IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR RAISING WATER
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of
France, and 38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR RAISING WATER."-A communication from Guillaume Saint-Romas,
residing at Montmartre, in the Empire of France.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 26th September 1866, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue
du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of. France, and 38, Porchester Terrace,
Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR RAISING WATER," communicated to me by Guillaume Saint-
Romas, a person residing at Montmartre, in the Empire of France, aforesaid,
Engineer, and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and
made solemn Declaration that it is a communication.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
These improvements communicated to me relate to a combination and
disposition of machinery and apparatus for raising water with ease, rapidity,
and in great quantities; they consist in an apparatus composed of a wheel
and axle and an endless chain loaded with buckets of a peculiar and alto-
gether novel construction, so as to offer the least possible resistance to the
wheel and axle in their revolution, by reason of the facility with which they
fill themselves.
This apparatus is exhibited in the Figures of the Drawing hereunto
annexed, in which the same letters of reference indicate similar parts.
Figure 1 is a view in elevation, and Figure 2 a view in a plane of the
wheel and axle which actuates the chain with its buckets; Figure 3 is a side
view in elevation; and Figure 4 a front view in elevation of the chain and
the buckets fixed to it, and of that part of the wheel and axle on which
passes the endless chain; Figure 5 is a front view of one of the buckets;
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the same; Figures 7 and 8 are vertical
sections of a bucket, as seen in the two positions, ascending and descending,
which the buckets assume on the chain in motion; and Figure 9 is an isolated
portion of the framework of the machine.
The apparatus consists of a frame A, on which are fixed two brackets B, B,
supporting a wheel and axle of a triangular form C; on this wheel and axle
passes a jointed chain C¹ furnished with buckets C". The jointed chain C
passes on the wheel and axle which is set in motion by a wheel D catching
into a toothed wheel E, actuated by means of a handle or else by steam or
other motive power by means of a strap winding round the pulley G. Two
ratchet wheels H, H, keyed on to the shaft of the wheel and axle C serve to
maintain the whole apparatus in a state of immobility when the motive power
ceases to be felt. A fly wheel I is fixed to the shaft bearing the toothed
wheel E turning on two brackets B', B', similar to the brackets B, B, and
like them fixed on to the frame A; this fly wheel serves to regulate the
motion of the machine. Each bucket is sustained by means of a metal rod J
which fits into two ears K, K, fixed on the sides; it is moveover connected
with the flat chain M by means of a piece L rivetted at its lower extremity,
and having an ear through which passes a pin. This chain prevents the
buckets from passing inwardly, and by so doing from catching, so that they

page_text: may be placed quite close upon each other, and prevents all shaking by always
keeping the buckets in the same position while ascending; finally, each
couple of buckets is connected by links M', M', traversed by the metal rod J,
where they are held in position by pins. So as to avoid contraction, and con-
sequently friction and abrasion, the ends of the rods of the wheel and axle C
are supplied with steel knife edges O, on which the jointed chain bears. To
prevent the shock which would take place when the chain C¹ passes from one
of the arms of the wheel and axle C to the other arm, metal rods P, P, sup-
ported by spiral springs P¹, as also the flat springs P" fixed on the shaft of
the wheel and axle C first receive each link and deaden the shock, so that
the rotation movement takes place without shaking, noise, or apparent
vibration. The convex parts R, R, have for object to bring back the chain
in position when it tends to turn aside horizontally. Each bucket is provided
inwardly with an apparatus to allow the air to escape at the moment of
immersion. This apparatus consists of a tube S fixed at the bottom of the
bucket and open at both ends; this tube is wrapt in a semi-cylindrical
envelope T, the lower border of which does not reach the bottom of the
bucket, and the upper border of which is closed by a metal plate U. When
the bucket plunges the air driven back passes between the bottom of the
bucket and the lower border of the envelope, it descends between the envelope
and the tube and ascends in the tube, from which it escapes freely; when
the bucket plunges, the air is so completely driven out that the apparatus acts
as a siphon which would empty the buckets during the ascension if the metal
plate U was not bored with two holes V, V, their object being to prevent this
inconvenience by allowing the air to re-enter the apparatus when the bucket
rises out of the water, so that they remain filled. The slightly bevelled form
given to the bucket is intended to bring back more easily the air under the
apparatus.
By means of the apparatus above described the buckets freely plunge into
the water without experiencing the slightest resistance, the chain requires no
guide to maintain or direct it at its lower part; moreover, the buckets equi-
poising themselves when empty, the power developed by the motor is entirely
employed in lifting the weight of water, nothing is lost in point of power save
what is requisite to overcome the friction of the shaft in its bearings.
In works of drainage, where the depth varies constantly, it is often necessary
to shorten or lengthen the chain, a thing speedily effected by detaching one or
two buckets; but in order to avoid this loss of time, which however short is
often precious in such cases, a double frame is placed above the first
(Figure 9); this double frame has four screws at its four angles, by means of

page_text: which the machine may be lifted or lowered, as required, without interrupting
the working.
The machine represented in the Drawing, drains 800 litres (about 800
English quarts) per minute at a mean depth of 15 metres (about 16 English
yards) with two-horse power.
From the above description it is evident that machines may be made
accordingly, so as to yield any quantity of water required, since there is no
limit to the capacity of the buckets; the water may also be raised to any
height, this being a mere question of length of chain.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details of construction herein laid down, as the same may
be modified without departing from the principle of which the system is
based; but what I claim is,-
First, the metal rods P with their flat and spiral springs, substantially as
herein-before set forth and described.
Secondly, the combination of the buckets with their tubes and envelopes,
substantially as herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
BONNEVILLE
H. BONNEVILLE.