Improvements in Liquid Meters.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Liquid Meters.
I EUGENE MATHIEU of 29 Rue Châteaubriand, Paris, France, Architect, 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:
My invention relates to that class of liquid meters in which the liquid is
measured by means of a double set of pumps and distribution valves.
My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of
this Specification, wherein
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section and Figure 2 a cross-section
of the meter on line 1-2 Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are horizontal sections on lines 3-4 and 5-6 respectively.
Figure 5 is a part section corresponding to Figure 4, showing a modification in
the construction of the slide valves.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 are details of the parts of said valves detached.
The entire mechanism of the meter is contained within a casing formed of two
parts A, B, each containing a pump barrel, piston, and slide valve. The part A
also contains a strainer and air cushion for preventing shocks. The part B contains
the counting train, which registers the quantity of liquid passing through the
meter, of which a is the inlet and a¹ the outlet. The pump barrel A' is a copper
cylinder fixed to the casting A by lead packings p at its upper and lower end so as
to avoid fitting. The cylinder A is perforated at its lower end and the space
between it and casing A puts the port o in communication with the underside of the
piston and being of great area admits of a free and slow circulation of the liquid.
The second pump barrel B₁ is also formed of a copper cylinder suitably fixed and
provided with apertures at its upper and lower ends respectively in communication
with the ports r. The main piston is constructed of a cylindrical body C in one with
the piston proper C' which has a double cupped leather and with a guide ring C²
which works freely in cylinder A'. The body C is closed at its lower end and
within it is fitted a telescopically sliding extension thereof D which has an outward
Hange at bottom, engaging the flange at the top of the body C, and an inward
Hange at top which is engaged by the head of rod E of a slide valve J. The
piston G is of the ordinary kind provided with cup leathers and to its rod F is
attached a slide valve M. The pump barrels A'B' are closed by covers A2, B²,
provided with stuffing boxes for the rods E, F, either packed with U-shaped cup
leathers (as shown in Figure 9) or of L form so that the joint may be made by the
pressure of the liquid and not by the gland Q, or the joint may be made by an
elastic rubber tube Q' (Figure 10) tied upon the piston rod guide Q². In either
case the friction of the packings is proportionate to the pressure of the liquid so
that the meter will work at the lowest pressures. The seat H of the main slide
valve is a ported plate whose edges are sealed with lead in the casting B
and the ports connect with the circulation channels in the cover B. The D-valve J
is of such length that when its end j for example, has completely uncovered
the port r, the other end will have passed beyond the port a certain
distance, and vice versa, with the object of ensuring a minimum stroke of the valve J
sufficient to enable the double-armed lever K, K, to advance to the extent of one
tooth, the ratchet wheel which actuates the dial train. This stroke of the valve
may even vary to a slight extent when the main piston fails to arrive exactly at the
point desired at the end of its stroke. The lower end of the valve may have
lap on the inside, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, in order to prevent
communication of ports ", v', at mid-stroke. The seat L of the other slide

page_text: valve consists also of a ported plate sealed in place by means of lead I and of the
valve M which is of the ordinary short D-form instead of elongated like valve J.
The port o communicates with the upper side, and the port o with the underside,
of the main piston while the central port o² communicates with the central port 2
of the main slide valve and with the outlet a'. The lever K through which the
dial train is operated is engaged in a notch in the lug n on the back of valve J
into which notch the lever is sprung by sliding upon the inclined edge of the lug n.
The valves J and M are held to their seats by small hollow rubber cushions =
inserted between the backs of the valves and the rods E, F, as shown in Figure 6.
P is a removable plug for enabling the strainer N to be washed when clogged. The
faces of the slide valves and their seats instead of being planes may be of circular
section and the seats may be formed within cylindrical liners whether the working
face be flat or cylindrical and eccentric or otherwise, as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8.
The action of the meter is as follows-The liquid entering at a filters through
the perforated diaphragm N and fills the two slide valve chambers which are
connected by the passage and also fills chamber A³ containing an elastic cushion R
such as an inflated rubber ball for preventing shocks. Supposing the parts to be in
the position indicated in full lines in Figure 1, the water will pass through the
port o into the upper end of the pump barrel A¹ and move the main piston
downward, thereby expelling the measured quantity of water contained beneath it
through port o, valve M, and port o² to outlet. a'. When the telescopic body
portion CD is extended to the full extent the slide valve will by the further
motion of the piston be moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 so
as to uncover the upper port v and allow the water under pressure to pass to the
underside of the piston G and move it upwards so as to uncover the lower port o
of slide valve L. The main piston being now at the bottom of its stroke the
water will now pass to its underside and the measured quantity of water contained
above said piston will be forced out through the port o', valve M, port o², and
outlet a¹. On the upward stroke of the main piston the parts CD are first
collapsed and then the valve J is returned to its original position, again uncovering
the port and admitting the water under pressure to the upper side of piston G
which is forced down, thereby expelling the measured quantity of water contained
beneath it through port, valve J, port 2 and outlet a¹. The parts being now
returned to the initial position indicated in Figure 1, the double movement of the
pistons is repeated as before, and so on. The capacity of the meter is therefore
equal to the volume delivered by the pistons C' and G, which volume is automatically
registered by the dial train by means of the double armed lever K K' which is
operated at each movement of slide valve J.
The meter is represented as having pump barrels of unequal diameter of which
the larger only has a telescopic piston body but the barrels may be of the same
diameter and each have a telescopic piston body. The strainer N may be of other
form than that shown, such as conical, spherical, or otherwise according to
the arrangement of the meter. The cylinder covers A2, B2, fitted within
the castings A, B, may be replaced by a copper plate S clamped between the
castings A, B, as shown in Figure 11. This plate would be rolled of the required
thickness without requiring to be faced true. It would be shaped to the desired
form externally and provided with the necessary apertures for the passage of the
liquid and of the piston rods E, F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A liquid meter having a casing constructed of two parts A B bolted together
cach containing a similar arrangement of parts and serving to contain the whole of
the mechanism of the meter, as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with one or with each of the pump pistons, of a telescopic
piston body, as described.

page_text: 3. Constructing the main slide valve of elongated form as described for operating
the dial registering mechanism in the manner specified.
4. The combination, with pump barrels of unequal or equal diameter with slide
valves of cylindrical form as
5. The combination, with
described.
scribed.
j
liquid meter, of means for preventing shocks as
6. The employment, in the stuffing boxes of liquid meters, of cupped leather or
tubular rubber packings for making a tight joint by the pressure of the liquid as
specified.
7. The combination in a liquid meter of a filter chamber provided with a
removable plug stopper for giving access for cleaning as specified.
8. The means of fixing the pump barrels and slide valve seats by sealing them in
lead or equivalent material, as described.
. 9. The employment of a rolled copper plate S interposed between the
castings A, B, as a substitute for the fitted covers A2, B2, as specified.
Dated this 25th day of November 1892.
E. MATHIEU,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.