US620601A - Fluid-pressure signal-valve - Google Patents

Description

No. 620,6m. `Patented Mar. 7, |899.

H. n. MASON. FLUID PRESSURE SIGNAL VALVE.

(Application led June 17, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Patented Mar. .7, |899. H. R. MASON. FLUID PRESSURE SIGNAL VALVE.

2 Sheets Sheet 2.

No. 620,6ul.

(No Model.)

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HARRY R. MASON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,601, dated March 7, 1899.

Applicatin filed June 17, 1898. Serial No. 683,682. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it nca/ zj concern,.-

Be it known that I, HARRY R. MAsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Pressure Signal-Valves, of which the following is a specification. a The signal-valve to which my invention relates forms part of a fluid-pressure signaling system particularly adapted for use upon railway-trains.

Broadly stated, the system involves a signalin g or train pipe which is kept charged with air under pressure from the main reservoir of the air-brake system, conductors signalingvalves on cars of the train, and a signal-valve device on the locomotive. .The signaling is performed by operating a conductors signaling-valve to produce the escape of a limited quantity of air, and thus generate a negative or signaling impulse which travels through the signaling-pipe to the signal-valve, causing the latter to vent air to a signal, preferably a whistle.

My present invention relates particularly to a signal-valve of the non-interference type and is in the nature of an improvement upon the construction shown, described, and claimed in Letters Patent No. 534,401, granted to me February 19, 1895. The said patented valve was constructed to operate upon trains of any length and, while sounding the whistle once under each direct impulse generated at a conductors signalingvalve, prevent the undue repetition of signals under the fluctuations of pressure in the signaling-pipe following upon the direct impulse.

My object is to improve upon the said patented construction for the purpose of rendering the signal-valve more sensitive to operation under signaling impulses and for hastening the replenishment'of the signaling-reser-l voir under rise of signaling-pipe pressure, so that the signals may be produced in more rapid succession. a a

` In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of a valve device embodying my improvements in their preferred form; Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the valve device of modified form, the section being at a right angle to the section shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3, a broken section of that part of the valve shown in Fig. 2 which connects with the signaling or train pipe.

The valve device A is formed, preferably, in two sections A A2, with a gasket between them. In the shell formed by the sections is a chamber s, communicating near its top through a cored passage fr with the signaling or train pipe at B. Communicating with the passage r is a port or passage r', on which is mounted the usual train-pipe pressure-gage. (Not shown.) In the center of the lower part of the chamber s is a vertical tube or sleeve s', formed toward its lower end wit-h a valve-seat s2, surrounding a port q, leading to a cored passage q, which extends to the signal or whistle C. Partly surrounding that portion of the shell in which the tube s is mounted is a port p, communicating with a passage p', which Vin practice leads to the signaling-reservoir.

(Not shown.) In the upper part of the chamber s is an annular bushing s3. Fitting closely against the said bushing and Working therein is a movable abutment or piston fn, which in the preferred construction has an opening through its center surrounded by a valve-seat fa', a downward-extending tube n2 around said opening, and an internally-threaded sleeve n3 above said opening. The tube or stem n2 fits and slides in the stationary tube s. Screwed into the sleeve n3 is a cap or plug piece n4, forming in its under side a valvechamber 715, communicating with the chamber s through ports n. In the upper part of the-plug-piece or cap n4 is a horizontal openingr', elongated in the vertical direction. In the tubular stem nzis awinged pinm, formed at its lower end to produce a valve ivi/,which seats upon the seat s2 to close the port q, and formed toward its upper end with a valve m2, which seats normally upon the valve-seat n. Above the valve m2 the pin is provided with an upward-projecting part ma, which terminates normally a short distance below the surface of a stop u8 in the plug or cap piece n4. Surrounding the parts m3 fn-S is a confined spring m4, which tends normally to press the valve m2 to the seat n. In the side of the tube s', near the lower end thereof, is a port s,

It will be seen that the main difference between the present construction and the aforesaid -patented construction lies in this that the piston n lits closely against the bushing loo ' as that ofthe signaling train-pipe.

83, inV a manner, however, to slide readily therein, and that the passage for air from the signalingpipe to the signalingreservoir is through the ports n, tube n2, and port s4 when the valve m2 is open. The piston is shown in its normal position,which is the one it will occupy when pressure on opposite sides is substantially balanced. When the pressure above the piston from the train-pipe eX- ceeds the pressure below the piston from the signaling-reservoir, the piston will be pressed downward against the resistance of the spring mi to move the seat n downward from the valve m2, thus opening the latter and permitting air to pass quickly from the train-pipe to the signaling-reservoir. When the pressures on opposite sides of the piston are substantially equalized, the spring 'm4 will raise the piston to the balanced or normal position shown. The pin m is held in the position of closing the port q by the relative suction action at the port q. l

Above the chamber s and in open communication therewith is a chamber Z, provided with an annular bushing Z. Working in the chamber Z isa piston 7c, provided on its under side with a downward-extending lug Zc, carrying a pin k2, which extends through the slot or opening nl of the piston-cap. The piston lo fits loosely in the bushing Z to permit air to pass between the chambers s Z around the edge of thc pistou. A stop-plate k3 is fastened bya screw in the top of the chambers, as shown, and projects across the piston Zo to limit the movement of the latterin the downward direction.

On the shell-section A is a chamber z', closed at the top by a screw-cap fi. A cored passage 2 extends to the chamber z' from the passage 1. Between the chambers Z and 'Z Vis a vent-passage i5, formed at its top in the chamber i with a valve-seat 4 for a check-valve i5, which may rise to a stop 6 to open said passage.

In operation the train-pipe air enters the chamber i' and the top of the chamber s, whence it passes around the piston lo into the top of the chamber Z. As the pressure rises in degree above the piston n it presses the pin m to its seat upon the port q and presses the piston n downward against the resistance of the spring m4 to open the valve m2, whereby the air passes to the under side of the piston in the chamber s and thence through the port p to the signaling-reservoir until the latter is charged to approximately the same pressure The conductors signaling-valves which I employ operate when actuated to vent a certain predetermined volume or degree of pressure, whereby each direct impulse is initially the same. As explained by me in previous applications and now thoroughly understood in the art, a signaling impulse generated at aconductors signaling-valve in a long train is necessarily weaker when it reaches the signaling-valve than it would be in a short train and the force of fluctuations is greater in a short train-pipe than in a long one. The means I providein the present construction to prevent the operation of the signal under the iiuctuations of pressure are, it will be seen, substantially the same as the means shown in my aforesaid patent. Each time a signaling impulse is generated at a conductors signaling-valve it travels to the signal-valve A and momentarily lowers the pressure in the chamber s above the piston, causing the superior pressure in the signaling-reservoir to raise the piston, open the valve m', and permit air from the reservoir to pass through the port q and sound the whistle. "When the signaling impulse, as in a long train, is comparatively weak, it will raise the piston until the lower edge of the opening a7 strikes the pin k2, after which it will descend again to close the port q. When the signaling impulse is strong, as in a short train, the piston will be raised and raise the return-retarding mechanism or piston k, forcing the air from the chamber Z to the chamber i', and cause comparatively slow return of the valve m to its seat, owing to the drag thereon produced by the piston lc, all as explained in my aforesaid Letters Patent. The result of this operation is that in every case a somewhat prolonged and decided blast will be given to the whistle. soon as the piston n is lowered by the predominating pressure from the train-pipe and the valve m is closed the piston under any rise IOO of train-pipe pressure will be moved still farther downward against the resistance of the spring m4, thereby opening the comparatively large passage through n@ n' n2 s4, whereby the signaling-reservoir is charged very quickly approximately up to the train-pipe pressure. In practice this recharging will take place in less than a seconds time, while in my former construction the recharging took a materially longer time. Furthermore, as in the present construction the passage between opposite sides of the piston is normally closed instead of, as in my former construction, open, the piston is rendered more sensitive, which I find in practice to be a decided advantage.

In the modified construction the piston n fits the bushing s3 as tightly as practicable, and instead of the' tubular extension n2 and pin m I provide the solid stem Zt, formed at its lower end with a valve m to open and close the port q. On the side of the shell-section A2 isa check-valve device A3, comprising a chamber f, communicating at its lower side through a cored passage f with the trainpipe passage r and communicating toward its upper side through a cored passage f2 with the chamber s below the piston n. In the chamber f is a check-valve f3, seating in the direction of the train-pipe. In other respects the valve device is like the preferred construction shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the valve of the modified form is in every respectV the same as that of the preferred form, except that the lower part IIO of the chamber s and the signaling-reservoir are charged through the passage f ff'2 and retrogression of pressure from the reservoir to the train-pipe is prevented by the checkvalve f3.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. In a duid-pressure signaling system, the combination with a signal-valve device provided with valve mechanism interposed between a signaling-pipe and a signaling-reservoir, and subject on its opposite sides to pressure therefrom, respectively, and normally closing an outlet from said reservoir to the signal, and movable from normal position to open said outlet under pressure from the said reservoir when the train-pipe pressure falls under a signaling impulse, and having returnretarding mechanism for the said valve mechanism following the action of the reservoirpressure to afford yieldingresistance to the return of the valve mechanism to normal position under predominating pressure in the signaling-pipe following said impulse, of la charging-passage through which the uid passes from the signaling-pipe to the signaling-reservoir, and check-valve mechanism in said charging-passage for preventing retrogression of fluid from the signaling-reservoir to the signaling-pipe, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a Huid-pressure signaling system, the combination with a valve device provided with a chamber, a piston fitting closely the Wall of said chamber and interposed between a signaling-pipe and a signaling-reservoir and subject on opposite sides to pressure therefrom, respectively, and normally closing an outlet from the said reservoir to the signal, and movable from normal position to rise and open said outlet under pressure from the said reservoir when train-pipe pressure falls under a signaling impulse, and having returnretarding mechanism for the said piston following the action of the reservoir-pressure to aord yielding resistance to the return of the piston to normal position under predominating pressure in the signaling-pipe following said impulse, of a charging-passage forming the communication between the signalingpipe and signaling-reservoir for charging the latter, and check-valve mechanism in said charging-passage for preventing retrogression of fiuid from the signaling-reservoir to the signaling-pipe, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a fluid-pressure signaling system, a signal-valve device having a chamber communicating at its upper side With the signaling-pipe, at its lower side with the signalingreservoir and through an outlet-port at its lower side with the signal, a piston in the chamber exposed at opposite sides, respectively, to pressure from the signaling-pipe and signaling reservoir, return retarding mechanism for the piston following the action of the reservoir-pressure to aord yielding resistance to the return of the piston to normal position under predominating pressure in the signaling-pipe following a signaling impulse, a reservoir-charging passage through the piston, and a stem provided with a valve to seat upon said outlet-port, and a check-valve at said charging-passage, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HARRY R. MASON.

Inpresence of- M. J. FROST, R. T. SPENCER.

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