Improvements in Regulating and Reversing Gear for Steam and other Fluid Pressure Engines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Regulating and Reversing Gear for Steam and
other Fluid Pressure Engines.
I, JOHN WILLIAM MELLING, of 11 Birkett Bank, Wigan, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in regulating and reversing gear for steam
and other fluid pressure engines, and the chief object of my improvements is to
assist the engine man (or the governor as the case may be) and to enable him to
effect the required regulation or reversal of the engine with a comparatively slight
exertion of force on his part.
I apply my improvements to an engine fitted with a cylinder to which steam or
other fluid under pressure is admitted to impart a reciprocating movement to a
piston the rod of which is connected to the reversing shaft or equivalent and where
a separate cylinder with a piston upon the aforesaid piston rod or upon a separate
rod connected to the first is employed, the second cylinder being supplied with
water or other liquid so as to form a hydraulic lock or regulator to control the
movement of the first named piston.
According to my present invention under such conditions I reverse the positions
of the steam or other fluid admission ports and the exhaust ports (or cross the pipes
to obtain the same result) so that steam or other fluid under pressure is necessarily
admitted to the cylinder by a movement which is the reverse of that required in an
engine as ordinarily arranged and I operate the admission and exhaust valve or
valves of this cylinder from some intermediate part of a single lever one end of
which is worked by the attendant (or the governor) and the other end is jointed
or connected to the piston rod with which it travels.
if
I prefer to place the power cylinder and the locking cylinder tandem in which
case the piston of the latter is mounted upon the piston rod of the former and the
valves for both cylinders are preferably mounted upon the same valve spindle;
the cylinders are not placed tanden they would have separate piston rods and
valve spindles but coupled together so that a movement given to one would be
repeated or shared by the other, whereby, when by a movement of the valves
steam or other fluid source of motive power is admitted to one end of the power
cylinder and a movement of its piston takes place, water or other liquid is released
and discharged from one end of the locking cylinder by the corresponding move-
ment of its piston.
In operation when the attendant (or the governor) moves one end of the
regulating lever and thus by the intermediate connection opens the valves_the
piston moves until the other end of the regulating lever, which is connected to
the piston rod and which is fulcrumed in the hand of the attendant or by the
mechanism operated by him or by the governor, has moved so far in the opposite
direction that by the intermediate connection the valves are again closed and by
means of the locking cylinder all further movement of the pistons is arrested until
the attendant or the governor again moves the other end of the regulating lever to
re-open the valves.
The water or other liquid may have means of admission to the locking cylinder
in addition to the inlet through the regulating valve or valves.
Any kind of suitable admission valves may be employed but I prefer to use those
of the p'ston type.

page_text: If liquid under sufficient pressure be available the steam or other fluid power
cylinder may be dispensed with and the single cylinder made to serve both
purposes.
My improvements are particularly applicable to winding rolling and marine
engines and any other engines where quick reversal is required as for instance in
steam steering gear or where it is advantageous to assist the governor or
regulating mechanism.
SM1 1901
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Regulating and Reversing Gear for Steam and
other Fluid Pressure Engines.
I, JOHN WILLIAM MELLING, of 11 Birkett Bank, Wigan in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in regulating and reversing gear for
steam and other fluid pressure engines, and the chief object of my improvements is
to assist the engineman (or the governor as the case may be) and to enable him to
effect the required regulation or reversal of the engine with a comparatively slight
exertion of force on his part.
I apply my improvements to an engine fitted with a cylinder to which steam or
other fluid under pressure is admitted to impart a reciprocating movement to a
piston the rod of which is connected to the reversing shaft or equivalent and where
a separate cylinder with a piston upon the aforesaid piston rod or upon a separate
rod connected to the first is employed, the second cylinder being supplied with
water or other liquid so as to form a hydraulic lock or regulator to control the
movement of the first named piston.
According to my present invention under such conditions I reverse the positions
of the steam or other fluid admission ports, and the exhaust ports (or cross the
ports or pipes to obtain the same result) so that steam or other fluid under pressure
is necessarily admitted to the cylinder by a movement which is the reverse of that
required in an engine as ordinarily arranged and I operate the admission and
exhaust valve or valves of this cylinder from some intermediate part of a single
lever one end of which is worked by the attendant (or the governor) and the other
end is jointed or connected to the piston rod with which it travels.
I prefer to place the power cylinder and the locking cylinder tandem in which
case the piston of the latter is mounted upon the piston rod of the former and the
valves for both cylinders are preferably mounted upon the same valve spindle; if
the cylinders are not placed tandem they would have separate piston rods and
valve spindles but coupled together so that a movement given to one would be
repeated or shared by the other, whereby, when by a movement of the valves,
steam or other fluid source of motive power is admitted to one end of the power
cylinder and a movement of its piston takes place, water or other liquid is released
and discharged from one end of the locking cylinder by the corresponding
movement of its piston.
In operation when the attendant (or the governor) moves one end of the
regulating lever and thus by the intermediate connection opens the valves the
piston moves until the other end of the regulating lever, which is connected to
the piston rod and which is fulcrumed in the hand of the attendant or by the
mechanism operated by him or by the governor, has moved so far in the opposite
direction that by the intermediate connection the valves are again closed and by

page_text: means of the locking cylinder all further movement of the piston is arrested until
the attendant (or the governor) again moves the other end of the regulating lever
to re-open the valves."
The water or other liquid may have means of admission to the locking cylinder
in addition to the inlet through the regulating valve or valves.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying sheet of drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end elevation and Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation of part of a
reversing engine to which my improved regulating and reversing gear is applied.
In these views, a designates the steam or other fluid cylinder and its piston,
c the water or other liquid cylinder and d its piston, e the valve spindle on which
are the valves, 1, 2, 3, 4, and also the balancing pieces 5 and 6 ; is the piston
rod on which are both the pistons and d, g is the link through which the move-
ment of the pistons is transmitted to the rocking or reversing lever h which is
fixed on the reversing shaft i and connected by the link to the valve rod k and
reversing link l.
To the link is pivoted one end of the lever m which is pivoted to the link n
which is jointed to the valve spindle e and at the other end the lever m is coupled
by the link o to the hand lever p as shown or it may be to the governor.
The steam cylinder a is supplied with steam from the pipe q and exhausts
through the pipes r¹.
The water cylinder
other liquid which enters
the two flap valves u u'.
outlets v v¹.
is placed in the tank which is kept full of water or
the cylinder c through the pipe t and also through
The liquid escapes from the cylinder c through the
The pistons b, d, are shown midway of their stroke and if a downward move-
ment were required the engineman (or governor) by operating the link o and
drawing the spindle e and valves upward and so admit steam from the pipe to the
cylinder a above the piston b and simultaneously allow any steam below the
piston to escape through the exhaust pipe. In like manner the said upward
movement of the valves allows the water below the piston d to escape from the
cylinder c through the outlet r', and simultaneously allows water to be admitted to
the upper part of the cylinder c through the pipe t from the tank 8.
When the pistons b, d, move downward in consequence of the upward movement
of the valves as described, they through the lever m and link n move the valve
spindle e and valves downward and so close the valves thus preventing any further
escape of water from the lower part of the cylinder and thereby locking the
pistons until a further movement be given to the valves by the engineman or
governor as the case may be.
It will be understood that when the lengths of the two arms of the lever m are
properly proportioned relatively to the stroke of the piston and of the reversing
lever the movement of the piston must correspond with and be proportionate to
the movement of the reversing lever.
If sufficient water or other liquid to fill the cylinder c had not been admitted by
the valve 3 it would enter through the inlet valve u as the level of liquid in the
tank will always be maintained above the top of the cylinder c.
If a hand pump were employed for reversing it would by preference be connected
to the pipe t.
Any suitable kind of valves may be employed but for moderate pressure I
prefer to use those of the piston type as shown and described.
If liquid under sufficient pressure be available the steam or other fluid power
cylinder may be dispensed with and the single cylinder made to serve both
purposes.
My improvements are particularly applicable to winding rolling and marine
engines and any other engines where quick reversal is required as for instance

page_text: in steam steering gear or where it is advantageous to assist the governor or
regulating mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a steam or other fluid cylinder with its ports reversed,
or crossed, and a water or other liquid cylinder with its ports reversed, or crossed,
and an arrangement of reversing valves operated by the engineman or governor,
of the lever m or its equivalent connected to the valve spindle, to the reversing
lever, and to the piston connecting rod substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts embodying my improvements in
regulating and reversing gear for steam and other fluid pressure engines, sub
stantially as and for the purposes herein described and as illustrated by the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 9th day of December 1891
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.