Improvements connected with Hydraulic Pressing Machinery.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Hydraulic Pressing Machinery.
I, THOMAS LODWICK MILLER, of Tower Buildings, Water Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to hydraulic pressing machinery for compressing
cotton and other textile fibres and fabrics, or other compressible goods, and has
mainly for its object to effect economy in the quantity of water under the hydraulic
head or pressure used in such presses; and has special reference to cases wherein
the water under pressure is supplied in mains and laid onto buildings or presses
therein, such as supplied by hydraulic power supply companies.
In the mode or method of supplying water under pressure and operating and
constructing hydraulic pressing machinery according to this invention, the water
from the service pressure mains is in one case utilized in the small cylinders in
connection with the press ram cylinder or cylinders, and effects the first portion of
the stroke of the press, the main ram or cylinder being filled with water which is
taken past a loaded lift valve and supplied from a tank into which exhaust water
is discharged, the capacity of which is not less than that of the main ram cylinder
or cylinders. Having effected the first portion of the stroke in this manner, water
under the main pressure is admitted to the main ram cylinder or cylinders so that
all rams are under full main pressure. Or, the pressure water may be supplied to
the main ram cylinder or cylinders only, and exhaust water from the tank being
admitted to the small power cylinders for the rest of the stroke; or, for a portion
of the stroke remaining; and then at the last portion the pressure water may be
again admitted to all the power cylinders.
In some cases I may use in combination with this mode of operating and form of
pressing apparatus, an "intensifier" by which the pressure of water from the main
is increased, and this water of intensified pressure is admitted to the main ram
cylinder, or such cylinders and a smaller cylinder, for the last portion of the stroke ;
in which case, the operation and mode of use of water above described would
precede the application of the intensified pressure water.
As a modified mode of obtaining the effect above described, that is economy of
water, by using the pressure water in the manner above described, I in some cases
employ in connection with a press or hydraulic apparatus with ordinary or existing
cylinders and rams, and using the hydraulic supply of pressure water, an
"intensifier" by which three or four grades of pressures may be used in the ram
cylinders. The "intensifier" has rams or pistons of differential diameters, and
corresponding or suitable cylinders; and employ a small quantity of water
from the pressure main to press a larger quantity of water at a lower pressure to
raise the first portion of the stroke of the press ram, and this is done by admitting
the main pressure water to act upon a small "intensifier" plunger or piston or
cylinder, which acts upon a larger ram or piston or cylinder (the water in which
has been admitted thereto from a waste or exhaust water tank). Thus, in the first
part of the stroke, a large volume of water is acted upon and raised to a
comparatively low pressure, by a small volume of higher pressure. Then for the
next portion of the stroke water from the pressure main may be admitted direct to
the press ram cylinder. And then the main water may be caused to act upon and
raise the pressure of a smaller quantity of water which is introduced into the
press
ram cylinder; and this may be done by admitting main water to the larger of the
intensifier cylinders which transmits power or pressure and to a smaller ram or

page_text: cylinder, thereby forcing into the press ram cylinder a small quantity of water at a
high pressure, that is, an intensified pressure. Or, further, I may employ main
pressure water acting upon a larger piston plunger or cylinder to act upon a
quantity of water less than the said main water but larger than the above specified
small quantity. This may be effected by employing an intermediate sized ram
plunger or piston, or cylinder, as for instance by providing an annular space round
& trunk or piston rod working in the intensifier, from which water may be forced to
the press cylinder or cylinders prior to the final pressure water being supplied by
the small intensifier ram or cylinder.
In one form, the intensifying cylinders may have their axes coincident with each
other, that is, in the same line, whilst the rams or pistons, or a ram and piston, are
formed in one piece or connected, the small ram or piston working in one cylinder
and the larger in the other; and in the case when an intermediate pressure is to be
provided, an enlarged piston rod or trunk lies between the two, and forms an
annular space round same in the larger cylinder. Of course a converse arrangement
of this may be used, the rams or pistons being held and the cylinders moved.
As a modification of the above form of "intensifier," the cylinders may be
arranged side by side and the power transmitted by levers or other equivalent
means; or, they may be arranged concentrically.
For the operation of these methods of actuating presses by employing various
sized cylinders, or by using waters of variable pressures created as herein described,
I employ a water distributing means consisting of valves working in valve cases,
and connected with the different cylinders and with the pressure main and other
pipes. In some cases the valves are arranged to be operated by suitable levers or
gear, and to open and close ports in sequence, so as to distribute the water by
suitable conduits, and in the manner above referred to, and also to make and break
communication between the different cylinders; and between the cylinders and
tanks in some cases. Or, in lieu of having the valve or valves arranged in this
manner, I may use separate valves for controlling the passage of water to and from
the different cylinders, or cylinders and tank, or the valves may be arranged to
work two or more cylinders in sets.
The water being acted upon, or necessary to fill the cylinders or any of them
whilst idle, may in all cases be supplied from a tank or tanks into which the exhaust
water is discharged, the superfluous water discharged passing away by an overflow
pipe or conduit.
Dated the 24th day of February 1893.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Hydraulic Pressing Machinery.
I, THOMAS LODWICK MILLER, of Tower Buildings, Water Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, 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:-
This invention has reference to hydraulic pressing machinery for compressing
cotton and other textile fibres and fabrics, or other compressible goods, and has
mainly for its object to effect economy in the quantity of water under the hydraulic
head or pressure used in such presses, and has special reference to cases wherein
the water under pressure is supplied in mains and laid onto buildings or presses
therein, such as supplied by hydraulic power supply companies.
In the mode or method of supplying water under pressure and operating and
constructing hydraulic pressing machinery according to this invention, I employ in
connection with a press or hydraulic apparatus with ordinary or existing cylinders

page_text: "
" intensifier or
and rams, the hydraulic supply of pressure water, and also an
variable pressure supply apparatus by which three or four grades of pressure may
be used in the ram cylinders. The variable power supply apparatus has rams or
pistons of differential diameters and corresponding or suitable cylinders; and I
employ a small quantity of water from the pressure main to press a larger quantity
of water at a lower pressure to raise the first portion of the stroke of the press ram;
and this is done by admitting the main pressure water to act upon a small plunger
or piston or cylinder, which acts upon a larger ram or piston or cylinder (the water
in which has been admitted thereto from a waste or exhaust water tank). Thus, in
the first part of the stroke, a large volume of water is acted upon and raised to a
Then for
comparatively low pressure, by a small volume of higher pressure water.
the next portion of the stroke water from the pressure main may be admitted direct
to the press ram cylinder. And then the main water may be caused to act upon and
raise the pressure of a smaller quantity of water which is introduced into the press
ram cylinder; and this may be done by admitting main water to the larger of the
intensifier cylinders which transmits power or pressure and to a smaller ram or
cylinder, thereby forcing into the press ram cylinder a small quantity of water at a
high pressure, that is, an intensified pressure. Or, further, I may employ main
pressure water acting upon a larger plunger or cylinder to act upon a quantity of
water less than the said main water but larger than the above specified small
quantity. This may be effected by employing an intermediate sized ram plunger
or piston, or cylinder, as for instance by providing an annular space round a truck
or piston rod working in the intensifier, from which water may be forced to the
press cylinder or cylinders prior to the final pressure water being supplied by the
small intensifier ram or cylinder. Or, according to this invention, the above
described mode may be used in part, as well as in whole as specified, or modified to
suit different cases or circumstances.
In one form, the cylinders of the variable pressure supply apparatus may have
their axes coincident with each other, that is, in the same line; whilst the rams or
pistons, or a ram and piston, are forged in one piece or connected, the small ram or
piston working in one cylinder and the larger in the other; and in the case when
an intermediate pressure is to be provided, an enlarged piston rod or trunk lies
between the two, and forms an annular space round same in the larger cylinder.
Of course a converse arrangement of this may be used, the rams or pistons being
held and the cylinders moved.
As a modification of the above form of variable pressure supply apparatus, the
cylinders may be arranged side by side and the power transmitted by levers or
other equivalent means; or, they may be arranged concentrically.
For the operation of these methods of actuating presses, I employ a water
distributing means consisting of valves working in valve cases, and connected with
In some cases
the different cylinders and with the pressure main and other pipes.
the valves are arranged to be operated by suitable levers or gear, and to open and
close ports in sequence, so as to distribute the water by suitable conduits, and in
the manner above referred to, and also to make and break communication between
the different cylinders; and between the cylinders and a tank in some cases. Or,
in lieu of having the valve or valves arranged in this manner, I may use separate
valves for controlling the passage of water to and from the different cylinders, or
cylinders and tank, or the valves may be arranged to work two or more cylinders
in sets.
The water being acted upon, or necessary to fill the cylinders, or any of them,
whilst idle, may in all cases be supplied from a tank or tanks into which the
exhaust water is discharged, the superfluous water discharged passing away by an
overflow pipe or conduit.
Drawings illustrating one example of the application of this invention, the
general description of the nature of which is above described, are hereto annexed
and form part of this Specification. In these drawings,

page_text: Figure 1 is a general arrangement shewing the invention applied to the operation
of an ordinary packing or baleing press; and
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a differential pressure supply apparatus
constructed and adapted to operate according to this invention.
The
Referring to the drawings, the variable pressure supply apparatus shewn consists
of two cylinders a and b, the former having a piston c of relatively large diameter
fitting and working therein, and an enlarged or trunk piston rod d,-which passes
through the stuffing box d¹; and the latter, a small ram,e working in same.
piston c and trunk d form the cylinder a into two chambers, a cylindrical chamber f
and an annular chamber g. These two cylinders a and b are connected together
by staunchions h. The capacity of the chamber and the chamber g, and the
space of the cylinder 6 traversed by the piston e in its stroke, are different, that
off being the greatest and that displaced by the piston e the smallest ; whilst that
of the annular chamber g, displaced by the piston c thereof, is a medium between
these two extremes.
The chambers and g, and the cylinder bare connected, respectively, with a valve
box i by pipes j, k and 1; by which pipes water (or other liquid) is conveyed to and
from them; the flow to and from these chambers or cylinders is controlled by say
a number of valves of any known suitable kind working in the valve chests i and n.
m is a pipe conveying the water from the water service, say from a hydraulic supply
company's main, to the valve case i. The valves contained in the case i are used to
control the supply of liquid from the valve box i to the press ram, by the pipe o
connecting with n, and the pipe p; while the valve in the box n controls the flow of
the water to the exhaust pipe g. generally designates the press of which s is the
ram cylinder and the ram, it being connected with the valve case n by the
pipe p. t is a tank connected with the valve case n by the pipe q, and having a
diaphragm t therein operating as and for the purposes hereafter described; and
u is a discharge pipe which carries away the water discharged from the tank t over
the diaphragm t¹.
The above described apparatus is adapted to work as follows
:-
Water from a hydraulic company's supply main is first used to press a large
quantity of water under a small head, and to force same into the cylinder s. This
is done by taking said hydraulic supply water-which say is between 500 and
1000 lbs. pressure, or over-through the pipe m, valve in the case i, and pipe l, to
the small ram cylinder b--the rame of which must be at the end of its inward
stroke, and pressing and forcing water from the chamber of the cylinder a,
thereby, into said cylinders; the chamber having been filled by water taken say
from the tank t. As the ram e is forced outwards by the service supply water
admitted to the cylinder b, the water from chamber is forced by way of the
pipe j, valve case i and pipe p into the cylinder s, which will force up the ram s
thereof; the amount of which movement will be equal to the volume of water
supplied from the cylinder a divided by the area of its ram (¹); and this will be
at a low pressure, and will perform all the preliminary movement and operation of
the press. In most cases this portion of the stroke of the press ram will be about
half or more than half thereof; it however in some cases may be less. The press
ram is then pressed out a further portion of its stroke by admitting the whole
hydraulic service supply water direct to the said press cylinder s, this water passing
to it direct by the pipes n and p. After this, water of a superior pressure to that of
the supply mains is forced into the press cylinder, by admitting the water from the
service pipe m to the cylindrical chamber of the cylinder a, and causing the full
area of the piston c to be acted upon thereby, and pressing the water within the
annular chamber of the cylinder a, by its pipe k, into the ram cylinder s. This will
effect a further portion of the stroke of the press ram. After this the finishing
portion of the stroke of the press ram is effected by employing in the upper chamber f
of the cylinder a water from the hydraulic supply pipe m, and causing the water in
the cylinder b to be put under pressure by its ram e, thereby pressing and forcing

page_text: a small quantity of water at a high pressure into the cylinder s, this water being led
from the cylinder to the cylinders by the pipe i and pipe p.
Thus in the operations described, four sets of pressures have been applied for
effecting one complete stroke of the ram s', the first portion of its stroke being
effected by such a pressure-ris, one below that of the hydraulic supply water-
as is required to operate the ram for this portion, and the last portion of its stroke
requiring a pressure higher than that of the service water, being effected by the
variable pressure supply apparatus in the manner described. In different cases,
however, different sets of pressures-more or less than four-and different
combinations may be employed.
In the idle strokes of the pistons or rams herein described, and in the return
strokes, water is taken in from and pressed out of the tank t, by way of the pipe g
and the valve or valves and pipes connected with said cylinder or cylinders, as
will be understood, and as has commonly been proposed to be done in other
hydraulic apparatus employing two or more cylinders, and being used or operated
at different times.
In the return stroke of the ram or rams of the press, the water is conducted
therefrom to the tank t by the pipes and g, the surplus water discharged into the
tank t passing over the diaphragm t' and out by the pipe u; the volume which
passes out of said pipe being that actually consumed or used from the hydraulic
supply company's main.
In the case above described, assuming for the matter of illustration, that the
pressure in the main is 700 lbs. and the variable pressure supply apparatus is
being operated in connection with a baleing or packing press, such as specified; and
assuming the relative areas of the piston c and rame are 5 to 1, then for the first
portion of the stroke of the press the pressure will be 140 lbs. per square inch,
the second 700 lbs., the next say 1,500 lbs. and the final 2,000 lbs.; but of course
any other
pressures may be used.
<<
"
In the example of the apparatus above described, four different pressures are
specified as being used to effect the complete operation of the stroke of the press
ram, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to all these
pressures being employed. For instance, firstly the low pressure may be used,
and subsequently an "intensified" pressure or, firstly, a low pressure, as
described, and subsequently the main pressure from the hydraulic supply,
without an " intensified " pressure. In the latter case the apparatus shewn more
particularly in Figure 2 would be only used for producing a larger volume of
water at a lower pressure than the "main" pressure for effecting the first portion
of the stroke of the press ram. Or, again, more than the number of different
pressures specified may be used, by simple modifications of the apparatus, without
departing from the invention; or various combinations and sequences of pressures
may be employed, as desired.
Further, the invention may be employed in whole or in part in connection
with other hydraulically operated machinery than, but analogous to, the kind of
press shewn.
In cases where the hydraulic machinery used in connection with the press (or
analogous machinery) cylinder is required to supply water of only two different
pressures, one cylinder (such as a) with piston and piston rod or trunk (such as c, d)
may be used.
Further, in actuating presses (or analogous machinery) according to this inven-
tion, the water (of low pressure) used in the first portion of the stroke of the
press ram may, in some cases, where convenient, in lieu of being supplied by
employing a small quantity of hydraulic supply water as described, be supplied
direct from any service of low pressure water which may be convenient to the
purpose. If this is done, the final (and next) pressure may be supplied by
employing direct in the press cylinder the hydraulic supply pressure water; in
which case the variable pressure supply apparatus is not required.
The apparatus shewn in Figure 2 may be used if desired in some cases to only

page_text: supply water of two (or more) different pressures greater than that of the hydraulic
supply main.
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 herein described improvement connected with hydraulic machinery, con-
sisting in effecting the first portion of the stroke of the ram or moving part of
hydraulic presses (or analogous machinery) by supplying to the cylinder or
cylinders thereof, water at a low pressure by utilizing and causing a small volume
of water from a water service supply under pressure (or analogous source), in a
hydraulic apparatus separate from said press or the like, to force a larger volume
of water into said press cylinder (or the cylinder of an analogous machine); and
subsequently supplying water of a pressure higher than said low pressure to said
press cylinder (or cylinder of analogous machinery): for the purposes specified.
2. In hydraulic presses (or analogous machinery) operated by a hydraulic
cylinder or ram, the different portions of the stroke of which are effected by
varying pressures of water, effecting the first portion of its stroke by low
pressure water by utilizing and causing a small volume of water from a water
service supply under pressure (or analogous source) to act upon a small ram or
cylinder and to force water of a larger volume by and from a cylinder or ram of
larger diameter and capacity to said press cylinder (or cylinder of analogous
machinery); and subsequently supplying water of a higher pressure than said
low pressure water to said press cylinder (or cylinder of analogous machinery);
substantially as herein set forth.
3. The herein described improvement connected with hydraulic machinery
wherein hydraulic supply pressure water is employed, effecting the stroke of a
hydraulic ram or cylinder of a press (or analogous machinery) by water of varying
pressures, the first portion, of such stroke being effected by low pressure water
from a suitable source as described, and in the subsequent portion or portions of
the stroke employing such hydraulic supply pressure direct; or also indirectly to
press and supply a further and small quantity of water at a still higher pressure
to said press or analogous machinery in the final portion of the stroke.
4. Effecting the stroke of a hydraulic ram or cylinder of a press (or analogous
machinery) by three or more varying pressures of water, substantially in the
manner and by means substantially as set forth.
5. In hydraulic pressing machinery (or analogous machinery), the combination
with a hydraulic cylinder and ram thereof, of hydraulic apparatus, comprising
cylinders and rams, adapted to supply water of two or more variable pressures to
said press (or analogous) cylinder and ram: substantially as set forth.
•
6. The employment and application in connection with hydraulic presses (or
analogous machinery) of the apparatus for supplying water of different pressures
having its parts arranged, constructed, and adapted to operate particularly as set
forth with reference to and shewn in the drawings for the purposes specified.
Dated the 25th day of November 1893.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Agents.