Regulating and Ascertaining the Temperature of Ships'-holds, Greenhouses, Public and other Buildings, Actuating Fire Alarms, Opening and Closing Water and Gas Valves, and other like Purposes.
Year: 1885

page_text: Regulating and Ascertaining the Temperature of Ships'-holds,
Greenhouses, Public and other Buildings, Actuating Fire
Alarms, Opening and Closing Water and Gas Valves, and
other like Purposes.
I, ROBERT BROUGH of Sunderland in the county of Durham, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My apparatus consists essentially of a tube or series of tubes arranged either in
a straight line or coiled in any convenient manner, having affixed to one or both
ends diaphragms, metallic pistons, cup leathers, or other similar contrivances,'
connected to a lever or levers attached to the ventilator, water or gas valve or
other apparatus, which it is desired to regulate. I fill the tube or tubes with any
liquid which will expand in a higher ratio than the material of which the said
tubes are made, so that the liquid will expand or contract with a rise or fall of
temperature and actuate the diaphragms, metallic pistons, cup-leathers or other
devices accordingly; thus actuating the ventilators, water or gas valves or other
apparatus as may be required. I may also use a pressure gauge in combination
with the said tubes to indicate the temperature and I may actuate electric bells or
any other similar contrivances by means of my apparatus to give alarm in case of
fire &c.
The said tubes may be arranged in rooms, warehouses, shops, ships-holds, and
bunkers, or in any other desired places, so that the same may be regulated to any
given temperature and in the event of the said temperature rising above or falling
below the required degree, my apparatus can actuate an electric or other alarm to
denote that the temperature is too high or too low and at the same time may shut
off the gas and open water valves or perform other similar required operations.
When applied to greenhouses or apartments with glass roofs, my apparatus may be
actuated by the direct or reflected rays of the sun.
In the construction of the said tubes I prefer to use brass, but any other suitable.
material may be employed or any description of vessel as the receiver or holder, of

page_text: the liquid; both ends of the tube being securely fitted with diaphrams, cup leathers,
metallic pistons or other suitable devices to actuate levers, pressure gauges or
electric alarms as before described.
When long tubes are fixed in public buildings I prefer to provide thermometers
to shew the variation of temperature in the tube.
I, ROBERT BROUGH of Sunderland in the county of Durham, 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:
The object of my invention is the construction of an apparatus for automatically
working ventilators, and regulating and ascertaining the temperature of ships-
holds, greenhouses, public and other buildings, and also for regulating and ascer-
taining the temperature of coal and grain stores, hay and straw ricks and other
stores of goods or materials liable to spontaneous combustion, also for actuating
fire alarms, regulating and closing gas and water valves, fire and oven doors,
dampers and other like purposes.
My apparatus consists essentially of a tube or series of tubes arranged either in
a straight line or coiled in any convenient manner as may be required, or of a
vessel of any suitable shape, having affixed thereto diaphragms, pistons, cup
leathers or other similar contrivances, connected to a lever or levers, attached to
the ventilator or other apparatus required to be operated.
I fill the tube or tubes with any suitable description of liquid or gas, which will
expand in a higher ratio than the material of which the said tube or tubes or vessel
is made, so that the said liquid or gas will expand or contract with a rise or fall of
temperature and actuate the aforesaid diaphragms, pistons, cup-leathers or other
devices accordingly, thus actuating the ventilators, or other apparatus in connection
therewith..

page_text: In some cases, I attach to the apparatus an extra diaphragm, piston or cup
leather, connected to a lever, which is so weighted that when the diaphragm or
diaphragms or other devices, in connection with ventilators or other apparatus as
aforesaid have been moved to the full extent, should any further rise of temperature
occur, it will then commence to move the said extra diaphragm, which will act after
the manner of a safety valve and so relieve the apparatus of any excess of pressure.
Another use of the said extra diaphragm is, that if it be required to close the
ventilators or other apparatus as aforesaid, it is only necessary to move the weight
on the lever nearer to the diaphragm, piston or cup leather, until it offers less
resistance to the pressure than the other diaphragm when such diaphragm with its
ventilator or other apparatus will close and the extra weighted diaphragm will rise.
When convenient may connect the water service pipe to my apparatus and in
this case I employ a non-return valve so that the tube or vessel may always be
filled with liquid and when the temperature rises the non-return valve will close
and the apparatus commence to act.
I may, when desired, employ a pressure gauge in combination with my apparatus
to indicate the temperature and pressure.
In adapting my invention to work a fire alarm or any other analogous apparatus
I employ a diaphragm gauge in connection with an electric bell or bells, the said
diaphragm being so regulated as to indicate any required temperature and pressure.
I may also employ electric attachments to the levers of the diaphragms, pistons or
cup leathers before mentioned.
My apparatus may be arranged in rooms, warehouses, shops, ships-holds and
bunkers or in any other desired places, and may be adjusted to any given
temperature, so that in the event of the temperature rising above or falling below
the required degree, my apparatus can actuate an electric alarm or alarms as above
mentioned to denote that the temperature is too high or too low and may at the
same time shut off the gas, where it is employed, and open water valves, or
ventilators, or operate other and similar devices as may be required according to
the circumstances of the case.
When applied to greenhouses or apartments with glass roofs, my apparatus may
be actuated by the direct or reflected rays of the sun.
In the construction of the said tubes I prefer to use brass, but any other suitable
material may be employed, or any suitable description of vessel, as the receiver or
holder of the liquid or gas.
When long tubes are employed
prefer to provide thermometers to shew the
variation of temperature in the tube itself.
In the sheet of drawings annexed hereto, Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 is a plan of my improved apparatus.
Figure 3 is an end, elevation partly in section through the line X X in Figure 1
shewing two diaphragms with their levers, and
Figure 4 is a section of a piston and cup leather, to be used as an alternative
device to a diaphragm.
The same letters indicate like parts throughout the Figures.
A A is the tube, which may be either straight, or coiled as shewn at B, filled
with any suitable liquid or gas. C is an elastic diaphragm acting, by the expansion
of the fluid within A, upon a piston and rod D, which is connected through the
rod F with the ventilator or other apparatus requiring to be operated.
C'D' E' are a similar diaphragm piston and lever, weighted as shewn at G.
At one end of the tube A a pressure gauge I.is fixed, the dial being so graduated
that it records the temperature and pressure.
At the other end a valve J is provided.
The pressure of the fluid in the pipe A and coil B, due to increase of temperature,
will by means of the diaphragm C, piston D and lever E force up the rod F,
communicating with the device to be operated, and if, when this has been moved
to the full extent, the pressure should still increase, the diaphragm C¹ will then

page_text: come into play, the weight G being so adjusted that the pressure on C¹ is greater
than that on C and relieve the pressure as before described.
By moving the weight G nearer to the diaphragm C₁ it is obvious that the
pressure upon Ct may be rendered less than on C, when C will close and C¹ rise.
The lever E¹ may be employed to actuate electric or other devices in addition to
the lever E if so desired.
H is a glass tube enclosed for safety in a slotted brass tube or casing to shew
the height of the liquid when the tube is connected to the water service or
otherwise and also to prevent air being admitted into the apparatus.
If desired electric bells or alarms can be actuated by means of the pressure
gauge I as well as by the levers E and E¹.
In Figure 4, K is a piston provided with cup leather L which may be used
instead of the diaphragm C and piston D shewn in Figure 3.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular
arrangement of the pipe A and coil B nor to the particular construction of the
diaphragms or pistons, nor to the particular construction of other details as shewn
in these drawings, as such may be obviously modified without departing from the
essential features of my invention.
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.) An improved thermal apparatus having a tube or tubes either straight or
coiled in combination with diaphragms, pistons, cup leathers, or other similar
devices and filled with any suitable liquid or gas, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn.
(2.) An improved thermal apparatus having a vessel of any suitable form in
combination with diaphragms, pistons, cup leathers, or other similar devices and
filled with any suitable liquid or gas, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn.
(3.) The method of utilizing the expansion and contraction of liquids or gases
in a thermal apparatus, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
shewn.
AMBROSE MYALL, C.E.,
Agent for the Applicant.