US1502283A - Locomotive drifting valve - Google Patents

Description

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' E. B. WHELAN LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING VALVE Filed April 27, 1923 3 Sheetsdheet 1 Flllflll IN VEN TOR es/V529. Wmsan A3 A TTORNE YS E. B. WHELAN LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING VALVE Filed April 27. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNE YS B. WHELEN LOCOMOTIVE' mmmnci VALVE Filed April 27. 1923 3 sneezs-sxii 3 IN VENTOR EUGENE- M/Ebdli ATTORNEYS Patented July 22, 1924.

STATES EUGENE B. WHELAN, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING VALVE.

Application filed April 27, 1923. Serial No. 635,153.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE B. VIII-LAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of )maha. in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Drifting Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to locomotive drifting devices and more particularly to a device embodying certain improvements and advantages in construction and operation upon my prior patents for similar devices and particularly my Patent 839,912 dated January 1, 1907, my primary object being the provision of a simple and comparatively inexpensive arrangement providing for the automatic by-passing of pressure as well as the relief of vacuum and compression and also providing for the automatic controlled supply of low pressure or saturated steam continuously during drifting in order to bring about effective and eflieient lubrication.

My present device also aims toward simple, quick and easy installation, promotes economy not only in first cost but in upkeep, and insures effective efficient action with little attention during its life.

In the accompanying drawings which. illustrate my present invention and form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section partly through a steam cylinder and its piston valve casing showing my improvements applied thereto,

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken centrally and longitudinally through the pressure controlled saturated steam supply valve, v

Figure 3 is a similar view through one of the by-pass valves,

Figure 4 is a central vertical transverse section through the supply valve shown in Figure 2, I

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the valve members of Figure 2 and itscontrolling spring,

Figure 5" is a detail horizontal section through one of the valve members shown in Figure 5, and

Figures 6 and 7 are detail horizontalsections taken through the by-pass valve respectively on lines 6-6 and 7'7 ofFigure 3. r

Referring now particularly to Figure 1 I have shown a steam cylinder 10 with its piston valve casing 11 thereabove and with its steam channels 12 and 13 communicating between the valve chamber of the casing 11 and the opposite ends of the steam cylinder and controlled in operation by the piston valve (not shown). The piston valve casing 11 is shown with its usual central high pressure steam space 1 1 and two by-pass valves generally indicated at 15 and 16 are respectively connected at their lower ends by pipes 17 and 18 with the high pressure steam space 14 and at their upper side portions by pipes 19 and 20 with the upper ends of the steam channels 12 and 13. The valve members within the by-pass valves 15 and 16 are normally closed by the pressure within the steam space 14 but are set to open automatically when the throttle of the locomotive is closed in order to permit of by-pass of pres sure as well as relief of compression and also the intake of saturated steam or steam of any character along with lubricantcfor lubricating purposes in a manner to be presently described, it being understood that as to the by-passing feature pressure, with the valve members open, may proceed from either end of the steam cylinder 10 in front of the piston through for instance steam channel 12, pipe 19, valve 15, pipe 17, steam space 14:, pipe 18, valve 16 and pipe 20, through steam channel 13 behind the piston thus relieving both compression and vacuum and that flow in an exactly reverse direction takes place when the piston moves in the steam cylinder 10 in an opposite direction.

For the above purpose each of the by-pass valves of which one is shown in detail in Figures 3, 6 and 7 wherein valve 15 is shown as an examplehas a housing 21 provided with downwardly facing valve seats 22 and 23 respectively above and below its side opening 24: and with which the rings 25 and 26 at lengthwise spaced points of the valve member 27 respectively cooperate. These rings of the valve member are spaced apart by webs 28 in the housing 21 and the lower surface of the lower and larger ring 26 is exposed to the high pressure steam space 14: by virtue of the. annular series of openings 29 through the inner portion of a plugBC within the lower portion of the housing 21. whose lower outer end connects with the pipe 19.

The annular series of openings are formed lengthwise of the plug around its central 'bearing'portion 31 into whose upper end a cylindrical bore 32 is formed for the lower reduced cylindrical extension 33 of the valve member, bore 32 being in communication with the lower chamb red portion of the plug 30 through a reduced axial channel "ber has webs 38 located immediately above its upper valve ring 25 and below its upper reduced cylindrical extension 39 which like the lower reduced extension 33, interfits a cylindrical bore 40' and which, with the lower extension 33, webs 23 and 33, thus 'completes a four-point suspension of the valve in the housing so as to successfully take care of side thrust at all times, The

bore 40 is however formed within the reduced upper portion 41. of the housing 21,

'jwhich upper reduced portion 41 is externally threaded, for the reception of a screw cap 42 having a lower enlarged annular flange 43 around the upper portion of the housing 21 below the extension 41 and above the nipple 36. The flange 43 has a circumferential series of openings 44 through its wall in the same plane with the circumferential series of openings 45 and 46 through the wall of the adjacent portion of the housing 21 so as to constitute an adjustable compression relief device when the valve member 27 is in lower open position.

By adjusting the cap, the openings 44 of its flange 43 are shifted relative to the openings 45 of the housing, thus controlling the.

effective area of the relief ports which these openings constitute, and by further shifting the cap until certain of its flange openings 44 uncover the smaller openings 46 of the housing, at which time the openings 45 will be covered by the cap, the minimum of air intake and consequently the minimum of relief port area, is instantly established.

a V Tl e upper reduced portion 41 of the housling has an axial opening 47 communicating between the upper outer endof its bearing bore 40 and the atmosphere and this re- ,duced opening or channel. cooperates with the-before mentioned opening or channel 634 to cushion opening and closing movements of the valve-member 27 as a whole inprden to prevent hammering of the same 1n ltsopening and closing movements.

\,Referringagain to Figure 1 itrwill be noted vtha'tthe saturated steam supply tubes 37 leading to the upper side'nipples- 36 of (the two by-pass valves 15 and 16, extend i from the lower side portions of a saturated vremains closed.

steam controlling valve 48, the latter includin a housing 49 having similar side channels 50 and 51 at whose lower ends are nipples 52 and 53 to'which the upper ends of the tubes 37 are connected.

Th housing 49 has an enlarged central chamber 54 communicating with the upper ends of the channels 50 and 51 by cylindrical bearing apertures 55, and is providedwith an upper saturated steam receiving space 56 communicating at its opposite sides with the upper ends of the channels through openings coaxial with the apertures and around which openings are formed valve seats 57 and 58. The upper central portion of the housing 49 receives centrally thereof one end of a saturated steam supply pipe 59 which may be connected with the locomotive boiler at various points, and said iousing is provided atopposite sides of the pipe 59 which thus supplies saturated steam to the space 56, with threaded openings axially alined with the apertures 55 and re 'ceiving caps 60 and 61 having inner axial bores 62 forming bearings for the outer ends of the'stems 63 of a pair of valve members having intermediate their ends valve rings 64 normally in engagement with the valve seats 57 and 58 under control of springs 65 around the stems 63 and between the rings v64and the plugs 61 so that communieation between the steam space 56 and the upper ends of the side channels 51 is normally out 01f V i The lower portions of the stems 63 of the two upper valve members have, below their rings 64, enlarged cylindrical portions 66, these portions slidably interfitting the apertures 55 before mentioned so that the lower ends of the stems 63 project intothe central chamber 54 of housing 49, all as'clearly seen in Figure 2, each cylindrical enlargement 66 having an annular series of lengthise openings 67 plainly seen in Figures 5 and 5 so that the central chamber 54 is in communication at all times with the side channels 50 and 5 1.

Below its central chamber 54 the housing 49 has an enlarged horizontal bore 68 which is cylindrically formed to provide for the reception of a" slidably interfitting' piston 69, the latter having an annular groove 7 O at its center where thew'bore 68 is in open communicatlon with the central chamber 54 in order to provide for the movable reception of'the depending tang 71 of an oscillatable cam '7 2 within the central chamber 54 whose upper spaced bosses 73' are normally disposed upon opposite sides of the valve stems 63 so that upon movement of the cam in one direction the near upper valvemember will beer'aised while the opposite valve member The-cam member 72 is prov'idedfwitha vertical oil groove 74 and, as best seen in 50 and V surfaces of the latter from the rear wall of the housing &9 and from a forward plug 76 threaded into an opening in the front wall of the casing through which the cam member may be inserted within the central chamber in the first instance. Through this plug 76 and the rear wall of the housing 19 a shaft 77 is locked, this shaft extending through the sleeve for the oscillatable support of the cam 72.

It will be noted from Figure 2 that the piston bore 68 extends between the lower portions of the side channels 50 and 51 and that the housing 49 has, beyond these channels, threaded counterbores 78 for the reception of plugs '79 provided with threaded axial openings to receive the stems 80 of a pair of plungers 81 whose inner enlarged heads extend into axial end openings 82 of the piston 69 whose extreme ends are slightly reduced in order to. avoid closing the channels 50 and 51 when the piston is shifted endwise.

The outer ends of the plunger stems 80 are locked by nuts 88 preferably seated within cavities 84-. of the outer faces of the plugs 79, and springs 85 within the piston openings 82 and between the inner ends of these openings and the plungers 81, serve to normally hold the piston and consequently the cam member 7 2 in the central inactive position. The plungers 81 preferably have small openings 86 therethrough and the piston 69 is also preferably provided with an axial channel 87 extending between the inner ends of its plunger openings 82 so as to thus avoid the accumulation of pressure and interference with the free movements of the piston in operation.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the upper steam receiving chamber is in open communication with the boiler or other source of saturated steam at all times and it is also obvious that both of the upper valve members controlling the flow of saturated steam into the channels 50 and 51 remain closed, with the cam 72 and piston 69 in the normal central position, until the throttle is cut off permitting the by-pass valve members 27 to drop. When this takes place, if steam is being by-passed first through the by-pass 16, the pressure of this steam passing upwardly through the right hand saturated steam supply tube 37 of Fig ure 1 and into the channel 51 of housing 49 in Figure 2 acts against the right hand end of the piston 69 and forces the same to the left thereby rocking the cam 72 in such a direction that its left hand boss 73 forces upwardly against the valve stem 63 of the respective upper valve and unseats the latter so that saturated steam flows downwardly through the channel 50 and into the by-pass valve 15 both by virtue of the pressure of the saturated steam supply and the suction at the left end of the steam cylinder behind the piston.

When the main piston moves in the opposite direction in the steam cylinder 10, the reverse takes place, piston 69 being shifted to the right so that the upper right hand valve member is unseated permitting a flow of saturated steam into the channel 51 and from the latter downwardly to the steam cylinder through the by-pass valve 16. It is likewise obvious that when the throttle is again opened pressure within the high pressure steam space 14 will close the two: bypass valves 15 and 16 and thereupon the equalization of pressure within the saturated steam supply valve permits its parts to instantly assume the normal central position with both of the upper saturated steam controlling valve members in closed position.

It is also to be noted that the saturated steam supply valve 48 is preferably mounted in a plane slightly above that of the bypass valves 15 and 16 so that I am able in this way to take full advantage of the natural drain in providing in the way I have for lubrication during periods of drifting and while the by-pass valves are open to take care of the compression and vacuum which would otherwise exist at alternately opposite sides of the main piston, as well as the relief of overc0mp=ression through the adjustable compression relief caps, it being understood that the latter must be adjusted to such a point as not to interfere with the pressure actuation of the saturated steam valves when the by-pass valves are open.

My invention furthermore provides for the above operations and advantages ina more automatic manner by a construction and combination of parts which are not only economical in the first instance but subject to little if any cost of upkeep and will be strong, durable and efficient in use.

I claim:

l. A saturated steam supply valve including a housing having an upper steam receiving chamber and depending side steam. channels said housing having a central cam chamber and a horizontal piston bore with which the cam chamber communicates, opening at its opposite ends into the lower portions of said channels, a pair of valve members controlling communication between the steam receiving chamber and the upper ends of said channels, having the chamber having a tang depending into the groove of the piston and having upper bosses laterally spaced beyond the lower V the latter to unseat the same.

2. A saturated steam supply valve including a housing having an upper steam receiving chamber and depending side steam channels, said housing having a central cam chamber and a horizontal piston borewith which the cam chamber communicates, opening at its opposite ends into the slower portions of said channels, a pair of valve members controlling communication between the'steam receiving chamber and the upper ends 01? said channels, having the lower portionsof their stems projecting into the cam chamber at laterally spaced points, a piston in said piston bore having a central annular groove and having spring means normally retaining the same in a centralized position, and a cam oscillatable in the cam chamber having a tang depending into the groove of the, piston and having upper bosses laterally spaced beyond the lower ends of the stems of said valve members and shiftable separately into engagement with the latter to unseat the same, said spring piston controlling means including plungers supported at the opposite sides of the housing and entering axial bores in the opposite ends of the piston, and springs withinthe said bores engaging the piston and the said plungers.

3. A saturated steam supply valve having able member whose ends are exposed to said channels, and mechanical connections between sardmember and said valve members for opening one ofthe valve members when the shiftable member is moved in either direction. 7

4L; saturatedsteam supply valve having a steam intake chamber and spaced steam outlet channels valve members normally controlling communication between said chamber and said channels, a lengthwise shiftable pressure actuated piston whose ends are exposed within said channels and a cam oscillatable by movements of said piston and having means to unseat one of said valve members upon oscillation thereof in either direction. 7 V

5. A saturated steam supply valve having a steam intake chamber and spaced steam outlet channels, valve members normally controlling 'communication between ends are exposed within said channels havmg an annular groove intermediate its ends,

and an oscillatable cam member having a' EUGENE B. WHELAN.

said chamber and said channels, a lengthwise shiftable pressure actuated piston whose

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