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Description

(HUMMEL) P. RGRAVES.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS PoR OPERATING VALVES` 1R MAPPE. rNo. 358,775. Patented Mar. l, 1887.

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FRED B. GRAVES, OF ROCHESTER, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC FIRE APPARATUS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR OPERATING VALVES EN VIIAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,775, dated March l, 1887.

Application filed October 16,1886. Serial No. 216,450.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: Y Y Be it known that I, FRED B. GRAVES, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Operating Valves in Mains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming lo a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements upon the class of valve-operating apparatus one form of which is shown in Letters Patent No. i5' 253,637, granted November 30,1886, to Henry Likly, C. A. Carpenter, and myself. The systeni shown in said patent consists, generally, of a main including a cut-off valve located therein, a motor for operating said valve, and 2o a device for controlling the motor, so as to open or close the main valve when desired; and the present invention consists in certain novelties of construction and combination of parts, whereby the operation of the motor is more easily controlled, the operating parts rendered simpler, and the operation is generally improved, all of which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out-particularlyin the claims at the end of this specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a longitudinal vert-ical section taken through the main cut-olf valve and operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a view of one form of electrical device and circuits 3 5 therefor for setting in operation the valveop erating mechanism.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the saine parts.

The letter A represents a valve-casing ineio terposedso as to form part of the main, B B, a balanced valve arranged in said casing and adapted to control the passage of the iluid through the main. Mounted upon this valvecasing A is the casing C of the valve motor or mechanism for operating the valve, the connection between the two easings being effected by forming a iiange, c, upon the casing A, a flange, 0, on the casing fitting in said flange a, and a series of removable bolts, d, applied to (No model.)

the casing C and having heads d', which fit 5o the inclined side of the flange on A and serve to hold the two parts together. By this mode of connection the two casings are brought close together and are arranged in small compass, and the upper easing, C, is adapted to be 5 5 turned around upon the casing A. and held securely at any desired point of adjustment by the turning of the nuts cl2, applied to the bolts d.

From the inlet side of the easing A there 53 extends a passage, E, to the chamber F of the valve-motor. In this chamber F there is arranged a piston, G, which is connected to the same rod or valve-stem, H, to which thevalve B B in the casing A is attached. A passage, I, extends from said chamber F,below the pis ton G, to a space, K, above the piston, said passage being controlled by a valve, L, arranged in a chamber, M, as shown. The area of the passage I is less than that of the cham- 7o ber M, and by the provision of a small chair nel or passage, N, in the valve L communication is effected between the passage I and the chamber M, and by reason of there being a greater area of the valve L exposed within the chamber Ml than in said passage I the valve is kept normally closed, so as to out off communication between the upper andlower sides of the piston G. As shown in the prior patent referred to, the upper and lower sides of the piston present different areas to pressure, the area of the upper side being the greater.

Normally the pressure of the fluid in the main causesthe chamber F to be filled through the passage E, the valve L to be closed with its lower end on the bottom of the chamber, and the piston Gr to be raised, so as to keep closed the valve B in the main. l.Whenever it is desired to open the valve B, it is only necessary to reduce the pressure in the chamber M so that the pressure on the under side of the valve L will overbalanee that upon its upper side, whereupon the said valve L will be raised and allow the fluid to pass through the port f into the space K above the piston G, and cause said piston to be lowered by reason of the preponderating pressure upon its upper surface, and thus through the valve- A ton being displaced by being forced out th rough a waste-opening, O. 4

It is obvious that the working of the apparatus is dependent entirely upon the position of the valve L, and that the latter is worked entirely by the difference of pressure upon its two sides.

Any competent means m'ay be employed for reducing the pressure in the chamber M so as to give this difference of pressure upon the valve. In the construction shown it is only necessary that an outlet be provided in the upper portion of the chamber M that is larger or of greater capacity than the passage through the valve, in order to etl'ect the object. Such an outlet is shown at P in the drawings, and

' it may be controlled by a valve operated by net S, and to be retracted by a spring, 7i.

the motor mechanism shown in the former patent referred to, or, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of a cock actuated by a step-by-step :mechanism electrically controlled. Any cock having a number of passages through it may be employed, the object being to provide one that will require a slight motion to open or close it.

The electrical circuit which controls the valve is adapted to haveinterposed in it thermostatic devices for varying it; or ordinary switches or push-buttons vmay be employed, if

desired, or both. I prefer to employ both, as the operation of thedevice is then rendered more perfect.

The operation of the two-way cock and stepby-step mechanism is as follows: The valve is interposed in the exhaust-pipe I? from the chamber M, and the valve-plug has two passages, z z, through it at right angles, and has a ratchet-wheel, Q, on its outer end, as shown. (Jo-operating with this ratchetwheel is a spring-pawl, g, connected with the armature R, adapted to be attracted by the electro-mag- 1 represents the electrical circuit, including a battery, 2, a thermostatic or other circuit-varying device, 3, andthe electro-magnet S. Upon the circuit 1 being closed by means of the thermostatic contact at 3 the armature is attracted and the ratchet-wheel rotated an eighth turn. This will serve to open the exit from the chamber M, permit the valve to open communication with the main cylinder, thus operating the main valve, and as soon as the circuit is opened again the spring returns the pawl and armature to first position, with the former in engagement with the next tooth of the ratchet. Now, when it is desired to close the main valve, the electrical circuit is again completed, this time preferably by a pushbutton in a shunt-circuit, 6, and the valve again turned an eighth of a revolution, closing the passage-way l? and allowing the pressure in the valve-chamber to close the commupulse of an electric circuit and closed by an,

other, or a valve operated by one circuit and closed by an entirely diHerent circuit, might be employed.

I preferably employ a thermostatic device to open the valve, as the apparatus is designed for use especially in connection with a fireexiinguishin g system in which water is admitted to the pipes upon the breaking out of a iire in the building; but of course other means might be employed, if desired, or the valve might be operated by hand.

If desired, the device shown in the previous patent referred to may be employed to open the valve in the exit-pipe P', and the same arrangement of circuits as shown therein employed 5 but the arrangement described is simpler and can be employed with advantage.

The principal differences and advantages between my present invention and the one described and shown in the former patent referred to Aare the compactness of the device, all the operating apparatus being in one place and secured together, while the exit-pipe l? can, if desired, be carried to any desired distance and operated as described. The valveoperating device is secured directly upon the main-valve casing, and can, when desired, be rotated thereon so as to be in the most advantageous position.

I do not desire to be confined to the exact construction of devices shown herein, as others their equivalents might be employed without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The combination, with the main and a valve'therein., of the piston connected to the valve in the main and presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage communicating with opposite sides of the piston, and a valve forcontrolling said passage and operated by a difference in pressure upon its opposite sides, as set'forth. p

2. The combination, with the main and a valve therein, of the piston connected to the valve in the main and presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage communicating withopposite sides of the piston, and a valve for controlling said passage operated by a difference in pressure upon its opposite sides, and means, substantially as defscribed, for reducing the pressure on one side of the valve located in said passage, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the main and its valve, of the piston connected to the valve in the main and presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides ofthe piston, a chamber in communication with said passage, and avalve located in said chamber and presenting different areas to pressure from said chamber and passage, respectively, and means for reducing the pressure in the chamber, whereby to cause the lifting of the valve therein, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the main and its valve, of the piston connected to the valve in the main and presenting on opposite sides dit'- ferent areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides of the piston, a valve for controlling said passage, a chamber in which said valve operates, a means for communication between the chamber and the passage, said Valve presenting different areas to pressure in the chamber and passage, respectively, as described.

5. The combination, with the main and its valve, of the piston connected to the valve in the main, and presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides of the piston, a chamber connected to said passage, a valve located in said chamber presenting different areas to pressure from said chamber and passage, respectively, and having y a channel of communication through it, and means, substantially as described, for reducing the pressure in the chamber, as set forth.

6. The combination, with the operating-piston presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides of the piston, a chamber in communication With said passage, a valve located in said chamber and operated by difference in pressnre in the chamber and passage, respectively, a valve by the operation of which the pressure in the chamber is controlled, an electric circuit including an electricallyoperated mechanism for shifting the valve, and devices such as described for controlling the circuit, as set forth.

7. The combination, with the operating-piston presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides of the piston, a chamber in communication With said passage, a valve located in said chamber and operated by difference in pressure in the chamber and passage, respectively, a valve by the operation of which the pressure in the chamber is controlled, an electric circuit including an electrically operated mechanism for shifting the valve, and thermostatic devices for opening the valve, substantially as described.

8. rlhe combination, With the operating-piston presenting on opposite sides different areas to pressure, a passage connecting the opposite sides of the piston, a chamber in communication With said passage, a Valve located in said chamber and operated by difference in pressure in the chamberand passage, respectively, a Valve by the operation of which the pressure in the chamber is controlled, an 'electric circuit including an electrically-operated mechanism for shifting the valve, thermostatic devices for varying the circuit and opening the Valve, and a shunt-circuit including devices for manipulating it to close the valve, sub- .stantally as described.

9. The combination, with the mainvalve having the ilanges, of the casing in Which the Valve-operating device Works, having the ange fitting around the flange on the main casing, and the bolts for clamping the maincasing flange and securing the parts together, substantially as described.

FRED B. GRAVES.

XVitiicsses:

GEO. B. SELDEN, OHAs. BUSH.

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