IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPING MACHINERY
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Field, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex; Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPING MACHINERY.”
...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Field at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th September 1875...
I, EDWARD FIELD; of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPING MACHINERY," to be as
follows:-
*This Invention of improvements in pumping machinery has reference
to rotary pumping machinery of that class wherein a cylindrical boss or
drum rotating within but eccentrically to a cylinder drives pistons
radiating from the axis of and rotating concentrically with such
cylinder.

page_text: The Invention is designed to produce a pump of positive character
capable of being driven at great speed-without-injury-to-itself, and of
pumping a large quantity of water or other liquid-at-high-pressure with
little or no leakage or deterioration, even when the water is sandy or
gritty, and the pumping of it-is continued for a considerable time.
Another object of the Invention is to afford the water or other liquid
in its passage through the pump an uninterrupted and continuous flow
in one direction, that direction being such as to utilize, in so far as
possible, all the forces called into play by the passage of the water or
liquid through the pump, such as "momentum" and "centrifugal "
force.
The nature of my several improvements will be understood from the
following description :-
Within a cylinder constructed as herein-after described and placed.
horizontally I arrange a rotating cylindrical boss, carried by a shaft
running parallel with but eccentric to the axis of the cylinder in such
manner as to establish between the periphery of the boss and the inner
circumference of the cylinder, where they most nearly approach each
other, a space which shall allow any sand and other foreign matters,
such as are usually carried into pumps by the inflowing water or other
liquid, to pass through without jamming the boss, and pistons. The
pistons are driven round by the boss, and may be guided by annular
grooves in the cylinder covers.
I construct the cylinder with a tangentially arranged induction port
at its upper part, and a tangentially arranged eduction port at its lower
part; these ports I make comparatively narrow in proportion to their
length, and I so form them in the cylinder body that their length shall
be in the direction of the cylinder's circumference.
I make the induction and eduction ports of equal length, and locate
them nearly opposite to each other, so proportioning them to the circum-
ference of the cylinder that the two portions of the circumference of the
cylinder located between the ports shall be all but covered by the space
intervening between any pair of pistons whenever that pair shall arrive
between the two ports.

page_text: or bearing against the inner circumference of the cylinder, with the
exception only of that small portion of the piston which passes the
ports. In those portions of the edges of the pistons that are to be
packed I form L shaped grooves, into which I insert L shaped packing
leathers.
By my arrangement each port will be opened exactly at the proper
time, and to the required extent liquid will enter the pump in the
direction of the motion of the pistons; the eduction passage will so
receive the outflowing liquid as not to materially change its course, and
any centrifugal force the liquid may have acquired during its rotation
in the cylinder will be utilized.
The above described relative arrangement of the induction and
eduction ports and passages will act very beneficially when sandy water
is being pumped, for the pistons will act always downwards when forcing
the liquid, and the delivery port being set at the lowest part of the
cylinder nearly the whole of the sandy matter will be ejected at each
passage of a piston without coming into contact with it, as the sandy
matter will have receded from the piston by gravity.
The boss is to be securely keyed on to its shaft, which may be rotated
by the pistons of two or more steam cylinders imparting their motion in
a known manner. Motion from the pistons may be communicated to
nicely balanced cranks securely fixed to the ends of the driving shaft.
In this case, to obviate the difficulty there would be in dismounting
these cranks if fitted on in the ordinary way, I bore the crank arms with
dead holes accurately screwed, so as to screw on to the ends of the shaft,
which ends I accurately fit against the dead ends. One of the screws
cut on the shaft is to be right-handed and the other left-handed.
I in some cases arrange the guides for the piston rods to form
stretchers or holding frames between the cylinders and the pump, so
that the power may be self-contained.
When using an air vessel I arrange it on the side of the cylinder
opposite the induction pipe, and carry the passage leading to the air
vessel around that side of the cylinder, arranging it to serve as a
strengthening rib to the portion of cylinder that has to resist the
5 greatest pressure.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Field in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th March 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
FIELD, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of. Middlesex;
Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edward Field, Her special
license that I, the said Edward Field, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Field, my 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 PUMPING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edward Field, my executors or administrators,-by-an-instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 Edward Field, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof and the Drawings therein-referrod to
213
.

page_text: This Invention of improvements in pumping machinery has reference
to rotary pumping machinery of that class wherein a cylindrical boss
or drum rotating within but eccentrically to a cylinder drives pistons
radiating from the axis of and rotating concentrically with such
cylinder.
The Invention is designed to produce a pump of positive character
capable of being driven at great speed without injury to itself, and of
'pumping a large quantity of water or other liquid at high pressure with
little or no leakage or deterioration, even when the water is sandy or
gritty, and the pumping of it is continued for a considerable time.
Another object of the Invention is to afford the water or other liquid
in its passage through the pump an uninterrupted and continuous flow
in one direction, that direction being such as to utilize, in so far as
possible, all the forces called into play by the passage of the water or
liquid through the pump, such as momentum and " centrifugal
force."
"
The nature of my several improvements will be understood from the
following description :-
Within a cylinder constructed as herein-after described and placed
horizontally, I arrange a rotating cylindrical boss, carried by a shaft
running parallel with but eccentric to the axis of the cylinder in such
manner as to establish between the periphery of the boss and the inner
circumference of the cylinder, where they most nearly approach each
other, a space which shall allow any sand and other foreign matters,
such as are usually carried into pumps by the inflowing water or other
liquid, to pass through without jamming the boss and pistons. The
pistons are driven round by the boss, and may be guided by annular
grooves in the cylinder covers..
I construct the cylinder with a tangentially arranged induction port
at its upper part, and a tangentially arranged eduction port at its lower
part; these ports I make comparatively narrow in proportion to their
length, and I so form them in the cylinder body that their length shall
be in the direction of the cylinder's circumference.
I make the induction and eduction ports of equal length, and locate
them nearly opposite to each other, so proportioning them to the circum-
ference of the cylinder that the two portions of the circumference of the

page_text: intervening between any pair of pistons whenever-that pair spaltzarrive-
between the two ports.
By constructing the cylinder with ports of small_width-in-proportion
to its length I am enabled to pack each piston-throughout its length
or bearing against the inner circumference of the cylinder, with the
exception in some cases of that small portion of the piston which passes
the ports. In those portions of the edges of the pistons that are to be
packed I form L shaped grooves, into which I insert L shaped packing
leathers.
By my arrangement each port will be opened exactly at the proper
time, and to the required extent liquid will enter the pump in the
direction of the motion of the pistons; the eduction passage will so
receive the outflowing liquid as not to materially change its course, and
any centrifugal force the liquid may have acquired during its rotation
in the cylinder will be to a considerable extent utilized.
The above described relative arrangement of the induction and
eduction ports and passages will act very beneficially when sandy water
is being pumped, for the pistons will act always downwards when forcing
the liquid, and the delivery port being set at the lowest part of the
cylinder nearly the whole of the sandy matter will be ejected at each
passage of a piston without coming into contact with it, as the sandy
matter will have receded from the piston by gravity.
The boss is to be securely fixed on to its shaft, which may be rotated
by the pistons of two or more steam cylinders imparting their motion in-
a known manner, one way of doing which is shewn-in the accompanying
Drawings. Motion from the pistons of a steam engine may be commu-
nicated to nicely balanced cranks securely fixed to the ends of the
driving shaft of my improved rotary pumping machine.
When using an air vessel I arrange it on the side of the cylinder
opposite the induction pipe, and carry the passage leading to the air
vessel around that side of the cylinder, arranging it to serve as a
strengthening rib to the portion of cylinder that has to resist the
greatest pressure.
In my improved pumping machinery the pump can be driven.at.any-
speed the pistons of the prime mover are capable of running at, as all

page_text: Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) of the accompanying Drawings shews in transverse
vertical section (in the line A, B, of Fig. 2) a rotary pumping machine
according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal plan section of the
machine in the line C, D, of Figs. 1. and 3; and Fig. 3 is an end
elevation.
a is the cylinder, b is the tangentially arranged induction port, and c
is the tangentially arranged eduction port; d is the shaft running
parallel with and eccentric to the axis of the cylinder; this shaft works
in bearings formed in bosses cast with the cylinder ends or covers a³, a*;
e is the rotating cylindrical boss carried by the said shaft, on to which it
is fixed by feathers e¹, as shewn; f,ƒ³, ƒ³, are the three radial pistons;
the form of each piston is clearly shewn at f in Fig. 2, on reference to
which it will be seen that at each end each piston is formed with a pro-
jection, taking into an annular groove a formed in the inner face of
the corresponding cylinder end or cover, which groove a³ is concentric
with the cylinder a; 9, g¹, are segments of solid cylinders, one of which
segments is interposed between each face of each piston and the
adjoining part of the boss or drum e, thus forming a combined pushing
and swivel arrangement to move the piston forward, and to allow it to
accommodate itself to the eccentricity of the boss or drum relatively to
the cylinder a, but I do not claim this as a novel feature in rotary
pumping machinės.
•
h is the space (shewn occupied by the edge of the piston ƒ in Fig. 1)
between the periphery of the boss or drum and the inner circumference
of the cylinder, where they most nearly approach, said space being such
as to allow any sand and other foreign matters, such as are usually
carried into pumps by the inflowing water or other liquid, to pass
through without jamming the boss or drum and pistons, as already
explained.
It will be observed that the induction port 6 and the eduction port c
are of equal length, and are located nearly opposite to each other, and
are so proportioned to the circumference of the cylinder a that the two
portions a¹ to a² and aª to a' of the circumference of the cylinder located
between the ports b and c are all but covered by the space between the
piston fand the piston f¹, or by the space between the piston f¹ and the
piston f, or by the space between the piston f* and the piston f, as the
case may be, whenever the [pair of pistons having the respective space

page_text: between them arrives between the two ports; thus, for example, the
right-hand part of Fig. I shews the portion of circumference aº to a³ of
the cylinder all but covered by the space between the pistonsƒ¹ and ƒ³,
and in the left-hand portion of--the said Figure I have shewn in dotted
lines the positions of the pistons f² and f when the portion of circum- i
ference a¹ 'to a is all but covered by the space between those two
pistons.
The arrow in Fig. 1 shews the direction of motion of the pistons.
It will be seen that by my method of disposing and arranging the
-cylinder-a, induction port-breduction port c, bosse, and pistons f...
relatively to each other, I am enabled to dispense with the use of stops
and of abutments, and also to do away with the necessity for actual
contact of the periphery of the boss or drum with the internal surface of
the cylinder a, and consequently not only am I enabled to pump sandy
or gritty liquid with comparatively little injury to the apparatus, but I
am moreover enabled to use leather packing to the pistons f, f¹; ƒi,
so as to compensate for such wear as there may be, and so in an
economical manner to maintain the efficiency of the apparatus as a
pumping machine.
It will be evident that the pistons are driven by the pressure of the a
boss or drum acting through the segmental pieces against the pistons,
and that the concentric action of the pistons in the cylinder a is ensured
by. their projections f³ working in the annular grooves a, and by the
inner surfaces of the pistons lapping or hugging the projecting
bosses as, a³, of the cylinder ends or covers a³, a².
I have shewn the machine as arranged to be used with an air vessel.
is the passage leading to the air vessel, and forming a strengthening
rib to the portion of cylinder that is to resist the greatest pressure.
Fig. 4 shews my improved rotary pumping machine in combination
with a three-cylinder steam engine for fire-engine purposes; and Figs. 5 {
and 6 are respectively a side elevation and a plan shewing the general
<arrangement of a steam fire engine embodying the said combination.

page_text: understood that I do not claim generally the combination in a rotary
pumping machine of a cylinder having induction and eduction passages
with a boss or drum mounted eccentrically within the said cylinder and
carrying pistons radiating from the axis of the cylinder, as I am aware
it has been proposed to construct rotary pumping machines containing a
combination of such elements, but what I consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction of rotary
pumping machines, substantially as herein-before described and shewn,
wherein the cylinder, induction port, eduction port, boss or drum, and
radial pistons are relatively arranged in such manner as to dispense with
stops or abutments and with actual contact between the periphery of the
drum and the internal surface of the cylinder.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Field, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.