IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE PRESSURE OF AIR, WATER, STEAM, AND OTHER GASES OR FLUIDS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Adams, of Crossgates, in the County of Fife,
Coalmaster, and Archibald Baird, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
Colliery Furnisher, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
INDICATING AND RECORDING THE PRESSURE OF AIR, WATER, STEAM, AND
OTHER GASES OR FLUIDS."
aled the 29th August 1879, and dated the 16th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Adams and Archibald
Baird at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th June 1879.
JAMES ADAMS, of Crossgates, in the County of Fife, Coalmaster, and ARCHIBALD
"IMPROVEMENTS
BAIRD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Colliery Furnisher.
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE PRESSURE OF AIR, WATER,
STEAM, AND OTHER GASES OR FLUIDS."
This Invention relates to apparatus for indicating and recording the pressure of
air, water, steam, and other gases or fluids in closed vessels or whilst flowing through
pipes or tubes, or through shafts and passages in mines, and for registering the
pressure or velocity of the wind, and has for its object to construct and arrange such
apparatus in a novel, simple, and inexpensive manner, and so as to obtain therefrom
automatically safe and reliable indications of the amount of pressure or of vacuum
at any given time, together with a continuous record of the variations of pressure
throughout an entire day, week, or other period.
The improved apparatus in a modification adapted for use in mines comprises a
small metallic or wooden vessel or tank containing water or other incompressible
fluid, and which is enclosed or securely covered air-tight at the top by a lid formed
with a short cylindrical tube or funnel at its centre dipping down into the water
nearly to the bottom of the vessel. The central tube or funnel is open at the top
to the atmosphere, but in the air space which is left above the water in the annular
enclosed part of the vessel the air is confined, and this space being placed by means
of a pipe entered at the top or side of the vessel in communication with the air
shaft or passage leading from a blowing engine or to an exhausting fan the con-
fined air within the vessel or tank is correspondingly compressed or exhausted,
and immediately on any change of pressure in the air shaft the water is driven out
D437

page_text: from the enclosed part into the open tubular portion of the vessel, or vice-vered,
the level of the water in the tube or funnel rising or falling according to the degree
of compression or exhaustion of the air. A float, which may be in the form of a
piston, is fitted into the funnel or tubular part of the water vessel, and carries a
vertical rod provided with a marking style or pencil near its upper end in contact
with a dial moved by clock work, and the riso or fall of the water below the float
giving a corresponding motion to the style or pencil which marks the dial face;
during its revolution a diagram is obtained on the dial, showing every variation of
pressure of the air in the water vessel and in the air shaft or passage with which it
communicates. The dial face on which the indications are marked and recorded
may be of cardboard or paper, and is securely fastened or clamped to a metallic dial
plate on an ordinary clock, or to a plate arranged to revolve once in twenty four
hours, or any other period of time, and the paper dial recording the varying
pressures during that interval may be removed on the completion of the revolution,
and a new one affixed. Instead of the style or marker being actuated directly by
the float as described it may be fitted on a rod or bar connected through a bell-
crank lever and rod to the float, and its motion may thus be made in any given
ratio greater or less than that of the float; and the dial plate may also be placed
horizontally, in which case the weight of the style and rod will suffice to keep the
style or pencil always in contact with the paper dial.
The modification of apparatus described will be generally found suitable for
indicating and recording variations of pressure of the wind or of the air blast for a
smelting furnace, or of gas either in a closed vessel, such as a gasometer, or in supply
pipes; but for recording varying pressures of steam or water mercury should be
substituted for the water in the tank or vessel, and a much smaller surface may be
exposed to the pressure of the fluid by contracting the size of the vessel to a
considerable extent, or replacing the vessel by an U-tube, in which form the
apparatus may also be used instead of the modification described for mine shafts or
passages, and will be most conveniently employed for obtaining a continuous
diurnal recording indicator diagram of the working of a steam, gas, air, or water
engine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Adams and Archibald Baird in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th December 1879.
JAMES ADAMS, of Crossgates, in the County of Fife, Coalmaster, and ARCHIBALD
BAIRD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Colliery Furnisher. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE PRESSURE OF AIR, WATER,
STEAM, AND OTHER GASES OR FLUIDS."
Our said Invention relates to apparatus for indicating and recording the pressure
of air, water, steam, and other gases or fluids, either in close vessels or whilst flowing
) through pipes or tubes, or through shafts and passages in mines, and for registering
the pressure or velocity of the wind; and it has for its object to construct and
arrange such apparatus in a novel, simple, and inexpensive manner, and so as to
obtain automatically therefrom safe and reliable indications of the amount of
pressure or of vacuum at any given time, together with a continuous record of the
variations of pressure throughout an entire day, week, or other period.
And in order that our said Invention, and the manner of performing the same,
may be properly understood, we hereunto append a Sheet of explanatory Drawings,
to be hereinafter referred to, and representing various simple modifications of our
improved pressure indicating and recording apparatus. In these Drawings the
same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are
repeated.
Figure 1 on the Drawings is a plan, and Figure 2 is a vertical section of a modi-
fication of our improved apparatus of a construction mainly applicable for use in
mines; and Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a vertical section and elevation of
arrangements of the apparatus more particularly adapted for indicating and
recording variations of high pressures or velocities, such as that of the air blast
supplied to a blast furnace.
Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 the new or improved apparatus com-
prises a small sheet metal, or it might be a wooden vessel or tank A containing a
small quantity of water or other incompressible fluid, and which is enclosed or
securely covered air tight at the top by a lid a formed with a short cylindrical tube
or funnel A' at its centre dipping down into the water to the bottom of the vessel,
but formed with openings or perforations a¹ at the lowest part to admit of free
communication of the water between the close and open parts of the vessel A; or
the funnel A¹ may be made to dip only a short way down into the water for the
purpose of leaving an open communication at the bottom. The central tube or
funnel A' is covered by a loosely fitting lid a² open at the top to the ordinary
atmospheric pressure; but in the air space A which is left above the water in the
enclosed or annular part of the vessel A, between the inner funnel A' and the outer
sides A, the air is confined; and this space A² is placed in communication with the
air shaft or passage leading from a blowing engine or to an exhausting fan, by
means of a short pipe or tube B entered at the top or side of the vessel A, and
provided with a cock or tap 6 for interrupting the communication when desired. A
flexible tube is connected to the pipe nozzle B when the apparatus is placed some
distance from the air shaft or passage, and may be fitted with a bell-mouthed funnel
turned towards the blast; and through this communicating tube the confined air
within the space A² of the vessel or tank A is compressed or raised to the same
pressure as that of the air circulating through the mine way or passage, or to the
pressure due to the velocity of the circulating air when the blowing or exhausting
engine is at work, and is correspondingly raretied or exhausted if the pressure or
velocity of the flowing air should be lowered. And immediately on any change of
pressure occurring in the air shaft the air pressing on the surface of the water in the
enclosed part A drives out the water from that part into the open tubular portion
A', or vice-versa, the level of the water in the tube or funnel A¹ rising or falling

page_text: according to the degree of compression or exhaustion of the confined air. A float C,
which is in the form of a loose piston, is fitted into the funnel or tubular part A¹ of
the water vessel A, and carries a vertical rod c connected at its upper end to one
arm d of a bell crank lever d, d', centred on a small bracket D fitted to the side of
a box containing the whole apparatus; and the other arm d¹ of the bell crank lever
is attached to a long rod or wire e provided at or near its end with a movable
gripping holder f, carrying a marking style or pencil g, which is fixed and held in
position by a pinching screw f¹. The style or pencil g bears on the face of a
horizontal dial G, preferably made of paper or cardboard, and secured between a
metallic dial plate G' and an upper hinged ring G2 clamped or fastened to the lower
plate G¹ by a screw G³ at one side. This dial G and plate G¹ is made to revolve
once in twenty four hours (but it might be once a week or other period) by means
of clockwork K, arranged below, and the revolving arbor or spindle on which the
dial plate G¹ is fitted projects up through the plate and forms a centre over which
the paper dial can be accurately set by having a central hole punched in it.
The rise or fall of the water below the float C, caused by variations of pressure
or velocity of the air circulating through the mine way, gives a corresponding
motion to the style or pencil g, the extent of which may be made in any ratio to
the motion of the float by varying the lengths of the respective arms of the bell
crank lever d, d', and the style or pencil marks the dial face during its revolution,
an indicating diagram being obtained on the paper dial showing every variation
of the pressure of the confined air in the water vessel A, and in the air shaft or
passage with which it communicates; and the paper dial recording the varying
pressures during the entire day or other period is removed on the completion of the
revolution, and a new one fixed.
Instead of the style or marker being actuated through a bell crank lever from
the float as described, it may be fitted on a vertical rod or bar connected directly to
the float; but if desired the extent of its motion may be made in any given ratio
greater or less than that of the float by means of a beam or other lever to which
the rod and style may be connected, and the dial plate may also be placed vertically,
in which case the style or pencil may be kept always in contact with the paper dial
by means of a spring or other equivalent, or by the elastic action of the rod carrying
the style.
The modification of apparatus described, and shown in Figures 1 and 2, will be
generally found suitable for indicating and recording variations of pressure of the
wind, or a cold air blast for a furnace, or of gas either in an enclosed vessel such as
a gasometer, or in supply pipes; but for recording varying pressures of steam or
water, or of a hot blast, mercury should be substituted for the water in the tank
or vessel, and a much smaller surface may be exposed to the pressure of the fluid by
contracting the size of the vessel to a considerable extent, or replacing this form of
vessel by an U-tube, as in the modification of the improved apparatus shown in
Figure 3, in which the U-tube A is fitted with a small float C which when mercury
is used may be of iron, and counterbalanced by a small weight W on an arm on the
swivelling centre of the bell crank lever d, d, which actuates the style or pencil g.
In this form the apparatus may be most conveniently employed for obtaining a
continuous diurnal recording indicator diagram of the working of a steam, gas, air,
or water engine; and it may also be used instead of the modification described for
mine shafts or passages, in which case the U-tube may be partially filled with water
or oil instead of mercury.
Figure 4 also shows a modification of the improved apparatus in which the
U-tube A is employed (but it might be the water vessel A already described in
reference to Figures 1 and 2) and fitted with a float C and rod c acting on one arm
of a lever d to the other arm d' of which the marking style or pencil g is secured,
and which is kept by a spring in contact with a cylindrical paper dial Ğ fitted on a
metallic cylinder sliding vertically on a drum G* made to revolve on a vertical
spindle once a day by clockwork K.
In this modification the dial G is divided and marked to indicate for six days,

page_text: but it might be an entire week, and it is first placed at the upper part of the drum
G*, down on which it is made to slide or fall through one division each day, either
by the action of the clockwork releasing a catch or detent holding up the cylinder,
or by an arrangement of pins in the drum fitting into slots in the cylinder, or vice-
versd, which would allow the cylinder to drop through a division once in every
revolution by the pins coming in contact with cam surfaces, or any other equivalent
well known dropping action might be employed.
In all the modifications of our improved apparatus it is preferred to enclose the
mechanism and fittings in a locked box to prevent any one tampering with or
altering the indications, but a glass lid or door is provided for convenience of
inspection, and this box is placed in any convenient position out of the direct flow
of the circulating air or other fluid, but admitting of free communication by the
tube B between the air space A2 and the air way of the mine, or the conducting
pipe for a blast furnace, or for gas and other fluid, or an orifice or funnel directed to
the wind.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we desire it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves
to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
The arrangement, construction, and combination of the tank, or vessel, or U-tube
(A) with rising and falling float and mechanism actuating a marking style or pencil
bearing on a revolving dial or drum for the purpose of giving indications thereon
of the pressure, and recording or registering variations of the pressure of air
circulating through mine shafts or passages, or of the air blast for a furnace, or of
the velocity of the wind, or confined or flowing gases or fluids, all substantially as
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Baird, on behalf of the said James
Adams and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy
nine.
Witness,
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ARCHP. BAIRD. (L.S.)