IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE REVERSING VALVES
Year: 1884

page_text: SPECIFICATION.
We, THOMAS HENRY OWEN, of Bute Docks, Cardiff, Engineer, and SAMUEL
WESLEY ALLEN, of Bute Docks, Cardiff, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINE REVERSING VALVES,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steam engine reversing valves,
and consists in replacing the ordinary slide valve by a slide or piston valve of a
peculiar construction, and communicating with another regulating valve by two
steam pipes one of which acts as an exhaust when the engine is running in one
direction, but as a steam admission pipe when the engine is running in the opposite
direction.
The regulating valve is operated by a hand lover, the intermediate position of
which stops the admission of steam, but on either side of the said intermediate
point, the engine is caused to run in the desired direction by admitting steam to
one or other part of the slide or piston valve of the peculiar construction here-
after referred to.
In order that our Invention may be better understood, and readily carried into
effect, we will describe the same with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a part sectional plan of a steam cylinder A with its ports a, a¹, and
provided with a slide valve B having a flat face and a ring at the back with
circular spiral spring as in plan at Fig. 1a, for keeping the said ring to its face, so
as to effect equilibrium when the steam and exhaust are reversed.
6.b are the steam or exhaust pipes communicating with the aforesaid valve
chamber, and the supply to one or other of these pipes is determined by the
reversing valve C, Fig. 2, and regulated by the hand lever D. In the vertical
position of the lever D. the ports will be closed, but any departure from this
position starts the engine in the desired direction.
The slide valve B is of such construction as to allow of the admission of steam
to the central portion, or to the outside thereof in the chamber, as will be clearly
seen in the annexed Drawings.
It is obvious that other forms of valves may be used, such as a piston valve for
example, and an application of such embodying the essential features of the above
s shewn in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
Fig. 3 shews in horizontal section the cylinder of an ordinary steam winch with
be valve gear attached, showing the relative positions of the steam ports. B is

page_text: the piston-valve, working in the bush, C, in which the ports are arranged. D¹, D²
are the passages for supply or exhaust respectively, according to the direction of
rotation. Fig. 4 is a plan of the arms of the dome-shaped end of the piston valve.
Fig. 5. is a sectional elevation taken at the line c, d, on Fig. 3.shewing the action of
the ordinary slide valve E, by the movement of which the engine may be made to
go ahead or astern, or regulated as to speed, or, when desired, by being kept in
the centre will bring the engine to a stand.
Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken at the line a, b, on Fig. 3.
Having thus described our Invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, we declare that what we claim is
First. The valve B in combination and operating in conjunction with a
regulating valve C, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein set forth and illustrated with reference to Figs. 1, la, and 2.
Second. The arrangement of the steam and exhaust ports with the slide valve E
in combination with the hollow piston valve B, substantially as described
and illustrated with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying
Drawing