US542256A

US542256A - And joseph h

Info

Publication number: US542256A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 1912-07-09

Description

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. K. HILL & J. E..W. HOADLEY. V STEAM ENGINE.

No. 542,256. Patented J11 y 9,1895.

. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E K. HILL & J. H. W. HO-ADLEY. STEAM ENGINE.

No.542,25 6. n Patented July 9,1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD HILL, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, AND JOSEPH H. W.- HOADLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,256, dated July 9,1895. Application filed October 1, 1894- Serial No. 524,645- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD K. HILL, residing at Worcester, in the county of l/Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, and JOSEPH H. W. HOADLEY, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a steam-engine in which the working parts are arranged in an efficient, convenient, and compact manner and are capable of simple and convenient adjustments, the working parts being so mounted that friction may be reduced to a minimum and the engine rendered capable of extremely accurate regulation.

To these ends our invention consists in the parts and combinations of parts,as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying five sheets of-drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of an engine constructed according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged View, partially broken away, of the cylinder and valve operating mechanism. Fig. 4t is a transverse sectional view of the cylinder,,taken through the inlet-valve. I Fig. 5 is a similar view taken through the outletvalve Fig. 6 is a detail view of the valvegear for operating the -inlet-valve, showing the parts in a different relative position from that shown in Fig. L Fig. 7 is a detail view of the valve-gear for operating the outletvalve, showing the parts in a difierent relative position from that-shownin Fig. 5; and Figs. 8 to 12, inclusive, are detail views to be hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings and in detail, A designates the cylinder-casting, which is provided with a steam-chest or steam-passage a, to which steam may be admitted by means of throttle'valve, as d, the casting being also provided with suitable outlet-passages, as indicated at b. l

B designates the bed-piece or frame, and O a pillow-block, which forms a bearing for the main shaft D. These parts may-be of the ordinary or approved construction, and, as shown in the drawings, wehave illustrated a construction embodying features which are ordinarily employed in what is known as the Wheelock engine, although it is evident f that the parts which constitute our invention,

as hereinafter described, may be used in conbearing-

surfaces

16, 17, and 18, formed in the cylinder-casting. Mounted in each of the removable shells or plugs we provide the sliding gridiron inlet-valve 11 and outlet-valve 12, which are arranged to work transversely of the cylinder and to co-operate with suitable valve-seats, which are formed with the plug. v

In the actual use of plugs or shells, which are provided with seats for the inlet and outlet valves, we have found that the pressure of the steam acting against the inlet-valve and the inlet-valve seat is apt to strain the inletvalve seat, so as to prevent the bearing-surface 15 of the plug from fitting tightly against the bearing-surface 18 of the cylinder casting, thus producing leakage between the

surfaces

15 and 18, and seriously interfering with the efficiency of the engine. To overcome this difficulty, we have provided our removable shell or plug with bracesor struts, as 21, which are secured above the outlet-valve, and are adapted to reinforce and stiffen the inlet-valve seat.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, 21 designates the reinforcing-braces, which are constructed with suitable side bars or pieces,connected by crosspieces 210, forming a ladder or grating, which will stiffen the inlet-valve seat in such a way as to prevent the possibility of leakage about the plug.

- It sometimes happens, in the use of steamengines, that an abnormal pressure may be created in the cylinder from the presence of water, and it frequently happens that the cylinder-head may be blown out, or parts of the engine may be broken. To overcome this difficulty it is desirable to have the inlet-valve held against its seat by means of spring tension, so that in the case of abnormal pressure in the cylinder the inlet-valve may be forced from its seat and the pressure relieved. To allow for this action we have provided the shells 0r plugs 10 with a transverse cut or slot, as most clearly shown in Fig. 8. Fitting into this cut-away section of the plug we provide a piece or section 22, which may be secured in place and may be finished with a plug, so that the said piece 22 will conform to and have the same curvature as thesurface of the plug. The piece 22 is made in the form of a grating, as most clearly shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 10, the side pieces of the grating being provided with suitable sockets or cut-away portions, within which we arrange springs 24, which act upon suitable followers or contact.- shoes 23, which are adapted to engage with the inlet-valve and hold the same upon its seat with spring tension. When the removable plug or shell is driven or fitted into its place in the cylinder casting, the piece 22 will beheld in position between the plug itself and the bearing-surfaces of the cylinder casting, and by means ofthis construction we have provided efficient and simple means for holding the inlet-valve upon its seat. This is a very advantageous construction, as if either spring should break none of the pieces will drop into the valve and interfere with the operation thereof.

Upon the end of each removable plug or shell we fasten a removable head, which is detachably secured to said plug and is adapted to support and form a bearing for the valveoperating mechanism, as hereinafter described. In practice we have found that this is an exceedingly desirable feature of construction, as the valve-operating mechanism may be finished independently of the plug itself, and as substantially the same valveoperating mechanism may serve for several different sizes of our engines the heads can he finished and completed in quantities, thus cheapening and simplifying the construction of the engine.

The mechanism which we preferably employ for actuating the valves may be described as follows: A gear or pinion 26, secured upon the main shaft D, meshes with and drives a pinion 27, which has a bevel gear or pinion 2S fastened to and turning therewith. The bevel-gear 28 in turn meshes with and drives a bevel-gear 29, which is secured upon a shaft 30, which is journaled in suitable brackets, which may be fastened to the bed-piece of the engine, as shown. Near the center of the shaft 30 we provide suitable gearing for driving the governor of the engine, and we preferably inclose this gearing within a casing 31. As this gearing consists merely of the ordinary bevel pinions, it need not be herein shown or described at length. A valve-actuating shaft 36 is journaled in suitable boxes secured to the cylinder, as shown, and we preferably use a universal joint and a clutch, as illustrated at 32, for connecting the shaft 36 with the shaft 30. The clutch which we have illustrated in the drawings is of the ordinary two-part pattern, which is provided with a section 33 and a corresponding movable section 330, which can be actuated by means of a handle 34, which is suitably pivoted, as at 35. When the clutch is disconnected, the valve-actuating shaft 36 is free to rotate independently, and, as shown in the drawings, we have provided the same with a suitable capstan-head, as shown at E, by means of which the same may be rotated by hand and the valves ofthe engine thus actuated.

The use of a universal joint for connecting the valve-actuating shaft with the driven shaft we have found to be an exceedingly desirable arrangement, as by means of this construction the same mechanism for actuating the valves can be used in dilferent sizes of our engines and the valve-actuating shaft can be conveniently coupled to and driven from the main shaft of the engine independently of the relative position of the valve-actuating shaft to the main shaft.

Mounted upon and secured rigidly near each end of the valve-actuating shaft 36 we provide suitable collars 37, having face-

plates

38 and 39, as shown. Also mounted on the valve-actuating shaft 36, in a position to be detachably secured to the face-plates, we pro vide eccentric disks for actuating the valves of the engine, and as the valve-gear for actuating the valves at each end of the cylinder are duplicates of each other a description of one set of valves and its connections will suffice.

For the purpose of adjustably securing the valve-operating eccentrics in position upon the face-plates, we preferably provide each of the eccentric-disks with a bolt 42, which fits through a slot- 420, formed in the faceplate, and is secured in position by means of aclamping-nut, as shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 6.

44 designates an eccentric-strap for actuating the inlet-valve, which is connected to and moves an eccentricrod 45, which is pivoted to a crank-arm 46, carried by a rock-shaft 47, which is journaled in suitable bearings,

formed in a downwardly extending projection of the removable head. Splined upon and secured to the shaft 47, we provide an oscillating part or pusher 48, which also has a set-screw for insuring a rigid connection between the same and the rock-shaft 47. The part or pusher 48 is provided with a wearingsurface 50, which may be held in place by screws, and which is preferably formed of hardened steel, to co-operate with a vertically movable tappet carried by the inlet-valve stem.

We preferably locate the wearing-surface of the oscillating pusher 48 with an angular lead with reference to the rocleshaft 47, for a purpose hereinafter described.

vide the latter with a suitable pinch-nut 54;

A vertically'movable tappet 55, which has a steel wearing-plate 56, secured as by screws thereto, in position to .co-operate with 'the pusher 48, is mounted in the casting 53, and is provided with a curved arm or finger 57,

which extends downwardly, engaging with a governor-controlled device for regulating its height, the point of contact being substantially normallyinthe line of the vertical axis of the tappet 55.

The governor connections which we preferably employ may be arranged as follows:

58 designates the governor, which may be of the ordinary pattern, and which actuates a bell-crank lever 59, which is connected to reciprocate a rod 60, extending below the re movable heads, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

In order to oppose as little friction as possible to the action of the governor,-we provide the bearings 61 of the shaft with suitable friction-rolls 62 and 63, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Journaled upon the rod 60, in a position to engage a foot-piece 570, carried by the downwardly-extending finger 57 of the tappet 55, we provide a conical roll 64, as shown. The roll 64 is secured in place upon the reciprocating governor-rod 60, by means of a bracket 65, which is adjustably clamped to the governor-rod by means of a pinch-bolt650. The bracket'65 is provided at one end with an upwardly-extendingcamshaped projection 66, which is adapted to engage with and actuate the vertically-movable tappet 55, in case the governor becomes broken or fails to act, thus forming a safety device, which acts in a well-known manner.-

By providing the reciprocating governorrod 6O with the conical rollers 64 to engage with and actuate the vertically-movable tappets, we are enabled to decrease the friction which will be opposed to the tappet when the same is moved transversely by means of the Y oscillating pusher, and, in practice, we have found that this forms a very efficient and desirable form of governor connection, and as the governor connections act substantially concentrically upon the vertically-movable tappets, the tendency of the tappets to cramp or bind as they are moved up or down is en tirely avoided. i

As before stated, the projection of the oscillating pusher 48, which engages with and actuates the tappet 49, is preferably offset or set with angular lead with reference to the rock-shaft 47, as most clearly shown in Fig.

6. The object of this construction is to increase the surface of contact between the tappet and the pusher. Y I

It is to be noted that as the contact-surface of the pusher 48 is located some distance to the left of the center of the rock-shaft47, as shown in Fig. 6, the same will'move down-' ward a greater distance for the same amount of angular movement than it would if said wearing-surface were arranged directly over and in line with the rock-shaft 47. By means of this construction we are enabled to allow the pusher to lap a greater distance upon the tappet, and an increased wearing-surface forthe parts is provided, so that the same will not wear out so quickly, as in constructions as heretofore'arranged.

Inasmuch as the valve-stem 51 of the inlet-valve extends through only one head of the removable plug or shell 10, the unbalanced pressure of steam upon the valve 12- will always have a tendency to hold the inlet-valve in its closed position; but to insure the closing of the valve promptly and accurately we ordinarily provide the same with a dash-pot, and we preferably locate the dash-pot in line with the valve-stem, so that the same may act positively and directly without the intervention of any intermediate mechanism.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 6, 67 designates a piston-rod, having a piston 69 secured thereto, which fits into a suitable dashpot 71, and-is engaged by a suitable coiled spring 70, as shown. The dash-pot, as thus constructed, is providedwith a small orifice,

its opposite end the piston-rod 57 is threaded into a split-bearing formed in the casting 53, heretofore described, and a pinch-bolt 68 is provided-for rigidly securing the piston-rod anism or the action of the dashpot mechanism; or, again, if it is desired to have the dash-pot mechanism act more or less strongly, the same can be adjusted by means of the piston-rod 67 and the connection before described without a'ffecting the point of cut-off or the positiouof the valve. This gives a very simple and nice means of adjustmentfor regulating the action of the valve.

In connection withthe valve'gear for operating the inlet-valve, as before described, we may use any suitable form of mechanism for operating the'outlet-valve; but the arrangement which we preferably employ is most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Referring to these figures, 73 designates the outlet-valve stem, which extends from the plugor shell 10 through a suitable stuffing-box 74, and is provided at its outer end with a suitable bearing 75in the head 25. Links or levers 76 are pivoted to a fixed point or block 760, and links or levers 77 are pivoted to a casting 78,-se-

cured upon the outlet-valve stem by means of the nut 7S0, threaded on the valve-stem, as shown. At their opposite ends the links or levers 7'6 and 77 are pivoted to a suitable head or casting 79, and by means of this construction it will be seen that the links 76 and '77 form substantially a toggle-joint, by means of which the outlet valve may be positively moved in either direction. Power for actu' ating the outlet-valve through this togglejoint is applied to the toggle-levers through the eccentric-rod 80 and the eccentric-strap 81.

We have found in practice that an arrangement of toggle links or levers for actuating a steam-engine valve is a very desirable arrangement, as with the same the valve will have a quick opening and closing movement. It is also to be noted that by using an eccentric to actuate the toggle more or less motion is always being imparted to the valve, and as the same is never brought to entire rest upon its valve-seat the tendency for the same to become struck or clogged is greatly diminished. We may use this valve -operating mechanism in connection with any valve to which it is desired to impart a similar movement, and the use of this mechanism is not necessarily limited to an outlet-valve. It is further to be noted that by applying power to the joint of the toggle the power is applied in a position to secure the greatest leverage and to most easily overcome the resistance of the valve.

It will be noted that we have provided an eccentric to operate each valve of the engine and that we have made each eccentric adjustable. This is a very important feature, as each valve can be independently set and adjusted, a very important point in practice.

e are aware that many changes may be made in the construction of our engine by those who are skilled in the art, and we do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the exact construction which we have shown and described; but

What we do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination of a removable shell or plug provided with seats for the inlet and outlet valves, and a brace or strut for reinforcing the inlet valve seat, made in the form of a ladder or grating, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the cylinder, a transverse shell or plug fitting therein having inlet and outlet valve-seats, inlet and outlet valves arranged in said plug to move transversely of the cylinder, and a brace or strut for reinforcing the inlet valve-seat, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cylinder, a removable shell or plug having inlet and outlet valve-seats, inlet and outlet valves mounted in said plug arranged to move transversely of the cylinder, and a brace or strut made in the form of a grating or ladder for reinforcing the inlet valve-seat, substantially as described.

at. The combination of the cylinder, a removable shell or plug, an inlet valve mounted in said plug, springs for holding the inlet valve upon its seat, a part or piece for holding said springs in place, said part being secured between the removable plug and its hearings in the cylinder, substantially as described.

5. In an engine, the combination of a removable plug or shell, having a valve seat, a removable cap or head secured to one end of said plug, and a valve-actuating mechanism mounted on said head, substantially as described.

6. In an engine, the combination of a removable plug or shell, inlet and outlet valves mounted in said shell, a removable cap or head secured to one end of said plug, a valve actuating mechanism mounted on said head, a shaft for driving said valve actuating mechanism, and a universal joint for connecting said shaft with a shaft driven from the main shaft of the engine, substantially as described.

7. In an engine, the combination of an inlet valve working transversely of the cylinder, a vertically movable tappet actuating the inlet valve, a curved arm or finger extending downwardly from said tappet to engage suitable governor-controlled connections, whereby said governor-connections can act substantially in line with said tappet, and an oscillating pusher for engaging said tappet, substantially as described.

8. In an engine, the combination of a valve working transversely of the cylinder, a movable tappet for actuating said valve, governor controlled connections for regulating the position of said tappet, and a pivoted, oscillating pusher having an offset projection or wearing surface located with angular lead for engaging with and actuating said tappet, substantially as described.

9. In an engine, the combination of an inlet valve working transversely of the cylinder, a vertically movable tappet for actuating the inlet valve, a curved arm or finger extending downwardly from said tappet, a reciprocating governor-controlled rod, and a conical roller journaled upon said rod, in position to engage said arm, substantially as described.

10. In a valve-gear for engines, the combination of a vertically movable tappet, a reciprocating governor-controlled rod, a conical roller for adjusting the height of said tappet journaled upon said rod, a bracket for securing said roller in place upon the rod, said bracket being provided with a cam-shaped projection forming a safety device in case of accident to the governor, substantially as described.

11. In an engine, the combination of a valve working transversely of the cylinder, a dashpot arranged on the working side of the engine in line with said valve, and adjustable connections between the valve and dash-pot, substantially as described.

12. In an engine, the combination of aninlet valve working transversely of the cylinder, a vertically movable tappet actuating the inlet valve, a dash-pot acting to close said inlet valve, adjustable connections between the inlet valve and the vertically movable tappet, and adjustable connections between the vertically movable tappet and the dash-pot, substantially as described.

13. In an engine, the combination of a removable plug or'shell, inlet and outlet valves mounted in said plug and movable transversely of the-cylinder, a vertically movable sliding tappet, governor-controlled connections for regulating the position of said tappet, a pivoted, oscillating pusher operating upon said tappet to open the inlet valve, a

dash-pot for closing the inlet valve, and means ent eccentrics connected to operate each outlet valve and each pusher, substantially as described.

15. In an engine, the combination of an inlet valve, an outlet valve, a vertically adjustable tappet and an oscillating pusher for actuating the inlet valve, and toggle-levers or links for actuating the outlet valve, substantially as described.

16. In an engine, the combination of an inlet valve and an outlet valve, a vertically movable tappet, an oscillating pusher, an eccentric for actuating said pusher to open the inlet valve, a dash-pot acting to close the inlet valve, toggle levers or links connected to said outlet valve, and an eccentric for actuating said toggle levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD K. HILL. JOSEPH H. W. HOADLEY.

Witnesses:

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE, PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE.