Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for Cleansing and Manipulating the Material Used in Filter Beds and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov.,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for Cleansing and
Manipulating the Material Used in Filter Beds and the like.
I, JOSEPH CORBETT, Borough Engineer, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide more convenient and economical
means than have heretofore existed for cleansing and otherwise manipulating sand,
gravel, cinders, or other material used for filtering water, sewage, and so forth in
filter beds, and my invention is applicable either for removal, cleansing, and
replacement, or for renewal when necessary of the filtering material, or for
breaking up and renovating same in old beds.
My invention comprises a simple arrangement of filter beds and tram rails, and
a combined travelling apparatus all worked by one prime mover and all under the
control of one man, and my invention is intended chiefly for use where such
operations are conducted upon a large scale, as at water, sewage, and such like
works, and where at present much labour is entailed in the work.
In carrying out my improvement the filter beds must be arranged in parallel
rows of any convenient dimensions but of equal breadths, and along each side of
each bed either upon the walls or upon columns is laid a line of single rails or
trams, and at the end or ends of the beds is laid a double line of rails. The side
rails support the four wheels of a travelling gantry or bridge of suitable kind
adapted to span any one of the parallel filter tanks, and its wheels are or may be
mounted upon vertical pivotted bearings so as to be capable of turning either way
when required. Upon such travelling gantry is carried a prime motor such as an
engine and boiler, and a combined apparatus, the whole being arranged to travel
transversely to the direction of movement of the supporting gantry, or, instead of
a steam motor the motive power may be derived from a vapour engine, electricity,
or manual, or any other convenient source of power either carried on the apparatus
or transmitted thereto, and the same source of power is used also for driving the
wheels of the travelling gantry through interposed chain wheels and bevel gearing,
pulleys, and belts, transmitting power through vertical shafts to the wheels. The
combined apparatus further comprises a sand washing appliance either of the
rotary cylinder type containing mechanical agitators, an Archimedeau screw, or
other usual and suitable kind of appliance placed in a tank to which water is
supplied, and worked from the same source of power. The apparatus also com-
prises a dredging and elevating appliance for raising the material from the filter
to the said cleansing apparatus driven by belt and gearing from the engine, or a
sand pump, grab crane, or equivalent lifting device may be employed, and suitable
pipes and troughs for the proper delivery and conveyance of the washing water to
and from the apparatus are provided. Screens or riddles for sifting or sorting the
sand or materials, and troughs for grading same as deposited are also provided, and
a pump or pumps for water, sludge, and so forth. The said apparatus may also
comprise an arrangement of fixed or rotary scarifiers, rakes, hoes, and such like
tools for breaking up, raking, levelling or otherwise, as may be required the
surfaces of the filter beds. These tools are adapted to be raised and lowered into
position and driven through suitable gearing or belting or a combined arrangement
of same from the motor.

page_text: Both the travelling gantry and the combined travelling apparatus thereupon are
provided with suitable mechanisms and controlling gear for each separate appliance
so grouped and arranged that one man may be able to operate any and all of the
sand cleansing and manipulating appliances, and also to traverse either or both
devices in either or any required directions; or on reaching the ends of the side
rails, by turning the above-mentioned swivelling wheels through a quarter turo
either by power or hand he can also move the travelling gantry end wise from one
filter bed to any other of the series and along same as required.
In order to facilitate the removal from the above described combined apparatus
of material that has been dredged up when required, or to convey new material to
the filter beds, the travelling gantry may be provided at its lower part with
tramways for tram trucks, carts, barrows, and so forth, into which the cleansed
material may be discharged from the cleansing apparatus by means of a shoot,
and such tramways are provided at their ends with lifting and lowering tackle for
ingress and egress of trucks, or the rails may be curved and extended therefrom to
. meet the permanent rails on the walls of the filter beds and travel with the gantry,
and one set of rails may be in some cases used for both the travelling gantry and
the trams or trucks, which may by this arrangement be run direct on to the same
without the aid of lifting devices.
Dated this 19th day of December 1895.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for Cleansing and
Manipulating the Material Used in Filter Beds and the like.
I, JOSEPH CORBETT, Borough Engineer, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 :-
My invention has for its object to provide more convenient and economical means
than have heretofore existed for cleansing and otherwise manipulating sand, gravel,
cinders or other material used for filtering water, sewage, and so forth in filter
beds, and my invention is applicable either for removal, cleansing, and replacement,
or for renewal when necessary of the filtering, material, or for breaking up and
renovating same in old beds.
My invention comprises a simple arrangement of filter beds and tram rails, a
combined travelling apparatus all worked by one prime mover and all under the
control of one man, and my invention is intended chiefly for use where such
operations are conducted upon an extensive scale, as at water, sewage, and such
like works, and where at present much labour is entailed in the work.
I will now fully describe my invention, referring in so doing to the accom-
panying drawings in which similar letters indicate the same parts: Fig. 1 is a plan,
Fig. 2 a side elevation, Fig. 3 an end elevation, and Fig. 4 a plan of lower floor of
travelling bridge hereinafter explained.
In carrying out my improvement the filter tanks TT must be arranged in
parallel rows, and they may be of any convenient length and depth, but all of
equal breadth, and along each side of each bed either upon the side walls T¹ thereof
as shown to the right of Fig. 2 in the case of a single row of tanks, or upon
columns T as on left of same figure when two or more rows are parallel, is laid a
line of single rails or trams t t, and at the end or ends of the beds is laid a double
line of rails. The side rails t support the four wheels W of a travelling gantry
or bridge B of suitable kind for example as illustrated and adapted to span any

page_text: one of the parallel filter tanks as in Fig. 2, and its wheels W are or may be
mounted upon vertical pivotted bearings W₁ so as to be capable of turning either
way when required. Upon such travelling bridge B is carried upon a wheeled
truck or platform P a prime motor such as the steam engine A and boiler A¹
illustrated, and a combined apparatus hereinafter detailed, the truck P and the
apparatus upon same being arranged to travel upon rails p³ transversely to the
direction of movement of the supporting bridge B, motion being transmitted from
the engine shaft a to the wheels of the truck P by means of the belt driving
arrangement pp and wheel gears pl p¹ illustrated; or, instead of a steam motor
shown the motive power may be derived from a vapour engine, electricity, or
manual, or any other convenient source of power either carried on the apparatus or
transmitted thereto, and the same source of power is used also for driving the
wheels W of the travelling bridge B. This latter is effected by means of inter-
posed chain wheels 60 and a pitch chain 6 with suitable guide pulleys 6' operating
bevel gearing carried by a vertical sbaft 62 passing down through the vertical
pivot bearings W' and connected to the wheel shafts by mitre gears as indicated
at 6, or it may be effected by pulleys and belts transmitting the power through
vertical shafts to the said wheels or otherwise conveniently, but so as to be easily
controlled.
The
The combined apparatus further comprises a sand washing appliance which is
shown at S and may be either of the rotary cylinder type containing mechanical
agitators, an Archimedean screw, or other usual and suitable kind of appliance
adapted to raise the received sand upwards against the flow of water.
appliance is placed in a tank S¹. Water is supplied by an injector or the like
through hose pipe H or otherwise to the upper end of the rotary cylinder S. The
mud and dirty water run off through sludge pipe m to a mud trough M extending
beneath the washing apparatus and discharging into a conduit or trough M¹ such
as is shown carried by the permanent columns T or formed in the wall coping of
the tank T and leading to the sewer. The washing apparatus is worked from the
same source of power by gearing and belt pulleys or through any convenient
arrangement of gear such as shown at ss. The apparatus also comprises a
dredging and elevating appliance D for raising the material from the filter T to
the said cleansing apparatus S, and such elevator is driven from the engine shaft a
by belt d with suitable guides and gearing d¹ as illustrated from the engine A; or
equivalently a sand pump, grab crane, or other suitable kind of lifting device may
be employed and arranged for lifting or lowering without affecting the driving
belt d; suitable pipes and troughs for the proper delivery of the sludge and con-
veyance of the washing water to and from the apparatus are provided and arranged
in most convenient positions. Screens or riddles (not shown) but adapted for
sifting or sorting the sand or materials, and troughs for guiding same as deposited
are or may be also provided, and a pump or pumps for water, sludge, and so forth.
The said apparatus may also comprise an arrangement of fixed or rotary scarifiers,
rakes, hoes, and such like tools for breaking up, raking, levelling the surface, or
otherwise operating as may be required upon the surfaces of the filter beds.
A revolving rake Fis illustrated for example in Fig. 3, and it or equivalent tools
is or are adapted to be raised and lowered into any required position and they are
driven through suitable friction or other gearing such as shown at f, or by belting
or a combined arrangement of same from the motor.
Both the travelling bridge B and the combined travelling apparatus thereupon
are provided with suitable starting and stopping mechanisms, and brakes or speed
controlling gear for each separate appliance above referred to, and these are so
grouped and arranged that one man may be able to operate any and all of the sand
cleansing and manipulating appliances, and also to traverse either or both devices
in any required directions, or on reaching the ends of the side rails, by turning the
above mentioned swivelling wheels W through a quarter turn either by power or
band, he can also move the travelling bridge B end wise along the double line of
rails from one filter bed to any other of the series and along same as required. Such

page_text: manual power operating arrangements are not specifically shown on the drawings
for the sake of avoiding complexity, but their arrangement and disposition will be
readily anderstond by any mechanical engineer or other skilled person.
In order to facilitate the removal from the above described travelling bridge
and combined apparatus of material that has been dredged up when required, or to
convey new material to the filter beds, the travelling bridge is or may be provided
on its lower floor B' with trathways CC, Figs. 3 and 4, for tram trucks such
as CC, carts, barrows, and so forth, into which the filtering material may be
discharged from the dredging or the cleansing apparatus by means of a common
shoot, and such tramways may be curved as shown in Fig. 4 and their ends jointed
and provided with lifting and lowering tackle for making or breaking connection
with the fixed rails tt, and extended with an easy gradient as dotted in Fig. 2
from the lower floor B' to meet the permanent rails t t on the walls of the filter
beds and travel with the bridge so as to be available for use in any position
thereof. One set of rails may be in some cases used for both the travelling bridge
and the trams or trucks. Such an arrangement is shown to the left of Fig. 2 where
two rails t¹ are arranged, the one t' being mounted upon the brackets t³ carried by
the columns T. The outer rail t carries the wheels W of the bridge B, and the
two rails serve as the tram line for the trucks C¹ to and from the lower floor B' of
the bridge so that the trucks may be run direct on to the bridge without the aid of
lifting devices.
It will be obvious that the prime motor and the various mechanical appliances
above referred to, carried by the travelling bridge, as well as the individual power
transmitting arrangements to same above specified, may be easily changed or
varied both in themselves and in their disposition, connections and arrangements
without departing from the nature and operative feature of the said invention, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved means of and apparatus for use in cleansing and manipulating
the material used in filter beds and the like arranged and operating substantially as
herein described.
2. For use in cleansing and manipulating filtering material in filters arranged as
specified, a self propelled travelling bridge carrying dredging and elevating, sand
washing and screening, and surface breaking appliances, mounted upon a travelling
truck, and means for generating or supplying motive power to the bridge and to
the truck and to all or any of the apparatus carried by the truck as required, the
whole arranged substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
3. In combination with the apparatus above referred to, the provision and
arrangement of rails for trucks on the lower floor and the means for connecting
same with the permanent rails, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
.set forth.
Dated this 21st day of Sentember 1906