Testing Machines for Gas and like Meters.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1896--Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
Testing Machines for Gas and like Meters.
I, BYRON EDGAR CHOLLAR, Engineer, of 411 North Eleventh Street, in the City of
St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, one of the United States of North America, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for a Meter Testing Machine, 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 to provide a device for the purpose of testing the
accuracy of gas and like meters. Such meters are often imperfectly constructed, and
are therefore inaccurate in their registration of the amount of gas which passes
through them. My object is to provide a device which will detect any errors in the
meter, and also keep a record of them. I accomplish this by means of the mechanism
shown in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure I illustrates a top or plan view of the recording apparatus, and the position
of the meter while being tested.
Fig. II is an enlarged side elevation of one of the markers, taken along the
line II-II of Fig. 1.
Fig. III is a top view of a second recording device, taken along the line III-III
of Fig. V, said record being used for the purpose of verifying the first.
Fig. IV is a top view of the compound lever used for propelling the recording
pencil in the case of very large meters.
Fig. V is a side elevation of the device.
1 is the table upon which the device rests. 2 is the meter to be tested, which is
secured for that purpose to the table 1 by means of the thumb screws 3 engaging
the slotted bars 4. The gas or like fluid enters the meter through the feed pipe 5,
and is exhausted through the pipe 6. As the gas passes through the meter valves,
the crank 7 is caused to revolve by the motion of said valves. 7 are the valve
cranks of the meter. To this crank 7 is pivoted at 8 a rod 9, and its rotary motion
is by means of this crank converted into a backward and forward motion.
10 is a strip of paper and 11 is a reel upon which said paper is wound, (Fig. 1).
By means of any suitable mechanism this strip of paper is drawn at a uniform
speed under the roller 12 and through the guides 13 and 14 and out under the
roller 15. To accomplish this I prefer to use a small Edison motor. Supported on
standards 16 on each side of this paper strip is a movable rod 17, to which
movable rod is secured an arm 18 bearing a pencil 19. 20 is a weight attached to
said arm to keep the same depressed.
21 are standards similar to 16, placed to the left thereof as shown, and supporting
a rod 22. This likewise carries fixed thereon an arm 23 and a pencil 24 held down
by a weight 25. The rod 22 is threaded at one end, and the arm 23 and the
pencil 24 are placed and held in a desired fixed position by means of the adjusting
nut 26. As the paper travels from right to left this pencil 24 makes a straight mark
down its middle.
To the end of the rod 17 is attached the rod 9 by means of the screw 27. It will
be readily seen that as the rod 17 is moved back and forth by the rod 9, it will
cause the pencil 19 to leave a wave line on the moving paper 10.
A third set of standards 28 support a rod 29 situated between rods 22 and 17.
It also carries an arm 30 and pencil 31, kept depressed by weight 32.
33 is a small reservoir or gasometer, conveniently situated, the capacity of which
is very carefully shown on the graduated scale 34. Gas is fed from said reservoir
n

page_text: through pipe 5 to the meter to be tested. Attached to said reservoir is a wire 35,
which passes over pulleys 36, 37, said pulleys being properly supported on a suitable
frame-work 1. The other end of this wire 35 is attached to a weight 35, and the
wire is wound around a spindle 38 placed in an adjustable frame 39 attached to
the table 1 by means of a binge bearing 39 at one end and a screw bolt 39 at
the other end. As the gas or like fluid is exhausted from reservoir 33 and the
reservoir sinks, the drawing of the wire 35 by the weight causes the spindle 38 to
revolve. The said spindle carries a crank 40 to which, by means of a slot and set
screw, is attached the rod 41. This rod 41 is attached to the rod 29 by means of
a screw 42. It will thus be seen that the pencil 31 will describe a second wave down
the moving paper strip 10, raid pencil being propelled by means of the movement
of the said rol 41.
The meter 2 to be tested is secured to the table 1 by means of the bars 4.
The rod 9 is then attached to the crank 7, and the paper strip 10 is started in
motion. Gas or like fluid is passed through the meter from pipe 5, and the motion
imparted to the pencil 19 causes a wave line, as shown, to be drawn upon the moving
paper. The capacity of the chamber varies in different meters, consequently the
same number of wave crests and troughs per cubic foot will not be shown in the
different meters. In the drawing are shown six waves, supposed to be the result
of the one cubic foot of gas or like fluid passing through the meter.
After the apparatus is started, the pencil 24 is adjusted by means of the milled
nut 26, which is confined between check plates 21, so as to describe a straight line
directly between crest and trough of the wave. The distance from this line to the
crest ought to equal the distance to the trough. Any variation will show a defect in
the adjustment. A complete revolution of the crank 7 will describe a complete
wave, say from the point 4 to point 44. This will indicate that all the valves are
used once, the portion of the wave above the line, described by pencil 24, showing
one-half the meter, and that below the line the other half. If one varies from the
other, it will show that one meter chamber is unequal to the other.
The pencil 31, describing a second wave and operated as described, provides a
convenient means of comparison of the first wave made by a pencil operated by the
meter. The number of these waves per cubic foot is regulated by the diameter of
the spindle 38 to correspond with the number described by the marker 19. The
height of the wave is regulated by the adjustment of the crank pin and slot. As the
same body of gas or like fluid now controls the movement of both pencils, the two
lines should be isometric. The line described by pencil 31 being controlled by
exhaustion of gas or like fluid in reservoir 33 and without the intervention of meter 2
will be symmetrical. Any variation from this in the line described by pencil 19
will indicate that there is a fault somewhere in said meter.
It is easier to detect a fault in the line midway between crest and trough than
upon said crest or trough. In this case the meter may then be placed at an angle to the
table by means of the slotted bar 4 and set screw 3 as shown in dotted lines in
Fig. 1. This will throw a break in the symmetry of the wave, which otherwise
would be at the crest or trough, somewhere between the crest and trough.
When a very large meter is to be tested, the length of motion of rod 17 might be greater
than the width of the paper 10. I then divide the rod 9 into two parts, 9 and 91
(Fig. IV) and attach these parts by means of set screws to an arm 45 attached to
the table 1 on a pivot 46. By this means 1 shorten the length of the motion of
rod 17.
The apparatus shown in Fig. I will afford in itself a complete test for the accuracy
of the meter. The third device shown in Fig. III may or may not be used in
connection therewith.
My device affords a means of keeping a permanent record of individual meters,
so as to show any variation in the registration of the same from time to time, as well
as to test new or faulty meters.
While I have described my invention as adapted for testing meters for measuring
ordinary illuminating gas, I do not limit myself to this use, as it may be used for

page_text: testing other like volumes. As a matter of fact I use air for making the ordinary
tests.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim as my invention is :-
1. A gas or like meter testing machine comprising a support for a meter, a
strip travelling over the support, a sliding rod located over the strip, a weighted arm
pivoted to the sliding rod and carrying a marker, a reciprocating rod whereby the
sliding rod is connected directly to the meter, an adjustable rod located over the
strip, and a weighted arm pivoted to the adjustable rod carrying a marker;
substantially as described.
2. A gas or like meter testing machine comprising a support for a meter, a
strip travelling over the support, a sliding rod located over the strip, a weighted arm
pivoted to the sliding rod and carrying a marker, a reciprocating rod whereby the
sliding rod is connectod directly with the valve-crank of the meter, a gasometer, a
frame, a spindle having a crank arm and carried by the frame, a connection between
the spindle and the gasometer, and a rod connecting the sliding rod with the crank
arun, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with a gas or like fluid containing reservoir, of means for
conveying the gas or like fluid from said reservoir through a meter, a crank operated
by the valves of said meter, means for recording the motion of said crank upon a
moving strip, a second crank operated directly by the movement of said reservoir, and
means for recording the motion of the second crank upon said moving strip isometric
with said first record; substantially as described.
4. The combination of a moving strip, a meter, a crank operated by the opening
and closing of the valves of said meter, a rod attached to said crank, a marker
carried on said rod and adapted to impress said moving strip, a reservoir adapted
to furnish a supply of gas or like fluid to pass through said meter, a spindle
carrying a second crank, a wire attached to said reservoir and passing over pulleys to
said spindle, an arm attached to said second crank, a marker attached to said arm
and adapted to impress said moving strip isometric with said first marker, and a third
marker adapted to draw a straight line down said moving strip, and midway between
the extremes of the wave lines described by said other markers; substantially as
described.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.