IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIN PUMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS of Brentwood in the County of Essex Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIN
PUMPS," to be as follows:-
-
Hitherto in water lifts in which buckets have been attached to the links of
endless chains which pass over and are supported by a drum or barrel the drum or
barrel has usually been constructed as a flat sided polygon the flat sides of which
correspond in width to the length of the links so that when the drum is revolved
and the chains pass over it the joints in the chain come opposite to the angles or
corners of the flat sided drum.
The chain has also been formed with alternately single and double links and the
drum has been formed with tongues projecting from every other one of its sides
to enter the spaces between the double links to serve as drivers to carry the chain
round with the drum when it is revolved whilst the buckets have been secured to
the single links. One effect of making the drum flat sided is that however
accurately the links of the chain may fit the drum when the parts are new yet as
the tongues which drive the chain wear or the joints of the chain work loose the
points at which the links of the chain are hinged to one another get further and
further away from the corresponding angle or corner of the drum.
To obviate this difficulty I make the drum circular at those parts of its circum-
ference where the links rest upon it and I make the links of a curved form to rest
upon the circular circumference of the drum or the double links only might be
made to take a bearing upon the circular circumference of the drum and the single
links not come in contact therewith.
I also make both sets of links of equal length instead of one shorter than the
other as heretofore.
The tongues I make of separate pieces with flanges at their base for the chain to
rest upon and secure them by bolts or otherwise to the circumference of the drum
in such manner that they may from time to time be set outwards radially from the
circumference of the drum to allow of their being adjusted to the pitch of the chain
as the chain elongates in course of wear.
I also make the tongues of such a form and attach them to the drum in such
manner that they can be reversed end for end in order that after one end of
the tongue has become worn the other end may be made the leading or driving
end.

page_text: The drum I as heretofore divide internally with radial partitions in between
which the buckets empty their contents as they are carried round over the
drum.
The compartments so formed are also as heretofore open at one end of the drum
so that they may empty themselves into a trough by which the water or liquid
raised is conveyed away and I drive the drum from its opposite end by a gear
wheel affixed to or forming part of it and I make the drum of sufficient strength
and stiffness to allow of its being driven from this side only. This may be effected
by securing to the edge of the disc which forms this end of the drum a number of
cross bars which pass across the drum and by knitting together these cross bars at
both their ends by means of circular hoops which form the supporting wheels for
the chains. This arrangement allows the drum to be taken apart very readily and
packed in small compass for transport.
In some cases the partitions in the interior of the drum may be dispensed with
and the water caught in the trough directly from the buckets.
In some cases also in place of using a single drum and endless chain of buckets
I drive two drums and endless chains of buckets such as are hereinbefore
described by one horizontal gear wheel situated between them so that one
endless chain will be revolved in one direction and the other in the opposite
direction.
In this way the strain upon the gear wheel will be equalized on both sides
of the driving spindle and the strain upon the teeth of the gear wheel and upon
each of the lifting chains will be reduced.

page_text: Improvements in Chain Pumps.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS of Brentwood in the County of Essex 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 :—
Hitherto in water lifts in which buckets have been attached to the links of
endless chains which pass over and are supported by a drum or barrel the drum or
barrel has usually been constructed as a flat sided polygon the flat sides of which
correspond in width to the length of the links so that when the drum is revolved
and the chains pass over it the joints in the chain come opposite to the angles or
corners of the flat sided drum.
The chain has also been formed with alternately single and double links and the
drum has been formed with tongues projecting from every other one of its sides to
enter the spaces between the double links to serve as drivers to carry the chain
round with the drum when it is revolved whilst the buckets have been secured to
the single links. One effect of making the drum flat sided is that however
accurately the links of the chain may fit the drum when the parts are new yet as
the tongues which drive the chain wear or the joints of the chain work loose the
points at which the links of the chain are hinged to one another get further and
further away from the corresponding angle or corner of the drum.
To obviate this difficulty I make the drum circular at those parts of its circum-
ference where the links rest upon it and I make the links of a curved form to rest
upon the circular circumference of the drum-or the double links only might be
made to take a bearing upon the circular circumference of the drum and the single
links not come in contact therewith.
I also make both sets of links of equal length instead of one shorter than the
other as heretofore.
The tongues I make of separate pieces with flanges at their base for the chain to
rest upon and secure them by bolts or otherwise to the circumference of the drum
in such manner that they may from time to time be set outwards radially from
the circumference of the drum to allow of their being adjusted to the pitch of the
chain as the chain elongates in course of wear.
I also make the tongues of such a form and attach them to the drum in such
manner that they can be reversed end for end in order that after one end of the
tongue has become worn the other end may be made the leading or driving end.
The drum I as heretofore divide internally with radial partitions in between
which the buckets empty their contents as they are carried round over the drum.
The compartments so formed are also as heretofore open at one end of the drum
so that they may empty themselves into a trough by which the water or liquid
raised is conveyed away and I drive the drum from its opposite end by a gear
wheel affixed to or forming part of it and I make the drum of sufficient strength
and stiffness to allow of its being driven from this side only. This may be effected
by securing to the edge of the disc which forms this end of the drum a number of
cross bars which pass across the drum and by knitting together these cross bars at
both their ends by means of circular hoops which form the supporting wheels for

page_text: the chains. This arrangement allows the drum to be taken apart very readily and
packed in small compass for transport.
In some cases the partitions in the interior of the drum may be dispensed with
and the water caught in the trough directly from the buckets.
In some cases also in place of using a single drum and endless chain of buckets
I drive two drums and endless chains of buckets such as are hereinbefore described
by one horizontal gear wheel situated between them so that one endless chain will
be revolved in one direction and the other in the opposite direction.
In this way the strain upon the gear wheel will be equalized on both sides of
the driving spindle and the strain upon the teeth of the gear wheel and upon each
of the lifting chains will be reduced.
Figure 1-of-the-drawings-hereunto-annexed-shows-a-front-view-of-the-upper
part of a chain pump arranged as above described. In the construction shewn in
this figure the buckets empty their contents between radial partitions as they are.
carried round over the drum.
Figure 2 shows a similar view of the upper part of the chain pump arranged for
the buckets to empty their contents into a trough which extends inwards into the
interior of the drum.
Figure 3 is an end view of the construction shewn at Figures 1 and 2. The
construction shewn at Figure 2 is at the right hand side of Figure 3 and the
construction Figure 1 is at the left hand side.
Figure 4 shews on a larger scale the manner in which I secure the tongues to
the circumference of the drums.
Figure 5 shows how the tongue can be set outwards away from the drum.
Figure 6 shews separately the filling piece used for setting the tongue outwards
and Figure 7 shews a plan view of one of the tongues.
it.
Each drum is as shewn formed of a disc A having a gear wheel B formed with
The disc has projecting from it at intervals around its circumference a number
of bosses or projections A¹.
Each of these has a recess formed across its outer face for a cross bar C to lie in
and the cross bars are secured to them by bolts or rivets at C. Each end of each
cross bar is bent outwards as shown to form radial arms-one of these is secured
by rivets as shewn at Figure 3 to one circular hoop D and the other to another
similar circular hoop.
To the circumference of the hoop are secured tongues E in the manner shewn at
Figure 4. As will be seen from this figure each tongue is formed with a flange E¹
projecting all around its base for the chain to rest upon. From the under surface
of each tongue projects a central peg E' to fit into a corresponding recess in the
circumference of the hoop. Each end of the flange E¹ is also as shewn secured to
the circumference of the hoop by bolts E³. In this way the tongue can he reversed
end for end whenever its leading edge becomes worn. A packing piece or pieces F
can also be inserted between it and the drum whenever it is required to set the
tongues outwards as the chain becomes worn.
The buckets are attached to the links of the endless chains F in the ordinary
manner by means of small bosses with bolts or rivets through them as shewn at F
Figures 1 and 3. In Figure 1 the buckets are shewn as being attached to the
single links in Figure 2 they are shewn attached to the double links.
As before stated in the construction shewn at Figure 1 the buckets discharge
their contents between radial partitions forming a series of small troughs from
whence they flow into a trough fixed in front of the drum. The way in which
these small troughs G are secured within the drum is illustrated separately at
Figures 8 and 9.
Each trough G is a separate casting or it might be made of sheet iron-its
bottom inclines downwards towards the front of the drum so that any water
discharged into it may flow away quickly into the outlet trough J.
Each trough G is bolted in its place by a bolt through the back and by two
bolts to radial supports H between which its front end stands.-The supports H

page_text: pass from the cross bars C to the boss of the bevel wheel B and disc A and are
connected to this boss by a ring I which encircles the boss at or near its smaller
end. The supports besides holding the troughs G in position serve to bear part of
the weight of the chain of buckets and their contents and to relieve the disc of the
bevil wheel of some strain which is of advantage when either the depth from which
the liquid has to be raised is excessive or the width of the drum great. I prefer
not to fasten the ring I to the boss of the wheel beyond making it just fit in order
that the bevil wheel may be easily removed from the rest of the drum to facilitate
carriage.
When the drum is made without any small troughs G the outlet trough J is
made to extend into the interior of the drum as shown on the right hand side of
Figure 3.
The drum in either case can as will be seen be taken to pieces and packed
either in two packages, the central disc and gearing wheel making one package
and the circular hoops and cross bars with the troughs G if the drum is furnished
with such troughs making the other.
The size of this latter package can be considerably reduced by taking the circular
hoops, cross bars and troughs apart.
The combination of two drums and endless chains driven from one horizontal
bevil gear wheel situated between them is clearly shown at Figure 3-this arrange-
ment of bevil gearing is convenient when the drum or drums are to be driven by
animal power. When steam power is used I prefer to employ ordinary spur or cog
wheels in that case I provide the drums with plain spur wheels instead of with
bevil wheels and when two drums are to be driven from one intermediate wheel
I place the drums in such position that one may be driven from one side of the
intermediate wheel and the other from the opposite side of this wheel.
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 construction of the driving barrels or drums of chain pumps substantially
in the manner herein before described.
2. Making the driving barrels or drums of chain pumps circular at the parts of
their circumference with which the links of the endless chains come into contact
and making the chain links which come into contact with these parts of the
circumference of the drum of a correspondingly curved form.
.
3. Making the driving tongues of the barrels or drums of chain pumps of
separate pieces with flanges at their base for the links of the endless chain to rest
upon and securing them to the circumference of the barrels or drums substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination of the two chain pump drums or barrels with gear wheels
on their ends both driven from one driving wheel which gears on one side of its
circumference with one of them and on the opposite side of its circumference with
the other.