Year: 1887

page_text: ROBERT GRIMOND LAIRD of 40 Westland's Road Clapham in the County of
Surrey Engineer 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 object of my invention is to circulate a given quantity of water by means of
atmospheric pressure, and suitable mechanical appliances, so as to give rotary or
reciprocating motion to every kind of machinery for manufacturing purposes or for
locomotion on land or water. This object is accomplished by the apparatus hereinafter
described, and which I call "The Hydra-Pneumatic Circuit Motor." My invention is
illustrated by the accompanying two sheets of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is an elevation thereof.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan thereof on the line A B.
Figure 1 is a sectional plan thereof on the line CD.
Like letters of reference indicate the same paris throughout the drawings.
In carrying my invention into practice I provide a water-tank of a convenient
capacity and shape and open to the atmosphere a, in juxta-position with which I place
a smaller water-tank, or valve-box of a convenient capacity, and shape, and closed to
the atmosphere to prevent the backward flow of water to the former tank when the
machinery is at rest, a'; I connect those tanks with each other by a pipe, a², or other
suitable conduit. The pipe, ", at its junction with the tank, a', is furnished with a
valve opening upwards, a³. On the cover of the tank, a', I mount a vertical pipe of a
convenient height not exceeding that to which water rises under the normal atmospheric
pressure of 15 lbs. to the square inch. This pipe is curved at the height aforesaid,
and produced downwards so as to form the siphon A. The curve of the siphon is
furnished with an air-cock, at. The lower end of the siphon is attached to one arm of
a bifurcated joint a", and to the other arm of this joint a vertical pipe is attached.
The pipe & rises to the height of the siphon, and is open to the atmosphere to admit a
column of air to give equal pressure to the water in the siphon and furnished with an
air-cock, for excluding the atmosphere whilst the siphon and tank, a', are being
charged with water. The joint is furnished with a valve e. Underneath the tanks a

page_text: and a and corresponding to them in capacity and shape I place two other water-
tanks, d, d', in juxta-position. The larger of those tanks, d, is open to the atmosphere
and connected with the valve e by an elbow-pipe c', or other suitable conduit. When
rotary motion is required I fit up a turbine, e, in the tank d, and when reciprocating
motion is required Ĺ employ a cylinder with an air-pump attached, instead of a turbine.
The tanks, d, d, are connected with each other by a pipe d², or other suitable conduit,
furnished at its junction with the tank, d', with a valve opening upwards d³. The
smaller tank, d, is closed to the atmosphere to prevent the backward flow of water to
the tank, d, when the machinery is at rest. On the cover of the tank, d, I mount a
vertical pipe, which rises to a level with the top of the tank, a, and is connected
with a centrifugal delivery pump, g, which is furnished with a pipe of siphon or other
convenient shape, h, a part of which extends above the tank, a, and rises to the same
height as the cover of the pump, g, and the remainder is produced downwards in the
tank, a, almost to the junction of the tank, a, with the pipe, a². By the means of the
pipe, h, the pump, g, when not working, is kept charged, as water flowing from said
pump will find its level in the pipe, h, and thus seal the pump from the atmosphere,
and assist the pump, when working, in causing a vacuum by the revolution of
its fan.
C
Having described the several parts of my invention and their arrangement I now
proceed to explain the working and action thereof. The valves a³, c, d³, being closed,
and the aircock, , turned off, I exhaust the air in the tank, a', and siphon A through
the aircock, a'. I then charge the tank a with water which flowing through the
pipe, a², opens the valve, a³, and fills the tank, a', and the siphon A. The centrifugal
delivery pump, g, the pipe, /, and the tank, , are charged with water at the same
time, and the necessary water feed being thus provided the valve c is then opened
and the aircock, ¹, turned on, and the water fed by the tank, a, through the pipe, a²
into the tank a', and siphon A falls through the elbow-pipe, c, into the tank, d, and
actuates the turbine, e, from the shaft of which, e', motion is transmitted by suitable
gearing to the shaft of the centrifugal delivery pump, g. The pump, g,
then draws
up the water from the tank, d', and pipe, /, and delivers it into the tank, a, for circula-
tion.
At this stage of the operations the water flowing from the tank, d, through the
pipe, d, opens the valve, d, and rising into the tank, &, and pipe, f, is returned into
the tank, a, for recirculation, and the continuous circulation of the water proceeds
until the valve, c,
is shut.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do
not restrict myself to the precise details of what has been above described as many
variations or modifications may be made therein without departing from the main
features of the invention but what I claim is
The general arrangement and combination of parts of the apparatus above described
substantially as and for the purposes set forth particularly by the foregoing specifica-
tion and accompanying drawings.