IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Knowelden, of Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS."
Sealed the 30th May. 1862, and dated the 5th December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Knowelden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
December 1861.
I, JOHN KNOWELDEN, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PUMPS," to be as follows: → .
The first part of my Invention is for an improvement upon an Invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to me, in conjunction with. Downes
Edwards, 7th July 1859, No. 1613, and refers to the valve chamber and
valves. My present improvement. consists in forming the chamber circular,
and in fitting the valves to feathers on a circular plug. I connect a handle to
the outside of the plug, whereby the same may be withdrawn in case of need,'
and whereby the action of the pumps in connection with the valves may be
reversed; that is, the pump which acted as a suction pump may be made to
act as a force pump; and that which acted as a force may be converted into a
suction pump.'.
My Invention further consists in making the pumps for donkey engines
double-acting. I form the plunger with a space in the bottom, and fit a

page_text: valve thereto, and on the bottom of the plunger I fit a piston the circum-
ference of the bore of the barrel, and I fit a foot valve in the bottom of the
barrel.
My Invention also relates to constructing pumps for working presses and
other purposes, to be worked by a steam cylinder or otherwise; if worked by a
steam cylinder, I place the pumps in direct connection with the piston rod,
and I so construct the valve motion that the engine shall be stopped when
the pressure exceeds the working pressure of the pumps. I make the pumps
double-acting by fitting them with four valves; the barrel of the pump is
bored and fitted with a piston, which is fixed on the end of a plunger, which
is of so much smaller circumference than the barrel as will leave sufficient
space to form the pressure side of the pump. In working pumps for extin-
guishing fires and other purposes, I make them with a variable stroke, in order
to their being effectually worked under high and low pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Knowelden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KNOWELDEN, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of. December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Knowelden, Her special licence that I, the said John Knowelden,
.my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Knowelden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed,-should-and-lawfully might make, use,
-exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PUMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Knowelden, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: Seal Patent Office within six calendar, months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said John Knowelden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference. being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:
The first part of my Invention is for an improvement upon an Invention
for which Letters Patent were granted to me, in-conjunction with Downes
Edwards, 7th July 1859, No. 1613, and refers to the valve chamber and
valves.. My present improvement consists in forming the chamber circular,
and in fitting the valves to feathers on a circular plug. I connect a handle to
the outside of the plug, whereby the same may be withdrawn in case of need,
and whereby the action of the pumps in connection, with the valves may be
reversed, that is, the pipe which acted as a suction pipe may be made to act
as a force or delivery pipe, and that which acted as a force may be converted
into a suction pipe...)
.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, partly in
section, and Figure 2 is a plan of a pump fitted with valves according. to. my
.Invention. a, a, are the valves fitted in a circular box or chamber b; a
detached view of these valves is given in plan at Figure 3; c, c, are the valve
feathers: The valve rod extends outside the box, and is fitted with a handled,
whereby the position of the valves may be altered, 'and the action of the pump
consequently reversed. No fastening being required to hold the valves, they
may be withdrawn, any impediment to their action removed, and they may be
immediately replaced in the valve chamber. Water, which is alternately
drawn into the compartments e and f through the apertures formed in the
lower part of the valves, is forced through the action of the pistons and
diaphragms into the chamber g, through the apertures in the upper part of
the valves, as in the pump for which Letters Patent were granted as herein-
before stated...
My Invention further consists in making the pumps for donkey engines
double-acting. I. form the plunger with a space in the bottom, and fit a
valve thereto, and on the bottom of the plunger I fit a piston the diameter of
the barrel, and I fit a foot valve in the bottom of the barrel..
"
t
Figure 4 is a section of so much of a donkey engine as will be necessary
to shew the manner in which I render the pumps double-acting. a is the
steam cylinder; b is its piston, and ċ the piston rod united-to the cross head d
which is free-to slide up and down in guides e, e; f is the piston in the

page_text: pump 9; h.is the space formed in the lower part of the piston, and i is the
valve at the upper end thereof; k is the plunger, and k' is an annular space
between the plunger and the pump barrel; 7 is a valve at the top, and m is
a yalve at the bottom of the pump, the former in the outlet pipe and the latter
in the inlet. Supposing water to be drawn into the pump by the pipe n, and
the piston to be at the top of its stroke, then on its return. stroke half the
water thus drawn in will be delivered through the outlet pipe o, and on
the up stroke the other half will be delivered through the same pipe, and
so on..
:
My Invention also relates to constructing pumps for working presses and other
purposes to be worked by a steam cylinder, or otherwise I place the pumps. in
direct connection with the piston rod, and I so construct the valve motion
that the engine shall be stopped when the pressure exceeds the working
pressure of the pumps. I make the pumps double-acting by fitting. them
with four valves; the barrel of the pump is bored and fitted with á piston,
which is fitted on the end of a 'plunger of so much smaller diameter than
the barrel as will leave sufficient space to form the pressure side of the
pump.
Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section, Figure 6 is an end view, and
Figure 7 is a plan of a pump for working presses according to my.Invention.
a is the cylinder; b is the piston, and c is the piston rod, which also forms the
plunger to the pump d. The valves of the cylinder a are worked by the small
cylinder e, which carries a lever f extending down to the piston rod c below;
9, 9, are stops on the piston rod. At each stroke of the piston these stops
come against the lever f, and thereby through the cylinder e, open and close
the ports in the cylinder a; h, h', are valves, one of which, h, is in communi-
cation with the pressure side i of the piston, and the other h¹ with the. speed
side of the piston, when the valve h rises by the pressure exerted upon it to
near the upper end of the spring on the valve h by means of levers not shown,
but indicated by dotted lines, it closes the cock 1, by which steam is admitted
to the cylinder, and stops the motion. The valve h¹ is provided with a spring
similar to that on the valve h, which is caused-to-act-by-a-rod-m-on-the-foot
valve n, as shown in Figure 6, and the pump is thrown out of action when the
required pressure is obtained. In working pumps for extinguishing fires and
other purposes, I make them with a variable stroke in order to their being
effectually worked under high and low pressure.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Pumps,"-

page_text: First, forming the valve chamber circular, and fitting the valves to feathers"
on a circular plug, substantially in manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the construction of the pumps for donkey engines, whereby they are
rendered double-acting, substantially in manner herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the construction of double-acting pumps for working presses and
other purposes, substantially in mariner herein-before described with reference"
to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Knowelden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two.