Improvements in Water Lifts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left. 18th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1898
Improvements in Water Lifts.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, of Victoria Works, Brentwood in the County
of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improvements relate to water lifts in which water is raised in buckets secured
to endless chains which pass around revolving sprocket wheels and hang down from
them to a depth sufficient to enter the water to be raised.
The chief object of my invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction of
the parts and to make them lighter and so that when taken to pieces they can all
be packed in small compass without any one part being inconveniently large or
heavy.
Heretofore the buckets of the water lifts have ordinarily been strengthened by a
bar of thicker metal secured to them all around their top edge-the ends of the
buckets have been flat and each end has been secured to a link of an endless
chain by a pair of bolts one of which passed through the strengthening bar at
the top.
In place of this I according to this invention form the opposite ends of the
bucket with a flange extending outwardly from them at the top, the bucket being
formed preferably all in one piece from a sheet of metal pressed or stamped into
the required form.
The chains to which the buckets are secured are made up of alternate single and
double links.
If the bucket is to be secured to one of the single links thick washers or distance
pieces are interposed between the link and bucket, the bolts which secure them to
one another being passed through these distance pieces. The distance piece which
surrounds the upper bolt. I make to bear on its upper side against the under side
of the flange on the end of the bucket and so ain able to obtain a large bearing
surface upon which the weight of the bucket and water within it may be
sustained.
Heretofore the buckets have been attached to the single links of the chains but
to lighten the construction I now in some cases secure them to one of the links of a
double link. The one to which the bucket is secured I bend outwardly away from
the other so that it may fit to the side of the bucket which is made of somewhat
taper form being wider at the top than bottom. The link and bucket are attached
to one another by rivets or bolts passed through them without any distance pieces
having to be placed between them.
If the bucket be formed with an outwardly projecting flange at the top the link
may pass through a notch in the flange and then a single bolt near the lower part
of the bucket will suffice to keep the bucket in place. In other cases one of the
bolts used for securing the bucket to the chain may be the bolt which forms one of
the chain joints. One of the bolts may be formed with an enlarged head on the
inside of the bucket and the bucket be formed with a hole or slot through it through
which the head can be passed.
When the head of the bolt has been passed through the bucket can be moved a
distance either upwards or downwards so that the head of the bolt may then
overlap part of the end of the bucket-the bucket may then be secured to the link
by a second bolt thus the buckets can quickly be secured to the chain by screwing

page_text: up a single bolt and yet be held by the heads of both bolts. Two endless chains
are used and the buckets are carried between them. The two chains pass around
two sprocket wheels carried by one central boss.
Heretofore the central boss has been of cast iron with the bevil toothed wheel
cast in one piece with it and: with a disc extending outwards around it such disc
being formed at its circumference with sockets at intervals apart in which are fixed
bars of wrought iron parallel with the axis-the ends of these bars have been bent
outwards at right angles so that each one may be secured to the inner circumference
of a sprocket wheel-one to one sprocket wheel the other to another.
With this construction the boss and disc form one heavy casting which is
awkward for transport. To remedy this I form the boss of the wheel and the
bevil toothed wheel only in one casting, and I secure to the back of the bevil
toothed wheel wrought iron arms to extend radially from it.
These at a proper
distance from the axis of the wheel are bent to bring them parallel with the wheels'
axis and are secured to the inner circumference of the two sprocket wheels. The
arms are so fixed to the sprocket wheels that their ends come between the buckets
secured to the chains so that they do not interfere with them.
In some cases 1 attach buckets both to the single links of the chain and the
double links so as to get double the number of buckets and obtain a greater quantity
of water with very little additional weight of machine.
In
Water lifts are sometimes made with buckets carried by a single chain.
such cases the bucket is fastened to the single link and this arrangement I retain
but I lighten the construction of the central boss in a similar manner to that
described above as applicable to chains fastened to the buckets at both ends.
In some cases in place of bevil gearing spur gearing is used for driving the lifts.
According to my invention instead of casting the spur wheel in one piece with the
boss I bolt it to the wrought iron arms by which the rim of the wheel and the
tongues are carried.
As heretofore the projecting tongues or teeth of the sprocket wheels may be
'formed on segments which are bolted or rivetted onto the exterior of the wheel
rims. If desired the segments may be made long enough to be fixed at one end to
the rim by one of the bolts or rivets used to secure the rim to the end of one of the
radial arms.
Or the segments may be made long enough to extend from the end
of one radial arm of the wheel to the end of another, so that the several segments
then form a complete rim and a separate rim all in one single piece may be
dispensed with.
Dated this 18th dox of December 1905
Improvements in Water Lifts.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, of Victoria Works, Brentwood in the County
of Essex, Engineer, 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 :-
My improvements relate to water lifts in which water is raised in buckets
secured to endless chains which pass around revolving sprocket wheels and hang
down from them to a depth sufficient to enter the water to be raised as shown at
Figure. I of the drawings hereunto annexed.
The chief object of my invention is to simplify and cheapen the construction
of the parts and to make them lighter and so that when taken to pieces they
can all be packed in small compass without any one part being inconveniently large
or leavy.
Heretofore the buckets of the water lifts have ordinarily been strengthened by a.

page_text: bar of thicker metal secured to them all around their top edge-the ends of the
buckets have been flat and each end has been secured to a link of an endless
chain by a pair of bolts one of which passed through the strengthening bar at
the top.
In place of this I according to this invention form the opposite ends of the
bucket with a flange a¹ extending outwardly from them at the top as shown at
Figures 2 and 3 the bucket a being formed preferably all in one piece from a sheet
of metal pressed cast or stamped into the required form.
The chains to which the buckets are secured are usually made up of alternate
single and double links.
.If the bucket is to be secured to one of the single links 6 of the chains as shewn
at Figure 4, thick washers or distance pieces care interposed between the link and
bucket, the bolts which secure them to one another being passed through these
distance pieces. The distance piece c which surrounds the upper bolt I make to
bear on its upper side against the under side of the flange a¹ on the end of the
bucket and so am able to obtain a large bearing surface upon which the weight of
the bucket and water within it may be sustained. The distance piece may be made
flat on the top to bear against the underside of a straight flange on the bucket
as shown at Figure 2, or the distance piece may be circular or of other form and
the flange on the bucket he curved or shaped to fit it as shewn at Figure 3. A plan
view of one of the buckets is shewn at Figure 5.
The inner end of the distance piece c may be cupped or countersunk and a
corresponding projection be formed on the side of the bucket as shown at Figure 5*.
Or the bolt connecting the bucket to the link may have a larger diameter where
it passes through the bucket than where it passes through the link as shown at
Fig. 5xx the object in both cases being to obtain a large bearing surface to support
the bucket.
Heretofore in chains of double and single link construction the buckets have
usually been attached to the single links of the chains but to lighten the con-
struction I now in some cases secure them to one of the parts of a double link as
shewn at Figure_6. The one part to which the bucket a is secured I bend
outwardly away from the other so that it may as shewn fit to the side of the
bucket which is made of somewhat taper form being wider at the top than bottom.
The link and bucket are attached to one another by rivets or bolts d passed
through them without any distance pieces having to be placed between them.
Similarly if the chain is formed of what are known as detachable links as shewn'at
Figure 6x the side of each link to which a bucket is to be secured is-shaped to
fit.to the side of the bucket.
-
If the bucket be formed with an outwardly projecting flange a¹ at the top the
link may pass through a notch in the flange and then a single bolt d near the
lower part of the bucket will suffice to keep the bucket in place, as shewn at
Figure 7 and in plan view at Figure 8. In other cases one of the bolts used for
securing the bucket to the chain may be the bolt which forms. one of the chain
joints as shewn at Figure 6, or as shewn at Figure 9. Figure 9 also-shows how
the flange of the bucket may rest upon the end of the link, which link will then
support the weight of the bucket and its contents. One of the bolts may be-
formed with an enlarged head on the inside of the bucket and the bucket be.
formed with a hole or slot through it, through which the head can be passed as
shewn at Figures 10 and 11, or at Figure 11*.
When the head of the bolt has been passed through the hole in the bucket,
the bucket can be moved a distance either upwards or downwards, preferably
upwards as shown so that the head of the bolt may then overlap part of the end
of the bucket the bucket may then be secured to the link by a second bolt d thus
the buckets can quickly be secured to the chain by screwing up a single bolt
and yet be held by the heads of both bolts.
.
In some cases I attach buckets both to the single links of the chain and the
double links as shewn at Figures 12 and 13 so as to get double the number of

page_text: 1
buckets and obtain a greater quantity of water with very little additional weight
of machine.
In the various arrangements above described two endless chains are used and
the buckets are carried between them. The two chains pass around two sprocket
wheels carried by one central boss.
Heretofore the central boss e of the sprocket wheels has been formed in one
casting with the bevil toothed wheelf by which the boss and sprocket wheels are
to be rotated, and with a disc e extending outwards around it, such disc being
formed at its circumference with sockets es at intervals apart in which are fixed
bars of wrought iron or steel parallel with the axis as shewn at Figure 14
the ends of these bars have been bent outwards at right angles so that each one
may be secured to the inner circumference of a sprocket wheel h one to one
sprocket wheel the other to another.
With this construction the boss e and disc e¹ form one heavy casting which is
awkward for transport. To remedy this I form the boss e of the wheel and the
bevil toothed wheel only, in one casting, and I secure to the bevil toothed
wheel wrought iron or steel arms k to extend radially from it as shewn in
Figures 15, 16 and 16x or as shewn at Figures 19 and 20. The wrought iron
arms at a proper distance from the axis of the wheel are bent to bring them
parallel with the wheel's axis and are secured to the inner circumference of the
two sprocket wheels h. The arms are so fixed to the sprocket wheels that their
ends come between the buckets secured to the chains so that they do not interfere
with them. It will be seen that in the old arrangement the cross bar connecting
the two wheels passes across nearer the axis to allow room for the buckets to pass
over it as shewn at Figure 25, whereas in the new arrangement it passes across
between the buckets close to the inner circumference of the wheel rims.
As heretofore the projecting tongues or teeth ¹ of the sprocket wheels may be
formed on segments * which are bolted or rivetted onto the exterior of the wheel
rims. If desired the segments may as shewn at Figures 15 and 16 or as shewn at
Figures 17 and 18 be made long enough to extend from the end of one radial arm
of the wheel to the end of another, so that the several segments then form
a complete rim, and a separate rim all in one single piece may be dispensed with.
Or if a separate complete rim h is provided each segment * may as shewn at
Figures 19 and 20 be made long enough to be fixed at one end to the rim by one
of the bolts or rivets used to secure the rim to the end of one of the radial arms,
or as shewn at Figures 21 and 22 the same construction may be adopted when the
rim is divided into two or more parts. Preferably the tongues or teeth are
made of chilled cast iron.
In some cases in place of bevil gearing spur gearing is used for driving
the lifts.
In such cases instead of casting the spur wheel m in one piece with the boss e
as heretofore I bolt or otherwise secure it to the wrought iron arms by which the
rim of the wheel and the tongues are carried as is also shewn at Figures 21 and 22.
Water lifts are sometimes made with buckets carried by a single chain. In such
cases the bucket is fastened to the single link and this arrangement I retain but
I lighten the construction of the central boss in a similar manner to that described
above as applicable to chains fastened to the buckets at both ends. A boss
having a single sprocket wheel secured to it in this way is shewn at Figures 23
and 24.
In Figures 25 and 26 I have shewn sprocket wheels adapted for endless chains to
pass over them which have buckets attached both to the double and single links as
shewn in Figures 12 and 13.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed i declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of the buckate das .
1

page_text: from them at the top and secured to the chains in such a way that the weight of
the buckets is supported by the flanges substantially as described.
2. Securing the buckets to one side or part of the double links of the chain and
bending or shaping this part to make it fit to the side of the bucket substantially as
described.
3. Securing the buckets to each chain by two bolts one of which bolts also serves
as one of the chain joints substantially as described.
4. The ways
herein described for enabling the buckets to be secured to each chain
by the screwing up of a single bolt only.
5. Securing buckets not only to the single links of the endless chain but also to.
the double links substantially as described.
6. The ways of securing buckets to chains substantially as described and shown
in the drawings.
7. The construction of the sprocket wheels with the tongues projecting from.
segments which extend from one radial arm to another substantially as described.
8. The construction of the sprocket wheels substantially in the ways herein
described.
9. Securing the peripheries of the sprocket wheels to the central boss by
wrought iron or steel arms extending from one to the other substantially as.
described.
Dated this 16th day of September 1896.
C. T. BURGESS.