CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ENGINES, WATERING ENGINES, AND OTHER HYDRAULIC MACHINES AND APPA- RATUS FOR RAISING OR PROPELLING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS, SOME OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ULRIC VAUCHER, Gentleman, of Geneva, in Switzerland, but now residing at
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of September, in the second year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant" unto me, the said
James Ulric Vaucher, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said James Ulric Vaucher, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James. Ulric Vaucher, my exors, admors;
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within, England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE ENGINES, WATERING ENGINES, AND OTHER HYDRAULIC MACHINES AND APPA-
RATUS FOR RAISING OR PROPELLING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS, SOME OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES;" in which said Letters:
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James Ulric Vaucher, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed; to. be inrolled in Her said Majesty's. High.
Court of Chancery within six. calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same;
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE,. that in compliance, with the said proviso, I; the said
James. Ulric Vaucher, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention relates, first, to the mode of constructing certain parts of
pumps or hydraulic engines.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of packing parts of hydraulic
engines or machines, or rendering the same fluid-tight, which part of my
Invention applies to steam engines in those parts where moving surfaces
require to be packed or rendered steam-tight.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to an improved construction of nozzle for pumps
or hydraulic machine, such as are used for horticultural and other purposes;
And, fourthly, my Invention relates to a mode of weaving flexible hose
pipes for hydraulic machines, or engines for conveying fluids.
And, in order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents the plan, in section, of an hydraulic engine or pump,
having parts of my Invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is an end view of the
cylinder, with the cover off, of the machine or engine shewn at Figure 1; s
Figure 3 is a plan of the piston and its axis, which works in the cylinder of
the pump or engine; Figure 4 is an under side view of Figure 3; and
Figure 5.shews two views of the valve chest. In each of these Figures the
same letters indicate similar parts, a, a, being the external cylinder of the
engine, having two end covers b, b, as is shewn in the Drawing. In one of g
the covers the end of the axis c rests, it being received into a suitable recess
or bearing formed in that cover. The other end of the axis c passes through
the other end cover, in order to have a handle affixed thereto, by which the
piston may have movement communicated thereto, or, if preferred, the
axis may pass through both covers for that purpose. And I would here re- 3
mark, that I am aware that pumps of somewhat similar construction have been
made before, and are well known, and my Invention, so far as it is shewn by
the Figures of the Drawing, only consists in the mode of constructing the
piston and its axis and the recesses, which are to be packed in one casting,
which requires no getting up other than by turning the axis in those parts 3
where it is carried by the end covers of the cylinder and by the upper part of
the valve chest. The form and nature of the piston being clearly shewn in
the Drawing, it will be only desirable in respect to it further to observe, that
there is a groove or recess c¹ made all around the piston, into which metallic

page_text: packing is to be inserted, as hereafter explained. c, c², are the openings.
for the valves, which I have not thought it necessary to shew in the Drawing
other than by dotted lines. I usually make them of metal, as well understood;
but they may be of other material. care the stops of the valve produced in
casting the piston and its axis. a is the valve chest, having on its under side.
communication with the suction pipe. The valve chest is of a triangular
figure on the outside, and has two openings d' for induction valves. d², d²,
are grooves or recesses to receive metallic packing, as hereafter explained, the
widened parts d³ of these grooves at the lower part being to receive screws e,
which pass through the cylinder in order to secure the valve chest in its place.
The ends d of the valve chest have also recesses formed to receive metal
packing; and there may be screws passed through the covers into the valve
chest, to retain the parts more securely. The upper part of the valve chest.
at has a groove for packing that part where the axis works, the axis of the
piston working in the groove d³; but the same is packed with metal, in order
to make all parts water or fluid tight. do are the stops for the valves, formed
of one casting with the valve chamber or chest.
Having thus explained the nature of the first part of the Invention, I will
proceed to describe the node of packing the same.
The cylinder a, a, is to have the end cover 6 (which only receives the end
of the axis c) screwed on. The piston is then put into its place, and such is
in the case with the valve chamber or chest d, it having been first filled with
sand; and the whole of the cylinder is to be carefully filled with sand, such
as is used by casters of metal, excepting those grooves and recesses intended for
receiving the packing. The other cover 6 is then to be screwed on to its
place; and there is to be a hole or holes through such cover, in order to pour
the melted metal of which the packing is composed through the cover, in order
to its passing into and filling all the grooves and recesses to be packed, as above
explained. It should, however, be stated that the external cylinder a and its
covers are to be heated before pouring in the melted metal to constitute the
packing, allowing time for the internal parts also to be heated, so that the
melted metal may not cool before the casting is completed in every part of the
recesses, and by which means I obtain a good close packing. The heating
may be performed in any convenient manner; and I find it desirable to heat
the surfaces to a point at which tin will just melt on touching the surface so
heated, and care must be observed in obtaining the heat at all parts as uniform
as possible. The materials I generally employ for the packing are at the rate
of about sixty pounds of zinc, forty pounds of tin, and four ounces of regulus
of antimony, though these may be varied, and I recommend the use of gun

page_text: metal or brass for the cylinders and parts of hydraulic and other engines so
packed, having found those metals to wear well with such metallic packings.
And, in order to prevent the metallic packing adhering to those parts where
it is not desired, I find it desirable to smoke such surfaces with the smoke of
wood or other material, though other means may be resorted to. And, in
order to cause the metallic packing to adhere to the piston or other parts
which it is desired that the packing shall adhere to, I coat such surfaces
with tin, as is well understood. And it only remains to observe, that the
screws e, for affixing the valve chest to the cylinder, are inserted before pouring
in of the packing, but taken out before the packing is completely set.
Having thus explained the second part of the Invention, as far as relates to
the packing of the piston of the hydraulic engine shewn in the Drawing, it
will be evident that this second part of my Invention is also applicable to
other constructions of pumps or machines for raising and forcing water and
others fluids, as well as to the packing of the plugs of cocks for transmitting
fluids, and also the packing of the pistons, stuffing boxes, and valves of steam
engines, and of their air pumps. And, in order to apply this part of my
Invention to such objects, the piston or buckets of pumps, according to their
construction, are to have suitable grooves prepared or formed in order to
receive the metallic packing; and the cylinder or other vessel in which such
pistons or buckets are to work are to be heated, and generally to be treated as
described above, in applying packing to the piston in the cylinder a; and such
is to be the case in packing the pistons of steam engines, whether recipro-
cating or rotatory engines; but in such cases, in most instances, it will not be
necessary to make holes in the covers of the cylinders or vessels to introduce
the melted metal, as in packing the pistons of most pumps and engines the
melted metal may be poured around the piston, having prepared the under
portion of the cylinder with sand or other suitable material for preventing
the metal running away. And it will be desirable to tin the surfaces of the
grooves in the pistons, in order to the metal constituting the packing adhering
to such surfaces, and to prepare the surface of the cylinder in which the piston
works, in such manner as to prevent the melted metal adhering thereto.
In applying this part of the Invention to cocks, the plugs may be wholly
made of the metal constituting the packing, or the plugs may be packed by
being suitably prepared to receive packing of metal, or, in place thereof, the
plugs may be of the ordinary construction, and the packing applied around
them by proper recesses or grooves formed in the bodies of the cocks, all
which will depend on the opinion of the maker, and on the particular con-
struction of cocks he is desirous of making, which will be readily understood

page_text: and carried into effect from the description above given. And such will be.
the case in respect of the slides of steam engines, which, working similarly to
pistons, will be readily packed with metallic packing by pursuing the mode.
above described.
:
I will now proceed to describe the third part of my Invention; which relates
to a particular construction of nozzle, the object of which is to spread the jet
of water issuing from the nozzle for horticultural and other purposes.. A,
Figure 6, is a nozzle through which water is forced by any suitable hydraulic
engine or machine. B is an angular or curved surface, over and against
which the water is projected, and by that means spread out in a more effectual
manner than by any construction of nozzle now known, the improvement.
being the application of the surfaces B.
:
I will now proceed to describe the fourth part of my Invention, which
relates to the mode of weaving flexible tubes.or pipes for conveying liquids.
And, in order to make this part of my Invention clear, and that the same
may be readily performed, I would, in the first place, remark, that heretofore:
when weaving pipes with yarns or strands of hemp, flax, or other fibrous
material, the loom has been so arranged as to lift and depress every alternate
thread or yarn of which the warp has been composed, and the weft has been
generally a yarn not quite so hard spun as the warp threads, consequently,
the fabric of the tubes or pipes so made is produced by the weft thread passing
alternately over and under the warp threads; but it has been found that such
mode of weaving does not produce that fluid-tight and useful tube or pipe as
will allow of passing fluids through them, particularly when forced with a
considerable degree of pressure, which is the case with fire and other hydraulic
engines. Now the object of this part of my. Invention is, so to weave such
pipes or tubes that they shall become more fluid-tight, and generally better
suited for such purposes. And, in weaving such pipes or tubes, the loom
is to be arranged for lifting and depressing or opening a shed, in such manner
that the weft threads will pass or float over several warp threads, and pass or
float under several warp threads, and in such manner, that the weft thread,
having passed or floated over a given number of threads, the same threads
will have the weft thread under at the next time of passing those same
warp threads, and will then pass or float over those warp threads under
which it had formerly passed. This, I am aware, is not new in weaving
in general, nor do I claim the same as such, my Invention only relating to
the making of tubes or pipes through which water or other fluids are to be
passed by applying such mode of weaving thereto; and I prefer, in weaving
pipes or tubes, that the number of threads alternately raised and depressed
:

page_text: should be six, so that the weft threads will alternately pass under six warp
threads side by side in the same plane, then over six warp threads in the
same plane. And I prefer that there should be seven threads in the weft, but
not twisted together; and it is better that the threads of the weft should not be.
so hard spun as those of the warp. Thus, it will be seen, that the improved
pipes of my Invention consist of a fabric produced by several threads, being
used side by side in the same plane, and of having several weft threads com-
bined therewith. At the same time I would remark, that although I have
named six warp threads to be successively raised and lowered, in order to the
passing under and over of the weft threads, other numbers may be used, though
I have found each six of the warp threads to be a convenient number alter-
nately to be raised and lowered, and to produce the most beneficial result, and
for that reason I recommend six threads as the number, and the number of
weft threads may also be varied.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of constructing the piston and valve chest of an hydraulic
machine, as above described.
Secondly, the mode of applying metallic packing, as above described.
Thirdly, the mode of constructing the nozzles of pipes through which
water is ejected, as above explained.
And, fourthly, I claim the mode of making woven pipes or tubes, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ulric Vaucher, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-nine.