US558838A - Triple valve - Google Patents

Description

(N o Model.)

W. E. PRINDLE. TRIPLE VALVE.

No. 568,888. Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

X H 1m; 2 8 Z 7t B l l \VILLIAM E, PRINDLE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

TRIPLE VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,838, dated April 21, 1896.

Application filed May 27, 1895. Serial No. 550,862. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. PRINDLE, of Aurora, in the county of Kane, and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Triple Valves; and I do hereby declare that .the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a vertical section through my valve, the full lines showing the moving parts in their positions when the brakes are off and the dotted lines the positions they occupy when an emergency stop is desired.

The object of my invention is to provide a triple valve for air-brake systems of such construction that its first cost will not be great, its repair not require skilled labor, the wear of parts he reduced to diminish the necessity for frequent repair, and which, withal, will be most efiicient and satisfactory in operation.

To these ends said invention consists in the triple valve having the construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter specified.

The body or casing of my valve consists of but two parts, an upper one, A, andalower one, B, that are suitably bolted together. The upper part is provided with means for the connection of the valve with the train-pipe and brake-cylinder, respectively, while the lower part is provided with means for con nection with the car-reservoir. Said means maybe any of the usual expedients employed to enable the coupling of parts such as those referred to.

The train-pipe connection at places said pipe in communication with a chamber Gin the upper casing part A, which chamber through a port or passage a communicates with a cylindrical chamber D, that is formed in the upper portion of the lower casing part B, and which chamber in turn is connected by a small port E, at the bottom thereof, with the car-reservoir connection I). Closely fitting and movable vertically in the chamber D is a piston 1*, having on its under side an extension G, that is cylindrical in form and closely fits a cylindrical chamber II, the bottom of which is provided with a seat in the form of an annular rib 71,, upon which the lower end of said extension G is adapted to rest and act as a valve.

The valve-chamber H has opening into it a horizontal port I), that connects it with the car-reservoir port I), and connecting said chamber H with a chamber I in the lower portion of the casing part B is a vertical passage K, which chamber I communicates by means of a small duct iwith the open air, and by means of a passage way L, formed in both casing parts A and I with the brakecylinder.

A puppet-valve M in the chamber I is adapted to close and open the duct or exhaust-port i, and it is guided in its movements up and down for such purpose by a vertical stem an upon its upper side that enters the passage K and a stem m upon its lower side that enters an opening n in a screw cap or plug N, which forms the lower side of the chamber 1. A coiled spring or within the opening it engages the lower end of the stem m and operates to lift the valve, when permitted so to do, to close the exhaust-port i. As the function of the valve M is simply to control the egress of air through said port, provision is made for the passage of air from the chamber H through the passage K to the chamber I by fluting the upper stem m and providing one or more vertical openings m through the valve itself that preferably register with the flutes. Upon the under side of the extension G, at its center, is a small projection g in line with and adapted to engage the upper end of the fluted stem m to move and hold the valve M off its seat to open the exhaust-port 'i.

To enable the usual communication between the train-pipe and the car-reservoir to be had when the brakes are off, so that the pressure in the reservoir maybe the same as in the train-pipe, a channel or groove (Z is provided in the side of the chamber 1) at its lower end, so that when the valve G rests upon its seat h and the piston F is consequently at its lowest position air will pass around the side of the piston and through a space left beneath the same at the bottom of the chanr berD. Besides its connection with the brakecylinder through the passage-way L the valve is also connected therewith by means of a valved port 0, that connects the chamber 0 with a chamber P, and a valved port Q, connecting the latter an d the brake-cylinder connection. The valve R of the port 0 is a vertically-movable one, and when closed prevents communication between the chambers C and P, while the the valve S of the port Q is a horizontally-moving one and is designed to prevent communication from the brakecylinder to said chamber P, a coiled spring being provided in each instance to normally hold the valve to its seat.

Extending downwardly from an arm or extension of the valve R and parallel with the line of movement of the valve is a short stem 1*, that is in line with a long stem f, extending upwardly from the center of the piston F. Both of said stems are guided in an opening a formed in a solid portion of the upper casing,and they are out of contact when the valve extension G of the piston F is upon its seat h and the valve R is upon its seat.

Packing-rings f and g, of usual construction, are respectively employed upon the pis ton F and its extension G, and either the valve-seats or the valve-faces are provided with gaskets, of leather or other suitable material.

The operation of my triple valve is as follows: Air being turned on in the train-pipe, it will enter chamber C, and passing through the port a will force the piston F down until the lower end of its extension G rests upon the seat h of the chamber II. When in this position, the piston is a short distance from the bottom of the chamber D and uncovers the groove or channel (Z, so that air can fiow around the side of the piston and through the ports or passages E and b into the car-reservoir until the pressure in the latter equals that in the train-pipe. Such pressure (the usual one of seventy pounds) is retained so long as the valves G and R remain upon their respective seats. To set the brakes slightly, the pressure in the train-pipe is reduced six or eight pounds, which, owing to the now greater pressure from the car-reservoir upon the under side of the piston F, results in the raising of said piston until its stem f strikes the stem 1" of the valve B, when it stops, because of the greater air-pressure upon the latter. This lifting of the piston F carries the under side of its extension G just above the car-reservoir port I), so that air can flow into the chamber II, thence through the passage K, and through the openings m in the valve M into the chamber I and then to the brake-cylinder through the passage-way L. No air escapes through the duct or port 1', as the valve M rises under pressure of its spring to close the same as the piston F is raised. The pressure in the car-reservoir being thus reduced below the train-pipe pressure, the consequent excess of pressure upon the upper side of the piston will cause the latter to drop sufliciently to cause the closing of the car-reservoir port I) by the extension G, and as the valve M is held to its seat both by the spring at and the air-pressure upon its under side whatever pressure is upon the brakes will be held. By further reducing the pressure in the train-pipe the action of the piston F will be repeated, and the pressure in the car-reservoir and the brake-cylinder being thus equalized the brakes be fully set to make a service stop.

To apply the brakes instantaneously with full force, as when an emergency stop is desired, pressure in the train-pipe is suddenly reduced ten or twelve pounds. The great excess of pressure thus caused upon the under side of piston F moves the same suddenly upward, and its stem f, striking the stem r of the valve R with superior force, lifts said valve and permits a large volume of air directly from the train-pipe to flow into and through chamber P and, forcing open the valve Q, into the brake-cylinder.

As the lifting of the piston extension G uncovers the car-reservoir port 2), air will be discharged from said reservoir, as heretofore described, to the brake-cylinder, and, uniting with the air from the train-pipe, result in the production of a large volume of air of an average pressure sufficient to instantly set the brakes. \Vhen pressure in brake-cylinder, train-pipe, and car-reservoir is equalized, the valve Q is closed, and also the valve R, unless the brakes were applied by the breaking of the train-pipe. lVhen the latter is the case, only the former valve closes, preventing return of air through the port closed thereby, while escape of air into the chamber 0 through the port a is prevented by the closing of the latter by the piston F, which is kept raised by the pressure upon its under side. The closing of the valve Q and the holding of the piston F in a raised position thus maintain full pressure upon the brakes.

The brakes are released by compressing the air in the train-pipe to force the piston E to its lowest position, and by the engagement of the projection g of valve G with the fluted stem of the valve M, moving the latter downward to uncover the duct or passage 2' to permit the escape therethrough to the atmosphere of the air in the brake-cylinder.

The length of the valve-chamber II is such,

relative to the distance the valve G moves, that at no time is the latter entirely withdrawn therefrom. It will be noted that I employ no slide-valves, and thus avoid the undue wear of parts which characterizes this form of valve, and that I operate the emergency-stop valve R directly from the main piston, a feature that simplifies and cheapens the construction of a triple valve Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a triple valve, the combination of the main piston, adapted to be acted upon by pressure from the train-pipe and the car-reservoir, a valve carried by the piston, controlling communication between the car-reservoir and the brake-cylinder, and a perforated IIO valve in the passage from the reservoir to the cylinder, to control an exhaust-opening, the perforation, or perforations in the valve serving for the passage of air to the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a triple valve, the combination of the main piston, adapted to be acted upon by pressure from the train-pipe and the car-reservoir, a valve connected with said piston, within a chamber communicating by separate passages with the car-reservoir and the brakecylinder, respectively, and a perforated valve in the passage between said chamber and the brake-cylinder, to control an exhaust-opening serving for the passage of air to the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a triple valve, the combination of the main piston adapted to be acted upon by WILLIAM E. PRINDLE.

WVitnesses O. A. PIERPONT, ALLAN ISBELL.

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