Improvements in Lifts and Hoists.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1890-Accepted. 19th July, 1890
PROVIDIUNAL DI MULTIUATION.
Improvements in Lifts and Hoists.
"h
We, HENRY CLAUDE WALKER and ROBERT CAREY both of the Newington Iron
Works, Falmouth Road, London S.E., Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows
4.1..
1.
791
Our invention relates to lifts worked by water power and consists in certain
improvements whereby the consumption of water may be made somewhat proportionate
to the load lifted although this may vary in amount. These improvements are
applicable principally to lifts which have no intermediate platforms and go from top
to bottom or bottom to top without stopping, although they might be applied to
other forms by modifying the arrangement a little.
In carrying out one form of our invention we employ two cages working in
separate guides side by side or otherwise and connect these cages by one or more
ropes passing over an overhead sheave or sheaves so that the said cages will balance
each other. The cages have one or more tail ropes passing down the lift well and
leading to one or more hydraulic cylinders placed in some convenient place. When
one cylinder is used it is fitted with a piston and rods preferably passing out through
both ends of cylinders and provided with separate sets of multiplying sheaves viz.
one for each cage so that one set of ropes may be payed out while the others are
hauled in. Underneath each cage is a tank into which water may be passed from a
suitable filling device provided with a valve which may be automatic so that when
the cage has acquired a sufficient preponderence it will commence to descend and by
such movement cut off the supply. The main part or all of the lifting may be there-
fore done by the water in cage tanks the hydraulic cylinder being used principally
as a cataract and having suitable valves so that the lowering and stopping may be
controlled thereby. By this arrangement the amount of water consumed will depend
on the difference between the ascending and descending load and the cage will be at
the same time completely under control.
In some cases we arrange the hydraulic cylinder to do a portion of the work, the
remainder being effected by the cage tanks. We have described the cylinder as
connected to the cages by fail ropes and we prefer this arrangement as all the ropes
are thereby balanced as well as the cage, and the connecting ropes passing over the
overhead sheaves offer facilities for controlling the speed by attaching a governor or
hand brake gear to sail slieave independent of any governor gear that may be placed
on the cage, but we might carry the ropes from the hydraulic cylinder to sheaves over
the well and connect them to cages direct. The hydraulic cylinder may also be fitted
with an automatic valve controlled by the pressure in said cylinder and adjusting the
area of outlet so that the maximum speed of piston will be the same for any pressure
and tlierefore the speed of lowering will be the same for all loads.
↓
The tanks might be connected to the piston rod of cylinder instead of to the cage
and filled through the rod or the hydraulic cylinder may be direct acting arranged
under one cage, or a separate cylinder under each, and the tanks filled as first
described or through the rams, this arrangement allowing the adjustment of the
balance at all parts of the travel.
We do not confine ourselves to the details given above as various mere modifications
may present themselves, the object of our invention being to combine the direct
weight of water acting in suitable tanks with the hydraulic cylinder or cylinders to
control the lift as well as or without affording additional power.
Dated this 7th day of March 1890.
HENKY C. WALKER.
ROBT. CAREY. *

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifts and Hoists.
We HENRY CLAUDE WALKER and ROBERT CAREY both of the Newington Iron
Works, Falmouth Road London S.E. Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to lifts worked by water power and consists in certain
improvements whereby the consumption of water may be made somewhat proportionate
to the load lifted although this may vary in amount. These improvements are
applicable principally to lifts which have no intermediate platforms and go from top
to bottom or bottom to top without stopping, although they might be applied to other
forms by modifying the arrangement a little.
In carrying out one form of our invention we employ two cages working in
separate guides, side by side or otherwise and connect these cages by one or more
ropes passing over an overhead sheave or sheaves so that the said cages will balance
each other. The cages have one or more tail ropes passing down the lift well and
leading to one or more hydraulic cylinders placed in some convenient place. When
one cylinder is used it is fitted with a piston and rods preferably passing out through
both ends of cylinders and provided with separate sets of multiplying sheaves viz. one
for each cage so that one set of ropes may be payed out while the others are hauled
in. Underneath each cage is a tank into which water may be passed from a suitable
filling-device provided_with_a_valve which may be automatic so that when the cage
has acquired a sufficient preponderance it will commence to-descend-and-by-such
movement cut off the supply. The main part or all of the lifting may be therefore
done by the water in cage tanks. the hydraulic cylinder being used principally as a
cataract and having suitable valves so that the lowering and stopping may be-con-
trolled thereby. By this arrangement the amount of water consumed will depend
-on-the-difference between the ascending and decending load and the cage will be
at the same time completely under control.
In some cases we arrange the hydraulic cylinder to do a portion of the work the
remainder being effected-by-the cage-tanks. We have described the cylinder as con-
nected to the cages by tail ropes and we prefer this arrangement as all the ropes aro
thereby balanced as well as the cage, and the connecting ropes passing over the
overhead sheaves offer facilities for controlling the speed by attaching a governor or
band brake gear to said sheave independent of any governor gear that may be placed
on the cage, but we might carry the ropes from the hydraulic cylinder to sheaves
over the well and connect them to cages direct. The hydraulic cylinder may also be
fitted with an automatic valve controlled by the pressure in said cylinder and
adjusting the area of outlet so that the maximum speed of piston will be the same
for any pressure and therefore the speed of lowering will he the same for all loads.
The tanks might be connected to the piston rod of cylinder instead of to the cage
and filled through the rod or the hydraulic cylinder may be direct acting arranged
under one cage or a separate cylinder under each and the tanks filled as first
described or through the rams, this arrangement allowing the adjustment of the
balance at all parts of the travel.
Figs. 1 to i show various arrangements of lifts and Figs. 7 to 11 several filling
and emptying devices. In these views similar letters indicate like and corresponding
parts.
Figs. 1, 2, 3 show the application of our invention to suspended lifts and 4, 5, 6 to
direct-acting ones.
Fig. 1 shows a double suspended lift in which the cages C balance each other being
connected--by ropes passing over an overhead sheave S. The cages are provided
with tail ropes leading under conveyance sheaves N to the multiplying sheaves Mof
a double-acting hydraulic cylinder H. In some cases we employ a separate single-
acting cylinder for each cage. A tank T is shown suspended under each cage for

page_text: the purposes mentioned. It may be charged from the store tank T¹ and discharge
into drain tank T.
Fig. 2 shows a similar arrangement but without tail ropes the two cages being
suspended by the cylinder ropes. The overhead sheave S may or may not be used.
Fig. 3 is a modification of Fig. 2 but with two single-acting cylinders instead of
one double-acting. The overhead sheave S and ropes is desirable in this case.
Fig. 4 shows an arrangement of a double lift cach cage having a separate direct-
acting ram or piston and either with or without the overhead sheave.
Fig. 5 is a modification of Fig. 4 with one double-acting cylinder instead of the
two single-acting ones. The cages are connected by ropes etc. passing over an over-
head sheave S. A counterweight D may be added to provide for the unbalanced
weight or the other cage weighted for the same purpose.
With the above arrangements the cages balance each other and one is made to
ascend by loading the other with water sufficiently to give it the desired preponderance
the valve V controlling the water to and from the cylinder or cylinders. The tanks T
are shown suspended under the cages but they might be formed therewith, carried on
top or otherwise or entirely detached from the cage and carried on the piston-rod,
ram and like ef cataract or lifting cylinder etc. or be suspended by independent ropes
in any convenient manner.
The Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, show arrangements of our invention applied to double lifts
but the same might be modified to suit single ones. Fig. 6 gives one of many such
arrangements. In this case the tank T is connected to the ram of the balanco
cylinder, and supplied or exhausted through a jointed pipe p' or the like leading from
the fixed valve V.
The filling and discharging of the tanks may be accomplished in many ways and
may be automatic or not.
Figs. 7 and 8 show one arrangement for charging the tanks. The pipe E with
valve e is constructed to swivel in a vertical plane between two cages so that it may
be swung to one side to feed one cage and vice-versa, the broken outline representing
the mid-position which it takes when not in use, immediately over a catch tank T³.
Each cage is provided with a plate F or the like carrying a curved channel guide f
which, when the cage nears the top, engages with a roller e on the pipe and by the
final motion of said cage swings the pipe over until it is at the mouth of cage-tank T
as shown. To charge the tank the valve e is opened by hand such motion causing a
roller el on a lever connected therewith to come in contact with a curved guide on
cage as shown so that when the cage has acquired sufficient preponderance it may
descend (the controlling valve V having been previously opened) and by such motion
act on roller el and shut off the water and then move the pipe E to its central or
normal position so that any drip will be received in tank T and the pipe will be in
position to engage with the other cage. If desired the pipe E might swing horizontally
instead of vertically or he replaced by sliding, flexible or other arrangement and
independent pipes might be used for each cage. We prefer to swing the pipes auto-
matically as shown but their movements might be done by hand.
The tank may be emptied through a valve of ordinary construction operated by
hand or automatically, or by special means as described.
Fig. 9 shows a portion of tank T having a flap valve J opened automatically by
coming against a fixed or adjustable stop j at the bottom.
Fig. 10 shows a similar valve having a striking lever outside the tank for the
same purpose. The above and other ordinary valves are simple but may give trouble
by leakage which would cause an objectionable drip down the lift well.
Fig. 11 shows an arrangement to obviate this by siphoning out the water through
the filling opening so that no connection need be made in tank below water level. A
pipe K is bent down at one end as shown to enter the mouth of cage tank and is
balanced by weight and mounted on an oscillating joint k on a swivelling pipe
carried by a stand pipe and closed at the bottom or otherwise by a valve L. The
stand pipe is of sufficient capacity (between valve L and swivel k) to hold enough
water to start the siphon should pipe K be completely empty and to facilitate this a

page_text: water cock may be added and allowed to run constantly or otherwise, so that if
the siphon should completely empty itself it would be made again available for use
on the return of the cage by such water which would gradually accumulate in the
long leg of the siphon and displace the air therein. The oscillating joint permits
the withdrawal of the short leg of siphon from the tank and the swivel joint allows
the pipe to be-swung out of the way of the cage. In the figure shown these motions
are performed automatically, the former by rollers O on cage engaging with pipe
(or vice-versa) and the latter by a roller o on pipe travelling in curved guides of on
cage similar to f (Fig. 8).
r.
In place of the foregoing the tanks might be filled or discharged through a
telescopic or sliding pipe which in the case of direct-acting lifts might be formed by..
the main ram itself and this arrangement would with the aid of suitable valves allow
the adjustment of the balance of all parts of the travel but would be unadvisable for
long lifts.
The valves for controlling the flow of water in the cataract cylinders may be of
any convenient known type either with or without the combination therewith or
addition thereto of a variable-loaded piston controlling the area of opening through a
suitable valve so that such area should vary with the pressure. This variable load
may be set up by a spring, weighted lever etc. and will cause the maximum speed of
lowering to be constant notwithstanding variations in the load. A charging valve
may be added to make up any leakage in the cataract cylinders or water forced in
by hand etc. for such purpose.
If the cylinders are to be used to lift a portion of the load as well as for con-
trolling purposes-the-valves-will-be modified so as to admit pressure to one and open
the other to the exhaust. These valves may be of any known kind and may-have-the-
arrangement heretofore. mentioned for automatically controlling the flow-of-water-
placed on the outlet from valve.
-
In the foregoing description and accompanying drawings we have shown several
arrangements embodying varions features of our invention but we do not limit our-
selves to such specific-arrangements as various mere modifications may present
themselves, the object of our invention being to combine the direct weight of-water-
-acting in suitable tanks with the hydraulic cylinder or cylinders to control the lift as
well as or without affording additional power:
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our invention and in what
-manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is—
1. In hydraulic lifts the combination and arrangement of moveable water tanks to
raise the load by their weight in combination with a cataract cylinder or cylinders.
2. In hydraulic lifts the combination and arrangement of moveable water tanks to
act as auxiliaries to a small combined lifting and cataract cylinder or cylinders
substantially as set forth.
3. The arrangements of double hydraulic lifts shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and
substantially as described.
4. The arrangement of single hydraulic lift shown in Fig. 6 and substantially as
described.
5. The construction and arrangement of pipes valves etc. for filling and emptying
the tanks substantially as set forth and shown in sheet 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 13th day of May 1890.
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HENRY CLAUDE WAL
ROBT. CAREY.