IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO AIR, CIRCULATING, OR OTHER PUMPS FOR MARINE ENGINES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Firm of W. P.
Thompson and Co., Solicitors of Patents, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO
AIR, CIRCULATING, OR OTHER PUMPS FOR MARINE ENGINES, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Thomas Elcoate, of Rio Marina,
in the Island of Elba.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd September 1880.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of W. P. Thompson and Co., Solicitors
of Patents, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO AIR, CIRCULATING, OR OTHER PUMPS FOR MARINE ENGINES AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Thomas Elcoate, of
Rio Marina, in the Island of Elba.
This Invention relates to pumps of the semi-rotary or vibratory class, and is
designed chiefly for use with marine engines.
Upon a shaft passing by means of stuffing-boxes through a chamber forming a
sector or segment of a cylinder, I place a radial blade or piston perforated in the
case of single-acting pumps with large ports covered on one side by india-rubber or
other valves. Below the piston in the end of the chamber I place the inlet valves,
and above the piston at the other end of the chamber the exit valves. In double-
acting pumps I have both entrance and exit valves in each end of the chamber,
and do away with the perforations or valves in the piston.
The piston is packed all round with packing kept against the face by springs
and working in grooves. The packing working against the circumference and ends
I prefer to be placed in grooves in the piston, the corners being sealed with tongue
pieces, plates, or corner pieces.
The axis end of the piston is turned round and works against a similar turned
face of the chamber, and to provide for wear or leakage packing is placed in a

page_text: groove in the centre of the cylindrical part of the chamber working against the
cylindrical portion of the piston.
The shaft on which the piston is keyed is connected by side levers to the
connecting rod in the ordinary way for marine engines. It can be made to vibrate
any reasonable number of degrees, the chamber containing the piston being sized
to suit, but from twenty five to forty five degrees will probably be found the most
convenient travel. The weight is taken off the stuffing-boxes by pedestals outside
the side levers.
I do not bind myself to the exact arrangement of packing here described.
The valves can be got at in the single-acting variety by taking off the outer 1
radius plate or a door therein. In the double-acting pump the valves can be
examined by taking off side doors.
The upper part of the pump can be used as a circulating pump, and the bottom
as an air-pump, or both sides can be applied to the same purpose.
This kind of pump, modified to suit, can be applied to other pumps than those 1
used on marine engines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd March 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of W. P. Thompson and Co., Solicitors
of Patents, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO AIR, CIRCULATING, OR OTHER PUMPS FOR MARINE ENGINES AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by Thomas Elcoate, of
Rio Marina, in the Island of Elba.
This Invention is best described by aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a sectional plan, and Fig. 2 a vertical section of pump made single ended;
Fig. 3, vertical section of pump mado double ended; Fig. 4, horizontal section
through line x, x, of Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6, views of corner packing in Fig. 4; Fig. 7,
section through line y, y, of Fig. 1; Fig. 8, edge view of piston Fig. 1. The same
letters refer to the same or equivalent parts in all the Figures.
A is the main shaft driven by vibrating levers B, B, or otherwise, as found
desirable; C, vibrating piston keyed onto shaft A and formed of brass, iron, or
other suitable material, with bearing surfaces at D,D, accurately turned or fitted so
as to form a segment of a cylinder or circular body concentric with the shaft A ;
E, passages through piston, closed by india rubber or other valve F; G, guards for
valves. Other forms of pump valves, seats, and guards will do, and can be used, if
desired, no claim being made for the form of those shown broadly, as they are of
an old and well known type; H, H, packing springs; I, I, packing pieces; K,
compression regulating screws to regulate packing; L, air chamber, useful especially
when used as a cold water pump; it is only placed in the Drawing at one end of
the pump, shown in Fig. 3, which Drawing is taken from a pump employed, the
end having the air chamber Las a cold water pump, the other end as an air pump;
in the latter case an air chamber would be prejudicial.
The actual modes of packing the piston used by me are various; I prefer, for
most purposes, that shown in Fig. 2, where M is a space for hemp packing;
N, cover; O, screws with countersunk heads, or so arranged as to fit into holes in
the piston box or segmental cylinder P when brought up against it; P is the
segmental cylinder; Q, stuffing box for shaft through same; this stuffing box
instead of having a bottom closely fitting the shaft all round is cut away at one
part, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, so as to actually expose the journal of piston C to
the packing, by this means the packing is made to act both for the shaft and for
the piston; R is the cover; S is the lid of the cylinder bolted on so as to be easily
taken off if the valves get choked; on very large pumps it may have a manhole to
take off and on instead of being itself taken off; when used as an ordinary pump
for water I propose to place an air vessel in it, as shown in Fig. 3.
The above description, and the annexed Drawings, describe what Mr. Elcoate
believes, at present, to be the best and cheapest form of this Invention. He,
however, has also communicated to me the alternate plan set forth in the
Provisional Specification, in which a solid unperforated piston is used, in which
case both entrance and exit valves are formed on each side of the piston so as to
make it double acting. As, however, this plan will not generally be adopted, and
any engineer could design a pump to work in this manner after reading the
foregoing Specification with the Drawings and these last remarks, it is needless to
give an illustration of this variety.
Having now described the Invention and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I claim to be new and desire to
protect is,
First. For use in pumps a reciprocating perforated piston radiating from and

page_text: attached to its driving shaft, working in a chamber in such manner that at the
beginning and end of each stroke it shall be flat against the adjacent side of the
chamber.
Second. The modes of packing a rotary reciprocating pump piston, herein
described and illustrated.
Third. The combination of segmental circular journal on piston (C), the segmental
circular bearing on piston box or chamber (P), one of them being packed with
packing, and exterior stuffing boxes (R) to take off the weight, substantially as
described.
Fourth. The manufacture of the herein described pumping apparatus, no claim
being made for any parts taken separately, or when used for other purposes, but
only when used in combination with the others herein described, substantially as
and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.