US1140630A - Valve. - Google Patents

Description

W. S. SUTTON.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1912.

1,140,630, Patented May 25,1915;

THE NORRIS PETERS c0., PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

WILLIAM S. SUTTON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN RADIATOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed April 4, 1912. Serial No. 688,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. SUTTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to a valve, but more in particular to what I term a relief valve adapted to be connected at a suitable point in a vacuum cleaning apparatus for regulating the vacuum within the apparatus.

The apparatus as a whole constitutes no part of my invention and I therefore do not deem it necessary to show the parts thereof,

which consist, generally speaking, of an air pump, a motor for driving such pump, a vacuum chamber in communication with the air pump and a pipe leading from the vacuum chamber to different points in a building and having a plurality of inlet openings to any one of which a hose and suitable tool may be attached. The tools are generally of different forms for cleaning surfaces of different character and fabrics of dis-similar texture.

It is highly desirable that the vacuum 1n the apparatus be maintained at substantially a constant point for the proper operation of the apparatus for the reason that the increase of vacuum above the desired point will result in injuring fabrics of delicate texture, and when the operator carelessly handles the tool so as to practically close the inlet orifice therein for a sufficient length of time, the vacuum in the apparatus will raise, thereby throwing an additional load upon the motor operating the air pump and resulting in serious injury to the motor. Furthermore, in the event that all the inlet openings to the apparatus are closed and the motor should be accidentally started, the vacuum within the apparatus would soon reach such a point as to overload the motor and this is also true if after the apparatus has been used the motor is stopped and im mediately thereafter started, an excessive load will be placed thereon due to starting under a heavy vacuum.

The primary object of my invention is to place a valve at a suitable point in the apparatus whereby air will be admitted into the same whenever the vacuum in the apparatus reaches such a degree as to tend to overload the motor; and a further object of my invention is to make such valve adjustable, whereby the vacuum may be regulated when it is desired to have a lower vacuum for cleaning fabrics of delicate texture.

St ll a further object of my invention is to provide a valve wherein a large volume of air may be admitted into the apparatus in cleaning the same.

To these ends my invention consists in the structure shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a section of my improved valve secured to a suction pipe; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the valve when removed from the suction pipe.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the pipe 3 represents any suitable pipe in which the vacuum may be maintamed and, for the purpose of better description, let it be assumed that the end of the pipe 4 if extended in the direction of the arrow, is provided with suitable inlet couplings for the attachment of hose and tools thereto, and the end of the pipe 5 extended in the direction indicated by the arrow would lead to an air pump operated by a suitable motor. Secured to the pipe 3 and communicating therewith is a relief valve consisting of a casing 6 having a wrench-engaging portion 7 and a threaded portion 8 for screw-thread attachment to the pipe 3. The lower open end of the casing 6 is provided with threads 9. A valve seat ring 10 1s provided with suitable threads 11 for engaging the threads 9, said valve seat ring being provided with a central intake orifice 12 and an annular groove 13 formed therein. The valve 15 is provided on its under face with a suitable washer 16 and has a depending stem 17 to which the weights 18 are attached by means of the link 19. Formed integral with the valve and projecting upwardly therefrom is a guide preferably formed in two integral sections, the lower portion 20 of which is slidably mounted in the guide 21 and held centrally of the casing 6 by means of two laterally projecting webs 22 and the upper portion 23 of the stem 20 is slidably mounted in the guide 24, a shoulder 14 being formed at the juncture'of the lower end of the portion 23 and the upper end of the stem 20: said guide 24: being suspended centrally of the casing 6 by the webs 25. A washer 26 surrounds the stem 23 and is adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the guide 21 being held in a seated position by the spring 27.

The principal feature of my invention resides in the annular shoulder 28 surrounding the valve 15, the internal diameter of which is only sligntly greater than the eX- ternal diameter of the valve so that a narrow margin is left between these parts that does not increase in area upon the rising of the valveuntil the lower edge of the valve raises above the upper edge of the shoulder 52-8v a distance greater than the margin be- ,tween the outer periphery of the valve and the annular shoulder, the importance .of which feature will hereinafter be explained.

Assuming that it is desired to maintain a vacuum within the apparatus which would be equivalent to eight inches mercury column (which may be determined by any suitable gage), and that the two. weights 18 were suflicient to hold thevalve in seated position until the vacuum in the apparatus raises above eight inches mercury column, as the vacuum increases above the desired point the suction within the casing 6 would lift the valve 15 slightly from its seat, thereby admitting air into the apparatus. The air admitted through the relief valve in conjunctionwith the air admitted in the apparatus through the tool in the hands of the operator, would result in a partial vacuum being maintained within the apparatus at about the required amount, but in the event that an operator so uses the tool asv to close the orifice therein, thereby leaving the relief valve as the only opening through which is admitted into the apparatus, the suction upon the valve 15 and the inrush of air into the valve by reason of the contracted opening between the valve and shoulder and it being the only open point, will cause the suddenv raising .of the valve above the shoulder 28, thereby admitting an exceedingly large volume of air and consequently lowering the vacuum below normal. It will, of course, be understood that each valve would have to be'proportioned for adaptation to apparatus of different sizes or capacities, but after these proportions have once been ascertained the same principle of operation holds good, whether .or not the valve be large or small.

The point which I desire to emphasize is that my improved valve works in conjunction with the inlet orifice in the tool employed and when the orifice in the tool is wide open under normal conditions the valve would be closed, but as the orifice in .the tool is restricted by reason of its contact with the surface operated upon the valve will lift to admit a sufficient amount of air to compensate for the restricted part of the orifice in the tool and if the orifice in the tool completely closes, the inrush of air through the valve is so great that the valve is not only lifted by reason of the vacuum, but for the further reason that the restricted opening between the valve and the shoulder 28 causes such a pressure upon pressure or vacuum will be instantly reduced below normal and thereby prevent .the overloadingof the motor or injury to the fabric being operated upon. I

The washer 26 prevents the valve 15 from being raised above a predetermined point under any conditions except manual operation, for when the'shoulder 20 strikes the washer 216 the orifice is then sufiiciently large ,to drop the vacuum below normal, but not to entirely destroy the vacuum in theapparatus; whereas, if the upward lift of the valve were not limited the sudden upward lift of the valve beyond the point determined by the washer would admit-such a large volume of air that the vacuum would drop too much below normal, and it would be necessary to admit a sufficient quantity of air through the apparatus to allow the valve to seat before normal action is again secured; The function of the washer 26 the spring 27 is, therefore, to limit the upward throw of the valve, but in cleaning the screenof .a vacuum appar .lfatus it is desirable to introduce a larger volume of air than the quantity passing through under normal working condition, and for this reason my structure is so .devised that the valve may be manually pushed beyond its normal op r ing p in and thereby provide a larger rorifice.

I do, not wish it to be understood that I am limited to the particular details .of construction shown, as it is obvious that valves of other forms might be constructed .embodying the general principles of operation but departing from the specific details of construction.

Therefore, without confining myself to the form herein shown and described, I claim;

1. A vacuum relief valve comprising a frame, [an annular flange extending radially inward from the Walls of said-frame and providing a flat annular seating surface, a flat valve disk within said frame, yielding means -.tendin-g to hold said disk on said seat to close the opening surrounded by said seat flange, a second annular flange extending radially inward above said valve seat and surrounding said valve disk and having a diameter only slightly greater than that ,of the valve disk, the peripheral urfaces of said flat disk and-second annular flange being in parallel relation and the upper surface of said flat disk disposed below the upper s face. of said. ang h n. sai

disk is inclosed position whereby the flow of air past the valve disk into the frame is restricted during the greater part of the movement of said valve disk away from its seat to thus provide substantial change in pressure against the valve during such travel thereof, said restricted passage Way being increased only when the valve disk rises above the second flange to then allow substantial change in the pressure.

2. In combination, a conduit through which air at less than atmospheric pressure is traveling, a valve frame tapped to said conduit, an annular flange at the inlet end of said frame providing a flat valve seat about the inlet opening, a valve in the form of a flat disk slidable within said frame, yielding means tending to hold said valve on said seat, a second annular flange on said frame projecting radially inwardly above said valve seat and surrounding said valve and of a diameter only slightly greater than that of the valve disk, the peripheral surfaces of said valve disk and annular flange being in parallel relation and the upper surface of said valve disk disposed below the upper surface of said annular flange when the valve disk is in closed position whereby the flow of air into the valve frame is restricted when said valve is lifted from its seat and thus prevent a substantial increase in pressure in said conduit during the greater part of the travel of said valve from its seat and until said valve has moved past said second annular flange.

WILLIAM E. SUTTON. Witnesses:

ROBERT LATHROP, LOUISE LAWRENCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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