IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Elie Marie Jean Le Bréton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st January 1876.
ELIE MARIE JEAN LE BRETON, of Paris, France.
HYDRAULIC MOTIVE POWER."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
My Invention relates to an improved hydraulic motor, which I have illustrated by
way of example in vertical section in the accompanying Drawing. a, a, a, a, is a
cylinder in which at mid-height there is a hollow piston 6', b, resting upon supports
and capable of being set higher or lower according to the results to be obtained. The
piston is provided with a hollow rod, at the lower part of which is placed a cock 1,
the rod sliding through a gland in the bottom of the cylinder and projecting down-
ward beyond the same. A chain is attached at the centre of the upper face of the
piston for working the valves e, e. The cylinder is put in communication with a
chamber 9,9, by means of a syphon pipe t, t, having a stop-cock 2. The chamber
g is provided 1st., with a bent pipe h, h, having a stop-cock 3 for placing the upper
part of the chamber in communication with a vertical pipe i, i, perforated and
enclosed by a casing as shown; 2nd, with a float k surmounted by an indicator;
3rd, with a tube 7 having a lateral hole at its upper part and a disc at the bottom
end, whereby pipe may be opened or closed as desired by working tube / by
means of a screw at the upper part; 4th, with a vertical pipe m dipping down
into the upper reservoir o, and provided with a valve opening inwardly; 5th, with
a funnel n with a stop-cock.
The following is the action of the apparatus:-The cylinder a, chamber g, and
reservoirs are first filled with water as indicated in the Drawing, and cocks 1, 2,
and 3 opened; the valve closing the vertical pipe i is then opened to allow the
water contained in chamber g to flow out, said water in its descent owing to the
syphon arrangement carrying with it the air contained at the upper part of the
chamber as well as that (if any) in the cylinder, and thus produces an almost perfect
vacuum. The atmosphericpheric pressure brought to bear on piston b through its
hollow rod, raises the same to the top of the cylinder with the weight attached
until it abuts against the valves e, e, and operates the same in such manner that
simultaneously the communication with the chamber g is cut off and external air
admitted to the cylinder, whereupon the piston immediately returns to its seat and
opens valves e by means of the chain connection.
may observe, 1st, that if the weight raised by the piston be a liquid, it will be

page_text: discharged into the upper reservoir o, o, the overflow escaping through pipe x, the
force obtained by the descent of the water from o to 3 being utilizable as motive
power; 2nd, if on the contrary the weight be solid, a small portion of the
enormous power of the piston must be reserved for raising the necessary quantity
of water to maintain the supply in reservoir o. It is unnecessary to add that in
lieu of a weight I may connect to the piston rod b any machine to which motive
power is to be imparted.
I reserve the right of employing other means for producing a vacuum in the
chamber and cylinder in lieu of by means of syphons as described, in which case the
reservoirs o, 3, would be dispensed with, but I prefer the syphon arrangement inas-
much as it acts automatically, continuously, and without expense.