In- PROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS USED IN WORKING OIL AND OTHER HYDRAULIC PRESSES.
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Whitham, of the Perseverance Iron Works,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS USED IN WORKING OIL AND OTHER HYDRAULIC
PRESSES.
Sealed the 19th December 1862, and dated the 25th June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Whitham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th.
June 1862.
I, JOHN WHITHAM, of the Perseverance Iron Works, Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS USED IN WORKING OIL AND OTHER HYDRAULIC
PRESSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the apparatus used in
working oil and other hydraulic presses. In constructing the pumps of
hydraulic presses I make them double action in place of single action, as is
now usual, that is to say, I make them to force liquid to the cylinders of the
presses both in the up and the down strokes, and, as is usual, more especially
for oil presses, I employ two pumps, one of small diameter to give the finishing
pressure, and the other of larger diameter for rapidly bringing up the ram of
the press.
To make a double-action press pump of small diameter I cause the plunger.

page_text: or as in my arrangement it is more properly called the piston rod, to pass
completely through the pump cylinder, cup leathers being fitted to prevent
escape of liquid at both ends of the cylinder in place of at one end only. On
the piston rod a piston is formed by means of two cupped leathers turned in
opposite directions, and each end of the cylinder has a supply pipe or passage
connected with it, through which it draws the liquid, and in each of these
pipes or passages is a spindle or other suitable valve. Each end of the
cylinder has also exit passages, also fitted with suitable valves adapted to allow
the liquid to pass from the pump cylinder, but not in the opposite direction.
These are connected with the pipe which leads the liquid forced by the
pump to the presses; and there are safety valves which allow of the escape of
the liquid forced by the pump when the presses have arrived at their full
pressure.
In making a double-action press pump of the larger diameter, it is not
pumps the
necessary to take the piston rod through the cylinder, as in these
result of not doing so is but a comparatively small and unimportant inequality
in the quantity of liquid forced by the up and down stroke. The larger
pumps are in other respects constructed like the smaller, except that they
have knock-off valves applied to the exit passages of the pump. These are
weighted valves, which when the pressure rises to a certain point (according
as the apparatus is regulated) lift, and are then caught and held up by a catch
or prop, so as to allow the liquid to escape, thus preventing the heavy
strain coming on the large pump whilst the small one is giving the finishing
pressure.
Also in arranging oil presses I make one pair of pumps to work two or
This I do by causing
it may be any desired number of double presses.
the pumps to force the liquid into a main pipe, which is conveniently
caused to pass in front of each of the press cylinders, and for each cylinder a
check valve is placed on the main so as to allow the escape of liquid there-
from, and the liquid which passes this valve is by a pipe led to the press
cylinder, with which the valve corresponds. Each of these valves is furnished
with a screw, by which it can be held down on its seat when it is desired to keep
the press to which the valve belongs out of action. When the pumps are in
action the valves of any of the presses which are left free to act rise at ench
and
stroke of the pumps and admit liquid to the cylinders of the presses,
each cylinder will receive liquid until the pressure of liquid in the main is
unable to send the ram of this press any higher, and then the required
pressure being obtained, the valve remains in its seat. If now the valve of
80

page_text: another press is set free its cylinder at once begins to receive liquid from the
main, but the valves prevent any return of liquid from the other cylinders. For
drawing off the presses there is a screw plug in connection with the pipe
leading to each cylinder, which being withdrawn allows the liquid to return
from the cylinder of the press to the pump well. The stem of the screw plug
and the stem of the screw which locks the corresponding press valve are
geared together by pinions, so that the act of raising the draw-off plug by
turning its handles serves also to secure the corresponding valve in its sent,
and similarly the freeing the valve brings the draw-off plug again to its seat.
It will be seen that if these actions were not performed simultaneously there
would be an escape of liquid from the main, and the pumps would work
without any beneficial action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Whitham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WHITHAM, of the Perseverance Iron Works, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Whitham, Her special licence that I, the said John
Whitham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Whitham, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS USED IN WORKING OIL AND
OTHER HYDRAULIC PRESSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Whitham, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Whitham, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the apparatus used in
working oil and other hydraulic presses. In constructing the pumps of
hydraulic presses I make them double action in place of single action as is
now usual, that is to say, I make them to force liquid to the cylinders of the
presses both in the up and the down strokes, and as is usual, more especially
for oil presses, I employ two pumps, one of small diameter to give the finishing
pressure, and the other of larger diameter for rapidly bringing up the ram of
the press. To make a double action press pump of small diameter I cause
the plunger, or as in my arrangement it is moro properly called the piston rod,
to pass completely through the pump cylinder, cup leathers being fitted to
prevent escape of liquid at both ends of the cylinder in place of at one end
only. On the piston rod a piston is formed by means of two cupped leathers
turned in opposite directions, and each end of the cylinder has a supply pipe
or passage connected with it through which it draws the liquid, and in each of
these pipes or passages is a spindle or other suitable valve. Each end of the
cylinder has also exit passages, also fitted with suitable valves adapted to allow
the liquid to pass from the pump cylinder but not in the opposite direction.
These are connected with the pipe which leads the liquid forced by the pump
to the presses, and there are safety valves which allow of the escape of the
liquid forced by the pump when tho presses have arrived at their full pressure.
In making a double action press pump of the larger diameter it is not necessary
to take the piston rod through the cylinder, as in these pumps the result of not
doing so is but a comparatively small and unimportant inequality in the quantity
of liquid forced by the up and down stroke. The larger pumps are in other
respects constructed like the smaller except that they have knock off valves
applied to the exit passages of the pump; theso are weighted valves which when
the pressure rises to a certain point (according as the apparatus is regulated)
lift, and are then caught and held up by a catch or prop so as to allow the liquid
to escape, thus preventing the heavy strain coming on the large pump whilst the
small one is giving the finishing pressure. Also in arranging oil presses I make
one pair of pumps to work two, or it may be any desired number, of double
presses; this I do by causing the pumps to force the liquid into a main pipe, which

page_text: is conveniently caused to pass in front of each of the press cylinders, and for
each cylinder a check valve is placed on the main, so as to allow the escape
of liquid therefrom, and the liquid which passes this valve is by a pipe led to
the press cylinder with which the valve corresponds. Each of these valves is
furnished with a screw by which it can be held down on its seat when it is
desired to keep the press to which the valve belongs out of action. When the
pumps are in action, the valves of any of the presses which are left free to act
rise at each stroke of the pumps, and adait liquid to the cylinders of the
presses, and so each cylinder will receive liquid until the pressure of liquid in
the main is unable to send the ram of this press any higher, and then the
required pressure being obtained the valve remains in its seat; if now the
valve of another press is set free, its cylinder at once begins to receive liquid
from the main, but the valves prevent any return of liquid from the other
cylinders. For drawing off the presses there is a screw plug in connection
with the pipe leading to each cylinder, which being withdrawn allows the
liquid to return from the cylinder of the press to the pump well. The stem.
of the screw plug and the stem of the screw which locks the corresponding
press valve are geared together by pinions, so that the act of raising the draw-
off plug by turning its handle, serves also to secure the corresponding valve in
its seat, and similarly the freeing the valve brings the draw-off plug again to
its seat. It will be seen that if these actions were not performed simultaneously
there would be an escape of liquid from the main, and the pumps would work
without any beneficial action.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of two double acting pumps and apparatus
working therewith in section; Figure 2 shows an external view; Figure 3 is a
plan thereof, and Figure 4 shows a side elevation of the larger pump and the
knock-off apparatus.
.
The pumps and apparatus may be of any suitable material, but I prefer
that the pump barrels should be of brass, and the clack valves, safety
valves, and piston rods of steel. The larger pump has a piston formed with
two cupped leathers c, c, back to back with a disc of metal b, between them..
In the upper cupped leather is a disc, and in the under cupped leather is a
circular screw out d by which the cupped leathers and the discs are fastened
to the end of the piston rod a, which works through two cupped leathers,

page_text: having a disc B between them. The liquid to supply the pump cylinders
below the piston flows through the pipe e and clack valve e'; the liquid to
supply the upper parts of the cylinder of the pump flows up through the pipe f
which is provided with a suitable valve. The piston rod a' of the smaller
double acting pump passes through both ends of the pump cylinder, and has
on it a piston composed of two cupped leathers J, with a disc between them,
which are fixed in position on the piston rod a' by means of an outer tube i
on the lower portion of the piston, which is fixed by a screw nut J', by which
means the lower portion of the piston rod and the upper part thereof are made
of like dimensions; the two ends of the piston rod a' work through doubled
cupped leathers, as shewn. The upper end of this pump cylinder is supplied
by the pipe m, and the lower end by a pipe m³, which pipes have suitable
clack valves u, u'; and v, v', are safety valves for the two double acting pumps.
These safety valves are pressed on respectively by weighted levers u, u³, and v, v¹.
The fluid in pressing out of the larger pumps passes through the passages g, h,
and from the smaller pump through the passages 1, n. These passages are
connected are connected to a junction o, by means of pipes g, h, and l, n, and
from this junction o two pipes p, r, proceed to two sets of presses placed respec-
tively on either side of the pumping apparatus above described; 8 is a screw
to a plug by which the course of flow of the liquid is regulated. When the
larger pump makes its down stroke the liquid is discharged through the pipe n,
through the junction o, along the pipe p, and through the junction stoppers q.
The smaller pump in making the up stroke discharges the liquid through the
pipe I, through the junction o, along the piper to the junction stoppers s, and
forward to the presses. The upstroke of the larger pump discharges the liquid
through the pipe g through the junction o, along the piper and through the
junction stopper s. The downstroke of the smaller pump forces the liquid through
the pipe n through the junction o, along the pipe p to the junction stopper g.
The piston rods of the two pumps are connected to the two ends of a beam A,
by which the pumps are worked, as is well understood. The pipes p, r, from
the junction are each connected with a peculiar arrangement of valve
apparatus or junction stoppers, which is hereafter described, wherein the
spindles of the supply valve and the discharge valve are combined by gearing
in such manner, that by closing of one valve the other valve is simultaneously
opened, as will be better understood by reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7,
which shows the supply pipes and the discharge pipes of two presses combined
into one junction stopper.
Figure 5 shows a side elevation, Figure 6 a plan, and Figure 7 a vertical

page_text: .
section taken through the red line (1)1) in Figure 6. p is the supply pipo
coming from the junction o; this pipe p supplies two presses by the valves
(1), 2, and pipes (1 6)2 6), and the fluid also passes on by a pipe p to another
junction stopper apparatus, according to the number of pairs of presses worked
by one set of pumps. In Figure 8 one pumping apparatus is used, wherein
two double acting pumps are arranged to work four pairs of presses, two pairs
being placed on each side of the pumping apparatus, and to each pair of
presses there is a junction stopper apparatus, such as above mentioned.
When the pressure on the valves u, u', causes them to open, thereby lifting
their weighted levers u, u', they lift them out of the notches or catches in the
weighted levers w, w³, which then fall and hold the levers u, u², up, so as to
take the pressure entirely off the piston of the larger pump. For this purpose
there is a cam formed on each of the levers w, w', which are prevented
coming into action under the levers u, u, till those levers are lifted by their
valves out of the notches in the levers w, w.
In Figures 9 and 10 there are two pairs of pressers combined with an
ordinary pumping apparatus consisting of two single acting plunger pumps;
the two pairs of presses in this arrangement are shown on one side only of the
pumping apparatus, but they may be in any other position. The pumping
apparatus is combined with each pair of presses by a junction stopper
apparatus, such as above mentioned. The junction stopper apparatus consists
of a supply passage in connection with the pipe p from the pumping apparatus,
with a branch passage to each press as shewn at (16), 26); also a discharge
passage G. The spindles (1), (2), (1 a), 2 a), of the valves are formed
with screws, by which, when turned, they are caused to rise or fall. The
spindles (1) and (1 a) are geared together by cog. wheels; hence, when the
spindle (1) is caused to rotate by the crank handle or key, so as to cause that
spindle to close and press on the valve, the spindle (1a) will be caused to
rise and open the discharge outlet. The depth of the teeth of the cog wheels
on these spindles are made in such manner as not to rise above or fall below
each other. The spindles (2), (2 a), are similarly geared together, and they
are similarly. arranged. With each of the pumping apparatus there is a
clock counting apparatus applied as heretofore, as shewn at Z. By these
means the pairs of presses supplied by one pumping apparatus may be used in
any order.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the
same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately. But what I claim is,-

page_text: First, the construction and combination of the double-acting pumps, and
apparatus for connecting them with hydraulic presses, as herein described.
And, secondly, I claim the combination of pairs of presses with the same
pumping apparatus, and applying junction stoppers as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Whitham, have .hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two..
JOHN WHITHAM. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Whitham, in the
presence of
Wч. B. CRAVEN,
Clerk to Messrs. Upton and Yewdall,
Solicitors,
Leeds.