Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 12th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 12th Aug., 1887.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the said William August Kyle.

page_text: Improvements in the Valve Gear of Steam and other Fluid Engines.
I WILLIAM AUGUST KYLE of the Arc Works Chelmsford in the County of Essex
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 invention relates to steam and other fluid engines in which a circular movement
is communicated to shafts by pistons and rods which have reciprocating motion; but
it is especially applicable to what are known as high speed engines.
In most engines as at present constructed eccentrics actuate flat or circular slide
valves. This arrangement is inconvenient for high speed engines, as it is necessary
in their case to make the moving parts light, and to avoid reciprocating momentum
and friction as much as possible.
According to my invention the slide valve is placed inside a hollow piston rod.
The valve does not partake of the motion of the piston nor is reciprocating end motion
communicated to it by an eccentric or a crank and rod. It is turned on its own
centre by suitable mechanism, and this motion, combined with the motion of the
piston rod admits the steam, and regulates the exhaust. This will be more clearly
understood by reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of an engine with the valve arranged
according to my invention. The shaft is driven by a connecting rod J and piston E,
which is rigidly connected to the hollow piston rod aa and cross head K. The engine
is shown with the piston at the end of its stroke. The cylinder R is exhausting
directly into the exhaust chamber S S. This exhaust chamber S is in the form of a
circular channel round the lower part of the cylinder.
The cylinder is here pierced with holes which are uncovered by the piston E at the
end of the stroke as shown. On the piston's rising, the communication between the
cylinder and exhaust chamber SS by means of the holes is closed. The exhaust
steam then flows through the holes G G and passes down the valve space and out by
the holes H H of which one is shown dotted, into the chamber W which is in commu-
nication with the exhaust S. When the piston has reached the top of the cylinder the
valve turns and closes the communication between the holes GG and HH thus
shutting off the exhaust. The steam communication is then opened through the
holes FF which have risen above the packing D and are in the steam chest X which
is connected to the steam pipe C the piston then descends and at the right position

page_text: for cutting off, the valve turns and closes the communication between the holes F
and G. The holes F also pass through the packing D so that the communication is
effectually closed. The valve is packed by piston packings at Q and V.
A section of the valve is shown-Figure 2 and the valve is here in the position in
which neither steam or exhaust ports are opened. For clearness the holes H and F
are shown as if they were on the same level; H is really below as in Figure 1. The
valve is actuated by the spindle P which passes out through a stuffing box on the top
of the steam chest and is connected by a crank O and rod N to the bell crank M
which is worked by the eccentric L mounted on the crank shaft connected by the
connecting rod t so that the valve receives reciprocating angular motion. It is not
necessary that the holes F F should descend through the packing D as the valve itself
may be enough to close them. The chamber U below the valve may be connected
with the steam chest X so as to have the same pressure of steam, thus taking off the
downward thrust there would otherwise be on the valve due to the area exposed to
the steam chest at the top; or it may be connected with the crank chamber instead.
The exhausting may be done entirely through the holes H H if preferred so that the
piston E does not come down over the holes that communicate with the exhaust. The
cut off may be altered in several ways. The governor may alter the stroke of
the valve by lifting one end of the connecting rod N so that the arm of the bell crank
acting on it is longer, or by lifting the other end to or from the spindle P so that the
crank O has more or less arm.
Figure 3 shows an alternative mechanism for actuating the valve. A cam is cut
to the right curve to give exactly the expansion required and a rod t with an anti-
friction roller runs on it, being kept on by a weight or springs.
Figure 4 shows another arrangement in which the weight or springs are unnecessary
because the groove in the face of the cam 2 can both pull the rod down and push it
up. The cam is attached to the main shaft of the engine.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement in which the cam is made in the piston rod itself,
the piston rod being itself carried through the top of the steam chest. A groove Y
is cut in it as shown dotted, a pin Z being fixed to the valve a¹ the valve is pulled one
way or the other by the springs B₁ and C₁ whose tension depends on the position of
the piston so that the pin Z relatively to the groove Y goes up one side and down the
other thus giving the valve a reciprocating angular motion.
Figure 6 shows an arrangement for working the valve by bevel gear thus giving a
rotary motion to the valve which for high speed engines is advantageous. The valve
rotates once for two strokes of the engine.
In some cases, especially where the load is likely to vary, I prefer to use a separate
steam valve, so that its cut off may be varied by a centrifugal or other governor.
Thus the governor may act by controlling the effective length of the arms of the cranks
in Figure 1 or by otherwise controlling the angular movement of the valve. If the
cutting off is partly effected by the packing ring D covering the descending holes the
angular motion may be arranged to regulate in conjunction with the vertical motion
of the piston.
I sometimes make the grooves in the valve of a helical or similar form, and to
regulate the cut off by raising or lowering the valve.
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 claim is :-
1. In a steam or other fluid engine, a valve or valves placed inside a hollow piston
rod and controlling the admission of steam and the exhaust more or less or partially
by rotation on its own axis substantially as set forth.
2. In a steam or other fluid engine, having a hollow piston rod containing the
steam valve or the steam and exhaust valves, a valve or valves not receiving recipro-
cating motion by intermediate gearing from the shaft.
3. In a steam or other fluid engine having a hollow piston rod containing the
steam valve, controlling the cut off by altering the angular movement of the valve by
means of a governor.

page_text: 4. In a steam or other fluid engine having a hollow piston rod containing the steam
valve, controlling the cut off by moving the valve axially by means of a governor.
5. In a steam or other fluid engine with a hollow piston rod containing the steam
valve, a valve having continuous rotation.
6. The arrangement construction and use of valve and valve gear substantially as
described and shown in respect of Figures 1 and 2.
7. The arrangement or construction and use of valve gearing substantially as
described and shown in Figure 5.
8. The arrangement or construction and use of valve gearing substantially as shown
and described in respect of Figure 6.
Dated 101.
TI
1007
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.