US331008A - Eobeet speae - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

R. SPEAR.

FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR. N0. 331,008. Patented NOV. 24,1885.

Srarns ATENI rricn.

ROBERT SPEAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLUID-PRESSURE REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,008, dated November 24, 1885.

Application filed April 8, 1835. Serial No. 161,590. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SPEAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Regulators or Governors; and I-do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide for certain improvements in a fluid-pressure regulator or governor of the class described in Letters Patent N 0. 97,324., granted to me November 30, 1869, in which the action of the governor is entirely independent of any motion derived from the engine or machinery, the pressure of steam or other fluid being con trolled with relation to the combined and reciprocal action of gravity,and the pressure of the fluid to be regulated in such a way as to cause a uniform force to be exerted upon the engine or machinery while in operation, or produce a uniform discharge of the fluid regardless of the amount of force or its sudden changes when in excess of the degree of pressure to which the regulating devices are set or adjusted.

My present invention consists in certain improvements in the construction and combination of parts whereby the governor is rendered more simple, compact, and inexpensive.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure l is a vertical section of my improved fluid-pressure regulator, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

The governor shell or casing A is formed with an expanded lower portion, that constitutes an inlet-chamber, B, an expanded upper portion constituting an upper chamber, 0, and an intermediate cylindrical open-en ded pistonchamber, D, which incloses a freely movable piston, E, said chambers being arranged to communicate, as shown. The floor of the lower chamber, B, is formed by a conical valve-case, G, that rests on a base-plate, a, to which is attached an inlet-pipe, F, that connects with a steam-boiler or other fluid source.

A valve, H, is attached to the lower end of a tubular piston-rod, K, to which the piston E is attached. This valve is preferably formed with inclined sides corresponding with the conical form of its casing, and is adapted to control the opening at the top of said valvecase, and so regulate the pressure at the egress I, which is in connection with the engine.

It may be remarked that While I prefer to make the sides of the valve H and valve-case G inclined, as shown, yet I am fully aware that they may be differently constructed with equally good results. I do not therefore colifine myself to any peculiar formation of such valve or valve-casing.

Through the tubular piston-rod Kis a stop pin, [2, for arresting the descent of the piston and valve when the machine is stopped.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the piston E is freely movable in its casing or cylinder, there being a sufficient space be tween it and its piston to permit a film of fluid to pass by it from chamber 0 to chamber B. It will also be seen that the tubular piston-rod K is provided above the piston E with apertures e 6, through which steam or other fluid at the pressure of the power or fluid source will be admitted to the space above the piston. The upper portion of the piston-rod may be made solid, or be connected, as shown, to a solid extension-rod, K, that passes through a stuffing-box, c, in a capplate, L, which closes the top of the upper chamber, 0, said cap-plate being secured by screw-bolts d d or other suitable fastenings.

To the upper part of the piston-rod or extension-rod K, as the case may be, and exterior to the shell A, are placed one or more removable weights, M, that may rest upon a shoulder formed on the rod or upon a disk or pin secured thereto. By means of these weights the apparatus is so adjusted that any excess of pressure on the lower side of the valve H will be neutralized after the piston and valve have been brought to a state of equilibrium by the admission of steam or other force above and below the piston.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the area of the top of the valve H is less than the area of the bottom of the piston E, for the reason that when the fluid is admitted into the machine the outlet I (which must always be less than theinlet F) being open, the tendency of the action of the fluid will be to close the valve H, but which is prevented from completely closing it by the weights M M, their action being to cause the fluid to be delivered in proportion to the amount of gravity applied regardless of the increase or diminution in the fluid-pressure when the machine is adjusted to a pressure less than that of the fluid source. The quantity or volume of the fluid to be delivered is determined by a valve or stop-cock (not shown) in the eductionpipe I, while the pressure of the same is regulated in the manner above described. As has been stated, the fundamental principle controlling the operations of this machine being the combined and reciprocal action of gravity with the pressure or energy of the fluid to be regulated, it follows that if the outlet I is of the proper size or less than the inlet F, the fluid will be discharged with a uniform pressure regardless of the increase or diminution of pressure in the fluid source so long as the pressure of the same is greater than that at which the machine is adjusted by the amount of weight applied upon the pistonrod. The reason of this is obvious by considering the tendency of an increase of pressure to elevate or approximately close the valve H, while a diminution of the energy of the fluid must have the opposite effect of tending to weaken the pressure in the chamber B, which pressure is the prop or support of the weight, which by its descent depresses the valve, thus enlarging the space between it and its circumscribed case. By this means a uniform pressure is maintained in chamber B, in which condition it can be delivered through a valve or stopcock in the eduction pipe I from the least possible amount up to the full capacity of the machine. It is thus shown that the quantity of the fluid to be delivered is determined by the stop-cock or Valve in the eduction pipe I, while the energy or pressure of the fluid is regulated by gravity, which can be increased or diminished to any definite degree with the greatest facility.

By a well regulated pressure gage (not shown) placed upon the eduction-pipe I,with

the machine in operation, can readily be determined the size of the weights to be used for the delivery of the fluid from one pound or fractional part of that pressure per inch to the greatest amount that may be required. From what has already been stated relating to the principle governing the operation of the machine it is obvious that the amount of gravity required depends on the difference in the area of the bottom of the piston E and the top of the valve H; hence this disparity in area should be only what is actually required to cause a lively or active motion of the piston-rod K with all its attachments. By this construction and arrangement of devices the slight range of movement required by the piston E is entirely unattended by friction, except such as is necessarily incident to the passage of the piston-rod through the stuffingbox at the top of the apparatus. The piston E is what may be termed a freepiston,being without rings, and is made a trifle smaller than the cylindrical chamber D, so as to permit a film of the fluid to pass between said parts. When the fluid is admitted through the pipe or inlet- F, a sufficient quantity will pass up through the tubular piston-rod K and its apertures e e to charge the space above the piston E with the same pressure that exists in the fluid source, or as that which impinges against the bottom of the valve H, and,as thearea of the upper face of the piston is equal to the area of the lower face of the valve,the pressure on one side will counterbalance that on the other, so as to maintain an equilibrium. By attaching more or less weight to the piston-rod the devices can now be adjusted to any degree of pressure-discharge less than that of the power or fluid source.

As the fundamental principle governing the action and operation of this machine is the combined and reciprocal action of gravity 5 and the pressure or energy of the fluid to be regulated, it matters not how thefgravity i applied, except for the sake of convenience in adjustment.

It is obvious that this principle of 'construct-ion can be applied in a variety of ways in different kinds of machines and'for various purposes; and I therefore do not wish tobe understood as confining myself to the precise details of construction hereinbefore set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fluid-pressure regulator or governor, the combination, with the shell A, having induction and eduction openings and valve-cas ing G, of the piston-rod K K, partly tubular, and provided with perforations e 6, stop b, and removable weights M M, and the piston E, and valve H, mounted on said tubular; piston-rod below its perforations,substantiall y as described.

2. In a fluid-pressure regulator, the combination of the shell A, havirig eduction-pipe I, the valve-casing G, having inlet F, the tubular piston-rod K, provided with a stop-pin, b, and perforations e e, the piston E, and valve H, attached to said piston-rod, and the removable weights M, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT SPEAR. Witnesses:

FRED E. TASKER, E. L. WHITE.

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