IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM, WATER, AND OTHER COCKS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hubert Joseph Cénant at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th March 1869.
I, HUBERT JOSEPH CÉNANT, of Tubize, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM, WATER, AND OTHER COCKS," to
be as follows:-
-The object of this Invention is to construct steam, water, and other
cocks that will work with little friction, will have no tendency to leak
whether under heavy or light pressures, and which may be turned full
on by one-half the movement required for operating ordinary plug
cocks. To this end, instead of using a conical plug fitted to a corre-
sponding seat, I provide the cock with a flat-faced valve seat, which is
pierced with holes for connecting the supply with the exit passage of the
cock. To this flat-faced valve seat I apply a disc valve pierced with
corresponding holes, which when brought into coincidence with those of
the scat will open the exit passage for the discharge of steam or water
through the cock. This disc is secured to the end of a stem which

page_text: carries a handle for operating the cock. No packing is required for the
stem to keep it steam-tight, but a coiled spring is inserted around the
stem in what may be termed the packing box to keep the disc up to its
seat. A slight axial motion will bring the holes of the disc and its seat
into coincidence to pass steam or water through, and the like motion will
quickly close the passage.
When the cock is closed the pressure of the
steam or other fluid on the disc will tend to keep it close to its seat,
and the wear of the disc being even over its surface will not render
it leaky.
This novel construction of cock admits of modification to suit different
circumstances. For instance, a valve box being formed to receive the
disc steam may be admitted to the back of the valve. The steam
entering the box through an opening in the disc will pass over the disc
and escape down another opening in the disc to the discharge passage.
If now the admission opening in the disc is elongated the cut-off will
take place while steam is still passing to the valve box, and thus the
pressure of the steam on the disc valve will be balanced. Again, if
great pressure is used where this mode of balancing or neutralizing the
pressure is not admissible a small opening may be made through the
disc, the same being covered by a second and smaller disc made fast to a
spindle fitted within the spindle of the disc valve. By fitting the handle
of the cock so that it shall first operate the small disc and expose the
small opening a jet of steam will rush through, thereby instantly
reducing the pressure in front of the valve. The further turning of the
handle to open the cock to the full will thus be rendered comparatively
easy.
It will be understood that cocks made according to this Invention
will be applicable to a variety of uses, to suit which they readily admit of
special modification. For example, when adapting the cock to the
lubricating box of a steam cylinder I make a lateral passage through the
disc communicating with the box and with a central hollow stem con-
nected with the cylinder. When, therefore, a vacuum is produced in
the cylinder oil will pass along this passage and down the stem to the
cylinder.