IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS, WHICH IMPROVE. FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND FOR MENTS ARE ALSO PUMPING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior
both of the City of Manchester, Machinists, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS, WHICH IMPROVE.
FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND FOR
MENTS ARE ALSO
PUMPING"
APPLICABLE
Sealed the 8th November 1867, and dated the 27th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert Frost, senior.
and Herbert Frost, junior, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 27th May 1867.
We, HERBERT FROST, senior, and HERBERT FROST, junior, both of the
City of Manchester, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND FOR
PUMPING," to be as follows:-
Our improved apparatus consists of one or more parallel rams or plungers
having square or angular sides working in suitable steps, frames, or bearings
fitted to their peculiar form for surrounding the said ram or rams; and for
making a metallic fluid-tight joint, part of the joint being made by a moveable
packing which adapts itself to the ram, and is self-adjusting; the said ram or
rams are enclosed within a casing, having a partition or partitions for dividing
021

page_text: the same into two or more chambers. By admitting fluid under pressure
into these chambers alternately the ram or rams are made to move to and fro
by the pressure of the fluid aciing on one end of the ram or rams, whilst at
the same time the opposite end of the ram or rams displaces fluid equal in
amount to the size and distance travelled by the ram or rams. When two or
more rams are used they are made to actuate the valves for admitting and
discharging the fluid from each other to each of the rams and measuring
chambers alternately.
When it is preferred to use a single ram, we employ a fluid motive valve
of peculiar construction, similar to the one described, in the Specification
of Letters Patent granted to the within-named Herbert Frost, senior, on the
22nd day of October, 1861, No. 2635, but having a mid-feather or division
plate of an angular form, and bed plate of V or angular form instead of being
flat at the bottom, as in the Patent above referred to, and having a separate
valve or valves for admitting and discharging the fluid to the moveable box
for giving motion thereto instead of moving the valve box itself, as described
in the above Patent. The top supplementary valve under one arrangement
is made to slide on a separate part for admitting fluid to and from the move-
able box through separate and independent water ways; in another arrange-
ment the top valve works upon the moveable valve box and admits fluid to and
from the same direct.
The above-described apparatus may also be employed as a water pressure
or other motivé-power engine either by using two rains connected together to
a crank shaft or with one ram having a rod crank shaft and link connected to
the ram, as in ordinary.steam or other engines, and also by actuating the ram
so as to cause it to force the fluid instead of being forced thereby. The
apparatus may be used as a pump.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HERBERT
FROST, senior, and HERBERT FROST, junior, both of the City of Manchester,
Machinists, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letter's
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior, Her special license
that we, the said Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Herbert
Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, AND FOR
PUMPING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Herbert
Frost, senior, and Herbert Frost, junior, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be perforined, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert
Frost, junior, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
The nature of our Invention consists in certain improved apparatus for
measuring fluids, which improvements are also applicable tor obtaining motive
power and for pumping.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a water meter constructed according
to our improvements; Figure 2 is a plan partly in section, and Figure 3 is
an end view of the same; Figure 4 is a section of our improved compound
valve on an enlarged scale; Figure 5 is an end view; Figure 6, a plan of
the same; and Figure 7 is a plan of the valve with the supplementary valve
removed.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a is the outer casing of the meter; b, the front
lid, and c the back portion of the casing; d is the ram or plunger, made square
by preference, but which may be of any other convenient form; the ram works
to and fro in the angle step, frame, or bearing e fixed inside of the casing by
means of the screws p, best shown in Figure 3, and above it is the moveable

page_text: packing, which is kept up to the frame e by the plates or holders fl; the
packing is capable of self adjustment to the upper faces of the ram to com-
pensate for the wear of the parts, being free to move between the frame e and
the holders f¹ for that purpose; by this means a perfect metallic fluid-tight
joint is obtained. The casing is divided into the two measuring chambers
marked A and B by the frame or bearing e and packing f and into a third
chamber marked Ccontaining the valves by the partition a¹. The valve rod d¹
passes through one end of the ram d and the partition a¹, and is connected to
the top supplementary valveg, shewn best in Figures 4 and 5; the top valve g
works to and fro on the fixed angle piece h, through which are waterways h
and h³ to convey the fluid to the moveable valve box ; this valve box i.works
in the lower part of the angle piece h. Within the valve box is the mid-
feather cast or fixed to the angle piece h; this valve is an improvement
upon the valve described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the
above-named Herbert Frost, senior, on the Twenty-second day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, number 2635, by which friction is
reduced and greater accuracy obtained. The three ports j, k, and 7, shewn
in Figure 4, are in communication with the various parts of the meter, that
is to say, the port j is in communication with the passage j¹ which conveys
the water to and from the chamber B; the port k is in communication with
the passage ¹ and outlet valve 2, and the port lis in communication with the
passage which conveys the water to and from the chamber A. The water
enters the meter through the inlet passage m, and passes through the dirt
box m¹ and grid m² into the valve chamber C.
The mode of operation is as follows, and the Drawing represents the parts
in the positions they occupy when the ram d is moving towards the valve
chamber C, as indicated by the arrow. When the ram d arrives near the
end of its traverse the ram strikes the end of the rod and moves the top
supplementary valve g so far as is necessary to open the port h and cover the
port h³; the water then descends through the port and passage he and enters
between the midfeather and the inner side of the moveable valve box i, the
midfeather being a fixture. The valve box is moved by the fluid pressure
in the direction of its arrow, see Figure 4, thereby covering the port 7 and
bringing it into communication with the outlet port % to discharge the fluid
that has been measured in the chamber A; at the same time the port is
opened to allow the incoming fluid to pass down the passage j into the
chamber B; the ram d then commences its traverse in the contrary direction,
and expels the fluid from the chamber A through the ports and k, as above
described. When the ram again arrives near the end of its traverse the

page_text: flange of the ram acting on the collar of the valve rod ¹ moves the
supplementary valve g back again into the position shewn in the Drawing;
the traverse of the ram, and consequently the quantity of fluid displaced
at each stroke is limited and regulated by the screw stop n. The index
dials are contained in the box o, and motion is communicated to them by a
lever and ratchet wheel worked in the ordinary way by a stud on the end of
the ram or in any other convenient manner.
In the meter above described only one ram is used, but similar meters may
be made with two or more rams placed side by side, in which case the rams
are made to actuate the valves for each other alternately, and the compound
valve, shewn in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 is dispensed with and ordinary D-valves
may be used.
The supplementary valve g is shewn in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 as working
on the angle piece 7, in which are the ports and passages h² and h³, but by
making those ports and passages in valve box, the supplementary valve g
may work on the valve box i and the upper part of the angle piece / may be
dispensed with; by thisarrangement the parts of the valve are simplified, but
the friction is increased.
The above-described apparatus may also be employed as a water pressure or
other motive-power engine, either by using two rams connected together to a
crank shaft or with one ram having a rod, crank shaft, and iink connected to
the ram, as in ordinary steam or other engines. In the above cases ordinary
slide valves may be used instead of the valves described, and also by actuating
the ram so as to cause it to force the fluid, instead of being forced thereby.
The apparatus may be used as a pump; in this case ordinary lift or flap
valves may be used instead of the yalves described.
Having now described certain constructions and arrangements of mechanism
by which our Invention may be carried out, we desire it to be understood that
we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein described, as the same
may be modified to suit the particular object for which the apparatus is
intended, and we claim,-
First, the general construction and combined arrangement of apparatus
herein shewn and described for measuring fluids.
Secondly, the application of a square or angular-shaped ram or rams to
fluid meters, as herein shown and described.
Thirdly, the application to fluid meters of a frame and self-adjusting packing
for square or angular rams, as herein shewn and described.
Fourthly, the improved compound fluid motive valve for fluid meters, as
herein shewn and described.

page_text: And, fifthly, the application of a square or angular-shaped ram or rams
with the frame and self-adjusting packing, as herein shewn and described, for
obtaining motive power and for pumping.
In witness whereof, we, the said Herbert Frost, senior, and Herbert
Frost, junior, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
second day of November, One thousadd eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
HERBERT FROST, SENIOR. (1..8.)
HERBERT FROST, JUNIOR. (L.S.)