IM- PROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING ROTARY MOTION, AND FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING HEAVY WEIGHTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Walker and John Frederick Augustus Pflaum,.
both of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING ROTARY MOTION, AND
FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING HEAVY WEIGHTS."
Sealed the 21st January 1879, and dated the 19th August 1878.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Walker and John
Frederick Augustus Pflaum at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 19th August 1878.
BENJAMIN WALKER and JOHN FREDERICK AUGUSTUS PFLAUM, both of Leeds, in
the County of York, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING ROTARY MOTION, AND FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING HEAVY
WEIGHTS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in hydraulic apparatus for obtain-
ing rotary motion, and for moving and controlling heavy weights.
We construct an hydraulic engine, which with slight modification is applicable as
a brake for checking or controlling the movement of heavy weights in the following
manner-The engine consists of a cylinder closed at the ends, and with a fixed
radial partition working upon a strong hollow axle or gudgeon, having fixed to it a
partition similar to that fixed to the cylinder. Water under pressure is led through
the gudgeon to the interior of the partition fixed to the gudgeon, and an exhaust
passage is similarly provided. A circular or a sliding valve is fitted to this partition,
and is worked by the partition of the cylinder; the water under pressure being
admitted on one side, drives the cylinder round nearly a circle at the end of its
motion, the two partitions meet, reversing the valve, and admitting pressure on the
opposite side, a reciprocating circular motion being the result.
Two of these engines being geared on opposite sides of a capstan, and working
on toothed wheels fixed to differential brake bands, produce a continuous circular
motion in the capstan.

page_text: Continuous circular motion may also be imparted to a crank joined by a con-
necting rod to a rack bar geared to two of these engines, or to one which works the
bar backwards and forwards, another pair or one engine working similarly at right
angles to the first bar, overcomes the dead points or chains working on a guide bar,
will effect the same.
As a brake or control apparatus, this contrivance drives the fluid contained in it
through a small hole in one of the partitions, which hole may be reduced or enlarged
by a valve worked at will or automatically; a chain or toothed rack drives the
cylinder round, and the fluid is forced through the small aperture. In order to turn
the cylinder back to its starting point, a coiled spring may be used, and two or more
cylinders may be used, in combination with either spur wheels, racks, chains, or
connecting rod, to form intermittent or continuous brakes.
The purposes to which this Invention is applicable are as hydraulic engine to
actuate capstans, steering apparatus, hoists, and for hauling, slewing cranes and
bridges, and other similar purposes.
As a brake, it is applicable wherever resistance is required to be set up by velocity
of movement, the resistance increasing or decreasing with the velocity, and offering,
if required, no appreciable resistance to low velocities. It is perfectly automatic
when regulated to any given purpose, or may be altered at will; it may also be used
as a dynamometer, intermittent or continuous.
The brake or control apparatus is particularly applicable to check the recoil of
ordnance, for the motion being rotary, the apparatus occupies much less space than
hydraulic apparatus now in use for this purpose, in which the motion is rectilinear.
In lieu of forcing the water through a small orifice, the power may be absorbed
in performing work upon the water in other ways.
For driving capstans and the like, there may be substituted for the semi-rotary
hydraulic engine above described an hydraulic engine, consisting of three parallel
cylinders, containing rams, coupled by connecting rods with a three-throw crank,
which by gear wheels (capable of sliding upon the shaft to give two speeds), drives
a counter shaft, carrying a bevilled pinion gearing with a corresponding wheel upon
the capstan axis.
The special feature in the arrangement has however yet to be mentioned; each of
the rams of this rotary hydraulic engine has a smaller ram springing from it at the
hinder end; it passes out through the end of the main cylinder, and enters another
cylinder.
When the engine is at work these additional cylinders may or may not be supplied
with water under pressure at the discretion of the engine driver, and it is only when
all the cylinders are supplied that the engine works to its full power; at other times
it works at a reduced power with an economy of water.
The smaller auxiliary cylinders receive their supply each from the corresponding
main cylinder, with which it is connected by a pipe. In the connection there is a
drop valve, which when left alone prevents the passage of water into the smaller
cylinder, but at pleasure these valves can be raised from their seats by pushers
entering through stuffing boxes beneath the valves, and which are moved upwards
when the driver places his foot on a treddle, or by other such like means.
In some cases we employ only two main and two auxiliary cylinders, and cause
them to give a to-and-fro motion to a slide, upon which there are pawls or drivers
engaging with a ratchet wheel upon the capstan axis.
The valves are moved by a hand lever, and when this lever is moved to and
fro but is not pressed home to the end of its course on either side only, the larger
cylinders receive a supply of water under pressure, but a further movement of the
hand lever causes the drop valves already mentioned to be lifted, and the auxiliary
cylinders then fill, and the full power of the capstan is exerted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Walker and John Frederick Augustus Pflaum in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th February 1879.
BENJAMIN WALKER and JOHN FREDERICK AUGUSTUS PFLAUM, both of Leeds, in
the County of York, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING ROTARY MOTION, AND FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING HEAVY
WEIGHTS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in hydraulic apparatus for obtain-
ing rotary motion, and for moving and controlling heavy weights.
The Invention relates first to bydraulic apparatus for obtaining direct rotary
motion, and for use as a circular brake; this apparatus is shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4,
on Sheet 1 of the Drawings.
Figure 1 represents its application for controlling the recoil of guns.
ر
The cover of the cylinder is removed to show the action; the piston a is fixed on
a gudgeon fastened to the gun platform, upon which also revolves the cylinder. A,
partition b is secured to the interior of the cylinder, and has a hole c, which is con->
trolled in area by a valve; teeth on the exterior of the cylinder gear into a rack
fastened to the carriage, so that as the gun recoils, the cylinder is driven round, and
the fluid, which entirely fills it, is forced through the hole c, and thus sets up a
resistance proportional to the size of the aperture and to the velocity of recoil. A.
differential brake band d may be used to hold the recoiling gun in the position in
which its motion is finally arrested.
A chain may be used in place of the rack, and a coiled spring fastened to the
cylinder, in order to restore it to its original position.
Similar apparatus may be used as a buffer for railway carriages, and wherever a
powerful brake of uniform action is required, the resistance being always propor-
tional to the velocity of its motion at every part of the stroke, and not increasing
towards the end, as must be the case with india-rubber and steel springs.
Figure 2 shows the interior of the cylinder of the arrangement as modified, to
adapt it to impart rotary motion to a shaft a.
The cylinder is fixed to any suitable framing; it has a fixed segment b, which
contains a suitable slide valve, or a two-way cock, worked by the piston c, which
alternately comes into contact with either end of the valve spindle at the end of
cach stroke, changing pressure to exhaust, and vice versa, and thus altering the
direction of its stroke. The rotary motion is thus reciprocal, and may be set up
either in the cylinder or the piston, according to circumstances, and in either of these,
forms is suitable for direct application to steering apparatus for ships, slewing cranes,,
and similar purposes.
Continuous rotary motion to a capstan or other similar machine may be obtained.
from this apparatus by various means, especially by the one shewn in Figures 3
and 4.
The bydraulic cylinder a is fixed by brackets b to the ground plate, the shaft C,
to which continuous motion is to be imparted, passing through the centre, loose water-
tight caps d', d, are placed over the ends of the cylinder, and are so connected.
with the piston e as to be made to revolve with it; toothed wheels f¹, fl, are placed
on the shaft. f' being keyed to it, and " running loose, a communication exists
between the interior of the cylinder and the small space enclosed by each cap d', d",;
so that pressure and exhaust are alternately created under each cap, and in succession
unite each one to its corresponding toothed wheel. Either a V toothed surface or a
plate brake may be used to unite under the pressure the caps and wheels. Thus
when the top cap is secured to its toothed wheel, the shaft to which f¹ is keyed is.
driven round by the piston in the direction of the arrow, and when the lower one
is connected (the upper being then disconnected), it drives the wheel f" in the
opposite direction, the motion of fll is communicated to f1 by a train of wheels

page_text: however, which result in driving the wheel fl in the same direction as before; thus,
although the circular motion of the hydraulic cylinder is reciprocal, that of the
shaft c is continuous in one direction.
To alter the direction of the revolution of the shaft, a valve box k may be used
to direct either pressure or exhaust into either of the pipes l, m.
The Invention also relates to hydraulic engines adapted for working cranes on
capstans, and in which cylinders with rams are employed.
We construct an engine with three parallel hydraulic cylinders, containing rams
coupled by connecting rods with a three-throw crank. Each of these rams has a
smaller ram springing from it at the hinder end; it passes out through the end of the
main cylinder, and enters another cylinder:
When the engine is at work these additional cylinders may or may not be supplied
with water under pressure at the discretion of the engine driver, and it is only when
all the cylinders are supplied that the engine works to its full power; at other times
it works at a reduced power, with an economy of water.
The smaller auxiliary cylinders receive their supply each from the corresponding
main cylinder, with which it is connected by a pipe; in the connection there is a
drop valve, which when left alone, prevents the passage of water into the smaller
cylinder, but at pleasure these valves can be raised from their seats by pushers
entering through stuffing boxes beneath the valves. Such an engine is shown by
the Drawings upon Sheets 2 and 3.
The engine has three cylinders placed side by side A, A1, A", and three
supplementary cylinders B, B¹, B¹¹, placed immediately behind the main cylinders
A, A¹, A¹¹
The water is admitted to the cylinders A, A¹, A¹¹, through the slide valves con-
tained in the box C; these valves are worked from the crank shaft S by the
eccentrics E, E¹, E¹¹.
?
When light loads are to be lifted or drawn only the cylinders A, A', A", are used,
but when the engines are required to work up to their full power the drop
valves V, V, V, are pushed up by means of the eccentric D, which moves the
inclined planes P, P¹, P¹¹, and thereby raises up the valves V, V¹, V", and admits the
water into the auxiliary or supplementary cylinders B, B¹, B¹¹.
The Invention also relates to hydraulic mechanism for actuating a capstan.
We employ only two main and two auxiliary cylinders, and cause them to give a
to-and-fro motion to a slide, upon which there are pawls or drivers engaging with a
ratchet wheel upon the capstan axis.
To turn the capstan when the full power is not required, the larger cylinders only
are supplied with water under pressure; but whenever required, drop valves, such as
already described, can be lifted from their seats, admitting water to the auxiliary
cylinders, and then the full power is exerted.
An hydraulic capstan, made in accordance with this part of our Invention, is
shown on Sheet 4 of the Drawings.
The capstan is worked by two main cylinders A, A³, one on either side of capstan
head.
The rams of these cylinders are connected by means of two wrought-iron
plates P, P¹, between which are pawls C, C¹, which are kept against the ratchet
wheel R by means of springs.
When water is admitted into A through the connection D by means of a slide
valve, and hand lever, not represented in the Drawings, the rams move from the
cylinder A, and the pawl C falling into gear causes the capstan head M to rotate
upon the fixed pillar N.
When the ram A has completed its stroke water is admitted to A¹ through the
connection D¹; the connection D at the same time being opened to the exhaust, the
water flowing into A' causes the rams to move in the opposite direction. The
pawl C¹ now falling into gear with the ratchet wheel R, the rotary motion of the
capstan head M is continued in the same direction.
When it is required to work the capstan up to its full power the lever Lis moved,

page_text: thereby lifting two drop valves V, V₁, situated near the connections D, D². These
valves being so lifted allow the water admitted at D, D¹ to flow into the supple-
mentary cylinders B, B¹, when the capstan works up to its full power. When
lighter loads are being drawn the valves V, V₁, are allowed to fall, shutting off the
water from B, B¹, and so effecting a great saving in water.
The arrangement may be simplified by the omission of the smaller cylin-
ders B, B¹, and parts in connection therewith, but at the sacrifice of economy in.
working.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that we claim,--
First. The hydraulic apparatus, substantially as described, and shown in respect
to Sheet 1 of the Drawings, arranged and applied as a brake.
Second. The hydraulic apparatus, substantially as described, and shown in respect
to Sheet 1 of the Drawings, arranged and applied as a motive-power engine yielding
a semi-rotary movement.
Third. The hydraulic apparatus, substantially as described, and shown in respect
to Sheet 1 of the Drawings, arranged and applied as a motive-power engine, yielding
semi-rotary motion continuously in one direction.
Fourth. The double powered hydraulic engine, substantially as described, and
shown in respect to Sheets 2 and 3, of the Drawings.
Fifth. The hydraulic capstan, substantially as described, and shown in respect to
Sheet 4 of the Drawings, arranged and applied either as a double powered or a
single powered capstan.
Sixth. The means of obtaining a double power by connecting rains in pair, end
to end, and by establishing connections provided with drop valves between the
cylinders, in which the rams work, substantially as described in respect to Sheets 2, 3,
and 4 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Benjamin Walker and John Frederick
Augustus Pflaum, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-nine.
B. WALKER.
(L.S.)
J. F. A. PFLAUM. (L.S.)