AN IMPROVED FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR CON- TROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER FOR DOMESTIC AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR CON-
TROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER FOR DOMESTIC AND SIMILAR PURPOSES."
A communication from abroad by Charles Casimir Barton, of Rochester, Manu-
facturer, and Jonathan Burns West, of Geneseo, Machinist, both in the State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th July 1879, and dated the 16th January 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th January 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR,
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER FOR DOMESTIC
AND SIMILAR PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by Charles Casimir
Barton, of Rochester, Manufacturer, and Jonathan Burns West, of Geneseo, Machinist,
both in the State of New York, United States of America.]
The said Invention relates to a simple and cheap but very efficient apparatus for
regulating the pressure of liquids in pipes and their connections, and is chiefly
designed to obviate the inconveniences arising from high pressure in water pipes in
houses and other buildings in towns and cities; and the said Invention will greatly
facilitate the universal adoption of the system of supplying water direct from the
mains of water-companies, that is to say, without the intervention of tanks or
cisterns and their adjuncts, which by their liability to disarrangement are a con-
tinual source of trouble and expense to householders.
The said apparatus is constructed in the form of a box or case with a chamber
and inlet and outlet apertures to be connected with the pipes.
In the said chamber is a valvo which intercepts the fluid in its passage between
the inlet and outlet apertures of the said apparatus, so that the fluid which enters
the said chamber cannot escape or pass through the same without raising or moving
the said valve.
This valve has two surfaces, that is to say, one surface is presented to the
inflowing water, and rests on a seat at the bottom or inner side of the said chamber.
The other surface of the said valve, and which is of larger area than the first named

page_text: surface, is presented to the interior of a space which is separated from the said
chamber by a flexible diaphragm, but has communication with the said chamber by
a passage extending from the upper or outlet side of the same.
The result of this arrangement is that the liquid entering the said chamber by
the inlet aperture raises or forces back the valve, thereby permitting the fluid to
pass to the outlet side of the chamber. From this outlet side of the said chamber
the fluid if not checked would flow freely, and the whole of the pressure due to the
height of the reservoir or other source of supply would be communicated to tho
pipes extending from or connected with the said regulator; but by reason of the
peculiar form of the said valve, as above described, this difficulty is obviated as
follows: When the said valve is pushed from its seat by the inflowing fluid, which
thereby finds admission to the outlet side of the valve, it also has access to the passago
that forms communication between the said chamber and the aforesaid space above
the diaphragm, and entering this spaco exerts pressure on the large surface of the
valve in the direction opposite to that exerted on the smail surface thereof, and the
preponderance of pressure due to the larger area causes the immediate closing of
the valve. If one of the cocks or valves in or connected with the pipe extending
from the said regulator is opened this outlet pressure will be immediately removed
or reduced by the escape of the Quid, and tho inlet pressure will then again prepon-
derate sufficiently to open the valve, so that the passage of the fluid through the
regulator will continue, but the said valve will always act automatically to prevent
undue pressure in the outlet pipe and its connections below the said regulator.
The aforesaid valve is preferably constructed in the form of a circular metal block,
with two portions of different diameter. The smaller portion is faced with a piece
of leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material, which rests on the valvo seat, as
above described. Between this small portion of the block and the surface of the
plate which forms the top of the chamber I place a washer or collar of leather or
other suitable material, which fits the block in a neck or groove formed between its
two portions, and forms a tight joint between the said block and the top plate of
the chamber. This top plate is formed on its side adjacent to the diaphragm with
a recess which is covered by the said diaphragm, and in which the enlarged portion
of the said block is free to move when the valve is pressed to and away from its
scat. The diaphragm is a sheet of india-rubber or other suitable flexiblo material,
which is secured between the said recessed plate and the top or cover of the
regulator, the said cover being secured in place by screw bolts which pass through
the flange of the chamber, the intermediate plate, and the cover, and are provided
with nuts outside the latter. The said cover is preferably made concave or dished
to form the space for the fluid to enter above the said diaphragm, as abovo
described.

page_text: Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 1.
The remaining Figures are hereinafter described.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
It will be seen that the said apparatus, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, is constructed
in the form of a box or case a, with a chamber a', and inlet and outlet apertures b, c,
to be connected with the pipes.
In the said chamber a¹ is a valve d, which intercepts the fluid in its passage
between the inlet and outlet apertures b, c, of the said apparatus, so that the fluid
which enters the said chamber cannot escape or pass through the same without
raising or moving the valve d.
This valve has two surfaces, that is to say, one surface 1 is presented to the
inflowing water, and rests on a seat at the bottom or inner sido of the said
chamber; the other surface 2 of the said valve, and which is of larger aren than tho
first named surface, is presented to the interior of a space a³, which is separated
from the chamber a' by flexible diaphragmns ff, but has communication with
the said chamber a¹ by a passage as extending from the upper or outlet side of
the same.
The result of this arrangement is that the liquid entering the said chamber by
the inlet aperture braises or forces back the valve d, thereby permitting the fluid
to pass to the outlet side of the chamber a¹. From this outlet side of the said
chamber the fluid if not checked would flow freely, and the whole of the pressure
due to the height of the reservoir or other source of supply would be communicated
to the pipes extending from or connected with the said regulator; but by reason of
the peculiar form of the said valve d, as above described, this difficulty is obviated
as follows:-When the said valve is pushed from its seat e by the inflowing fluid,
which thereby finds admission to the outlet side of the valve, it also has access to
the passage a that forms communication between the said chamber a¹ and the
aforesaid space a above the diaphragm f', and entering this space exerts pressure
on the large surface 2 of the valve in the direction opposite to that exerted on the
small surface 1, and the preponderance of pressure due to the larger area of the
surface 2 causes the immediate closing of the valve d. If one of the cocks or valves

page_text: in or connected with the outlet pipe extending from the said regulator is opened,
this outlet pressure will be immediately removed or reduced by the escape of the
fluid, and the inlet pressure will then again preponderate sufficiently to open the
valve d, so that the passage of the fluid through the regulator will continue, but
the said valve will always act automatically to prevent undue pressure in the outlet
pipe and its connectious below the said regulator.
The aforesaid valve is preferably constructed in the form of a circular metal block,
with two portions d', d, of different diameter. The smaller portion is faced with
a pieco g of leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material, which rests on the
valve seat e, as above described. Between this small portion d' of the block and
the surface of the plato a', which forms the top of the chamber, I place the
diaphragm of leather or other suitable material, which is placed between the two
portions d', d, and forms a tight joint between the said portions of the block and
the top and bottom plate of the chamber. This top plate is formed on its side
adjacent to the diaphragm f¹ with a recess which is covered by the said diaphragm,
and in which the enlarged portion d' of the said block is free to move when tho
valve is pressed to and away from its seat. The diaphragm f' is a sheet of india
rubber or other suitable flexible material, which is secured between the said recossed
plate and the top or cover of the regulator, the said cover being secured in place by
screw bolts which pass through the flange of the chamber, the intermediate plate,
and the cover, and are provided with nuts, as shewn. The said cover is preferably
made concave or dished to form the space for the fluid to enter above the said
diaphragm, as above described.
By my improved construction I provide an automatic regulator which has no
stuffing boxes or parts working through the case, so that all tendency to leakage is
avoided, and there will be practically no friction or working parts liable to corrosion
or to be readily disarranged.
Moreover it will be obvious that my improved apparatus acts only as a reducer
of pressure, and the apparatus shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 will always give the
same ratio or degree of reduction; therefore I can ensure the maintenanco of a
pressure in the service pipes, which will always bear the same proportion to the
pressure in the main, however that may vary.
But in some instances it may be desirable that the said apparatus should bo
capable of operating in such a manner as to maintain in the outlet or delivery pipo
and its connections a uniform pressure, that is to say, a pressure which, while less
than that in the inlet pipe, will not be affected or caused to vary by variations of
the pressure in the inlet pipe. When it is necessary or desirable that the said
apparatus should operate in this manner I modify the construction thereof preferably
as shewn in Figures 6, 7, and 8, or as in Figure 9.
Figure 6 shews this modified construction, partly in plan and partly in horizontal
section on the line x, xl, Figure 7.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal section on the line y¹, y', Figure 6.
Figure 8 is partly an end elevation and partly a vertical transverse section on the
line 2, 2, Figure 6.
In these Figures it will be seen that the valve d is so formed and arranged that
when the valve is closed the inlet pressure is equally exerted on both ends d³, d',
of the said valve, but a downward preponderance tending to force the end d from
its sent a exists by reason of the weight of the valve, or may be increased by a
spring placed within the cover a** of the case a, and arranged to press the valvo
downward. This spring must have such force or tension that in addition to the
weight of the valve itself there will be a preponderance in a downward direction
sufficient to cause the said valve to act as hereinafter specified.
Instead of using a spring I may weight the valve d in any convenient manner.
The space above the upper end or bead of the valve is separated from the space
below the same by the flexible diaphragm i.
Below the lower end or head & the said valve is provided with an extension d³,
4

page_text: which has a diameter smaller than that of the head d', and which is attached or
extended to the flexible diaphragm j, which covers the space k and separates the
same from the space above it, as shown.
The operation of this apparatus will be nearly the same as that above described,
that is to say, supposing the lower end d' of the valve to be down or away from its
seat, the water entering by tho inlet b will have access to the space below this
end d', and pass thereby through the outlet c into the service or outlet pipe con-
nected with the said apparatus. It will be obvious from the above description that
the downward preponderance of tho said valve is fixed or invariable, while the
pressure due to the water in the pipes is variable, and when the pressure on the
outlet end of the said valve becomes so great that its action on the area of
the annular surface do of the valve is sufficient to overcome the downward pressure
or weight of the valve the same will be raised and closed. When tho said valve is
closed the pressure in the outlet or delivery pipe or pipes will not further increase,
but will be maintained at a point just sufficient to keep the valve closed until by
the opening of any of the cocks or taps connected with the said pipe sufficient water
is drawn therefroin to reduce the pressure below this point, when the valve d will
again open and again raise the pressure on the outlet side of the valve and close
the said valve, and in this manner an almost perfect uniformity of pressure will be
automatically maintained in the service pipes and connections.
Figure 9 illustrates in longitudinal section a further modification of my improved
apparatus, wherein I admit the fluid to the space above the top of the valve to
obtain thereby the required downward preponderance of the weight or pressure of
the said valve. In this modification the entire area of the lower end d' is exposed
to the pressure of the liquid on the outlet side of the valve, and I admit the liquid
to the space above the diaphragin m by the passage n. It will be seen that the
area of the part d', whereon the downward pressure of the fluid acts, is less than
the area on which the upward pressure acts on the lower end d. The downward
pressure due to the combined action of the fluid and the weight or spring is so
calculated and proportioned to the degree of pressure to be maintained in the service
pipes that until this degree of pressure exists in the said service pipes or on the outlet
side of the valve, the latter will be kept open, and the water will pass freely through
the said apparatus; but when the pressure on the outlet side of the valve reaches
this degree or point the said valve immediately closes and remains closed until the
pressure is reduced by the drawing off of the water. d³ is a passage leading from
the space to the external atmosphere.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,-
First. In a fluid-pressure regulator which acts automatically or by the pressure-
of the fluid the employment of a valve with two surfaces of unequal area exposed
to pressure in opposite directions, which valve is so arranged that there are no parts
projecting through the case or box and no stuffing boxes or other apertures which
permit leakage.
Second. The combination of the said double-surfaced valve with the diaphragms
in the chamber of the said apparatus, and with a passage connecting the said chamber
with the space above the same, as and for the purpose specified.
Third. The peculiar construction of the valve, consisting in making the same in
two portions or pieces of different diameter secured together, and providing the face
with leather or other similar material to rest on the valve-seat, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The apparatus or fluid pressure regulator, consisting of the parts shown
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the accompanying Drawing, constructed, combined, and
operating in connection with the pipes to which the said apparatus is attached or
connected, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The modification of my Invention, as shewn in Figures 6, 7, 8, or in

page_text: Figure 9, or any similar modification or arrangement of parts, whereby I am enabled
to maintain a uniform or unvarying pressure in the pipes on the outlet or delivery
side of the valve, notwithstanding variations or fluctuations of pressure in the pipe
or pipes on the inlet side of the said valve.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)