IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE VALVES OF STEAM AND OTHER. ENGINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE VALVES OF STEAM
AND OTHER. ENGINES." A communication from abroad by Frederick Butler'
Rice, of Dunkirk, New York, and Samuel Alexander Murphy, of Detroit,
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th July 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
OPERATING THE VALVES OF STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES." A communication
from abroad by Frederick Butler Rice, of Dunkirk, New York, and Samuel
Alexander Murphy, of Detroit, Michigan, both in the United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus or devices for automatically
operating the valve of an engine to adapt it to varying loads or to the work to be
done, and consists in a rock-shaft arranged to pass through the crank-pin and
provided with an arm having an excentric pin for connection with the valve rod in
combination with a governor arranged within the crank disc, as hereinafter more
fully set forth with reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which,
-
Figure 1 is a rear view of an engine crank-disc provided with a suitable governor
to be employed in carrying my Invention into practice.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the said crank-disc on the line X, X, Figure 1,
and also represents in section a portion of the excentric-pin, arm, and the end of
the excentric pin connecting arm.
Figure 3 is a front view of the said eccentric-pin arm; and
Figure 4 represents a plan or top view of an engine having my improvements
applied thereto.
A represents the crank-disc of an engine, and B, B', governor weights, which
may be connected in any suitable manner to arms C, C¹, pivoted to the disc A by
bolts D, D¹, upon which the said arms are free to swing; E is an arm pivoted at
one end by a bolt E¹ to the arm C', and at the other end to a triangular shaped
plate F by a bolt F¹. The other, or opposite arm C, is composed of the parts C*, C¹²;

page_text: to the part C2 is pivoted by a bolt G one end of a short arm G₁ having its opposite
end pivoted to the plate F by a bolt H. To this plate F is rigidly fastened by
means of a nut H', or in any other suitable manner, a pin or rock-shaft I, which
passes through 'and is carried by the crank-pin I, as shown in Figure 2; to the
outer end of the said pin I is rigidly secured an arm J, which carries the excentric
pin J', to which the valve-stem or connecting-rod K is connected in any suitable
manner (see Figure 4). In this Figure, L represents the fly-wheel of the engine,
and the frame of the same, and M is the crank shaft.
The crank disc A is formed with a depression or recess to receive the governor and
a counter weight A¹ to balance it, but it may be formed in any other suitable
manner. It will be seen that by this arrangement the governor is placed within
the crank-disc of the engine, and operates upon the cut-off valve, and is connected
to it through and by pin which is fitted to a hole, bored lengthwise through the
crank-pin of the engine. The governor is áttaclied to the inner end of this pin,
and a crank or arm to the outer end; this arm in turn carries a pin for operating
the valve, and takes the place of the excentric.
This arm and pin connected to the valve by an ordinary connecting rod are
practically like such devices heretofore, used with the exception that the arm is
not attached to the engine-crank pin rigidly, but to an inner pin, which is loose
within the said crank pin. It will be readily understood that by this arrangement
I am enabled to automatically vary the throw and angular advance of the excentric
pin, and consequently the travel of the valve to suit varying pressures or loads
upon the engine. This arrangement greatly simplifies automatic cut-offs of this
nature. In cut-offs of this kind, as heretofore employed, the governor is generally
placed within a wheel or case especially built and placed upon the shaft at the rear
of the main bearing, and operates upon an excentric which is moved either directly
across the shaft or around its circumference; the advantages of this arrangement
however are obvious. According to this Invention the said excentric is dispensed
with, thereby greatly reducing the friction to be overcome by the governor, and
the prime cost of the engine, whilst at the same time it renders the latter more
elegant in appearance, simple, and convenient. My improved apparatus will operate
either the main or cut-off valve.
The operation of the said Invention will be readily understood by reference to
Figure 1, that is to say, when the centrifugal force resulting from the speed of the
engine is suflicient to move the weights B, B1, in the direction of the arrows f, the
outer end of the short arm C² will move in the direction of the arrow h, and the
arm E in the direction of the arrow g, and will thereby turn the plate-F-and-pin--in-
the direction of the arrow i, which operation will move the arm J and excentric-
pin J' in a direction from the dotted line s towards the centre of the shaft M or
toward the dotted line s¹, thereby shortening the throw of the valve, or vice versa.
The points 1, 2, show the extreme movement of the arm J in either direction.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,―
The excentric pin J₁, the arm J, and the pin or rock-shaft I caried by and
passing through the crank-pin 1' in combination with a governor arranged within
the crank disc, substantially as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and eighty one.
HENRY H. LAKE.
(L.S.)