US593399A

US593399A - Thermostatic valve

Info

Publication number: US593399A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 1914-11-09

Description

(No Model.)

- M. LEITGH. THERMOSTATIG VALVE.

No. 593,399. Patented Nov. 9, 1897.

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Inventor.

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Attorney.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MEREDITH LEITOH, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WVARREN WEBSTER AND COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

THERMO-STATIC VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,399, dated November 9, 1897. Application filed January 5, 1897. Serial No. 618,023. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MEREDITH LEITCH, of Richmond, Henric'o county, Virginia, have invented an Improvement in Thermostatic Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates'to thermostatic valves; and it consists of the improvements which are fully set forth in the following specification re and shown in the accompanying drawings. My invention relates particularly to valves of that class which employ an expansible member which expands and operates the valve when its temperature is raised. Ordinarily such valves are regulated to close when the expansible member is subjected to steam and to open when it is subjected to water or air. In the many valves of this character the chief difficulty has been met in providing a satisfactory expansible piece, which must be both sensitive and durable. In that class of valves in which the expansible member is formed of composition of matter great difficulties have been met owing to want of durability and the liability of the expanding memher to become bent and injured owing to careless adjustment, so that after considerable use the expanding members are liable to operate defect-ively and must either be readjusted or replaced. In that class of valves in which metallic expansible members have been used difficulty has been met in making the valve sufficiently sensitive. In both classes facility of adjustment has been lacking. IVhere valves are applied to radiators filled with steam, the adjustment may of course be accomplished by observing their operation; but when the valves are applied to cold radiators in the erection of a steam-heating system great difficulty has been met in making a proper adjustment. The difficulty has been due to the liability of screwing the expansible members down too tight,which, in addition to preventing the valves from operating and rendering a readjustment necessary after the radiators are in use, is liable to permanently injure the valve. 4

It is the object of this invention to provide a valve of simple construction which may be easily and accurately adjusted as well when the radiator is cold as when it is filled with steam and without liability of the expansible member being screwed down so tight as to be bent or injured.

Incarrying out my invention I employ an adjustable core-piece carried by the valvebody and an expansible piece supported at one end by the core-piece and carrying on its other or free end thevalve-piece, which is so located as to be immediately adjacent to the end of the core-piece. The effect of this construction is that in the aj ustment of the valve when the core-piece is screwed down until the valve-piece is firmly pressed upon its seat the end of the core-piece abuts against the valvepiece and further adjustment is prevented,

and there is consequently no danger of the expansible piece becoming bent or injured. The fitter knows that the valve-piece is just on the seat, and with a couple of turns in the reverse direction the core and valve-piece will be moved back just sufficiently to be in operative position. Thus the valvemay be accurately adjusted at all times.

My invention also includes the combination,

with the valve-body provided with its valve-' seat and the valve-piece adapted to close thereon, of a compound metallic spiral expanding piece carrying the valve-piece at one end and a core-piece supported by the body and supporting the spiral expanding piece at the opposite end to that which carries the valve-piece and extending through the spiral piece and in substantial contact withit to pre vent it from bending and thus interfering with the operation of the valve-piece.

In the drawings, Figure l is avertical sectional view of a thermostatic valve embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the expanding member, with the compound spiral expansion-piece in vertical section.

A is the usual body of the valve.

B is the valve-seat.

C is the bonnet, and D is the cap which fits on the end of the bonnet.

E is the thermostatic expanding piece, con-- sisting of a core F, valve-piece G, and compound metallic piece H, composed of two metals of difierent degrees of expansibilitysuch as steel and brass-arranged in the form of a spiral about the core F and secured at its upper end to the core F and at its lower end to the valve-piece G.

The piece E is provided with a threaded end I, which is screwed into the internallythreaded top of the bonnet O and by means of which the expanding piece may be adjusted with reference to the valve-seat B.

J is a lock-nut within the threaded top of the bonnet 0, above the threaded end I of the piece E, to lock the expanding piece in place.

The core H is extended so that its end h will be immediately above the upper end of the valve-piece G. I have shown the latter provided with a-shank g, which extends up.

to the end h of the core H. The special advantage of this construction is that it greatly facilitates the adjustment of the valve and prevents it being screwed down too tight.

When the valve-piece G is forced upon the seat B, further adjustment of the piece E will force the end h of the core H upon the shank g of the valve-piece, and further movementis impossible. To adjust the valve, therefore, it is only necessary to screw down the core H until its movement is arrested and then to make a couple of turns in the opposite direction, which will be sufficient to lift the valvepiece G from the seat B to just about the desired extent. Thus these valves may be easily 'pansibility of the component metals causes the piece to expand or unwind, and this presses the valve-piece G upon the seat B. When the piece H becomes cooled when subjected to water or air, it contracts and lifts the valvepiece G.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a single spiral piece H is used. If desired, two or more such pieces may be employed, as in the construction illustrated in Fig. 2,'in which, instead of the single spiral I-I, two spirals H H are employed.

In the drawings I have shown a screen K, surrounding the expanding member E. This is to prevent the passage of dirt or injurious matter through the valve.

While Iprefer the details of construction shown, they maybe varied without departing from the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A thermostatic valve, embracing a body provided with a valve-seat, a valve-piece adapted when actuated to close upon the valve-seat, a valve-operatin g piece consisting of a compound metallic expanding piece arranged in the form of a spiral and carrying the valve-piece at one end, and a core-piece supported by the body and supporting the spiral expanding piece at the opposite end to that which carries the valve-piece and extending through the spiral piece and in substantial contact with it, so as to support said spiral piece and prevent the same from bend- 2. A valve-operating piece for a thermostatic valve embracing a central-metallic core,

a compound metallic expanding piece arranged in the form of a spiral about the core the body and supporting the other end of the expanding piece and having an extension immediately adjacent to the valve-piece and adapted to abut against it so asto limit the inward adjustment of the adjusting and expanding pieces, when the valve-piece reaches its seat.

4:. Inathermostatic valve the combination of an outer valve-body a core-piece adjustably carried by the valve-body, an expansible piece supported. by the core-piece at one end, and a valve-piece carried by the other end of the expansible piece and located immediately adjacent to the end of the core-piece, whereby the inward adjustment of the core-piece will be limited by the valve-piece when the valve-piece reaches the valve-seat.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

MEREDITH LEITOH.

Witnesses:

WARREN WEBSTER, ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER.