Pressure of Water or other Non-elastic Fluid.
Year: 1884

page_text: Pressure of Water or other Non-elastic Fluid.
We, HENRY CLAUDE WALKER, and ROBERT CAREY, both of Falmouth Road, in
the County of Surrey, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER ENGINES, ACTUATED BY THE PRESSURE
"J to be as follows:-
OF WATER OR OTHER NON-ELASTIC FLUID
This invention relates to engines worked by the pressure of water or other
incompressible and non-elastic fluid, and it has for its object a novel method of
constructing such engines so that the quantity of water used may bear a certain
proportion to the work done by the engine, and so that the power obtained may be
applied in the most effective way.
In such engines worked by the pressure of water or other fluid as ordinarily
heretoforo made, it has been usual to admit such fluid behind a piston for the full
stroke of the latter in a cylinder, and it has been found impracticable to cut off
the supply of such fluid before the end of the stroke of the piston, since the fluid
being inelastic a vacuum would be left behind the piston when it was so cut off
and the efficient action of the engine would be prevented.
The present invention may be applied to engines of different descriptions, but
supposing it to be applied to an engine resembling an ordinary steam engine and
having a cylinder, piston, connecting rod, crank and shaft, flywheel, excentric and
slide valve, we arrange the slide valve so that it commences to open a port for the
admission of fluid under pressure into the cylinder behind the piston, immediately
the crank has passed its deadpoint, instead of somewhat before it has reached such
deadpoint as is the case where "lead" is given in an ordinary steam engine.
At each end of the cylinder, or communicating with each end of the latter by a
pipe, we arrange a valve of any suitable kind opening inward toward the cylinder,
the outer side of the valves communicating either with the discharge pipe through
which the fluid is carried away after it has done its work in the engine, or with a
separate source of supply as for instance a tank or cistern arranged at such a
height as to give a certain amount of pressure not greater than that in the
discharge pipe.
▸
By the arrangement of valves described, the cylinder behind the piston is always
full of water, for if the supply under pressure be cut off at any part of the stroke,

page_text: the momentum of the fly wheel will carry the piston through the remainder of its
stroke, the space behind it becoming filled with water drawn in through the valves
described.
If an engine worked by fluid pressure is checked by throttling the inlet pipe,
the speed of the engine may be reduced but the quantity of water under pressure
used at each stroke remains the same, but by the novel method of construction and
arrangement described the supply pipe may be completely closed at any desired
point of the stroke, a corresponding quantity only of water under pressure being
used.
Where, therefore, it is desired that the speed of the engine shall remain practically
uniform, wo arrange a governor of any of the ordinary well known kinds so that
when the speed of the engine increases beyond the determined normal rate, a valve
in the inlet supply pipe is completely closed, whilst when the speed decreases
below the normal rate the valve is completely opened, by the action of the
governor.
Our invention may be applied to engines of any kind, either having pistons
working in cylinders, as above described, or single-acting rams, and one or more
cylinders and pistons or rams may be used, suitable slide or other valves for the
admission, cut-off, and discharge of the pressure fluid being used, as well as the
inlet automatic valves first described.
Where it is desired that an approximately uniform force should be applied to the
crank-shaft during its revolution, as for instance in winding or lifting engines, the
slide or other valves may be arranged so that the water or other fluid under
pressure is admitted to the cylinder behind the pistons only during that part of
their stroke when their action upon the crank is most effective. For instance if
throe or more single-acting rams are used, each acting in succession, the water may
be admitted to the cylinder for about one-third of the revolution of the crank-pin
when the pressure is most effective, the pressure supply being cut off and the
automatic inlet valves coming into operation during the first and last parts of the
stroke, and admitting water to follow the movement of the pistons either from
the discharge pipe or other convenient supply as already explained.
In engines constructed and working in the manner just described, without a
governor, the quantity of water under pressure used will be the same whether the
work done by the engine is much or little, but great advantage and economy of
water is obtained as compared with ordinary hydraulic pressure engines in which
the full pressure acts upon the piston during the least effective parts of the stroke
at the beginning and end.
In the arrangement last described, any number of rains may be used, and the
cylinders may be arranged in such position that their pistons and rods instead of
being directed toward the centre of the crank shaft are directed toward that part
of the path of the crank pin where the pressure is most effective upon the latter.
Dated this 19th day of November 1884

page_text: Pressure of Water or other Non-elastic Fluid.
We HENRY CLAUDE WALKER and ROBERT CAREY, both of Falmouth Road, in
the County of Surrey, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE POWER ENGINES ACTUATED BY THE PRESSURE OF
and in what manner the same is to be
WATER OR OTHER NON-ELASTIC FLUID
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying drawing (that is to say) :—
B
This invention relates to engines worked by the pressure of water or other
incompressible and non-elastic fluid, and it has for its object a novel method of
constructing such engines so that the quantity of water used may bear a certain
proportion to the work done by the engine, and so that the power obtained may
be applied in the most effective way.
In such engines worked by the pressure of water or other fluid as ordinarily
heretofore made it has been usual to admit such fluid behind a piston for the full
stroke of the latter in a cylinder, and it has been found impracticable to cut off the
supply of such fluid before the end of the stroke of the piston, since the fluid being
inelastic a vacuum would be left behind the piston when it was so cut off and the
efficient action of the engine would be prevented.
Our present invention may be applied to engines of different descriptions, but
supposing it to be applied to an engine resembling an ordinary steam engine, and
having a piston reciprocating in a cylinder, a connecting rod, crank and shaft, fly
wheel, excentric and slide valve, we arrange the slide valve so that it commencés
to open a port for the admission of fluid under pressure into the cylinder behind
the piston, immediately the crank has passed its dead point, instead of somewhat
before it has reached such dead point as is the case where "lead" is given in an
ordinary steam engine.
At each end of the cylinder, or communicating with each end of the latter by
a pipe or passage we arrange a valve of any suitable kind opening inward toward
the cylinder, the outer side of the valve communicating either with the discharge
pipe through which the fluid is carried away after it has done its work in the
engine, or with a separate source of supply as for instance a tank or cistern
arranged at such a height as to give a certain amount of pressure not greater than
that in the discharge pipe.
In the accompanying drawing, figure 1 shews a longitudinal section of part of a
hydraulic engine constructed according to our invention in which the water supply
may be cut off at any part of the stroke of the piston as first described. a is a
cylinder in which reciprocates a piston b provided with a piston rod c working
through a stuffing box d in the usual way.

page_text: e is a slide valve of the usual kind covering the admission ports f, f¹, and the
exhaust port g and made to reciprocate backward and forward by an excentric or
other means in the usual way. h is a pipe through which water under pressure
is supplied to the engine. i, i, are valves opening inward at the ends of the
cylinder a, so as to open communication with the latter through the passage k, k¹,
to the pipe through which the water is discharged from the exhaust port g after
having done its work in the engine. The valves i, i, are shewn provided with
springs by which they are kept closed upon their seats.
By the arrangement of valves i, i, described, the cylinder a behind the piston b
is always full of water, for if the supply under pressure be cut off at any part of
the stroke of the piston the momentum of the fly wheel will carry the piston
through the remainder of its stroke, the space behind it becoming filled with
water drawn in through the valves i, i, described.
•
If an ordinary bydraulic engine worked by fluid pressure is checked by
throttling the inlet pipe, the speed of the engine may be reduced but the
quantity of water under pressure used at each stroke remains the same, but
by the novel method of construction and arrangement described and shewn the
supply pipe may be completely closed. at any desired point of the stroke, a corre-
sponding quantity of water under pressure being used. Or when it is desired.
that the speed of the engine shall remain practically uniform, we sometimes
arrange a governor of any of the ordinary wellknown kinds so that when the
speed of the engine increases beyond the determined normal rate, a valve on or
connected with the inlet supply pipe is completely closed, whilst when the speed
decreases below the normal rate the valvo is again completely opened, by the
action of the governor, the cut off valve retaining its position until the proper
speed of the engine has been again attained, and the cylinder being filled behind
the piston as the latter reciprocates, when the valve is closed, through the
valves, i, i¹.
One method of effecting this is shewn in figure 1, in which m is a cut off slide
valvo, by which the supply of water through b to the cylinder can be cut off when
desired. n is an ordinary governor driven by the engine and arranged so that
when a proper dotermined normal speed is exceeded or decreased one or other
of the friction discs o, o', is brought in contact with the corresponding friction
wheel p.
The wheel p is carried upon a spindle revolving in bearings, and having a
screwed thread working through a corresponding nut 8 which is accordingly made
to travel in one or other direction, depending upon the particular disc o or o¹ which
is in contact with the wheel p.
.The nut s or a projection upon it, is arranged so that as it moves along the
screw it comes in contact with one or other of two corresponding projections t, t¹,
upon the weighted tumbling lever which itself carries a projection coming in
contact as the lever falls to the right or left, with one or other of two corre-
sponding projections v, v', upon the spindle of the cut off valve m, thus cither
closing the latter or opening it to its full extent as shewn in the figure.
When therefore the speed of the engine increases, the lower disc o rises and
drives the wheel p and the nuts is made to traverse to the right until it throws
over the lever u and closes the cut off valve m which remains closed (water filling
the cylinder behind the piston through the valves i, ',) until the speed of the
engine falls sufficiently, when the upper disc o¹ descends and drives the wheel · P
traversing the nuts to the left, throwing over the lever u, and reopening the cut
off valve m.
When the engine is working at its proper speed, neither of the
dises o, o, touches the wheel p.
In figure 2 a modified arrangement is shewn for the same purpose. wis a pipe
connected to the chamber in which the slide valve e (figure 1) works, water under
pressure being admitted through the supply pipe which can be closed when
required by a valve y held down by the lever arranged in a chamber A,

page_text: A plunger B is connected to the lever so as to open or close the valve y as the
plunger B is raised or lowered. The upper end of the plunger B works through
a stuffing box or its equivalent C, whilst its lower end of less diameter works
through a stuffing box D.
Above the plunger at E is arranged a small valve F which if moved to the left
allows water under pressure to be admitted above the plunger B through the
supply pipe G, whilst if moved to the right it cuts off the supply of water and
allows the water above the plunger to escape through a discharge passage at H.
The valve F is actuated by an ordinary governor K of any suitable kind.
If therefore the speed of the engine increases, the governor opens the valve F
and admits water under pressure above the plunger B which by means of the
lever closes and holds down the valve y and the supply of water is thus cut off
from the main cylinder of the engine.
•
•
I is a valve opening inward in a passage L connected with the exhaust or
discharge pipe from the main cylinder as first described, through which the said
main cylinder is filled with water behind the piston when the valve y is closed.
When the speed of the engine is sufficiently reduced, the governor closes tho
valve F allowing the water above the plunger B to escape through H, and the
plunger rises allowing the inlet supply valvey to open and re-admit water to
the cylinder of the engine.
Our invention may be applied to engines of any kind, either having pistons
working in cylinders as above described, or single acting rams, and one or inoro
cylinders and pistons or rams may be used, suitablo slide or other valves for the
admission, cut off, and discharge of the pressure fluid being used, as well as the
inlet automatic valves i, i¹, first described..
Where it is desired that an approximately uniform force should be applied to
the crank shaft during its revolution, as for instance in winding or lifting engines,
the slide or other valves may be arranged so that the water or other fluid under
pressure is admitted to the cylinder behind the pistons only during that part of
their stroke when their action upon the crank is most effective. For instance if
three or more single acting rains are used, each acting in succession, the water may
be admitted to the cylinder by suitable valves for about one third of the revolution
of the crank pin when the pressuro is most effective, the pressure supply being cut
off and the automatic inlet valves i, i coming into operation during the first and
last parts of the stroke, and admitting water to follow the movement of the
piston either from the discharge pipo or other convenient supply as already
explained.
In engines working and constructed in the manner just described, without a
governor, the quantity of water under pressure used will be the same whether
the work done by the engine is much or little, but great advantage and economy
of water are obtained as compared with ordinary hydraulic pressure engines in
which the full pressure acts upon the piston during the least effective parts of the
stroke at the beginning and end.
In the arrangement last described, any number of ramis may be used, and the
cylinders may be arranged in such positions that their pistons and rods instead of
being directed toward the centre of the crank shaft are directed toward that
part of the path of the crank pin where the pressure is most effective upon the
latter.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise form and arrangement of the parts
of the apparatus, which may be varied more or less to suit varying circumstances,
but having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. In motive power engines actuated by the pressure of water or other non-
elastic fluid, the the method of admitting fluid below the piston or plunger of the

page_text: engine, when the supply of water or other non-elastic fluid under pressure is cut
off, substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn in the drawing.
2. In combination with such methods of admitting fluid behind the piston or
plunger of the engine, the method of cutting off and re-admitting water or other
non-elastic fluid to the engine by means of valves actuated and controlled by a
governor, substantially as described and shewn in the drawing..
Dated thi 10th Jan A100R
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Patentees.