IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES FOR MEASURING AND REGIS- TERING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS AND SUBSTANCES IN A FLUID STATE, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BROWN, of Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing, date at Westminster, the First day of June,
(One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the thirteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Brown, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Samuel Brown, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Brown, my exors,
adiñiors, 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, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES FOR MEASURING AND REGIS-
TERING THE FLOW OF FLUIDS AND SUBSTANCES IN A FLUID STATE, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND OTHER MOTIVE ENGINES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Samuel Brown,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: my hand and seal, 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 s
Samuel Brown, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described in and
by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, that is to say.
Firstly, my said improvements have relation to certain additions to appa-
ratuses or engines for measuring fluids, for which Letters Patent for England
were formerly granted to me on or about the Twentieth day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine. Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in
section, of an apparatus embodying these additions or improvements, which
consist chiefly in enclosing the meter within an air and fluid-tight case A, A,
by which means the instrument may be employed for measuring fluids, which,
after passing through the apparatus, are required to be delivered from the
discharge pipe at a point more or less above the level of the apparatus itself.
The measuring part of this apparatus has already been described in the Speci-
fication of my former Patent, the only difference in the arrangement being the
addition of the prolongations B, B, to the two tubes B₁, B¹, which prevent the
fluid in the case A, A, from getting into the measuring cylinders C, C. D is
the service or supply pipe, and E the discharge pipe. F, F, are two rods
which work through stuffing boxes in the top of the case A, A, and serve to
start the machine on first setting the measuring apparatus to work.
Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of a measuring apparatus, similar
to that described in the Specification of my former Patent, before referred to,
but improved by additions next to be described. A is the supply pipe through
which the fluid to be measured is introduced. It is connected to the side of the
case B, and inside of that case it is furnished with a ball cock C to prevent
the fluid from rising so high as to interfere with the action of the measuring
drum D. E is a tap for admitting air when the case B is to be emptied.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the measuring drum D, shewing a modifica-
tion by which the weight of the fluid which passes through it may be ascer-
tained. E is a lever which is jointed to a fixed axis at F, and rests at its free
end upon the stop G. H, H, H, H, are six friction rollers, which are affixed
at equal distances around the periphery of the drum D, and come successively
opposite to the end of the lever E as the drum revolves, so that the drum cannot
revolve without lifting the lever. The fluid passing into the buckets causes the

page_text: wheel to revolve, but no part of a revolution can take place until the weight of
the fluid in the bucket is sufficient to lift the lever and the weight I, by which it
is loaded. The weight of the lever may be so adjusted as to determine any
required quantity of fluid, or substances in a fluid state passing through the
drum. The registering part of the apparatus may be connected with the
drum wheel, as before described, or may be actuated by a paul attached to the
lever E.
Secondly, my present Invention consists of a new engine for measuring
fluids, which is represented in Figures 4 and 5 of the annexed Drawings.
Figure 4 being an elevation, and Figure 5 a vertical section of the same.
A, A, is a cistern or case in which the measuring apparatus is placed. B is a
vertical pipe by which the fluid to be measured is admitted into the case, and
Ca pipe through which it is drawn off. D, D', are two collapsible measuring
vessels. Each of these vessels is composed of a vulcanized india-rubber tube
or cylinder, kept distended by metal rings b, b, and closed at top and bottom
by solid metal plates or discs a, a. At bottom these collapsible measuring
vessels are connected to the discharge pipe C by means of a four-way cock E¹,
the openings in which are so disposed that while the one vessel D is open to
the discharge pipe C for the purpose of allowing its contents to flow out, the
other vessel D¹ has its communication open through the aperture c, (of the
four-way cock within the interior of the cistern or case A,) for the purpose of
allowing the fluid to flow into that vessel. E' is a beam which is centred upon
the axis F, and is connected at its two ends to the upper disc a of both
measuring vessels by means of the forked terminations d, d', and the brackets
G, G', which are provided with friction rollers, which work within the forked
terminations d, d. By this arrangement the upward movement of the upper
disc of one vessel must always be accompanied by the downward movement of
the upper disc of the other vessel, that is, while one is being emptied the other
is being filled. The means of effecting the turning of the four-way cock at the
proper interval to suit the emptying or filling of the vessels will be afterwards
described. His a cylinder or hollow beam which is centred upon an axis
baving its bearings in standards, or in the sides of the case A. I is a ball or
globular weight, which is placed inside the hollow beam H. The chamber in
which the weight is placed is of sufficient size to allow it to roll from one end
of the beam to the other. K, K, L, L', are chains which connect the ends of
the beam H with the beam E², and to a drum affixed to the plug of the four-
way cock. As the apparatus is represented in the Drawing, the fluid is sup-
posed to be passing out from the vessel D, and into the vessel D'. The top
cap of the vessel D, by its descent draws down the chain K, which is passed

page_text: over the pulley M, and thereby causes that end of the beam to which it
is attached to rise till it gets inclined in a reverse direction, whereupon the
ball or weight I rolls to the other end of the beam, and gives it a sufficient
degree of preponderance at that end to actuate, through the intervention of the
chain L, the four-way cock, and allow the fluid to flow out from the vessel D¹,
and into the vessel D. Each time the one vessel becomes filled and the other
emptied, a similar change is effected in the position of the four-way cock.
The horizontal ascent and descent of the upper discs a, a, of the measuring
vessels are regulated by means of guides N, N, which are affixed to the case A,
and eye pieces o, o, placed upon the sides of the measuring vessels. The
adjustment of the measurement of these vessels is effected by raising or
lowering the pullies M, M, which is done by means of the nuts Q, Q. When
these nuts are turned to the right they screw up the rods by which the pullies
are suspended, and cause the reversal of the position of the beam H to take
place sooner, and thereby lessen the range or capacity of the measuring vessels.
By screwing the nuts Q, Q, to the left a reverse effect is produced, namely, an.
enlargement of the capacity of the measuring vessels. The registering part of
the apparatus is connected to the axis of the beam E, and is shewn in
Figure 4. R is a small beam or double-armed lever, which is keyed upon the
axle F, and carries two pauls S, S, which take into the teeth of the ratchet
wheel T, and thereby give motion to the wheelwork of the indicator, which
marks the number of times the vessels D, D', have been emptied, as also the
quantity which has been taken from any one of them which may happen to be
partially emptied.
Thirdly, my Invention consists in the application of the measuring engine or
apparatus last herein-before described, to the purpose of giving motion to other
machinery. Figure 6 is an elevation. Figure 7 a cross section. Figure 8 a
plan, and Figure 9 a longitudinal section of an engine of this description fitted
with the requisites necessary for transferring its motion to other machinery. The
interior arrangements and connections of the collapsible measuring vessels are
similar to those described and represented in Figures 4 and 5, but differ in the
means employed for turning the four-way cock, as will be afterwards explained.
When water is employed for giving motion to this machinery, it is supposed to
be taken from some source where there is a head of water, in which case its
effective pressure, available in giving motion to the machinery, will be propor-
tionate to the height of the columns of water so employed. A is the supply
pipe. B the exit pipe. D1, D2, the collapsible vessels, and C the beam by
which they are connected. E is another beam which is keyed to the same
axle F as the beam C, and partaking of the same movements gives motion to

page_text: the fly-wheel G and its shaft G³ through the intervention of the double:
segmental rack H1, H2, and the pinions 1', I, which last are placed upon the
shaft G, and are free to turn upon it. The teeth of the segmental rack H
gear into the piniou I', and those of H³ into the pinion I%, and the respective
motions given to the pinions by these racks is transferred to the shaft Gs by.
means of the pauls K, K², which are affixed to the pinions I, I, and the
ratchet wheels L, L, which are keyed upon the shaft G³. The motion thus:
given to the shaft G2 may be applied for driving other machinery by means of
wheel gearing pullies, or other such means as are now commonly employed for
that purpose. The same beam E also gives motion to the ratchet wheel M,.
which works the train of wheels of the index for registering the quantity of
fluid passed through the engine.
The arrangements before referred to for giving motion to the four-way cock N
are as follows:-In Figures 6 and 7 the collapsible vessel D¹ is represented as.
lischarging its contents, and D² as being filled. As D' gets empty, the beam E
(the ends of which move in slots formed in the tubes x, x, containing springs.
(), 0%,) comes down and thereby compresses the spring O¹, which depresses the.
rod P¹, till the cross pin a¹ comes against the inclined plane b', which causes it to
move towards the right, and in so doing pushes the inclined plane be also towards
the right by means of a connecting rod c. This movement of the parts just
described towards the right sets the cross pin a³ upon the rod P2 free from the
grip of the detent or tumbler catch d², and the instant this takes place the
spring O pulls up the rod P³ and the chain Q³, which turns round the plug
of the four-way cock, and allows the water now to flow into the vessel D', and
out from D. The detents or tumbler catches d', d³, freely allow the cross
pins a', a, to go down past them, but prevent these pins from again ascending.
until the proper instant for the reversal of the position of the four-way cock,
which is effected in the manner just described. e is a counter balance which
brings the inclined planes 61, 63, back to their original position, after having
been pushed over; the action which takes place when the other end of the
beam E descends is followed by exactly the same set of movements, and thus
keeps up a continuous action of the engine so long as the water is supplied.
from the head or reservoir. The engine which has just been described may be
impelled by steam or compressed by air, and may be used either with the indi-
cator for registering the quantity of fluid passed through it, or without that part
of the apparatus. The external case might also in some cases be made to act
as a boiler for generating steam for working the engine itself, or for other
purposes.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what