IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Whitton, of the Town or Borough of
Kingston-upon-Hull, Millwright, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HYDRAULIC PRESSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Whitton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
February 1865.
I, GEORGE WHITTON, of the Town or Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull,
Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in fitting to hydraulic presses a safety valve and an
auxiliary or small ram which is weighted by weights which can be changed
according to the pressure to be exerted, and to the test or strain to be applied
to any article acted on by the press. The weight carries a projection which
comes under the free end of the weighted lever of the safety valve, and when
the pressure of the weight is overcome by the pressure on the main ram, the
auxiliary ram raises the weight which also raised the safety valve lever. I
also apply an alarm bell which is made to ring upon the escape of any fluid.
from the waste pipe to call the attention of the pressman when the calculated
pressure on any of the press pumps or valves is exceeded. The fluid on
escaping enters a machine similar to a Barker's mill or turbine, and gives

page_text: motion to a shaft connected thereto; this shaft carries a tappet which comes
in contact with a hammer shaft, and causes it to strike on or ring a bell. I
apply a check valve to every press, so that when two or more are connected
they may be independent of one another.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Whitton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WHITTON, of the Town or Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull, Millwright, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Whitton, Her special licence that I, the said George Whitton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Whitton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel'
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC
PRESSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Whitton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Whitton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention is as follows:-I attach and connect with
hydraulic presses a safety valve of the ordinary construction in combination
with an auxiliary ram of small diameter, which I load with a weight or series

page_text: of weights varying in accordance with the pressure required to be exerted by
the press or presses to which they are attached. The weight or weights may
be cast of any form outside with a cylindrical cavity inside and a small projecting
lug on the exterior. Another casting is made with a broad sole to fix on the
ground or on other convenient place; from this sole there rises a cylinder of a
length and diameter sufficient to receive the small ram at its centre, and to
support the weight or weights. The chamber in the weight or weights is made
suitable for it to move. up and down with perfect freedom on the cylindrical
projection; a hole is bored a certain distance down this projection, into which
the small ram is inserted; on the top is a nut and cupped leather for making
a tight joint round the circumference of the small ram. A small hole is bored
from the circumference of this casting to the centre where the small ram
works, and is fitted with a nut and leather washer for making a joint in the
usual way; to this nut is attached the pipe which leads to the press or presses.
The pressure being exerted in the presses it will be evident that it at once
passes through the pipe to the small ram, and that as soon as the pressure
becomes equal to the weight resting on it the ram and weight are raised, and
the projecting lug, before-mentioned, cast on the weight being so arranged as to
come beneath the free end of the safety valve lever, which is thereby lifted. This
valve being so opened the liquid is free to escape, and an accurate and uniform
pressure is thus always obtained in the main presses. When more than one
press is worked in connection with my auxiliary ram, I use a conical check
valve of the usual construction between each so as to prevent the liquid
passing from one press to another, and when required I apply a bell which
rings every time the auxiliary ram is raised as an indication to the pressmen.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will now further
illustrate it by reference to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the figures
and letters marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of an auxiliary ram safety valve fitted
and applied according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan and partial hori-
zontal section of the same. B is the weight or load of the small ram; C, the
small ram; D, the nut for making the joint at the top of ram C; E, the
safety valve of the hydraulic press; F, the check valve; and G, the pipe
leading from the press or presses. The pressure it is to be understood passes
from the presses to the small ram C.
In the plan, Fig. 2, K shows the escape pipe from the safety valve E,
while F, F, F, F, represent four check valves from four bydraulic presses.

page_text: From the foregoing description, and by reference to the annexed Drawings,
the whole operation of this apparatus will be easily understood.
Having now described the nature of my. Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I desire it to be understood that what I claim as my
Invention to be secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters 5
Patent is,-
First, the application of an auxiliary ram to one or more hydraulic presses,
in manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Secondly, I claim the general arrangement of the pipes, check and safety
valves in combination with the auxiliary ram, as herein-before described and 1
represented in the Drawings annexed hereunto.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Whitton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
GEORGE WHITTON. (L.S.)