CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY 03 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS OR VAIOURF,
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMBBOTTOM, lately of New Mills, in the County of Derby, but now of
Hulme, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of October, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
one, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
sáid John Ramsbottom, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Ramsbottom,
my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said John Rams-
bottom, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
nó others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and.
vend," within that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in Her Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,"
Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY 03 APPARATUS FOR
MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE FLOW OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS OR VAIOURF,

page_text: WHICH MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO REGISTERING THE SPEED
OF AND DISTANCE RUN BY VESSELS IN MOTION, AND ALSO FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE
POWER, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said John Ramsbottom, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal to be
enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as, reference being had thereunto, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Ramsbottom, do hereby declare that the nature and particulars of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same are to be performed
and carried into practical effect, are particularly set forth, described, and
ascertained in and by these Presents and the Drawings hereunto annexed,
on which Drawings the Figures are progressively numbered, and the letters,
indices, or references employed to indicate any particular part or parts of my
improvements are also made use of to represent the same part or parts in other
figures where different views or diagrams are shown, that is to say:
My Invention relates, firstly, to improvements in rotary fluid meters for
measuring and registering the quantity of water and other fluids, drawn from
any source, by which the quantity drawn off or used is accurately ascertained
and registered, without destroying, during the process, more of the pressure than
is simply required to work the meter with whatever force it may be supplied.
Secondly, for the purpose of registering the distance run by vessels on water,
and indicating the rate of their speed or momentum, thereby avoiding the
frequent necessity and tedious process of ascertaining their position by the
usual methods; and, thirdly, as a means of abtaining motive power by the
pressure of water, steam, or other fluids or vapours capable of compression and
expansion, the whole of which I accomplish by means of a cylinder or shaft,
with a slide or diaphram, rotating in an oval vessel, and which will be clearly
understood by the following description of the Drawings. Fig. 1 is a front
elevation of the meter and engine, with the inner cylinder, and inlets and
outlets at the top of the oval vessel. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the
same. Fig. 3 is a proportionably made oval and cylinder, where all the lines
drawn from side to side of the oval, and through the centre of the circle, are as
nearly as possible of equal length. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the meter
and engine, with the inner cylinder or shaft, the inlets and outlets at..the
bottom of the oval vessel. Fig. 5, a sectional elevation of the same., Fig. 6,
a section of the end of the cylindrical shaft, showing a part of one of the ends

page_text: of the oval, through or in which the end of the said shaft rotates; and Fig. 7
a proportionably made oval and cylinder, with the cylinder at the bottom of
the oval, and where all lines drawn from side to side of the said oval, and
through the centre of the circle, are as nearly as possible of equal length. The
ovals in Figs. 3 and 7 deviate farther from the circular than in the other
figures, but are equally applicable to my Invention. Fig. 8 a sectional
elevation of the meter to register or indicate the distance run by vessels
on water, and the rate of their speed or momentum. a is an oval vessel,
in the interior of which is another vessel or shaft b, either solid or cylin-
drical, which rotates on its own axis c, with its outer surface in contact with
the inner surface of the oval vessel or cavity at d. e is a slide or diaphramı,
placed through the centre of the said cylinder, and which slides backwards and
forwards during its revolution with it. f¹ and are oblong slots, through
one of which the fluid enters and is discharged through the other; these slots
extending from d to g, on each side of the part d, where the inner vessel is in
contact with the outer or oval one, the said part d being solid, to divide these
passages, and thus prevent the fluid on one side connecting with that on the
other. h and h are supply and exit pipes, in connection with the aforesaid
slots, and arranged in any convenient manner for the supply and exit of the
fluid, which on entering by the pipe h¹ flows through the inlet slot f', causing
the diaphram and cylinder to revolve, and thus press the water or fluid in
advance through the outlet and the exit pipe h, the diaphram meanwhile
sliding backwards and forwards through the centre of the cylinder, and both
keeping in contact with the oval vessel during their revolution. The oval
cavity or vessel being so constructed that this diaphram or slide pressing
through the centre of the cylinder will touch with its ends and sides the ends
and circumference of the oval vessel throughout its revolution, although such
diaphram were not expandible. But in order to maintain an uniform length
of diaphram, and as a provision against wear and tear, expandible packings
or springs may be inserted in the interior of the diaphram. It may be found
convenient to have a false end plate, shaped like and leading into the oval,
with springs fixed between it and the true end plate, to compensate for the
wear and tear of the slide or diaphram.
In the application of my Invention as a means of obtaining motive power
from water, steam, or other fluid or vaporous substance, such motive power is
obtained as follows:-From water or other fluids by the pressure of a column of
such fluids exceeding the height of the meter or engine; from steam or other
vapours, either by the usual methods, or by the following, or both united, for
which my Invention is peculiarly applicable. The diaphram in passing over

page_text: ..T
the inlet slot will, produce a vacuum behind it, and I propose to abstract
from a steam boiler small quantities of water, of a temperature exceeding 212
Fahrenheit, and to discharge this water within the said vacuum, so that, on
being changed from the pressure within the boiler to a situation in which there
is little or no pressure, instantaneous formation of steam may result thereby,
affording or supplying the motive power requisite to work the apparatus and
machinery connected therewith. Should the water fail to possess or have
been deprived of the necessary latent heat, during its passage from the boiler to
the vacuum, a steam pipe coming from the upper part of the boiler, which also
enters the vacuum at the same time, supplies the necessary amount, as the
steam conveyed by this pipe is of greater pressure, density, and heat than is
simply, required to possess or retain the steam or vaporous. form. For
registering the distance run by vessels on, water, and indicating the rate
of their speed or momentum, the slots in the oval vessel are extended from
d to g on each side, and for these purposes I use two slides or diaphrams.so
constructed that they slide across each other in the interior of the cylinder,
and the pipes communicating with the inlet and outlet passages are placed in
the water, the mouth of the inlet being purposely made large to have a.con-
siderable pressure upon it. On the fluid passing out hindwards it is drawn
away by the current with a force proportionately as such is greater or less.
The motive power is communicated in every form of this, apparatus, to indices
or machinery from and by means of a prolongation of the axis of the, cylindrical
vessel through the ends of the oval one. The whole of this machinery. or
apparatus may be constructed of iron, brass, tin, glass, earthenware, or, other
suitable metal or material, but iron will perhaps in, most cases be preferred.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and, the manner, in
which the same is to be carried into practical operation, I would have, it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine, myself to the exact details herein,
expressed, nor to the exact form of the ovals herein described and shewn in
the Drawings, as they may be varied and still retain my principle. But,
I claim the use of an oval vessel or cavity, within which is another vessel or,
shaft, either solid, or cylindrical, made proportionately to each other, and.
through the centre of which cylindrical vessel. there moves one or more slides,
or diaphrams, whose sides touch the ends; of the oval, and whose ends, touch
the circumference of the oval during the revolution of, the said slides and
cylinder, and having supply and exit passages as described, for the purpose of,
measuring and registering, the quantity of water and other fluids, drawn off, for
measuring, the distance run by vessels on, water, and, indicating, the rate, of,
their speed or momentum, and for obtaining motive power by means of water,

page_text: steam, or other fluids or vaporous substances, and which apparatus as herein
described is also applicable to the exhausting, compressing, and ejecting fluids.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two.
Inrolled the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two..