IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cameron, of the Oldfield Road Works, Salford, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PUMPS "
Sealed the 22nd February 1878, and dated the 11th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cameron at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th September 1877.
JOHN CAMERON, of the Oldfield Road Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS."
My Invention is applicable to all ordinary reciprocating pumps, and it consists in
the addition thereto of an auxiliary pump, as shewn in the annexed Drawing,
thereby reducing the forcing strain one half, and equalising the flow of the water.
In performing my Invention I connect the ordinary pump a by a link b to a
beam c, which works on a fulcrum & placed between the ordinary pump a and the
auxiliary pump e, which is also connected to the beam c by a link f
The beam is actuated by hand or power, and consequently imparts motion to the
pumps in opposite directions; or the same action may be produced by connecting
the pumps to cranks or eccentrics.
The admission and discharge valves are of the ordinary construction, and are
placed between the pumps, as shewn on the Drawings.
The auxiliary pumpe is half the capacity of the original pump, and therefore per-
forms half the effect. The auxiliary pump e receives half the water forced by the
ordinary pump, and when the latter completes its stroke and its delivery valve
closes, the return stroke of the auxiliary pump forces the second half of the water
into the delivery pipe, thereby producing double action and reducing the strain
one half. I accomplish this action with ram pumps, as shewn, having external
packing glands which are easy of access, and capable of adjustment whilst the pumps
are in action.
The peculiar feature of my Invention consists in the application of an auxiliary
pump to existing pumps, the former being of half the capacity of the latter.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Cameron in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th March
1878.
JOHN CAMERON, of the Oldfield Road Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS."
My Invention is applicable to all ordinary reciprocating pumps, and it consists in
the addition thereto of an auxiliary valveless pump, thereby reducing the forcing
strain one half, and equalising the flow of the water.
In performing my Invention I connect the ordinary pump by a link to a beam
which works on a fulcrum placed between the ordinary pump and the auxiliary
pump, which is also connected to the beam by a link.
The beam is actuated by hand or power, and consequently imparts motion to the
pumps in opposite directions; or the same alternate action may be produced by
connecting the pumps to cranks or eccentrics, or otherwise.
The admission and discharge valves are of the ordinary construction, and are
placed between the pumps.
The auxiliary pump is half the capacity of the original pump, and therefore per-
forms half the effect. The auxiliary pump receives half the water forced by the
ordinary pump, and when the latter completes its stroke and its delivery valve
closes, the return stroke of the auxiliary pump forces the second half of the water
into the delivery pipe, thereby producing double action, and reducing the strain
one half.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation in section of one mode of constructing and arranging the parts
forming my improved reciprocating double-acting pump.
a is the ram of an ordinary reciprocating pump, which is connected by the link b
to the beam c, working on the fulcrum c¹; d is the auxiliary pump, which is also
connected to the beam c by the link e. The rams a and d work in the pump
chambers a¹ and d³, and the capacity of the ram d is equal to half that of the rani a,
consequently the auxiliary pump performs half the effect of the original pump.
The beam c is actuated by the crank shaft g and connecting rod f, driven by hand
or power, and consequently the beam imparts motion to the rams a and d in con-
trary directions; or the same alternate action may be produced by connecting the
pump rams to cranks or eccentrics, or otherwise.
The admission valve i and the discharge valve ; for the pump a are of the
ordinary construction, and they, with the air chamber k, are placed between the
pumps, but the auxiliary pump d requires no valves.
The glands a³ and d for packing the rams a and d are placed externally, and are
consequently easy of access, and capable of adjustment while the pumps are in
action.
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the ram a rises, the valve i lifts and
allows the fluid to fill the pump chamber a¹, and when the ram descends it forces
the fluid through the valvej into the air vessel k and into the delivery pipe l, and
also into the auxiliary pump d, which rises in proportion to the descent of the ram a,
and as it is half the capacity of the ram a, it receives half the quantity of fluid
delivered by the ram a. When the ram a has completed its stroke its delivery
valve closes, and on the descent of the auxiliary ram d the second half of the fluid
is forced into the air vessel k and also into the delivery pipe 1, thereby producing
double action and reducing the pumping strain one half.
Fig. 2 is an elevation in section of an improved pump constructed according to a
modification of my Invention; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. In these
views a is the ram of the original ordinary ram pump; this ram works in the
chamber a¹. The ram a is connected by the side links b to the lever c, which works
E

page_text: on the fulcrum c¹, and to which motion is imparted by the crank
rod f, or otherwise.
and connecting
The auxiliary ram d is a fixture, and the ram a works up and down upon it, the
requisite air-tight joint between the two being effected by the external packing
gland a². The stuffing box of the ram a is also packed by the external packing
gland a³.
The valves and j, and air vessel k, with the delivery pipe l, are similar to those
described in reference to Fig. 1.
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the ram a rises, the valve i opens
to admit the fluid into the chamber a¹, and in rising, the fluid in the ram a is forced
partly into the air vessel k and delivery pipe 7, and partly into the auxiliary ram.
As the ram a descends, a portion of the fluid from the chamber a¹ is forced through
the valvej into the air vessel k and delivery pipe 7, and the other portion is received
by the auxiliary ram.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that no valves are required for the
auxiliary pump, and consequently iny Invention can be applied to any existing reci-
procating pump of the ordinary construction; its advantage is to reduce the pumping
strain one half, and cause a more equal flow of the fluid.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described two convenient
modes of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself-
to the details given, as the arrangements of the pumps may be considerably varied
or modified, and I claim, the application of an auxiliary valveless pump with external
packing gland, or its equivalents, to existing reciprocating pumps, the former being
of about half the capacity of the latter, whereby the strain on the pump is reduced
one half, and the flow of the fluid equalised, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cameron, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
JOHN CAMERON. (L.S.)