Improvements in Hydraulic Lifts and Cranes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hydraulic Lifts and Cranes.
I, FREDERIC EASTMEAD, of 39, Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the automatic control of the quantity of water
used by a hydraulic lift or crane in such a manner as to use water in proportion
to the load lifted. This invention is applicable to any hydraulic lifts having
more than one ram or having a combination of rams and pistons.
I will describe it as applied to a lift having 3 rams working in 3 cylinders,
all 3 rams being connected to the same crosshead.
The lift is controlled in the usual way by means of an operating valve and
all water used by the lift is made to pass through this valve. One of the three
cylinders which is used by itself to raise the first or lightest load is connected
directly to the operating valve, the other two cylinders are connected to the
operating valve through the medium of the "power setting valve" which is made
as hereinafter described in such a manner as to admit water to the second cylinder
as soon as the load exceeds the power of the first, and to the third cylinder when
the load exceeds the power of the first and second.
The method of accomplishing this is as follows. The power setting valve is
furnished with a central chamber which is connected directly to the operating
valve and is also connected to the second and third cylinders, two valves being
interposed between, which when opened allow the water in the central chamber
of the power setting valve to flow into the second and third cylinders, and when
shut cut off this communication. These valves are kept closed by weights and
are opened when required by the following device:-
A piston or ram is attached to each valve and works in a small cylinder which
is connected by means of a pipe to another cylinder placed contiguous to the main
lift cylinders.
This cylinder I term the " power setting cylinder" and it is furnished with
a ram to which is attached the dead or tail end of the lifting rope or chain.
The two valves above mentioned which control the communication between
the central chamber of the power setting valve and the second and third lift
cylinders are loaded as above mentioned with weights, these weights being adjust-
able and one being heavier than the other.
When a load is put on the lifting rope or chain it causes a pull through the
tail end of the rope on the ram in the power setting cylinder. If this load is
small enough to be lifted by the 1st cylinder the pressure caused by it in the fluid
under the power setting ram (i.e. the ram in the power setting cylinder) is not
great enough to lift the lighter of the two weights on the power setting valve,
these weights being so proportioned that as soon as the weight on the rope
requires two cylinders to lift it the pressure caused by it under the power setting
ram acting on the piston or ram attached to the valve in the power setting valve
which communicates with the second cylinder is sufficient to raise the valve and

page_text: the weight and so admit pressure water to the second cylinder. In the same
way the third cylinder is put into gear when a still heavier load is required to
be lifted, the power setting ram weighing it and admitting water to as many
cylinders as are necessary to lift it.
An elevated tank, placed higher than the cylinders is used and is connected
with them by suitable pipes and check valves in such a manner that cylinders
which are not being used are kept automatically filled with water so that when
they are required they are ready for use & arranged so that all water after being
used in the cylinders passes through the operating valve to the tank and thence
to the meter or drain. This ensures the load, however great its amount, always
being sustained on all three cylinders.
Dated this Seventh day of October 1898.
I, FREDERIC EASTMEAD, of 39, Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
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:-
This invention has for its object the automatic control of the quantity of water
used by a hydraulic lift or crane in such a manner as to use water in proportion
to the load lifted.
I
This invention is applicable to any hydraulic lifts having more than one ramı
or having a combination of rams and pistons.
I will describe it as applied to a lift having 3 rams working in 3 cylinders
all 3 rams being connected to the same crosshead. In order that my invention
may be more readily understood I have caused 3 sheets of drawings to be made
on which Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a sectional elevation through the plan Fig. 3 at a b,
and Fig. 2 a sectional elevation through c, d, of the plan Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 a
sectional plan through e, f, Fig. 1 of my invention.
Sheet 2 is another method of carrying out my invention in which Fig. 5
Sheet 2 is a sectional elevation through gh, of the plan Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 is
a sectional elevation through i, j, Sheet 2 and Fig. 8 is a sectional plan
through k, l, Sheet 2 and Sheet 3 Fig. 9 is a general arrangement of my
invention.
The lift is controlled in the usual way by means of an operating valve A
Sheet 3 and all water used by the lift is made to pass through this valve. One
of the three cylinders B Sheet 3 which is used by itself to raise the first or
lightest load is connected directly to the operating valve A Sheet 3 by means
of the pipe C, the other two cylinders are connected to the operating valve A
through the medium of pipe c, and the power setting valve" D Sheet 3 which
is made as hereinafter described in such a manner as to admit water to the second
cylinder B as soon as the load exceeds the power of the first, and to the third
cylinder 13 when the load exceeds the power of the first and second. The
method of accomplishing this is as follows. The water enters the power setting
valve D which is furnished with a central chamber Q Fig. 2 Sheet 1 through
the pipe c, Fig. 2 Sheet 1. This central chamber is connected derectly to the
operating valve A by the pipe c, and is also connected to the second and third
cylinders by means of the pipes E and F Sheet 3 Fig. 9, two valves G and G¹
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 being interposed between, which when opened allow the water in

page_text: the central chamber Q Fig. 2 Sheet 1 of the power setting valve D Sheet 3 to
pass to the lower channels m and n Fig. 4 and 2 Sheet 1 to the pipes E and F Sheet 3
Fig 9 and from thence to the cylinder as stated above and when shut cut off
this communication. These valves are kept closed by weights J and J Fig. 1
Sheet 1 and are opened when required by the following device.
A piston or ram L and L' is attached to each valve G and G and works in a
small cylinder N and N¹ Sheet 1 Fig. 1 which is connected by means of a pipe P
Sheet 3 Fig. 9 and Fig. 3 Sheet 1 to another cylinder R Sheet 3 Fig. 9 placed
contiguous to the main lift cylinders. This cylinder R I term the power setting
cylinder and it is furnished with a ram M Fig. 9 Sheet 3 to which is attached
a crosshead O and drag links p, p, Sheet 3 the dead or tail end of the lifting
rope or chain N being attached to the drag links p, p, Sheet 3. The two
valves G and G¹ above mentioned which control the communication between the
central chamber Q Fig. 2 Sheet 1 of the power setting valve D and the second and
third, lift cylinders are loaded as above mentioned with weights J and J¹, these
weights being adjustable and one being heavier than the other. When a load
is put on the lifting rope or chain N it causes a pull through the tail end
of the rope N on the ram M in the power setting cylinder R Sheet 3. If this
load is small enough to be lifted by the first cylinder the pressure caused by it
in the fluid under the power setting ram M (i.e. the ram in the power setting
cylinder R) is not great enough to lift the lighter of the two weights J¹ on the
power setting valve D Sheet 3, these weights being so proportioned that as soon
as the weight on the rope N" requires two cylinders to lift it the pressure caused
by it under the setting ram M acting on the piston or ram L' Fig. 1 Sheet 1
attached to the valve G in the power setting valve D Sheet 3 which communicates
with the second cylinder B¹ raises the piston or ram L' Fig. 1 Sheet 1 and the
weight J and valve G¹ and so admits pressure water to the second cylinder B¹.
In the same way the third cylinder is put into gear when a still heavier load is
required to be lifted, the power setting ram M weighing it and admitting water
to as many cylinders as are necessary to lift it.
Sheet 2 shows another method by which the cylinders can be controlled without
the use of the power setting cylinder R in which case the ropes are anchored
in the well known manner. The water passes through the operating valve A
to the pipe C and from thence to the 1st cylinder B, If this cylinder has
sufficient power to lift the load the pressure in it and consequently in the pipe C
and the central chamber Q of the power setting valve does not rise to a sufficient
extent to lift either of the rams Tor T and mitre valves S or S¹ Fig. 3 Sheet 2
but if the 1st cylinder has not sufficient power the pressure of the water in the
central chamber Q Fig. 7 Sheet 2 of the power setting valve D Sheet 3 rises
lifts one of the rams T¹ to which is attached the mitre valve S¹ and flows into
the 2nd cylinder B¹ Sheet 3, If this power is not sufficient the pressure in the
centre chamber Q of the power setting valve D Sheet 3 rises still farther raises
the other ram T with its mitre valve S and weight J Fig. 3 Sheet 2
and admits the water to the third cylinder as in the case of the second.
An elevated tank W Sheet 3 placed higher than the cylinders is used
and is connected with them by suitable pipes and check valves X and Y
Sheet 3 in such a manner that cylinders which are not being used are
kept automatically filled with water so that when they are required they
are ready for use and arranged so that all water after being used in the cylinders
passes through the operating valve A to the tank W and thence to the meter and
drain by the pipe Z. This ensures the load however great its amount always
being sustained on all three cylinders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The use in connection with a multiple power hydraulic lift or crane of a

page_text: 66
'power setting cylinder which weights the load and opens the valves connected
with the particular cylinders necessary to raise it.
2. The use in connection with a multiple power hydraulic lift or crane of
mitre valves in connection with rams or pistons actuated by the pressure of water
in the cylinder for regulating the passage of water.
3. The combination of a multiple power hydraulic lift or crane with a power
setting cylinder and ram, power setting valve with rams an pistons and valves
substantially as described and illustrated in the foregoing specification.
4. The combination of parts mentioned in Claim 3 without the use of the
power setting cylinder and ram, and with the use of mitre valves substantially
as described.
Dated this 7th day of July 1890
FREDERIC EASTMEAD.