US1764366A - Locomotive throttle valve - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1930. F T N 1,764,366

LOCOMOTIVE THROTTLE VALVE Filed May 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l 37; I F'IGJ' W\TNESSES aZ KZ J NTR J June 17, 1930. sTUEBlNG 7 1,764,366

LOCOMOTIVE THROTTLE VALVE Filed May 5, 1927 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 WITNESSES Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT I. STUEBING, OI SCLBSDALE, NEW YORK Looono'rrvn rrmomn VALVE.

Application am m 5, 1921. Serial No. 189,101.

The object of my invention is to provide a throttle valve of the single poppet type, which Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line C C of Fig. 1 and; Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section through the main throttle valve member, on the line D D of Fig. 2.

In the practice of my invention, referring descriptively to the specific embodiment 29 thereof which is herein exemplified, the main throttle valve member, 1, is of the single seated poppet type, and isof cylindricalform,

with a body of reduced diameter, and a coni-- cal face, 1, surrounding its bottom,- which face is adapted to be seated upon a similarly bored face on a seat ring, 2, fitted in an opening in a wall, 3, which extends across a throttle valve chamber or chest, 3, and is interposed between a steam supply inlet, 3, and a steam delivery outlet, 3', on said chest. The valve chest is cast with both of its ends open, to permit of the insertion, and removal, when required, of the operative mechanism, and, for operating, the upper end of the chest is closed by a cap plate, 3, and the lower end by a similar plate, 3", secured in place by bolts, 3, and

nuts, 3". The throttle valve is fitted freely on a stem, 1", so as to be capable of movement axially, relatively thereto, and controls communicationfor. steam; through the chest, 3, from the inlet, 3, to the outlet, 3", thereof, from which it is delivered to the steam distribution valves of the locomotive on which the appliance is located A balancing chamber, 3, corresponding in diameter with the throttle valve, is forme in a cylindrical block, 3", fixed in the valve chest, 3, above, and in line axiallly; with, the main throttle valve member, 1, t e body of which is finished to fit truly, and traverse,

ably axially, in the block, 3". Said block is secured in position by bolts, 3, passing through a circumferential flange on its top, which bears on the top of the valve chest, and through the cap plate, 3*, which closes the top of the balancing chamber, and the upper end of the valve chest. The bolts, 3, are tapped into the top of the valve chest, and are engaged by nuts, 3, which hold the cap plate, 3, removin position.

differential pressure area balancing piston, 7, is secured to the main throttle valve.

member, 1, by bolts, 7*, and nuts, 7, and 'is- Y fitted trul 1n the balancing chamber, 3", which it' 'vides into. an upper balancing compartment, and a lower cushioning compartnient, and in which it is adapted to traverse with the main valve, in the unseating and seating movements thereof. The iston, Z, is of T section, its top portion, which fits the chamber, corresponding substantially in diameter with the seatin face, 1, of the main valve, 1, and its depending bottom-portion fitting against,'and corresponding in diameter with, the body of said valve. The piston is so located in the balancing chamber,-.that a lower cushioning compartment, in the form of an annular space, shall be presented therein, around its bottom portion, and it is rendered differential in pressure areas, by reason of its upper portion being subject, on its top, to pressure throughout its entire area, and, on its bottom, to pressure'only throughout the transverse sectional area of the annular space between its lower portion and the bore of the balancing chamber. Said space communicates with the inlet passage, 3, by a release port, 7. h

The valve stem, lflfigsses freely through, and is guided in; a cy drical opening in a bar, 1 extending across the main valve, 1, adjoining its seating face, and carries, adjacent to the top of the body of said valve, 21 balancing valve, 8, having a conical upper face, 8 adapted to seat on a corresponding face at the bottom of a passage, which extends through the balancing piston, 7. The balancing valve, 8, is also provided witha conical lower face, 8", adapted toseat on a similar face at the top of a passage, 1, in the main ancing piston, leading from the conical valve seat at the bottom of the passage, 7 into the space in the balancing chamber below the balancing piston, and a port, 7 is also formed therein, leading from said space to a port, 1,

extending through the body of the main valve, and opening into the inlet, 3. Ports, 7 extend vertically through the balancing piston, 7, from the upper face thereof, into the space around the upper face of the balancing valve, as shown in Fig. 4, and a by-pass port, 7, (one or more) may be formed in said piston, to establish communication between its opposite sides.

The valve stem, 1", is threaded at, and adjoining, its lower end, to engage a jaw, 1, and a lock nut, 1, bearing thereon, and may also be secured to the jaw by a key, 1. The jaw is coupled, b a lifting link, 9, and crank arm, 10, to a sha t, 11, passing through a stufling box in the valve chest, 3, and carrying, at its outer end a lever arm, 12, by movement of which the balancing valve, 8, may be raised and lowered, as required for the unseating v and seating of the main throttle valve, 1.

In the operation of the appliance, when it is desired to unseat the .main throttle valve, which is continuously subject to steam pressure downwardly, and is normally unbalanced, equilibrium of pressure, on its opposite sides, is established by the upward movement of the pilot valve, 8, through the lever arm, 12, and its described connections, such movement effecting the seating of the upper face, 8. of the pilot valve on the balancing piston, 7

During the periods that the main valve is seated, steam from the inlet, 3, passes through the port 1 the adjoining balancing piston port, 7 and the port, 7 into the compartment of the balancing chamber, 3, above the balancing piston 7. Steam enters the compartment of the chamber, below the piston, through the port 7. Steam from the compartment below the piston, may alsoenter the compartment above the piston, through the ports, 7, and 7*, and through the port 7 when the latter is provided. The piston is therefore subject to a preponderance of downward pressure tendin' to maintain the closure of the main valve. pon the seating of the pilot valve on the balancin piston, by its upward movement above state communication between the inlet passage,'3, and the compartment of the balancing chamber, 3, above the piston, is cut off, except to the limited extent afforded by the port 7*, the cushioning chamber and the port, 7', when said port is provided, to permit at moderate preliminary flow of steam to the cylinders before unseating the main valve. The steam in said compartment then escapes therefrom, through the piston ports, 7, which are always open and the middle passage in the main valve, which surrounds the valve stem, 1',, and passes into the delivery inlet, 3". The pressures on the opposite sides of the main valve, 1, are then, except as to the narrow annular area of the conical face of the valve, equal in degree, and said valve being thus practically balanced, it maybe readily further raised from its seat, by continued movement of the lever arm, 12, to effect any desired degree of elevation of the valve from its seat, for increasing steam delivery.

The main valve cannot be moved upward more rapidly than the steam flows into the annular compartment beneath the balancing piston through the port, 7*. Thus, by varying the size of this port, the maximum rate of opening of the main valve can be regulated, and undesirable sudden admission of steam to the cylinders is positively prevented. If it is desirable to permit a moderate flow of steam to the cylinders before the main valve is raised, this can be provided throu h the application and use of ports, 7. Port, should be larger than port, 7, so that when the pilot valve is raised, the pressure in the annular cavity under the balancing piston is maintained substantially equal to that in the inlet, 3.

The closure of the main valve is effected by moving the balancing valve downward, by the actuating of the lever arm, 12, until itslowe'r face, 8, seats in the main valve.

either through the port, 7", to the inlet, or

through the ports, 7", to the space above the piston in the balancing chamber. The outward flow of steam from the chamber is resultant upon the differential of pressure. due to the force exerted by the pilot valve and the excess of pressure above the piston relatively to that below the main valve.

The closure of the main valve cannot occur more rapidly than the lowering of the pilot valve, as otherwise it would not be possible for the lower face of the ilot valve to make contact with its seat on t e main valve, and the pressure above the piston would be released, balancing the upward and downward forces acting on the main valve. Even if the pilot valve was held to its seat to follow a rapid movement of the main valve, it would be impossible for the latter to close more rapidly than the steam could be expelled from the annular space in the balancing chamber,

cure by Letters Patenti 1. The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet and outlet passages; a

throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages; a balancing chamber; a differential pressure area piston, fittingin said chamber, and dividing it into two compartments, said piston being connected to said valve; and means for balancing the throttle valve by releasing pressure fromone of said compartments;

2. The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet and outlet passages; a throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages; a balancing chamber; a differential pressure area piston, fitting in said chamber and dividing it into two compartments, said piston being .connected to said valve; and amanually operable balancing valve for releasing pressure from one of said compartments, to balance the valve.

3. The combination of a throttle valve chest,.having inlet and outlet passages; a

; throttle valve, controlling communication between said passa 'es;..a stem, on which the throttle valve is fitted, with the capacity of relative axial movement; a balancing chamber; a differential pressurearea piston, fitted in said chamber, and dividing it intotwo compartments; and a balancing valve, fixed on the stem and controlling the release of pressure from one of the compartments of said chamber, to balance the valve.

4., The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet and outlet passages; a

throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages andhaving a through steam passage communicating therewith; a stem, on which the throttle valveds fitted, with the capacity of relative axial movement; a balancing chamber; a difierential pressurearea piston, fitted in said chamber; and a balancing valve, fixed on the stem and having a seating face, adapted to control communi cation between the balancing chamber and the inlet passage of the valve chest, and another seating face, adapted to control communication between the balancing chamber and the through steam passage of the throttle valve. i

5. The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet and outlet passages; a throttle valve of the single poppet type, con trolling communication between said passages, said valve having a body of reduced diameter, relatively to its seating face; a balancing chamber, corresponding substantially in diameter with the seating portion of the valve; a difierential pressurearea piston, fitting in said chamber, said piston being spaced at a distance from the bottomof the balancing chamber, to provide an annular surrounding compartment, and means for balancing the throttle valve by releasing pressure from the larger area of the piston.

6. The combination of a throttle valve chest; having inlet and outlet passages; a throttle valve of the single poppet type, controlling communication between said passages, said valve having a body of reduced diameter, relatively to its seating face; a

balancing chamber, corresponding substan tially in diameter with the seating portion of the valve; a differential pressure area'piston,

fitting in said chamber, and having a depending portion, corresponding in diameter with, and connected to, the body of the valve, said piston being spaced at a distance from th bottom of the balancing chamber, to provide an annular surrounding compartment; and means for balancing the throttle valve b releasing pressure from the larger area of the piston.

*7; The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet. and outlet passages; a

throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages;a piston chamber; a diflerential pressure area piston, fitting in said chamber, and dividing it into an upper balancing compartment and a lower cushioning compartment, said piston being connected to the throttle valve; an inlet'port, establishing communication between the inlet passage and the balancing compartment; an outlet port, establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the outlet passage; a by-pass port, establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the cushioning pompartment; and a valve controlling flow through said ports.

8. The combination of a throttle valve chest, having inlet .and outlet passages; a throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages; a piston chamber; a differentialpressure area piston, fitting in said chamber, and dividing it into an ;upper balancing compartment and a lower cushioning compartment, sald piston being connected to v the throttle valve; an inlet port, establisliin communication between the inlet passage and the balancing compartment; an outlet port,

establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the outlet passage; a by-pass port, establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the cushioning compartment a valve, controlling flow through said ports; and a port,restablishing communication between the inlet pas; sage and the cushioningcompartment.

9. The combination of a throttle valve chest having inlet and outlet passages; a throttle valve, controlling communication between said passages; a piston chamber: a differential pressure area piston, fittmg in said chamher, and dividing it into an upper balancing compartment and a lower cushioning compartment, said piston being connected to the throttle valve; an inlet port, establishing communication between the inlet passage and the balancing compartment; an outlet port,

j establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the outlet passage; a by-pass port, establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the cushioning compartment; a valve, COIltIOllillg flow through said ports; a port, establishing communication between the inlet passage and the cushioning compartment; and a port, establishing communication between the cushioning compartment and the balancing compartment.

fastened to the headed member being formed to provide a piston' 10. In a throttle valve, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet passages; a valve controlling communication -between said passages; a head detachably fastened to an end of the casing, a member detachably end of the casing said chamber; a differential pressure area piston 'fitting in said chamber, and dividing it into an upper balancing compartment and a lower cushioning compartment, said piston being connected to the throttle valve;-an inlet port establishing communication between the inlet passage and the balancing compartment; an

outlet port, establishing communication between the balancing compartment and the outlet passage; a by-pass port, establishing communiction between-the balancing compartment and the cushioning compartment; and a valve controlling flow through said ports.

ALBERT. F. STUEBING.

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