acuum Gauges.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1887
Complete Left, 30th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 15th June, 1888
acuum Gauges.
I, JAMES JOSEPH HIOKS of 8 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex, Scientific
and Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
The invention relates principally to that class of anemometer and recording pressure
and vacuum gauges described with respect to Figures 1 and 4 of the specification of
Letters Patent granted to Messrs. Gordon and Lowdon dated July 8, 1886, No. 8920
but is also applicable to other classes of anemometers and pressure and vacuum
gauges whether recording or otherwise.
My first improvement consists in the substitution for the pressure or vacuum
chambers constructed as described in the aforesaid specification of metal pressure or
vacuum chambers constructed in the following manner. I take a disc of metal,
German silver by preference, and mount it on a suitably shaped chuck by the aid of
which I spin on the surface of such disc a number of concentric annular corrugations,
the centre of the disc being formed with a tubular neck on one side and its edge with
a rim or flange on the other side thereof. Two of these corrugated discs are placed
face to face with the rim or flange of one within the rim or flange of the other and
are soldered around such rims in an air tight manner, thus forming one section of the
vacuum or pressure chamber; any suitable number of these sections are connected
together by the aforesaid necks which are placed one within the other and the one
spun over the other after which they are soldered together in an air tight manner.
When these chambers are required to indicate vacuum the corrugated discs are
made with convex outer faces and when for pressure they are made with concave
outer faces, so as to cause the vacuum chamber normally to be in an expanded
condition and the pressure chamber normally in a contracted condition. The interiors
of these chambers are protected by coating them with India rubber varnish or other
waterproof varnish whilst the exteriors are preferably coated with stove jet.
The chambers may be strengthened or supplemented by springs, discs, plates or
bars applied thereto in any convenient manner.

page_text: Metallic chambers constructed as above described are also applicable to dial or non
recording vacuum and pressure gauges.
My improvements relate secondly to Gordon and Lowdon's anemometer and vacuum
and pressure gauge above referred to and consist of means whereby such instrument
is rendered more perfect in its action and whereby the difficulty experienced in
adjusting the motions of the recording hand or pointer to the printed recording chart
is avoided.
For this purpose I connect the vacuum or pressure chamber with the axis carrying
the recording arm by an adjustable arm which is capable of being fixed so as to extend
a longer or shorter distance as may be required from its axis, and I adjustably connect
the chain, cord or wire operating the indicating hand or pointer to a lever fixed on
the above mentioned axis. I also employ a chart on which I print only lines
indicating the hours and I employ in connection with the same a separate scale which
is made by means of the instrument after the dial has been pointed. By the use of
this scale the line recorded on the chart by the instrument can be read at any point
by simply placing the said scale in correct position thereon.
Instead of using the above described arrangement of parts for operating the dial
hand and the recording arm, the following arrangement of parts may be adopted.
To the upper part of the pressure or vacuum chamber I connect a rod which is
guided to travel in a line perpendicular to the said chamber, and I cause such rod by
a chain or otherwise to operate the dial hand whilst a projection on such rod is
employed to operate the recording arm which latter is in the present modification
made adjustable in length in order to regulate the traverse of the recording pen or
instrument.
In either of the arrangements above described the vacuum or pressure chamber
may consist of a metal chamber within which is a metal diaphragm, either plain or
corrugated, and to which the operating rod is fixed.-
I also in order to ensure the dial and other parts of the instrument always
remaining in correct relative position construct the frame of metal (preferably cast
iron) instead of making the same of wood, by which means the injurious alteration
in the working of the instrument by the warping, shrinking or expansion of its frame
is avoided.
JAS. J. HICKS.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Anemometers and Pressure
and Vacuum Gauges.
1, JAMES JOSEPH HICKS of 8 Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Scientific
and Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer, 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 :-
The invention relates principally to that class of anemometer and recording pressure
and vacuum gauges described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to
Messrs. Gordon and Lowdon dated July 8. 1886. No. 8920, but is also applicable to
other classes of anemometers and pressure and vacuum gauges whether recording or
otherwise.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an
elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of an anemometer provided with an indicating dial
and a recording apparatus and Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of parts
thereof.
Figure 7 is an elevation partly in section of parts of a modified construction of
indicating and self recording pressure gauge.
Figures 8 and 9 are respectively an elevation and a cross section of a dial vacuum
gauge.
Figure 10 is a cross section showing the construction of vacuum chamber I employ,
and Figure 11 is a view of one of the plates thereof separately, and Figures 12 and 13
are enlarged views representing the method in which the pressure chamber shown in
Figure 7 is constructed.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
In all the figures A represents the pressure or vacuum chamber, and my first
improvement consists in the substitution for the pressure or vacuum chambers
constructed, as described in the aforesaid specification, of metal, pressure or vacuum
chambers constructed in the following manner. I take a disc of metal, German
silver, by preference, and mount it on a suitably shaped chuck, by the aid of which
I spin on the surface of such disc, a number of concentric annular corrugations, the
centre of the disc a being formed with a tubular neck a¹ projecting a short distance
on one side thereof, whilst its edge has a shallow rim or flange a² projecting on the
other side thereof as shown at Figure 11.
Two of these corrugated discs a are placed face to face with the rim or flange a² of
one within the rim or flange a² of the other, as shown at Figure 10, and are soldered

page_text: around such rims in an air tight manner, thus forming one section of the vacuum or
pressure chamber A, any suitable number of these chambers are connected together
by the aforesaid necks in which case I proceed as follows; I first form one section of
the chamber as above described leaving the neck a¹ of one of the discs a projecting
therefrom, the other plate of such section is used to form the top or bottom of the
pressure or vacuum chamber A and is closed by a strong disc or plate a³ soldered
thereto in an air tight manner.
I then take one of these corrugated discs a and cut the neck a completely or
almost completely away. I then place it over the projecting neck of the first section
and spin or turn down the said neck over the short neck or over the metal around the
hole in such last applied disc. I then solder such part in an air tight manner. I then
apply another disc with a projecting neck a¹ to the last applied disc by placing the
rim a² of one disc within the other and then solder such rims together in an air tight
manner; after which I apply other discs as before described until the chamber A is
completed with the desired number of sections. Or as represented at Figures 7 and
and 12 merely form a central hole in each disc a and employ a short tube at formed
with a narrow thin ring a³ at each end as shown at Figure 13, to connect the said
discs a together; instead of employing the necks a¹ as above described, I place one of
these short tubes a within the hole in a disc a so that the disc a shall rest on the
thicker portion of the short tube a' with the thin ring a projecting beyond said disc.
I then spin or turn down the said thin ring a' over the metal around the hole in the
disc a and solder the two parts together in an air tight manner. I then apply another
disc to the other end of said short tube at and proceed in a similar manner to that
above described. After this I take any required number of these pairs of discs a
connected to a short tube a' as above described and connect the one to the other by
placing the rim or flange a² of one disc a within that of an adjacent disc and solder
them together as before described.
When these chambers A are required to indicate vacuum, the corrugated discs a
are made with convex outer faces as shown at Figures 9, 10 and 11, and when for
pressure they are made with concave outer faces as shown at Figure 7, so as to cause
the vacuum chamber normally to be in an expanded condition and the pressure
chamber normally in a contracted condition.
The interiors of these chambers are protected by coating them with india rubber
varnish or other waterproof varnish whilst the exteriors are preferably coated
with stone jot. These chambers may be supplemented by springs, discs, plates or
bars applied thereto in any convenient manner so as to obtain the required action.
In the drawings I have represented chambers A of the character above described
applied, at Figures 1, 2 and 7, to an instrument provided with a dial and recording
apparatus, and, at Figures 8 and 9, to an instrument provided with an indicating dial
only. In these latter Figures apart from the application thereto of the chambers A
the instrument is of the usual construction.
I will now describe the anemometer represented at Figures 1 to 6. A is the
pressure chamber, into the bottom of which the air is conducted by the pipe b; the
top of the chamber A is connected by a pivotted link c with an arm d¹ mounted on
the pivotted cranked axis d carrying the recording arm e and the arm f for operating
the hand or pointer g; according to my invention I mount the arm d¹ in a socket 2
fixed to the axis d with capability of adjustment in such socket d², within which it is
securely fixed by means of a screw d³, by which means I am enabled to adjust the
arm d so as to extend a longer or shorter distance as may be required from its
axis d.
I also preferably adjustably connect the arm by a screw to a socket fl
fixed to the axis d and I adjustably connect the chain, cord or wire operating
the indicating hand or pointer g to the lever preferably by passing such chain,
cord or wire h through a hole at the end of the lever f and around a screw f
screwed into such lever f. By these means both the extent of motion given to
the hand or pointer and the zero position thereof can be readily regulated.

page_text: The chain, cord or wire h passes around and is fixed to the arbor g' of the hand or
pointer and rotates the latter in one direction whilst a spring 92 rotates the said
hand or pointer y in the reverse direction as is well understood.
i is a time drum which is covered with a chart j conducted thereto from a roller k
in the manner well understood.
According to my invention I employ a chart j on which I print only lines ¹
indicating the hours and I employ in connection with the same a separate scale
which is made by the aid of the instrument after the dial has been pointed. By the
use of this scale the line recorded on the chart j by the instrument can be correctly
read at any point by simply placing the scale in correct position thereon. I have
found it convenient to fix the scale 7 in a position adjacent to the chart j as shown in
the drawing by which means the chart can be read as the recording line is being
produced but if desired a moveable scale may be employed which can be applied to
the chart when either on or off the time drum i. By the use of a chart printed
with lines indicating only the hours and by using in combination therewith a scale /
made by the aid of the instrument I obtain an accuracy of reading which cannot
be obtained by the use of a chart on which pressure indicating lines are printed.
I also in order to ensure the dial and other parts of the instrument always
remaining in correct relative position construct the frame m of metal (preferably
cast iron) instead of making the same of wood as heretofore, by which means the
injurious alteration in the working of the instrument by the warping, shrinking or
expansion of its frame is avoided.
In the arrangement represented at Figure 7 I connect to the upper part of the
pressure or vacuum chamber A a rod c which is guided in a bearing n to travel in a
line perpendicular to the said chamber A and I cause such rod c to operate the
dial hand g by a chain or otherwise or as shown in the drawing by acting on one
arm o of a lever the other arm o¹ of which is formed with a toothed segment
giving motion in one direction to a pinion g³ on the arbor g' of the hand or
pointer ga spring g² acting to produce the reverse motion to said hand or
pointer g.
A projection c¹ on the rod c is employed to operate the recording arm e which
latter is in the present modification made adjustable in length (not shown) in order
to regulate the traverse of the recording pen or instrument. The time .drum, chart
and scale before described are used in combination with the parts above described in
the arrangement represented at Figure 7. In either of the arrangements above
described the vacuum or pressure chamber A may consist of a metal chamber provided
with or containing a metal diaphragm either plain or corrugated and to which the
operating link or rod is fixed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In anemometers and in pressure and vacuum gauges the employment of
chambers constructed of corrugated metal plates and connected to vacuum or pressure
tubes substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In anemometers and in pressure and vacuum gauges of the character herein
described the employment of an adjustable arm to connect the pressure or vacuum
chamber with the shaft operating the indicating hand and the recording arm sub-
stantially as herein shown and described.
3. In anemometers and in pressure and vacuum gauges of the character herein
described, the employment of means for adjustably connecting the chain cord or wire
operating the indicating hand or pointer to the lever fixed on the operating shaft or
axis substantially as herein shown and described.
4. In anemometers and in pressure and vacuum gauges of the character herein
described the employment of a chart printed with lines representing only the hours in
combination with a separate scale substantially as herein shown and described.

page_text: 5. The improved construction of dial and the recording anemometer or pressure
or vacuum gauges substantially as herein shown and described with respect to
Figure 7.
6. In dial and recording anemometers and pressure and vacuuin gauges of the
character shown at Figures 1 and 2 forming the frame thereof that is to say the base
and back of metal substantially as herein shown and described.