Improvements in Valve Operating Devices for Steam or other Motive Power Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification L-ft, 8th Nov., 1895-Accept:d, 8th Feb.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Valve Operating Devices for Steam or other
Motive Power Engines.
I, DAVID JOY, of 17, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My present invention has reference to the invention for which Letters Patent
No. 15,816 and dated the 17th September 1891 were granted to me, and has for
its object so to modify and improve the arrangements and details claimed under the
said Patent as to perfect it and extend the possibility of its application.
In the Specification of my said Patent No. 1,816 after describing and
illustrating the method of mounting the excentric sheave on squared surfaces on
the crank shaft, on which it can be moved by fluid pressure to and fro for forward
or backward motion of the engine, by providing it with small cylinders and
corresponding rams fixed on the shaft, I also describe and illustrate how the move-
ment of the excentric sheave is effected by passing in at one end of the shaft a
fluid at a pressure, and conducting it through the shaft to the ram or cylinder
nearest for placing it in position to give forward motion, or if for backward going.
passing the fluid in at the other end of the shaft or at some other convenient
position for giving movement to the excentric sheave in the reverse direction.
Now according to my present invention I cause the motive fluid to move the
excentric sheave over in only one direction the movement in the other direction
being effected by a spring or by springs and by preference I arrange that this
spring or these springs shall always act in the direction to pass over and retain the
excentric in the position for full forward gear.
Or in place of or in conjunction with the said spring or springs I provide a
reservoir or accumulator in or connected with the shaft and containing sufficient
fluid kept at such a pressure as to effect the movement of the excentric sheave
when the pressure of fluid acting in the opposite direction is withdrawn. Or
I effect the movement of the excentric sheave in one direction by the spring or
springs alone and I employ the other end of the shaft as a supplemental channel
to pass fluid to the excentric cylinders in case of accident to the usual machinery
for that purpose, providing the necessary valves or cocks for stopping the old
passages and opening the new.
Or instead of passing the motive fluid into either end of the shaft, I may pass
it as I have already shown in Figure 15 of the drawings of my Specification
No. 15816 or it may be passed in at any other convenient position.
I also employ the fluid under pressure as described in line 44 page 4 of the.
printed copy of my aforesaid Specification, to act as motive power for a governor
for controlling the speed of the engine and checking any tendency to "racing" by
varying the stroke of the excentric and therefore the throw of the valve.
To effect this I arrange that the pump or pumps employed to keep up the
pressure and which is or are driven directly by the main engines, and so partake
of any irregularities in speed incident to them, will maintain a continuous circuit
of fluid at. such a pressure as is due to the speed at which the engines are arranged
to work, and this effect may be accentuated by placing in the thoroughfare of the
fluid a controllable valve which will close or partially close the thoroughfare and
so accentuate the pressure.

page_text: Any increase of speed will immediately produce an increase of pressure due to
the inertia of the circuit of moving fluid, which increase of pressure I employ
to actuate the hunting lever of the starting gear and to throw all the excentrics
towards or into mid gear thus at once checking the speed of the engine. Or this
increased pressure may be employed to actuate a small valve to admit steam to a
cylinder for operating the hunting lever, and so more quickly effect the movement
of the excentrics.
To increase the sensitiveness of this action the passage through which the circuit
of fluid is passed may be a coil of pipe or other equivalent arrangement for
lengthening the circuit and so increase the momentum on which depends the rapid
operation of the system.
Or the pressure employed for altering the position of the excentric may be a
static pressure derived from the steam boiler, or from an. accumulator or other like
source, and its action on the excentric may be controlled by any of the ordinary
forms of governor employed to govern steam or other engines.
"Dated this 12th day of February 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Valve Operating Devices for Steam or other
Motive Power Engines.
I, DAVID JOY of 17 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster 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 present invention has reference to the invention for which Letters Patent
No. 15816 dated the 17th September 1891 were granted to me, and has for its
object so to modify and improve the arrangements and details claimed under
the said Patent, as to perfect the invention, and extend the possibility of its
application.
:
In the Specification of my said Patent No. 15816", after describing and
illustrating the method of mounting the eccentric sheave on squared surfaces on
the crank shaft, on which it can be moved by fluid pressure, to and fro, for
forward or backward motion of the engine, by providing it with small cylinders
and corresponding rams on the shaft, I also describe and illustrate how the
movement of the eccentric sheave is effected by passing in at one end of the shaft
a fluid under pressure and conducting it through the shaft to the ram, and
cylinder, nearest for placing the eccentric sheave in position to give forward
motion or, if for backward going, passing the fluid in at the other end of the shaft,
or at some other convenient position, for giving movement to the eccentric sheave
in the reverse direction. The eccentric sheave may however be moved over in
only one direction by pressure of the fluid the movement in the other direction
being effected by a spring, or by springs, I by preference arranging that this
spring, or these springs, shall act in the direction to pass over the eccentric to, and
retain it in the position for full forward gear. Or in place of, or in conjunction
with, the said spring or springs, I provide a reservoir or accumulator, in or
connected with the shaft and containing sufficient fluid kept at such a pressure as
to effect the movement of the eccentric sheave when the pressure of fluid acting in
the opposite direction is withdrawn.
Or instead of passing the motive fluid into either end of the shaft, I may pass it
as I have already shewn in Figure 15 of the drawings of my said Specification, or
it may be passed in at any other convenient position.

page_text: I also employ the fluid under pressure as described in my aforesaid Specification
to act as motive power for a governor for controlling the speed of the engine and
checking any tendency to "racing" by varying the stroke of the eccentric and
therefore the throw of the valve. To effect this I drive from the main engine, the
pump or pumps, employed to keep up the pressure of the operative fluid so that
the pump partakes or pumps partake of any irregularities in speed of the engine
and maintain a continuous circuit of fluid at such a pressure as is due to the speed
at which the engines are arranged to work and this effect may be accentuated by
placing in the thoroughfare of the fluid a controllable valve which will close or
partially close the thoroughfare and so accentuate the pressure. Any increase of
speed will immediately produce an increase of pressure on the fluid dne to the
inertia of the circuit of moving fluid which increase of pressure I employ either
directly to alter the stroke of the eccentric or to actuate the hunting lever of the
starting gear and to throw all the eccentrics towards or into mid-gear thus at once
checking the speed of the engine. Or this increased pressure may be employed to
actuate a small valve, to admit steam to a cylinder for operating the hunting lever
and so more quickly effect the movement of the eccentrics. Or the pressure
employed for altering the position of the eccentric sheave may be a static pressure
derived from the steam boiler or from an accumulator or other like source and its
action on the eccentric sheave may be controlled by any ordinary or suitable *
form of governor such as are, or may be, employed to govern steam or other
engines.
And in order that my invention may be well understood I will describe with
reference to the accompanying drawings the manner in which it may be
performed.
For all practical purposes I employ in carrying out this invention eccentrics
fitted with cylinders and rams as described in the Specification of my aforesaid
Patent 15816 of which it is not necessary here to repeat the illustrations except
as shewn in the general arrangement Figures 1 and 2, but, for simplifying the
same, I may use a spring or springs as shown at 2 in Figure 1 at one side in place
of the fluid pressure to obtain the movement of the eccentric sheave in one
direction.
Also it will suffice to refer to Figure 15 of the drawings of my said former
Specification 15816º¹ to shew how I may introduce the fluid pressure other than at
the ends of the shaft.
In Figure 7 is illustrated a reservoir, or accumulator, for supplying the power
for reversing from back to forward gear and acting as the counter pressure to that
in the ordinary reversing cylinder where a is one of the lengths of the ordinary
screw shafting of a marine engine, preferably that next to the main crank shaft.
This is bored to form a cylinder 6 and a piston c is fitted to slide within it. The
end 6 of the cylinder b next to the crank shaft communicates with the passage in
the crank shaft and is therefore filled with the actuating fluid from the said shaft
while the other end d of the said cylinder b may be fitted with a powerful spring
sufficient to give the required pressure on the fluid in the other part of the
cylinder at b, or, in place of the spring, the end of the cylinder at d may be filled
with an elastic fluid, such as air for instance which may be pumped into it to the
requisite pressure through the cock, or valve e, and thus the reversing power is
obtained.
In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown the method of controlling the speed of the
engine through the fluid pressure actuating the eccentric sheave and by the action
of the engine itself. The eccentric fis mounted on the crank shaft in the manner
described in the Specification of my aforesaid Patent and the fluid. pressure is
conducted to it by the pipe 9 but this pressure is supplied by a double acting
pump driven directly from the engine by a lever i or eccentric, or otherwise, this
pump is illustrated in detail in Figures 3. 4. 5 and 6 Figures 3 and 4 being vertical
sections at right angles to each other. Figure 5 a front elevation aud Figure 6 a
plan and it produces a practically continuous stream of fluid. Here is the

page_text: plunger of the double acting pump which may however be replaced by a three throw
pump for more perfectly steady action. It will be seen that the fluid is passed by
this pump in a fairly continuous stream round the circuit c c c c as shewn by the
-dotted arrows and through the space o' surrounding the conical valve o (which
I prefer to use to accentuate the effect as aforesaid) back into the suction of the
pump but at the top point, or position of highest pressure at 1, the fluid pressure
passes into the governing chamber m from which connection is led by the opening n
to the cylinder in the eccentric and gives motion to, or supports, the eccentric in
position. The pressure in this governing chamber m is adjusted and maintained by
the cone o which is supported in the conical passage o' by the rods as shewn and
is adjustable upwards and downwards, by the upper screwed rod and by the
spring o by which it is pressed upwards and by the yielding of which on the
increase of pressure in the chamber m the cone is further depressed and
the passage at o' reduced so that the pressure in the chamber m is further increased
and passing by n to the cylinder and ram in the eccentric, actuating the said
eccentric sheave and reducing the stroke of the eccentric, and so shortening the
cut off and thus controls the speed of the engine. On the reduction of the speed
the reverse action takes place and thus a given speed which is adjusted by the
hand wheels P and P¹ is maintained the said hand wheels regulating the position
of the valve o and the pressure of the spring.
Or in place of passing the increase of the fluid pressure direct to the cylinder of
the eccentric to effect the cut off I may pass this increase into a small cylinder
-actuating the hunting lever or valve lever of the steam reversing cylinder shewn in
'my former Specification, and so, through, that, effect the cut off.
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 1
-claim is :-
1. In valve operating devices of the kind hereinbefore referred to, a reservoir,
or accumulator, in, or in connection with, the shaft, or supply of actuating fluid
under pressure; the said reservoir, or accumulator, containing a fluid, or other
spring, so as to effect the movement of the eccentric sheave when the fluid, acting
in the opposite direction is withdrawn; substantially as herein before described.
2. In valve operating devices of the kind hereinbefore referred to the employ-
ment of the fluid under pressure, which actuates the eccentrics for reversal or cut
off, as a motive power for governing the speed of the engine; substantially as
thereinbefore described.
3. In valve operating devices of the kind hereinbefore referred to; the com-
bination with an eccentric, moveable by fluid pressure, and means for supplying
fluid under pressure thereto, of a pump, or pumps, driven from the main engine,
for maintaining a circuit of the said liquid so that the pressure of fluid varies with
the speed of the engine and the excentrics are operated in accordance therewith ;
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In valve operating devices of the kind hereinbefore referred to, the com-
bination with an excentric moveable by fluid pressure, and means for supplying
fluid under pressure thereto of a pump, or pumps, driven from the main engine for
maintaining a circuit of the said liquid, and a valve in the said circuit to vary the
passage for the fluid in the said circuit with the speed of the engine, so that the
pressure of fluid varies with the speed of the engine and the excentrics are operated
in accordance therewith; substantially as herein before described.