US1717262A - Throttle valve for locomotives - Google Patents

Description

June -'11, 1929. w. c. REHFUSS THROTTLE VALVE FIOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed May 15 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet Jl lne 11, 1929. w, c, E ss 1.717.262

THROTTLE VALVE FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed May 15, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 1929. w. c. REHFUSS THROTTLE VALVE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Filed May 15, 192.3 3 sheets Sheet MM??- 6%. 6: as H1590?" Patented June 11, 192.9.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. REHFUSS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSI GNOR TO THE BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION PENNSYLVANIA.

THROTTLE VALVE FOR LoooMoTIvEs.

' Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to throttle valves for locomotives, and resides in a novel and advantageous arrangement hereinafter set forth.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a practical throttle valve adapted to be located in the smoke-box of a locomotive at the discharge end of the superheater, whereby a supply of fully superheated steam is available immediately upon opening the throttle for use in the locomotive cylinders at the initial starting of the locomotive, or at any and all times during its period of operation, whereas, prior to the adoption of my invention, the general practice has been to locate the valve in a dome on the boiler shell, and inadvance of the feed end of the superheater, whereby a supply of saturated steam was delivered to the locomotive cylinders at the initial starting thereof, and considerable running of the locomotive was required before the steam supply at the cylinders be' came fully superheated, resulting in ineflicient initial operation thereof.

Another object of my invention is to pro- Vide a steam jacket for the elements constituting the throttle valve by placing them within the superheater header wherein they are completely surrounded by steam of uniform temperature preventing the warping of the valve or its seat due to the rapid and radical changes of temperature in the smokebox.

Another object of the inventionis to construct the superheater header and the throttle valve in a suitable manner, and place them in the smoke-box in a position relative to the shell of the boiler whereby all necessary packing and all repairs or adjustments of the valve may be performed outside the boiler shell, eliminating the necessity of blowing down the boiler.

In the attached drawings:

Figure 1, is a vertical section through a portion of the boiler and smoke-box of a locomotive showing a valve arrangement according to my invention;

Fig. 2, is a transverse section on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is a horizontal section through the superheater header, and

Fig. 4, is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification of the invention.

1923. Serial No. 639,100.

With reference to the drawings, 1 indicates the forward end of the boiler, and 2 the front tube sheet through whichextends the dry pipe 3. 4 is a casting having an inlet 5 to which is connected the dry pipe 3, and having two outlet ports 6, 6, from which extend passages 9 leading to the cylinders (not shown). The casting 4 includes the superheater header, from which wet steam entering from the dry pipe 3 is conducted by pipes 10 constituting the superheater through the flue pipes 11 of the boiler, the pipes 10 returning the superheated'steam to the header, from which it passes to the'cylinders. The casting 4, in addition'to the superheater header, also comprises a chamber 12 for a throttle valve 13 which, in the present instance, is illustrated asa combination of poppet and piston valve which obviously may be balanced, or self-closing or self-opening when released, as may be found desirable. The casting 4 has an extension 14 Which projects upwardly from the valve chamber and through the shell 15 of the smoke-box, this extension in the present instance being non-integral with the casting. The valve stem 16 of the valve passes upwardly through this extension 14, and is operatively connected at a point above the shell 15 by means of a bell crank lever 17, with a rock shaft 18 journaled in the extension 14, the rock shaft projecting through the sideof the extension and being connected through an arm 19 and a rod 20 with the cab of the locomotive, therebyproviding means for operating the valve from that point.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the wet or saturated steam entering the wet steam distributing chamber 21 of the header passes through ports 22, with which the pipes 10 connect,

through the superheater, and is returned through ports 23 to a superheated or dry steam receiving chamber 24 of the header. which latter also constitutes the chamber 12 for the valve, the steam, when the valve is closed, being confined between the upper poppet valve 25 and a lower piston valve 26, and being so prevented from passing to the passages 9. When, however, the valve is elevated, steam is permitted to pass through ports 27 and 28 to an outlet chamber 29, with which the outlet ports 6, 6, communicate, and thence through the ducts 9 to the cylinders.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a modification of the invention, in which the extension 14 of the casting 4 is integral with the casting, and in which is provided an inner sleeve or cage 30 which houses the valve 13 and which may be withdrawn bodily through the top of the extension 14 following removal of the cover 81 of the latter.

It will be apparent that there may be numerous modifications with no departure from the essential features of the invention. The valve 13, for example, may be either a double poppet valve or a double piston valve instead of the combination poppet and piston. Valve illustrated.

Inclusion of the throttle valve in the superheater header located in the smoke-box and luwing the extension projecting through the shell of the smoke'box through which access may be had to the valve, has many advantages which will be obvious to those acquainted with the art. It will be noted, for example, that the throttle valve has no packed steam joints inside the smoke-box and can accordingly be packed without blowing down the boiler. It will further be noted that the arrods and levers outside of the smoke-box, which materially simplifies the construction. Also by inclusion of the valve in the casting constituting the superheater header, it is readily included with the header in the space between the-tube sheet and the smoke-box. It will further be noted that the construction of the superheater header is such that the valve is established between two superheated steam chambers,and that the balancing of the valve is thereby provided for.

I claim:

In a locomotive, the combination with a steam chamber, smoke-box, and a passage for steam extending from the steam chamber, of a superheater invariably connected in series with said passage, a superheater header mounted in the smoke-box and comprising a saturated steam-distributing chamber directly connected to said steam chamber, a superheated steam-receiving chamber, an outlet chamber, and a valve chamber between the re ceivingchamber and said outlet chamber, a bonnet for said valve chamber extending upwardly from the said header and through the wall of the smoke-box, steam jacketed valve seats in said valve chamber, and a balanced throttle valve in said Valve chamber cooperative with said seats and removable through the said extended bonnet from the exterior of the smoke-box.

WILLIAM G. REI-IFUSS.

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