IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF AND METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: · LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Ashton, of Hyde, in the County
of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT
OF AND METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 24th January 1873, and dated the 30th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Ashton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th November 1872.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM ASHTON, of Hyde, in the County of Chester, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
ARRANGEMENT OF AND METHOD. OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES," to
be as follows :—
The Invention consists principally in an arrangement of slide valves
for giving a separate and distinct inlet and outlet for the steam at both
ends of the steam cylinder.
I employ two ports for the inlet of the steam and two for the outlet,
those for the inlet being in separate valvė boxes on one side of the steam
cylinder, and those for the outlet, also in separate valve boxes, on the
"

page_text: other. I employ four ordinary slide valves which may be worked either
separately or conjointly by means of an excentric or by a cam or other-
wise.
The positions of the slide valves and their facings is such that the
presure of the steam always keeps the valves tight against their facings
both for the inlet and also for the outlet, that. is to say, they are so
arranged that the back of the valves in both cases is in the direction of
the steam supply and their faces towards the exhaust, and by this
arrangement the greater the pressure of the steam is the more firmly
the valves are pressed against their facings both on the inlet and exhaust
sides of the cylinder.
By having a separate inlet and outlet at both ends of the cylinder,
and by working the four, valves separately and independently of each
other, the steam can be worked expansively to the greatest practical
limits, and access to any one valve can readily be.had without disturbing
the rest.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis William Ashton in the Great. Seal Patent
Office on the 29th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
WILLIAM ASHTON, of Hyde, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign,, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and. successors; give
and grant unto me, the said Francis William Ashton, Her special license
that I, the said. Francis William Ashton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis William Ashton,, my
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
THE ARRANGEMENT OF AND METHOD OF WORKING THE VALVES OF STEAM ENGINES,'
upon the condition: (amongst others) that. I, the said. Francis William.
""

page_text: .
Ashton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under I, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Francis William Ashton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.
the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists principally in an arrangement of slide valves
for giving a separate and distinct inlet and outlet for the steam at both
ends of the steam cylinder.
I employ two ports for the inlet of the steam and two for the outlet,
those for the inlet being in separate valve boxes on one side of the steam'
cylinder, and those for the outlet, also in separate valve boxes, on the
other. I employ! four ordinary slide valves which may be worked either'
separately or conjointly by means of an excentric or by a cam or other-
wise.
The position of the slide valves and their facings is such that the
pressure of the steam always keeps the valves tight against their facings.
both for the inlet and for the outlet, that is to say, they are so arranged.
that the back of the valves in both cases is in the direction of the steam
supply and their faces towards the exhaust.
By having a separate inlet and outlet at both ends of the cylinder,.
and by working the four valves separately and independently of each
other, the steam can be worked expansively to the greatest practicable
limits, and access to any one valve can readily be had without disturbing
the rest.
Such being the nature and object. of my said Invention I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that
the same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Drawing
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof:-
The annexed Drawing represents in section the application of my
•

page_text: Invention to a steam cylinder. a, a, is the cylinder; b, b¹, are the two
ports for the inlet of the steam to the cylinder on one side thereof; and
c, c', are the two ports for the outlet on the other side of the cylinder;
à, d, and e, e¹, are four ordinary slide valves, each working in its own
separate valve box, the two former for the steam and the two latter for
the exhaust.
.S
The valve rods f, f, may be either coupled together in pairs as shown
on the steam side, the two steam valves d, d¹, being worked together by
themselves and the two exhaust valves e, e¹, being worked together by
themselves, or each of the four valves may be worked separately and
independently of each other if preferred.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention the employment and adaptation to the cylinders.
of steam engines of four slide valves (two for the steam and two for the
exhaust), each working in its own separate valve box, whether the said
valves are worked in pairs or all four separately in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before particularly set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Ashton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
F. W. ASHTON. (L.s.)