IMPROVEMENTS IN SLUICES OR FLOODGATES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Goold Morony Stoney, of Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer, for the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Goold Morony
Stoney at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 10th September 1874.
I, FRANCIS GOOLD MORONY STONEY, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLUICES OR FLOODGATES,” to
be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the constructing of sluices or flood-
gates in an improved and simplified manner so as to be worked with
little power, and so as to be durable and not easily put out of order.
The improved arrangements are intended chiefly for the drainage or

page_text: relief of large rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and the like, but are also
applicable for regulating or controlling the flow of any streams.
The sluices are suitable for openings or passages of considerable
width, for example, fifteen to thirty feet, and any number of them
may be applied in the same channel to correspond to any required
waterway.
The improved sluice or floodgate is a strong vertical, or nearly
vertical slide or shutter fitting at each end in grooves formed in piers or
in the side walls of the channel, and when closed has its bottom edge in
contact with the sill or bottom of the opening, whilst its top edge then
stands at high water or flood level. The pressure of the water is entirely
taken up on sets of free rollers travelling between vertical, or nearly
vertical, rails on the back of the sluice, and similar rails which arc
stationary. The rollers are held by frames suspended by chains, each of
which passes under a pulley on the roller frame, and has its ends
respectively attached to the sluice rails and fixed rails, so that the
frames rise or fall half the distance moved through by the sluice as
accords with the proper motion of the rollers. The weight of the
moving parts is supported by chains passing over large pulleys overhead
to counterweights, the axles of the pulleys being arranged to roll on
bearing plates in order to avoid friction, and being formed with small
spur teeth to gear with rack teeth on the bearing plates to prevent the
pulleys from getting out of their proper positions. The water pressure
being sustained by the free rollers, and the weight of the gate being
counterbalanced, the gate may be easily opened or closed by means of
screws or racks and pinions with suitable gearing.
The intention is for all flood waters to pass under the gates, these
being raised higher as a flood increases; and in some cases it may be
desirable to make the sluices or floodgates self-acting, which can be
done by arranging a float or floats to act on the gates directly or through
gearing. Such float may be arranged in a chamber having a com-
paratively small outlet, and with a large inlet over a weir, which is at
the normal level, or which may be adjustable at different levels. When
the water rises above the weir it flows into the chamber more rapidly
than it can get away, and in consequence raises the float, and through
it acts on the main gates.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Goold Morony Stoney in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
GOOLD MORONY STONEY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Francis Goold Morony Stoney, Her
special licence that I, the said Francis Goold Morony Stoney, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis
Goold Morony Stoney, 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 law-
fully 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 SLUICES OR FLOODGATES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Goold. Morony
Stoney, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that Ì, the said Francis Goold Morony Stoney, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-.
My said Invention has for its object the constructing of sluices or
floodgates in an improved and simplified manner so as to be worked
with little power, and so as to be durable and not casily put out of
order.

page_text: My improved arrangements are intended chiefly for the drainage or
relief of large rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and the like, but are also
applicable for regulating or controlling the flow of any streams.
My sluices are suitable for openings or passages of considerable
width, for example, fifteen to thirty feet, and any number of them
may be applied in the same channel to correspond to any required
waterway.
· And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets
of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
one of a series of sluices or floodgates as made with my improvements.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
7
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the sluice; and Figures 3 and 4, on
Sheet 2, are vertical sections as at right angles to the face of the
.sluice.
My improved sluice is a strong vertical (or nearly vertical) slide or
shutter 1 fitting at each end in grooves 2 formed in piers 3, or in the
side walls of the channel, and when closed has its bottom edge 4 in
contact with the sill or bottom 5 of the opening, whilst its top edge
then stands at high water or flood level. This slide or shutter may of
course be constructed in various ways to suit different sizes of channel
and different circumstances. As represented in the accompanying
Drawings it consists of a front sheeting 1 of curved iron plates fixed on
a framework of curved horizontal girders 6, 7, 8, built up of T and angle
iron, and connected and strengthened by vertical and diagonal pieces,
.whilst timber beams 9, 10, are fixed along its upper and lower edges,
the latter being combined with a planed cast-iron shoe 4. The pressure
of the water is entirely taken up on sets of free rollers 11 (indicated by
dotted circles in Figures 3 and 4) travelling between vertical (or nearly
vertical) rails 12 fixed on the back of the sluice, and similar rails 13
fixed to the piers 3. Each set of rollers 11 is held in a frame consisting
principally of a pair of plates 14, and suspended by a chain 15, which
passes under a pulley 16 at the upper end of the frame, and has its ends
respectively attached to the sluice rails 12 and fixed rails 13. In
consequence of this arrangement the roller frames 14 rise or fall half

page_text: the distance moved through by the sluice, and this action accords
exactly with the proper rolling motion of the rollers 11. The weight
of thio moving parts is supported by chains 17 passing over large
pulleys 18 overhead to a counterweight 19, which is represented as in
the form of a heavy bar of the same length as the sluice, and having at
its ends journals, which are guided by channelled plates 20 fixed to the
piers 3. The axles of the pulleys 18 are arranged to roll on bearing
plates 21 in order to avoid friction, being formed with small spur teeth
to gear with rack teeth on the bearing plates to prevent the pulleys
from getting out of their proper positions. The guides 20 for the
counterweight 19 are slightly inclined, so that the counterweight is
always vertically below its points of suspension. The water pressure on
the sluice being sustained by the free rollers, and its weight being
counterbalanced, the sluice may be easily opened or closed by means of
screws or racks or pinions with suitable gearing.
In the Drawings a light lattice-girder foot bridge 22 is represented as
extending between the piers 3; and on this bridge there is a pedestal 23
carrying a horizontal shaft 24 with a winch handle, and geared by a
bevil pinion and a bevil wheel to a vertical shaft extending down the
pedestal, and having at its lower end a bevil pinion gearing with a bevil
wheel 25 on a horizontal shaft 26, which last has pinions at its ends
gearing with rack-toothed bars 27, which are jointed to the sluice. The
bearings of the shaft 26 are on transverse frame pieces, which, as well
as the plates 21 supporting the pulleys 18, are fixed to the lower
members of the bridge girders 22.
In Figure 3 the sluice is shown quite closed, and in Figure 4 it is
shown open, and raised to its highest position.
In designing this sluice or floodgate my intention has been for all
flood waters to pass under the sluice, this being raised higher as a flood
increases; and in some cases it may be desirable to make the sluices or
floodgates self-acting, which can be done by arranging a float or floats
to act on the gates directly or through gearing. Such float may be.
arranged in a chamber having a comparatively small outlet, and with a
large inlet over a weir, which is at the normal level, or which may be
adjustable at different levels. When the water rises above the weir it
Bows into the chamber more rapidly than it can get away, and in

page_text: consequence accumulates and raises the float, and through it acts on the
main gates.
My improved sluice with its free rollers for sustaining the pressure
with extremely little friction can be applied to closed channels or
passages, or to pipes, in which cases an enclosed recess is formed, into 5
which the sluice or shutter is moved when opened, the shaft or spindle
for moving the sluice by means of a screw or pinion and rack being
passed through a stuffing box into such enclosed recess.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to 1
the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
'
1. The improved mode of constructing and arranging sluices or flood
gates, in which the slide or shutter is supported against the pressure by 1
a set or sets of free rollers arranged and acting substantially as herein-
before described.
2. The arranging of the axles of the pulleys 18, over which the
counterbalancing chains pass so as to roll on plates supporting them,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Goold Morony Stoney, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
2
FRANCIS GOOLD MORONY STONEY. (L.S.)