An Improved Centrifugal Pump.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Centrifugal Pump.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad by Joseph Edwards,
of Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. Inventor,) do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows -
The nature and object of this invention relates to the economical construction of
centrifugal pumps, to cheap and handy methods of repairing the same, to convenient
adjustment and renewal of various portions thereof, to the prevention of rapid wear
of their more costly parts, and to better adapt such pumps to the handling of mud,
sand, gravel, coal, and other coarse and more or less solid material.
A centrifugal pump constructed in accordance with this invention is made in one
piece with the hub thereof, and has a front-head disc, which extends to the full diameter
of the pump, and is provided with lug-ribs. It is also provided with an annular
back-head disc, which extends from the funnel of the pump casing, and is also
provided with lug-ribs. The wings of the wheel extend from the hub and radially
terminate at about two-thirds the distance from the centre of the wheel to the
periphery and the said front and back wheel discs. Breakable and self-detachable
blades provided with slots at their ends are attached to the lug ribs aforesaid by
means of bolts which are passed through the slots in the blades. By means of this
method of attaching the blades they will when bent or perversely broken by
obstructions slip out from under the heads of their said fastening bolts, and become
thereby self-detached from the wheel of the pump. The materials pumped often
consist of sharp cutting sand, which rapidly cuts and wears out the main bearing box,
and the pump shaft working therein. To avoid this rapid destruction of these parts,
the said bearing-box is provided at the nearest practicable point thereof with a rubber
or wooden sand ring, which is placed between the front head wheel-disc and the
front head fastening-disc just outside and around the hub of the latter disc. The
said ring being let into a dovetailed groove in either one of the said two discs, and
acting upon or rubbing sand-tight upon the other. A suitable device is applied to
the shaft, by means of which the wheel or fan can be conveniently adjusted side-
ways, and the cylinder of the pump is provided with a man-hole, for the purpose of
examining and repairing the wheel of the pump.
Dated this 12th day of July 1890.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Centrifugal Pump.
I, JOHN PITT BAYLY, of 18 Fulham Place, Paddington, in the County of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Joseph Edwards, of Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Inventor,) to be as follows :-
The nature and object of this invention relates to the economical construction of
centrifugal pumps, to cheap and handy methods of repairing the same, to convenient
adjustment and renewal of various portions thereof, to the prevention of rapid wear
of their more costly parts, and to better adapt such pumps to the handling of mud,
sand, gravel, coal, and other coarse or more or less solid material, as herein more
Six Divine

page_text: fully set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, consisting of
five sheets, making a part of this Specification, in which-
Figure
represents an exterior front view, showing also the drive-pulley
connected with the pump;
Fig. 2, the back or suction end view showing the flange around the inlet for
attaching the suction-pipe to the pump, and showing also a side view of the discharge-
pipe and a side view of the man-hole for entering the interior of the pump, and
showing the method of attaching the back head of the pump to the supporting-base
and the head of the hub of the wheel within ;
Fig. 3, a vertical cross-section on the line y y of Fig. 4, showing the attachment
of the horizontal shell of the pump to the supporting-base;
Fig. 4, a vertical longitudinal section on the linear of Fig. 2, showing the
principal and most parts of the pump;
Fig. 5, a perspective view of one of the self-detachable blades of the wings proper
of the pump;
Fig. 6, a detailed longitudinal section on the line ac of Fig. 2, showing the
method and means of longitudinally holding the shaft against the suction-pull on
the pump and longitudinally adjusting the wheel thereof;
Fig. 7, a side view of the coupling which unites the pump-shaft to the pulley or
driving shaft, a part of which coupling is split and the other part solid;
Fig. 8, a vertical longitudinal section of a modified form of the shaft coupling, it
being split and consisting of but two pieces or halves, the joining face of one half
being shown in the figure, showing also the side view of the key between the
coupling and shaft ;
Fig. 9, an external view of the modified form of the shaft-coupling, showing the
method of bolting the two halves together on the shafts; and
Fig. 10, a view of a continuous shaft, showing a split collar as part of the means,
as will be shown, of longitudinally holding and adjusting the wheel of the pump.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
The several parts of the outer casing or shell of the pump are designated in the
drawing as follows:
AA is the base upon which the pump is mounted; BB the cylindrical portion
of the pump, about one-third of which deviates from the cylindrical shape and takes
the form of a spiral, (shown by B' B', Fig. 2,) the termination of the spiral portion
being the outlet of the pump; CC, the back head; C', the inlet; DD, the front
hend; D'D', a flanged projection cast with and being a part of the front head; E, the
outlet; F, the man-hole; f, the man-hole plate, and bolts that fasten said plate.
ccc are lugs on the cylinder and heads of the pump, and c'c'c' lug-bolts for
fastening the heads to the cylinder.
dd, Fig. 4, are counterbores in the cylinder of the pump, both heads being of the
same diameter and to correspond with said counterbores alike, whereby either end
of the cylinder fits either head and admits of the cylinder being shifted around
vertically and horizontally between the two heads by removing the lug-bolts c'c' c¹;
d', an aperture in the cylinder B B for exhausting the air from the pump for charging
the same; dd, shackles for the convenient handling of the heads; aaaa, a frame-
work or stanchions extending down from and being a part of the same casting with
the heads of the pump, by means of which the heads of the pump are independently
secured to the base-plate by the bolts a¹a'a'.
To protect the more costly heads from being rapidly worn out by the cutting
action of the sand, gravel, and other materials to be pumped, we provide inner head
facings to protect them, which cost far less than the heads themselves, and which
are far more conveniently replaced when worn out, and which save much time and
expense in keeping the pump in repair. I further utilize one of these head-facings-
the one adjacent to the front head-by enlarging it at the centre and providing
therein the principal bearing of the pump-shaft, which bearing is also subject to
rapid wear and frequent need of renewing. By thus utilizing this head-facing for
this bearing I still further prevent the destruction of the more costly front head, as

page_text: when the said head-facing requires to be removed this principal shaft-bearing is
also removed without being obliged to do anything to the front head itself, which
by my own extensive experience in the use of my pump I have found to be a great
saving and convenience. This head-facing of the front head is designated by GG",
it being a circular disc casting, covering the entire inner surface of the front head,
and is secured thereto by the tap-bolts "", Fig. 4, the central portion of this
front-head facing having a projection GG, extending well into the pump
chamber toward the back head and within the winged hub ¹¹ of the wheel of the
pump to afford the support and bearing of that end of the pump-shaft which is sub-
mitted to the severest strain and greatest wear-namely, the wheel end bearing of
the said shaft. I have also found by experience that that portion of the back head
from the inner end of the inlet to the cylinder of the pump is rapidly cut away by
work performed on sand and gravel. Therefore I employ an inner head facing for
this portion of the back head, (designated in Fig. 4 by G¹ G',) which is an annular
dise or ring plate casting extending from the inner edge of the funnel-shaped inlet
to the cylinder of the pump and secured to the back head by the tap-bolts g'g'.
I also show in the same figure a lining of the funnel-shaped inlet, held in place by
the bolts gg; but this is not important, as by experience I find the inner funnel is
not much worn by use.
The several parts of the wheel of the pump, together with its shaft and shaft
bearings and my peculiar device for longitudinally holding the pump-shaft and
longitudinally adjusting the wheel, are designated in the drawings as follows:
HH is the pump-shaft, on which, by being keyed thereto, is mounted the wheel
of the pump, and which at the outer end is coupled with the power-shaft H', on
which is mounted the driving-pulley J; 'k', a conical hub keyed upon the wheel
end of the pump-shaft ; M M, the wings of the wheel, which project radially out
from and are cast with the said conical hub. This hub at the head end of the pump
extends out into a circular disc to within a clearing distance of the inner surface of
the cylinder thereof, and which I will term the "front-head wheel-disc," to which
are attached and cast with it the front edge of the wings M M.
L'L' are the back-head wheel-disc, which is annular in form, the inner edge of
which surrounds the larger or inner end of the funnel-shaped inlet C and extends
therefrom to within a clearing distance of the inner surface of the cylinder of the
pump. Upon the inner face of the said two discs are lugs or lug-ribs n" n", for
attaching certain blades hereinafter described. This conical hub kik', wings M M,
front head wheel-disc L L, and annular back-head wheel-disc L'L' are all rigidly
united and consist of one piece or casting. These wings M M do not extend at the
central portion of the wheel all the way from the front head wheel-disc to the same
plane of the annular back-head wheel-disc, but are cut away opposite to the inlet,
about half way from the back to the front head of the pump, Fig. 4, to facilitate
the ingress of the materials to be pumped. Neither do these wings M M, as cast
with the hub and the said two wheel-discs, extend radially to within a clearing
distance of the cylinder of the pump, as do the said two-wheel discs LL and L'L',
but only about two-thirds of the distance from the diameter of the said hub to the
said cylinder. There is an important reason for not extending these wings to the
full diameter of the pump in casting the wheel as above described, and why we
employ other means for extending and completing these wings to the cylinder.
To complete the above-described wings, employ what I term "breakable self-
detachable blades" N N, Fig. 4, one of which is shown in perspective by Fig. 5,
which are made of thin easily yielding or bending or breakable sheet metal, and
which are attached to the inward-projecting lugs or ribs "n" on the front and back
head wheel-discs L L and L' L', and attached thereto in such a peculiar manner
that the said blades, when acted upon by any unusual violence or force resulting
from any extraordinary obstruction passing through the pump, they (the said
breakable blades) will be bent or broken and self-detached from their fastening
and from the wheel without damaging any other part of the wheel or pump, and
thereby save the cost and delay which would result from breaking any part of the

page_text: costly casting consisting of the hub kk, discs L L and L'L' and wings MM.
The method I employ for attaching these breakable self-detachable blades NN
consists in fastening them at each end to the inward-projecting lugs or ribs ""
on the said two-wheel discs with small lug-bolts n'n', and having slots un (see
Fig. 5) cut from the bolt hole to the extremity of the blades, in width something
more than equal to the diameter of their fastening-bolts, so that when the said
breakable blades are acted upon by any extra violence they will be bent or broken,
and, being thus bent, will be longitudinally, shortened, and the ends thereby pulled
out from under the heads of their fastening-bolts »'n', and thus become self-detached
from the wheel, and thereby obviating more serious damage to said wheel and other
parts of the pump. These breakable self-detachable blades are inexpensive and can
be kept in reserve, and are easily, inexpensively, and quickly replaced, while on the
other hand, if the cast wings M M were to extend to the full diameter of the said
wheel-discs and one or more of them should be broken, the cost of repair and the
delay necessary of an expensive plant would be very great. In deepening the
channels of New York harbour, for instance, I have found by experience that such
obstructions as cannon-balls, lumps of iron, fragments of anchor-chain, stones, etc.,
being heavier than water, sand, and gravel, are by centrifugal force always thrown
to the outer ends of the wings of the pump, often carrying away all these self-
detachable blades without causing the least damage to any other part of the wheel
or pump, which, together with having quick and convenient access to the interior of
the pump through and by means of the man-hole F, I am enabled to replace, and
thus repair the damage and set the plant to work again in a few minutes.
The wheel as above described (consisting of the hub kk, wings M M, wheel-
discs I. L and L' L') without the breakable self-detachable blades N N is effective,
(but of course not as effective as with them ;) and I often pump hundreds of cubic
yards of sand, etc., without the said blades, to complete the loading of ships and
scows before stopping to put the said blades on when they have been broken away
and detached by some obstruction, as a cannon-ball or fragment of anchor or
anchor-chain, etc.
It is evident that there is always a powerful longitudinal draught or force exerted
upon the wheel and its shaft by and in the direction of the suction into the pump of
the materials pumped, and that consequently there is always a side wear and displace-
ment of the wheel in only one longitudinal direction, and that toward the inlet.
The method heretofore employed to hold the wheel and its shaft against displace-
ment by the suction of the pump has not been by obtaining, as I do, an unyielding
counter-resistance to the suction force from or upon head (front head) of the pump,
but rather by obtaining such counter-resistance from the driving-shaft or some
other source than the head of the pump. Therefore, to provide against this one-
sided wear and longitudinal displacement of the wheel and shaft and to readjust the
same, as from time to time it may be required, and so entirely overcome this
difficulty connected with the action of centrifugal pumps, I employ the following
means:
OO is a circular yoke fastened by the collar-bolts o o to the flange D' D' of the
central projection (provided for this purpose; on the front head of the pump. The
bearing of the pump end of the pump-shaft is, as before stated, in the hub of
the front facing G, and the outer bearing of the said shaft is in the outer end
of the said projection D' D' on the front head D D. The bearing-box S (best seen
in Fig. 4) of the pump end of the shaft is held from turning by the screw-pins jj.
The bearing-box S₁ S₁ of the outer bearing of the pump-shaft performs a two-fold
function-viz., that of a bearing-box and a stuffing-box, the latter function to
exclude or prevent the air from entering into the pump-chamber through the front
head. (Shown as removed in Fig. 4 and as in working position in Fig. 6.)
Having thus shown how the pump-shaft is provided with bearings and bearing-
boxes for its vertical and lateral support, I now proceed to show how I provide for
supporting the said shaft and the wheel from longitudinal displacement by the force
of the suction on the wheel, and how (when required) I longitudinally readjust

page_text: the wheel by obtaining an unyielding adjustable resistance to such longitudinal
strain.
Surrounding the pump-shaft (see Fig. 6) where it passes through the circular
yoke OOI provide an externally-threaded tube or sleeve T T, which, by a corre-
sponding thread therein, is screwed into the said circular yoke O O. Upon the
pump end of this threaded tube or sleeve is provided a nut m² m², to act as a
jam-nut against the pump side of the said yoke. Upon the other or outer end of
the said tube or sleeve T T is provided as a part of the same a heavy flange m m.
Around the shaft and next to the outer face of the said flange m in are placed one
or more, preferably two or three, loose smooth-faced washers i i. Adjacent to and
outside of these washers conies the shaft-coupling PP, which unites the pump-
shaft to that of the driving-pulley. The pump end of this coupling is faced to
smoothly work against the said washers ii. The said tube or sleeve T T does not
come in contact with the pump-shaft at all, there being an open space between it
and the said shaft, and therefore it (the said sleeve) does not in any manner act as
a vertical or lateral bearing or support for the pump-shaft.
It will be seen that any strain or force longitudinally acting on the pump-shaft in
the direction of the pump, as there always is by the suction thereof, will, through
the medium of the pump-shaft, first fall on or be applied to the pump end of the
said shaft-coupling P P, which of course is immovably attached to the said pump-
shaft, and then on the loose washers then on the flange m m of the said
sleeve T T, then on the circular yoke O O, then on the collar-bolts oo, and then on
the front head of the pump, which is an unyielding resistance to the suction force
of the pump. If in time by ordinary wear it becomes, as it often does, necessary
to readjust the longitudinal position of the wheel within its chamber by moving it
toward the front head, such readjustment is quickly, conveniently, and effectually
performed simply by slacking the said jam-nut m' m' and turning back the
sleeve T T in the circular yoke OO as far as the wheel of the pump requires to
be moved, and then tightening up the said jam-nut m'. (See Fig. 6.)
The shaft-coupling, Fig. 6, consists of two parts P P and R R, provided with
flanges which are bolted together by bolts, Fig. 7, the part P P, which
attaches to the pump-shaft, being bifurcated, and the two halves thereof being
fastened to the said shaft by the clamp-bolt pp, and the part R R, which attaches
to the driving-shaft, being in one piece, and both parts keyed to their respective
shafts by their respective keys k, and the part P P being countersunk into a recess
in the pump-shaft to securely hold it from longitudinally moving thereon, to better
afford a secure resistance to the sleeve T T and to the longitudinal movement of
the wheel within the chamber of the pump.
Figs. 8 and 9 represent a modification of the shaft-coupling, in which only two,
instead of three, pieces are employed, (which is one bifurcated coupling embracing
both the pump and driving-shafts,) and are clamped together and thereon by the
bolts rrr, and which said coupling is keyed to both said shafts by one common
key k.
Fig. 10 represents my method of employing in the small sized pumps a continuous
shaft. On such a shaft I employ a bifurcated collar tt, having a circular
rib t, centrally projecting from its inner face, which falls into a corresponding
groove t, formed in and around the shaft. This collar is tightly clamped to
the said continuous shaft, its function being to furnish on the shaft a shoulder
or face for the flange m m of the adjustable sleeve T T, and which in this
respect serves the same purpose as the coupling in Figs. 6 and 7.
The materials pumped, often consisting of sharp cutting sand, rapidly cut and
wear out the main bearing-box S and the pump-shaft working therein. To
avoid this rapid destruction of these parts it becomes necessary to exclude the
sand and such like material therefrom. For this purpose, and not for the
purpose of making the pump air or water tight or for any other purpose besides
the one above given, I surround the said bearing-box at the nearest practicable
point thereto with a rubber or wooden sand-ring UU (seen in Fig. 4,) placed

page_text: between the front head wheel-disc L L and the front-head facing-disc G" G
just outside and around the hub of the latter disc, the said ring being let into
a dovetailed groove in either one of the said two discs and acting upon or
rubbing sand-tight upon the other, it being immaterial as to which of the said
two discs it be fastened. This sand-ring is in no sense used as a pump-packing
as usually employed for making the pump water-tight, but is employed as a sand
arrester to protect the exposed bearing-box S from rapid destruction. This
sand-ring acts in conjunction with the device before described for longitudinally
adjusting the wheel, whereby by means of the said device the said ring is adjusted
to and made to bear upon the wheel-disc L L with any desired pressure which
may be required to arrest the sand, so that the said sand-ring becomes also
adjustable when considered in combination (which it strictly is) with the device
for longitudinally adjusting the wheel.
It will be seen that the cylinder of the pump is so counterbored—that is, the two
ends being counterbored alike and the two heads (back and front) being of
the same diameter, either of them will fit either end of the cylinder of the pump.
Therefore by detaching the heads therefrom and horizontally turning the cylinder
around the pump is converted from a left to a right hand pump, and vice versa,
simply by putting in a corresponding wheel. It will be seen, too, that by detaching
the heads from the cylinder (without detaching them from their base) simply by
removing their lug-bolts c c c¹ the cylinder can be vertically shifted or turned, so
as to discharge in a horizontal or vertical direction, or at any angle between these
directions, as may be desired.
Through the cylinder of the pump we provide a man-hole F, Fig. 3, closed with
a suitable plate cover f, secured with bolts ff, for the purpose of examining and
repairing the wheel of the pump, thus obviating the necessity of removing the heads,
or either of them, to make repairs of the wheel, especially when only the breakable
self-detachable blades N N are required to be renewed. The cover, as shown in
Fig. 3, projects into the man-hole and its inner face is so formed as to conform to
and complete that portion of the spiral part of the cylinder of the pump-chamber
which is cut away in providing the man-hole.
Having thus described the various parts of my pump and pointed out the several
functions which they respectively perform, it may here be stated that my respective
improvements and invention relate more particularly to the following features: the
construction of the wheel, the construction of the chamber, the mounting of the
heads or the base independently of the cylinder, the front and back head face-plates
to protect the heads, the wheel-end bearing of the pump-shaft, it being in the front
head facing instead of in the front head itself, the man-hole in the cylindrical part
of the pump, the sand-ring to protect the main bearing from sand, and provision for
longitudinally holding and adjusting the wheel and its shaft against the suction of
the pump.
I am aware of Patents issued in the United States to R. W. and J. H. Schmidt,
dated July 21st, 1847, No. 5203; to Charles J. Ball, dated February 1st, 1881,
No. 237,151, and to J. G. and P. E. Falcon, August 3rd, 1886, No. 346,471,
relating to false and yielding wings in centrifugal pumps; therefore I do not claim,
broadly, false or yielding wings irrespective of the manner of arranging them and
the special purpose for which they are employed.
I am also aware of the Patent issued in the United States to W. O. Weber,
dated March 2nd, 1886, No. 337,216, in which he provides for vertically rotating
the casting of his pump to change the position of the suction and discharge
openings. Therefore, I do not claim, broadly, the means of changing the position
of these openings in centrifugal pumps irrespective of the manner of accomplishing
this result.
I am also aware that packing-rings bave been employed in centrifugal pumps-as
shown, for instance, in Patent granted in United States to F. T. Adams,
December 6th, 1887, No. 374,331. Therefore I do not broadly claim packing-rings
in such pumps.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a centrifugal pump, a wheel having in one piece the hub k¹ k', the front-
head disc L L, extending to the full diameter of the pump, with lug-ribs n" n", the
annular back-head disc L'L', extending from the funnel C, with lug-ribs n¹¹ n",
the wings M M, extending from said hub and radially terminated at about two-
thirds of the distance from the centre of the wheel to the periphery of the said
front and back wheel discs, and the detachable blades N, attached to the lug
ribs nn", substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.
2. In a centrifugal pump, in combination with the wheel thereof, the breakable
self-detachable blades N N, having the slots n n extending from their fastening-
bolts n' n' to the end of the said blades, and the fastening-bolts n' n', whereby the
said blades, when longitudinally bent or transversely broken by obstructions, will
slip out from under the heads of their said fastening-bolts and become thereby
self-detached from the wheel, of the pump, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a centrifugal pump, a wheel having in one piece the hub k¹ k¹, the front
head disc L L, extending to the full diameter of the pump, with the lug-ribs n" n",
the annular back-head disc L' L', extending from the funnel C, with lug-ribs n" n",
and the wings M M, extending from said hub and radially terminated at about
two-thirds of the distance from the centre of the said hub to the periphery of the
said front and back head discs, in combination with the breakable self-detachable
blades N N, having the slots n n extending from their fastening-bolts n¹ n¹ to the
end of the said blades, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. In a centrifugal pump, the combination, with the wheel and casing thereof, of
the front head D D, and shaft H H, the removable front-head face-plate G" G",
securely fastened to the said head, and having the shaft-bearing hub G G
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
5. In a centrifugal pump, the sand-ring U U, surrounding the hub GG,
having one side thereof secured to the front-head face-plate G G and the other
side bearing on the front wheel-disc L L, in combination with the wheel-adjusting
parts, consisting of the circular yoke O O, the adjustable sleeve T T, stud bolts o o,
front head D D, and shaft-coupling PP, whereby the said sand-ring can be kept
adjusted to the front wheel-disc with only the needed pressure to arrest the sand
without causing superfluous friction.
6. In a centrifugal pump, the circular yoke OO having the adjustable sleeve T T
and stud-bolts o o, in combination with the front head DD and shaft-coupling P P,
whereby by adjusting the said sleeve in the said yoke the wheel of the pump is
longitudinally adjusted and centrally held against the force of its suction within its
chamber, substantially as specified.
J. P. BAYLY,
Applicant.