IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Richards, of Norwood Road, in the County of
Surrey, Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING WATER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Richards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd September 1881.
WILLIAM RICHARDS, of Norwood Road, in the County of Surrey, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER."
The object of this Invention is the construction of water meters capable of
bearing a high or low pressure and registering the actual quantity passed with
accuracy, while the form and arrangement of the parts are such as are not likely
soon to get out of order and when worn are easily repaired.
The Invention relates to what are termed piston meters; and consists in
providing a metal cylinder closed at the top and bottom but made in several parts
for facility of manufacture and so as to admit of its being opened and access had
to the interior. The cylinder is also divided into three chambers by two fixed
partitions, but having orifices through their centres. The lower chamber is
furnished with a packed or otherwise fitted piston, which has a short tubular
orifice in its centre and is capable of sliding up and down a fixed vertical tube.
Within the vertical tube there is a rod that has a flange at its lower part, and at
the top a knob which acts upon the covers of the valves, to be hereafter referred
to. The rod has also inserted through it near the middle a pin, the ends of which
pass through slots in the vertical tube. The middle chamber has fitted to it also &
piston that is fixed to a vertical tube that extends through the upper partition and
slides up and down the rod before mentioned. The upper part of this tube is
connected to the cover of the lower valve. In the upper chamber there is attached
the inlet for the water provided with a suitable guard to reduce any sudden
pressure. There is also formed in this same chamber a valve box with a vertically
placed valve seat for two valves, each valve having three ports or openings and
each valve having a suitable cover like the slide valve of a steam cylinder. The

page_text: centre opening of each valve is always open to an outlet passage leading from the
valve box to the outlet formed in the upper part of the cylinder. The other two
openings are connected to pipes or channels for conducting the water to or
conveying the water from either side of the two pistons before described.
The action is as follows:-Water being admitted to the upper chamber it enters
one of the ports of the lower valve and descends by a suitable conduit to the
bottom chamber beneath the lower piston and raises it till its tubular centre
presses against the pin, when the central rod will be lifted, and by means of the
knob at the top, which engages with or is connected to both the valve covers, the
lower port of the upper valve is opened, while the two lower ports of the lower
valve are closed. In the mean time water has entered the middle chamber and
caused the upper piston with its vertical tube to rise and operate on the lower valve
and open its lower port. The water then enters the bottom chamber above the
lower piston, the tubular centre of which depresses the flange on the bottom of the
central rod, and consequently the valve covers of both valves are suitably shifted.
The action described being continuously repeated and water alternately received in
and ejected from each side of both pistons, a constant stream of measured water
from the outlet is the result. To either the upper vertical tube, or to the central
rod or one of the moving parts adjacent, an index is connected by any suitable
intervening gear.
A modification of the foregoing consists in fixing the piston to the central rod,
which is suitably lengthened, and by means of the knob or other appendage at the
top operates upon both valves.
Either one or both pistons, and the requisite parts through which the rod and
vertical tubes pass, may be packed or cupped with asbestos or other suitablo
material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st March 1882,
WILLIAM RICHARDS, of Norwood Road, in the County of Surrey, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER."
The object of this Invention is the construction of water meters capable of
bearing a high or low pressure and registering the actual quantity passed with
accuracy, while the form and arrangement of the parts are such as are not likely
soon to get out of order and when worn are easily repaired.
The Invention relates to what are termed piston meters, and consists in
providing a metal cylinder closed at the top and bottom, but made in several parts
for the facility of manufacture and so as to admit of its being opened and access
had to the interior. The cylinder is divided into three chambers by two fixed
partitions, but having orifices through their centres. The lower chamber is
furnished with a packed or otherwise fitted piston, which has a short tubular
orifice in its centre and is capable of sliding up and down a fixed vertical tube.
Within the vertical tube there is a rod that has a flange at its lower part and at
the top a knob which acts upon the covers of the valves to be hereafter referred to.
The rod has also inserted through it near the middle a pin, the ends of which pass
through slots in the vertical tube. The middle chamber has fitted to it also a
piston that is fixed to a vertical tube that extends through the upper partitions
and slides up and down the rod before mentioned. The upper part of this tube is
connected to the cover of the lower valve. In the upper chamber there is attached
the inlet for the water provided with a suitable guard to reduce any sudden
pressure. There is also formed in this same chamber a valve box with a vertically
placed valve seat for two valves, each valve having three ports or openings and
each valve having a suitable cover like the slide valve of a steam cylinder. The
centre opening of each valve is always open to an outlet passage leading from the
valve box to the outlet formed in the upper part of the cylinder. The other two
openings are connected to pipes or channels for conducting the water to or
conveying the water from either side of the two pistons before described.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood, Drawings are
attached hereto of which the following is a description:-Fig. 1 is in general a
vertical section of the meter, the valve box, valves, covers, and parts immediately
connected being in elevation. In this Fig. the index and its connection with the
moving parts are omitted; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the meter taken at right
angles to the previous Fig.; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of one half of the meter.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A, A, represent the outer cylindrical case of the meter and B its
cover. The interior is divided by a fixed diaphragm D into two chambers E and F,
and these are subdivided by the moving pistons P1, P2, into compartments
numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. There is also another fixed diaphragm G, which separates
the compartment F from the chamber C. H is the inlet for water partially covered
by a conical guard y, so as to prevent the meter from receiving any injurious
effect from shocks caused by the sudden inlet of water. In the chainber C there is
a valve box d, to which is fixed a vertical valve having six ports numbered 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, and 6. In Fig. 2 the valve with its covers a and b are shown in side
section, while in Fig. 1 they are shown in elevation. This same valve is shown
in elevation in Fig. 8, while Fig. 12 represents the outer side of the cover a, Fig. 2,
and Fig. 13 the underside of the cover b, Fig. 2. Four of the ports, namely, 1, 2,
3, and 4, before mentioned, convey the water to and from their correspondingly

page_text: numbered chambers, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 5, and in plan
in Fig. 9. The other two ports 5 and 6 are enclosed by the case & and connected
to the outlet M; L, L, are the ports to the compartments 2 and 3.
In Figs. 1 and 2 t is a tube fixed to the diaphragm D, and encloses the rod R.
At the upper part of the tube t are two slots w opposite each other. These slots
allow the pin which is fixed to the rod R to move up and down the distance of
the stroke of the cover b. The tube t might be dispensed with, but is used in order
to prevent the liability of the piston becoming fixed to the rod R. The centre X of
the piston P, the tube t, and the rod R are fitted and adjusted so as to bo
practically sound but capable of moving with freedom. The tube T, as well as the 1
glands g, g','are likewise properly fitted, but whenover desirable stuffing boxes may
be employed, as shown in Fig. 10.
The piston P' slides with freedom on the tube t, and on ascending comes in
contact with the pin h and so raises the rod R. At the same time the rising of
the rod R causes the arms n, n, which are attached to the top of the rod to change 1
the position of the valve cover b. On the piston P' descending when near the end
of the stroke it strikes against the flange N, and causes the rod R to descend also
and change the cover b to its former position. By these means the supply and
delivery of water to and from both sides of the piston P' is controlled by the water
acting on piston P¹.
2
The piston P has a range only equal to the stroke of the valve cover a, and is
attached to the tube T which passes through the gland g' of the fixed diaphragm G.
At the upper part of this tube T are fixed the arms m, m, Figs. 1, 4, and 7, which
actuate the valve cover a. Thus on the water entering chamber 4 piston P² is
depressed, and in descending opens port 2, while in ascending it opens port 1, and 1
by these means the supply and delivery of water to and from both sides of
piston P¹ is controlled by piston P².
The action of the meter is as follows:-In Figs. 1 and 2 the piston P' is supposed
to be ascending, and when the part marked X comes in contact with the pin', the
rod R is raised and the arms n, n, shift the valve cover b, so that the water enters
port 4, when of course port 3 becomes the outlet. This being effected the piston P³
descends and opens port 2 for the admission of water and port 1 becomes the
outlet. The piston P' then descends, and when near the bottom the part X acting
on the flange N causes the rod R to descend and open port 3. This being accom-
plished, the water enters beneath the piston P² and opens port 1, as represented in 3
Figs. 2 and 5, when the water will enter below and raise piston P¹. This action
is continuous, the water entering and being expelled from the chambers in
succession, and as the pistons are suitably restricted at the end of each stroke it is
evident that if the cylinder, pistons, and glands are properly made the meter must
be an accurate measure. The Drawings show a meter of the full size to deliver 4
half a gallon at each double stroke.
A modification of the apparatus is represented by Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. In this
arrangement the piston is fixed to the rod R, and on the top of the rod there is a
knob K. The lower valve cover a is actuated in precisely the same manner as
already described, but to change the cover b there is a flat bar Q, the upper part
of which is guided by the standard V, and similar means are used for its guidance
near the bottom at the point u in Fig. 7. The bar Q has a projection S¹ at the
top, and two others S at a distance equal to the stroke of the piston P¹ less the
range of the valve cover b; also two arins m, m, shown distinctly in Figs. 4 and 7.
Supposing the piston P' to be ascending, the rod R rises until the knob K comes 5
into contact with the projection S', when the flat bar Q and with it the valve
cover b will be changed in position, and port 4 will be opened. On descending the
knob K will press on the projections S³, S, Figs. 4 and 7, and cause the bar and
valve cover to subsequently assume the position shown in the Drawing, Fig. 5.
The principle of the action in this modification is identical with that before 5
described, and the letters of reference in general correspond.
In another modification of this apparatus I employ two separate slide valves, as

page_text: shown in Fig. 10, instead of two combined, as exhibited in previous Figs, but in
all other respects the meter is the same. A plan of this arrangement showing the
passages for the water as well as the forked lever W, through the intervention of
which the movements of the pistons are conveyed to the recording index, are shewn
in Fig. 11. The arrangements for actuating the index is equally applicable to the
forms of apparatus previously referred to. The action of this modification is
similar to that of those already described, that is to say, the piston P¹, not shown
in Fig. 10, controls the valvo cover b, and the tube T of piston P controls the
valve cover a, delivering the water to chambers 1 and 2. In Fig. 11 the two valve
boxes are shewn to be connected together by the pipe Z.
Fig. 14 represents the tube T which has a slot W in it to allow the rod R to
ascend and descend; Fig. 15 is an elevation of the same tube T drawn at right
angles to the previous Fig.; and Fig. 16 is a plan of the same. Fig. 17 is an
elevation of the rod R and arm n; and Fig. 18 is a plan of the same parts.
Fig. 19 is an elevation of the valve as applied to the arrangement shown in
Fig. 10; and Fig. 20 is a plan of the underside of the valve cover.
In Fig. 10 will also be seen the method of packing the pistons when it is found
necessary that they should be so treated, j being the disc of the piston which works
freely within the cylinder. Abovo and below this disc are placed cup leathers 1, U'
secured to the disc by metallic rings o, o, by screws p, p. In order to ensure the
valve cover continuing in close contact with the valve, I put a piece of india
rubber, asbestos, or other clastic material between the cover of the valve and tho
metal guide, as shown also in this Fig.
In Fig. 9 it will be observed that there is a plate Y placed across the chamber C.
This plate is a perforated metallic one, and is used to prevent dirt from passing to
the valves.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this Invention,
and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise details
or arrangements that I have described or referred to, as variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention,
but what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The construction of water meters with two pistons working parallel to
each other, as herein described and shown on the Drawings.
Secondly. The construction of water meters wherein the piston rods are placed
concentrically to each other, as herein described and shown on the Drawings.
Thirdly. The construction of water meters, the piston rods of which convoy
their motion directly to the valve covers, as herein described and shewn on the
Drawings.
Fourthly. The valves constructed and arranged as herein described and shewn on
Drawings Figs. 1 to 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two
WILLIAM RICHARDS. (L.S.)