Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM EVANS, of the firm of Joseph Evans and Sons, of Culwell Pump Works,
Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, hydraulic and general engineers and
ironfounders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in the means of fixing the follower,
or lower part, to the cage, or upper part, of a pump bucket.
According to methods heretofore commonly employed for fixing the follower to
the cage the follower has been screwed into the body of the cage, or bolts or pins
have been passed up through the flange of the follower and through or into the
metal of the cage. It is found, however, that the screwed parts of the follower and
cage, and the screw bolts or pins, and also the threads of the nuts, or of the holes
into which the pins are screwed, are liable to corrode and render the operation of
removing the follower from the cage troublesome. Moreover, it is necessary when
employing bolts or pins to contract the water-way through the bucket, in order to
allow room for the passage of the bolts or pins..
These objections are obviated, according to this invention, by fixing the follower to
the cage by means of a joint in which inclined parts on the follower or cage are
tightened, by a turning or twisting action, upon inclined parts or upon studs on the
cage or follower.
The invention is capable of considerable modification, but a convenient method of
carrying it out in practice is to form upon the follower outward projections with
their under surfaces formed as inclined planes, and to form the cage with recesses in
the inner face of the wall, up which such projections may be passed, and with inclined
planes along the upper surfaces of parts of the wall between the recesses therein.
The relative positions of the inclined planes are such that as those of the follower are
turned over those of the cage they bear thereupon and the follower is drawn up
against the under side of the bucket leather and securely tightens the flange of the
leather between its own flange and the bottom of the cage,. and also becomes itself
firmly fixed to the cage. The follower may be readily removed from the cage, when
it is required to change the bucket leather, by turning it in a backward direction

page_text: until the inclined planes thereof pass off those of the cage. These inclined planes
are, strictly speaking, segments of the surfaces of worms or screw threads, those of
the follower.corresponding to segments of the surface of a male thread and those of
the cage to segments of the surface of a female thread, and the operation and effect
of turning one set of surfaces over the other set correspond to those of screwing a
male thread within a female thread.
It is preferred to bevel or slant the inclined planes transversely so as to obtain a
maximum of bearing with a minimum of horizontal width, and thus avoid unnecessary
thickness of the cage, and thereby ensure the greatest available area of water-way.
In order to prevent any possibility of the follower turning in the cage and thus
becoming loose therefrom, the lower edge of the cage and the upper side of the
flange of the follower may be toothed, the teeth of the cage inclining or setting in
the direction in which the follower is turned to fix it and the teeth of the follower
inclining or setting in the opposite direction. By these means the follower may be
turned to fix it firmly and after it is fixed the teeth, being pressed into the substance
of the bucket leather and presenting their edges in a manner tending to plough into
the leather on the returning of the follower, securely prevent such returning excepting
upon the application of considerable force such as would be used when it was desired
to remove the follower.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Pump Buckets.
I, WILLIAM EVANS, of the firm of Joseph Evans and Sons, of Culwell Pump
Works, Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, hydraulic and general engineers
and ironfounders, 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 improvements in the means of fixing the follower,
or lower part, to the cage, or upper part, of a pump bucket.
According to methods heretofore commonly employed for fixing the follower to the
cage the follower has been screwed into the body of the cage, or bolts or pins have
been passed up through the flange of the follower and through or into the metal of
the cage.
It is found, however, that the screwed parts of the follower and cage, and
the screw bolts or pins, and also the threads of the nuts, or of the holes into which the
pins are screwed, are liable to corrode and render the operation of removing the
follower from the cage troublesome. Moreover it is necessary, when employing bolts
or pins, to contract the water-way through the bucket, in order to allow room for the
passage of the bolts or pins.
These objections are obviated, according to this invention, by fixing the follower to
the cage by means of a joint in which inclined parts, which are spaced apart
circumferentially, on the follower or cage are tightened, by a turning or twisting
action, upon (or under as the case may be) corresponding parts or studs on the cage
or follower.
The invention is capable of considerable modification, but a convenient method of
carrying it out in practice is shewn by the drawings herewith, of which figure 1 is a
vertical section taken on line za of figure 2, shewing the bucket leather in place and
the follower securely fixed to the cage as when the parts are in use in a pump, but
with the valve omitted, and the section is shewn as if figure 2 were a complete plan
instead of a sectional plan as immediately described. Figure 2 is a sectional plan
taken on line y y of figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical section taken at right angles to
the plane of the section shewn by figure 1, that is on the line of figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view corresponding to figure 2, but with the follower and bucket leather
omitted. Figure 5 is a detached plan of the follower. Figure 6 is a side elevation
of a follower and cage, with the leather and valve omitted, but shews the follower
in such position in relation to the cage as it occupies when put together therein with
the leather in place, and illustrates a modification in which the lower edge of the cage
and the upper side of the flange of the follower are serrated, for a purpose presently
to be described. Figure 7 is a detached plan of the follower shewn by figure 6.
The follower A consists, as is usual, of a flanged part a to bear up against the
bucket leather and fix it between itself and the lower edge of the cage B, and of a
cylindrical part 6 which passes up through the usual opening C in the cage and the
top of which forms the seat for a valve of the usual or any convenient description.

page_text: Projections c c are formed outwards from the sides of the part at the top thereof
and the under surfaces of such parts are formed inclined in the curved direction of
such surfaces as shewn by broken line figure 1 and by full line figure 6. The inner
surface of the opening through the follower is recessed at dd to allow of the
projections being passed up through such opening, and the upper edges el of the
part B of the cage through which the part of the follower passes are inclined
correspondingly to the under surfaces of the projections c. The undersides of the
projections care. in such position, in relation to the upper surface of the flange a of
the follower, as that when the follower is pushed up into the cage and against the
underside of the leather, and turned axially in the direction towards which the
underside of the projections incline upwards that is, in the case illustrated, in
the direction of the arrow e figure 2, the forward ends of the underside of such
projections will commence to pass over and bear upon the correspondingly inclined
surfaces on the cage. The follower is tightened up and fixed in place by continuing
to turn it until the projections c hold with sufficient tightness upon the inclined
surfaces on the cage. The follower may be readily removed from the cage, when it
is required to change the bucket leather, by first turning it in a backward direction
until the inclined surfaces thereof pass off those of the cage. The inclined surfaces
of the projections c and of the parts of the cage upon which they bear are, strictly
speaking, segments of the surfaces of worms or screw threads those of the follower
corresponding to segments of the surface of a male thread and those of the cage to
segments of the surface of a female thread, and the operation and effect of turning
one set of surfaces over the other set correspond to those of screwing a male thread
within a female thread.
It will readily be seen that studs, curved on their bearing sides, may be substituted
for the projections c, or, alternatively, for inclined parts on the cage, as such studs
would operate in combination with inclined surfaces similarly as the pairs of inclined
surfaces operate together. If studs are employed in lieu of the inclined surfaces on
the cage they may project inwards from the wall of the cage, in which case sufficient
clearance must be allowed for the purpose between the wall of the cage and the outer
surface of the part of the follower. It will be obvious, also, that the inclined
surfaces of the cage may be formed as ledges any distance downwards from the top
of the part through which the opening is formed, and the projections c be formed
out from the sides of the part 6 of the follower the necessary distance down from the
top thereof to suit the position of such ledges. A further modification consists in
forming up vertical slots for a short distance from the bottom of the cage, with
lateral slots formed out from the upper ends thereof, the lower edges of such lateral
slots being inclined, and carrying studs projecting from the. sides of the part
the follower, the parts being locked together by first passing the studs up the vertical
slots and then turning them along the inclined edges of the lateral slots; or the
slots may be formed in the follower and the studs project inwards from the cage.
The modifications described in this paragraph are, however, not recommended, but are
simply referred to to shew that the invention may be considerably modified without
departing from its nature.
of
Any suitable means may be employed to facilitate turning the follower. In the
illustrations a plain groove f, of a character frequently employed for the purpose, is
formed in the underside of the flange a on each side thereof, for the insertion of a bar.
Any convenient means, also, may be employed for connecting the cage with the
pump rod. In the illustration a bridge-piece g is shewn formed with the cage and
having a threaded hole through its centre for the fixture of the rod thereto.
In order to prevent any possibility of the follower turning in the cage and thus
becoming loose therefrom, the lower edge of the cage and the upper surface of the
flange of the follower may be toothed, as shewn in side clevation by figure 6, the
teeth of the cage inclining or setting in the direction in which the follower is turned
to fix it, and the teeth of the follower inclining or setting in the opposite direction.
The teeth are shewn in plan upon the follower by figure 7. By these means the
follower can be turned to fix it firmly, and after it is fixed the teeth, being pressed

page_text: into the substance of the bucket leather and presenting their edges in a manner
tending to plough into the leather on the return of the follower, securely prevent
such returning excepting upon the application of considerable force such as would
be used when it was desired to remove the follower. It is not at all essential,
however, that this part of the invention shall be employed in combination with the
part of the invention previously described.
The part of the invention described in the last preceding paragraph may be adopted
also in cases in which the follower is screwed into the cage in the usual manner.
:-
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 means, substantially as described by which the follower is fixed to a pump
bucket, for the purpose set forth.
2. The means by which a follower is fixed to the cage of a pump bucket, substantially
as shewn by the drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth."
3. The combination of inclined parts, spaced apart circumferentially, on the follower
or cage, respectively, of a pump bucket, with corresponding parts or studs on the
cage or follower, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
4. The combinations of the projections c on the follower of a pump bucket with the
recesses d formed out from the opening through the cage, substantially as described
for the purpose set forth.
5. Serrations or inclined teeth formed on the cage and follower of a pump bucket,
substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
1000