IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MOVING AND REGULATING EXPANSION VALVES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Max Alexander Starke, in the City of Hirschberg (Silesia),
Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR MOVING AND REGULATING EXPANSION VALVES."
Sealed the 10th May 1878, and dated the 10th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Max Alexander Starke at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th November 1877.
MAX ALEXANDER STARKE, in the City of Hirschberg (Silesia), Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MOVING AND REGULATING
EXPANSION VALVES."
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus for opening and shutting the
expansion valves of stationary steam engines in such a manner that the most
judicious application of steam and precise regulation of power are ensured, and in
such a manner that,―
(1.) The valves will open as quickly as possible the full area of the passages for
the steam passing to the cylinder, and keep the same open unalterably until at least
three-fourths of the stroke of the engine piston have been completed.
(2.) The shutting of the valves will take place for every single stroke of the piston,
according to the power wanted.
The said apparatus is applied either to work two valves alternately, each of which
has to effect the supply of steam for one stroke of the piston at every time, or in
such a way that it works a single expansion valve which alternately supplies the
steam for both strokes of the piston.
The said apparatus consists of two essential parts, on the novel arrangement and
operation of which depends the superiority of the same over other valves, and regu-
lating motions with a similar kind of action, that is to say, arrangements for lifting
the valves and for shutting the same.
The construction is as follows, that is to say :—
(1.) As regards the arrangements for lifting the valves, the motion is communi-
cated from the crank shaft, or from an intermediate shaft making the same number
of revolutions by means of an excentric which causes a disc to assume a rocking
-

page_text: motion. Two lifting rings, which are indented on a part of their circumference in
a suitable manner, and which are connected with the disc by means of four bolts,
alternately serve to lift the valves. For this purpose the radial centre lines passing
through the middle of these two indented parts form an angle with each other which
is equal to the angle of oscillation of the pin of the disc. The arrangement is made
in such a way that when the pin is in its end position, one or the other of the said
radial centre lines will coincide with the direction of a lifting rod corresponding
to it.
The depth of the indented parts measured from the circumference of the rings is
exactly such as is necessary for the lifting of the valves and for the lost motions
required in the different parts of the gear.
Lifting rods are placed vertically upon the said lifting rings. They have steel
rollers on their lower parts; the upper ends are furnished with steel tappets, which,
in the lowest position of the rods, take hold of catches. The exact vertical guiding
of the lifting rods is effected on their lower ends by guiding rollers, and on their
upper ends by mechanism with two brass bushes. This mechanism contains under-
neath the brass bushes two hollow cylindrical spaces, and in each of these a spiral
spring pressing lightly upon brass nuts screwed upon the lifting rods. By this
arrangement these rods will always remain in contact with the lifting rings on the
disc. To guide the lower parts of the lifting rods rollers are used in order to reduce
the friction caused by the lifting of the rods; and the body of the rods is shielded
with steel plates on their working sides. This ensures on the one hand great
durability, and on the other hand makes it very easy to compensate for wear and
tear by laying a suitable piece of iron plate under the said steel plates.
The aforesaid catches will be moved by and with the lifting rods, and transmit
this motion to some intermediate shafts by means of levers upon which they act.
There will always exist either a separate connection of each intermediate shaft
with one of two expansion valves; or, in the case of but one valve being employed,
both intermediate shafts will alternately act upon a lifting spindle which is connected
with the valve by angle levers. The said catches carry steel horns fastened on
their upper ends by means of conical pins, so that the position of the horns with
regard to the catches may be readily changed, which is important for adjusting the
apparatus. Each lever shaft, as well as the lifting spindle, is provided with air
pistons, which serve for fixing the original position of those parts when the valve is
shut, and cause the different parts to come down more gently when the rapid motion
of the shutting of the valve is effected.
(2.) As regards the arrangements for shutting the valves, the working disc moves
by means of a pin an upright double-armed lever, and this latter produces an
alternate motion of a rod which moves horizontally in guides. The said lever is
connected to the said rod by means of a universal joint, so that the rod is enabled
to execute a rotatory motion round its axis without being prevented from making
its horizontal alternate motion. The said rotation is effected by a governor whose
drawing rod is linked to a lever. The latter is made in one piece, with a brass bush
containing a square hole for the guide of the said rod; this rod, moving to and fro
in the square-holed bush, carries between two guides a steel lever fastened upon it,
the mean position of which is in the same plane as that of the lever to which the
drawing rod is linked. The hemispherical ends of the steel lever oscillate in the
middle between the two steel horns, and will alternately meet with the latter once
during every stroke of the engine piston, by which the aforesaid catches will be
displaced from the lifting rod tappets that have been supporting them, and in
consequence of this the valves will be suddenly shut by means of the spring working
upon it.
The working of the valve motion and regulating apparatus is as follows, that is to
sayThe excentric which operates the disc is adjusted and works upon the disc in
such a manner that the valve commences to lift at the same moment in which the
slide valve closes the steam port of the cylinder. At this moment, as is well known,
the crank has yet to move through a certain angle before arriving at the end of the

page_text: stroke. During the time the crank is performing this motion the valve will be
lifted according to the shape of the lifting curve formed by the indented parts of the
lifting rings; and this is done so quickly that at the commencement of the next
stroke the valve is almost fully opened. Shortly after the beginning of the stroke
the valve is completely lifted, because at this time the rotation of the disc has gone
on so far that the rollers of the lifting rods run upon the outside circumference of
the lifting rings; therefore the lifted valve, as well as the whole of the arrangements
for the lifting, come to a complete standstill.
The continuance of the rotation of the disc only serves to put in motion the
mechanism for shutting the valve. According to the position of the governor and
the steel lever connected to the same, that one of the two catches which is serving
for the stroke of the piston just being performed will be released, by which the valve
is shut. When at last the pin on the rocking disc has reached the farthest point on
its way, the second lifting rod, which has up to now not been working, has in the
mean time dropped into the indented part of the lifting ring belonging to it. The
corresponding catch is then resting on the tappet, and the same motions may begin
for the next stroke.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Max Alexander Starke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th May 1878.
MAX ALEXANDER STARKE, in the City of Hirschberg (Silesia), Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire.. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MOVING AND REGULATING
EXPANSION VALVES."
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus. for obtaining the opening and
closing of the expansion valves of stationary steam engines, the most judicious
application of steam and precise regulation of power in such a manner that,-
1. The valves will open as quickly as possible the full area of the passages for the
steam supplied to the cylinder, and keep the same open unalterably until at least
three-fourths of the stroke of the engine piston have been completed.
2. The closing of the valves will take place at every single stroke of the piston,
according to the power required.
The said apparatus is applied either to work alternately two valves, each of which
has to effect the supply of steam for one stroke of the piston every time, or in such'
a manner that it works a single expansion valve which alternately supplies the
steam for both strokes of the piston.
This apparatus consists of two essential parts, on the peculiar arrangement and
operation of which depends the superiority of the said apparatus over other valve
and regulating motions with a similar action, that is to say-The peculiar features
of this Invention are the arrangements for lifting the valves, and those for closing
the same.

page_text: Figure 4 is an elevation of the arrangement for operating one valve according to
this Invention.
Figure 5 is a vertical section; and Figures 6 and 7 are horizontal sections.
Figures 8 and 9 show portions of the mechanism detached.
In the arrangements of mechanism for lifting the valves, shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3,
the motion is obtained from the crank shaft, or from an intermediate shaft making
the same number of revolutions, by means of an excentric which causes a disc a to
assume a rocking motion. Two lifting rings b, b', which are indented or recessed on
a part of their circumferences in a suitable manner, are connected with the disc by
means of four bolts, and alternately serve to lift the valves. For this purpose the
radial centre lines passing through the middle of these two indented parts form with
each other an angle which is equal to the angle of oscillation of the pin of the disc.
This arrangement is such that when the pin is in its end position one or the other
of the aforesaid radial centre lines will coincide with the direction of the corresponding
lifting rod.
The depth of the indented parts, as shewn at x, measured from the circumference
of the rings, is exactly such as is necessary for the lifting of the valves and for the
lost motions required in the different parts of the gear.
The lifting rods c, c¹, are placed vertically upon the said lifting rings b, b'. They
have steel rollers on their lower parts, and their upper ends are furnished with steel
tappets, which, in the lowest position of the rods, take hold of the catches e, e¹. The
exact vertical guiding of the lifting rods is effected on their lower ends by
guiding rollers f, f¹, and on their upper ends by mechanism with two brass bushes.
This mechanisin contains underneath the brass bushes two hollow cylindrical spaces,
and in each of these a spiral spring which presses lightly upon brass nuts c* screwed
upon the lifting rods. By this arrangement these rods will always remain in contact
with the lifting rings on the disc. For guiding the lower parts of the lifting rods
rollers are used to reduce the friction caused by the lifting of the rod, and the body
of the rods is shielded with steel plates on their working sides. This contrivance
ensures on the one hand great durability, and on the other hand makes it very easy
to compensate for wear and tear by laying a suitable piece of iron plate under the
said steel plates.
The catches e, e', will be moved by and with the lifting rods, and transmit this
motion to intermediate shafts by means of the levers g, g', upon which they act.
There will always exist either, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, a separate connection
of each intermediate shaft with one of two expansion valves v, v; or where one
valve only is employed, both intermediate shafts h, h¹, will alternately act upon a
lifting spindle which is connected with the valve by angle levers. The said
catches e, e¹, carry steel horns fastened on their upper ends by means of conical pins,
so that the position of the horns with regard to the catches may be readily changed,
which is important for adjusting the apparatus. Each lever shaft h, h', as well as
the lifting spindle h¹, is provided with air pistons which serve for fixing the original
position of those parts when the valve is closed, and cause the different parts to
descend gently during the rapid motion of the closing of the valve.
In the arrangements for closing the valves the rocking disc a moves by means of
a pink, the upright double-armed lever l, and the latter produces an alternate
motion of a rod n which moves horizontally in guides m, m'. The said lever is con-
nected to the rod n by means of a universal joint, so that this rod n may execute a
rotatory motion around its axis without being prevented from making its horizontal
alternate motion. This rotation is effected by the governor, whose drawing rod pis
linked to a lever q. The latter is made in one piece, with a brass bush containing
a square hole for the guide m of the rod n. This rod n, moving to and fro in the
square-holed bush, carries between the two guides m, m³, a steel lever r, the mean
position of which is in the same plane as that of the aforesaid lever q. The
hemispherical ends of the lever ? oscillate in the middle between two steel horns,
and will alternately meet the latter once during every stroke of the engine piston ;
the catches e, e¹, will thereby be displaced from the lifting rod tappets that have

page_text: been supporting them, and consequently the valve will be suddenly closed by means
of the spring working upon it.
The working-of the valve motion and regulating apparatus is as follows, that is to
Bay-The excentric which operates the disc a is adjusted and works upon the said
disc in such a manner that the valve commences to rise at the same moment 'in
which the slide valve closes the steam port of the cylinder. At this moment, as is
well known, the crank has yet to move through a certain angle before arriving at
the end of the stroke. During the time the crank is performing this motion the
valve will be lifted according to the shape of the lifting curve formed by the indented
parts of the lifting rings b, b', and this movement is effected so quickly that at the
commencement of the next stroke the valve is almost fully opened. Shortly after
the beginning of the stroke the valve is completely lifted, because at this time the
rotation of the disc has gone on so far that the roller d or d of the lifting rod c or c¹
runs upon the outside circumference of the rings b, b1; therefore the lifted valve,
as well as the whole of the arrangements for the lifting, come to a complete
standstill.
The continuance of the rotation of the disc only serves to put in motion the
mechanisin for closing the valve. Now, according to the position of the governor
and the lever r connected to the same, that one of the two catches e or el which is
serving for the stroke of the piston just being performed will be released, and the
valve will be closed. When at last the pin on the rocking disc has reached the
farthest point in its movement, the second lifting rod, which has till now not been
working, has in the mean time dropped into the indented part' x of the lifting ring
belonging to it. The corresponding catch then rests on the tappet, and the same
motions may begin for the next stroke.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim the improved apparatus above described,
and whose characteristic properties or features are as follows, namely,-
First. The rapid opening of the expansion valve, and the keeping of the same
unalterably open during the time of the admission of steam to the cylinder,
whereby loss of steam pressure is entirely avoided.
Second. The peculiar working of the lifting parts with pauses, by which the
mechanism causes but a minimum of friction, and gives great security with respect
to its working and to its durability.
Third. The peculiar manner of releasing the catches, by which an extraordinary
promptness of regulation secured.
Fourth. The avoidance of springs applied as mechanism, by which the apparatus
works continually with the same regularity and reliability of action, all as above
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Max Alexander Starke, have hereunto set ny
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
MAX ALEXANDER STARKE. (L.S.)