IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Clark at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th February
1867. A communication from abroad by Gerolamo Cavanna, Mechanical
Engineer, of 29, Boulevard St. Martin, Paris.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in hydraulic motive-power apparatus.
It is well known that liquids press equally in all directions on any body that
may be immersed therein, even when in a confined space, and I utilize
such power for the purposes of this Invention in the manner herein-after
described.
I place two metallic chambers, A, B, Figure 1, of the accompanying
Drawings, at the bottom of a vessel fitted to rise and fall alternately on vertical
guides X, X, similar to the action of a gas holder; these chambers are provided
at their lower parts C with some elastic substance which may be made to.
expand or contract like a bellows as the chambers rise and fall. If the
receiver A be full of air only and in its lowest position, by opening a cock on.
a pipe D in communication with the water outside the ship, and at same time
opening the air escape pipe at top, it will be readily understood that the water
will immediately enter at a pressure equivalent to the superincumbent column

page_text: of water, the level of which is represented at E, F, that is, above that of the
receivers, the water continuing to enter until it has reached the outside level
as near as the receiver will allow of, the receiver is thus raised, as seen at B,
and by closing a cock on pipe G and opening that of pipe D, the water will
continue to enter for the same reason into the pipe D, and tend to raise the
receiver A similarly to B, C, by reason of the elasticity of its lower part H, I,
the receiver is, however, prevented from rising above the point L, M, from
the nature of its connection with B, they being united by beams R, S.
Supposing, further, that at the same time as cock D is opened I open a valve
on a pipe N placed at the bottom of receiver A communicating with a central
chamber P, Q, the pressure of the water will have the effect of still further
raising chamber A, while the other chamber B, C, with which it is connected
by the beams R, S, will fall compressing the elastic base part and forcing the
water contained therein to pass into the intermediate chamber P, Q. The
movements of the two receivers depend on the proportions of the cocks and
tubes by which the water enters on the one hand and leaves on the other,
solely by the pressure of the superincumbent column of water and by virtue of
laws well known in hydrostatics; immediately the water in the central chamber
P, Q, has gained the exterior level the pressure it exerts on the bottom of said
chamber A, B, will prevent any further movement and bring them to a stand
still. Supposing, in the next place, that the said receivers be formed in two
parts, as shown at B, C, which may be separated one from the other or united
at will, the following result will take place:-When the chamber B, C, is
raised by the pressure of water by closing the cock communicating with
the exterior the one communicating with the central chamber will also
be opened, while at same time by means of a beam T, U, and rod v
the valves in the false bottom V, Z, of chamber B will also be closed.
As a consequence of this it will be readily seen that the volume of water
contained in chamber B, which is everywhere closed, will constitute an
immence weight, whose only base or support consists of the elastic material
below, and this being insufficient to resist so much weight, the water contained
is forced to enter the chamber P, Q, by means of pipe N, similar to the action
of a lift and force pump in which the water rises the higher in proportion as
the pressure increases; there are thus two great forces acting on the same
volume of water contained in B, that is, the upward pressure exerted by the
water in the receiver A and the downward pressure of the water contained in
receiver B; these two pressures united tend to raise the water in the third
vessel P, Q. It is well known that a quantity of water of a given depth
represents a dynamic force equivalent to its volume multiplied by its fall

page_text: Thus by employing the water in the chamber P, Q, for driving a turbine placed
a little above the sea level such by the aid of suitable gearing may be used
for driving a screw propeller such as shown in Figure 2, without requiring any
fuel or other producer of motive power, the water being conveyed from the
receiver P, Q, to the turbine by means of a pipe Y. This pipe may either be
placed horizontally and parallel to the water or at the bottom of the vessel,
as the as the turbine would act with an effect equivalent to the pressure
imparted by the bydromotors less that exerted externally on it by the superin-
cumbent column of water; two regulators are also disposed on the receivers for
ensuring their proper action.
This Invention is applicable for propelling vessels as a substitute for steam
for raising water, and as a motive power for driving machinery of all kinds.
The expanding parts of the receivers, before described, are formed of india-
rubber, leather, or other elastic material confined by hoops of metal superposed
so as to form water-tight joints. Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 show details of
the same; this apparatus will serve as ballast when applied to vessels.
Figure 7 shows an arrangement of hydraulic motor by which water and
air are supplied under pressure. a, reservoir of compressed air; b, pipe for
conveying the water from the motor to the receiver, which may be a screw
turbine or water wheel; c, valves; d, pipe for the compressed air from
reservoir a, serving to expand the part e, and lastly acting on the upper part;
f, capillary pipe serving to increase the effect by assisting to raise the chamber
producing the power.