IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hiram Craven Coulthard, of "Park Iron Works,"
f: Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST ENGINES."
Sealed the 24th November 1863, and dated the 27th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hiram Craven Coulthard
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th May 1863.
I, HIRAM CRAVEN COULTHARD, of "Park Iron Works," Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLAST ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the air cylinders of blast engines, and to the valves
and valve passages for the induction and eduction of the air from such
cylinders, and my Invention consists in a new combination and arrangement of
the valves and valve passages with the air cylinder, namely, in forming a series
of holes, in annular cavities, round the cylinder or cylinder ends or covers, or
in both, and applying balls of india-rubber or other elastic material to close the
holes to prevent the passage of air in one direction. These ball valve seatings
and passages are arranged so that each ball will close or cover its orifice by
its own gravity when the pressure of the air is not acting to force it from its

page_text: seating. The holes forming the valve seatings may be placed with their axes
in a horizontal position, and in this case the balls are made to rest upon
inclined surfaces, so that when pushed back from the seating by the pressure
of the air they will roll forward against the seating when the pressure or
current of air ceases or is reversed. The balls are kept in their places by
perforated guards, which allow the required space for the proper working of
each ball to and from its seating.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hiram Craven Coulthard in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HIRAM
CRAVEN COULTHARD, of "Park Iron Works," Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Hiram Craven Coulthard, Her special license that I, the said Hiram
Craven Coulthard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Hiram Craven Coulthard, my 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
BLAST ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hiram
Craven Coulthard, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 I, the said Hiram Craven Coulthard, 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 and accompanying four Sheets of Drawings, that is to
say:

page_text: My Invention relates to the air cylinders of blast engines, and to the valves
and valve passages for the induction and eduction of the air from such
cylinders, and my Invention consists in a new combination and arrangement of
valves and valve passages with the air cylinder in blast engines, namely, in
forming a series of holes in annular or other cavities round the cylinder or
cylinder ends or covers, or both, and in applying balls of india-rubber or other
suitable and elastic material to close the holes to prevent the passage of air
in one direction. These ball valve seatings and passages are arranged so that
each ball will close or cover its orifice or rest against its seating by its own
gravity when the pressure of the air is not acting to force it from its seating.
The holes forming the valve seatings may be placed with their axes in a
horizontal position, and in this case the balls are made to rest upon inclined
surfaces, so that when pushed back from their seatings by the pressure of the
air they will roll forward against the seating when the pressure or current of
air ceases or is reversed. The balls are kept in their places by perforated
guards or guides, which allow the required space for the proper working of
each ball to and from its seating.
The manner in which my Invention is carried into effect is illustrated by
the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 is an outside and sectional elevation of an air cylinder of a blast
engine according to one modification of my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view
of the same, one half being an outside plan view, the other half a plan section
below line A, B, Fig. 1. In this half one part of the perforated cover to the
lower inlet valves is supposed to be removed.
a, air cylinder; b, piston; 6', piston rod; 62, glands; c and c¹, india-rubber
or other suitable elastic ball valves. The inlet valves in this case are formed
in the ends or covers (d) of the air cylinders. An annular cavity (d') is formed
in the covers (d), in which holes for seatings for the valves are made. The
balls (c) in the upper cover can be got at by removing the annular lid (d²),
and those in the lower cover by removing the cylinder cover, or taking out
the piston, and then unscrewing the perforated guard (d³) secured by the
screws (d). The outlet valves are placed in annular cavities (d') round the
cylinder ends, which annular cavities are closed, as shown, by the cylinder
covers (d). It will be seen that holes are formed at intervals round the
cylinder, and an india-rubber ball is placed opposite each hole; each ball is
kept in its place by a perforated guard (a²), which is secured by screws to
the side of the cylinder, as shown; the lower side of the ball rests upon the
guard, which is slightly inclined, so that the ball will roll by its own gravity

page_text: against the hole which it is to cover and close it against the return of the air.
In this modification the lower outlet valves are got at by removing the lid (a³),
which is secured by bolts as shown. Both annular cavities for outlet of air
are connected by a passage (a) cast in the cylinder, so that the compressed
air can be conveyed away by a pipe connected with a flange (a"). Fig. 3 is
an elevation, partly an outside and partly a sectional view, of another modifi-
cation of my Invention; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same, one half a
plan of upper cover, the other half a section showing an interior plan view.
In this modification both inlet and outlet valves have lateral movement. An
annular cavity (d) is made in each cover, and holes are formed in the vertical
sides of these cavities for the outlet ball valves c. Two sets of inlet balls (c)
are used, the upper set rests and is guided by perforated guards (d³) secured
to the cover (d), the lower set rests upon inclines formed in the bottom of
the annular cavity (d') in the lower cover. The perforated guards (d³) keep.
the balls in their places. The outlet valves (c¹) in this case are arranged
substantially as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. Both inlet and outlet balls are got at
by removing the cylinder covers (d). The air is conveyed from the annular
cavities (d2) as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are views corre-
sponding respectively to Figs. 3 and 4, and shew another modification of my
Invention, where both inlet and outlet valves lift or open vertically. The
upper cover (d¹) in this case has two annular cavities d¹ and d, the bottom
side of which have holes formed in them for the seatings of the balls; both
cavities are covered by one lid (d2), which is secured by bolts, the lid fitting
close, so that air cannot pass from one cavity to the other except through the
valves. The annular cavity for the outlet valves (c¹) fits air-tight over an
annular cavity (a¹) in the cylinder ends, as shewn. The arrangement of the
inlet and outlet valves c and c¹ for the lower end of the cylinder are as shewn;
and will be readily understood. They have perforated guards a², and are both
got at by removing the cylinder end or cover; the inlet valves open directly
into the annular cavity (a³) round the bottom of the cylinder.
Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of an air cylinder, and Fig. 8 an end view
with cover removed of another modification of my Invention, where both inlet
and outlet valves are arranged in an annular cavity at each end of the
cylinder, about one half of the cavity being occupied by inlet valves, the other
half by outlet valves i. The valves are got at by removing the covers or
ends (d); the inlet valves (c) rest upon seatings in the bottom of the annular
cavity (d) at the upper end of the cylinder, and upon seatings in the end or
cover at the lower end of the cylinder; the outlet valves (c) rest against

page_text: seatings in the sides of the cylinder. The modifications which have been
described are intended more particularly for blast engines with vertical air
cylinders. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 10 an end view with
the cover removed, shewing the manner in which my Invention may be
applied in the case of blast engines with horizontal air cylinders. This modi-
fication corresponds generally to that shewn by Figs. 7 and 8. An annular
cavity is formed at each end of the cylinder, and the upper part of this cavity
is occupied by the outlet valves (c¹), and the lower half by the inlet valves (c).
The outlet valves (c¹) rest upon seatings in the sides of the cylinder, and are
kept in their places by suitable guides and flanges. The inlet valves (c) rest
upon seatings at the outside of the annular cavity, as shewn. The valves can
be got at when the cylinder ends or covers are removed. If required, two or
more rows of ball valves may be arranged at the sides of the air cylinders of
blast engines, one above the other, or in concentric circles, either in the
vertical or horizontal arrangements of air cylinder.
In
Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 12 au end view of another modi-
fication of my Invention for the horizontal air cylinders of blast engines.
this case the valves are arranged in the ends or covers of the cylinder (d),
the inlet valves (c) on the lower half, and the outlet valves (c) on the upper
half;
the outlet valves are in a space or cavity d' formed in the cylinder end or
cover, and these cavities are connected by a pipe d', by which the compressed
air is conveyed away. The valves are kept against their seatings by resting
against the inclined guides or guards (a2), which are perforated to allow the
air to pass. A cavity is formed in the piston, so that the inlet guards (a2) can
enter if the piston in its movements comes close to the ends or covers (d), or
one half of the ends or covers in which the outlet balls are placed is made to
come in a line with the guards of the inlet valves. If oil or greasy lubricating
matter is used in the air cylinder the valves should be so arranged as not to
come in contact with the greasy matter. But I prefer to use black lead
or other similar antifriction material in the air cylinders of my improved blast
engines.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which it may be carried into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, the use of balls of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material for
valves in the air cylinders of blast engines, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the arrangement and combination of balls of india-rubber or other
elastic material with the valves, air passages, and air cylinders of blast engines,
as herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly, the system or mode of arranging balls of india-rubber or other
elastic material to act as air valves in air cylinders of blast engines when the
axes of the holes covered by the balls are in a horizontal position, and the balls
rest upon inclined guides which cause them to roll against their seatings by
their own gravity.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hiram Craven Coulthard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
HIRAM CRAVEN COULTHARD. (L.S.)