam, and other liquid and fluid purposes.

page_text: When the slide is actuated through the intervention of a rack and
pinion, the improvement consists in casting or otherwise attaching on
one or both sides of the rack which is fastened or cast on the back of
the slide or sluice projections with inclined or by preference plane
surfaces. On one or both sides of the pinion and upon the same spindle i
is fixed a cam or eccentric, so arranged that one or both may bear upon
the projections before mentioned when the slide or sluice is in the
position for the valve to be called shut. When the valve is open and it
is desired to shut it a lever or key is applied to the spindle and turned
so as to rotate the pinion gearing in the rack in such a direction as will 1
cause the slide or sluice to pass over or on to its seat, and at the same
time bring the projections or plane surfaces under the cams
eccentrics, and so produce a pressure upon the slide or sluice to force
and maintain it tightly against the seat until intentionally released. To
open the valve the spindle is turned the reverse way and the pressure is 1
removed by first relieving the pressure of the cams which is made to
take place before the pinion operates upon the rack owing to the play or
back lash provided for at that point in the rack and pinion gear.
or
A limited effect of the same kind may be produced by reducing the
depression between the teeth near the end of the rack and causing the
teeth to "bottom," but the arrangement first described is preferred.
When the sluice is actuated by a screw motion the screw for raising
and lowering the slide or sluice is on the same spindle as the cams or
eccentrics. The screwed part of the spindle passes through a nut or
half nut on the back of the slide, on which are also the projections for 2
the cam or cams to bear on when the valve is shut, at which moment
the projections come into the position to catch the pressure of the cams.
When the valve is to be opened the spindle by proper means is turned
the reverse way, and by a slight movement allowed in the nut or half
nut the pressure of the cam is removed so as to relieve the slide of all a
pressure before the screw comes into the position for lifting or traversing
11

page_text: will come in contact with the projections on the back of the slide when
the valve is being closed, and will have the effect of forcing the slide
against the face or seating when it covers the opening in the valve.
A spring or springs may be fixed on the front of the slide which will
be depressed when the slide is forced against the face or seating, and
have the effect of pressing the slide away from the face while it is being
opened or raised.
By these means the most remote chance of sticking or jamming to
which spring and wedge valves are liable is done away with, and the
inconvenience and danger attendant entirely obviated; while the con-
struction admits of the face or faces being leathered or faced with wood,
or other soft material being employed without the danger of incurring
the abrading action common to valves of the ordinary description.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Mann and Samuel Owens in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
MANN, of Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Gas Engineer, and
SAMUEL OWENS, of Whitefriars Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Mann and Samuel Owens,
Her special licence, that we, the said William Mann and Samuel
Owens, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said William Mann and Samuel Owens, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Mann and Samuel Owens, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Mann and Samuel Owens,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :-
This Invention relates particularly to the improvement of that class
of valves commonly called slide or sluice valves, which are applicable for
gas, water, steam, and other liquid and fluid purposes.
When the slide is actuated through the intervention of a rack and
pinion, the improvement consists in casting or otherwise attaching on
one or both sides of the rack which is fastened or cast on the back of
the slide or sluice projections with inclined or by preference plane
surfaces. On one or both sides of the pinion and upon the same spindle
is fixed a cam or eccentric, so arranged that one or both may bear upon
the projections before mentioned when the slide or sluice is in the
position for the valve to be called shut. When the valve is open and it
is desired to shut it a lever or key is applied to the spindle and turned
so as to rotate the pinion gearing in the rack in such a direction as will
cause the slide or sluice to pass over or on to its scat, and at the same
time bring the projections or plane surfaces under the cam or cams or
eccentrics, and so produce a pressure upon the slide or sluice to force
and maintain it tightly against the scat until intentionally released.
To open the valve the spindle is turned the reverse way and the pressure
is removed by first relieving the pressure of the cam or cams which
is made to take place before the pinion operates upon the rack owing
to the play or back lash provided for at that point in the rack and pinion;
gear.

page_text: A limited effect of the same kind may be produced by reducing the
depression between the teeth near the end of the rack and causing the
teeth to "bottom," but the arrangement first described is preferred.
When the sluice is actuated by a screw motion the screw for raising
and lowering the slide or sluice is on the same spindle as the cam or
cams or eccentrics. The screwed part of the spindle passes through a
nut or half nut on the back of the slide, on which are also the projections
for the cam or cams to bear on when the valve is shut, at which moment
the projections come into the position to catch the pressure of the
cams.
When the valve is to be opened the spindle by proper means is turned
the reverse way, and by a slight movement allowed in the nut or half
nut the pressure of the cam is removed so as to relieve the slide of all
pressure before the screw comes into the position for lifting or traversing
the slide.
It is also proposed when necessary that in valves which are operated
by a screw curved projections shall be cast on the back of the slide or
sluice, and on the body of the valve corresponding projections shall be
cast which will come in contact with the projections on the back of the
slide when the valve is being closed, and will have the effect of forcing
the slide against the face or scating when it covers the opening in the
valve.
A spring or springs may be fixed on the front of the slide which will
be depressed when the slide is forced against the face or seating, and
have the effect of pressing the slide away from the face while it is being
opened or raised.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description :-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a screw valve through A, B, Fig. 2,
the screw and cam being in clevation; Fig. 2 is a section through C, D,
Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of the cam and projection against which it
bears, the view being taken through E, F, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan of
the valve with the cover removed.
In Fig. 1, G, G, is the body or case of the valve, and H, the valve
itself; I is the screw with its stuffing box J and nut K, L being the

page_text: cam fastened to the spindle M, the lower part of which works in a
step N. It will be seen that on turning the screw I the cam L will be
brought to bear against the plane or rib O attached to the back of the
valve, and thus press the valve close to its scat P.
The projections spoken of in the fifth paragraph are shown in dotted
lines and marked a and b in Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a section of a valve to which the same principle is applied,
but is opened and shut by the action of a rack and pinion. The section
is shown through Q, R, Fig. 6, Fig. 6 being a section through S, T, of
Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the
pinion, cam, rack, and projection against which it presses. In Fig. 5,
His the valve with its projection on back U and rack V, W is the
spindle, X is the pinion, and L the cam or eccentric. As in the previous
arrangement described it will be seen that the turning of the spindle W
will cause the pinion X which takes into the rack V also to revolve and i
thus open or close the valve, while in the case of shutting it will also
cause the cam or eccentric L to take a bearing upon the projection U
and thus force the valve to its scat.
By the adoption of the foregoing means the most remote chance of
sticking, jamming, breakage of springs, and reduction of wear and tear 2
on the valve and scat to which spring and wedge valves are liable is
done away with, and the inconvenience and danger attendant entirely
obviated, while the construction admits of the face or faces being
leathered or faced with wood, or other soft material being employed
without the danger of incurring the abrading action common to valves 2
of the ordinary description.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that we do not
confine or restrict ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which a
we have described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom
without deviating from the principles or main features of this In-
vention; but what we consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the construction of valves with a cam or cams or a
eccentrics fixed upon the same shaft as the screw or pinion, and with or

page_text: without the projections marked a and b, so arranged that when power is
applied through the agency of the said screw or rack and pinion pressure
will be brought to bear upon the valve and thus force it into closo
contact with its seat, as herein described and shown on the Drawings.
In witness whereof; we, the said William Mann and Samuel Owens,
have herċunto set our hands and scals, this Twentieth day of
✓ August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five: