IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS AND PUMPS AND IN APPARATUS CON- NECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1885

page_text: RIDETE
I THOMAS HIRST THWAITES, of Vulcan Iron Works, Thornton Road, Bradford,
in the County of York, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY BLOWERS AND PUMPS AND IN APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in that class of blowers and pumps in
which a constant streams of air or fluid is maintained by revolvers or rotating
pistons driven by steam or other power to the construction of the various working
parts of such blowers and pumps and to the method of application of the Steam
or other power for actuating the same.
My invention cosists,
Firstly in improved methods of adjusting the bearings or wearing surfaces when
they become worn without altering the relative positions to one another of the
centres of the pistons or revolvers or without taking them out or altering the
position of the pistons or revolvers in the case of the blower or pump or when
the improvements are applied to the connecting rods working with such blowers
or pumps they allow of adjusting the bushes as they become worn without
altering the distance between the centres of the pins working in such bushes, or
the centres of the apertures in such bushes.
Secondly in an improved form of packing applied to the ends of the revolvers,
whereby better or closer contact is secured between the revolvers and the case of
the blower or pump to prevent the leakage caused by back pressure of the air or
fluid being forced through such blower or pump.
Thirdly in an improved compound blower which consists of a series of blowers
placed side by side and worked by one shaft in which series the compressed air
from the first blower is conducted to the second blower wherein it is raised to a
higher pressure than that obtained in the first blower and so on through the
series by which means I an enabled to deliver a stream of air at a higher pressure
than can be conveniently obtained by the use of one blower only.
Fourthly in driving the blowers or pumps by means of inverted vertical engines
having compound cylinders for working at high and low pressures and placed side
by side but both piston rods are secured to one cross head and from this crosshead

page_text: are worked the two connecting rods which actuate the pistons of the blower which
pistons revolve in opposite directions, Or the cylinders may be placed one above
the other and have a continuous piston rod passing through both cylinders and
secured to both pistons.
°
I place by preference the smaller or high pressure cylinder above the larger or
low pressure cylinder.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of my improved adjustable bearing
shewn applied to one end of the Shaft of a rotary blower or pump, the bearings
for both ends of the Shaft being similar.
Figure 3. represents my improved method of constructing the adjustable
bushes or bearings in the ends of connecting rods for use with rotary blowers
and pumps.
Figures 4 and 5. represent sectional elevations of the pistons or revolvers of
rotary blowers or pumps fitted with packing which can be adjusted by my improved
method.
Figure 6. represents an elevation of my improved compound blower.
Figure 7. represents an elevation of a blower driven by one form of compound
high and low pressure engine according to my improvements.
In Figure 1 the shaft of the piston or revolver is shown at A and upon this
shaft is firmly driven the case or bush B of gun metal which is prevented from
turning round upon the shaft by the key C. D represents a bush of hardened
steel which fits truly into the parallel aperture in the boss cast upon the side of
the case of the blower or pump F. The case or bush B revolves with the shaft A
and not upon it, and in the hardened bush D-and as such case becomes worn the
check nut H is slackened and the screw cap G is tightened by means of a semi-
circular wrench made for the purpose and having two pins fitting into the apertures
in the screw cap J. By tightening the screw cap G the hard steel bush is forced
further into its seat in the aperture of the blower or pump case, as far as may be
required from time to time to compensate for the wearing away of the gun metal
case B. When the screw cap G has been tightened sufficiently, the check nut H is
screwed up to it and holds it firmly in position.
In Figure 3. the connecting rod used for driving the pistons or revolvers of
rotary blowers or pumps is shown at A The Crosshead is shown at B and the
pin at C. The pin C is made of hardened Steel and is turned parallel at the
smaller end which fits into one eye of the Crosshead. The middle portion of
the pin is tapered where it fits into the brass or gun metal bush D which bush is
turned or bored with a tapering hole to receive the pin C.-The thicker end of the
pin C has a thread cut upon it for the purpose of screwing into the larger eye of
the crosshead. When the bush D becomes worn the pin C is screwed further into
it by means of a wrench placed upon the square head E and the Pin is then held
fast by screwing up the check nut F. At the opposite end of the connecting rod
the crank pin G is tapered in form and as the bush H becomes worn it is forced
further upon the Crank Pin G by tightening the nut J and locking it in position
by the check nut K.
Figure 4 represents a sectional elevation of a piston or revolver for use in a
rotary pump. At A is shown the piston and at B tongues or strips of packing of
India rubber vulcanite or other suitable material which are attached to the piston
by hinges at C.-The packing is pressed outwards by Spiral springs shown at D or
flat springs may be used placed between the piston and the packing-recesses to
receive the spring and packing are cast in the blower or may be bored or cut out.
The packing is prevented from projecting too far and thus coming in contact too
much with the case of the blower or with the other piston by a stop or flat headed
check screw.
In figure 5 the piston or revolver is shown at A the slips of packing fit in
grooves formed across each end of the piston at B. The spiral springs to force out

page_text: the packing are shown at C such springs and packing being contained in Chambers
or recesses cast or formed in the pistons or revolvers for that purpose.
In Figure 6 three rotary blowers or pumps are shown working together and
forming a compound blower for the purpose of delivering a stream of air at a
higher pressure than can be obtained by means of a single blower. The three
cases A. B and C of the blowers are bolted together at the flanges D and one
shaft E passes through the three blowers to work one set of pistons therein, and
another shaft also passing through the three blowers and driven from the toothed
wheel K on the shaft E works the other three pistons-there being two pistons or
revolvers in each blower as usual. The inlet for air is shown at H at the bottom of
the blower A The air compressed in A passes through the pipe F to the blower B
in which it is still further compressed and passes through the pipe G to the
blower C where it is brought up to the required pressure and passes out at J.
In Figure 7 the blower is shewn at A. the toothed wheels B are geared together
to ensure both pistons working accurately in their respective positions. C are the
connecting rods. D the Crosshead. E is the high pressure cylinder into which
the steam enters first and from thence passes into the larger cylinder F in which
the steam is caused to work expansively-and whereby economy of steam and fuel
is secured.
Instead of placing the compound cylinders side by side as shown in the drawing
I may place one cylinder above the other, by preference the smaller or high
pressure cylinder above the larger or low pressure cylinder and I connect the
pistons of both cylinders by a continuous piston rod actuating one crosshead to
which crosshead two connecting rods are attached by pins to drive both revolvers
of the blower.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what I claim is
(1.) The improved method of adjusting the bushes of rotary blowers or pumps
as hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
(2.) The improved method of adjusting the Crosshead pin and bush, and the
crank pin, and the bush in which it works substantially as herein before described.
(3.) The improved arrangement of packings for rotary blowers and pumps the
said packings being forced outwards by spiral or flat springs substantially as
described.
(4.) The improved compound blower consisting of two or more blowers arranged
side by side so that each blower through which the air passes raises the air to a
higher pressure than that obtained in the blower from which such air was received
All the pistons in such blowers being actuated by two commom shafts passing
from end to end of the series of blowers connected as described for that purpose.
(5.) The application to rotary blowers or pumps of a compound high and low
pressure engine, both piston rods of which are attached to one common Cross head,
from which crosshead the two connecting rods are driven which actuate the two
pistons or revolvers of the rotary blower or pump; or the application to rotory
blowers and pumps of compound high and low pressure engines in which one
cylinder is placed above the other, and in which a continuous piston rod passes
through both cylinders and is attached to both pistons, the end of the piston rod
being secured to a crosshead which communicates motion to two connecting rods
which drive the two revolvers of the blower, as hereinbefore described.
TURNER & BAKER,
Agents for the Applicant.