Improvements in Water Meters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1898--Accepted, 11th June, 1898
[Communicated from abroad by FRIEDRICH Lux, of Ludwigshafen-on-the-Rhine,
in the Kingdom of Bavaria, and Empire of Germany.]
Improvements in Water Meters.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to a vane-wheel water meter capable of measuring water
flowing through it in the direction opposed to that of the usual flow, the apparatus
being arranged in such a manner that the passages provided in the walls of the
measuring cylinder are arranged horizontally one above the other and are of the
same size but run in opposite directions; whilst upon both the base and cover of
the measuring vessel or space are provided stemming or damming ribs of tri-
angular cross-section so arranged that water flowing in from below strikes against
their vertical faces whilst water flowing in from above strikes against their inclined
faces, in consequence of which the vane-wheel, in spite of being more heavily
loaded with the water flowing in the backward direction, yet makes exactly the
same number of revolutions, only in the reverse direction, for each unit of measure-
ment of water flowing backwards as for each unit flowing in the forward direction.
In the accompanying drawing-
Figure 1 is a vertical section through a water meter constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section upon the line a--b of Figure 1 through the
cylinder and the vane-wheel as seen from above.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section upon the line c-d of Figure 1, also as seen from
above.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the base plate closing the measuring vessel.
Figure 5 is a view, as seen from below, of the cylinder forming the measuring
vessel, the whole of the parts being removed.
Figure 6 shews a section upon the line g-h of Figure 5 through a stemming
rib upon the cover of the cylinder and
Figure 7 shews a section upon the line e-f of Figure 4, of a stemming rib upon
the base plate of the same, viewed from the opposite side.
In the outer metal casing A (Figure 1) of a water meter constructed in accord-
ance with this invention is provided an inner part B in the upper portion of which
is arranged counting mechanism of any known and suitable kind, whilst in the
lower portion are arranged the novel measuring space or vessel and the vane-wheel
rotating therein.
The measuring vessel is provided, as is shewn by the sections a-b (Figure 2)
and cd (Figure 3), with two systems of passages (C and D) lying one upon the
other and arranged in opposite directions, in such a manner that, assuming that
the vane-wheel is not there, the water which we will suppose enters from below for

page_text: example, would issue through the upper passages without being caused to diverge
from its tangential direction, and vice versa.
The vane-wheel rotating in this measuring vessel consists of an annular disc E
provided both above and below with curved scoops F and G, the hollow or concave
side of which is directed towards the water inlet in each case.
In the walls of the cylinder are formed two or more passages H, which may be
closed to a greater or less extent by means of screws I. Upon the base and upon
the cover of the measuring vessel are provided a number (three in the present
case) of stemming ribs K one face of which is at right angles to the base plate,
whilst the other face is inclined thereto. These stemming ribs are, as shewn by
the sections ef (Figure 4) and g-h (Figure 5), so arranged that the stream of
water entering below and flowing upwards strikes against the vertical faces of the
same both at the base and at the cover of the cylinder, whilst water flowing in the
opposite direction, that is to say, from above downwards, passes readily over
the inclined surfaces.
The water passing through the meter in the direction of the arrows upon the
drawing off of such water enters by the lower passages, causes the vane-wheel to
rotate by striking upon the lower set of scoops, flows through the middle portion
upwards, thereby loading the vane-wheel heavily, and passes out by way of the
upper passages.
Water flowing through in the opposite direction enters by the upper passages,
strikes upon the upper set of scoops and thus causes the vane-wheel to rotate
backwards, leaving the measuring vessel through the lower passages.
6
As the water flowing back loads the vane-wheel, whilst the water flowing for-
ward lightens it, if the indications exactly correspond with the amount of water
flowing through in the forward direction, they would be
"
slow with respect to
the quantity of water flowing back, but owing to the stemming ribs having
differently inclined faces this difference is compensated for.
During both a forward and a backward flow of water a portion of the same
passes through the passages formed in the cylindrical walls of the measuring vessel
which passages form a kind of circular conduit, whereby a ready and exact means
of gauging the meter, independently of the various loads, is afforded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
A vane-wheel water meter, in the walls of the measuring cylinder of which are
provided, horizontal passages lying one above the other, of equal size but running
in opposite directions, and having upon the base and cover of the measuring vessel,
stemming ribs of triangular cross-section and so arranged that water passing from
below strikes against the vertical faces of such ribs whilst water passing from
above strikes against their inclined faces, substantially as described and for the
purposes specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.