IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUID METERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUID METERS." A communication from abroad by Messieurs Schäffer and
Budenberg, Engineers, of Buckau-Magdebourg, Germany.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th March 1878.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUID METERS." A communication from abroad by
Messieurs Schäffer and Budenberg, Engineers, of Buckau-Magdebourg, Germany.
These improvements relate to meters which measure liquids such as water posi-
tively, that is to say, by filling and emptying alternatively a recipient of any known
capacity or volume, such successive charges and discharges being registered on
appropriate dials.
For the purpose of this Invention I prefer making use of a receptacle or cylinder
in which a piston or solid membrane is caused to oscillate backwards and forwards
by the pressure of the water or other liquid; this oscillating membrane may however
be replaced by a piston working with a to-and-fro motion in a cylinder placed
horizontally or vertically.
One of the principal improvements of this Invention consists in the peculiar
mechanism adopted for reversing or feeding the water alternately on each side of
the oscillating piston or membrane, which is particularly adapted to fluids on account
of their non-elasticity.
Another principal improvement consists in the mechanism employed for trans-
mitting the motions of the said piston to the registering clockwork and dials
situated externally with reference to the meter, which mechanism is not in any way

page_text: influenced by the pressure inside the meter; thanks to this arrangement the ordinary
stuffing box used in such meters can be entirely suppressed without fear of
leakage.
In order that these said improvements be clearly understood, I will describe them
in detail conjointly with the six figures of the accompanying Drawing representing
one of these meters half size, and of which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional
elevation; Figure 2, a front clevation in section; Figure 3, a similar elevation, with
the back cover removed; Figure 4, a similar elevation, with the front cover removed;
Figure 5, a front elevation in section of the oscillating membrane and concomittant
parts and Figure 6, a plan view from below of a partition fixed in the measuring
cylinder.
In these Figures A is the measuring cylinder of cast iron, with a brass or gun
metal lining B. In the lower part of the cylinder I fix, by means of soldering,
screws or otherwise, a stationary partition C in the shape of a segment, and of
exactly the same length as the measuring cylinder; within this segment is fitted
the distributing cylinder D, susceptible of being rotated on its axis to the extent of
about 35 degrees, so that the water admitted in the direction of the arrow E,
Figure 1, enters alternatively on either side of the oscillating piston or membrane F,
which is provided with felt packing, and the horizontal shaft G of which passes
exactly in the axis of the measuring cylinder above mentioned.
The distributing cylinder D is separated by a central partition H, which divides
its length in two chambers h¹ and h; the water entering the meter at E, Figure 1,
passes through the underneath slot W into the chamber p', from whence it is directed
by the passages h² and h³ cut in the distributing cylinder, as well as in the segment
C alternatively on each side of the oscillating piston F; whilst the water is thus
penetrating the measuring chamber on one side of this piston, the water previously
charged on the other side of this piston passes into the chamber h, through one of
the passages 3 or 4, as the case may be, and from thence through the underneath
passage Wenters the chamber I and leaves the meter, as shown by the arrow E'.
In order to balance the pressure of the two extremities of the distributing
cylinder D, its right-hand extremity, Figure 1, is closed by a plug Y, and its left-
hand extremity by a pin projecting in a chamber I, and provided there with an
arm N, the use of which is explained below; a passage Z running entirely through
the segment C conducts the outlet water from the chamber I to the extremity Y of this
distributing cylinder D, thus maintaining an equal pressure at both its extremities.
Independently of the parts above mentioned contained in the measuring cylinder
A there is formed a chamber I by the adaptation of the cover J on the back end of
the said cylinder; the parts for effecting the reversing of the distributing cylinder D
are contained within this chamber I, these parts being actuated by the oscillating
motion of the piston F and its concomittant parts.
This special mechanism, which is clearly illustrated in the Figures 1 and 3,
operates in the following manner:-On the shaft G of the oscillating piston l' is
keyed a metal plate L, on the same axis or direction as the said piston; when the
piston F is oscillated by the pressure of the liquid exerted behind the said piston
the stop of the plate L strikes against the stop m of a weight M fitted loose on tho
shaft G, and carries round this weight until it arrives in a vertically balanced
position, then the said weight, abandoned by the stop 7, falls by the effect of its
gravity into the opposite positon to that which it occupied in the first place; on
the weight M there are also two stops m¹, m³, which striking alternatively each face
of the arm N keyed on the axis of the distributing cylinder D, oscillate this latter
about 15 degrees each time that one or the other of these stops m³, m³, come in
contact with one or other face of the arm N. The action of this weight m may be
increased as required by the addition of a spring.
It is evident that the oscillating piston F will constantly receive a to-and-fro
motion so long as water enters the counter in the direction of the arrow E, Figure 1,
and as the capacity of the measuring cylinder A is such that each charge which it
receives corresponds to a multiple of litres, or other measure of capacity, therefore

page_text: by registering these to-and-fro motions on proper dials the total amount of water
passed through the meter can always be read off. The accurate adjustment of
the meter is effected either by hammering out the piece L or by reducing the same
with a file or otherwise.
On the opposite side to the chamber I is formed a second chamber O by means
of a cast-iron cover P. A small stud Q fixed eccentrically in the end of the shaft
G projects into this chamber O, and transmits the to-and-fro motions of the oscil-
lating piston F to the registering dials R, mounted in a cavity formed outside of the
cover P, see Figures 1 and 4, by means of a fork S embracing this stud, and sus-
pended above on a horizontal pin T traversing the cover P, and provided on the
other face of the said cover with an anchor, which imparts the to-and-fro motion of
the oscillating piston F to the registering dials R, see Figures 1 and 4.
There is but one place in this meter where leaks might possibly occur, and that
is where the horizontal pin T passes through the cover P, which is made thoroughly
water-tight by surrounding this pin with a vulcanized indin-rubber ring U, the
small extremity of which is attached on the same by means of a wire ligature,
whilst its larger extremity is compressed against the cast-iron cap P by a screwed
plug V in metal or other appropriate material. As the oscillating motion of the
pin I is inconsiderable, this little india-rubber bush U can on account of its
elasticity follow this motion, and the greater the pressure inside the meter the more
strongly is the bush U compressed against the plug V and the pin T, so that no
possible leak can take place in this part of the meter.
Having thus described the individual parts, as well as the working of the meter,
it is not my intention, as regards the proportions and sizes of each of these parts
with reference one to the other, or their form, to limit myself to the exact details
above described or illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, but what I claim as
the Invention is,―
Firstly. A positive liquid meter consisting in a measuring receptacle in which a
piston oscillating conjointly with a self-acting mechanism for reversing the motion
of this oscillating cylinder may be effected suddenly by the rotation of a distributing
cylinder (which distributing cylinder is divided in two chambers, and provided with
inlet and outlet openings set at about 15 degrees) effected by a falling weight or a
spring each time that the oscillating piston of the measuring chamber assumes one
or other of its extreme positious, therefore both sides of the oscillating piston are
alternately exposed to the pressure of the liquid, whilst the liquid already past
escapes freely from the opposite side of the oscillating piston, as above described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The mechanism for transmitting the motion of the oscillating piston to
the registering dials, consisting in a fork oscillating on a pin projecting through the
cap of the meter, and provided externally with an anchor for actuating the wheel
work of the dials, on which pin is passed an india-rubber ring, one end of which is
attached to the said pin, whilst the other end is made fast and tight to the said
cover for the purposes above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)