AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Juan Vila y Jové, of Barcelona, Town in the Spanish
Kingdom, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS
FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 4th June 1867, and dated the 7th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Juan Vila y Jové at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 7th
January 1867.
, JUAN VILA Y JOVE, of Barcelona, Town in the Spanish Kingdom, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows:-
My improved motive power is based upon the pressure which liquids exert
against the surfaces of the vessels which enclose them.
My Invention is carried into effect by mechanism constructed as follows:-
An endless chain composed of elementary links jointed to each other is supported
vertically at the interior at top and bottom by two rollers round which it is
carried and which it causes to rotate. Each link is in the form of a hollow
sector, the internal concave curve of which is successively applied upon the
circumference of each roller. The lateral parts of each sector are radiating
surfaces which converge towards the centre of the rollers in order to come
into juxtaposition at the part where the chain affects the circular form;
this chain circulates at one side inside a box which contains a liquid mass;
the box is open at the top, and is closed at the lower part by the links which
in succession constitute its movable bottom. The result of this consecutive
bermetic closing is that the liquid not being able to escape will always preserve

page_text: its level, and will exert upon the different immersed links of the chain a series
of pressures, the result of which will have the effect of overcoming the inertia,
and of producing the permanent rotation of the rollers and of their shafts.
I utilize the rotation thus obtained as a motive power for industrial purposes.
The concave parts of the links which come in contact with the rollers have
projections to enter grooves of the roilers which are thus drawn by the
chain. The box which contains the liquid,mass is vertical, except at the
bottom where it is curved, and where there are four pieces which with the
passing link form a hermetic closing and thereby prevent escape of the liquid.
Should a little liquid escape a receptacle may be fitted to the apparatus to
receive it and a pump worked by the apparatus itself can return it to the box.
The motive power is produced by a liquid column which acts by gravity.
Supposing the box empty, that is to say, not charged with liquid, the chain the
two sides of which are in equilibrium will remain unmoved. But if the liquid
be introduced into the box to a convenient height the bottom of the lowest
immersed link supporting all the liquid column and yielding to its weight
will be put in motion and will draw the chain and rollers. The immersed
part of the chain occupying about two-thirds of the internal volume of the
liquid mass tends, by virtue of the law that every body immersed in a liquid
loses a part of its weight equal to the weight of the volume of liquid displaced
to receive a vertical upward impulse in a contrary direction to the movement
of the chain; but there always remains to the profit of the downward
movement a useful effort due to the third of the pressure exerted upon the
movable bottom of the box. It is this effort imparted to the rollers, round
which the chain passes, and to their shafts which I employ as the motive
Dower.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Juan Vila y Jové in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JUAN
VILA Y JOVE, of Barcelona, Town in the Spanish .Kingdom, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Juan Vila y Jové, Her special licence that I, the said Juan Vila y Jové,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: Juan Vila y Jové, 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Juan Vila y Jové, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
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 Juan Vila y Jové, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that
is to say:
My Invention is based upon the pressure which liquids exert against the
surfaces of the vessels which enclose them.
My Invention is carried into effect by mechanism constructed as follows:-
An endless chain composed of elementary links jointed to each other is
supported vertically at the interior at top and bottom by two rollers, round
which it is carried, and which it causes to rotate. Each link is in the form
of a hollow sector, the internal concave curve of which successively applied
upon the circumference of each roller. The lateral parts of each sector are
radiating surfaces, which converge towards the centre of the rollers in order
to come into juxtaposition at the part where the chain affects the circular
form; this chain circulates at one side inside a box which contains a liquid
mass; the box is open at the top, and is closed at the lower part by the
links, which in succession constitute its moveable bottom. The result of this
consecutive bermetic closing is that the liquid not being able to escape will
always preserve its level, and will exert upon the different immersed links of
the chain a series of pressures, the result of which will have the effect of
overcoming the inertia, and of producing the permanent rotation of the rollers
and of their shafts. I utilize the rotation thus obtained as a motive power
for industrial purposes.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I proceed, with the aid of
the annexed Drawings, to describe the manner of carrying it into effect.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, Figure 2 a front elevation,

page_text: Figure 3 a plan, and Figure 4 a horizontal section of my bydrostatic motive
apparatus. The chain is formed of links E¹ to E¹ in the form of sectors con-
nected by joints A. The projections shewn on the concave parts of the links are
intended to enter the grooves of the rollers C and L, which are thus drawn by
the chain. The box which contains the liquid mass M is composed of two
parts, one of which C, C, C, C, is vertical, while the other C, C, C, C,
is curved; at the end of the latter are four pieces D, D, D, D, which with
the passing link form a hermetic closing and thereby prevent escape of the
liquid. Should a little liquid escape a receptacle may be fitted to the apparatus
to receive it, and a pump worked by the apparatus itself can return it to the
box. The motive power is produced by a liquid column, which acts by
gravity. Supposing the box empty, that is to say, not charged with liquid,
the chain, the two sides of which are in equilibrium, will remain unmoved;
but if liquid be introduced into the box to a convenient height the bottom of
the lowest immersed link supporting all the liquid column and yielding to its
weight will be put in motion, and will draw the chain and rollers; the
immersed part of the chain occupying about two-thirds of the internal volume
of the liquid mass tends by virtue of the law that every body immersed in a
liquid loses a part of its weight equal to the weight of the volume of liquid
displaced to receive a vertical upward impulse in a contrary direction to the
movement of the chain, but there always remains to the profit of the down-
ward movement a useful effort due to the third of the pressure exerted upon
the moveable bottom of the box; it is this effort imparted to the rollers C
and L, and to their shafts, which I employ as the motive power.
As every motive power requires a regulator of the movement, and some-
times a retarding or break apparatus, I introduce these two appliances in the
machine about to be described as one of the numerous applications of my
Invention; this machine is represented in side elevation in Figure 5, in front
elevation in Figure 6, in plan in Figure 7, and in horizontal section through
the line A, B, in Figure 8. The chain, the box, and the two rollers of the
apparatus before described are indicated by the same letters.
B is a pump actuated by a rod and a crank jointed to the wheel R'; it draws
by the lower pipe T the liquid which falls into the receptacle P, and returns
it by the upper pipe T to the box. Another pump for raising water from a
well or other source to replace the loss of water from the box may be connected
to the wheel R2 by the connection indicated by the lines D, E, F, G, Figure 5.
The regulator for the proper working is fitted on a shaft J held at top and
bottom by supports S, S'; it is composed of the collar T', which carries the
pinions F, F, and of the collar P, which carries the arms I, I, terminated at

page_text: their outer ends by balls E, E, the two collars being connected by the
parallelogram B', B₁, B', B¹. The toothed wheel F2 keyed on the horizontal
threaded shaft G gears with the pinion F or with the pinion F. The endless
screw G in turning moves the nut H, which causes a lever arm J¹ to oscillate
and consequently turns the break rod K round its point of support L'; this
rod acts at its end by friction upon the wheel R², and retards its movement
like an automatic break; when the movement is too slow or too fast the
regulator descends or rises, and the wheel F gears with the wheel F or with
the wheel F to draw in or push out the nut H, and thus move the break
from or to the wheel R. The wheels O, O, (Figure 6) are to guide and
support the chain laterally. A lever break V which acts on the wheel R² is
for stopping the machine when required; it is made to act by means of a
hand wheel X, nut Z, and screw Y. The end pieces P³ support the leather
friction packings to prevent their grazing the wheel R. The power of the
machine taken from the wheel G¹, which is keyed on the shaft of the roller L,
is transmitted by the strap Cs, Co, to the pulley R³, from which it is imparted
by any ordinary mechanism to the parts or machinery requiring motion.
I do not limit myself to the employment of water in the box, as any other
liquid, mercury for example, may be employed. I pour a little oil into the
box, which floating on the surface lubricates each joint of the chain on entering,
and thereby avoids great friction.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim obtaining hydro-
static motive power according the method and by apparatus arranged and
acting substantially as berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Juan Vila y Jové, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
0 Witness,
JUAN VILA Y JOVÉ. (L.S.)
CH. ARMENGAUD,
Civil Engineer,
23, Boulev. de Strasbourg,
à Paris.