US355487A

US355487A - teaylob

Info

Publication number: US355487A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1887-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1904-01-04

Description

(No Model.) I

2 Sheets-Sheefil. R. W. TRAYLOR.

VALVE, VALVE SEAT, 650- NO. 355,487. Patented Jan. 4, .1887.

WITNESSES 71/;

Attorney N- PETERS. Phdo'uthngnpher, Wahinflnn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT \V. TRAYLOR, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA..

VALVE, VALVE-SEAT, 84.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 355,487, dated January 4, 1887.

I Application filed Februnry27, 1886. SerialNoJDZAPB. (we model.)

To all whom, it may concern;- I

. Be it knownthat 1, ROBERT W. TRAYLOR,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, Valve-Seats, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to valves organized to control the flow of steam, water, &c.

The object of my invention is to provide a valve or valve-seat, or both, .which are impervious to moisture, will resist acids, are not af- To this end the invention consists in con-v structing the working or bearing surface of either the valve or the valve-seat of a body of mica. I

It is well known that pure mica is found in the mines in slabs or sheets, and whatever their thickness'may be they are still, strictly speaking, sheets, each one composed of an infinite number of thinner sheets or laminae. A sheet of mica, however, as that term is usually em ployed, is of about the thickness ofbristolboard or card-board; and to prevent misunderstanding I shall in the following description use the term sheets of mica according to its general acceptation, referring to thicker sheets or pieces as blocks of mica.

It will be understood that in carrying out my invention either sheets or blocks of mica may be used with the same efiect and result, for so long as a sufficiently thick body or mass of mica is obtained it is immaterial whether .the laminae composing that body are bound together or caused to adhere through natural agencies or by mechanical means.

It will be understood that the practical difficulty in the use of mica for valves, valve- In the structures hereinafter described, where blocks or sheets of mica are employed, the tendency of the flat surface to disintegrate is overcome by employing'mainl y the edges of the laminae for wearing-surfaces, and the tendency of the laminae toward separation under abrasion of the edges is prevented by the clamping hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view in section of a globe-valve, the valve and valve-seat being constructed of sheets or laminae of mica. Fig. 2 represents the mica-faced valve in elevation and plan View. Fig. 3 represents the mica valve-seat in section and plan view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view in section of -a mica cock-case and turning-plug. Fig. 5 illustrates the plug in top plan, elevation, and bottom plan. Fig. dis a plan view of the case.

It will be understood that my invention is applicable to all classes of valves in which the valve-opening is closed by a solid valve disk or plug, and to cocks and faucets, and to all classes of steam-engine valves; in fact, to any .device the purpose of which is to check-or stop the flow of a liquid or vapor under pressure or otherwise. 7

In practicing my invention, I clamp a block or a number of sheets of mica tightly, to prevent the fraying or splitting thereof, and work said mica into the desired form by suitable means.

The mica when suitably shaped,or previous to such shaping, is fixed securely at the point where it is to be used, -whether on the end of a valve-stem, as shown at V, Figs. 1 and 2, or within a valve-seat, as shown at S, Figs. 1 and 3.

A, Fig. 1, is the body or case of an ordinary globe-valve, and B the valve-stem. The end I) of i be turned down to the proper shape and size by the means usually employed for dressing or grinding valves.

In making a valve-seat of the character shown in Figs. 1 and 3 I prefer, for convenience of construction, to line an exteriorlythreaded thimble, a, with mica, and afterward secure said thimble within the case A. This thimble a is provided at the bottom with an inwardly-proj ecting annulariflange forming a shoulder upon which the mica may be seated, and at the top with a female thread to engage the peripheral thread of a metal ring or follower, a. The mica may be cut into rings before insertion in the thimble,or placed therein in sheets and bored out after being so secured. In either case the ring a should be screwed down very tightly to compress the mica, and the latter dressed by suitable means to the desired shape and dimensions. 1t will be understood of course that the ring a will be of a size to permit the valveto be seated directly upon the mica.

The mica valve and valve seat may be used together, or the former may be used in connection with a valve-seat of metal or other substance, and the latter with any preferred valve.

In the cock-case A (shown in Figs. 4 and 6) the entire plugchamber is formed of mica. The construction may be as shown,the central portion of the case being composed entirely of mica sheets clamped tightly together by means of the end plates, A, and tie-bolts; or the outer portion of the case may be made of metal with a central cavity of sufficient extent to admit of compressing laminae of mica within it in a manner somewhat similar to that illustated-in Fig. 3, so that the cock-plug B or the working portion of it will rotate in 'a mica hearin The cock-plug B is composed of disks of mica clamped tightly between the top and the bottom plates, B B, by means of two screwbolts passing on either side of the through way or opening.

It will be understood that I do not in this application wish to confine myself to mere details of construction, as the principle in-' volved in my invention admits of many modifications in mechanical structure which would at once suggest themselves to skilled mechan- 10s.

A facing of mica for valves, valve-seats, cock-plugs,plug-chambers, and similar structures possesses advantages over any material known to me, as it is impervious, not liable to fracture, will resist wear, is not corroded by contact of acids or alkalies, is sufiiciently yielding or elastic to permit of a very tight joint being made without the necessity of the accurate grinding or fitting required in facings of metal, stone, or glass, and can be subjected to extreme changes of temperature without appreciable expansion or contraction.

I am aware that a flap valve or gate of mica has been illustrated and described on page 166 of a publication entitled The Plumber and Sanitary Houses, edited by S. S. Hellyer, and published in 1880; but the described valve is composed of a thin sheet of mica adapted only to resist a light pressure, and were the sheet thick enough to resist a heavy pressure the mica would split or fray, as no means has been shown or described by Hellyer to resist this natural tendency. My invention, on the other hand, relates to those valves which have a solid rigid disk or plug adapted to fit upon or within a rigid seat, and I wish it understood that I do not claim the device illustrated and described in the before-mentioned publication.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to make a valve-disk for hydrants of a number of disks of leather; but this I do not claim.

1. A facing or bearing surface for valves, valve-seats, and equivalent structures, the same consisting of a body of mica clamped tightly to form a solid mass, substantially as before set forth.

2. A valve the bearingsurfacc of which is composed of a body of mica clamped tightly to form a solid unbcnding mass, substantially as described. 4

3. A valve-seat the bearing-surface of which is composed of mica,substantially as described.

4. A valve the movable contact-surface or grinding-surface of which is composed of a body of mica, substantially as described.

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

ROBERT W. TRAYLOR.

Witnesses:

E. L. WHITE, 0. A. NEALE.