Richards Balanced Valve, Patent Model
date: label: date made
content: 1866
label: patent date
content: 1866-05-22
notes: label: Description
content: This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Thomas Richards, of Lansingburg, New York, May 22, 1866, no. 54959.
label: Description
content: This model represents a slightly conical plug valve fitted within a conical valve housing, which is provided with eight equally spaced steam ports so arranged that diametrically opposite ports are connected together in pairs. The result is that the pressure on the valve due to the steam or exhaust pressure in each pair of ports is perfectly balanced.
label: Description
content: Three adjoining ports in the valve housing are continued through the housing, which is provided at that point with a flat surface that permits the valve to be placed against the ordinary valve seat of a D-slide valve engine, the three ports registering with the steam passages to the ends of the cylinder and with the exhaust passage at the center of the seat. The valve is constructed with four equally spaced longitudinal recesses with four alternate bands. The valve is operated by rocking it a part of a turn in each direction from the center.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
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content: Bulletin 173
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Frank A. Taylor. Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States National Museum, Bulletin 173
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: ER.308676
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: catalog number
content: 308676
label: patent number
content: 54,959
objectType: label: Object Name
content: balanced valves
label: Object Name
content: balanced valves, model
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: small brass cylinder - from catalog card: 2 in x 2 in; 5.08 cm x 5.08 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 7/8 in x 2 1/8 in x 3 1/4 in; 4.7625 cm x 5.3975 cm x 8.255 cm