Year: 1886

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of 52 Chancery Lane, London, in the county of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which
has been communicated to me from abroad by James Henry Blessing, of Albany,
in the State of New York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of the apparatus, with the valve for
controlling the admission of water in its midway position:
Figure 2, a like section with a modified form of device for agitating the filtering
material:
Figure 3, a plan view:
Figure 4, a horizontal section at the line xx:
Figure 5, a longitudinal section of the upper part of the apparatus showing the
water-controlling valve at one extremity of its movement: and
c
Figure 6, a like section showing said valve at the opposite extremity of its
movement.
This invention relates to improvements in water-filtering apparatus, and it
consists of two filtering-chambers fixed upon a single base-piece containing &
filtered-water chamber from which the purified water may be conveyed to any
required point; the admission of water to the filtering-chambers being controlled
by a single valve that is adapted to compel the water to flow in the same direction
through both of said chambers, or-for the purpose of washing the deposited
impurities from the filtering-material-to compel the water to flow in one direction
through either one of said filtering-chambers and in the opposite direction through
the other.
It also consists in combining with the novel features just described a device for
agitating the filtering-material, during the operation of washing said material, for
the purpose of obtaining a more perfect removal of the impurities therefrom.
As shown in the drawing this apparatus is provided with two separate and
independent filtering-chambers A and A', which may be formed in a single piece,

page_text: as shown in the drawing, or, when preferred, each chamber may be made in a
separate casing; said chambers are partially filled with a suitable filtering
material, a, for which I preferably use a moderately fine beach-sand; said chambers
are secured to a bed-piece B, containing a water chamber, b, into which the
filtered water from both of the filtering-chambers is first delivered, and from which
the filtered water is discharged through the outlet opening b₁ into the water
distributing pipes. At the bottom of each of the filtering-chambers a perforated
plate C is secured to cover openings, through the top of the bed-piece B, which
lead into the water-chamber 6; and beneath each of the plates C is a vertically
reciprocating head D to which is secured a perforated plate d, the number and
location of whose perforations exactly match those of the plate Coverlying it; all
the perforations in the plates d contain pins, or plungers, E, whose heads are
clamped between the heads D and plates d so as to maintain said pins in erect
positions; the upper part of said pins enter the perforations of the plates C in
which they are constantly retained; the said pins, or plungers, should be slightly
less than the perforations in the plates C-the difference in size being just sufficient
to permit the water to ooze through the slight passages formed thereby, but
insufficient to allow the smallest particles of sand to pass therethrough. Each of
the heads D is provided with a stirrup d', which has a pendent guide-pin d fitted
to slide in a guide so as to keep said head in its required position. The
reciprocations of the heads D. are produced by means of rock-shafts F having
cams, f, which are fitted to engage in the mortices of the stirrups d; said rock-
shafts project, through stuffing-boxes of ordinary construction, from the side of the
base-piece B, and each is provided with a hand-lever f¹, so that an oscillatory
motion can be imparted to either one of the shafts without affecting the other;
by oscillating either of said rock-shafts, the corresponding head D receives a slight
up-and-down movement, and the series of pins, or plungers, E carried by said hend
is reciprocated in the perforations of its corresponding plate C, whereby any
foreign matter deposited on said plungers, or in the perforations of said plate, is
quickly and effectually removed, and when these reciprocations are imparted while
the filtering material is being washed in the chamber to which that series of
plungers is appropriated, the loosened particles will be carried, by the current of
water used for washing, upward and out of the filter.
The filtering-chambers A and A¹ are both covered by a cap-plate G, which has
two induction-ports g and an eduction-port g¹ formed therein; one of said
induction-ports leads into the chamber A, and the other into the chamber A¹; the
eduction-port g³ connects with the waste-water pipe g³, through which the
waste-water, used for washing the filtering-material, is carried off to the drain.
A slide-valve H is fitted, to move on the valve-seat g³ of the cap-plate; and said
valve is so proportioned that when it is in its central position, as shown in Fig. 1,
both of the induction-ports g will be open to permit the incoming water to flow
into, and down through, both of the filtering-chambers, as indicated by arrows in
Fig. 1. By moving the valve H-by means of the hand-lever h-to one extremity
of its movement, as shown in Fig. 5, one of the induction-ports will remain open,
to allow the incoming water to flow into the chamber A', while through the
opposite induction-port a communication will be established with the water-way h¹
in the valve H, the eduction-port g', and the waste-water pipe g, whereby the
water will be forced to pass (as indicated by arrows in Fig. 5) down through the
chamber A' and up through the chamber A so as to effect a perfect washing of the
filtering-material in the last named chamber so as to carry, all impurities that have
been deposited therein, off through the waste-water pipe g². By moving the
valve H to the opposite extremity of its stroke, as shown in Fig. 6, the direction
of the currents of water is reversed, as indicated by arrows in said figure, and the
washing of the filtering-material in the chamber A¹ will thereby be effected in the
manner above described in regard to the chamber A. The valve H is covered by
a valve-chest I with which the water-supply pipe J is connected.

page_text: To effect a more perfect cleansing of the filtering-material each filtering-chamber
is provided with an agitator for stirring up and loosening the filtering-material.
As shown in Fig. 1, said agitator consists of a vertical shaft K which carries a
series of radial arms k, of which the uppermost ones are provided with vertical
teeth, k, for the purpose of more thoroughly disturbing the upper stratum of the
filtering-material, at which point the greatest deposition of impurities will occur.
The shafts K project through stuffing-boxes g, and their outer ends are provided
with hand-levers k³, whereby either a vibratory or rotatory motion can be imparted
to said agitators. In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the agitators consist of the
horizontal shafts K' and K' which are provided with chain-sheaves which carry
the endless chains ; the shafts K' project through stuffing-boxes k and their
outer ends are provided with hand-cranks ke, whereby said shafts may be either
oscillated or rotated to produce the requisite movements of the chains to effect
the disturbance of the filtering-material to attain the end sought for.
During the process of filtration the filtering-material becomes closely packed, and
is so difficult to disturb, that the agitators cannot be moved, but by an upward
current of water, such as is used in the operation of washing, the particles of filtering
material become separated from each other, and the mass becomes sufficiently
disintegrated to allow the agitators to be moved with perfect ease.
It will readily be seen that, by reason of the two filtering-chambers, while ample
provision is made for the washing of the filtering-material, no unfiltered water can
pass from the apparatus through the outlet opening b¹ and thence into the water-
distributing pipes.
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. A water-purifying apparatus consisting of two independent filtering-chambers,
a single valve-enclosure from which an eduction-port leads to a waste-water
discharge and a separate induction-port leads into each filtering-chamber, and a
single valve of insufficient length to cover both induction-ports at the same time;
the said valve, when moved to cover one of said induction-ports, forming a passage
which connects the covered induction-port with said eduction-port, as and for the
purpose specified.
2. The combination of two independent filtering-chambers fixed on a bed-piece
that is common to both of said filtering-chambers and from which the filtered-water
is drawn, a single valve-enclosure from which an eduction-port leads to a
waste-water discharge and a separate induction-port leads into each filtering-
chamber, a single valve of insufficient length to cover both of said induction-ports
at the same time, but which, when moved to cover either induction-port, will form
a passage that connects the covered induction-port with the said eduction-port, and
agitators for stirring the filtering-material in said filtering-chambers, as and for the
purpose herein specified.
J
1000