IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I EMILE HEURTEBISE, Civil and Mechanical Engineer of N° 7 Rue Borghèse,
Neuilly (Seine) in the Republic of France do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS, and in what manner the.
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which I will
proceed to explain:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the axis of an hydraulic lift.
Fig. 2 is a transversal section of the water-chamber containing the rollers.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the brake pullies and of the brake piston.
The cabin A which is of the ordinary description is lifted by the direct action of
the rod B which is hollow and strengthened internally so as to prevent any flexion
or vibration. This rod acts as a plunger-piston in the cylinder C which is opened
at its bottom by the orifices Y, Y', when the equilibration of its weight and that of
the cabin A is effected by means of a central annular compensator F moving in the
zone D which is in communication with the cylinder G.
The whole is contained in the outside casing E. K is a water chamber from
which two tubes T, T' are hanging, and which contains the two rollers G, G¹, over
which pass the massive chains H, H' attached at one end to the heavy compensating
piston F which is provided with a watertight packing, and at the other end to the
weights I, I'.
The water is admitted in chamber K by the pipe J. When the cabin A is in its
lowest position, its catches 0, 0¹ press on the levers P, P¹, which open the
valves N, N'. The first valve P admitting through the. pipe M some water under
pressure into the zone D causes the compensating piston F to rise to the top of its
stroke if owing to any leakage it should not have reached that position at the same
time that the cabin reached its lowest position. The second valve P¹ allows of an
equal quantity of water to be discharged through the pipe.M. The water under
pressure continuing to arrive through pipe M causes the plunger B to rise of a small
distance and the catches O, O' releasing the levers P, P', the valves N, N' are
closed by the action of springs or counterweights and the apparatus is exactly ready
for starting on a new ascension.

page_text: .
As the plunger B emerges from the cylinder C which is full of water its weight
increases. It is therefore necessary that the weight of the compensating piston F
should increase proportionally. This is effected by the addition of a portion of the
chains H, H¹ which unwinding on the compensator's side add their weight to that
of the said compensator at the same time that the winding up of the said chains at
the external sides of and over the pullies G and G₁ reduces the weight of the
counterpoises of the same quantity.
The compensation of the variation in weight of the plunger B could also be
effected by establishing a communication between the cylinder C with another
cylinder c in which is a plunger d the top extremity of which is provided with a
weight e; to this weight the piston rods of two oscillating cylinders f, g in which
the water under pressure is admitted through their center of oscillation are attached.
In this case and as the plunger B rises and grows heavier the piston d e also rises
but becomes lighter owing to the positions successively occupied by the cylinders f, g,
which oppose a gradually diminishing resistance to the plunger d, e until they reach
the horizontal position when the said resistance is nil; on the motion continuing
past the horizontal this resistance is changed into a force having a tendency to lift
the said plunger d, e.
.
This external mode of compensation can equally be applied to either the total
compensation of the weight of the cabin and of the plunger piston, in which case
the annular compensating piston and its accessory organs can be done away with
(In this case the cylinder C is closed at the bottom and the casing E is suppressed
as well as the water chamber K.) or only to the compensation of the variation in
weight of the piston B by suppressing the chains H, H¹, the pullies G, G¹, and the
weights I, I¹,
When the compensation of the weight of the cabin with its supporting piston,
and of its variation is effected by means of the internal compensator F, its
chains H, H', pullies G, G', and counterpoises I, II, as described, some leakages
might occur through the said piston F and disturb its position relatively to the
piston B. I have explained how I deal with this inconvenient by means of the
valves N. N¹. But in order to render very difficult if not impossible the occurence
of such leakages I have imagined to firmly hold the piston F in position when the
apparatus is not at work.
To that effect, I have prolonged the axles of the pullies G, G¹, outside the water
chamber's wall using some proper stuffing boxes for this purpose, and on this so
prolonged axle have keyed two brake pullies R, R¹ (Fig 3) surrounded by a thin
steel band going from Q to Q'; this steel band receives in its middle the pressure of
a small piston L which is submitted to the action of the water pressure during the
whole time that the apparatus is not at work that is to say as long as the ordinary
distributor which distributes the water to the apparatus is closed. The result is
that the pullies and the rollers being firmly maintained in position the compensating
piston F cannot move and therefore no leakage of water can take place through it.
As soon as the distributor operates either for bringing the water power into the
chamber K or for discharging the water out of it the cylinder c is no more under
pressure and the brake pressure on the pullies R, R³, being released allows the
rollers G, G¹ to turn freely.
Another improvement consists in the following arrangement for preventing the
leakages in the stuffing-box S at the same time leaving to the piston B a certain
elasticity in the transversal direction. To that effect I place round the piston B
some leather washers or rings U, U, U, each made of a single turn and not quite
meeting at their ends. Their junctions are alternated. If some water under
pressure from the mains or from a special small accumulator is introduced through
the channel X into the circular space x this external pressure will apply the
rings U, U, U, against each other and against the piston B and the joint will be
perfectly elastic and watertight.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
the following improvements in hydraulic elevators with compensators and without
external chains and counterpoises viz:
1° The combination of a heavy compensating piston F connected by means of
massive chains H, H¹, passing over the rollers G, G', with the counterpoises I, 1',
and of the plunger piston B; the cylinder C, and the zone D being in free
communication.
20 The arrangement of valves N N¹ which are automatically opened by the cabin
when it reaches its lowest position one admitting the water pressure under the
piston F the other discharging from the chamber K an equal quantity of water so
as to always bring the piston F at its starting point, and afterwards slightly lift the
cabin this last motion closing the two said valves.
3° The application to the prolonged axles of the rollers G, G¹, of brake
pullies R, R' alternately stopped by the action of the water pressure and released
by the withdrawal of the latter; the said water pressure acting on the brake.
piston L when the elevator is at rest and disappearing when the said elevator is at
work.
4° The arrangement of stuffing-box S formed by the superposition of rings U, U, U,
pressed from outside against each other and against the piston by the exertion in
the zone of the motive water pressure itself or of the pressure obtained from a
small accumulator.
5° The total compensation of the weight of the piston B and its cabin A including
the variation of the said weight due to the immersion and emersion of the piston B,
by means of an external compensator de submitted to the action of the oscillating
cylinders f, g, and doing away with the valves N, N', the internal compensator F,
the casing E and the chamber K; the cylinder C alone remaining and being closed
at its bottom.
6° The compensation of the variation in weight of the piston B only, by means
of the external compensator de reduced to smaller dimensions and combined with
the compensator F, its chains and its brake, and with the valves N, N¹,