IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS AND GAS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A MOTIVE POWER ENGINE
Year: 1855

page_text: Sealed the 25th March 1856, and dated the 29th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Chadwick, Herbert
Frost, George Hanson, and John Chadwick at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 29th September 1855.
We, DAVID CHADWICK, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman,
and HERBERT FROST, Machinist, GEORGE HANSON, Plumber, and JOHN
CHADWICK, Chemist, all of Manchester, in the County aforesaid, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS AND GAS, APPLICABLE ALSO AS A MOTIVE
POWER ENGINE," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improvements upon a Patent granted to George
Hanson and David Chadwick, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three. According to the construction

page_text: particularly described in the Specification of the said Patent, a circular
flexible bag was divided into inlet and outlet chambers by the revolution
thereon of a roller or rollers. We still employ the flexible bag upon the same
principle, but of a rectilinear form, one end being in communication with the
supply and the other with the apparatus, by which the fluid is drawn off.
Across this bag is situate an axis, carrying rollers which extend sufficiently to
compress the said bag, and, being driven forward by the force of the fluid,
successively divide it into the inlet and outlet chambers. According to
another arrangement, we form a flexible bag around the periphery of a cylinder,
severed, however, at one part, to provide inlet and outlet passages; against this
is situate a roller mounted upon a fixed axis. The fluid exerting its pressure
against this will cause the cylinder on which the bag is placed to revolve.
These arrangements we also employ as motive power engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Chadwick, Herbert Frost, George Hanson, and John
Chadwick in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
CHADWICK, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, and HERBERT
FROST, Machinist, GEORGE HANSON, Plumber, and JOHN CHADWICK, Chemist,
all of Manchester, in the County aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said David Chadwick, Herbert Frost, George Hanson, and John Chadwick,
Her especial license that we, the said David Chadwick, Herbert Frost,
George Hanson, and John Chadwick, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said David Chadwick, Herbert Frost,
George Hanson, and John Chadwick, our 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 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS AND GAS,
APPLICABLE ALSO AS A MOTIVE POWER ENGINE," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that we, the said David Chadwick, Herbert Frost, George Hanson,
and John Chadwick, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals.
or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 I, the said David Chadwick, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to an inprovement upon a Patent granted to George
Hanson and David Chadwick, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, the Specification of which Patent was
duly filed. The present Invention consists in two methods of using the flexible
bag therein described; the first of which is shewn in sectional view at Fig. 1,
and in plan view at Fig. 2, the upper part being removed in order to expose
the parts. The casing is shewn at a, b, within the lower portion of which is
fixed a metal plate c with parallel edges, the surface being curved so as to be
concentric with an axis d, the extremities of which are mounted in slots formed
within standards e situate within the casing, and beyond which the said axis
does not extend; it is therefore entirely enclosed, and bears downward by its
own gravity. Upon the plate c is adapted a rectangular piece of flexible
material f. One that we now employ is substantial leather prepared with oil
or other grease, but other substances, as india-rubber cloth, may be employed.
This is confined to the plate c at its sides, and at the end f* by means of a
narrow strip of brass g; the other end f** is open across its width to the
interior of the casing. The plate c is furnished with an aperture h leading to
a passage i, the lower end of which is in communication with a chamber j, to
which a pipe m is adapted, the orifice being divided therefrom by a partition of
wire gauze 1. On the opposite side of the casing is a second pipe k opening
thereto, as seen by dots in Fig. 1. Upon the axis d are two discs n, n,
between which are mounted rollers o', o, o³, bearing as they revolve upon the
surface of the elastic bag f. The water or other fluid or gas to be measured is
admitted through the pipe m, and after passing through the wire gauze j.
proceeds up the passage i, and through the orifice into the space between
the flexible material f and plate c. According to the position shewn it is there
exerting a pressure against the roller o', but as the casing is also full of fluid,

page_text: the pressure on the other side will be equal, and therefore no alteration in
position will take place; but suppose a drawing off to be effected through the
pipe, then the equilibrium will be destroyed, and the roller o' will be forced
forward. This movement will bring the roller o past the orifice h, and a
certain quantity of fluid will therefore be enclosed between the said rollers o'
and o², which will be discharged into the casing upon the former having passed
the
open end of the flexible material f. After this, the roller o³ will pass
the orifice to perform the same office, and so on, successive volumes, which
are practically definite and constant in quantity, being enclosed between two
of the rollers, and subsequently liberated at the orifice f** Each revolu-
tion of the shaft & will therefore represent a certain quantity of fluid drawn off,
and this may be registered by any ordinary count. In the Drawing we have
shewn the shaft & connected to a second shaft p by a clutch q, and upon it is a
worm », supposed to be connected to the usual train of index wheels. Upon
this supplementary shaft is mounted a wheels, taking into a pinion t, on the
axis of which is a fan u. During the action of the meter, therefore, this appa-
ratus will be caused to revolve rapidly, and effect a steadiness of action. We
would observe, that if desired, a tube or bag of flexible material may rest upon
the plate c instead of the disc f, above described.
9,
Fig. 3 represents our second improvement, in section; and Fig. 4 is a
plan view thereof. Within the casing a is a cylinder b, the axis at one end
thereof being connected to the count, as before. At the other end it is hollow,
and provided with a conical end c, ground so as to fit a short tube d, by which
it is therefore supported. This tube is carried by the casing, and projects into
a chamber e, within which is a division of wire gauze, and to which the fluid is
admitted by means of a pipe f. Around the hollow cylinder is wound the
flexible material closed at one end g by a strip of metal, but open at the
other, as at g; the sides are closed by rings h, seen in Fig. 4. Within
the casing are standards i, in slots of which is mounted the axis of a roller j
bearing by its gravity upon the surface of the bag 9. Fluid entering by the
pipe f will pass through the tube d into the cylinder b, and from thence through
an orifice into the space between the outward surface of the said cylinder and
the flexible material g; there it will exert its force against the roller j, which
acts as an abutment, and upon a portion being drawn off will cause a revolution
of the cylinder b. This movement will bring the open end g** beyond the point
of contact of the roller j, and through which the fluid will then issue into the
casing a.
We have particularly described the above arrangements in reference to

page_text: meters, but the same are also applicable as motive power engines to be
worked by water or other means. In such cases the counting wheels and outer
casing will of course be dispensed with, power being obtained from the shaft d,
and the parts will be constructed of suitable strength, according to the strain to
which they are intended to be subjected.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim the use of flexible chambers and rollers acting
thereon, substantially as above described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2; also
the use of a flexible chamber formed around the periphery of a cylinder, as
in Figs. 3 and 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Chadwick, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
DAVID CHADWICK. (L.S.)