An Improved Water Motor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1894-Accepted, 9th June, 1894
An Improved Water Motor.
I, FREDERICK JOHN MONEY, of 29 East Road Hoxton in the County of
Middlesex, Physician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention to be here described is a novel means of using water under
pressure to produce rotary action, reversed at short intervals, where power, rather
than speed, is the object to be attained.
My motor consists of a cylinder, to the two chambers of which (A & B) water
is admitted alternately by means of a slide-valve working longitudinally i.e. in a
direction parallel to the cylinder.
The slide-valve is of the usual construction, and is made to connect in turn each
of two inlet ports (a & b) with a central exhaust port, leaving the other inlet port
open to the water-supply. In the ordinary way, however, each inlet port would
be made to lead into the cylinder-chamber nearest to it-a into A, and b into B:
whereas my waterways are crossed, so that each port leads into the chamber
farthest from it-a into B, and b into A. The reason for this unusual arrangement
will be seen as we proceed.
The mode of working my slide valve is first to be explained. The piston rod
and the slide-valve rod moving in parallel lines, the latter is actuated by the
former through a rigid arm which projects from it at right angles, and is perforated
to allow the valve rod to pass through it. Their extent of movement is very
unequal, the travel of the piston rod, with its arm, corresponding to the length of
the piston stroke, while that of the valve rod is limited to the short amount of
play necessary to change the position of the valve at the end of each stroke: so
that for the greater part of its course each way the arm simply slides along the
rod without moving it, and has no effect at all upon the valve, which remains loose
and moveable, and can be shifted either way. This middle portion of the rod,
along which the arm slides, is smooth, and presents no obstacle: but near each
end is fixed a projecting button or knob to receive the pressure of the arm, and
transmit such pressure to the valve. The arrangements for bringing the pressure
of the arm to bear upon the knob are peculiar, and form the most important part
of my invention. It is obvious that without some further contrivance than has
been at present mentioned, the knob cannot be driven faster than the arm which
drives it and since the movement of the piston is necessarily slow, being
dependent upon the supply of water from the main, the valve will never, at this
rate, be driven over its "dead-point," where, bestriding both inlet ports equally,
it must bring the motor to a standstill. The difficulty of the "dead-point
is met,
in the case of steam, either by its elasticity, or by the momentum of a fly wheel."
My mode of overcoming it is by means of springs, compressed by the longitudinal
Instead
movement of the piston, and suddenly released at the end of its stroke.
of allowing the rigid arm to impinge directly upon the knobs of the valve rod, I
cause the pressure to be made by strong springs firmly attached by one end to the
arm on each side, and projecting with their free extremities some distance in front
of it. The effect is that as the arm approaches either end of its travel, the
spring on that side comes first into contact with the knob, and tends to push it
forward. The knob is, however, blocked by the tooth of a pawl which had fallen
behind it during the previous "return stroke and this obstacle has to be got
out of the way before the knob can move on. Unable to drive the knob forward,
the spring becomes compressed by the continuing advance of the arm, and thus
"
"

page_text: gathers power. For the purpose of releasing the knob, the blocking pawl is
prolonged beyond its tooth to form a slanting lever, set up at a considerable angle,
and furnished with a friction wheel. As soon as the arm reaches this lever, it
forces it backwards and upwards, thus lifting the tooth of the pawl from behind
the knob, which is at once driven forward by the spring, and the valve is sent like
lightning across its "dead-point" to the other end of its box.
The first piston' stroke, which we will call the "advance," is now complete, and
we proceed to describe the "return." As soon as the valve reaches its new position,
the water takes a fresh course, and acts on the opposite face of the piston, which
begins to move back in the reverse direction. (It may here be observed that if
the waterways were not "crossed as above described, the driving forward of the
valve in the same direction as the piston has been travelling would let the water
into the wrong part of the cylinder, and would fail to reverse the movement.)
As soon as the piston starts on its return journey, the pressure of the spring on
the knob relaxes; and as the arm slides back along the valve rod, the valve is left
in its place, motionless, but free to move when required. It remains in that position
all the while the arm is passing along the smooth part of the rod, and until
dislodged by a movement at the other end corresponding to that by which it was
before acted on. The opposite spring at length reaches knob No. 2, and becomes
compressed against it as its fellow had been arrested by knob No. 1: for it must be
remembered that the same movement of the rod which drove No. 1 forward also.
drew No. 2 back (both knobs being fixtures on the valve rod) far enough for its
own pawl to drop behind it, and block it just as No. 1 had been blocked. Release
is also obtained in the same way. The arm goes on while the spring is stopped,
and as soon as it touches the slanting lever-end of pawl No. 2, it pushes it back,
lifts the tooth, and sets the knob free. The spring again drives the valve over its
"dead-point "-this time in the contrary direction: the pressure of the water is
reversed, and the piston starts on a second "advance." By the repetition of these
movements an alternating longitudinal action, which may be easily changed into
alternating rotary action by rack and pinion or in any suitable way, is obtained
and kept up indefinitely.
Dated this 1st day of August 1893.
FREDERICK J. MONET.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Water Motor.
I, FREDERICK JOHN MONEY of 29 East Road, Hoxton, Middlesex, Physician,
Doctor of Medicine do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
"
The invention here described is an improved apparatus for using water under
pressure to produce mechanical action. The primary object aimed at in its
construction has been to effect, by means of a cheap, safe, simple and reliable motor,
adapted to family use, the peculiar movement required for the working of my
"boiling, washing, rinsing, and drying machine (patented No. 15395-1890).
This movement consists of one or more complete revolutions of a drum, followed
by similar revolutions in the reverse direction, bringing the drum back to its
starting point; and it is effected by means of a toothed wheel (or other gear)
keyed on to the axle of the drum, and actuated, through a rack (or other gear), by
the alternating longitudinal motion of a piston in a cylinder, to the two chambers
of which water under pressure is admitted alternately by a slide valve just in the
same way as steam from a boiler. It is in the construction of the slide valve box
which regulates this admission of water to the cylinder, and in the mode of working.
the slide valve,, that the novelty of my invention resides.

page_text: The slide valve is of the usual construction as commonly employed in steam
engines being made to connect in turn each of two inlet or feed ports with a central
exhaust port, leaving the other feed port open to the water supply. Whereas,
however, in the ordinary way, each inlet port would be arranged to admit the
driving fluid into that chamber of the cylinder which lies nearest to it, my water-
ways are crossed, so that each port leads into the chamber farthest from it :
unusual arrangement, the reason for which will be seen as we proceed.
all
The mode of working my slide valve is first to be explained. The piston rod
and the slide valve rod moving in parallel lines, the latter is actuated by the former
through a rigid arm which projects from it at right angles, and which is usually
perforated to allow the valve rod to pass through it. Their extent of movement
is very unequal, the travel of the piston rod, with its arm, corresponding of course
to the length of the piston stroke, while that of the valve rod is limited to the
short amount of play necessary to change the position of the valve from one end
of its box to the other at the end of each stroke: so that for the greater part of
its course each way the arm simply slides along the rod without moving it, and has
no action on the valve, which remains free to move, and is only kept in place by
the pressure of the water behind it. This middle portion of the valve rod, along
which the arm slides as described, is smooth, and presents no obstacle to it: but
near each end is fixed a projecting button or knob, to receive the pressure of the
arm, and transmit such pressure to the valve when it becomes necessary to reverse
the piston stroke. The arrangements for bringing the pressure of the arm to bear
upon the knob are peculiar, and form the most important part of my invention.
It is obvious that without some further contrivance than has been at present
mentioned, the knob cannot be driven faster than the arm which drives it: and
since the movement of the piston is necessarily slow, being dependent upon the
supply of water from the main and the water itself inelastic, tbe valve will never,
at this rate, be driven over its "dead point," where, bestriding both inlet ports
equally, it must bring the motor to a standstill.
The difficulty of the "dead-point" which is met in the case of steam, either by
its own elasticity, or by the momentum of a flywheel, is overcome in my invention
by the use of springs, compressed by the longitudinal movement of the piston, and
suddenly released at the end of its stroke..
Instead of allowing the rigid arm to impinge directly upon the knobs of the
valve rod, I cause the pressure to be made by strong springs firmly attached by
one end to the arm on each side, and projecting with their free extremities some
distance in front of it.
The effect is, that as the arm approaches either end of its travel, the spring on
that side which we will call (No. 1) comes first into contact with the knob (No. 1)
and tends to push it forward. The knob is, however, blocked by the tooth of
a pawl (No. 1) which had fallen behind it during the previous
"
"return stroke:
and this obstacle has to be got out of the way before the knob can move
on. Unable to drive the knob forward, the spring becomes compressed by the
continuing advance of the arm, and thus gathers power. For the purpose of
releasing the knob, the blocking pawl is prolonged beyond its tooth to form a
slanting lever set up at a considerable angle, and furnished with a friction wheel..
As soon as the arm reaches this lever, which acts as a trigger, it forces it back-
wards and upwards (the wheel running up an inclined plane) thus lifting the tooth.
of the pawl from behind the knob, which is at once driven forward by the spring,
and the valve is sent like lightning across the "dead point to the other end.
of its box.
The first piston stroke, which we will call the "advance
proceed to describe the "return."
13
"
is now complete, and we-
As soon as the valve reaches its new position, the water takes a fresh-course,
and acts on the opposite face of the piston, which begins to move back in the
reverse direction. And here it is necessary to observe that if the waterways
leading from the inlet ports to the two chambers of the cylinder, beföre & behind.

page_text: the piston, were not crossed as above described, the driving forward of the valve
in the same direction as the piston has been travelling would let the water into the
wrong part of the cylinder, and would fail to reverse the movement.
"
It
We will now suppose the piston to have started on its "return journey,
carrying the arm with it. The pressure of the No. 1 spring on the No. 1 knob
at that end relaxes, and the valve is left in its place, motionless, but free to move
when required, being only kept up to its face by the pressure of the water.
remains in that position all the while the arm is sliding back along the smooth
middle part of the valve rod, and until dislodged and drawn out by a movement at
the other end of the piston stroke corresponding to that by which it was previously
acted on.
This movement is produced by the other spring (No. 2) on the opposite side
of the arm, encountering the knob (No. 2) at the other end of the valve rod.
Knob No. 2 is blocked by a pawl (No. 2) in the same way as No. 1 had been :
spring No. 2 becomes arrested and compressed, and continues to gather power:
paul No. 2 is lifted from behind the knob as soon as the arm reaches its "trigger-
fever" when at once the spring drives the valve again across its "dead-point,"
this time in a contrary direction. The pressure of the water is again reversed,
and the piston starts on a second advance. By the repetition of these movements
an alternating longitudinal action is obtained and may be kept up indefinitely.
:
The accompanying drawings are merely plans illustrating the special features of
my invention as described above.
Fig. I is a plan of the "crossed waterways A and B being the two chambers
of a cylinder of which M is the piston: W & W' the waterways: the face plate
of a slide valve box, shewing the two inlet ports a and b, with the exhaust
porta between them.
The waterway from port a leads into chamber B, and
vice versû.
Fig. II is a plan of the valve action. E is the piston rod: F its arm pierced
for the valve rod, and shewing an inclined plane on each side of its cap for the
friction wheels H, H' to run up: G, G₁ are the springs notched at top for the
valve rod J, J₁ the pawls: K, K₁ the knobs. The arm is supposed to be
travelling in the direction indicated by the arrow, i.e., towards knob K, which is
seen to be blocked by its pawl J, while knob K, at the other end of the valve
rod, lies motionless under its own pawl J, waiting to be drawn out in due time.
As the arm continues its "advance," spring G is first compressed against knob K,
then suddenly released by the lifting of the pawl J from behind the said knob,
which is driven forward by the power accumulated in the spring, carrying the
slide valve over its ". dead-point," and reversing the direction of the water pressure.
By the same movement of the valve-rod, knob K is at the same time drawn out
from beneath its pawl J which drops behind it, either by its own weight or by the
action of a spring (not shewn). Knob K¹ is now in readiness to receive the impact
of spring G on its "return" Journey.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use of springs in accumulating power to be used in driving the slide valve
over its "dead point," substantially as above described.
2. The "crossed" construction or arrangement of the waterways leading from the
inlet ports to the two chambers of the cylinder, causing each port to be in communi-
cation with, and admit water to, the chamber farthest from it: substantially as
above described.
FREDK. J. MONEY.