Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
I, GEORG GUTTENBRUNNER of Roter Hof 10, Wien VIII, Austria, I. and R.
Captain, 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 :-
This invention relates to weirs or overflow sluices in water courses and consists
in an improved arrangement or construction of a vertically adjustable weir and the
combination of the same with mechanism for lowering it self-actingly when the
water above the weir rises above a predetermined level; the object of my invention
being by this means to prevent or materially reduce the rise of the back-water and
the inundations and consequent damage resulting from most permanent weirs in case
of floods.
On the drawings appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows a plan of the weir partly in section ;
Fig. 2 a cross section A B, Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section C D, Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 the cover, guides and packing for weir in section ;
Fig. 5 the guide wall with packing and friction rollers in front view;
Fig. 6 details of the packing;
Fig. 7 details of the friction rollers.
The body of the weir consists of a hollow girder or caisson a of rivetted boiler
plates suitably stiffened and stayed inside by angle irons and stays; to the bottom
of this a number of spindles c are attached by means of which the weir can be
raised or lowered. The weir body a is guided in a slot in the arch d, Fig. 2, of a
tunnel built in below the weir and the corners and surfaces of the guiding slot are
protected by metal plates e e, and solidly secured by anchor stays ff. In order to
prevent water from entering the tunnel, the plates e e are formed with grooves or
recesses gg, (Fig. 6) into which packings hh saturated with tar or other fatty
substance are placed and pressed tightly against the weir body a; or hydraulic
packings of U shaped leather may be used instead thereof. For the reduction of
friction the plates e e further contain in recesses arranged therein friction rollers i i
or balls, Figs. 5 and 7.
By means of one or several hinged covers or flaps kk, Figs. 2 and 4, which can
be turned down in the direction of the current, the entry of water into the tunnel
is prevented when the weir is sunk below the level of the water course.
Connected to the guide plates e e and supporting the arch of the tunnel, struts or
pillars are fixed in the tunnel at suitable places so as to form: continuations of
the guide plates e on both sides, and serve to carry the mechanisms for raising and
lowering the weir. The spindles cc may be threaded and the nuts m thereon formed
as worm-wheels operated by worms on the shaft n, or bevil wheels may be substituted
for the worms and worm-wheels. Or instead thereof the spindles c c may form part
of or be attached to hydraulic rams, the pockets into which the spindles descend
being formed as hydraulic cylinders fitted with suitable valves: In each case local
conditions or other circumstances will determine the most suitable kind of mechanism
to be adopted for lowering or raising the weir.
The tunnel t ends on each side in vertical open shafts & s or communicates with
such shafts in which the apparatus for actuating the shaft n is arranged. This
consists on one or each side of a chain wheel o round which and a chain pulley on
shaft n, a chain is passed; another chain or rope being coiled round the wheel o
and carrying a weight p. The wheel o is locked by a suitable locking arrangement.
so that the weight occupies its highest position when the weir occupies its normal
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position. The locking means, for instance a ratchet wheel and pawl or their
equivalents are connected to floats q q, Fig. 3, in such a manner that when the
water above the weir rises so as to raise the floats, the pawl is disengaged from the
ratchet wheel. This may be done as indicated on the drawing by suspending
the float from a bell crank lever g', the vertical limb of which engages with
a ratchet wheel fixed to the side of the chain wheel o. When the latter is
liberated, the weight p descends and turns thereby the shaft n and worm-wheels m
and the spindles care screwed down so that the weir is lowered. When in
consequence thereof the water level falls, the float y sinks again and arrests the
further descent of the weight p. In this way the level of the back-water is kept
at a predetermined height and inundations or other damages by floods are
prevented.
Where hydraulic power is used for operating the descent of the weir, the float is
connected by levers and rods to the outlet valves of the hydraulic cylinders, the
effect of which arrangement is the same as herein before described. Obviously the
floats are preferably made adjustable with regard to the water level, so as to be
able to vary the moment of the self-acting lowering of the weir as may be
equired.
In some cases it is desirable to lower part of the weir only. In such cases the
weir body is made in suitable parts or divisions and these are packed not only in
their fixed guides but also as regards the adjacent parts of the weir body in a
similar manner as herein before described. In these cases the mechanism for
operating the spindles from the shaft or shafts n is arranged so that parts of it can
be thrown into or out of gear, or the hydraulic lifting and lowering arrangements
are correspondingly arranged.
After the subsidence of the flood, the weir body a is raised to its normal
position by winding the weights p up again, for instance by turning the wheels o
with hand spikes or other suitable means, or where hydraulic power is used by
forcing water into the cylinders by any ordinary suitable pumping arrangements.
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 1
claim is:
1. The arrangement of a vertically adjustable weir or overflow sluice consisting
essentially of a weir body (a) and a tunnel (t) built underneath the same in the
arch of which said body is guided and can be raised and lowered as required,
substantially as herein. before described and illustrated by the drawings aud for the
purpose set forth.
2. In weirs as claimed in the preceding claim, the use or arrangement of guide
plates (e) in the arch of the tunnel and struts or pillars (1) attached to said guide
plates continuing the guidance of the weir body (a).
3. In combination with a vertically adjustable weir guided in a slot in the arch
of a tunnel built under the same and by struts or pillars fixed in said tunnel, the
arrangement of vertical spindles attached to the underside of the weir body and
mechanisms for lowering and raising said spindles and weir body, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
4. In combination with the arrangement of weirs claimed in the preceding
claim, the use or arrangement of a float or floats, actuated by the rise and fall of
the water above the weir and by their rise and fall starting and arresting the
mechanisms for lowering the spindles and weir body, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
5. In combination with a vertically adjustable weir operated by mechanism
controlled by the rise and fall of a float, the arrangement of a weight (or weights) P
suspended by a chain or rope on a pulley, held in position by a locking device
which is disengaged by the rise of said float, chain or equivalent gearing trans-
mitting the motion of the pulley produced by the descent of the weight to a shaft
or shafts extending under the weir, and worm and worm-wheel or bevil gears for

page_text: transmitting the rotation of said shaft or shafts to nuts embracing screwed spindles
attached to the underside of the weir body in such a manner that the descent of
the weight lowers the weir body, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated on and by the drawings.
6. In guide plates (e) for vertically sliding weirs the arrangement of grooves (g)
and packings (h) inserted therein substantially as described and illustrated.
7. In guide plates for weirs as claimed in the preceding claim, the arrangement
of friction rollers or balls in recesses of said plates, substantially as described and
illustrated.
8. The construction of the vertically adjustable weir body (a) in one or more
parts, and mechanism for moving the whole together or each part separately,
substantially as herein before described.
Dated in 20th L
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.