IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING VENTILATION
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Williams, of Merthyr Tydvil, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
EFFECTING VENTILATION."
Sealed the 24th August 1860, and dated the 29th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Williams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
February 1860.
I, WILLIAM WILLIAMS, of Merthyr Tydvil, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING VENTILATION," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing cast-iron cylinders or exhausters, as
hereafter described, having a piston in each, somewhat similar to the ordinary
blowing cylinders. Each cylinder has at the top and bottom thereof a suitable
chamber or chambers fitted with air valves, either of leather, vulcanised india-
rubber, or other suitable material. In. the up stroke of the piston the air is
drawn into each cylinder, and on the return stroke is driven therefrom, or
expelled through the outlet valves.
Two or more such exhausting cylinders and their apparatus may be employed
together, and the inlet culvert connecting them together; the air exhausted
or drawn up being discharged from each cylinder direct into the atmosphere.
I prefer to use light wrought-iron pistons working in cylinders of large
diameter, composed or built up of a series of cast-iron rings, and I prefer to
admit the air from a common chamber, or a culvert connected with one side
of each cylinder, and discharge the air from the opposite side thereof.
I prefer to work, or give motion to the pistons, by means of a single.or

page_text: double horizontal steam engine, through wheel and pinion gearing, and to
work the crossheads by means of cranks; but any other or more convenient
arrangement may be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILLIAMS, of Merthyr Tydvil, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Пer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Williams, Her special licence that 1, the said William Williams,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Williams, my 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
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EPPECTING VENTILATION," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Williams, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 I, the said William Williams, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and. by the
following statement and accompanying Sheets of Drawings:-
:-
This Invention consists in constructing cast-iron cylinders or exhausters, as
hereafter described, having a piston in each, somewhat similar to the ordinary
blowing cylinders in common use. Each cylinder has at the top and bottom
thereof a suitable chamber or chambers fitted with air valves, either of leather,
vulcanised india-rubber, or other suitable material. In the up stroke of the
piston, the air which is drawn into each cylinder is on the return stroke driven
therefrom or expelled through the outlet valves.

page_text: Two or
more such exhausting cylinders and their apparatus may be
employed together, and the inlet culvert is made to connect them together;
the air exhausted or drawn up being discharged from each cylinder direct
into the atmosphere.
I prefer to use light wrought-iron pistons, working in cylinders of large
diameter, composed or built up of a series of cast-iron rings; and I prefer to
admit the air from a common chamber, or a culvert connected with one side
of each cylinder, and discharge the air from the opposite side thereof.
I prefer to work or give motion to the pistons by means of a single or
double horizontal steam engine, through wheel and pinion gearing, and to work
the crossheads by means of cranks; but any other or more convenient arrange-
ment may be employed in direct connection therewith, or as part of tho
apparatus.
... Instead of working the pistons of the air or exhausting cylinders by means
of piston rods working through glands on the top side of such cylinders, either
by means of a crosshead attached thereto, and side rods connecting the cross-
head with cranks working below each cylinder, I prefer to mount the air or
exhausting cylinders upon suitable framing, columns, or standards, and work
the piston by means of a rod through the lower cover, and place the engine
within the framing and beneath the air or exhausting cylinder, so that the
engine may act direct upon the piston. Instead, however, of working the
larger piston direct from the piston rod of the steam engine, the steam
cylinder being at the bottom and within, whilst the air or exhausting cylinder
is at the top of and supported upon the framing, columns, or standards, I
prefer in other cases to place the steain cylinder immediately beneath the air
or oxbausting cylinder, and work it as an inverted engine, with a crosshead
working in suitable guides, and communicating motion therefrom to the piston
of the air or exhausting cylinder by means of two piston rods, one on either
side of the steam cylinder, connected to each end of the crosshead; a con-
necting rod working from the centre of the crosshead on to a crank, the shaft
of which is supported in bearings upon the main sole plate, and having a fly-
wheel keyed on to each end thereof.
In the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, I have illustrated two of the
methods in which I have found it most convenient to construct apparatus
according to my present Invention for exhausting air from mines, and which is
also applicable for ventilating ships and buildings, as well as mines, and for
other similar purposes.
In the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed for the
purpose of illustrating my Invention, Sheet 1 shews one arrangement and dis-

page_text: position of the parts thereof; Sheet 2 shews a different arrangement to that
shewn in Sheet 1, either of which arrangements may be adopted, according to
the circumstances under which my Invention may be applied.
In Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved ventilating
apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation
taken through the culvert and vertical delivery pipe leading from the upcast
shaft and one of the exhausting cylinders; Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of
the apparatus taken on the line ab, cd, ef, in the plan, Figure 2. The same
letters of reference are employed in these several Figures to denote like or
corresponding parts.
A, A, are the cast-iron cylinders or exhausters, which I prefer to make in
pieces with wrought-iron pistons B, B, which work up and down in the cylin-
ders, and which pistons I prefer to construct similar to those employed in
connection with the ordinary blowing cylinders. At the top and bottom of
each cylinder are the chambers C, C, &c.; each of such chambers is provided
with two sets of valves (composed of leather, vulcanized india-rubber, or any
other suitable material, and hung upon vertical gratings), one set D, D, &c.
through which the air enters each cylinder, and another set E, E, &c. opening
outwards from the cylinder, and by means of which the air is discharged
therefrom; F, F, are wrought-iron cases or chambers, by means of which
the air is supplied to the top and bottom inlet valves of each cylinder;
G is the vertical air delivery pipe leading from the culvert from the upcast
shaft, and through which, when the apparatus is at work, the air passes and
enters the cylinder through the lower inlet valves during the up-stroke.of the
piston, while the air above the piston is at the same time being expelled
through the top set of discharge valves E, E, &c., and vice versâ, during the
'down-stroke.
The exhausting pparatus is, according to this arrangement, worked by a
pair of horizontal cylinder engines I, I, communicating motion. by means of
the connecting rods M, M, and half cranks N, N, to the spur pinion K, keyed
upon the shaft O, by means of which the motion is transmitted to the inter-
Imediate shaft P through the spur wheel Q, and under the cylinders are fixed
the two horizontal shafts P', P', to which are attached the cranks R, R, and
the half crank R', R', set at right angles to one anothor, and working the
pistons of the exhausting cylinders by means of the connecting rods S, S, &c.
(which for lightness of construction may be formed of a wrought-iron plate of
a suitable taper form, each of the edges thereof being secured between two
angle iron plates) attached to the crossheads T, T, (which I have here pre-
ferred to shew as each being composed of plates of malleable iron,) and working

page_text: in suitable vertical guides formed in the standards V, V, &c. on each side of
the cylinders A, A; W, W, &c. are the two piston rods attached to each cross-
head, and working through suitable glands on the tops of the cylinders A, A.
By the arrangement and disposition of parts of this Invention as above
described, I am enabled to ensure a constant and uniform discharge of the air
thus pumped from the shaft.
In Sheet 2 I have shewn as a modification in the mode of applying my
Invention a different disposition of the parts thereof to that shewn in
Sheet 1.
It will be seen, on reference to the illustrations given in this Sheet of
Drawings, that the exhausting cylinders are in this case inverted and supported
by four columns resting upon a suitable sole or foundation plate; between the
space thus enclosed by the columns is comprised the whole of the arrange-
ment for working the pistons of each air or exhausting cylinder, thus allowing
of a self-contained and very compact arrangement of apparatus.
The same letters of reference are employed in the different views in this
Sheet of Drawings to denote the like or corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of this arrangement of my improved ven-
tilation apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan view taken on the top of the air or
exhausting cylinder and air chamber; Figure 3 is a front elevational view
taken on the line g, h, on the plan Figure 2.
.
In these several views A is the exhausting cylinder; B is the vertical air
delivery pipe leading from the culvert of the upcast shaft to the chamber or
air case C, C, branching from the pipe B, and serving for the supply of air to
the top and bottom inlet valves. I have not in this Sheet of Drawings
included the sectional view necessary to shew. the inlet valves, as this would
evidently be superfluous after the illustration of this part of the working of the
apparatus given in Figure 3, Sheet 1, and the description thereof which has
previously been given.
D, D, &c. are the top and bottom valves for the discharge of the air from
the exhausting cylinder; E is a small inverted direct-acting engine secured to
the bearing formed by the brackets F, F, and employed for working tho
piston of the exhausting cylinder by means of the arrangement shewn so
clearly in Figures 1 and 2 as to render any further description thereof
unnecessary.
Although I have in the several views shewn in the accompanying two Sheets
of Drawings but two modifications of the mode or method of working venti-
lating apparatus according to my present Invention, and have herein-before
described them and the mode of employing or working them, I do not thereby

page_text: intend to limit myself to those modes or methods of working or giving motion
to the pistons of air cylinders constructed, combined, and worked as herein set
forth, as, instead of the berein-before described modes or inethods of giving
motion to the pistons of air cylinders, I may, for the purpose of further econo-
mizing space, employ a hollow piston rod or trunk for the piston of each air
cylinder, and by means of a connecting rod impart motion from the steam
engine.
Instead also of this latter means, I may employ two small oscillating steam
cylinders inverted and giving motion to half cranks, at right angles to each
other, to rotate a shaft having a crank in the centre thereof or a spur pinion
keyed thereonto, so that where the central crank is employed, a connecting rod
will give motion to the large piston at the same speed or number of strokes as
the steam engine; but where the engines are required to run faster than tho
large piston, the spur pinion will, by means of suitably speeded gearing inter-
posed between it and the connecting rod or rods, drive the large air piston or
pistons at a proportionately reduced speed.
Having now described my said Invention of "Improvements in Machinery
or Apparatus for Effecting Ventilation," and illustrated some of the modes or
inethods in which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that what I claim is,
First, the combination of air cylinders or exhausters, each having a piston
as described, with a culvert or tube common to both air cylinders, and con-
nected to the top and bottom thereof by means of casings enclosing or containing
the inlet valves, whether the pistons of such cylinders be worked or set in
motion by the means and in the manner as herein set forth, or by any other
mechanically equivalent means.
"
Second, the mode of constructing and combining the parts of and working
and employing the machinery or apparatus for effecting ventilation, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Williams, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty.
Witness,
HERBERT JAMES.
WILLIAM WILLIAMS. (L.S.)