USRE1112E - Improvement in the method of opening and closing the valves of steam-engines - Google Patents

Description

New York, have invented a new f are the stufIing-boxes for valvestems.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK E. SIOKELS, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD 0F OPENING AND CLOSING THE VALVES OF STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,802, dated October 19, 1844; Reissue No. 1,1 l2, dattd January 1, 1861.

DIVISION A.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, FREDERICK ELswoarH SIcKELs, ofthe city of New York and State of and useful improvement on the apparatus for opening and closing the steam and exhaust valves of steamengines, so that the steam will act with greater practical efcien cy than it would without the improvement hereinafter practically described, it being of such a nature as to be easily-and advantageously arranged for and applied to variously-arranged steam-engines.

Figure 1 is a drawing of the steam-chest, side pipes, and the apparatus immediately connected with and used to work the steam and exhaust valves of steam-engines as generally arranged for lowpressure double-valve beamengines, excepting such parts as are altered for the purpose of showing my improvement .hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, steam-chest. B b are the side pipes. are the bonnets on the steam chest.

A c is the C G2 c c2. DD2d d2 E E2 e e2 are the valve-stems. F F2 f f2 are the lifters. G G2 are the lifting-rods. H H2 h h2 are the bearings for lifting-rods. I I2 are the feet on lifting-rods. K K2 are the toes on the rockshaft. L L2 are the bearings for rockshaft. M is the rock-shaft. Nis the rock-shaft arm. P P2 are the upper valvenuts on the upper steam and exhaust valve stems, the lower ones being similar, but not represented in the drawing. O is the rock-shaft pin, to which the eccentric rod is connected.

I will now describe the usual combination and arran gem en t,together with the usual Inode of operating the heretofore-mentioned parts, in connection with the accompanying drawing, for the purpose of hereinafter more particularly showing the distinct-ion between the usual Inode and my mode of and improvement in arranging and combining them so a-s to produce new and useful results.

As the pin O moves in the direction from 7 toward 2, the toe K2 acts upon the foot I2 and causes it t0 rise, thereby opening the upper steam and lower exhaust valves, the valvestem nuts being so placed upon the valvestems as to cause the valves to open at the same time, or nearly so, the lifters commence to move; and by the movement of the pin O, returning in the direction from 2 toward 7, the foot l2 lowers, causing the upper steam and lower exhaust valves to close, this taking place while the engine is completing one-half of its stroke, after which, continuing the motion of the pin O in the direction from 2 to.- ward 7, the toes K K2 being so placed upon the rock-shaft M in connection with the feet I I2 that the toe K comes in contact with the foot I and causes it to rise and the upper exhaust and lower steam valves to open, the valve-stem nuts being placed, as before described, on the valve-stems; and by the movement of the pin O in the direction from 7 toward 2, returning, the toe K acts upon the foot I, allowing it to lower and allows the upper exhaust and lower steam valves to close, this taking place while the engine is completing the other halfstroke, the pin O being moved by the agency of the eccentric of the engine.

It will be seen, therefore, from the foregoing description ofthe usual mode of opening and closing the steam and exhaust valves of steam engines that while one liftingrod with feet,

litters, and valves attachedris in motion the other lifting-rod with its attachments remains stationary.

I I will now describe the nature of Amy improvement, which consists in so regulating the periods of the movements of the valves as to leave the piston free to complete each stroke; also, to give any desirable lead to the exhaustvalves, and allow the piston to be in equilibrio near the completion of its stroke, (it not being absolutely necessary, if desirable, to givea lead to the steam-valves, as heretofore,) which is effected by opening the lower exhaust-valve before the end of the upward stroke of the pioton and before the upper exhaust-valve is closed, and opening the upper exhaust-valve before the end of the downward stroke of the piston and before the lower exliaustvalve is closed, the steaIn-valve being opened without a lead and after the exhaust-valve on the corresponding end of the cylinder has been closed.l

My improvement Vfurther consists in a pecu- I liar arrangement of the toes on the rock-shaft, feet on the lifting-rods, and the connection of ett'ect which such combination has upon the the liftcrs with the valve-stems to carry into effect the above stated improvements.

The toes K' K2 are so placed, as represented in the drawing, in connection with tl1efeet I I2 so that before ihe toe K2 has ceased to act upon the foot l2 the other toe, K, coni- `mences the raising of its foot I,`and so that before the toe Kl has ceased to lower its foot Il the other toe, K2, has commenced to raise its foot l2. As, by the moving of the rockshaft pin O in the direction from 7 toward 2 the foot I will commence to descend in the direction from 3 toward 4, and the foot I2 to raise in the direction from 5 toward 6; then by a further motion of the pin O in the dithe valve-stem nut P2 and the lifter E2, as shown in the drawing, the under suiface of the upper valve-stem nut, P2, being placed so far above the lifter which acts upon it as the toe I2 raises, while the toe I is descending by continuing the motion ot' the pin O in the direction from 7 toward 2. When the foot I has iinished its motion and the upper exhaustvalve closes, the upper steam-valve opens in consequence of the lifter F2 being brought in contact with the valve-stem nut P2; then by the motion of the pin 0 in the direction from 2 toward 7 in returning, and as the upper steamvalve, closes the toe K comes' in contact with the foot I', raising it, at the same time opening the upper exhaustvalve, this taking place during half the revolution of the engine, and by continuing the motion of the pin 0 in the direction from 2 toward 7, and as the toe K2 alf lows the foot l2 to lower and tlielower exhaustvalve to close, the toe K continuing to raise, the foot I continues the rise of the upper eX-4 haust-valve, causing the lower steam-valve to open as the lit'ter Il acts upon the nut of the stem of the lower steam-valve in the saine manner as the upper lifter, F2, acts upon the nut P2 on the stein of the upper steam-valve, ,as liereinbefore described; and by continuing the motion of the pin O in the direction from 2 toward 7 the toe K continues to raise the foot Il with the upper exhaust and the lower steam valves then in returning in the direcallowed the foot I to complete its descent, the toe K2 continues to raise the foot I2; then by a motion of the pin O in the direction from 2 toward 7 in returning after the toe K2 has allowed the foot I2 to lower some distance, andV during the progress of the foot I2 downward, the toe K commences to act and raises the foot l, this taking place during one half the revolution of the engine. By a further motion of the pin 0 in the direction from 2 toward 7 the toe K continues to raise the foot I after the toe K2has allowed the foot I2 to complete its descent; then by the motion of the pin 0 in the direction from 7 toward 2 in returning the toe Kl allows the foot I to descend, and after the foot l has descended some distance and is yet on its downward motion the toe K2 comes in contact with and commences to raise the foot I2, this taking place during the other haltl revolution ofthe engine. The descent of one toe and one foot while the other is rising takes place at or near the center of the engine, the pin O being moved by the eccentric of the engine inthe direction from 7 toward 2, as shown in the drawing, and also in the direction from 2 toward 7 in returning. The nuts attached to the stems of the steam-valves are so haust and the lower steam valves to lower, and as the lower steam-valve shuts' the lower exhaustvalve opens in consequence of the action of the toe K2 on the foot I2 and the connection ot'z these valves as hereinbefore mentioned, this taking place during the other halfrevolution of the engine. L is a movable bearing, supporting one end ot' the rock-shalt M, which is operated upon by screwsR r, so as to raise or lower the rockshaft, so as to vary or suspend the operation of my improved combination and arrangement hereinbefore described.

I have herein Iirst described the usual mode of opening and closing the steam and exhaust valves o steam-engines, and lastly described of the litters operating thereon of an inch, more or less, and to be equal, or nearly so, to the rise ofthe toes above the upper surface of the rock-shaft.

Having thus far explained my improved combination and arrangement of the relative position ot' the toes and the feet, and also the motion of the toes and feet, I will now 'explain my improved combination of the relative position ofthe toes and feet and their connection with the steam and exhaust valves, and

of the apparatus for opening and closing steam and exhaust valves in steam-engines, as represented in the accompanying drawings, being well aware that there are various ways by working oi' steam-engines.

As the pin O moves in the direction of from 7 toward 2, and while the toe K2 acts upon the foot I2 and raises it with the lowerexhaustvalve, and while the toe K allows the foot I with the upper exhaust-valve to lower, the upper steam-valve remains unmoved in consequence of the position and arrangement of chanical principles. y

The movable bearing in the drawing for modifying or suspending the operation of my improved combination eanbe made to' raise and lower by means of a lever attached to it so as to be readily worked by the engineer when desired.

whichl my combination can be applied to suit Vwlinnn-A In engines having separate rock-shafts to open and close each valve a variation of the length of the connection between the respective rock-shafts, combined with the slip between the connections working the steamvalves, would constitute and be one method of carrying out my improved combination. Another mode is by placing pieces or cams upon the toes, vor rock-shafts without toes, or yby modifying the shape of the feet upon the lifting-rods, by placing cams thereon or otherwise, so as to operate in connection with the other parts described in the drawing.

In engines having one rock-shaft to work the steamvalves and another to work the exhaust-'valves my improved combination would be produced by altering the position of the rock-shaft with the nuts on the valve-` stems of the steam-valves and their relative position to the valves as herein set forth any desirable lead may be given to the exhaustvalves without the piston of the steam-cylinder being subjected to an'yiopposing force or difficulty in consequence thereof, which et'ect cannot be produce d by any device heretofore known or used. Besides, both exhaust-valves may together be open for a desirable moment of time, so that the piston of the steam-cylinder shall be iu equilibrio when it shall nearly have completed its stroke, thereby being enabled to shut a portion ot the steam being exhausted in the steam-chest nearest the piston, that it may be used in combination with steam emitted from the boiler to drive the piston the return-stroke.

By the use of my combination the unequal application of force to the paddle-wheels, which communicates a sudden and alternate impetus as Well as much tremulous motion, to a steamer, and which has more or less tendency to shake the engine out of line,'will be in a great measure, it' not wholly, overcome.

Having thus fully described the nature of my improvement in the combination of the toes attached to the rock-shaft with the nuts attached tothe stems of the steam-valves, and the relative rise of the toes above the upper surface of the rock-shaft starting at the connecting point even with the upper surface, and the slip of the lifters upon the steamvalve stems, with the peculiar and relative operation ot' the valves for admitting to and exhaustingsteam from the cylinders of steamengines in a more eflicieut and practical manner than by an means heretofore known or used, causing various parts ot' the engine to perform with much greater facility, thereby increasing speed or saving steam or fuel.

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

l. My improvement iu the periods of the movements of the valves, by which they are opened and closed relatively to each other and to the movement of the piston, by means of which the piston completes each stroke in equilibrio, or nearly so, without admitting steam against the movement of the piston by a lead to the steam-valves, which is effected, as before stated, by opening thelower exhaustvalve before the end of the upward stroke of the piston and before the upper exhaust-valve is closed, and opening the upper exhaustvalve before the end of the downward stroke of the piston and before the lower exhaustvalves is closed, the movement of the steamvalves being so regulated as to admit steam to the cylinder only after the exhaust-valve on the corresponding end of the cylinder has been closed. 1,

2. The arrangement of' the toes and the rockshaft in such a manner relatively to the location and form of the Vfeet on the' lifting-rods that at the middle or nearly so-of the rocking motion of the rock-shaft, both lifting-rods with their exhaust-valves, shall be partly up, as herein described.

3. In combination with this arrangement, the slip of the litters on the steam-valve stems, as described, to insure the closing of the eX- haust-valves before the opening ofthe steamvalves on the corresponding ends of the cylinder, as herein described.

FREDERICK E. SICKELS.

Witnesses:

T. E. SIcKELs, T. I. MURPHEY.

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