Improvements in and relating to Sluice Gates for Waterways.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct.,
1899
Complete Specification Left, 19th July, 1900-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1901
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Sluice Gates for Waterways.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of 18, Buckingham
Street, Strand, W.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, a communication to me from abroad by James Edward Whiting, M.I.C.E.,
of Satara, Bombay, in the Empire of India, Civil Engineer, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to sluice gates for water
ways and consists in arranging two sluice gates of equal area, and in such a
manner as to close two openings made opposite to each other, as for instance,
in an outlet tower or pipe of a reservoir, or in a hollow counterfoot of a reservoir
dam covering a curvert through it.
When the direction of flow or pressure is from outside the two openings, the
gates may be placed on the inner sides of the two openings and braced or con-
nected together in such a manner that the water pressures on them will balance
and neutralize each other instead of pressing the gates against frames, on which
they would have to slide with friction as is the case when they are placed outside
the openings in the usual way. They may be so arranged and adjusted that they
can be easily moved both together so as to admit or exclude water through the
two openings when desired. When open the two streams will meet and can then
be passed off by a culvert or outlet.
The two gates may be held apart by rigid bracing, so adjusted as to allow
sufficient freedom for their movement, or, in cases where it is desired to prevent
all leakage, the gates may be held apart by arms, so arranged that the gates can
be forced against the direction of pressure of the water until they touch frames
attached to the borders of the openings and thus prevent escape of water between
them and the frames, as well as stop vibration in any position. In this case when
the gates are to be opened the arms can be relaxed, so as to give the freedom
requisite for the movement of opening or closing the water ways.
The form and material to be adopted for these sluice gates as well as the
direction of movement which may be vertical or horizontal, for instance, and
the method of opening and closing them may vary according to circumstances, as
also the arrangement for bracing or connecting them together, for forcing them
apart from one another or otherwise against their frames, and for relaxing them
so that they may be moved without friction on their frames caused by the
pressure of the water.
The gates may also be so arranged that they revolve for opening or closing
purposes on a central axle or axles.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Sluice Gates for Waterways.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., Patent Agents,
of 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention a communication to me from abroad by James Edward Whiting,
M.I.C.E., of Satara, Bombay, in the Empire of India, Civil Engineer, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to sluice gates for water
ways and consists in arranging two sluice gates of equal area, and in such a
manner as to close two openings made opposite to each other as for instance
in an outlet tower or pipe of a reservoir, or in a hollow counterfoot of a reservoir
dam covering a culvert through it.
When the direction of flow or pressure is from outside the two openings, the
gates may be placed on the inner sides of the two openings and braced or con-
nected together in such a manner that the water pressures on them will balance
and neutralize each other instead of pressing the gates against trames, on which
they would have to slide with friction as is the case when they are placed outside
the openings in the usual way. They may be so arranged and adjusted that they
can be easily moved both together so as to admit or exclude water through the
two openings when desired. When open the two streams will meet and can then
be passed off by a culvert or outlet.
The two gates may be held apart by rigid bracing, so adjusted as to allow
sufficient freedom for their movement, or, in cases where it is desired to prevent
all leakage, the gates may be held apart by arms, so arranged that the gates can
be forced against the direction of pressure of the water until they touch frames
attached to the borders of the openings and thus prevent escape of water between
them and the frames, as well as stop vibration in any position. In this case when
the gates are to be opened the arms can be relaxed, so as to give the freedom
requisite for the movement of opening or closing the water ways.
The form and material to be adopted for these sluice gates as well as the
direction of movement which may be vertical or horizontal, for instance, and
the method of opening and closing them may vary according to circumstances, as
also the arrangement for bracing or connecting them together, for forcing them
apart from one another or otherwise against their frames, or for relaxing them
so that they may be moved without friction on their frames caused by the
pressure of the water.
In the annexed drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation.
Fig. 2 a sectional plan.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 1.
Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations at right angles of a modification of the invention.
Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of another modification.
T represents a tower, T' T2 are the two water inlets and T³ the water outlet.
The inlets TT are opposite to one another and G G¹ are the gates thereto which
are parallel to each other so that the pressure on the one is equal to and counter-
balanced by the pressure on the other. The two cast iron gates G G¹ are
strengthened with ribs and flanges. To the latter at suitable points 8 arms or
struts A A, A A¹, A² A², A³ A³, are hinged, the inner ends of these arms are
again hinged to two suitable nuts N N¹ four to each. These nuts are traversed
by a vertical rod R which is screwed right and left as at S S₁ to fit corresponding
female screws tapped right and left in the nuts N N¹ as shown and in such a
manner that when the rod R is turned in a right hand direction the nuts N N'

page_text: are forced apart and vice versa, the effect of which will be to force out the
gates G G against their frames F F or to allow them to recede therefrom
respectively. A pipe or other suitable stop P is placed between the nuts N N
and outside the rod R so as to prevent the nuts from approaching each other
beyond a certain fixed limit and thus prevent the gates from leaving their frames
more than a certain small distance. The object of these motions is in the one
case to tighten the gates against their frames when in the required position or
in the other to loosen them from their frames so that they may be lifted or moved
by means of the rod R into some new position where again they can be pressed
against their frames so as to prevent leakage or violent vibration due to water
entering under high pressure. The rod R is connected with a steel pipe or
hollow shaft Q (Fig. 3) by suitable pins R¹ and will be actuated by that pipe the
latter having its upper end connected to a square shaft W, this square shaft passes
freely through a corresponding square hole Win a capstan wheel X fitted with
teeth at its circumference so as to be actuated by an Archimidean screw Yor
other convenient apparatus the object of this being to allow the rod R and its
square shaft W to be either lifted or turned in any position of the gates. The
square rod W has collars cut on it so as to form a rack W2 which is geared to the
ratchet wheels Z Z¹ so that by turning a handle 72 or 3 at the axis of Zor Z
the collars will be lifted or lowered as desired. There may be a ring W attached
to the top of the rod W to which a hook W and chain W may be attached and
passed over pulleys We so as to suspend a counter weight E which may be of
sufficient weight to ease the lifting of the gates G G₁ sufficiently but still to leave
sufficient weight in the gates to ensure their returning to their lowest positions in
their frames if left free to move.
Figs. 4 and 5 show the gates and nuts and arms, frames and lifting pipe as
before, but in the place of the right and left handed screws S S an hydraulic
cylinder C and piston J are placed between the nuts N N¹.
A small pressure
pipe V is introduced through the lifting pipe and the upper nut and the piston J
so that water or other liquid may be forced into the cylinder when it is required to
raise the piston J and so press the gates against their frames. The upper end of
the pipe is made of flexible material so as to allow the rest of the pipe to move
vertically when it is desired to raise or lower the gates; this raising or lowering
may be done by means of the ratchet wheels Z and handles %, the counter weight
may also be used to facilitate work but the square shaft W will not pass through
the centre of the wheel X nor will the Archimidean screw Y be required as in
Fig. 1. The flexible pipe M and the force pump U are connected at any suitable
point in the pipe Q above the nuts. The pump will be of sufficient power to
force the water under such pressure that acting between the piston J and bed of
the cylinder C the nuts N N will be separated with sufficient power to force out
the gates under the heaviest head possible in the reservoir, if greater pressure be
exerted on the pump the liquid will escape by a safety valve weighted to the
proper extent.
As in process of time water might escape past the cup leather of the hydraulic
piston J it is desirable to relieve the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder C and to
enable this to be done while preventing also any serious leakage past the
gates G G into the regulating tower T struts D Di D³ D may be provided as
shown in Fig. 4 hinged at one end to one of the gates as G¹ and connected with
chains or wires 105 D6 at their other ends. These struts are allowed to fall down
in a slanting position abutting against the opposite gate to where they are hinged.
They can be lifted when required after the gates are held forced outwards by
renewed pumping into cylinder C and then the gates can be allowed to recede from
their frames by opening the escape cock V1 at the regulating chamber above, a
small movement only of the gates being arranged to free them from their frames.
The struts will as indicated above be allowed to drop into position when the gates
are tightly pressed outwards. It will be understood that two struts D D will
be hinged on one side of the gates and two D3 D4 on the other side, in all four

page_text: struts will be required. In cases where still greater leakage past the gates is
allowable the gates may be permanently strutted and braced as at D10 Fig. 6 so as
to support each other against the pressure of the water rigidly and yet be free to
move in their frames which may be of angle or T iron as shown but in this case
care will be taken that the vertical movements of the gates shall not be impeded
by any unevenness in the frames. The lifting rod R or tube Q may be provided
with suitable guides B at intervals.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
In means for controlling water ways:
1) The combination of a tower having openings T1 T2 T3 two of which are
opposite one another, two gates adapted to close said opposite openings respectively
struts connecting said gates to mutually support each other, and means for moving
said gates simultaneously each in its own plane to cover or uncover said openings.
2) The combination of a tower having openings TTT two of which are
opposite one another, two gates adapted to close said opposite openings respectively
two nuts, struts hinged to said gates and to said nuts forming toggle joints means
for causing said nuts to approach or to recede from one another and means for
moving said gates simultaneously each in its own plane to cover or uncover said
openings.
3) The combination of a tower having openings T¹ T2 T3 two of which are
opposite to one another, two gates adapted to close said opposite openings res-
pectively, two respectively left and right screw threaded nuts, struts hinged to said
gates and to said nuts forming toggle joints, a shaft having right and left screw
threads engaging said nuts and means for revolving said shatt and for raising
and lowering the same.
4) The combination of a tower having openings TT2 T3 two of which are
opposite one another, two gates adapted to close said opposite openings res-
pectively, two nuts, struts hinged to said gates and to said nuts forming toggle
joints means for causing said nuts to approach to or recede from one another,
means for moving said gates simultaneously each in its own plane to cover or
uncover said openings, and additional struts hinged each to one of said gates and
adapted to fall into abutments against the other gate with means for lifting said
additional struts.
5) The arrangement of two sluice gates with means for operating them sub-
stantially as herein described so that the fluid pressure on the one gate balances
that upon the other gate.