Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 8th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 23rd Aug., 1887.
I, FRANK WESLEY DICK, of 405 Eglinton Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invertion
to be as follows, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to improve the construction of apparatus
usable as meter, or motor, or pump; to simplify the valve details of such apparatus ;
and to render the apparatus certain and accurate in action.
In carrying out my Invention according to one modification suitable as a water
meter, I employ four single-acting cylinders placed with their axes radiating from a
centre and fitted with pistons or plungers. The outer ends of the cylinde are
closed and their inner ends are open to the central part of a casing uniting them
together. The pistons or plungers are connected in pairs by diametrically placed rods
or bars, these bars being flat at the parts that pass each other and serving mutually
along with other guiding parts to support each other and prevent the pistons or
plungers from turning. The water has access from the inlet pipe to the central part
of the casing and proceeds to the cylinder ends by passages having ports in a port
face which is parallel to the plane containing the axes of the cylinders; whilst the
water leaves the meter by an exhaust port in the centre of the port face. There is a
single valve for all the cylinders; and in one modification it is of a circular form its
centre being made to travel in succession along the sides of a square which is
concentric with the port face whilst it is quite free to turn on its own centre so that
it will be continually changing its contacts with the port face and will consequently
tend to wear truer rather than the reverse. The valve, actuated as hereinafter
described, uncovers the ports in succession, whilst at the same time the cavity on its
inner side successively puts the ports in communication with the exhaust port. An
important peculiarity of the valve is that it always exposes two of the four ports and
always covers the other two. The valve is moved by means of slots formed in the
piston bars and acting on the circumference of the valve itself or on a centre stud
on the back of it. Each piston bar is made with a slot which is so much shorter
than the full stroke of the pistons, plus the diameter of the valve or its centre pin, as
Drian e71

page_text: will cause each end to give the valve the required movement along one side of the
square at the end of each stroke, there being no action on the valve by the piston bar
during a large part of the stroke. The slot of each bar is wide enough to allow the
valve to move across it when acted on by the other piston bar. With this arrange-
ment of the valve and of the parts acting on it, it can never be left in a position
which will prevent the restarting of the meter, as the movement which each pair of
pistons imparts to the valve does not close or open the passages of the cylinders of
that pair of pistons. Should the water be shut off when a valve movement is only
partly effected, then on the water being let on again the pistons that were moving
the valve must go to the end of their stroke and complete the movement. The valve
may be of a square form and it may be guided in a circular course by means of a
small crank.
Two or more double-acting cylinders or two or more pairs of single-acting cylinders
may be arranged with a single valve operated substantially as hereinbefore described.
And such sets of cylinders with single valves may be arranged to be worked with
steam or other fluid under pressure as motors for working pumps, or other recipro-
cating apparatus, the power being transmitted by the piston rods extended through
stuffing boxes in the cylinder ends or covers. For directly pumping or compressing
air or pumping water by means of water or other fluid under pressure, I make the
pistons of the cylinders with trunks on their inner sides these trunks working through
packed annular ends at the inner ends of the cylinders. In the annular space between
the trunk and cylinder I cause the water or other fluid under pressure to act, and 1
employ the spaces between the outer sides of the pistons and the outer ends of the
cylinders for drawing in and compressing the air or other fluid operated on.
and outlet check valves are provided in a box communicating with each cylinder end
or cover, and the piston has a short plunger fixed on it to enter the passage from the
cylinder to the valve box so as to expel the air or fluid as completely as possible and
diminish loss from clearance spaces.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1886
Inlet
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus Usable as a Meter or Motor or Pump.
I, FRANK WESLEY DICK, formerly of 405 Eglinton Street, but, now of 14 Queen's
Drive, Crossbill, Glasgow, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, 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, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to improve the construction of apparatus,
usable as a meter, or motor, or pump, to simplify the valve details of such apparatus;
and to render the apparatus certain and accurate in action.
Examples of my improved apparatus are shown on two accompanying sheets of
explanatory drawings, a modification arranged as a water meter being shown on
sheet, 1, whilst on sheet, 2, a modification designed for a direct-acting compressor or
pump is shown. Figure, 1, is a side elevation figure, 2, a vertical section, figure, 3,
a horizontal section, figure, 4, a plan of the valve, figure, 5, a plan of a frame for
guiding the valve, figure, 6, a plan of the piece in which the port face and ports are
formed, figure, 7, a horizontal section of the middle of the meter as with the part
shown in figure, 6, removed; and figure, 8, a plan showing the device for acting on
the counting mechanism. Figures, 9, and 10, on sheet, 2, are a sectional side
elevation and a vertical section of the pump. In these drawings the same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts whenever they are repeated.
In the modification shown on sheet, 1, 1 employ four single-acting cylinders, 11, 12,
13, 14, placed with their axes radiating from a centre. These cylinders which for
convenience are fitted with inner or lining shells having pistons, 15, working in them,
have their outer ends closed by covers, 16, whilst their inner ends are open to the
central part of a casting in which they are formed. The pistons, 15, are connected
in pairs by diametrically placed plates, 17, serving as piston rods, which are flat at
the parts that pass each other and serve mutually along with other guiding parts to
support each other and prevent the pistons, 15, from turning. The water has access
by the inlet pipe, 18, and port, 19, to the central part of the casing and proceeds to
the cylinder ends by passages, 20, having ports, 21, in a port face formed on a
piece, 22, shown separately in figure, 6, the port face being parallel to the plane
containing the axes of the cylinders; whilst the water leaves the meter by an exhaust
port, 23, in the centre of the port face. There is a single valve, 24, for all the
cylinders, and this valve is of a square form in the modifications shown in the
drawings. An important peculiarity of the valve is that it always exposes two of
the four ports and always covers the other two. The valve, 24, is moved by the
piston-rod plates, 17, which are formed with rectangular openings within which the
valve is placed, the openings being longer and broader than the valve. The breadth
of each opening in plate, 17, exceeds that of the valve by the extent of stroke intended
to be given to the valve, whilst the length exceeds the breadth of the valve by the
length of stroke of the pistons less the stroke of the valve. The valve, 24, is
consequently moved when the outward stroke of each piston is being completed, its
centre being moved in succession along the sides of a square, and it may consequently

page_text: be termed a four-motion valve. The valve, 24, is prevented from turning by a
frame or bridle, 25 (figure, 5) which fits two of its sides, this bridle, 25, being itself
guided between guide flanges, 26, formed on the port-face piece, 22. The bridle, 25,
can move in one direction between the guides, 26, but cannot turn, whilst the
valve, 24, can move in a direction at right angles to that of the bridle's motion but
cannot turn. And further to prevent displacement of the valve, 24, it is provided
with a central pin on its upper side, and a pin or spindle, 27, projects downwards so
as to prevent the valve from getting into a central position. With this arrangement
of the valve, 24, and of the parts acting on it it can never be left in a position in
which it will prevent the restarting of the meter, as the movements which each pair
of pistons imparts to the valve does not close or open the passages of the cylinders of
that pair of pistons. Should the water be shut off when a valve movement is only
partly effected, then on the water being let on again the pistons that were moving
the valve must go the end of their stroke and complete the valve's movement.
The valve may be of a circular form but will in that case require to be larger for the
same area of port. The valve, if circular, may be left free to turn on its centre so
that it will be continually changing its contacts with the port face and will
conquently tend to wear truer rather than the reverse.
The movements of the pistons are made to act on the counting mechanism, 28,
which may be of any convenient kind, through the spindle, 27, which has fixed on it
a star wheel, 29, in a position just above the upper piston-rod plate, 17. This plate
has fixed in it two pins, 30, which as the pistons reciprocate act alternately on
opposite sides of the star wheel, 29, and thereby make the spindle rotate step by step.
Two or more double-acting cylinders or two or more pairs of single-acting
cylinders may be arranged with a single valve operated substantially as hereinbefore
described. And such sets of cylinders with single valves may be arranged to be
worked with steam or other fluid under pressure as motors for working pumps or
other reciprocating apparatus, the power being transmitted by piston rods extended
through stuffing boxes in the cylinder ends or covers.
For directly pumping or compressing air or pumping water by means of water or
other fluid under pressure I construct the apparatus in some cases, as shown in
figures, 9, and 10. I make the pistons, 15, of the cylinders with trunks, 31, on their
inner sides, these trucks working through packed annular ends at the inner ends of
the cylinders. In the annular space between each trunk, 31, and cylinder, I cause
the water or other fluid under pressure to act, and I employ the spaces between the
outer sides of the pistons and the outer ends of the cylinders for drawing in and
compressing the air or other fluid operated on. Inlet and outlet check valves are
provided in a box, 32, communicating with the outer end of each cylinder, and the
piston has a short plunger, 33, fixed to it to enter the passage from the cylinder to
the valve box, 32, so as to expel the air or fluid as completely as possible and
diminish loss from clearance spaces.
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 I claim is :-
:-
1-The combining of parts to form a meter or motor substantially as herein before
described with reference to sheet, 1, of the accompanying drawings.
2-The combining of parts to form a direct-acting pump substantially as herein-
before described with reference to sheet, 2, of the accompanying drawings.
3-The four-motion valve arranged and operating in combination with the other
parts substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Seventh day of July 1887.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.