US576514A

US576514A - To the electro steam

Info

Publication number: US576514A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1914-02-02

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. W. BROWN.

' APPARATUS FOR STOPPING ENGINES. No. 576,514. Patented Feb, 2, 1897.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2."v

. (No Model.)

G. W. BROWN. APPARATUS FOR STPPING ENGINES.

Patente INVEN-rm:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILMAN IV. BROIVN, OF VEST NEVVBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TIIE ELECTRO STEAM APPLIANCE COMPANY,

OE NEV JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR STOPPlNG ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,514, dated February 2, 1897.

Application led October 4, 1895. Serial No. 564,583. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GILMAN W. BROWN, of lVest Newbury, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus of the character described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 544,085, granted to me August G, IS95, for improvement in apparatus for stopping engines, said apparatus including a casing adapted to form a part of the steam-conduit which supplies the engine and provided with a steam-outlet and With a cylinder having a vent, an outlet-closing valve within the casing adapted to be held in its closed position bythe steam-pressure, a valveoperating piston in said cylinder and connected with the outlet-valve, a vent-controlling valve adapted to close said vent, and means for opening said vent-controlling valve to permit the escape of steam from the cylinder at one side of the valve-operating piston, so that steam-pressure in said casin g may displace the piston and thus at the saine time close the steam-conduit,shutting off the steam from the engine and opening the steam-outlet to the atmosphere.

In my above-mentioned patent I show as the means for opening the vent-controlling valve a Weight adapted to be set for action and to open said valve when released and a let-off mechanism for releasing said Weight.

My present invention has for its object to enable the vent-valve to be opened directly by the power of the engine Without the employment of an actuating-Weight; and to this end the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawingsfforming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a side elevation of a portion of the vent-pipe and the vent-controlling valve, together with vent operating mechanism embodying my present invention, portions of the vent-operating mechanism being shown in section. Fig. 2 represents an elevation of the construction shown in Fig. l from a different point of view. Fig. 3 representsa section on line 3 .3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents an elevation showing parts of the mechanism. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. G represents a side elevation of an engine provided with my improvement.

The same letters of reference indicate the saine parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the vent-tube, which communicates with the cylinder containing the valve-operating piston described in my above-mentioned patent.

a represents the casing of the vent-controlling valve connected With said vent-tube.

a2, Eig. 3, represents the valve, Which is adapted to open and close said vent-tube, and a3 represents the stem of said valve, said stem being provided with a screw-thread a4, engaging an internal thread in the bonnet a5 of thevalve, so that when said stem is rotated the valve will be moved toward or from its seat, as the case may be, this being a common globe-valve of Well-known construction. The opening of the valve causes a release of steam-pressure at one side of the valve-operating piston, so that the steam-pressure moves the piston and stops the engine, as fully described in my above-mentioned patent, to which reference may be had.

b represents a rotary actuator, which is here shown as a pulley, the hub of which is mounted to rotate upon a bearing formed upon the valve-bonnet d5.

The actuator b may receive motion from a suitable part of the engine, such as the main shaft, through a belt s, running from said shaft upon the periphery of the actuating device or pulley o or through any other suitable means.

o represents an arm pivoted at c to the actuator Z) and provided with a Weight c2 and with a paWl c3.

d represents a ratchet formed on the flange of a disk or hand-Wheel d, which is affixed to the valve-'stern a3, said ratchet being formed to engage the pawl c3 under the conditions hereinafter described. The paWl c is normally held out of engagement With the ratchet by means of a spring e, connected at one end with the actuator l) and at the other end With the IOO weighted arm c. The force of the spring c is sufficient to hold the pawl c3 out of engagement with the ratchet d, as shown in Fig. 2, when the actuator CZ is rotating at its normal or at a safe rate of speed, the arrangement being such, however, that when the speed of the actuator b is increased beyond a predetermined rate the arm c will be displaced by centrifugal force against the force of the spring e, and will therefore engage the pawl ca with the ratchet d, the result being the rotation of the valve-stem, the opening of the valve, and the stoppage of the engine. g

My improvements also include means for connecting the rotary actuator ZJ with the valve-stem by means under control of attendants or workmen, so that the engine can be stopped whenever occasion requires, said means bein g preferably electrically controlled and comprising, iirst, a stud or shaft t', journaled in a bearing in the rotary actuator b and extending through the same, a pawl il', secured to one end of said stud at one side of said actuator, and an arm i?, secured to the other end of the stud at the other side of the actuator. The pawl i is arranged so that it may be moved into engagement with the ratchet d, and is normally held out of engagement with said ratchet by any suitable means, such as a spring i* represents a stop or detent which is movable into'and out of the path through which the arm 2 revolves, said stop ac ting when projected into said path to bear against one side of the arm i2, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4, and thus turn the stud z' so as to move the pawl t" into engagement with the ratchet. The stop i4 is here shown as secured to the iron core of a solenoid, of which i is the coil or helix. Said coil is connected in the usual manner with an electric circuit, and when energized by the closure of the circuit moves the core in the direction indicated by the arrow marked thereon, thus projecting the stop v2f* into the path of the arm 2 and causing the opening of the vent-controlling valve. Vhen the coil i6 is demagnetized, the core i5 is released and is retracted from the path of the arm i2 by means of a light spring i7.

The coil i6 may be included iu an electric circuit which extends to various parts of the establishment where the engine is used, and may be provided with circuit-closing devices or push-buttons at various points.

It will be seen that the weighted arm c and the pawl c3 affixed thereto constitute a coupling or transmitting device normally in po- `sition to make the actuator inoperative and connects the actuator with the valve when the speed of the engine exceeds a predetermined rate. I believe it to be broadly new to open a vent-controlling valve by means of an actuator driven by the power of the engine and provided with an automatic coupling or transmitting device which acts only when the speed of the engine increases above a predetermined rate. I do not therefore conne myself to the details of mechanism in which my invention is here shown as embodied, as said details may bevariously modiiied without departing from thc spirit of the invention.

I claiml. VIn an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a vent-controlling valve, of an actuator moved by the power of the engin e, and a coupling device or clutch member actuated bythe power of the engine to connect the actuator with the valve for the purpose described.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a vent-controlling valve and a ratchet affixed to the stem of said valve, of a rotary actuator driven by the power of t-he engine and carrying a pawl normally out of engagement with said ratchet,

said pawl adapted to be moved into engage ment therewith by the power of the engine through centrifugal force substantially as described. f

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a valve-casing, and a vent-controlling valve therein having a screw-threaded stem in engagement with a screw-threaded bore in the casing; Vof a ratchet-wheel affixed on said stem, a pulley loosely mounted on the casing surrounding the stem and adapted to be driven by the power of the engine, and a Weighted ratchet carried by said pulley and adapted to be thrown into engagement with the ratchet- .fheel by centrifugal force, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising a vent-controlling valve, an actuator therefor moved by the power of the engine, two independent coupling devices or clutch members, one adapted to be operated by the power of the engine to automatically connect the actuator with the valve, and manually-controlled means for operating the other clutch member to connect the actuator with the valve at the will of an attendant, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 19th day of September, A. D. 1895.

GILMAN XV. BROVN. lVitnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON.

IOO

IIO