Patent GB-190823293-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Apparatus for Distributing Sewage and other Liquids on Rectilinear Filters or Beds.
Inventor: MCCALLUM THEOPHILUS SEPTIMUS
Filed: 1908-11-02
Granted: 1909-05-06
Abstract: 23,293. McCallum, T. S., and Commin, r. J. Nov. 2. Reversing gearing.-Apparatus for distributing sewage on filter-beds comprises a travelling carriage operated by the weight of alternatelyfed troughs arranged to act as see-saw motors. Special gearing is provided for operating the carriage in the same direction by the falling of either trough, and for reversing the direction of travel at the end of any predetermined interval, Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the distributor. Channels 1 are arranged on either side of the bed 17 and supply sewage to the opsn trough 7 through siphons 15. The open trough 7 extends across the bed and feeds sewage into the compartments of the troughs 11, which also extends across the bed, through the openings 16 and shoots 14. The troughs 11 discharge on to L-shaped plates 13, or they may discharge into a third trough sufficiently large to allow the framing supporting the other two to oscillate therein, which third trough is provided with a longitudinal discharge slot or slots. The whole carriage runs on rails 2 and is carried by the wheels 3, 4. Figs. 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 show the gearing operating the driving - wheels 3. The trough frame carries at each end a plate to which is connected a double rack 18, one part of which gears with the pinion 19 above it and the other with the pinion 20 below it. These pinions work on shafts secured to the side-plates 5 and on the same shafts are carried the pinions 21, 22. Between the pinions 19, 20 is arranged a sliding sleeve 23 formed with exterior teeth capable of engaging an internal rack 24 cut on the pinions and fitted internally with pawls engaging ratchets 25 cut on the hubs of the pinions in the same direction. A similar sleeve exists between the pinions 20, 22, but the ratchets on the pinions 19, 21 are cut in the opposite direction to those on the pinions 20, 22. When the troughs oscillate, the pinions 19, 20 are rotated in opposite directions. When the pinion 19 rotates clockwise, the ratchet 25 engages the pawl 26 shown in Fig. 5, and causes the cylindrical sleeve 23 and the wheel 20 to rotate in the same direction since the sleeve is in direct engagement with the wheel 21. The pinion 20 revolving anti-clockwise, and being directly connected by the rack 24 with the sleeve 23, causes the pawl 26 to slip over the corresponding ratchet 25, thus allowing the pinion 22 to move in the opposite direction. When another oscillation of the trough causes the rack 18 to reverse the direction of rotation of the pinions, the ratchet mechanism of the pinion 19 slips, and the pinion 20, now rotating in a clockwise direction, and its ratchet mechanism engaging, causes the pinion 22 to rotate in clockwise direction or in the same direction as the previous rotation of the pinions 21. Both the pinions 21, 22 engage with the cog-wheel 27 keyed to the axle of the driving-wheel 3 so that the carriage is revolved in a forward direction. In order to reverse the direction of motion of the carriage, the weighted pawl 28 actuates the cogwheel 29 in such a manner that after a predetermined number of oscillations of the troughs the wheel 29 is rotated through half a revolution. By means of a cam formed on the sleeve of this wheel 29, a pivoted lever 31 actuates the mechanism for operating the sliding sleeves 23 so that the teeth on said sleeve are drawn out of engagement with one of the racks 24 and put into engagement with the other rack 24.