IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC RAMS AND RAM PUMPS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JAMES KEITH of 57 Holborn Viaduct, London, in the County of Middlesex,
Gas, Hydraulic, and Heating Engineer, do 'hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC RAMS AND RAM PUMPS," to be as
follows:-
Hydraulic rams and ram pumps as ordinarily constructed are only adapted for
working in situations where a considerable head of water is available, a com-
paratively high pressure of water being required to overcome the weight of the
waste or dash valve, and to give sufficient escape of water and cause the re-action
resulting from the sudden checking of its flow. The object of my Invention is so
to improve the construction of hydraulic rams and ram pumps that they may be
effectively employed in cases where only an extremely low head of water can be
obtained. To this end I connect to the waste or dash valve (which closes upwards
against its seat) a counterbalancing. weight or weighted lever, or a float, which
serves to overcome the weight of the valve, and allows even the very largest and
heaviest dash valves to be made in effect so light that a very low head or fall of
water is able to raise the valves smartly and give the large escape of water
necessary to effect the requisite recoil, whereby the highest effective action of the
ram may be secured.
In carrying out my Invention I carry the valve spindle through the valve casing,
and connect it by a chain, wire rope, link, or other connecting gear, to a lever
quadrant or a wheel jointed on a bracket formed on the valve chamber, or on the
body of the ram or ram pump, such lever or wheel being fitted with an adjustable
back balance weight, or the said spindle of dash valve can be connected to a float,
either in the valve chamber or in a chamber specially made and attached to the
ram, so as to accomplish the same object. When I employ, as I prefer, a valve
provided with inclined webs or other means of imparting to it an intermittent
rotatory motion, I form a ball and socket or similar joint between the upper end of
the valve spindle and the chain or link connected to the balanced lever, or between
it and the said float, in order that the valve spindle may freely rotate without
straining the connection to the balancing arrangement. By slightly increasing the

page_text: size of the valve chamber, the balancing lever may also be fitted within such
chamber.
I also combine with the improved hydraulic ram described any of the usual
arrangements whereby a separate water supply may be raised or forced by the
action of the water which flows to waste in operating the ram.
In forming a ram pump for example, I connect to the discharge orifice of the
improved ram in lieu of the air vessel, a cylinder provided with a large piston,
which is connected to a smaller piston or plunger working in a pump barrel, such
pump barrel being provided with an inlet and a discharge valve and air vessel.
When this ram is used for pumping water from a well or spring, the weight of the
water in the suction pipe is carried or balanced by a lever arrangement attached to
or extending across the working pistons.
Dated this Fourth da
100

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hydraulic Rams and Ram Pumps.
I, JAMES KEITH of 57 Holborn Viaduct in the City of London, Gas, Hydraulic,
Heating and Ventilating 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 :—
Hydraulic rams and ram pumps as ordinarily constructed are only adapted for
working in situations where a considerable head of water is available, a com-
paratively high pressure of water being required to overcome the weight of the
waste or dash valve and to give sufficient escape of water and cause the re-action
resulting from the sudden checking of its flow. The object of my invention is so
to improve the construction of hydraulic rams and rain pumps that they may be
effectively employed in cases where only an extremely low head of water can be
obtained. To this end I connect to the waste or dash valve (which closes upwards
against its seat) a counterbalancing weight or weighted lever or a float which
serves to overcome the weight of the valve and allows even the very largest and
heaviest dash valves to be made in effect so light that a very low head or fall of
water is able to raise the valves smartly and give the large escape of water
necessary to effect the requisite recoil whereby the highest effective action of the
ram may be secured.
In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate my invention figure
is a longitudinal vertical section of a modification of the improved hydraulic ram ;
figure 2 is a transverse vertical section; figure 3 a side elevation, and figure 4 a
plan of a modification of the improved ram pump; and figure 5, is a sectional
elevation showing in detail and to a larger scale the mode of attachment of the
dash valve spindle to the counter-balancing weight.
The hydraulic ram and ram pump illustrated are or may be of ordinary con-
struction excepting as regards the improved balancing arrangements above referred
to and which I will now more particularly describe with reference to the drawings.
In balancing the weight of the dash valve A of the ram by a weight I carry the
valve spindle A¹ through the valve casing B and connect it by a chain C or by a
wire rope, link or other connecting gear to a lever quadrant D or a wheel centred
on a bracket E formed or fitted on the valve chamber or other convenient part of
the ram or ram pump, such lever or wheel being fitted with an adjustable back
balance weight F. Or, in order to attain the same object I may connect the
spindle A¹ of the dash valve A to a float which may be placed either in the valve
chamber B, or in a separate chamber attached to the ram and containing water at
an approximately uniform level. I employ by preference a dash valve provided
with inclined webs a or other means of imparting to it an intermittent rotatory
motion, and to permit of the rotation of the spindle without interfering with the
action of the balancing arrangement I form a ball and socket joint or a similar
joint as is shown in figure 5 to connect the upper end of the valve spindle A¹ with
the chain or link C attached to the balancing lever D, or to connect the spindle to
the float or float lever when a float is employed to balance the weight of the valve.
Instead of carrying the valve spindle through the casing and connecting it to a

page_text: balancing lever outside, the balancing lever may be fitted within the valve chamber
which in that case will be suitably increased in size.
I also combine with the improved hydraulic ram above described any of the usual
arrangements whereby a separate water supply may be raised or forced by the
action of the water which flows to waste in operating the ram.
. Figures 2, 3, and 4 illustrate such a combination of the improved ram with a
hydraulic pump. In this case I substitute for the air vessel of the ram a cylinder G
provided with a piston H which is connected by a rod or spear I to a piston or
plunger J working in a smaller cylinder or pump barrel. K, such pump barrel being
provided with an inlet valve L and discharge valve M. and a suitable air vessel N.
The ram pump is single acting, and to ensure the return of the piston in cases
where the ram is used for pumping water from a well or spring the weight of the
water in the suction pipe is balanced by a lever arrangement consisting of a
weighted single or double lever O on a rock shaft P on which is fixed a lever
arm Qattached by a link R to the piston H or the forked end of the spear I
through which the arm Q passes and extends across the working pistons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
•
1. The combination of parts constituting the improved hydraulic ram,.substan-
tially as herein described with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. The combination of parts constituting the improved hydraulic ram pump
substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings annexed.
'
3. In a hydraulic ram or ram pump the arrangements for balancing the weight
of the dash valve or waste valve by a weighted lever or by a float substantially as
herein described and for the purpose set forth..
}
4. In a hydraulic ram provided with a balanced dash valve and means for
intermittently rotating the same, the arrangement of a ball and socket joint or
similar joint connecting the valve spindle to the balancing lever or float substan-.
tially as herein described with reference to the drawings annexed: