IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES AND VALVE GEAR TO PISTON VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles John Galloway and John Henry Beck-
with, both of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES AND VALVE GEAR TO
PISTON VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 14th September 1869, and dated the 5th May 1869. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles John Galloway
and John Henry Beckwith at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th May 1869.
We, CHARLES JOHN GALLOWAY and JOHN HENRY BECKWITH, both
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES AND
VALVE GEAR TO PISTON VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference, firstly, to an arrangement for working
piston slide valves of steam engines, for which Letters Patent were
granted to C. J. Galloway and C. H. Holt, dated 14 July 1868,
No. 2221, wherein the piston valves were formed with horns and spaces
for effecting the cut-off of the steam, and received a reciprocating
motion from excentrics on the engine shaft, while a variable rotary
motion for effecting the cut-off was imparted thereto by a star wheel
motion actuated jointly by the engine shaft and by the governor.

page_text: .
One of our present improvements has for its object to reduce or
prevent the drag on the governor produced by the resistance offered
by the star wheel spindle against receiving the required rotary motion
from the spindle driven by the engine shaft through the intervention
of the bevil wheel carried by the moveable arm to which the governor
was connected; for this purpose we connect the said arm by means
of a rod to a piston fitting accurately into a cylinder containing oil
or other fluid, which piston has one or more apertures formed through
it, through which when the piston is moved backwards or forwards
by the motion of the said arm the fluid will be caused to pass from
the one side of the piston to the other; by this means the piston in
whatever position it may be will offer considerable resistance to any
motion being imparted to it unless such motion is of a very slow
nature, such as it receives from-the governor.
Another improvement has for its object both to prevent any drag
-upon the governor and to simplify the mechanism; for these purposes
we dispense with the three mitre or bevil wheels of the former
arrangement, and we place upon the shaft driven by the engine a
bush or sleeve capable of sliding to and fro upon the same, but made
to rotate with it. Upon this bush fits a second bush or sleeve
attached to the crank or disc carrying the stud or pin actuating
the star wheel. Upon the outer surface of the inner bush is formed
a helical groove, or one or more helical surfaces, into or upon which
fits or fit one or more studs or helical surfaces formed on the inner
surface of the outer bush, so that as the inner bush is caused by the
governor to slide longitudinally upon a straight or helical feather or
surface on the driving shaft (or a stud on the former may slide in
a straight or helical groove in the latter) it causes the outer bush
with the crank or dise to revolve more or less in one direction or the
other upon the driving shaft, thus causing it to actuate the star wheel
earlier or later, as may be required. The governor being connected
by a forked lever to the inner bush, so as to impart the longitudinal
motion thereto, it will be seen that no drag can be put upon the
governor by the star wheel mechanism. In place of moving the
sliding bush by the governor it may also be actuated by hand.
Another improvement has for its object to cause a more positive
motion to be imparted to the star wheel, so as to make it more certain
in its action, and consists, firstly, in forming the star wheel with a

page_text: series of grooves between which the pin or stud of the crank or plate
fits with accuracy, thus preventing any play of the star wheel upon
the stud when this is in gear with it; furthermore, we fix to the
crank or disc, or upon the same shaft with it, a space disc in contact
with a plate connected to or on the same shaft as the star wheel, the
circumference of which plate is formed with a number of concave
surfaces (corresponding with the number of grooves in the star wheel),
which are in contact with the cylindrical surface of the space disc
when the stud on the crank or dise is out of gear with the star wheel,
and thus prevent any motion of the latter unless driven by the stud,
the space on the space wheel being made to correspond in position with
such stud to allow of such motion. In place of only one stud on the
disc or crank two opposite studs may be employed, in which case also
two opposite spaces are formed on the space disc.
Another part of our Invention has for its object an improved arrange-
ment for relieving the backs of slide valves from the pressure of
steam. For this purpose we fit against the back of the slide valve
in a steam-tight manner the open end of a cylinder or box which
passes through an aperture in the valve box cover, where it is sur-
rounded by a stuffing box to render it steam tight. The outer end
of the cylinder is either entirely closed and provided with a small
cock, or the interior thereof is made to communicate with the
atmosphere or with the condenser. The inner end resting upon the
back of the slide valve is formed with a projecting flange of such
dimensions that the steam in pressing thereon shall produce the
requisite steam-tight contact between the surfaces of the cylinder and
slide valve. By this means as the slide valve travels to and fro
against the open end of the cylinder the surface of the former enclosed
by the latter will be relieved from the pressure of the steam.
30 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles John Galloway and John Henry Beckwith
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
JOHN GALLOWAY and JOHN HENRY BECKWITH, both of Manchester,
35 in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Charles John Galloway and John Henry
Beckwith, Her special licence that we, the said Charles John Galloway
and John Henry Beckwith, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Charles John Galloway and John Henry
Beckwith, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SLIDE VALVES AND VALVE GEAR TO PISTON VALVES FOR STEAM
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Charles
John Galloway and John Henry Beckwith, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and scals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles John Galloway and John
Henry Beckwith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say: -
Our Invention has reference, firstly, to an arrangement for working
piston slide valves of steam engines, for which Letters Patent were
granted to C. J. Galloway and C. H. Holt, dated 14 July 1868, No 2221,
wherein the piston valves were formed with horns and spaces for
effecting the cut-off of the steam, and received a reciprocating motion
from 'excentrics on the engine shaft, while a variable rotary motion for
effecting the cut-off was imparted thereto by a star wheel motion
actuated jointly by the engine shaft and by the governor.
One of our present improvements has for its object to reduce or
prevent the drag on the governor produced by the resistance offered by

page_text: the star wheel spindle against receiving the required rotary motion from
the spindle driven by the engine shaft, through the intervention of the
bevil wheel carried by the moveable arm to which the governor was
connected; for this purpose we connect the said arm by means of a rod
to a piston fitting, accurately into a cylinder containing oil or other fluid,
which piston has one or more apertures formed through it through
which when the piston is moved backwards or forwards by the motion
of the said arm the fluid will be caused to pass from the one side of the
piston to the other; by this means the piston in whatever position it
may be will offer considerable resistance to any motion being imparted
to it unless such motion is of a very slow nature such as it receives from
the governor..
'
Another improvement has for its object both to prevent any drag
upon the governor and to simplify the mechanism; for these purposes
we dispense with the three mitre or bevil wheels of the former
arrangement, and we place upon the shaft driven by the engine a bush
or sleeve capable of sliding to and fro upon the same, but made to rotate
with it. Upon this bush fits a second bush or sleeve attached to the.
crank or disc carrying the stud or pin actuating the star wheel. Upon
the outer surface of the inner bush is formed helical groove, or one or
more helical surfaces, into or upon which fits or fit one or more studs or
helical surfaces formed on the inner surface of the outer bush, so that as
the inner bush is caused by the governor to slide longitudinally upon a
straight or helical feather or surface on the driving shaft (or a stud on
the former may slide in a straight or helical groove in the latter) it
causes the outer bush with the crank or disc to revolve more or less in
one direction or the other upon the driving shaft, thus causing it to
actuate the star wheel earlier or later as may be required. The governor
being connected by a forked lever to the inner bush so as to impart the
longitudinal motion thereto it will be seen that no drag can be put
upon the governor by the star wheel mechanism. In place of moving
the sliding bush by the governor it may also be actuated by hand.
Another improvement has for its object to cause a more positive
motion to be imparted to the star wheel, so as to make it more certain in
its action, and consists, firstly, in forming the star wheel with a series of
grooves between which the pin or stud of the crank or plate fits with
accuracy, thus preventing any play of the star wheel upon the stud
when this is in gear with it; furthermore, we fix to the crank or disc, or

page_text: upon the same shaft with it, a space disc in contact with a plate
connected to or on the same shaft as the star wheel, the circumference
of which plate is formed with a number of concave surfaces
(corresponding with the number of grooves in the star wheel), which are
in contact with the cylindrical surface of the space disc when the stud on
the crank or disc is out of gear with the star wheel, and thus prevent any
motion of the latter unless driven by the stud, the space on the space
wheel being made to correspond in position with such stud to allow of
such motion. In place of only one stud on the disc or crank two
opposite studs may be employed, in which case also two opposite spaces
are formed on the space
disc.
Another part of our Invention has for its object an improved
arrangement for relieving the backs of slide valves from the pressure of
steam. For this purpose we fit against the back of the slide valve in a
steam-tight manner the open end of a cylinder or box which passes
through an aperture in the valve box cover, where it is surrounded by a
stuffing box to render it steam-tight. The outer end of the cylinder is
either entirely closed and provided with a small cock, or the interior
thereof is made to communicate with the atmosphere or with the
condenser. The inner end resting upon the back of the slide valve is
formed with a projecting flange of such dimensions that the steam in
pressing thereon shall produce the requisite steam-tight contact between
the surfaces of the cylinder and slide valve. By this means as the slide
valve travels to and fro against the open end of the cylinder the surface
of the former enclosed by the latter will be relieved from the pressure of
the steam.
Having thus set forth the nature of our Invention we will now
proceed more particularly to describe the manner of performing the
same, for which purpose we shall refer to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
Figure 1 shews a plan, and Figure 2 shews a sectional elevation of one
arrangement of our improved mechanism for actuating piston slide
valves. The valve rod A, sliding through the bush of the spur wheel B,
and connected to the slide C actuated by the excentric on the engine
shaft, is arranged in the same manner as described in the before-
mentioned Patent, as is also the three-bevil wheel mechanism D, E, F, of
which E is actuated by the engine shaft through the shaft E', while D is
raised or lowered by means of the rod G from the governor, and these

page_text: parts need therefore not be further described. The rod G of the governor
by means of which the wheel D is raised or lowered for obtaining the
variable rotary motion of the shaft H is however connected by means of
the link I to a piston J working accurately in the cylinder K, containing
oil or other fluid. This piston has one or more small apertures through
which in order to allow of the piston being raised or lowered the fluid
has to pass from one side of the same to the other, so that as the piston
is thus caused to offer considerable resistance to any but a very slow
motion in whatever position it may be in the cylinder it will counteract
the tendency of the wheel D to move round the wheel E (owing to the
resistance of this wheel to receive motion from the wheel E through D,
and it will thus prevent the mechanism from exercising a drag upon the
governor rod G such as occurs without this arrangement. The shaft H
imparts the requisite rotary motion to the valve rod A by means of the
improved star wheel mechanism L, M, N, O, of which Figure 3 shews
an end elevation and Figure 4 enlarged details. Upon the shaft H is
fixed a disc N carrying a stud or small truck N', which as it revolves
with the shaft passes into one of the slots O' of the slotted star wheel O
on the counter shaft P, and thus turns this through a certain portion of
a revolution. The shaft H carries furthermore a space disc L (con-
veniently formed in one casting with the disc N as shewn), the space on
which corresponds in position with the stud N', in contact with which
dise is the plate M having a series of concave surfaces which correspond
with the number of slots in the star wheel, and which fit consecutively
against the circumference of the space disc during the rotation thereof,
thus holding the star wheel stationary until the stud N' enters one of the
grooves O', when the plate M in entering the space on the disc L will
permit of the rotation of the star wheel. By this arrangement a very
precise intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the valve rod A through
the pinion Q on the shaft P in gear with the wheel B, through the boss
of which the valve rod slides.
Figures 5 and 6 shew respectively a general plan and an enlarged
sectional plan of our improved mechanism for imparting the requisite
motion to the star wheel mechanism without the three-bevil wheel con-
trivance. Upon the shaft E' receiving rotary motion from the engine
shaft R are formed helical surfaces E, upon which slides a bush or
sleeve S provided with a collar S', by which it is moved to and fro by a
ever actuated by the governor. In being slid to and fro upon the helical
surfaces E2, this bush is consequently made to turn in one direction or

page_text: the other upon the shaft E', which rotary motion relative to E' it imparts
to the parts L, N, of the before-described star wheel mechanism in an
increased degree by being formed with helical outer surfaces sliding
through the bush L' of L, N, which turns loose upon the shaft E¹, but
is held in a longitudinal direction by a collar E³ thereon. Should a less
amount of relative motion of L, N, upon E¹ be sufficient, either the
part E of the shaft. E' may be formed with a straight feather or surface
on which S would then slide without relative rotary motion, or S may be
formed to slide with a straight external feather or surface in the bush L',
so as to produce no relative rotary motion between these two parts.
By the above described arrangement it will be seen that no drag
whatever can be put upon the governor by the resistance of the star
wheel mechanism. The sliding bush S may as before stated also. be
moved hand instead of by the governor. The star wheel mechanism is
arranged in precisely the same manner as described with reference to
Figures 1 to 4, and the several parts are designated by the same letters
of reference, T are the piston valves arranged as described in the
before-mentioned Patent.
Figures 7 and 8 shew respectively a cross section and a longitudinal
section of an ordinary slide valve and box with our before-described
improved mode of relieving the back of the valve from pressure applied
thereto. The back face of the valve U to the steam cylinder X is for
this purpose extended beyond the ends of the valve at U', U', as shewn,
and upon such back fits in a steam-tight manner the open end of the
cylinder or box V, passing through an opening provided with a stuffing
box W in the slide valve box cover W¹. The outer end of the cylinder
or box V may either be closed, as shewn, or it may be open to the
atmosphere, or it may be placed in communication with the condenser
by means of a pipe. The open end of the cylinder V is formed with an
external flange V₁ of such dimensions that the pressure of the steam
thereon shall effect the requisite steam-tight joint between the cylinder V
and the slide valve U while this slides beneath it. By this arrangement
it will be seen that that portion of the surface of the back of the valve
which for the time being is enclosed within the cylinder V is entirely
relieved of the pressure of the steam.
Having thus described the nature of the several parts of our Invention
and in what manner they are to be performed, we wish it to be under

page_text: stood that what we claim under the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
First. Connecting the three-bevil wheel contrivance actuating the
star wheel mechanism for piston valves to a piston working in a cylinder
containing oil or other fluid; substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Second. Actuating the star wheel mechanism of piston valves by
means of a sliding bush mechanism arranged and operating substantially
as herein-before described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Third. Arranging the star wheel mechanism substantially as described
with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the Drawings, for the purpose of
imparting a more precise motion to the valve rod.
Fourth. Relieving slide valves from the pressure of steam by the
application to the backs thereof of a cylinder or box passing through
the valve box cover and arranged substantially as described with reference
to Figures 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles John Galloway and John
Henry Beckwith, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Second day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
CHARLES JOHN GALLOWAY. (L.S.)
JOHN HENRY BECKWITH.
(L.S.)