US830459A - Air-current governor. - Google Patents

Description

N0- 830,459. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

S. P. SMITH.

AIR CURRENT GOVERNOR.

APPLmATION FILED JULY5,1904- ITIJD STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

SOLOMON P. SMITH, OF WA ERFORD,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FUEL SAVING COMPANY, OF UTIOA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK AIR-CURRENT GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed July 5, 1904, Serial No. 215,387.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SOLOMON P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterford, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Current Governors, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to securing an approximately constant flow of air in the conduits of heating and ventilating apparatus whatever the air-pressure or the velocity of the air-current approaching the regulatingpoint. The desired result is accomplished by means of a pivoted or hinged valve carefully balanced and adapted to oscillate with a varying current diminishing the capacity of the passage automatically in such manner that the unobstructed portion of the passage varies nearly inversely with the velocity, and thus the flowis kept approximately constant. To secure the result just mentioned, the valve is made capable of entirely or nearly closing the passage and is normally in such position that the passage is but slightly obstructed. As the valve swings from normal toward passageclosing position its movement is opposed by a gradually-increasing resistance, which when the currents force diminishes automatically returns the valve toward normal position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air-conduit with the side nearest the observer removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail view looking in the direction of the arrow a of In the figures, A represents an ordinary airconduit of rectangular cross-section, such as often supplies to domestic furnaces air to be heated, and B represents a valve pivotally mounted therein to swing upon an axis 0 at some distance below the upper wall of the conduit. The valve is formed from a preferably plane sheet by bending the lateral edges of the same upward, as shown at D, and bending the body of the sheet nearly at right angles near the pivotal axis, whereby its rear end E extends downward and occupies nearly the same vertical space as the longer and more nearly horizontal forward end portion. Upon this rear end is secured a weight F,

ward part of the whose distance from the axis may be adjustably fixed by means of screws or the like.

Normally a light current of air is divided, part passing below the balanced valve and a less portion passing above it. The current being in the direction of the arrow 6, Fig. 1, exerts pressure only on the upper side of the forward portion of the valve, and so soon as the current overcomes the slight friction of the parts and the slight resistance of the weight the valve rocks downward, lessening the area of the passage below the axis. The greater the pressure the greater the motion of the valve and the less the part of the passage left free. A very violent current might practically close the passage momentarily, the forvalve swinging slightly beyond a vertical line through the axis and the rear portion moving upward into contact with the upper wall of the conduit. Air entering with undue velocity swings the front portion of the valve downward, reducing the area of the passage below the valve, but Without at first raising the rear portion above the horizontal plane of the axis, or, in other words, without reducing the area of the passage above the valve; but as the air striking the valve is itself deflected upward across the upper channel the velocity of the air through the latter is materially decreased by the cross-current. A much greater air-pressure further closes the lower channel and partially obstructs the upper one, and finally such velocity as would cause a greatly-increased dein spite of the regulating actionjust described may momentarily close or very.

livery of air nearly close both channels. The working of this apparatus is thus quite different from that wherein a valve is pivoted at the upper side of the conduit and provided with a counterweight, so as to have a somewhat similar oscillating movement. It may also be noted that this apparatus, rarely closing, is usually noiseless. Whatever the strength of the current, as soon as it falls so far as to permit the weight instantly moves the valve again toward normal position. It is to be observed that normally the weight is nearly below the axis, and hence, little force being needed to swing it pendulu m-like, the valve is extremely sensitive to the ordinary slight changes. As

' the currentincreases the weight moves farther from the vertical line through the axis, and as its lever-arm is thus increased its resistance increases to a maximum when it is in'the horizontal plane of the axis.

hat I claim is- 1. The combination with a conduit, of a valve balanced to rock upon a horizontal, transverse axis at some distance below the upper Wall of the conduit andhaving front and rear wings downwardly and oppositely inclined from said axis in position to normally obstruct the space'between the upper and lower unobstructed branches of the air-'current in the conduit.

2. The combination with a conduit, of a valve rocking upon a horizontal, transverse axis and having-the parts in front and rear of said axis oppositely and downwardly-inclined and normally obstructing thesame stratum of air lying between unobstructed upper and lower strata ofmaterial thickness, and a counterweight'secured upon the rear part to oppose gradually-increasing resistance to the increase of the inclination of the front portion.

3. The combination with a conduit, of a valve within the conduit pivoted up on a horizontal, transverse axis normally leaving unobstructed passage-ways above and below the valve, having a downwardly and forwardly inclined wing adapted to progressively narrow the channel below the valve as it swings rearwardly under pressure of entering air, and also having a second wing normally protected by the first from the force of entering air and arranged-to progressively narrow the channel-above the valve after the wing. first mentioned has largely decreased the lower channel.

In: testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in-the' presence of two subscribing witnesses:

SOLOMON P. SMITH;

Witnesses:

DANIEL H. SMITH, GEO. A. REYNOLDS.

Images