IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM TRAPS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Chaloner, John Chaloner, and Thomas Chaloner,
all of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM TRAPS."
Sealed the 18th July 1876, and dated the 13th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Chaloner, John
Chaloner, and Thomas Chaloner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 13th March 1876.
WILLIAM CHALONER, JOHN CHALONER, and THOMAS CHALONER, all of Preston, in
the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM TRAPS."
This Invention relates to steam traps in which floating balls and levers aro
employed to open and close valves for passing off condense water or other surplus
water, and consists in an improved construction and arrangement of the ball or
other floating vessel and valve apparatus, whereby the valves may be automatically
opened and closed with greater certainty than heretoforo.
In the ordinary construction of the device known as a "ball tap," & hollow ball
or vessel is affixed to the end of a lever, and arranged to operate in such a manner
as that its floating power or buoyancy is utilized for the purpose of actuating the
valve or tap; but in our improved steam trap we use a hollow ball or vessel of
sufficient buoyancy only to enable it to float, and we so apply this hollow ball or
vessel in combination with a lever and weights as to utilize its actual gravity,
instead of its floating power, for the purpose of closing the valve.
One construction of valve apparatus that we employ in conjunction with the
above described arrangement of hollow ball, lever, and weights constitutes an equi-
librium valve, and consists of a box or chamber of metal having apertures at the top
and bottom, through which passes the valve spindle, having fastened upon it two
conical or disc valves, the one being inside and the other outside the metal chamber,
so that they will open and close, the one with and the other against the pressure,
and so arranged that the valve which is upon the outside shall be at the bottom side
of the chamber. On one side of the box is an opening for the escape of water
passing through the valve. The upper end of the valve spindle is connected to the
extremity of the ball lever by a pin and slot, and between the ball and the valve,
but near to the latter, a stand or fulcrum is fixed in which the lever works. We
place a weight or weights on the top of the valve spindle, or hang it or them at the

page_text: lower end, for the purpose of opening the valve by pressing it downwards; hence
during this operation the ball has only its own weight to support on the surface of
the water.
It will be seen that as the floating ball or vessel is raised and lowered on the
surface of the water, the valve will respectively open and close, thus acting in the
opposite way to ball taps as ordinarily constructed.
By this arrangement of floating ball or vessel and weights it will be evident that
a ball of less outward dimensions and of greater durability than the thin metal balls
in general use may be employed; and moreover a more powerful force in less com-
pass is brought to bear for closing the valve of steam traps than in any other
arrangement known to us.
We have described only one class of valve apparatus in connection with our
improved method of applying the floating ball and lever in steam traps, but other
valve arrangements or taps may have balls and levers combined therewith, so as to
operate according to our Invention; and by our Invention valves or taps may be
operated of such a character as could not well be worked by taking advantage of
the buoyancy of any ordinary floating ball; for instance, apparatus made with
sliding or surface valves, the friction upon whose rubbing surfaces when working
under steam pressure would be so great as to require a ball of impracticable dimen-
sions to actuate them, whereas by our Invention the weight of the ball and its
relative buoyancy for closing and the weights for opening could be depended upon
to work any ordinary valve of the construction referred to.
Weights may be applied for relieving the ball when opening the valves in appa-
ratus of various other constructions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Chaloner, John Chaloner, and Thomas Chaloner in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th September 1876.
WILLIAM CHALONER, JOHN CHALONER, and THOMAS CHALONER, all of Preston, in
the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM TRAPS."
This Invention relates to steam traps in which floating balls and levers are
employed to open and close valves for passing off condense water or other surplus
water, and consists in an improved construction and arrangement of the ball or
other floating vessel and valve apparatus, whereby the valves may be automatically
opened and closed with greater certainty than heretofore.
In the ordinary construction of the device known as a "ball tap," a hollow ball
or vessel is affixed to the end of a lever, and arranged to operate in such a manner
as that its floating power or buoyancy is utilized for the purpose of actuating the
valve or tap; but in our improved steam trap we use a hollow ball or vessel of
sufficient buoyancy only to enable it to float, and we so apply this hollow ball or
vessel in combination with a lever and weights as to utilize its actual gravity
instead of its floating power, for the purpose of closing the valve.
Fig. 1 is a Drawing in section of a steam trap, of which A is a metal box or shell
having openings a and a¹ for the ingress and egress respectively of the condense
water. It is shewn fitted with one construction of valve apparatus (of which Fig. 2
is a plan) that we employ in conjunction with the above described arrangement of
hollow ball and lever and weight, and constitutes an equilibrium valve. It consists
of a box or chamber of metal b, having apertures c and c³ at the top and bottom
through which passes the valve spindle d, having fastened upon it two conical or
disc valves c, e, the one e being inside and the other c¹ outside the metal chamber,
so that they will open and close, the one with and the other against the pressure,
and so arranged that the valve e¹ which is upon the outside shall be at the bottom
side of the chamber. On one side of the box is an opening f for the escape of water

page_text: passing through the valve. The upper end of the valve spindle is connected to tho
extremity of the ball lever g by a pin and slot (or other convenient construction,
such as shewn at 1 in the various Figures of the valves), and between the ball and
the valve, but near to the latter, a stand or fulcrum i is fixed, in which the lever g
works. We place a weight or weights k, k, k, on the top of the valve spindle, or
hang it or them at the lower end for the purpose of opening the valve by pressing
it downwards; hence during this operation the ball has only its own weight to
support on the surface of the water m.
It will be seen that as the floating ball or vessel is raised and lowered on tho
surface of the water, the valve will respectively open and close, thus acting in the
opposite way to ball taps as ordinarily constructed for steam traps, that is to say,
in the ordinary construction of steam trap valves the floating ball when raised on
the water's surface is caused to lift the valve, and this against the pressure, whereas
by our arrangement the rising of the ball depresses the valve with the pressure in
order to open it.
By the arrangement described of floating ball or vessel and weights it will bo
evident that a ball of less outward dimensions and of greater durability than the
thin metal balls in general use may be employed; and moreover a more powerful
force in less compass is brought to bear for closing the valves of steam traps than in
any other arrangement known to us.
Moreover it will be seen that when working under pressure our improved arrange-
ment may be so modified as to constitute a safety valve, the point at which it is
desired that the pressure should overcome the weight of the floating ball being
determined by the number of the weights k, k, k, and in some cases in the appli-
cation of our heavy ball arrangement to high-pressure work (as shewn in Fig. 7),
the weights h, k, k, may be dispensed with altogether, to compensate for which wo
dispense with one of the discs or conical valves, and that the lower one c', which in
the former case works against the pressure, employing only one valve e, which still
opens with the pressure, receiving from the latter upon the upper surface of the disc
a load determinable by its area, and which may be regulated relatively to the
opposing force of the ball by so increasing and decreasing the said area as to answer
the same purpose as the weights already described.
We have described only one class of valve apparatus in connection with our
improved method of applying the floating ball and lever in steam traps, but other
valve arrangements or taps may have balls and levers combined therewith, so as to
operate according to our Invention; and by our Invention valves and taps may
be operated of such a character as could not well be worked by taking advantage of
the buoyancy of any ordinary floating ball; for instance, apparatus made with
sliding or surface valves, the friction upon whose rubbing surfaces when working
under steam pressure would be so great as to require a ball of impracticable dimen-
sions to actuate them, whereas by our Invention the weight of the ball and its
relative buoyancy for closing and the weights for opening could be depended upon
to work any ordinary valve of the construction referred to.
Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively end and side views of a valve apparatus having a
sliding or surface valve, Fig. 3 shewing the valve when open for the escape of water,
&c., and Fig. 4 when the same is closed.
Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively side and top views of another valve apparatus with
a circular valve a working to and fro in a rotary sense upon the axis b on the surface
plate c of the box d. The circular valve is shewn closed. When open the spaces
e, e, e, e, will come opposite corresponding spaces or openings in the surface plate c.
The lever is attached to the axis b, and upon the opposite end to the ball weights
h, k, k, may be hung, as shewn.
Weights may be applied for relieving the ball when opening the valves in appa-
ratus of various other constructions.
In Figs. 1 and 2 an attachment B is shewn by which the ball lever g may be
lifted and the valve opened wide, so that the steam or water may be at any time
blown through" for the purpose of clearing the valves of any dirt or sediment that
28

page_text: it may be found necessary to remove, and by this arrangement the valve may bo
opened, as described, without taking the box to pieces to get at the interior parts,
as is usually requisite.
с
a is a wire passing through a suitable stuffing box 6 in the steam trap lid A';
this wire has a handle or knob e at its upper end, and a hook or bend at the lower
end d, which on being turned round by means of the knob c in the direction indi-
cated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 will come under the ball lever g, which may there-
upon be lifted up by the rod a so as to open the valve, and if the valve is to remain
open the box is raised until the projection e on the knob c can be turned still
further round, so as to rest upon the upper portion of the stand x.
In all arrangements of ball taps known to us the valves are so arranged as to
open against the pressure, thereby rendering it necessary to employ a hall of great
buoyancy, and consequently of very thin metal and of large outward dimensions,
and being of thin metal necessarily not of durable construction. Now by our
Invention we reverse the arrangement of valves by so taking off the pressure from
the valves, or compensating therefor by weights, that we are enabled, as herein-
before described, to employ a ball of only sufficient buoyancy to enable it to float
its own weight, at the same time that its increased weight as compared with others
in use renders the closing of the valve certain and secure, whereas a thin metal ball
could not be practically employed to close a valve against the pressure.
And having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of
performing it, we hereby declare that we lay no claim to any of the mechanical
parts herein-before shewn and described when taken separately and apart from the
combination or application thereof in manner and for the purposes herein described,
but what we consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as secured to us
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The method, substantially as herein described, of operating the valve or valves
in a steam trap by causing such valve or valves to open by the combined influence
of water pressure against a floating ball or buoyant vessel, and of a weight or weights
tending to force the valve or valves open, the closing of the valves being effected by
the weight of the ball or buoyant vessel as the water level descends.
We also claim the arrangements of apparatus for that purpose as shown in and
described with reference respectively to Figs. 1 and 2, to Figs. 3 and 4, to Figs. 5
and 6, and to Fig. 7 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, wc, the said William Chaloner, John Chaloner, and Thomas
Chaloner, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
WILLIAM CHALONER. (L.S.)
JOHN CHALONER.
(LS.)
THOMAS CHALONER. (L.S.)