US2108228A - Cylinder cock - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 15, 1938. R A IGHT ET 2,108,228

CYLINDER COCK Filed Jan. 5, 1935 If F G INVENTORS. I F g fwlpll f1 .Lig/J rfba'e vh 12/: Price rfn,

lrrromvzrl Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE CYLINDER COCK Application January 3, 1935, Serial No. 244

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to locomotive cylinder cocks of the type shown and described in the McLain Patent. 1,958,091, of May 8, 1934. In cylinder cocks of this kind, which are adapted to 5 be secured to the ends of locomotive cylinders, the casing of the cylinder cock which is in free communication with the locomotive cylinder is provided with closures through which is formed an outlet or exhaust port opened and closed by the movement of the slide valve moving on a slide valve seat surrounding the exhaust port and the valve is connected to and actuated by a piston reciprocable in a cylinder extending through the wall of the casing and connected at its outer end to a source of fluid pressure such as the boiler of the locomotive and the piston is moved in ward to close the valve or outward to open it in accordance with the prevalence of the pressures acting upon the inner and outer ends of the piston, the pressure on the inner end of the piston being preferably supplemented by the resilient pressure of a spring acting to move the piston outward and shift the valve to opened position when fluid pressure is cut off from the outer end of the cylinder. The movements of the piston and connected parts are limited by abutments so located as to be contacted as the slide valve is closed or moved to fully open position. In the practical use of such valves it has been found that the sensitiveness and efliciency of the apparatus is at its best when the stroke of the actuating piston and the travel of the slide valve are short and also that the wear and tear on the moving parts is greater where the travel of these parts .35 is increased but it is important that a large exhaust port be provided to insure a prompt evacuation of the cylinder cock and connected portion of the locomotive cylinder and it is one object of our invention to provide a construction which. will admit of the use of an exhaust port of ample cross-sectional area while at the same time con- .flning the motion of the moving parts of the apparatus within limits which have been found to .give the best results with a minimum wear and 49 tear on the parts, particularly on the abutting surfaces which limit their movement.

In apparatus of the kind to which our invention relates it has been found desirable to connect the exhaust port of the cylinder cock casing with an exhaust chamber provided with a lateral opening which will direct the Water and steam issuing from the casing when the valve is opened in such direction as is found least objectionable and as in 55 our improved construction it is necessary to align the closure in which the exhaust port is formed in such manner as to insure that the exhaust port shall be properly aligned with the valve actuating piston. In connection with our invention it is desirable to provide an improved construction by means of which the adjustment of a cap forming with the bottom of the closure an exhaust chamber provided with a lateral outlet opening which can be angularly adjusted so as to direct this outlet opening in what is considered the most advan- 10 tageous direction.

With the above objects in view we form the exhaust port through the bottom closure of the cylinder cock casing with a relatively long and narrow cross-section and provide a slide valve 15 to open and close the exhaust port of similar shape, though, of course, of such dimensions as to extend over the edges of the exhaust port when in position to close the port and we provide interengaging means between the closure and the low- 20 or portion of the cylinder cock casing which will insure that the closure when adjusted in closing position with respect to the casing, will be so aligned that the longitudinal axis of the exhaust port will lie substantially at right angles to the 25 line of movement of the valve actuating piston. By preference we form the closure with a cylindrical upper portion which fits in the lower end of the casing and We provide in the inside of the lower end of the casing a groove and on the cylin- 30 drical portion of the closure a projection or pin adapted to enter this groove and thereby insure that the angular position of the closure shall be such that the long axis of the exhaust port will lie transversely to the line of motion of the valve actuating piston. Below the cylindrical portion of the closure we form the closure with a laterally extending flange which fits against the bottom end of the cylinder cock casing and against the under side of this flange we fit a peripheral flange of a cap like member forming with the lower end of the closure, which is preferably hollowed out, an exhaust chamber and having a lateral opening which by an angular adjustment of the cap piece can be made to direct the flow of water and steam in any desired direction. By preferonce We secure the cap in position on the closure and the closure in position in and on the end of the casing by means of a union nut having a flange fitting under the flange of the cap piece and screwing upon the externally threaded lower end of the cylinder cock casing although it should be understood that we do not consider our invention in its broad sense as limited to any particular means for securing the parts together.

The apparatus and improved features which constitute our invention will be understood as further described in connection with the drawing in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the cylinder cock taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 2, and

Figure 2, a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

A indicates the casing of the cylinder cock having at its top an internally threaded projection A adapted to be secured to a locomotive cylinder. The lower end of the casing which is of cylindrical shape is formed with an internal longitudinal groove indicated at B with a machined end portion indicated at B and with an outer threaded portion indicated at 13 C indicates a cylinder extending through the wall of the casing with an inner end opening into the casing and an outer end adapted to be connected to a source of fluid pressure, preferably the boiler of the locomotive through a conduit, an end portion of which is indicated at D indicates a piston working in the cylinder and having a piston rod extension from its inner end, indicated at D which piston rod extends across the casing A and is supported at its end as indicated at E and engaged by a spring E which applies constant resilient pressure, tending, through the piston rod, to force the piston D outward in its cylinder C. D is an annular shoulder formed on the piston rod D, which, when the moving parts are actuated to close the valve G, abuts against a shoulder E on the guide E. The movement of the parts in the opposite direction to open the valve is limited by the abutment or the piston D against the outer end of the cylinder C. F indicates the bottom closure of the casing A which is preferably formed, as shown, with a cylindrical portion F adapted to fit in the cylin drical end of the casing and terminating in a flange F adapted to fit against the end B of the casing. A port F is formed through the closure which, in accordance with our present invention, is long and comparatively narrow and we provide on the outer cylindrical portion of the closure a pin or projection indicated at F which, when the closure is assembled with the casing, is adapted to enter the groove B and so align the closure that its longitudinal port F will lie with its longer diameter at right angles to the line of travel of the piston D. The upper face F of the closure is machined so as to form a seat for a slide valve and the slide valve working on this seat, indicated at G, is given a comparatively long and narrow form to correspond with the form of the port through the closure and is interengaged with the piston rod D as by means of projections G interengaging with shoulders D formed on the piston rod. A spring G interposed between the top of the slide valve and the piston rod serves to press the valve against its seat. H is a cap having a peripheral flange H adapted to fit against the flange F of the closure having a lateral outlet opening indicated at H J is a union nut having a flange J adapted to extend over the flange H of the cap and internally threaded to screw upon the threaded portion B of the cap piece as shown.

In assembling the apparatus, the piston and iston rod extension D and D are inserted through the cylinder C, the slide valve inserted through the bottom opening of the casing and interengaged with the piston rod. The closure F is then inserted with its cylindrical portion F extending into the bottom portion of the casing and its pin F inserted in the groove B, thus properly aligning the port F and the upper portion of the flange F resting on the end portion B of the casing. The cap piece H is then placed over the end of the closure with its flange H lying in contact with the lower portion of the flange F and the cap piece having been angularly adjusted so that its lateral outlet H will lie in the desired direction, the union nut J is screwed upon the threaded end B of the casing until its flange J is screwed down upon the flange H of the cap piece, clamping it against the flange F of the closure and clamping the flange F against the bottom of the casing.

It will be understood that the casing A is in free communication with the end of the locomotive cylinder and that when no pressure is exerted against the outer end of the piston D, such pressure as may exist in the casing as well as the resilient action of the spring E acting on the inner end of the piston will force it outward with the result that the slide valve G is shifted to a position to open the longitudinal port F and permit any water and steam in the casing A to escape and that by a proper adjustment of the cap H such escaping fluid may be given any direction which is thought desirable. When high pressure fluid, such as steam from the boiler is admitted through the pipe C to the outer end of the cylinder C, the piston D is forced inward, shifting the slide valve G to a position to close the elongated port F thus preventing the escape of fluid from the casing unless the pressure inside of the casing and acting against the inner end of the piston D, shall temporarily exceed the pressure acting on the outer end of the piston as will be the case if condensed water from the engine cylinder shall flll the casing A and accumulate to some extent in the end of the locomotive cylinder. In such case the slide valve G will be moved to open position, permitting the escape of accumulated water, after which escape pressure conditions will become such as to again close the exhaust slide valve G.

It will be noted that by providing a relatively long and narrow exhaust port in the bottom closure with a correspondingly shaped slide valve to open and close the port that it is practicable to form an exhaust port or" large cross-sectional area which can be opened and closed by a relatively short movement of the slide valve and a correspondingly short stroke inward or outward of the piston controlling the movements of the slide valve and it has been found that by so limiting the movements of the moving parts that a material advantage is gained both in the operative functions of the apparatus and in the avoidance of wear and tear on the moving parts particularly on the abutting surfaces which limit the movement of the parts to open and close the valve. Again, it is thought desirable by users of cylinder cocks of the general character in question to provide means for directing the exhaust in what is considered the least objectionable direction and by providing an angularly adjustable cap piece with a lateral outlet together with means, such as the union nut, for clamping the cap piece to the flange of the closure against the bottom of the casing. This requirement is very satisfactorily provided for.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

in a locomotive cylinder cock of the type comprising a casing, a separable closure for the lower end of the casing having an exhaust port and a slide valve seat upon its upper surface, means for securely clamping the closure to the bottom of the casing, a cylinder extending through the wall of the casing and adapted to be connected to a source of fluid pressure at its outer end, a piston working in said cylinder and a slide valve connected to be actuated by said piston and working on the slide valve seat on the upper surface of the bottom closure in which the movements of the piston and valve are limited :by abutments contacted at the end of each piston stroke to open or close the valve, the improvement which consists in forming the exhaust port through the bottom closure as an elongated and comparatively narrow opening, forming the bottom closure and the lower end of the casing with interengaging means whereby the bottom closure will be so aligned that the elongated exhaust port will be close the exhaust port as the piston is actuated 10 in one direction or the other.

RALPH A. LIGHT. JOSEPH W. PRICE, JR.

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