Measuring Water and Gás
Year: 1885

page_text: Measuring Water and Gás
We JAMES DAVIES of Meeting Street Engine Works Wednesbury in the County
of Stafford Mechanical Engineer and Ironfounder and WILLIAM VAWDREY of Chad
Road Edgbaston in the County of Warwick Civil Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM COMPRESSED AIR AND
WATER MOTIVE POWER ENGINES AND BLOWERS OR PUMPS AND METERS FOR
MEASURING WATER AND GAS to be as follows:-
"
Our invention consists of improvements in and additions to an invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to Henry Davies for "certain improved
apparatus or machinery for obtaining mechanical power also certain improved
apparatus or machinery for impelling or raising fluids" dated the 15th day of
March 1837, N° 7325 which invention is commonly known as the "disc engine."
In the said engine when constructed in the manner described and represented in
the Specification of the said Patent there is considerable difficulty in preventing
the escape of steam air or water between the sphere at the centre of the disc and
the bearings on which it works. To obviate this difficulty we make the said sphere
hollow and cause it to work closely upon an internal sphere. Through a circular
opening in the larger hollow sphere a shaft which we will call the principal shaft
passes into the smaller sphere the said shaft being inclined at the middle of the
smaller sphere at an angle of about thirty degrees more or less. The inclined part
of this the principal shaft works closely in a hollow arm or tube formed on and
opening into the hollow sphere. In the working of the engine the first named part
of the principal shaft performs a rotary motion while the second or inclined part
performs a gyratory motion that is describes a cone in its motion. The outer end
of the inclined part of the principal shaft gears with an arm or lever fixed to
another shaft which we will call the secondary shaft the axis of the said secondary
shaft being in a line with the axis of the first named part of the principal shaft.
A rotatory motion is thereby communicated to the said secondary shaft which
constitutes the driving shaft of the engine. The arrangement described preserves
the disc of the engine securely in its place thereby giving great steadiness to the
working of the engine as well as preventing the escape of steam compressed air or

page_text: water. In order the more effectually to prevent the escape of steam water or gas
we employ a case or cover in which are enclosed the inclined part of the principal
shaft and the part of the secondary shaft carrying the arm or lever described. The
said secondary shaft passes through a stuffing box in the case. When instead of
being used as a motive power engine rotary motion is given to the secondary or
driving shaft of the engine it then acts as a blower or rotary pump.
Water or gas may be passed through the engine for the purpose of being
measured thereby instead of for the production of motive power. In this case a
registering or indicating apparatus for denoting the quantity of water or gas which
has passed through the machine must be employed. We construct the said
registering apparatus as follows:-The shaft which we have called the secondary or
driving shaft to which a rotary motion is communicated by the passage of water
or fluid through the machine has a worm upon it which gears with a worm wheel
on an axis at right angles to the said shaft. The teeth of this worm wheel are not
situated in a plane at right angles to the axis of the worm wheel but are inclined
thereto the series having a helical or screw like arrangement. These teeth gear
with a bevil toothed wheellworking loosely on the secondary or driving shaft of
the machine and a complete rotation of the worm wheel is required to turn the said
bevil wheel through the angle which includes one of its teeth. The said bevil wheel
is connected with a train of toothed wheels and pinions whereby the number of
units (gallons cubic feet and the like) together with the tens hundreds and
thousands of the, same, which have passed through the meter are: indicated by.
pointers on a graduated dial.

page_text: :
Improvements in Steam, Compressed Air, and Water Motive
Power Engines, and Blowers or Pumps, and Meters for
Measuring Water and Gas..
Wė JAMES DAVIES of Meeting Street Engine: Works, Wednesbury in the County
of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer and Ironfounder; and WILLIAM VAWDREY of
Chad Road, Edgbaston in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, [do hereby
declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN STEAM, COMPRESSED
AIR AND WATER MOTIVE POWER ENGINES AND BLOWERS OR PUMPS AND METERS
FOR MEASURING WATER AND GAS" and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described' and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention consists of improvements in, and additions to an invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to Henry Davies, for "Certain.. improved
apparatus or machinery for obtaining, mechanical power, also, certain: improved
apparatus or machinery for impelling or raising fluids" dated, the 15th day of
March 1837, N° 7325 which invention is commonly known as the "Disc-engine."
In the said engine when constructed in the manner described and represented
in the specification of the said patent, there is considerable difficulty in preventing
the escape of steam air or water. between the sphere.at the centre of the disc and
the bearings on which it works. To obviate, this difficulty, we make the said
sphere hollow and cause it to work closely upon an internal sphere.. Through a
circular opening in the larger hollow sphere a shaft which: we will call the
principal shaft passes into the smaller. sphere the said,ahaft being inclined. at.. the
middle of the smaller sphere at an angle of about, thirty degrees more or less. The
inclined part of this the principal shaft works closely in a hollow arm, or tube
formed on and opening into the hollow sphere. In the working of the engine the
first named part of the principal shaft performs a. rotary motion while the second
or inclined part. performs a gyratory motion; that is, describes a cone in. its
motion.
The outer end of the inclined part of the principal shaft gears.with an arm or
lever fixed to another shaft. which we will call the secondary shaft, the axis of the
said secondary shaft being in a line with the axis of the first named part of the
principal shaft.. A rotary motion. is thereby communicated, to the said secondary
shaft which constitutes the driving shaft of the engine. The arrangement. described
preserves the disc of the engine securely in. its place thereby giving great
steadiness to the working of the engine as well as preventing the escape of steam,
compressed air or water. In order the more effectually to prevent. the escape of
steam, water or gas we employ a case or cover in which are enclosed, the inclined
part of the principal shaft and the part of the secondary shaft carrying the arm.or
lever described. The said secondary, shaft passes through a stuffing box in the case.
When instead of being used as a motive power engine,, rotary, motion. is
given to the secondary or driving shaft of the engine it then acts as a blower

page_text: Water or gas may be passed through the engine for the purpose of being
measured thereby instead of for the production of motive power. In this case, a
registering or indicating apparatus for denoting the quantity of water or gas which
has passed through the machine must be employed. We construct the said
registering apparatus as follows:-The shaft which we have called the secondary
or driving shaft to which a rotary motion is communicated by the passage of
water or fluid through the machine, has a worm upon it which gears with a worm
wheel on an axis at right angles to the said shaft. The teeth of this worm wheel
are not situated in a plane at right angles to the axis of the worm wheel but are
inclined thereto, the series having a helical or screw like arrangement. These
teeth gear with a bevil toothed wheel working loosely on the secondary or driving
shaft of the machine and a complete rotation of the worm wheel is required to
turn the said bevil wheel through the angle which includes one of its teeth. The
said bevil wheel is connected with a train of toothed wheels and pinions whereby
the number of units (gallons, cubic feet and the like) together with the tens,
hundreds and thousands of the same which have passed through the meter are
indicated by pointers on a graduated dial.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in section and partly in elevation, a portion of a disc
engine constructed according to our invention; Figure 2 represents partly in
section and partly in elevation and Figure 3 in. plan, a modification of our
invention.
a is the disc of the engine working in the cylinder or chamber b as usual;
c Figure 1 is the hollow sphere carried by the disc a and being provided with a
hollow arm or tube d opening into the hollow sphere as represented. The said
sphere c works closely upon the internal solid sphere e carried by the principal
shaft f, ff, the parts of the said shaft being inclined to the other parts f. f*
at an angle of about thirty degrees as represented in Figure 1; c² is a circular
opening in the hollow sphere c in which the part f of the principal shaft works.
The inclined part f³ of the principal shaft works closely in the hollow arm or
tube d on the hollow sphere c carried by the disc a.
In the working of the engine the parts f, f' of the shaft perform a rotary
motion while the inclined part f³ performs a gyratory motion, that is, describes a
cone in its motion.
Instead of making the shaft f, f*, fs and the solid sphere e in one piece as
represented in Figure 1 the sphere e and inclined part f³ of the shaft may be made
in one piece as represented in Figure 4 and the end of the inclined part ƒ³ of the
shaft may gear with an arm or lever g on the shaft h the said shaft h being in a
line with the axis of the part f of the principal shaft. In Figure 4, which
represents our invention as arranged for a meter, no shaft corresponding to the
part of the shaft in Figure 1 is required, but it must be understood that when
the parts f, g, h and e of Figure 4 are employed in a motive power engine, the
sphere e is provided with a shaft corresponding to the shaft f in Figure 1, the
last named shaft when used in the arrangement Figure 4 being in a line with
the shaft h.
The arrangement described and represented preserves the disc a of the engine
securely in its place thereby giving great steadiness to the working of the engine
as well as preventing the escape of steam gas compressed air or water. In order to
effectually prevent the escape of steam, water, air or gas we employ a case m (see &
Figure 4) in which are enclosed the inclined part ƒ of the principal shaft and the
part of the shaft / carrying the arm or lever g. The said shaft h passes through a
stuffing box k on the case m.
The section Figure 2 represents the disc a within the cylinder 6 but the shaft is
not provided with the sphere e represented in Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents 'in vertical section; Figure 5 in plan and Figure 6'in
elevation, a water or gas meter constructed according to our invention; Figure

page_text: represents a portion of the registering apparatus. The meter Figure 4 is suited for
light pressures and in this case the hollow sphere is dispensed with but where the
meter is to be used with high pressures the hollow sphere c Figure 1 must be
employed as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4 The shaft h to which a rotary
motion is communicated by the passage of water or gas through the meter has a
worm n (see Figure 7) upon it which gears with a worm wheel q on an axis at
right angles to the said shaft h. The teeth of this worm wheel are not situated in
a plane at right angles to the axis of the worm wheel but are inclined thereto, the
series having a helical or screw like arrangement. These teeth gear with a bevil
toothed wheel q' working loosely on the secondary or driving shaft h of the meter
and a complete rotation of the worm wheel q is required to turn the said bevil
wheel g through the angle which includes one of its teeth. The said bevil wheel q*
is connected with a train of toothed wheels and pinions whereby the number of
units (gallons, cubic feet and the like) together with the tens, hundreds and
thousands of the same which have passed through the meter are indicated by
pointers on a graduated dial as represented in Figure 5. The arrangement of
gearing Figure 7 is very compact and may be conveniently employed when it is
desired to economize space but instead of the said gearing Figure 7 a simple train
of toothed wheels and pinions such as is represented in Figure 4 may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that
we claim as our invention of " Improvements in steam compressed air and
water motive power engines and blowers or pumps and meters for measuring
water and gas
First. The arrangement of hollow sphere carried by the disc of the engine
blower pump or meter the said hollow sphere working upon a solid sphere carried
by the shaft of the engine blower pump or meter as herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings, also the modification
represented in Figure 4 in which the hollow arm or sleeve and hollow sphere are
either employed or dispensed with.
Secondly. The case or cover m Figure 4 for preventing the escape of steam
compressed air water or gas between the working parts of the engine blower pump
or meter.
Thirdly. The gearing represented in Figure 7 for effecting the registration of
the volume of water or gas passing through the meter.
Lastly. The general arrangement of the parts of a water or gas meter herein
before described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
JAMES DAVIES.
WILLIAM VAWDREY.