IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STOPPING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Tate, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Foreman Mechanic, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS FOR STOPPING STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Tate at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th January 1880.
JAMES TATE, of Bradford, in the County of York, Foreman Mechanic.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STOPPING STEAM AND
OTHER ENGINES.”
The object of this Invention is to arrange by means of electricity and mechanical
appliances for the instant stopping of the engine from any part of the works in
case of accident or otherwise.
I accomplish my object in the following manner :-I place a small pressure
cylinder near to the stop valve of the engine; this cylinder is fitted with a piston
to which is attached at the top side a toothed rack that gears into a pinion
mounted on a shaft to the stop valve spindle by suitable gearing. A catch box
is formed on one side of the before named pinion which gears into a sliding catch
box that is screwed on the said shaft, and in connection with this sliding catch
box is a lever of the first order, to which reference will be hereafter made.
Above the pressure cylinder I secure a rod in a vertical position, near the top of
which is formed a long slot hole through the rod in which is fitted a catch lever
that carries a ball. At the bottom of the said vertical rod I form a projection on
which is placed a catch that is jointed to another rod which slides in suitable
guides, and is supported by the last named catch. On this last named rod is a
projection that supports the above named lever of the first order when the rod is
carried by the catch, and keeps the sliding catch box out of gear.
When it is desired to stop the engine the electric current is applied which
operates upon a magnet fixed near the top end of the first named catch lever, and
actuates the same, and causes the ball to drop on the jointed catch, and thus forces
the same from off the projection on which it is latched. The catch and rod thus
liberated descend, brings the catch boxes into gear, and actuates a lever that opens
a tap which admits pressure on to the underside of the piston, and raises the same
and rack that is in connection therewith. The rack gearing into the pinion causes

page_text: the same and gearing in connection with the valve spindle to revolve, and thus
screw down and close the stop valve of the engine.
At the top of the piston rack is an arm that raises the ball back into its original
position at the same time as the engine is being stopped. I can also stop the
engine when running too fast by my arrangement, which is accomplished by means
of a lever secured to the engine governor connections in such a manner that when
the speed of the engine is too great the lever presses the flow and return wires
together, and the magnet acts upon the first named catch lever as before described.
By reversing the stop lever the piston will descend and leave the stop valve closed.
So instantaneous and effectual is this mode of stopping the engine, whilst I do not
disturb the ordinary method of screwing down the stop valve by hand, I use
entirely the electric current and mechanical arrangement for all purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Tate in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th July
1880.
JAMES TATE, of Bradford, in the County of York, Foreman Mechanic.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STOPPING STEAM AND
OTHER ENGINES."
The object of my Invention is to construct an apparatus, operated by electricity,
for automatically closing the stop valve of a steam engine, and this object I attain
by combining with the stop valve of the engine a pressure cylinder and piston
provided with a rack and pinion, and devises operated by electricity for opening
the valve of the cylinder and throwing the pinion into gear with toothed wheels
for closing the stop valve, as more fully described hereafter.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 2, a rear view.
Fig. 3, a side view, and
Fig. 4, a detached sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale.
Adjacent to the stop or throttle valve A is a vertical cylinder B provided with
a piston whose rod C is made in the form of a rack, and gears into a pinion D
adapted to turn freely on a shaft having its bearings in the frame E. The upper
end of the cylinder is open to atmospheric pressure, while its lower end is closed,
and provided with a three way cock or valve U, of which one passage com-
municates with the interior of the cylinder, another with a steam or other pressure
supply, while the third communicates with the atmosphere. The arm of the plug
of this cock is connected to the lower end of a vertical sliding rod K provided at
its upper end with a spring catch L, which is adapted to hook onto a projection M
on a rod S mounted on the frame E. A hollow ball P is adapted to slide on this
rod S, and when in its raised position is retained by a catch on the lever R, which
is pivotted in a slotted portion of the rod S, and is acted on by a spring Y¹tending
to keep its hooked end outwards. The upper arm of the lever R projects above
the slotted portion of the rod opposite an electro magnet T, for which it forms an
armature, and which has wires extending to any desired point, say for instance, the
main office of the works so that the device may be operated and the engine stopped,
as hereafter described, by closing the electric circuit at that point.
On the end of the shaft on which the pinion D turns is mounted a bevel wheel G
gearing into a bevel wheel H on the spindle J of the stop valve. On the same
shaft is a ratchet clutch block F connected by a feather so as to turn with, while
it can slide on, the said shaft.
The ratchet face of the clutch block is adapted to fit a corresponding ratchet face
on the pinion D when the block is moved into contact with the pinion. The
movement of the block is controlled by a forked arm O on a rock shaft carrying
the weighted arm N, which is supported by a pin on the sliding rod K, as
indicated in Fig. 1.
The operation of the device is as follows:-
Suppose the parts to be in the positions shown in the Drawings, the stop
valve A being open, the piston of the cylinder B at the bottom of its stroke, the
interior of the cylinder open to the atmosphere through the valve U, while the
clutch is out of gear, and the hall P in its elevated position.. When it is desired
to stop the engine the electric circuit is closed at the desired point so as to cause
the magnet T to attract the upper end of the lever R and release the ball P, which
then falls onto the catch L and throws it off its projection M. The vertical rod K
thus released descends under the weight of the arm N, and tarns the cock U so
as to admit steam, compressed air, or other fluid pressure to the interior of the

page_text: cylinder, and so cause the piston to rise, and by means of its rack C turn the
pinion D. The clutch block F having been meanwhile thrown into gear with the
pinion D, the shaft and gearing G, H, will be turned so as to cause the screwing
down or closing of the stop valve A, and so cut off the steam supply to the engine.
On the upper end of the rack C is a ring V which as the rack rises will elevate
the ball P again to its normal position, where it is retained by the lever R. When
the rod K. is elevated again the clutch will be thrown out, and the exhaust passage
of the cock U opened so as to allow the pressure of steam or other fluid to escape
and the piston to descend. The stop valve can at any time be opened by hand to
supply steam to the engine when desired.
Resting upon the ring V is the end of a lever W that is attached to tap W1;
one side of this tap is connected by pipe Z to the condenser of the steam engine,
and the other pipe Z¹ is open to the atmosphere or to the steam boiler. When the
rack piston rod C is raised as before described, the lever W will open the com-
munication through tap W₁ and admit air or steam, as the case may be, to the
condenser, thus destroying the vacuum and assisting to stop the engine.
The wires of the electric circuit of the magnet T may be so connected with the
governor as to cause the apparatus to close the valve A when the engine is running
too fast; this is accomplished by connecting a lever with some moving part of the
governor, and so arranging the connections of the circuit wires in respect to the
lever that when the governor rises the lever will press the wires, or otherwise
make the electrical connection, and so cause the closing of the valve A, as above
described.
I claim as my Invention,―
The combination of the stop valve of an engine with a pressure cylinder having
a cock U and a piston and connections for operating the valve A and tap WI,
with an electro magnet, and electric circuit, and devices, substantially as described,
whereby the action of the magnet causes the opening of the admission cock of the
cylinder, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Tate, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
aight hundred and eighty
Witness,
JOHN WAUGH,
Engineering and Patent Offices,
Bradford.
JAMES TATE. (L.S.)