Improvements in Meters for Measuring Liquids.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Meters for Measuring Liquids.
I, ARNOLD GOODWIN, of 56 Snmner Street, Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, 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 :-
This invention of improvements in meters for measuring liquids has reference
to piston meters of the type in which the piston of each measuring cylinder
controls the action of a slide valve governing the motion of the piston or pistons
in another cylinder or cylinders, and in which the cylinders and other parts are
enclosed in a casing forming a chamber into which the liquid to be measured freely
flows, so that the pressure on the inner and outer sides of the cylinders shall be
balanced or nearly so, in order to admit of the use of cylinders of light construction,
and so that by removing one part of the casing, the whole of the working parts of
the meter can be inspected, or be removed for repair, without disconnecting the
supply and delivery connections and it has for object to simplify the construction
and thereby reduce the cost of such meters.
To this end my invention consists in the improved construction arrangement and
combination of parts which I will now proceed to explain by aid of the accompanying
illustrative drawings wherein
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on the line x x of Fig. 2;
Fig. 2 a transverse section on the line y y of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 a part horizontal section on the line
constructed according to this invention.
of Fig. 2, showing a meter
Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view hereinafter referred to.
1, 2, 3 & 4 are four measuring cylinders arranged in two parallel pairs, those in
each pair being co-axial with each other so that they can be bored at one operation.
They are each fitted with a piston 5 of suitable construction the pistons of each
pair of cylinders being connected by a rod 5ª common to them as shown in Fig. 1,
so that each pair of pistons work together. Each cylinder is open at its inner end
and closed at its outer end by a cover 6 preferably provided with a cushion or
buffer 6 of suitable material such as india rubber or leather. The cylinders are
preferably cast in one piece with each other and with a bed plate 7 that is secured
upon a base plate 8 that forms the bottom of a casing the upper portion 8º of
which is secured to the said base plate by suitable connections such as bolts, so
that it can be easily removed for gaining access to the cylinders and other parts
The bed-plate 7 between the inner open ends of the measuring
cylinders is formed with concave valve faces 7", 7, provided with two sets of
ports 9, 10, 11, and 12, 13, and 14 respectively over which work two slide
of the meter.
valves 15 and 16.
These valves 15 and 16 are provided at their ends adjacent to the cylinders with
projections 15 and 16* respectively arranged in the paths of the corresponding
pairs of pistons which move the valves alternately in opposite directions during the
latter part of their respective in-strokes, as hereinafter described, for the purpose
of controlling the admission and exhaustion of liquid to and from the outer ends
of the measuring cylinders 1, 2, 3 and 4 through ports 1*, 2*, 3*, and 4* arranged
at or near the said outer ends of the respective cylinders. The ports 9 and 10 of
one set of ports are connected with the ports 3*, 4* of cylinders 3 and 4 by
passages 17 and 18 respectively, the ports 12 and 13 of the other set of ports
.

page_text: being connected with the ports 1° and 2" of cylinders 1 and 2 by passages 19
and 20 respectively which extend over the passages 17 and 18 respectively as
shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The remaining ports 11 and 14 of the two sets of ports,
are in communication by passages 21°, 21b (Fig. 2) with a transverse exhaust
passage 21 common to them. The passages 17 to 21 inclusive are formed in the
base-plate. Their positions relatively to the various ports 9 to 14 inclusive
and 1º, 2º, 3 and 4* are clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. 22 is the inlet
passage for the liquid to be measured which enters the casing 8" by a port 22°
controlled by a non-return valve 23 about which is placed a sheet 24 (Figs. 2 and 4)
of gauze adapted to prevent entry of foreign bodies into the casing. 25 is a cross
bar that may be secured above the valves 15 and 16 to prevent them leaving the
valve faces during transit of the meter from one place to another or at other
times.
26 is a vertical shaft for actuating counting or registering mechanism of any
suitable construction, placed within the dial box 27. This shaft is provided at its
lower end with a radial arm 26ª arranged to work between two collars 5b, 5° on the
rod 5 connecting the pistons of cylinders 3 and 4 so that it will be rocked
alternately in opposite directions by such collars when the meter is in action.
The operation of the meter is as follows:-
Assuming the pistons 5 in cylinders 3 & 4 to be moving to the right under the
action of water under pressure entering the cylinder 3 through the port 3*,
the piston in cylinder 3 will, just before the pistons arrive at the ends of their
strokes, in which positions they are shown in Fig. 1, abut against the left hand
projection 16" of the valve 16 and move this valve to the right into the position
shown so as to uncover port 12 and cover port 13. Water to be measured will
then flow from the casing 8ª through the port 12, passage 19 and port 1* to the
outer end of the cylinder 1, and will cause the piston in that cylinder to make its
inward stroke, the water at the outer side of the piston in cylinder 2 escaping at
the same time through port 2*, passage 20, port 13, cavity in valve 16, port 14 and
passage 21" to the outlet or exhaust passage 21. When the piston of cylinder 1
nears the end of its inward stroke, it acts upon the left hand projection 15ª of
valve 15, and as the piston completes its stroke, will move this valve so as to cover
port 9 and place it in communication through the cavity in the valve 15 with
port 1 and uncover port 10. Water will then flow from the casing 8 through
the port 10, passage 18 and port 4* to the outer end of cylinder 4, and will cause
the piston therein to make its inward stroke, the water at the outer side of the
piston in cylinder 3 escaping through port 3°, passage 17, port 9, cavity in
valve 15, port 11 and passage 21 to the outlet passage 21 as indicated by the
arrows in Fig. 3. As the piston in cylinder 4, nears the end of its inward stroke,
it acts upon the right hand projection 16 of valve 16, and as the said piston
completes its stroke, will move this valve to the left so as to cover port 12 and place
it in communication through the cavity in valve 16 with port 14 and uncover
port 13.
Water from the casing will then flow through port 13, passage 20, and
port 2° to the outer end of cylinder 2 causing the piston therein to make its
inward stroke, the water at the back of the piston in cylinder 1 then escaping
through port 1, passage 19, port 12, cavity in valve 10, port 14 and pissage 21"
to the outlet passage 21. As the piston in cylinder 2 ucars the end of its stroke,
it acts upon the right hand projection 15 on valve 15, and as the piston completes
its stroke will move this valve to the left so as to cover port 10 and place it in
communication through the cavity in valve 15 with port 11, and will uncover
port 9. Water from the casing will then flow through port 9, passage 17, and
port 3* to the outer end of cylinder 3 so as to cause the piston therein to make its
inward stroke, the water at the outer side of the piston in the cylinder 4 then
escaping through port 4*, passage 18, port 10, cavity in valve 15, port 11, and
passage 21 to the outlet passage 21. As the piston in cylinder 3 nears the end of
its inward stroke, it acts upon the left hand projection 16 of valve 16 and as the
piston completes its stroke, will move this valve to cover port 13 and place it in

page_text: communication, through the cavity in valve 16, with port 14, and will uncover
port 12. The slide valves and pistons will then be again in the original positions
assumed, and the above described operations will be repeated. During the working
of the meter the shaft 27 will be rocked alternately in opposite directions by the
movements of the connected pistons in cylinders 3 and 4, and will therefore actuate
the registering mechanism of the meter to register the quantity of liquid that has
passed through the meter.
Instead of casting the measuring cylinders in one piece with each other and with
a bedplate 7 on which the valve faces 7º, 7b are formed, they may be made
separately and be fixed upon the baseplate 8 upon which suitable valve faces would
then have to be formed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
My improved meter for measuring liquids, constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 4th day of December 1894.
ARNOLD GOODWIN.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.