US641754A - Lubricating attachment for gate-valves. - Google Patents

Description

Nu. 64!,754. Patented Jan. 23. 1900;

w. n. ADDICKS.

LUBBICATING ATTACHMENT FOR GATE VALVES.

(Application filed may 13, 1899.)

(No Model.)

E V 2 WI NESSEE: I INVENTEIR 0 'gwwm NIED TATES WALTER R. ADDIGKS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUBRICATING ATTACHMENT FOR GATE-VALVES.

"srEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,754, dated January 23, 1900.

Application filed May 13,1899.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER R. ADDICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lubricating Attachments for Gate-Valves, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to that class of valves which are used in water and gas mains and other underground situations. In order to keep the operating mechanism of such valves properly lubricated, it has been necessary heretofore to locate the valve in a permanent pit or chamber, usually constructed of brick and iron and of considerably greater dimensions than the valve itself and intended to be substantially dirt-proof, and to provide means whereby the attendant can enter said pit or chamber to apply the lubricant. Aside from the considerable ground-space occupied by such pit or chamber and the cost of its construction and maintenance this method of locating such valves is open to the further objection that in spite of the precautions taken particles of dust and grit and bodies of water find their way into the pit or chamber and settle upon the exposed working parts of the valve-operating mechanism, thereby hastening the wear of said parts and increasing the power required to operate them or rendering them inoperative. I have found that these and other objections to such method of locating this class of valves can be obviated by providing the valve with a lubricating attachment in the form of an oil-chamber immediately surrounding and inclosing the valve-operating mechanism; and my inven tion consists in a valve provided with such attachment, as hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters and figures designate like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate-valve provided with a lubricating attachment embodying the invention, the gate-operating mechanism being shown by broken lines. Fig. 2 is an end View of the attachment looking toward the right in Fig. 1. Fig.

Serial No. 716,670. (No model.)

3 is a partial side view of the valve-body, illus trating one manner of securing the attachment to existing valves. Fig. 4 is an end view thereof, and Fig. 5 a detail to be referred to.

The letterA designates the valve-body,hav= ing the water or gas way A; B, the gate or valve thereof for closing said way; 0, the gate=operating spindle; D, the bracket bolted to the end of said body and supporting the outer end of said spindle; E, the bevel-gear on the spindle; F, the vertical shaft supported by said bracket and carrying at its lower end the bevel-gear F, which meshes with said gear E, and at its upper end the angular head F to receive a wrench, and G the stuffing-box surrounding the spindle of a common form of gate-valve, said spindle, its gear and stuffing-box, the bracket, and the parts supported by the same being shown in Figs 1 and 5. This form of valve disposed horizontally, as shown in Fig. 1, is used in water and other mains where it is located several feet beneath the ground, as hereinbefore stated, a wrench with a handle long enough to reach above the surface being employed to actuate the shaft F to open and close the valve. The bearings of the spindle and of shaft F in the bracket and the intermeshing teeth of the gears require liberal lubrication to enable the valve, which is of considerable weight, to be operated easily, and such lubrication has heretofore been attended with the difficulties hereinbefore enumerated. In the practice of my invention I surround said valve-operating mechanism with a casing open at one end for the reception of the valve-operating gears and forming a chamber capable of receiving and holding a lubricant and secure said casing to the valve-body, the head F of shaft F being allowed to project through the top of said casing to receive the operating-wrench. In newly constructing a valve in accordance with the invention the cap portion of the body A will be formed with a flange H, as shown in Fig. 1, having substantially the outline shown in Fig. 2 to receive a corresponding flange J on the chamber J, and bolts 2, passing through said flanges, securely fasten the casing to the body in such manner as to prevent the escape of the lubricant from the former. The casing J can be formed in a single piece of cast-iron or other metal; but as, in that case, to remove the casing from the valve-body when the latter is in its operative position would require that the excavation should exceed the length of the valve by more than the length of the easing, I prefer to make it in three sections-to wit, an upper section 3, forming the upper half thereof, and two lower sections 4 and 5, forming the lower half thereofsaid sections being flanged and bolted together, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sectional casing thus formed can be applied to or removed from a valve in an excavation but slightly longer, if any, than the valve itself, thereby reducing the necessary size of the excavation to a minimum. A removable cover J at the top of said casing J, through which passes the upper end of shaft F, prevents the entrance of dirt around said shaft and enables the casing to be supplied with lubricant and to be replenished whenever required. The casing thus applied being provided with lubricant, ease of operation of the valve operating mechanism is assured at all times, with practically no wear of the parts, the casing preventing the entrance of any dirt, grit, or water to said parts.

In applying the lubricating-chamber to existin g valves which do not have the flange H, but do usually have a smaller flange K, (see Fig. 3,) to which is bolted the bracket D, I utilize the two-part flange L, (shown in Figs. 3 and 4,) which is divided vertically into two equal parts. Said flange is adapted to closely hug the flange K, and its two members are provided with laterally-projecting lugs 6 at their ends, through which pass the bolts 7, by which said members are drawn together and tightly clamped in position, the lugs 6 having inwardly-projecting extensions 8, which engage the rear side of the flange K and prevent any forward movement of said flange L. The flange L being thus secured to the valvebody, the chamber J is applied as before described. The various joints of the casin g are rendered water-tight by packing or in any other usual manner.

By means of this simple and comparatively inexpensive attachment I materially enhance the ease and certainty of operation of this class of valves under all circumstances, greatly prolong the effective life of the valveoperating mechanism, and effect a material saving in the cost of installation and maintenance thereof by reducing the necessary area of the excavation and dispensing with the permanent structure of the receiving pit or chamber.

From the above description it will be seen that my invention renders it possible to entirely do away with any pit or chamber for this class of valves, as the valves provided with the lubricating attachment herein described can be simply buried in the ground with a pipe or other inclosed passage extending therefrom to the surface to permit the operating-wrench to be applied to the end of shaft F.

In order to dispense with the use of a stuffing-box or packing around the shaft F, the said shaft may be normally protected by a cap 10, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) screw-threaded on its interior to engage an exteriorly-threaded annular flange 12 on the cover J the cap 10 being provided with a stem 13, which may be of the same size as the end of the shaft F, so that the same wrench or key may fit both, or

the stem 13 may be made of a different size,

so as to require the use of a different key or wrench from that which will fit the shaft F.

I claim 1. The combination with a valve-body, a gate or valve, and mechanism. extended outside said body for operating said gate or valve, of a casing secured to said valve-body and provided with an opening through which said valve-operating mechanism extends into said casing, and means within said casing to support the valve-operating mechanism independent of said casing, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a valve having its operating mechanism located at one end of the body thereof, of a casing composed of a plurality of sections detachably connected one to another to be removed in different directions and shaped to form an opening at one end, means to secure the open end of said sectional casing to said valve, and means within said sectional casing to support the valveoperating mechanism independent of said casing, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a valve having the body A provided with the flange H and having valve-operating mechanism comprising the spindle O, shaft F, gears E and F, and supporting-bracket D, of the casing J having the flange J which is secured to the flange II on said body as described, said casinginclosin g said valve-operating mechanism and having at its upper side an opening through which projects the end of the shaft F of said mechanism, substantially as de scribed.

4. The combination with a valve and its operatin g mechanism, of easing J secured to the valve body and inclosing said operating mechanism, said casing being composed of the sections 3, 4 and 5 flanged and bolted together as described, and having the removable cover J 5. The combination with a valve-body, a gate or valve, and mechanism extended outside of said body for operating said gate or valve, of a casingjsecured to said valve-body and provided with an opening through which said valve-operating mechanism extendsinto said casing, and having a second opening at an angle to the first-mentioned opening and through which said valve-operating mechanism is aotuated, and means within said casing to support the valve-operating mechanism separate from said casing, substantially as described.

-6. The combination with a valve-body, a gate or valve, and mechanism extended outside of said body for operating said gate or valve, of a casing secured to said valve-body and provided with an opening through which said valve-operating mechanism extends into said casing, and having a second opening provided with a cover, and a cap cooperating with said cover.

7. The combination with a valve-body, a gate or valve, and mechanism extended outside of said body for operating said gate or valve, of a casing secured to said valve-body and provided with an opening through which said valve-operating mechanism extends into said casing, and having a second opening through which said valve-operating mechanism is actuated, and a cap to render said valve-operating mechanism normally inac-

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