IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Evans, of the Firm of Joseph Evans and
Sons, of Culwell Foundry, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Hydraulic Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PUMPS."
Sealed the 12th January 1875, and dated the 16th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Evans at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th November 1874.
I, JOSEPH EVANS, of the Firm of Joseph Evans and Sons, of Culwell
Foundry, Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Hydraulic
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS," to be as follows :—
This Invention refers only to such pumps as work with a bucket,
piston, or plunger, and have the length of the stroke regulated by a
crank or equivalent, forming part of or fixed to a revolving shaft,
and refers,-
Firstly. To a method of actuating a piston valve for pumps used for
pumping liquids, the said valve being similar to those used for admitting

page_text: and discharging steam from the cylinders of steam engines, except that
the collars or faces of the valve are slightly narrower than the ports in
order that the liquid may not be trapped during the passage of the
valve. The valve is provided with a valve spindle or rod passing
througli a stuffing box, and is preferably arranged with its axis parallel
to that of the pump. I actuate the said piston valve from an eccentric,
disc, crank, or equivalent on the said revolving shaft and so arrange the
said eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent that the proper port or ports
are slightly open at the commencement of the stroke of the pump, and
full open during the middle or quickest part of the stroke. As the
valve and gearing taken separately arc old I claim as my Invention
only their combination, whereby I secure an improvement in the working
of pumps.
I prefer to use a rotention valve either in the suction, or in
the delivery pipes, or in both.
Secondly. This Invention refers to a direct method of actuating pump
valves, and consists in the case of steam pumps in actuating the pump
valve from the same eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent on the revolving
shaft as is used to actuate the steam valve, and in the case of two pumps
working opposite to each other in actuating the valves for both pumps
from the same eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent, on the revolving:
shaft working between the two pumps.
Thirdly. This Invention refers to a method of reversing the action of
pumps provided with either piston valves as described, or with slide
valves actuated from an eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent on the
revolving shaft, so that the suction becomes the delivery and the
delivery the suction, and consists in reversing the direction of the
rotation of the revolving shaft. This I prefer to do by a separate
eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent working loose on the shaft and
regulated by a fast stud or block in any manner now in use, as will be
readily understood, actuating the steam valve. For pumps worked by a
hand or animal power, the reverse action of the pump is effected by
simply reversing the rotary motion.
Fourthly. This Invention refers to a method of more readily starting
pumping engines working with either piston or slide valves actuated by
an eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent in the manner described under
the second part of my Invention as for piston valves, and consists in

page_text: making the eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent loose on the shaft in the
manner described under the third part of my Invention, and attaching
a hand wheel thereto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Evans in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
EVANS, of the Firm of Joseph Evans and Sons, of Oulwell Foundry,
Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Hydraulic Engineers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-.
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Evans, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Evans, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Evans, 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 PUMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Evans, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 field 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 Joseph Evans, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention refers only to such pumps as work with a bucket,
piston, or plunger, and have the length of the stroke regulated by a
crank or equivalent, forming part of or fixed to a revolving shaft, and
refers :-
Firstly. To a method of actuating a piston valve for pumps used for
pumping liquids, the said valve being similar to those used for admitting
and discharging steam from the cylinders of certain descriptions of steam
engines and steam hammers, except that the collars or faces of the valve
are slightly narrower than the ports, that is to say, are wider apart
between them than the distance between the ports, in order that the
liquid may not be trapped during the passage of the valve. The valve
is provided with a valve spindle or rod passing through a stuffing box,
and is preferably arranged with its axis parallel to that of the pump. I
actuate the said piston valve by means of an eccentric, disc, crank, or
equivalent fixed on or forming part of the said revolving shaft, and so
arrange or set the said eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent that the
proper port or ports are slightly open at the commencement of the stroke
of the pump and full open during the middle or quickest part of the a
stroke. By this arrangement I effect a great improvement in the
working of pumps. I prefer to use a retention valve either in the
suction, or in the delivery pipes, or in both.
Secondly. This Invention refers to a direct method of actuating pump
valves, whether of the piston or slide valve type, and consists in the case 2
of steam pumps having the steam cylinder in line with the pump in
actuating the pump valve from the same eccentric, disc, crank, or
equivalent on the revolving shaft, as is used to actuate the steam valve;
and consists in the case of two pumps working in line with each other,
and having the shaft which works them revolving between the said last- 3
mentioned pumps in actuating the valves for both pumps from the same
eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent.
"
Thirdly. This Invention refers to a method of reversing the action of
pumps provided with either piston valves, as described, or with slide
valves actuated by means of an eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent on 3
the revolving shaft so that the suction pipe becomes the delivery pipe
and the delivery pipe becomes the suction pipe, and consists in reversing

page_text: the direction of the rotation of the revolving shaft in the following
manner :-In the case of pumps worked by means of a steam cylinder I
actuate the steam valve by means of a separate eccentric, disc, crank, or
equivalent working loose on the revolving shaft, and regulated by a fast
stud or block in any manner now in use, as will be readily understood.
In the case of pumps worked by hand or other animal power
the reverse
action of the pump is effected by simply reversing the rotary motion.
For reversible pumps the retention valve or valves, if used, must of
course be alternately arranged to suit the direction of the water flow.
Fourthly. This Invention refers to a method of more readily starting
pumping engines having either piston or slide valves for the pumps
actuated by means of an eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent in the
manner described under the second part of my Invention as for piston
valves, and consists in making the eccentric, disc, crank, or equivalent.
loose on the shaft, and also regulated in the manner described under the
third part of my Invention, and attaching a hand wheel thereto.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same with

page_text: arrows.
F is the delivery opening from the valve box. It will be seen
from the Drawing that the cylindor, inside which the valve works, is
itself a separate piece from the main casting of the pump and box, and
is retained in its place by means of the lids G, G. The small openings
C, C, etc., are used for the working part of the cylinder in preference to
oblong openings so as to retain a proper facing all round, and are used
for the ends beyond the working part so as to retain an equal distribution
of metal round the cylinder. The collars or faces H, H, of the valve A
are the same distance from the outer edge of one to the outer edge of
the other as the outer edge of one port is from the outer edge of the
other port, but slightly farther apart from the inner edge of one collar
to the inner edge of the other collar than the inner edge of one port to
the inner edge of the other port, so as to prevent the liquid in the pump
from being trapped as the valve collar is travelling over the ports.
The second part of my Invention is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 partly in
section. A stud or crank pin B is shown turned out of the shaft, as in
Figure 4, but in this case instead of an ordinary valvo rod working the
valve spindle, as in Figure 4, both pump and steam valve are actuated
by means of the said stud B working in a sluice or slide connecting the
pump valve and steam valve rods in one piece. Ordinary valve rods, as
in Figure 4, may be used instead of the arrangement as shewn. In the
case of two pumps working in line with each other both the valves
pump
would be actuated in the manner as described and shewn for the steam
and pump valves.
The third part of my Invention is illustrated by Figures 3 and 4. In
this case my Invention includes also pumps having slide valves instead
of piston valves. The steam valve is worked by means of an eccentric L
fixed on a boss M, to which is also fixed a hand wheel N. The said boss M
is bored to turn on the shaft C, and has a slotted part O cut out of its
circumference. A stud P fixed in the shaft O acts as a stop for the
boss M at each end of the slotted part O, that is, for forward and back-
wark stroke of the engine and pump. The stud P also acts as a guide
to the boss M to keep it in position sideways. In starting the engine
the forward or backward stroke will be given accordingly as the hand
wheel N is turned backward or forward. It will readily be seen that
from the arrangement of the pump valve, actuated as shewn, on
reversing the revolving shaft O what was before the suction opening to

page_text: the pump valve will become the delivery opening, and what was before
the delivery opening will become the suction opening. Hence in the
case of pumps with the valves worked as shewn in Figure 4, which are
actuated by hand or other animal power, to reverse the action of the
pump it is necessary only to reverse the direction in which the power is
exerted. By reversing the pump the delivery pipes, pump barrel, and
passages may be emptied of water to avoid the action of frost, or may be
emptied of thick liquids, such for instance as tar, to prevent con-
gealing. This arrangement is also useful in starting the pumping
engine.
Invention
From what has already been described the fourth part of my
will be readily understood without special illustration. It consists in
using a reversing arrangement similar to that described for actuating the
steam valve, and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, instead of a fixed stud
and slot (or equivalent mechanism), as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2,
for actuating both steam and pump valves. By this arrangement the
pumping engine may be reversed, as may be required, to assist in
starting, or may be run backwards or forwards for any length of time
continuously, as the pump valve will be reversed with the steam valve,
and the pump will deliver the water just the same, running forwards or
backwards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the samo is to be performed, I wish
to state distinctly that I do not claim any of the parts I have described
if taken by themselves, as many of them are old, and I am not suffi-
ciently assured of the novelty of any of them to claim them as my
Invention, but I declare that I claim as my Invention,―
First. The combination of the eccentric, disc, crank or mechanical
equivalent and the gearing thereto with the piston valve for the pump,
as and for the purpose described and shewn (as with a crank pin) in
Figure 4
Second. The combination of the eccentric, disc, crank, or mechanical
equivalent and the gearing thereto, with the piston valve for the pump,
and the steam valve for the steam cylinder, or with the piston valves
5 for two pumps working in line with each other, as and for the purpose
described and shewn (as with a crank pin and sluice) in Figures 1
and 2.

page_text: Third. The combination of the reversing eccentric or mechanical
equivalent to actuate the steam valve of steam pumping engines with
the method of actuating the pump valve by means of an eccentric, disc,
crank, or mechanical equivalent, whether. such pump valve is of the
piston or slide valve type, as and for the purpose described and shewn
partially in Figure 8 (that is, the arrangement for working the steam
valve), and wholly in Figure 4 (as with a crank pin for actuating the
pump valve).
Fourth. The combination of the reversing arrangement mentioned in
my third claim, with the steam and pump valve (whether the pump
valves are of the piston or slide valve type), as described.
And I declare that I do not limit myself to the exact modifications as
described, but claim also such modifications as follow obviously from
and are in harmony with the general description of this my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Evans, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
JAMES A. WYNN,
Clerk to Stephen Watkins,
Patent Office,
Wolverhampton.
JOSH. EVANS. (L.S.)