IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS AND MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Asbury, of Balsall Heath, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS AND MOTIVE-POWER ENGINES." Partly a commu-
nication from abroad by Thomas Henry Asbury, of Philadelphia, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 15th March 1878, and dated the 15th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Asbury at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th November 1877.
CHARLES ASBURY, of Balsall Heath, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS AND MOTIVE-POWER
ENGINES." [Partly a communication from abroad by Thomas Henry Asbury, of
Philadelphia, in the United States of America.]
The said Invention consists of the construction and combination or arrangement
herein-after described of the parts of rotary pumps and motive-power engines.
I will first describe the said Invention as applied to a rotary pump.
The body of the pump consists of a nearly rectangular case or chest closed at its
ends, and having a semicircular head or top. The suction pipe opens into the case
or chest at one side, and the delivery pipe at the opposite side. Within the chest or
case a strong rotating cylinder or drum works, the axis of the said cylinder or drum
being situated concentric with the semicircular top or head of the case or chest. The
ends of this cylinder work closely against the ends of the case, and the said cylinder
is furnished with two vanes fixed at opposite points on its cylindrical surface; these
vanes run from end to end of the cylinder, and work closely against the inside of
the semicircular head of the case. Below the vane cylinder described, and situated
on opposite sides of a vertical line intersecting the axis of the said vane cylinder,
are two other rotating cylinders, or portions of cylinders, for preventing connection
between the suction and delivery pipes at opposite sides of the pump case. These
[Price 6d.]...

page_text: lower cylinders work in close contact with each other, and also work closely upon
seats or blocks on the bottom or foundation plate of the pump case.
About one-
half of each of the lower rotating cylinders is cut away so as to form an opening,
running from end to end of the cylinder, the bottom of the opening being concave.
These cylinders are crescent shape in cross section. In one or other of the openings
described in the lower cylinders one or other of the vanes of the vane cylinder enters
during the rotation of the said vane cylinder, the said open or crescent shaped
cylinders preventing communication between the suction and delivery pipes, what-
ever the position of the vanes may be.
The shafts of the three cylinders described pass through the ends of the pump case,
and work in stuffing boxes carried by the said ends. The said shafts are geared together
by toothed gearing so arranged that the open or crescent-shaped lower cylinders
move with a velocity double that of the vane cylinder. By the rotation of the vane
cylinder the water entering the drum or case at the suction pipe is discharged at
the delivery pipe by the action of the vanes, the open or crescent-shaped lower
cylinders preventing connection between the suction and delivery pipes, but per-
mitting of the free rotation of the vanes of the vane cylinder, the open parts of the
said lower cylinders being presented to the vanes at the proper times.
In applying this Invention to motive-power engines, steam or water under pressure
entering at one side of the case is made to drive or give rotation to the vane cylinder,
the exhaust steam or water escaping at the opposite side of the case.
The rotary
motion thus communicated to the shaft of the vane cylinder is transmitted by driving
bands or toothed or other gearing to the machine to be driven.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Asbury in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th May
1878.
CHARLES ASBURY, of Balsall Heath, near Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTARY PUMPS AND MOTIVE-POWER
ENGINES." Partly a communication from abroad by Thomas Henry Asbury, of
Philadelphia, in the United States of America.
The said Invention consists of the construction and combination or arrangement
herein-after described of the parts of rotary pumps and motive-power engines.
I will first describe the said Invention as applied to a rotary pump.
The body of the pump consists of a nearly rectangular case or chest closed at its
ends, and having a semicircular head or top. The suction pipe opens into the case
or chest at one side, and the delivery pipe at the opposite side. Within the chest
or case a strong rotating cylinder or drum works, the axis of the said cylinder or
drum being situated concentric with the semicircular top or head of the case or chest.
The ends of this cylinder work closely against the ends of the case, and the said
cylinder is furnished with two vanes fixed at opposite points on its cylindrical
surface. These vanes run from end to end of the cylinder, and work closely against
the inside of the semicircular head of the case. Below the vane cylinder described,
and situated on opposite sides of a vertical line intersecting the axis of the said vane
cylinder, are two other rotating cylinders or portions of cylinders for preventing
connection between the suction and delivery pipes at opposite sides of the pump
case. These lower cylinders work in close contact with each other, and also work
closely upon seats or blocks on the bottom or foundation plate of the pump case.
About one-half of each of the lower rotating cylinders is cut away, so as to form an
opening running from end to end of the cylinder, the bottom of the opening being
concave. These cylinders are crescent shape in cross section. In one or other of
the openings described in the lower cylinders one or other of the vanes of the vane
cylinder enters during the rotation of the said vane cylinder, the said open or crescent
shaped cylinders preventing communication between the suction and delivery pipes.
whatever the position of the vanes may be.
The shafts of the three cylinders described pass through the ends of the pump
case, and work in stuffing boxes carried by the said ends. The said shafts are
geared together by toothed gearing so arranged that the open or crescent-shaped
lower cylinders move with a velocity double that of the vane cylinder. By the
rotation of the vane cylinder the water entering the drum or case at the suction pipe
is discharged at the delivery pipe by the action of the vanes, the open or crescent-
shaped lower cylinders preventing connection between the suction and delivery
pipes, but permitting of the free rotation of the vanes of the vane cylinder, the
open parts of the said lower cylinders being presented to the vanes at the proper
times.
The
In applying this Invention to motive-power engines, steam or water under pressure
entering at one side of the case is made to drive or give rotation to the vane
cylinder, the exhaust steam or water escaping at the opposite side of the case.
rotatory motion thus communicated to the shaft of the vane cylinder is transmitted
by driving bands or toothed or other gearing to the machine to be driven.
Having explained the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same is .to
be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in end elevation, a rotary
pump constructed according to this Invention; and Figures 3 and 4 are transverse
vertical sections of the same, the moving parts being represented in different positions
in the said Figures 3 and 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawings

page_text: a is the nearly rectangular case or chest containing the working parts of the
pump, the said case or chest having a semicircular head or top a²; a³ is the foundation
plate or bottom of the case or chest; a is the suction pipe or passage; and as is the
delivery pipe or passage, the said pipes a, a, being situated at opposite sides of the
case or chest a; b is the vane cylinder or drum, carrying the two vanes c, d, situated
at opposite points upon it; e is the shaft or axis of the said vane cylinder, the said
axis being concentric with the semicircular top or head a² of the case or chest a.
The ends of the vane cylinder and its vanes work closely against the ends a, a, of
the case or chest a, and one or other of the vanes c, d, works closely against the
inside of the semicircular head a² of the drum a, as represented in Figures 3 and 4;
f, g, are the crescent shaped or slotted cylinders for the vanes c, d, to work in at the
proper times, and for cutting off communication between the suction and delivery
pipes or passages a, a³, as herein-after described. The crescent shaped cylinders f, g,
are fixed on the shafts h, i, respectively.
By an examination of Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the crescent-shaped
cylinders f, g, are situated below the vane cylinder, and near the suction and delivery
pipes or passages a³, a³. The cylindrical surfaces of the crescent-shaped cylinders f, g,
work in close contact with each other, and also work closely upon the seats or
packing blocks k, l, on the bottom or foundation plate a³ of the pump case; the said
crescent shaped cylinders also work closely in contact with the vane cylinder b.
The shape of the openings in the crescent-shaped cylinders is best seen in the
sections, Figures 3 and 4, and in one or other of the said openings one or other of
the vanes c, d, of the vane cylinder b enters during the rotation of the said vane
cylinder, the said open or crescent-shaped cylinders f, g, preventing communication
between the suction and delivery pipes a, a, whatever the position of the vanes c, d,
may be.
The shafts c, h, i, of the three cylinders b, f, g, work in stuffing boxes at m, m, on
the end of the drum case. The shaft e of the vane cylinder is furnished with a
driving pulley n for driving the pump. The shafts e, h, i, are geared together by
the toothed wheels p, q, the toothed wheel q being situated on the vane cylinder
shaft e,
and the toothed wheels or pinions p on the shafts h, i, of the crescent-shaped
cylinders f, g. By means of the gearing described the crescent-shaped cylinders f, g,
are driven at a velocity double that of the vane cylinder b, that is, the cylinders
f, g, make two rotations to one rotation of the cylinder b. By the rotation of the
vane cylinder b, in conjunction with the rotation of the lower cylinders f, g, water
is drawn into the case a at the suction pipe at, and is discharged at the delivery
pipe a by the action of the vanes c, d, the open or crescent-shaped cylinders f, g,
preventing connection between the said suction and delivery pipes, but permitting
the free rotation of the vanes c, d, of the vane cylinder, the open or slotted parts of
the said cylinders f, g, being presented to the vanes at the proper times.
By referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that the vane dis represented in contact with
the semicircular head a² of the case a, while the other vane c is represented working
in the slot of the drum f; and in Figure 4 the vane c is represented bearing against
the drum or case head a², and the other vane d working in the slot of the drum g.
In Figure 3 the vane d is represented in the act of forcing the water in front of it
through the delivery pipe a³, water from the suction pipe a being drawn into the
space in the case behind the said vane d, the water in front of the vane & being pre-
vented from escaping excepting through the delivery pipe as by the close working of
the vane cylinder b with the crescent-shaped cylinder g, and the latter cylinder g with
the packing block k on the bottom or foundation plate a³, as represented. When the
vane c has reached the position represented in Figure 4 the vane & will have forced
the water in front of it through the delivery pipe a³, and the vane c is in the act of
forcing in a like manner the water in front of it which has been drawn into the
case.
When the apparatus described and represented is to be used as a motive-power
engine, steam or water under pressure entering at the pipe or passage at operates
upon the vanes of the vane cylinder, and gives rotation to the latter, the exhaust
'

page_text: steam or water on the vane passing the delivery or outlet pipe as, escaping at the
said pipe as; the rotatory motion thus communicated to the shafte of the vane
cylinder b is transmitted by driving bands or toothed or other gearing to the machine
to be driven.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as the said Inven-
tion of improvements in rotary pumps and motive-power engines, the combination
of the vane cylinder b, c, d, working in a case or chest having a semicircular head,
with the crescent-shaped or slotted cylinders f, g, the said parts being arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Asbury, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
CHARLES ASBURY. (L.S.)