Improvements in or relating to Bucket Elevator Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1898- Accepted, 14th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bucket Elevator Apparatus.
HENRI FELIX MARIE LEMAIRE, of 150, Rue de Rivoli, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
-
This invention relates to a bucket elevator apparatus for use in raising water,
dredging or for similar purposes, in which a series of pivoted or swinging scoops
or buckets is employed and the invention has important advantages over similar
apparatus hitherto known.
In the usual water raising devices the buckets are secured to the links of the
chain and in order to be emptied they must pass over at least 1 of the circum-
ference of the upper roller or drum or, in other words their inner face must come
into a horizontal position. It is at least a ¼ of the circumference because owing
to the curvature that water forms in a receptacle rotating about a horizontal axis
it is necessary in order to enable a bucket to be completely emptied to cause its
inner face to form a downwardly inclined angle with the horizontal line, which
obviously requires that the upper bucket should pass at least a quarter of the
revolution of the drum.
This results in a serious drawback affecting the efficiency of the apparatus.
In fact, as with this description of raising devices it is necessary in order to empty
the buckets to raise the water, etc., to a higher level than that at which it is to
be received it is advisable to decrease the diameter of the upper drun in order
to reduce the height to which the liquid is to be raised. But in that case it is
necessary to give it very small speed otherwise the jet of liquid flowing out of
the bucket would pass beyond the receptacle intended to receive it.
In order to avoid this drawback the buckets are pivotted in such manner that
at the slightest inclination given to them on passing round the drum they swing
or turn over to a sufficient extent to at once pour out all their contents into
the receptacle the result being that the speed of the rotation of the upper drum
may be increased without any inconvenience or risk of loss of water."
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the improved
chapelet, Figure 2 a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 an elevation of
a link with its bucket in its normal position, Fig. 4 a vertical section of the same
link with the bucket turned over, Fig. 5 an elevation of a modified construction
of the chapelet, Fig. 6 a vertical cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, Fig. 7
a view of a link and bucket of the chapelet shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and Fig. 8 a
section of a link on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.
The chapelet or chain pump according to the present invention comprises a
chain with one kind of link. Each link consists of a metallic frame a the hinged
parts of which are formed by the vertical sides folded at a right angle (Figs. 1
to 4). These links are connected by cylindrical pins b recessed in the centre
to receive a spring c secured to the upper horizontal side of the link. This spring
serves to hold the pin 6 which can thus rotate about its own axis but cannot move
longitudinally. Each link carries a bucket or scoop d the lateral sides or lower

page_text: lugs d of which are mounted on studs or screws e secured to the folded parts of
the vertical sides of the link. Each lug d¹ has a projection which is adapted to
engage with the lower horizontal side of the link a when the bucket has swung
over.
The links a provided with their buckets d are connected by pins 6 the ends
of which project and are adapted to engage with the teeth of two discs f f secured
to a spindle g supported in bearings h h and caused to rotate by means of a
crank g on one of the ends of said spindle or in other desired manner.
As soon as owing to the rotation of the discs f.f forming the chain wheel a
link comes into engagement with them it gradually becomes inclined and almost
immediately the bucket d arriving full of water pivots about its hinges ee and
falls over discharging its contents into a chamber constituted by walls ii of
galvanised iron arranged between the disc f.f. The water thence flows through
a pipe or conduit k to any desired reservoir or place.
With the pivoted buckets according to the present invention the discs ff may
be rotated at a great speed as the buckets d turn over suddenly. and their contents
are immediately discharged. Moreover there is provided a lip or extension' ¿¹ in
the chamber i for catching any projected water that may be shot over and thus
avoiding any loss.
In case a little water passes between the walls ii and the adjacent discs f f
it can be caught and delivered into the pipe k by flanges 2 surrounding the lower
portion of the discs.
When a bucket d has made half a revolution on the discs ff it comes into a
vertical position but bottom upwards in which position it dips into the water of
the well etc. where it is filled and rises again in an upright position ready to swing
over and empty itself again on arriving at the discs.
I
When the apparatus is stopped it is necessary to prevent all the buckets on
the ascending side which are full from causing movement of the whole apparatus
owing to their weight. This could obviously be effected by means of a ratchet
wheel and pawl mounted on the spindle g. But to avoid the disagreeable noise
caused by the use of such ratchet gear it is preferably to use the well known
ball or roller clutch consisting of a ratchet wheel m mounted at one end of the
spindle g and adapted to rotate with the shaft in a fixed cup n. Between the
teeth of the ratchet wheel are arranged cylindrical rollers which when the shaft g
and the ratchet wheel m rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 1
(the direction in which the discs f f rotate when the chapelet is working) are
caused to rotate by the ratchet' wheel m without producing any effect. But if
the crank g¹ is released the full buckets tend to rotate the discs f f in the opposite
direction; the ratchet wheel m follows this movement but the rollers rolling on
the inclined faces of the ratchet teeth become wedged between the latter and the
inner face of the cup n and prevent the apparatus from rotating.
In the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 8 each link a consists of two strips or
pieces of flat metal rivetted together and forming: a fork for the purpose of receiv-
ing the corresponding portion of the adjoining link. The pin b connecting
together two links has its central portion of a diameter slightly larger than that
of the ends the opposite end of one of the links to that of the fork being mounted
on said central portion. This thickened portion of the pin is held between the
two branches of the corresponding fork and prevents the pin from coming out.
Each element of the link has moreover a bent arm' a' and on and between these
two arnis of each link is pivoted a bucket d. The bucket can swing on its pivots
the extent being limited by the oblique ends 2 of the arms a¹ against which rests
the bottom of the bucket when it is swung over:
The single disc or drum f on which the chain travels is cast or formed with
teeth arranged at regular intervals, and projecting laterally. Each tooth is
received in the centre to enable the ends of links a to engage therein and each
tooth is also provided with a notch or groove normal to the drum and destined to
receive the two branches of the pins b.
4]

page_text: A chamber is moreover 'arranged under the disc f to receive water discharged
from the buckets and a branch is connected to a pipe conducting the liquid
to the place where it is to be delivered.
As in the construction Figs. 1 to 4 the buckets of the second construction swing
over almost immediately after the chain has begun to turn on the disc and dis-
charge their contents.
This construction is simple and has the advantage of requiring only one disc
instead of two. The chain is moreover easier to manufacture and the whole
apparatus cheaper than the first described form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A bucket elevator apparatus the buckets of which are pivoted at their inner
sides to the links of the chain carrying them said chain engaging by means of
its pins on a single or double disc chain wheel mounted on the driving shaft
a chamber for receiving water discharged being arranged on the frame of the
apparatus substantially as described.
2. In a bucket elevator apparatus for raising water or for similar purposes two
discs carried on the driving spindle and arranged between the sides of a conduit 22
communicating at its lower part with a discharge pipe said conduit having vertical
projecting plates extending upwards between the discs and a lip or extension 2¹
connecting the sides at the point opposite to that where the buckets discharge
their contents substantially as described.
3. In a bucket elevator apparatus for raising water or for similar purposes a
bucket chain each link of which has lateral sides carrying the hinge pin for the
link and the hinge for the buckets provided with a lug d¹ with a projection for
engaging with the lower transverse portion of the link on which the bucket rests
before being discharged substantially as described.
4. In a bucket elevator apparatus for raising water or for similar purposes the
arrangement on the driving shaft of a single disc for driving the bucket chain
provided with laterally projecting teeth as f¹ for engaging with the pins of the
bucket chain substantially as described.
5. In a bucket elevator apparatus of the character set forth in Claim 4 a chain
provided with swinging buckets each link of the chain being constituted by flat
plates connected together and terminating at one end in a fork the arms of which
receive the hinge pin of the next link engaging with the fork each element of
the link being provided with a bent arm to support the bucket and its hinge
substantially as described.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete bucket
elevator apparatus substantially as described or illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4 or in Figures 5, 67 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Doted this 26th day of March 1908
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.