IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Chadwick, of Salford, in the County of Lan-
caster, Gentleman, and Herbert Frost, of Manchester, in the said, County,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING
WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 28th August 1860, and dated the 1st March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Chadwick and
Herbert Frost at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st March 1860.
We, DAVID CHADWICK, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman,
and HERBERT FROST, of Manchester, in the said County, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS," to be as follows:
Our Invention relaies, firstly, to u modification of an arrangement for which
Letters Patent were granted to us, bearing date 23rd April 1857, No. 1200.
In that arrangement. we availed ourselves of the force of the fluid, and caused
it to act upon pistons or other such apparatus not concerned in the measure-
ment, so as to shift the valves. That principle we adopt according to our
[Price 8d.

page_text: present Invention, but we now employ a piston placed in a chamber consti-
tuting a continuation of the ineasuring cylinder, and cause the rod thereof to
pass through the piston in such measuring cylinder, after, which it is connected
to the valve or valves, by which the fluid is admitted and allowed to pass out.
Upon the piston in the measuring cylinder having arrived at a certain point,
it changes the valve in connexion with the other piston, which being thus
brought into action opens or closes the main induction or eduction ports. The
valves we place so as to move in the direction of the piston's motion, so that
they are shifted by a direct thrusting and drawing action, and we place such
valves on one side.
Another part of our Invention is applicable to those meters generally which
ineasure by the action of pistons, and consists in placing a piston and also the
valves by which the fluid is admitted to and allowed to pass from the cylinders
within the said pistons.
Another part of our Invention relates to the packing of pistons for water
meters. According to the methods hitherto in use the pistou have been
packed with leather, india-rubber, or other similar flexible or clastic material.
We have found, however, that an elastic metallic packing may be used with
advantages not heretofore attained, and this part of our Invention consists in
that substitution...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Chadwick and Herbert Frost in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
CHADWICK, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, and HERBERT
FROST, of Manchester, in the said County, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reigu,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
David Chadwick and Herbert Frost, Her special licence that we, the said David
Chadwick and Herbert Frost, our executors, administrators, and assigns,orsuch
others as we, the said David Chadwick and Herbert Frost, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POR MEASURING WATER
AND OTHER LIQUIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
David Chadwick and Herbert Frost, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said David Chadwick and Herbert Frost, do
hereby declare the nature of our said 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):-
Our Invention relates, firstly, to a modification of an arrangement for which
Letters Patent were granted to us, bearing date the Twenty eighth April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, No. 1200. In that arrangement we
availed ourselves of the force of the fluid, and causedit to act upon the pistons
or such other apparatus not concerned in the measurement, so as to shift the
valves. That principle we adopt according to our present Invention, but we
now employ a piston placed in a chamber constituting a continuation of. the
measuring cylinder, and cause the rod thereof to pass through the piston in such
measuring cylinder, after which it is connected to the valve or valves by which
the fluid is admitted and allowed to pass out. Upon the piston in the
measuring cylinder having arrived ata certain point it changes the position of
the valve in connection with the other piston, which being thus brought into.
action opens or closes the main induction or eduction ports. The valves we
place so as to move in the direction of the piston's motion, so that they are
shifted by a direct thrusting and drawing action.
Another part of our Invention is applied to those meters generally which
measure by the action of pistons, and consists in placing a piston and also the
valves by which the fluid is admitted to and allowed to pass from the cylinders
within the said pistons.
Another part of our Invention relates to the packing of pistons for water
meters. According to the methods hitherto in use the pistons have been
packed with leather, india-rubber, or other similar flexible material. We have
found, however, that an elastic metallic packing may be used with advantages
not heretofore attained, and this part of our Invention consists in that substi-
tution

page_text: On Sheet Fig. 1 is a section through our improved apparatus for measur-
ing water and other liquids, particularly adapted for water meters of large
.dimensions; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, with the top casing removed. a is the
measuring cylinder provided with the piston b. in the manner described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to us on the Twenty-eighth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, No. 1200. The mensuring cylinder
ais closed at one end by the partition c, beyond which is the chamber d, contain-
ing the piston e; the rod of this piston works in a cupped packing or other
stuffing box in the partition c, and through the hollow piston rod g of the piston
b. The upper end of the hollow piston rod is also provided with a cupped pack-
ing or other stuffing box, which is held down by the lid h, the flauge of which
serves to work the slide valve i, as will be explained hereafter. The upper
end of the piston rod works through the guide, and to it is fixed the flange k
for working the slide valve; the flange & fits in a block k', fixed to the plate
, connected with the valve l. The hollow piston rodg works through acupped
packing in the partition m, which forms the lower part of the vessel containing
the inlet and outlet passagesm¹ and m²; these passages are seen best in Fig. 2.
To the vessel m is bolted the cover or casing ». The valve i is for opening and
closing the ports o,p, and g, which are in communication with the chamber d,
and the valve is for opening and closing the ports r, s, and t, which are in
communication with the measuring cylinder and with the inlet and outlet pas-
.sages. The Drawing represents the various moving parts of the apparatus in
the positions they occupy when the piston bis rising; the liquid to be measured
is now descending through the port r and passage to the under side of the
piston b, while the liquid that has been measured is escaping through the pas
sage t¹, port t, valve l, and port s, to the passage s', which conveys it to the
outlet passage m². When the piston has nearly completed its upward stroke.
the flange comes in contact with the projection from the valve i, and at
the completion of the stroke the valve i is raised until the ports and p are
open to the valve, while the port q is uncovered or open to the liquid in the
casing n; the liquid then flows through the port q, and passage q¹ to the under
side of the pistone, which instantly rises in the chamber d, and in rising
expels the liquid above it through the passage p¹, port p, valve i, port q, pas-
sage q', to the passages, from wheuce it flows to the outlet m. When the
piston e is at the top of its stroke, the flange at the upper end of the piston
rod f, moves the valve 1, so as to cover the ports and s, while the port t is

page_text: uncovered oropen to the casing n, the liquid from which, descending through
the passage t, presses down the piston b, while the liquid under the said piston
is forced up the passage, through the port r, valve 1, port s, and thence
through the passage s' to the outlet passage 'm².
When the piston arrives near the bottom of the cylinder a, the flange h
comes against the projection connected with valve i, and when the downward
stroke is completed the valve i is brought again into the position shewn in the
Drawing; the liquid from the casing n then descends through the port o and
passage o'. to the top of the piston e, and presses it down, thereby bringing
the valve 7 back to its original position, and changing the ports for the escape
of the liquid above the piston b.
22
The projection & passes through a slot in the plate, which slot is of suffi-
cient length to allow the valves i and I to be moved without interfering with
each other; the valves are guided by the spindles and l, and are held to the
valve faces by india-rubber or other springs connected to the valves and to the
block a, through which the passages are made for conveying the liquid to aud
from the pistons and e; the passages in the block a communicate with
passages in the vessel m, as shewn in the Drawing or in any other convenient
manuer.
From the foregoing description and Drawings it will be seen that the valves
are moved in the direction of the piston's motion, and are consequently shifted
by a direct thrusting and drawing action.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 3 is a section through a water or other fluid meter, showing
one mode of constructing the second part of our Invention, which is a modifi"
cation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of Sheet 1. In this instance
the measuring cylinder a is furnished with a piston 6; the interior of this
piston forms the chamber d, in which works the piston e; the piston rod f of
the piston e works in a cupped packing or other stuffing box in the lid m, and
in a cupped packing in the upper part of the piston b; to the upper end of the
piston rodfis fixed the flange k, which acts on the valve (, placed within the
vessel cast with the lid m; the ports r, s, and t, communicate with the cylinder
a and with the outlet passage, similar to m in Fig. 2, as before described.
The valve is placed within the piston e, and is held against the valve seating
by a spring 7; the ports o, p, and q, also placed within the piston c, commu-
nicate with the chamber d and with the outlet pipe, similar to m² in Fig. 2.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The water or other liquid is now sup-
posed to be passing from the casing n through the passager to the under side
of the piston b, and forces it upwards, as indicated by the arrow, the measured

page_text: k
liquid escaping through the passage t', port t, valve l, port s, and passage s¹, to
the outlet. When the piston b arrives near the top of its stroke, the rod i
comes against the set screw i, passing through the upper part of the casing n,
thereby moving the valve ȧ until the ports p and q are covered; the port o is
thus uncovered, and the liquid in the casing n, descending through the hollow
piston rod, passes through the passage o' to the under side of the piston e, and
causes the piston to ascend until it touches the top of the chamber d; the
piston e rising within the piston b, which is now supposed to be at the top
of the cylinder a, brings the flange & against the projection, and moves the
valve until the port is uncovered, to admit the liquid to the upper side of
the piston b, which then commences its down stroke, while the measured liquid
rising through the passage r' escapes through the ports and valve / to the out-
let pipe. When the piston b arrives near the bottom of the cylinder a, the
bracket projecting from the rod 14, comes against the upright, to reverse
the position of the valve i; and when the piston e has got to the bottom of the
chamber d, the flange / comes against the projection, thereby bringing the
valve to its original position, as shewn in the Drawing. During the descent
of the pistone, the liquid under this piston escapes through the passage o¹,
port o, valve i, port p, and passage p', to a flexible pipe, partly shewn at p², or
to a sliding socket which is in communication with the outlet pipe.
By means of these improvements in apparatus for measuring liquids, the
position of the valves for opening and closing the induction and eduction ports
is effected more rapidly and with less power than by the machinery hitherto
employed, and the liquid measured flows in an uninterrupted stream through
the inlet and outlet pipes.
The third part of our Invention consists in packing the pistons of water
meters with inetallic packings instead of employing leather, india-rubber, or
other similar flexible or elastic material; the metallic packing may either be
expanded to fit the cylinder by springs or by the pressure of the water in the
measuring cylinder. As we do not limit ourselves to any particular description
of metallic packing, it is not necessary to illustrate this part of our Invention
with Drawings
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim,-
First, the application to apparatus for measuring water and other liquids by
the action of a piston working in a measuring cylinder, of an additional piston
for working the slide valve of the measuring cylinder, as shewn and described
in reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

page_text: Secondly, the improved arrangement of valves, shewn and described in
reference to Figs. 1 and 2, and the mode of working the valve of the piston e
by means of the piston rod /, working through the piston rod of the piston in
the measuring cylinder.
Thirdly, the application of the additional piston and valve for working the
valve of the measuring cylinder within the piston of the said measuring
cylinder, as shewn and described in reference to Fig. 3.
And, lastly, the application of metallic packing to the pistons of water
meters, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert Frost, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
HERBERT FROST. (L.8.)