Improved Method of and Apparatus for Driving Road Vehicles and Machinery Generally by Means of Liquids.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th May, 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1997
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Driving Road Vehicles and
Machinery Generally by Means of Liquids.
We, JOSEPH POWELL, of Mark House, Mark House Road, Walthamstow, in the
County of Middlesex, Manager, and HARREY MOORE, of Willow Lodge, West
Green Road, West Green, in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for driving road vehicles
and machinery generally by means of liquids.
In applying the said invention to a road vehicle we provide within the driving
wheel of the vehicle and concentric therewith a hollow ring or annulus forming the
working cylinder which is suitably secured to the framework of the vehicle or is
otherwise constructed so that it cannot rotate. The outer periphery of the said
ring is slotted circumferentially and to the rim of the driving wheel of the vehicle
is secured an arm that projects radially inward through the slot in the ring. The
inner end of the said arm carries a piston that fits the cylinder. In order to
prevent leakage of liquid through the circumferential slot in the cylinder we
provide within the cylinder suitable packing material made in two rings the faces
of which press against each other and effectually close the slot. The piston arm
passes between the faces of the packing rings and in order to facilitate its rotation
the front and rear edges of the arm are reduced to a knife edge. We preferably
provide rollers on the arm to bear upon the edges of the packing rings and so
assist in closing the opening between the rings immediately behind the arm as the
latter moves between the rings. The wheel is rotated by liquid forced into the
cylinder so as to press upon the piston and drive the latter round, the reaction of
the pressure being taken up by a diaphragm or valve forming an end to the
cylinder. This diaphragm or valve is withdrawable to allow the piston to make a
complete revolution and is controlled by a cam or equivalent device on the hub of
the wheel which device removes and replaces the diaphragm or valve at the proper
times. We provide two or more diaphragms or valves arranged at different points.
in the cylinder. In some instances we have more than one piston. An inlet
opening is provided in the cylinder immediately in front of each diaphragm or
valve, the liquid for driving the pistons being supplied through pipes passing
through the hollow axle of the wheel. When applied to a velocipede for example
the liquid would be forced by pumps driven by the pedal cranks. Heavy vehicles.
can also be propelled by means of the above apparatus the pumps for forcing the
liquid being worked by manual power applied through treadles or levers either
with or without intermediate gearing. The same system can also be applied to
motor cars by arranging the engine to work the pumps. A small quantity only of
liquid is required as it is used over and over again, the pumps being arranged to
draw from the spent liquid in the cylinder.
It is obvious that our invention can be used for driving machinery generally,
the wheel above referred to as the driving wheel of the vehicle being in such case
a wheel on the shaft to be driven, and the working cylinder being secured to a
stationary frame.

page_text: Improved Method of and Apparatus for Driving Road Vehicles and
Machinery Generally by Means of Liquids.
We, JOSEPH POWELL, of Mark House, Mark House Road, Walthamstow,
Manager, and HARREY MOORE, of Willow Lodge, West Green Road, West
Green, both in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for driving road vehicles
and machinery generally by means of liquids.
According to the said invention we provide suitable means for transmitting the
power from the prime motor or source of power to the wheel or wheels of the
vehicle, or of the machine by means of liquid under pressure instead of by a chain
or other mechanical gearing, such liquid being forced by a pump connected with
such source of power into a motor which is advantageously of the rotary type,
connected to the said wheel or wheels, thereby enabling the ordinary kinds of
gearing to be dispensed with.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect we will proceed to describe the same fully by reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate the application thereof to a bicycle.
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of the driving wheel, the cranks and a
portion of the framing of the bicycle.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the driving wheel ou the linea a Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a section and a plan of a portion of the
motor employed in connection with the wheel, this figure being drawn to a larger
scale.
Figure 5 is a detail view hereinafter referred to.
a is the driving wheel of the bicycle, are the cranks thereof, and c is the
motor for driving the wheel a, the said motor being situated in this case between
the spokes of the wheel. d is the pump which is operated by the crank b' this
crank baving a double' throw as indicated more clearly in Figure 5, the connecting
rod of the pump piston being attached to the part 2 of the crank.
The said pump serves to force water from a reservoir e into the motor c.
The said motor c comprises a hollow ring or annulus forming the working
cylinder, which is suitably secured to a hollow axle a' upon which the wheel a
rotates, its hubs being separate the one from the other, so that the revolution of
the wheel can take place without the motor interfering therewith. The said axle
has two passages a² a formed therein, one serving as the inlet and the other as the
outlet passage. These passages open at opposite ends of the axle and are connected,"
the former to a pipe f by which the water passes from the pump to the motor, and
the latter to a pipe 9 by which the exhaust water passes back from the motor
to the reservoir. The inlet passage a communicates with a pair of tubes h¹
extending from the axle a¹ to the motor c, while the outlet passage a³ communicates
with another pair of tubes. These inlet tubes are controlled by suitable
valves operated in any convenient manner so as to open and close at the proper
times. In the motor are arranged a pair of diaphragms or valves k and which
divide the same into two separate compartments each of which is in communication
with one tube of each of the pairs h, l, and i, i. m is the piston of the motor,
which is caused to travel round the latter by the pressure of the water and is
connected with the rim. of the wheel a by an arm mextending through a peripheral
slot c'in the motor, and working between the adjacent faces or edges of two flexible

page_text: packing rings c of any suitable material which are pressed together by springs
(not shown) or otherwise. In order to facilitate its travel between the said
packing rings the front and rear edges of the arm are reduced to a knife edge as
shown in Figure 4. The diaphragms k and I are actuated at the proper times.
by cams (not shown) on the hub of the wheel a to open them and allow the piston
to pass.
When the parts are in the position shown in the drawings the wheel is rotated
in the direction of the arrow by water or other liquid forced by the pump d
through the pipe f, inlet passage a and pipe into the compartment on the right
of the motor, the reaction of the pressure being taken up by the diaphragm or
valve k. The exhaust liquid in front of the piston passes from the compartment
by the exhaust pipe i¹ the passage a³ and the pipe g back to the reservoir c.
When the piston reaches the diaphragm l, the latter is withdrawn to allow it to.
pass and is closed behind it, by the cams herein before referred to. At the same.
time the upper inlet pipe h is closed by its valve and the lower inlet pipe h' is.
opened, and the foregoing operations are repeated in the left hand compartment of
the motor.
For instance in the.
In some cases more than one piston may be employed.
arrangement illustrated there might be a piston for each of the compartments.
Heavy vehicles and motors can also be propelled by apparatus similar to that
above described, the power for operating the pump or pumps.being obtained either
by pedals, by hand levers or by a suitable motor, and in a similar way machinery
in general can be driven, in which case a wheel on the shaft of the machine to be
driven is operated on after the manner of the wheel a, the motor connected with.
such wheel being fixed to any suitable part of the machine frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The hereinbefore described method of driving road vehicles and machinery
generally by liquid under pressure instead of by a chain or other mechanical.
gearing.
2. Our improved apparatus for driving road vehicles and machinery generally
by means of liquids substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicants..