IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I LEWIS HALLOCK NASH of Brooklyn in the County of Kings and State of
New York one of the United States of America Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER METERS" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
In applications for Patents filed by me of even date herewith, I have shown,
described, and claimed certain improvements in water meters in which an
eccentrically oscillating piston is controlled by means which connect it with the
case, in such manner as to form a joint with and divide the latter into receiving
and discharging spaces, combined with an abutment having an enlarged head
adapted to form a joint with and divide the piston into receiving and discharging
spaces, such division being effected at every point in the movement of the piston.
In my said Invention the piston is shown and described as being open from end
to end, and the piston controlling studs are carried by an arm extending inward
from the inner wall of the piston through an opening in the side of the head of
the abutment so as to connect said piston with coacting studs of the case.
My present improvement is based upon an eccentrically oscillating piston having
a transverse web within which an oval slot is formed opening into a side slot by
which the piston formes a joint with a fixed abutment while the piston-web serves
as the means for carrying the studs which cooperate with the caso studs to control
the eccentric movement of the piston to effect the division of the case and of the
piston into receiving and discharging spaces. In this construction the web slot of
the piston forms a joint with a projecting end of the abutment in every position
of the movement of the piston while the side slot forms a bearing with the opposite
sides of the abutment, the piston slot having a form and length to allow the piston
to move over and swing upon the fixed abutment and forms the joint to prevent
the communication of the receiving and discharging spaces at the point upon
which the piston swings upon the abutment.
With the webbed piston I use a ring form of abutment head and divide it into
an upper and lower part so that the inner end of each part will form a joint with
the opposite sides of the piston web.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a water meter embracing my
improvements taken on the line Z Z of Fig. 2, which represents a horizontal
section of the same taken on the line XX of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal
section of the case taken on the line y y of Figure 1, showing the projecting end
of the abutment which forms the joint with the piston web slot. Figure 4
represents a top view of the piston showing the web oval slot. Figure 5 represents
a horizontal section taken on the line y y of Figure 1, showing the joint formed
by the oval web slot and the projecting end of the abutment. Figure 6, represents
a vertical section on the line 2, 2, of Figure 3, showing the radial abutment in

page_text: elevation. Figure 7 represents a vertical section on the line 3, 3, of Figure 8
showing the inlet and outlet ports.
which
The case A is preferably of cylindrical form and has at one end an extension
chamber divided so as to form the inlet passage I and the outlet passage
connect by branch passages with the inlet and the outlet ports I! 1º 0' 0² in the
cylinder heads.
A radial abutment A' extends from head to head of the case, divides the inlet
and outlet ports and terminates in or joins an enlargement or head A² formed of
ring projections from the case head adapted to divide the piston into receiving and
discharging chambers at every point in the movement of the piston.
The piston B is of ring form and is of such a diameter relatively to the chamber
of the case and to the enlarged abutment end or ring projections of the case, as to
divide the case and be itself divided into receiving and discharging spaces by
contact with the inner wall of the case and the wall of the abutment head or ring-
projections as shown. It has a transverse web B¹ provided with an oval slot g
which opens into a side slot g' adapted by its edges ff to form a bearing upon the
opposite sides of the radial part A¹ of the abutment while the oval web slot forms
a joint with a projecting end E¹ of said radial abutment part as the piston swings
upon the abutment in its dividing function.
The width, length and form of this web slot g is such as to allow the piston to
move over and upon the abutment A¹ and form a joint by its curved sides and
end eee with the rounded end E¹ of the abutment during every part of the
eccentric movement of the piston. This rounded end E' projects beyond the inner
edge of the abutment part A² as in Figuro 6 so as to be in horizontal plane with
the piston-web, and between the inner ends of the abutment ring projections A?
which join the radial abutment part.
These ring-projections A' form an extension of the radial part A' and with it
constitute the abutment. They are cast integral with the case heads as shown and
are of such size relatively with the piston as to divide it in the manner stated,
and to form a joint at their inner ends with the opposite sides of the piston web.
Each head of the case has an interior centrally projecting stud H H³ and the
piston web has centrally projecting studs F¹ F which revolve around and in
contact with the sides of the case studs and thus control the eccentric movement
of the piston as it swings upon the abutment.
Referring to the dividing function of the piston and its joint with the case in
the position shown in Figure 2, the piston makes contact with the wall of the case
at the point of the inlet and outlet, and with the ring projections A both above
and below its web, while the sides of the latter make contact with the ends of said
ring projections, and the projecting and Ẹl of the abutment makes contact with
the end of the oval slot g.
In the other extreme movement of the piston shown by dotted lines the web
joint with the abutment is made at the side of the oval slot g. In what-ever
position the piston assumes this joint will be made with some portion of the side
of the oval slot.
The wall of the case on each side of the abutment has ports X X' which extend
from head to head of the case and serve to increase the capacity of the inlet and
outlet ports I¹ 1' 01 02 with which they have direct communication and thus
lessen the resistance of the piston to the flow of the water.
In the stud H' of the upper case-head is journaled a spindle 1 having at its inner
end a crank arm 2 adapted to bear upon and be pushed around by the piston
stud F while the outer end of said spindle extends through the case head and
carries a pinion b which meshes with a gear a on the shaft d which is stepped in
the head and passing through the stuffing box of a plate D has a gear c which
engages with and operates any suitable registering mechanism by which the
revolutions of the piston are indicated.
In the operation of the meter, the piston being in the position shown in Fig. 2,
forms a joint with the case, the abutment head, and the end of the web-oval slot,

page_text: and the water entering the inlet ports I will press against and force the piston
in the direction of the arrow 6 while the water passes from the opposite side of
the piston in the direction of the arrow 7 through the ports O¹ and 0%. When the
piston has moved to the position shown in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Figure 2,
the water will enter the chamber of the case through the ports I' I² in the direction
of the arrow 4 and pressing against the outer side of the piston continues to force
it in the same direction while the water discharges from the opposite side of the
chamber in the direction of the arrow 5. In this movement the piston edgesƒƒ
slide in contact with the sides of the abutment A¹ and the piston swings in a path
eccentric with the case by its studs F F revolving around in contact with the case
studs HH the oval slot permitting such movement and the piston studs pushing
forward the crank arın 2 of the registering mechanism.
I have shown and described the piston as being guided and controlled in its
movement by the co-acting studs but the piston might be controlled by a direct
crank connection with the spindle 1 and effect the same results in the same
manner.
The division of the piston into upper and lower chambers by its web gives the
advantages of balancing the piston in its movement but the web may be placed at
the end of the piston in which case the abutment head would not be divided and
the piston would have a single chamber the functions and coopertion of all the
parts being the same.
The registering mechanism may be dispensed with and the machine used as
a pump or engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination with a case having inlet and outlet ports and a radial
abutment A¹ having an enlarged open head or end A³ and a solid joint forming
part E', of a piston having a transverso web B¹ provided with an oval alot
opening into a side slot g¹ and means substantially such as described for connecting
the piston with the case for controlling the eccentric movement of the piston for
the purpose stated.
2. The combination in a water meter, of a ring piston constructed with
a transverse web B¹ an oval slot g therein and a side slot g¹ with the abutment A¹
EA the co-acting studs F¹ F' H H and suitable registering mechanism
substantially as described.
3. The case abutinent having the rounded part E' at the junction of its radial
part A with its ring part A² combined with a ring piston having a side slot g¹ and
a transverse web B provided with a slot g having a form adapting the piston to
movo over said fixed abutment to form a joint with the piston-web in every
position in the movement of the piston and the means herein described for
controlling the eccentric movement of the piston.
4. The water meter herein described consisting of the case A, tho abutment A¹ A²
the webbed piston B B² the coacting studs, means substantially such as described
for forming a joint at the connection of the piston with said abutment and means
for connecting said piston stud with the registering mechanism as herein set forth.
Dated the 20th day of May 1881.