Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of the Valves of Steam Steering Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov.,
1899
PROVISIONAL DITITION
Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of the Valves of
Steam Steering Apparatus.
I, JOHN SILLARS BINNIE, of Belmont, Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement
of the valves employed in the manipulation and control of steam steering
apparatus.
The construction and arrangement of the valves is such that the final mover
can be set in motion to any desired extent, checked at intermediate points, and
held in such checked position, and also readily reversed.
In carrying out the invention I use a set of four circular valves two lower
disc valves arranged one beside the other and geared together by means of
external teeth and two upper valves arranged to work upon the aforesaid disc
valves and also geared together by means of external teeth.
The four valves are arranged in a suitable steam chest or valve casing carried
by the casings of the piston valves for actuating the pistons of the steam steering
gear engine; and the upper valves are pivottally held in place by means of studs
secured to the cover of the aforesaid steam chest or casing. The upper valves
which are of an inverted cup shape possess four or other number of lateral
projections or radial arms each one of which is cored out so as to form a passage
way communicating with the centre of the valve. The lower valves are made with
four or other number of ports or passage ways communicating with the steam
ports of the piston valves."
The arrangement is such that by turning each upper valve relatively with its
lower valve the projections on it can be made either to cover, or partially cover,
uncover, or partially uncover, the ports of the lower valve and when the ports
of the lower valve are covered steam can be exhausted from the piston valve
connected with it through the radial projections of the upper valve to the exhaust
port, whereas, when the ports of the lower valve are uncovered steam is supplied
from the steam chest to the piston valve. The two sets of valves work in
conjunction with one another and control the admission of steam to and the
exhaust from the piston valves.
The upper valves are operated by a spur pinion driven by means of suitable
connections from the bridge or other part of the ship whilst the lower valves
are operated by a spur pinion driven by means of suitable connections from the
chain drum of the steering gear.
1 17th day of Tono 1809
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction and Arrangement of the Valves of
Steam Steering Apparatus.
1, JOHN SILLARS BINNIE, of Belmont, Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire, 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:
-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement
of the valves employed in the manipulation and control of steam steering
apparatus.
The construction and arrangement of the valves is such that the final mover
can be set in motion to any desired extent, checked at intermediate points, and
held in such checked position and also readily reversed.
In order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon
Fig. 1 is a cross section of the improved controlling valve arrangement taken
on the line X-X of Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing the improved controlling valve
arrangement and taken on the line Y-Y Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a view of the valve casing with one set of valves removed and, the
cover partially broken off.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the valves.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the valves.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the valves.
Fig. 7 is a section on the line Z-Z Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 is a general view showing how the arrangement may be conveniently
adapted to steam steering engine.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the
same parts.
In carrying out the invention I use a set of four circular valves two lower
disc valves a, a¹, arranged one beside the other and geared together by means of
external teeth and two upper valves b, bl, arranged to work upon the aforesaid
disc valves a, a¹, and also geared together by means of external teeth. The
four valves, as clearly shown at Fig. 2, are arranged within the valve casing c
which is provided with a removable cover c. This casing, which may be carried
by the casings of the piston valves of the steam steering gear engines (as shown
at Fig. 8), has an exhaust passage d, lateral passages e, e¹, for supplying steam
to and exhausting it from the piston valves of the steam steering engine, and
a steam chest f with steam inlet connection f'.
The steam passages e, e', communicate with the annular steam ports g, g¹,
which are made in the floor of the casing below the valves.
The upper valves which are pivotally held in place by means of the studs h, h¹,
secured in the cover c¹, are each of an inverted cup shape and are made, prefer-
ably, with four lateral projections or radial arms i each one of which is cored out
so as to form a passage way j communicating with the central space of the valve
and the central port leading to the exhaust d. Between each radial arm i
a depression is made with an open passage k at the bottom thereof communicating
with the steam chest f. Each upper valve has therefore eight passages or ports
four in the radial arms and four k between said arms. Each lower valve (see
also Fig. 4) has a central passage d' communicating, on the one hand, with the
passage of the corresponding upper valve and, on the other hand, with the

page_text: exhaust passage d, and also four ports or passages which communicate with the
ports g, g, leading to the piston valves and are also capable of communicating
with the ports and j. Each lower valve is provided, on its upper face, with a
raised ring m (cut away at m' see Fig. 4) which works within a corresponding
groove made on the under face of the corresponding upper valve and, on its
lower face, with a downwardly projecting ring a² which fits movably into a
corresponding recess made in the Hoor of the valve casing round the entrance to
the exhaust passage d. Each upper valve has a similar ring 63 which fits mov-
ably into a corresponding recess made in the upper face of the
corresponding lower valve and round its ports d'. Each pair of valves
can turn freely on one another to an extent sufficient to give full steam or full
exhaust being checked by means of a stud n in each upper valve which is
capable of catching against the sides, constituting the ends of the ring m, of the
recessed or cut out part m¹ of said ring.
P is a spindle which is suitably connected with the hand steering wheel on
the bridge of the ship. It is provided with a pinion q whose teeth mesh with
the teeth of the valve b¹.
r is a spindle connected with some suitable part of the steering gear, such as
the axle of the chain drum (see Fig. 8). This spindle is provided with a pinion s
whose teeth mesh with the teeth of the valve a.
It will be seen that the movements of the pinion 7 affect the valves and b
whilst the movements of the pinions affect the valves a, a'.
u, u, are stuffing boxes.
When steering the ship each upper valve is, by manipulating the spindle p
from the bridge, turned relatively with its lower valve so that the radial pro-
jections can be made either to cover, or partially cover, uncover, or partially
uncover, the ports of the lower valve and when the ports are covered steam
can be exhausted from the piston valves of the steering engine through the
ports g, j, to the exhaust d', d; whereas, when the ports of the lower valve
are uncovered steam is supplied from the steam chest f through the ports k, l,
to the piston valves.
When the spindle 2 is turned so as to cause the valve b¹ to supply steam
through the port gl to, say, the middle of the piston valves of the steering engine
then the valve b6 is caused to move in an opposite direction so as to open the
port g, to the exhaust and thereby exhaust steam from the ends of the piston valves.
The steering engine now moves in one direction and the movement of the chain
drum turns the pinion s so as to cause the valves a, a', to follow the upper
valves in their movements. When the pinion 9 is stopped (by holding the
steering wheel) then the continued movement of the pinions (due to the
continued movement of the steering engine) causes the valves a, a, to overtake
the upper valves b, b', to such an extent as to shut off the steam supply and
exhaust from the steering engine which stops as a consequence.
If the spindle p
is now turned in an opposite direction the port g¹ will be thrown open to the
exhaust thereby exhausting steam from the centre of the piston valves whilst
the port will be supplied with steam from the steam chest thereby supplying
steam to the ends of the piston valves of the steering engine and causing it to
reverse its action. In every case when the steering wheel is held fast the move-
ment of the steering engine causes the valves b, b¹, to overtake the upper
valves a, a, and cut off the steam and exhaust.
The intermediate solid metal between the ports j and of each upper valve
is made sufficiently broad to be able to cover, with a certain amount of overlap,
the ports of each lower valve so that when the ports of the lower valves are
covered by said solid metal they will be closed steam tight.
The two sets of valves working in conjunction with one another control, in a
most effective manner, the admission of steam to and the exhaust from the
piston valves of the stering engine.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. For the purpose of controlling the steam supply to and exhaust from steam
steering engines the use of two pair of disc valves constructed, arranged, and
operating, substantially as herein before described.
2. In combination à valve casing with steam supply and exhaust passages,
annular ports g, g', made in the casing, two lower disc valves a, a, arranged
to work within the casing and two upper disc valves b, b, arranged to work
upon the lower valves, substantially as herein before described with reference to
the drawings annexed.
Dated this 17th day of October 1899.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.