IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC VALVE GEAR FOR STEAM AND ANALOGOUS ENGINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Norman Willis Wheeler, of the City of Brooklyn, in
the County of Kings, in the State of New York, in the United States of
America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC VALVE GEAR
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Norman Willis Wheeler
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 7th May 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NORMAN
WILLIS WHEELER, of the City of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, in the
State of New York, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HYDRAULIC VALVE GEAR FOR STEAM AND ANALOGOUS ENGINES," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, Her Royal. Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Norman Willis Wheeler, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal
fully describes and ascertains the-nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner-the-same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, with letters of reference
marked thereon forming a part of this Specification, in which-Figure 1, in
Sheet A, represents a mole's-eye section, Figure II. a cross section, and
Figure III. a partial end view; and in Sheet B is represented Diagrams
Nos. 1, 2, and 3 to show the operation of the apparatus and the control bad
over the steam valves, like letters indicating the same parts in the different
Figures.and Diagrams:
In most steam engines-the-valves are actuated by motion derived more or
less directly from the working piston, which motion-is-usually continuous
reciprocation, and various mechanical devices have been employed for the
purpose of changing the reciprocation of the rock shaft, for instance, to an
intermittent reciprocation of the steam valves, that is to say, moving at
successive steps for purposes well known to engineers. The essence of my
Invention consists in impressing such desired intermitting reciprocation upon.
the valves through the instrumentality of a hydraulic apparatus, which
réceives the constant reciprocating motion from the working piston. and
delivers an intermitting reciprocating motion to the valve or valves, the times
of complete or partial intermission of motion being variable when it is so
desired responsive to the action of a governor or the manipulation of an
attendant.
To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my Invention,
I will proceed to describe in detail the construction and operation of an
example, referring first to Sheet B, upon which is drawn three Diagrams for
the purpose of illustration merely, without. reference to facility of construction,
in which a, a, represent à barrel into which is fitted the plungers B, C, B",
connected to each other by the necks D',' D", and the plungers are supposed
to-receive a constant reciprocating motion from an eccentric equivalent to the
circle ; E represents another barrel preferably smaller. than a, a, into which
is fitted a ram g which gives motion.to.the.valve. or valves, an outline of one
variety being drawn above.each Diagram in- positions corresponding to those
of the ram g. The two-barrels a, a; and E are connected together at their
ends by the passages f, f, h', h", i, i, j,j", and k¹, k", are ports anil pasages,

page_text: to
move
the functions of which will be understood from a description of the action of
the apparatus, which should be considered as immersed in a body of fluid,
which fills all the internal cavities of the apparatus. Now suppose the
eccentric to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow head marked on
the circle. the fluid will escape from before the plunger B", as seen in No. 1,
through the port j"; while it will follow up behind the plunger B', entering
through,, E, and f, or through h¹, E, and f; this will continue and no
motion be given to the ram g until the plunger B" shall reach and close the
port, when the fluid will be imprisoned and a pressure generated sufficient
the ram g along in the opposite direction, to the. motion of B, the
relative velocities of the ram and plungers being inversely as their areas; this
motion of g will.continue until the passage is opened by the passage beyond
it of the ram g, when the fluid will escape through the passages i¹¹ and k¹¹,
passing, across a, around the neck D", and the ram g comes to rest with the
valve in the position shown in No. 2 with the steam cut off and the exhaust
port partially open. . The continued movement of the plungers will impress
no motion upon the ram until the central plunger, c arrives at and closes the
ports and k, or one of them, when there being no way of escape for the
fluid before B" the.ram g must resume its motion and come again to rest,
when it shall have passed by and opened the port h", through which the fluid,
will then flow, leaving the ram and valve in the positions shown in No.-3
during the residue of, the stroke of the plungers B, C, and B", and, until the
plunger B shall have returned and closed the port j', when the continuance
of the return stroke of the plunger will produce movements of the ram-g
equivalent to those described, but in. the opposite direction, as is easily seen
by inspection of the Diagrams. In brief, the functions of this apparatus are
to move the steam valve or valves from a state of rest in proper position for
admitting steam to one end of the working cylinder and releasing it from the
other, first, to a position closing the admission and leaving the release more or
less.free, and after au interval of rest to again move the valve or valves.so as
to reverse the admission and release. The apparatus may, if preferred, be
made in two parts, each operating valves, at the respective ends of the.working
cylinder. It will be seen that with. ;this apparatus the eccentric should be set
a little "late" in reference to the crank, instead of "early," as when the
usual valve gears are used. If the plungers and ram be fitted into the
barrels so accurately as to prevent leakage the ports h', h, may be omitted,
for the. ram g would come to rest when the plunger reached the extreme of
its throw and be left in the desired position, but it is deemed best to pro-

page_text: vide for a considerable degree of inaccuracy and leakage by making the
throw of the plunger exceed that theoretically required, and to provide as
shown in the Diagrams for an overflow at the end of each movement of
the ram:
This Invention may be varied in its. mechanical features to cover a wide
range of results, and to present to the superficial observér great variety in
appearance, for instance, when extreme-accuracy of throw is required, and
when it is feared that the precise mode of construction shown in-the-Drawings
would result in too great leakage, uncertainty, and wear of parts, the plungers
B and B may be omitted, and the remaining plunger c and the ram g be
tightly packed to fit the barrels with fibrous or other packing, but in that case
inasmuch as the packing would not readily traverse the ports, the imprison-
ment-and-release of the fluid should be performed by slide or other valves
operating in separate chambers, or at least upon separate seats for: each
barrel, and attached respectively to the ram and plungers or other parts of
the engine, so that the port closing and opening functions described as
appertaining to the plungers, lips, and ram shall appertain to these equivalent
valves. When it is desirable to. make the, apparatus in the same general
form, as shown in the Drawings, but of less length, the centre plunger.c
may be omitted, and also one of the necks D¹ or D", and the functions of
the plunger c be devolved upon the inner ends of the plungers B' and B",
and the length of the apparatus be materially reduced, but in that case the
ports and must be put each in the place of the other, and the passages
leading from them to the ports and must be crossed so as to retain the
capacity for the desired action. And for another instance, suppose each end
of a working cylinder to be fitted with a valve having a piston attached, by
way of a spring, or that the valve is of the disc variety traversing a port
communicating with the end of the working.cylinder with the live steam, say
above the valve, so that it will fall and admit steam when left without support;
now if a ram equivalent to g be attached to each valve so as to lift it to close
the port, and again lift the valve beyond the port to release the valve may:
be held up during the time of release by a mechanical or hydraulic latch,
and such' latch be disengaged and the valve allowed to fall and admit steam.
by the action of the opposite valve when it approaches its highest position;
or the latches may be disengaged by the agency of a "cataract." and a
"rest" or "hark" of the engine, be secured at the end of each stroke,.
which may be very desirable if it be used as a pumping engine, and the
motion of the plungers B¹, B, D, D, C, be derived directly from the motion

page_text: of the working piston; and, again, if a valve gear to work puppet valves be
fitted with the "toes" all upon one rock shaft and, the "steam toes" set so as
to have sufficient idle motion to seat the steam valves, while the exhaust
valves remain partially open; and further, the rock shaft be fitted with
counterpoise to hold the gear at full open during the early part of the stroke
of the plungers, then the intermittent motion to be derived from the apparatus
herein described applied to the rock shaft, will make a desirable motion for
such valve and cut-off gear. The time in the stroke at which the cutting off
movement will take place depends upon the position of the ports 1, ", in
relation to the length and throw of the plungers B¹, B", and conversely upon
the lengths of the plungers B¹, B", in relation to the lengths of their strokes
and longitudinal positions of the ports, j", hence any mechanical device
which will practically change the lengths of B¹, B", may be used to change
or regulate the times of cut off and the grade of expansion.
Referring now to Sheet A we see Drawings of a practical apparatus lettered
to correspond with the Diagrams with the valve rod n, eccentric rod m, which
should be connected with the eccentric by means of a cup-and-ball joint or
"spade handle," in which the part of the rod carrying the plunger may turn.
upon its own axis, so that by means of the arm o and pin p the plunger may
be manipulated so as to regulate the grade of expansion, as hereafter described.
Qis a reservoir to contain the fluid; R, a bonnet forming a channel from k
to i; and dotted lines ¹, ", show the longitudinal position of the passages i
and in the Diagrams merely for illustration, whereas the real passages are
from k¹, k, to i,, through bonnets R. S, S, are cut off' lips or prolongations
of the plungers B, B", cut away at a proper angle, so as to cover the ports j', j",
and produce the cut-off movement of the ram g at a period of the stroke to
correspond with the relative angular positions of the ports j, j", and lips S, S,
which position depends upon the position of the arm o, which may be arranged
to be operated by hand or by any known governor attached to the pin p, and
the "lead" of the steam valves may be changed to correspond with the grade of
expansion by making the ends of the plunger c at some angle of the axis other
than ninety degrees.
There may be used various equivalents for the device here shown to
regulate the grade of expansion. For one instance, the lips S, S, may
be simply tongues projecting from the plungers B₁, B, and be made to
cover the cut-off ports j, j", at the desired times by means of angular motion
given the plungers by fixed or adjustable stops operating upon the arm o, and
if valves separate from the plunger and ram be used to regulate the overflow

page_text: of the fluid they may be "spread" or "contracted" in various ways known to
mechanics.
"
The dash pots "and analogous devices which have heretofore been
used for the purpose of arresting the motion of valves when they approach
their seats. differ fundamentally from this. Invention in that they do not
transmit motion to the valves, but only resist destructive movements of the
valves and their attachments; so does the mode of cutting off, wherein the
valve is lifted by mechanical means and held open-until the proper time for
closing by means of a barrel and plunger arranged as-a hydraulic latch. No
hydraulic apparatus has been heretofore. used within my knouledge which was
capable of receiving a continuous reciprocating motion from an eccentric or
other part of an engine and delivering an intermittent reciprocating motion to
the valves or the devices' directly. actuating them.
1
What I claim as my Invention is as follows:-
.
First, in the hydraulic valve gear of steam_or_analogous engines I claim
suspending the operation of the moving force upon the valve-or-valves.by
means of the passage of the ram g over so as to open proper ports as ','", or
by the opening of equivalent valves; substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
:
Second, in the bydraulic valve gear of a steam or analogous engine I
claim causing the valve or valves to complete the movement towards its or
their full throw by means of the closure of certain ports as i, ¹¹, or k¹; k",
by means of the passage of the plunger c over the appropriate one, or by the
closure of equivalent valves, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Third, in the bydraulic valve gear of a steam or analogous engine I
'claim suspending the moving force operating upon the valve or valves
when they or it have reached the proper limit of throw by means of the
passage of the plunger 9 over so as to open proper ports as h', h¹¹, or by
the opening of equivalent valves, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
Fourth, in the valve gear of a steam or analogous engine I claim actuating
the valve or valves by means of a hydraulic apparatus substantially such as
herein-before described so as to change a continuous reciprocating motion
derived from an eccentric or other moving part of the engine to an intermittent
reciprocating motion, substantially in the manner. and for the purposes. .herein
set forth.
Fifth, in the hydraulic valve gear of a steam or analogous engine I claim
inducing the cutting-off' movement of the valve or valves at various periods by

page_text: regulating the times of closing of passages, substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein set forth.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third
NORMAN WILLIS WHEELER. (L.S.)
In presence of
THOMAS D. STETSON,
Solicitor of Patents,
5, Tryon Row,
New York.