IMPROVED CONSTRUCTIONS OP PISTONS AND VALVES FOR RETAINING AND DISCHARGING LIQUIDS, GABES, AND STEAM
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
HOLWORTHY PALMER, of Surrey Square, in the County of Surrey, Civil
Engineer, and CHARLES PERKINS, of Mark Lane, in the City of London,
Merchant, severally send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said George Holworthy Palmer and Charles Perkins, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said George Holworthy
Palmer and Charles Perkins, our executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as we, the said George Holworthy Palmer and Charles Perkins,
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of "IMPROVED CONSTRUCTIONS
OP PISTONS AND VALVES FOR RETAINING AND DISCHARGING LIQUIDS, GABES, AND
STEAM;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging us, the
said George Holworthy Palmer and Charles Perkins, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be in-
rolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters."

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same,; reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear..
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
George Holworthy Palmer and Charles Perkins, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, is particulary described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings, hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The said improvements of pistons and valves consist in two distinct improve-
ments, which, with all the varied modifications they are susceptible of, or under
which they may be applied, are claimed by us."
The first part of our Invention is the improved construction and application
and use of what we term "An elliptic self-adjusting balancing piston," and
also the same, with certain modifications herein-after explained, to be used
and applied as a valve; and, further, in the adaptation, as herein-after
explained, of one or more of the said pistons which perform the duties of
pistons or valves, or both, as the particular application may require.
The second part of our improvements consist in the construction, applica-
tion, and use of what we term a "Double balancing valve,".constructed and
acting or operating in the manner herein-after described.
,"
Description of "The Elliptic Self-Adjusting and Balancing Piston."-Fig. 1
is a plan view of the piston, and is shewn in vertical section in Figures 3 and 4,
A, B, being the major, and C, D, the minor diameter of the same. On the
major diameter at R is an adjustable knuckle or joint to which the piston
rod 'P, P, is to be secured by any suitable means, so as to admit of the piston
swinging or adjusting itself freely in the direction of the major diameter,
thereby enabling the piston to come into close contact with, or to "bed" itself,
as it may be termed, at its periphery upon its seat, (viz,) the barrel or
cylinder H, H, in which it works up and down; or, when acting as a valve,
to open a communication from the one side to the other of the piston as
occasion may require. The adjustable knuck
knuckle is shewn
in the Figures
as passing through a mortice or mortices in the piston, and is secured thereto
by a flange, and screws, or other means. The middle of the knuckle joint
is in the line of the major diameter A, B, at a distance from the centre of
the minor diameter C, D, and consequently of the cylinder or barrel, such
distance being regulated as may be practically required with reference to the
difference of areas of the piston on each side of the minor diameter C, D,
the red dotted circles in Figures 1 and 2, shewing the inner diameter of the
cylinder or barrel.
1**
:

page_text: or
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pistón used as a valve, and is also shewn in
section in Figures 3 and 4, A, B, being the major, and C, D, the minor
diameters, parallel to and at such distance from the minor diameter as
circumstances (similar to those affecting the position of the knuckle or joint
in the piston before described) may require, and "upon one side of the valve
an axle O, O, is affixed, secured by screws or other means. This mode of
securing the axle admits of the valve being' removed and replaced without
disturbing the axle, the ends of which pass through the working" cylinder, and
are supported on the outside by suitable air-tight bosses or bearings bolted
to the cylinder after the valve and axle have been accurately fitted and
bedded therein; the precise excentricity" distance of the axle from the
centre of the cylinder or minor diameter C, D, being regulated not only by
the considerations already mentioned, but with regard to avoiding as much
as possible the destructive concussion of valves in pumps, which is greater or
less according to their diameters and lifts, and weight of rods, and other
circumstances. To provide against the elliptic piston and valve abraiding
the cylinder or chamber in which they act during 'their change of position,
it is requisite that the sharp edge on the under face of each should be a little
rounded off towards the centre or half thickness of each piston and valve at
the points where the minor axis C, D, terminates. The minor axis or
diameter of the elliptic piston and valve will be the same as that of the cylinder
or barrel, while their major axes or diameters may be as much greater as
practice "may, suggest, but we have found that one fourth more than the
diameter of the cylinder or barrel is sufficient; it may, however, be more or
less according to circumstances. One mode or method of obtaining an elliptic
piston that shall fit well, and work with little friction in a cylindrical barrel;
is by constructing a solid cylinder turned to the same diameter as that of the
interior of the cylinder or barrel, then cutting the same obliquely into portions
and of the required thickness, as shewn in section at Fig. 3, where the two
dotted lines S, S, denote the length of the solid cylinder as so cut, and A, B,
the oblique cut, by which means we obtain our elliptic piston
into and working with effect in a cylinder or barrel H, Ħ.
'
or valve, fitting
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a pump barrel, representing the elliptical
piston and valve, the former making the up or effective lift, as denoted by the
arrow when the water pressing" "from beneath on the larger area of the
valve- 'A'; (see the left-hand side of the axle in the Drawing,) and conse-
quently unequally opens the valve. On the same principle when the piston
ceases to move upwards, as in Fig. 4, and commences its descent, the column
of water then pressing on the upper side of the larger area A of the valve

page_text: causes the valve to resume its seat or contact with the inner diameter of the
working barrel II, H, as in Fig. 4. The down or return stroke is represented
in Fig. 4, where the same letters denote the same parts heretofore described in
Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, showing also at Q the lower of two guides intended
to keep the piston rod parallel with the working barrel or cylinder. And we
would here remark that we recommend the lower valve to be in all pumps
of the same diameters as the upper one or pistons.. It will be evident the
only difference between the piston and valve is, that of applying a fixed spindle
to the valve moveable upon its axle bearings, and to the piston a piston rod
connected with a knuckle or joint, as before described, allowing the piston to
move in the direction of its major diameter A, B. If the elliptic piston is in-
tended to be effective both in its up and down strokes, and as it must be, when
applied to what are technically called single or double power steam, air, or
other motive power engines, then the piston rod will be affixed precisely in the
true centre of the piston,. but with a knuckle or joint, as before, described, to
admit of its self-adjustment, and the greatest possible reduction of friction..
Second improvement, viz., "The Double or Balancing. Valve."-Figures 5.
and 6 represent a plan and section of a double adjusting balancing valve,
being a modification or method of applying or using the excentric bung
elliptic valve or piston, the valve a, b, being of the larger, and the valve f, f
of the smaller area. These valves are connected by the piece W, which
works upon a joint M, secured to the frame N, N, but are placed so as to
come in contact or bed themselves on the opposite sides of the frame N,N,
a, b, on the lower, and f.f, on the upper side. These two valves are made
steam or water tight upon the surfaces of the frame or bed N, N; by this.
arrangement both valves open or shut at the same time, and the power
required to open them consists of the difference of their respective areas mul-
tiplied by the pounds in pressure, either of water or steam, acting upon them;
in this way valves of almost any area may be made, and yet be easily opened.
We therefore claim the right of making or constructing these elliptic
pistons or valves of any one or more materials, or in one or more pieces, and
with any auxiliary precausions or matters to insure their action under different
applications, and also their application and use to various purposes; for
instance-
We claim the exclusive right of applying them to every description of
steam, air, or other motive power engines and pumps for whatever purposes
employed, and wherever such pistons and valves are applicable..
And as regards the double adjusting balancing valve, we claim the right
of making, constructing, or forming the same of any one or more suitable

page_text: materials, or of one or more pieces, and the application and use of them under
different modifications to steam boilers, steam engines, pumps, locks, docks,
sluice gates, canals, casks, or other purposes to which they can be applied.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Holworthy Palmer and Charles
Perkins, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-one.
GEO. (L.S.) H. PALMER. CHARLES (L.S.) PERKINS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-eighth day of
May, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid George Holworthy Palmer
and Charles Perkins, came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
and contained, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid
was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and
provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year above written.