IMPROVE- MENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM PUMPS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jeremiah Thomas, of Aberdare, in the County of
Glamorgan, Practical Working Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM PUMPS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jeremiah Thomas at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th February 1877
JEREMIAH THOMAS, of Aberdare, in the County of Glamorgan, Practical Working
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM PUMPS "
My Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in constructing
and arranging the parts of the said direct-acting steam pumps, whereby their con-
struction is much simplified, and they are rendered more efficient in action and less
liable to derangement than steam pumps of the ordinary construction
My improvements are applicable both to single and double direct-acting steam
pumps I cast the working or pump bairel and the valve boxes of the pump in one
piece instead of in separate parts, joined by screw bolts and nuts as usual The
valve boxes are placed closer to the pump banel than usual, and there are con-
sequently no long passages for the accumulation of air In consequence of there
being no joints between the valves and pump piston, there can be no leakage of an
between theirn
In consequence of the close proximity of the valve boxes to the pump barrel, and
the absence of joints between the barrel and valve boxes, the pump at starting
catches the water quickly, and is exempt from the risk of failure from leakage to
which ordinary steam pumps are liable
In addition to the advantages pointed out in the working of the pump, from the
construction and arrangement described of the pump barrel and valve boxes, there
also results great compactness and strength in the pump, and the parts being
readily accessible, great facility for repair
I make the pump piston in two parts for convenience in fitting the spring or
netallic nacking thereon

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jeremiah Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd August
1877
JEREMIAH THOMAS, of Abeidare, in the County of Glamorgan, Practical Working
Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DIRECT-ACTING STEAM PUMPS "
con-
My 'Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in
structing and arranging the parts of the said direct-acting steam pumps, whereby
their construction is much simplified, and they are rendered more efficient in
action, and less liable to derangement than steam puinps of the ordinary con-
stiuction
The
My improvements are applicable both to single and double dnect-acting steam
pumps I cast the working or pump bariel and the valve boxes of the pump in one
piece instead of in separate parts, joined by screw bolts and nuts as usual
valve boxes are placed closer to the pump banel than usual, and there are con-
In consequence of their
sequently no long passages for the accumulation of air
being no joints betwen the valves and pump piston there can be no leakage of air
between thein
In consequence of the close proximity of the valve boxes to the pump bariel, and
the absence of joints between the barrel and valve boxes, the pump at starting
catches the water quickly, and is exempt from the 1sk of failure from leakage to
which ordinary steam pumps are liable
In addition to the advantages pointed out in the working of the pump, from the
construction and arrangement described of the pump bariel and valve boxes, there
also results great compactness and stiength in the pump, and the paits being
readily accessible, great facility for repair
I make the pump piston in two parts for convenience in fitting the spring or
metallic packing theieon
The two parts of the piston aie fixed together by sciew nuts taking on to screwed
parts of the pump 1od on each side the piston
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which my Invention may be performed
Figure 1 represents in side clevation, and Figure 2 in plan a double direct-acting
steain pump containing my improvements, Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section
of the same taken on the line C, D, Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical
section of a portion of the same taken on the line A, B, Figure 2, Figure 5 is a
longitudinal section of the pump piston or plunger, and exhibits the construction of
the pump piston or plunger
Figures 1 and 2 are drawn to a scale of one inch to a foot, Figures 3 and 4, to a
scale of one and a half inches to a foot, and Figure 5, to a scale of three inches to n
foot
In order that my improvements may be better understood, I remark that the
direct-acting steam pump represented consists of a pan of ordinary high-pressure
steam engines which drive one main shaft On this shaft are placed a fly wheel to
balance the motion of the engines, and also the eccentrics for actuating the steam
valves Each of the steam-piston rods is prolonged as a tail 1od backwards though
the steam-cylinder cover, and into the pump bairel, and on the end of the said tail 10d
a piston or plunger is fixed, the said piston or plunger having a motion equal to or
coincident with the piston in the steam cylinder By the reciprocating motion of
the piston in the pump bariel, the water is alternately diawn into and expelled from
the said pump barel, the direction of the stream being controlled by valves, sc
placed as to ensure the flow of the water in the same direction.

page_text: I will now describe the several parts of the pump, corresponding parts being
marked with the same letters of reference
a, a, are the steam cylinder, a³, a³, the exhaust pipes, and a³ the steam pipe,
b, b, are the piston rods, and b¹, b¹, the tail ends of the said piston rods, which have
on their extreme ends the pump plungers or pistons 62, 63, (see Figures 2 and 4), c, c,
are the crank rods, and d, d, the main or crank shaft, having keyed upon it the fly
wheel and eccentrics d³, d, e, e, aio the working or pump barrels, and f, f, are
the valve boxes of the said barels, two pans of which are used with each pump
bai rel (seo Figures 1 and 2) The said pump barels e, and valve boxes f are cast
in one piece, as best seen in Figure 4, the said valve boxes being in close proximity
to the said pump barrel, g is a three-way suction pipe, and his the rising main or
delivery pipe, is an an vessel to assist in regulating the continuity of the flow of
water in the delivery pipe
Instead of making the suction pipe g of each pump separate from the pump bairel
c, and connecting it to the valve boxes f, f, of the said pump barrel e by flanges and
bolts, as represented in Figure I, the said suction pipe g may be cast in one pieco
with the said barrel e and valve boxes f, f, as represented in Figure 14, where the
suction pipe g, barrel e, and valve boxes ff, are cast in one piece By this arrange-
ment, two joints in each pump are dispensed with
The action of the pump is as follows -Supposing the pump piston b² to be
moving in the direction of the arrow Figure 4, then the valves at kand (sce
Figure 2) will be opened, and water will be drawn into the pump barrel e though
the valve, and expelled into the delivery pipe h through the valve at h In the
etuin stroke of the pump piston 6, the reverse takes place, the valves and l¹
being closed, and the valves and Z being opened, the valve for admitting water,
and the valve k¹ for allowing the water previously admitted to be expelled into
the delivery pipe
The action descubed takes place in each of the pump bariels
By an examination of the Drawings, it will be seen that all parts of the pump
proper are placed as close to the working barrel e as possible, from which great
compactness and extremely short passages result, consequently there are no long
passages for the air to accumulate in, and the advantages in working herein-before
pointed out are secured
The pump plunger or piston 63 18 represented drawn to a larger scale in Figure 5,
from an examination of which Figure 5 the construction of the said plunger o1
piston will be understood It consists of two parts or rings of gun metal m, m,
between which the steel spring or metallic packing pieces n, n, are hitted and secured
The two parts or rings m, m, of the piston are secured together by the screw
nuts p, p, screwed on the screwed end of the pump 10d b¹ on each side the piston,
as represented
The improvements described and represented are applicable to single direct-acting
steam pumps, as well as to double direct-acting steam pumps
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention, but I claim as my Invention
of improvements in direct-acting steam pumps,-
First Casting the working or pump barrel and valve boxes in one piece instead
of in separate parts joined by screw nuts and bolts, whereby the advantages, herein-
before pointed out are secured, substantially as herein-before descubed and
llustrated in the accompanying Drawings, also casting the suction pipe of the
pump in one piece with the pump barrel and valve boxes, as herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Diawings
Secondly Arranging the valve boxes close to the pump barrel, as described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings, whereby the ordinary long passages, in
which air accumulates, are avoided, and the failure of the pump, in consequence of
he accumulation of air in the said passages, is prevented
Thirdly The combination or arrangement of the parts of the pump piston or

page_text: plunger, herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying
Drawings
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeremiah Thomas, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven
Witness,
LEWIS EDWARDS,
Aberdare
JEREMIAH THUMAN.