IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bracewell, William Pickup, and Benjamin
Lund, all of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,' Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 18th October 1867, and dated the 10th May 1867..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bracewell, William
Pickup, and Benjamin Lund at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th May 1867.
We, WILLIAM BRACEWELL; WILLIAM PICKUP, and BENJAMIN LUND, all of
Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM AND OTHER.
FLUIDS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in making the seating of the valve with two or
more faces. This seating is provided with a lid or cover with a corresponding
number of faces. The faces of both seating and cover will be so perforated as
to allow the cover to be in equilibrium or otherwise if preferred. We propose
to make valves on the above principle either round, square, oblong, on
polygonal, and to arrange them so as to have a separate valve for the
admission of steam and for the exhaust, or so that one valve will answer for
both admitting the steam and for exhausting.
Our improved valves may be applied to steam engines, steam hammers
steam traps, and as stop valves, safety valves, valves for indicating the level of
the water in steam boilers, and for other purposes.
I
* :**

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Bracewell, William Pickup, and Benjamin Lund
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BRACEWELL, WILLIAM PICKUP, and BENJAMIN LUND, all of Burnley, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineers, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her. heirs. and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Bracewell, William Pickup, and Benjamin Lund, Her special
license that we, the said William Bracewell, William Pickup, and Benjamin
Lund, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said-William-Bracewell,-William-Pickup-and-Benjamin-Lund,-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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVES FOR STEAM AND
CTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Bracewell, William Pickup, and Benjamin Lund, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or
their hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Bracewell, William Pickup,
and Benjamin Lund, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
-:
Our Invention consists in making the seating of the valve with two or more
faces. This seating is provided with a lid or cover with a corresponding
number of faces. The faces of both seating and cover will be so perforated as
to allow the cover to be in equilibrium or otherwise if preferred. We propose
to make valves on the above principle either round, square, oblong, or poly-
gonal, and to arrange them so as to have a separate valve for the admission of

page_text: steam and for the exhaust, or so that one valve will answer for both admitting
the steam and for exhausting.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon...
Figure 1 is a transverse section of one of our improved steam valves
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; Figure 3 is a plan of the lid
or cover of the valve; Figure 4 is a plan of the valve with the lid removed;
Figure 5 is a plan of the valve seating; Figures 6 and 7 are an end view and
side view of the valve; and Figure 8 is a section of the cylinder and side
pipes of a steam engine to which our improved valves are applied. In these
views a is the lower seating and a¹ is the upper seating; b is the lower part of
the lid or cover, and 6 the upper part of the same. The seating a, a, and
cover b,, are made with two faces at A, B, and to the lid or cover of
the valve is connected the valve spindle c, which is moved to and fro by a
tappet, eccentric, or otherwise, as in valves of the ordinary construction: The-
valve seating and the lid or cover are made with eight or other convenient
number of perforations or ports in both the faces. In steam valves the ports
in the lower faces are smaller than those in the upper faces, but in each set
they are of similar size and shape corresponding with each other. The
spaces a³ and a between the ports shewn in Figures 4 and 5 are recesses to
reduce the labor in facing up the working surfaces. The relative proportion
in the dimensions of the ports in the lower and upper: faces may be varied at
pleasure.according as it is required to make. the valve an equilibrium valve or
otherwise. The valve above described is used as the admission valve of a
steam engine, as shewn in Figure 8, the steam from the steam chest d entering
the ports of the valves, as indicated by the arrows in.Figure 1, and the exhaust
steam passes off through the ordinary grid valves e. When the exhaust steam
is compelled to be passed off at a considerable pressure the exhaust valve must
be similar to the admission valve above described, but in cases where the
steam is more perfectly expanded an ordinary grid valve is sufficient.
Figure 9 is a vertical section of a round valve constructed according to a
modification our Invention; Figure 10 is a plan of the top lid or cover of
the same; Figure 11 is a plan of the upper seating of the valve; Figure 12
is a plan of the lower seating; Figure 13 is an elevation of the valve; and
Figure 14 is a section of the side pipes of a steam engine, shewing the
mode of applying an improved round valve. In these views we have shewn
the valve with six ports in each face, but a greater or less number may
be made. The lid or cover is moved partly round by an eccentric or tappet in

page_text: any convenient manner. Similar letters of reference are marked upon corres-
ponding parts in the circular as in the valve shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
In Figure 14 it will be seen that the admission and the exhaust valves
are both of our improved construction; but the exhaust valve marked g is of
rather larger dimensions than the steam valve in order that the ports of the
exhaust-valve-may be equal in area to the ports in the cylinder.
The arrangement shown in Figure 14-represents- how our improved valves-
may be conveniently adapted to the steam chests for ordinary Cornish
valves. If it should be found desirable to admit the steam very gradually
at the beginning of the stroke the ports in the cover and seating can be so
shaped that instead of opening the whole length of the ports simultaneously
they may be made to open only at one point to answer the purpose of the
V shape in ordinary slide valves.
We wish to remark that our improved valves in addition to being used as
the admission and exhaust, valves of steam engines may be applied to steam
hammers and to other purposes, and they may be modified to act as stop.
valves, safety valves, valves for indicating the level of water in steam boilers,
and for other purposes.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, we declare that we claim the improved
slide valve, either circular or rectangular, with two or more faces, and
the arrangement of ports by means of which the valve may be made to act in
equilibrium or otherwise, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Bracewell; William Pickup,
and Benjámin Lund, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Fourth
day of November, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WM BRACKWELL (ra)
WM BRACEWELL (r)
WA. PICKUP.
(L.s.)
BN. LUND.
(L.S.)