An Automatic Apparatus to Prevent Tidal or Storm Water or other Liquids Entering Sewers, Tanks, Drains, or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: An Automatic Apparatus to Prevent Tidal or Storm Water or other
Liquids Entering Sewers, Tanks, Drains, or the like.
We, FREDERIC GEORGE SISON HAM, of the Firm of Ham, Baker & Co., 13,
Grosvenor Road, Westminster, Engineers, and ERNEST BEARD, of 29, Corporation
Street, Manchester, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
-
The object of this invention is to automatically prevent tidal or storm water
or other liquid entering tanks, sewers drains or the like. We provide an arm
or arms or pipe or pipes to be connected to the drain, sewer, tank, or other
place, by a swivelling socket joint at one end while at the other end of the arm
or pipe we fix one or more floats in such a position that the flow of the rising
tide or storm water or other liquid will lift the floats and raise the mouth of the
arm or pipe above the water level, thus preventing any tidal or storm water
or other liquid from flowing into the mouth of the pipe or arm and so entering
the tank, sewer or drain or other place. This apparatus would preferably but
not necessarily be fitted in a chamber. The pipe or arm may be of sufficient
length to allow it to float above the maximum height of storm or tidal water or
other liquid. The pipe or arm. may also be made to operate a valve or sluice
which may be in or connected to the pipe or arm or the swivelling parts in con-
nection with same by by means of rods & levers, chains, wire rope, spur gearing,
worm & rack arrangement or other suitable attachment or mechanical arrange-
ment in such a way that the rising of the pipe or arm will close the valve or
sluice. The said valve or sluice will open when the pipe or arm falls as it will
do when the storm or tidal water or other liquid recedes. The valve or sluice
may be fitted in the same chamber as the pipe or arm or in a chamber adjoin-
ing or in the pipe connection, or in the arm. The use of this valve or sluice
enables us to reduce the length of the arm or pipe.
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page_text: An Automatic Apparatus to Prevent Tidal or Storm Water or other
Liquids Entering Sewers, Tanks, Drains, or the like.
We, FREDERIC GEORGE SISON HAM, of 13, Grosvenor Road, Westminster,
London, and ERNEST BEARD, of 29, Corporation Street, Manchester, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this invention is to automatically prevent tidal or storm water
or other liquid entering tanks, sewers, drains or the like. We provide an arm
or arms or pipe or pipes to be connected to the drain, sewers, tanks, or other
places by a swivelling socket joint at one end, while at the other end of the arm
or pipe we fix one or more floats in such a position that the flow of the rising
tide or storm water or other liquid will lift the floats and raise the mouth of the
arm or pipe above the water level, thus preventing any tidal or storm water
or other liquid from flowing into the mouth of the pipe or arm and so entering
the tank, sewer, or drain, or other places. This apparatus would preferably but
not necessarily be fitted in a chamber. The pipe or arm may be of sufficient
length to allow it to float above the maximum height of storm or tidal water or
other liquid. The pipe or arm may also be made to operate a valve or sluice
which may be in or connected to the pipe or arm or the swivelling parts in con-
nection with same by means of rods and levers, chains, wire rope, spur gearing,
worm and rack arrangement or other suitable attachment or mechanical arrange-
ment in such a way that the rising of the pipe or arm will close the valve or
sluice. The said valve or sluice will open when the pipe or arm falls as it will
do when the storm or tidal water or other liquid recedes. The valve or sluice
may be fitted in the same chamber as the pipe or arm, or in a chamber adjoin-
ing, or in the pipe connection, or in the arm.
The use of this valve or sluice enables us to reduce the length of the arm or
pipe.
Our invention is represented on the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 section of tank or intercepter of tidal or return storm water receiver
with our jointed arm pipe sewer or drain outlet therein.
Figure plan of same, or of a tank or receiver with cover removed, the out-
flow jointed pipe having buoyant bodies at its end so that it can rise with the
backflow and so keep its mouth above the accumulated level, the length of the
jointed pipe being regulated to suit extraordinary high tides, or periods of severe
storms.
Figure 3 side elevation.
Figure 4 a back end view, and
Figure 5 a plan of our apparatus which by the rise and fall of the jointed pipe
by its buoyant end causes a valve or penstock to close and open as the tidal
water or the receding storm charges the chamber in which the apparatus is
arranged.
The letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A, end of drain or sewer which under ordinary circumstances would be the
outfall but by our invention we stop it short and connect thereto a short piece B,
in the face of which is a joint at C for the bend D to turn in, said bend being
pivotted at E, so that it may freely move in the required direction.
The bend D is provided with a flange for the fixing of an arm pipe F as an
extension therefrom, the end G of which is open for the free flow of drain water

page_text: or sewage to the outlet H. I, I, floats or buoyant bodies affixed to the free end
of the pipe arm F by the encircling strap J, which floats can be adjusted as to
their lifting powers by shot, stones, or water inserted through the valve
holes K, K, if found necessary. L, is a chamber with brick walls M, M, of
such height that the top is above the maximum tidal level or most severe rain
storm, its length being proportionate for the pipe arm to rise so that its free end
shall at all times be above such level as indicated by the full lines, Figure 1,
but which forms a continuation of the drain or sewer from A to H under
ordinary climatic conditions, the pipe arm then lying on the bottom of the
chamber as shown in dotted lines.
In addition to the jointed and buoyant arm pipe F, we may stop the flow of
the drain water or sewage by the closing valve or penstock N which is arranged
to slide in a frame I fixed to the wall Q of a separate chamber R, the valve N
being automatically operated both for closing and opening by the levers S, S,
connected by the rod T as represented, the rod T being carried by the bracket V
and stuffing box V.
By this latter arrangement, it is immaterial as to the inrush of seawater, the
chamber L being of such a depth or height that the maximum height of storm
or tidal water or other liquid can be contained and enables the length of the
pipe arm F to be reduced.
This automatic tidal arm is designed to take the place of the ordinary tidal
flap, penstock, or other valve up to now generally in use for preventing sea,
river, or flood water entering sewers and drains.
It is well known that tidal flaps of all kinds are frequently rendered non-
effective by accumulation of dirt, weed, or other matter on the seatings, thas
preventing them from being watertight, while penstocks and other valves require
to be opened or closed at every rise or fall of the tide, any neglect in this duty
being the cause of great inconvenience and expense to the authorities.
The invention of automatic tidal arm as shown in drawings Figures 1, 2,
and 3, is arranged in a masonry tank and connected to outlet of town sewer by
swivel joint, thence discharging into the sea outfall. In its normal position the
tidal arm rests on the bottom of the tank, and the sewage flows through this
arm to the sea outlet. As the tide rises, the floats fixed at the top of the arm lift
the outlet above the water level which effectually prevents any sea water backing
up the town sewers.
The automatic tidal arm is made of suitable length to enable it to float above
high water spring tides.
It is suggested that this arm be used in positions where the total rise of the
tide is 10 feet or less; should the rise of the tide exceed this height the auto-
matic tidal arm with closing valve is recommended, and has for its object the
same result as the automatic tidal arm already explained but is recommended
for use in connection with outfalls of towns where the rise and fall of tide is
greater than 10 feet.
The valve is introduced to obviate the expense of providing tank room for
arms of great length.
As the arm rises, it closes a penstock automatically, so that when the tidal
water reaches the top of the arm, the penstock is already closed, thus preventing
any tidal water entering the town sewers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The apparatus shown on the annexed drawings for automatic action of a
jointed pipe arm F with floats I, I, within an intercepting chamber L to prevent
tidal or storm water or other liquids entering sewers, tanks, drains, and the like
during the rise of tidal or storm waters substantially as described.
2. An intercepting chamber between the fall and outlet of a sewer or drain,

page_text: and containing a jointed pipe as an arm provided with floats to rise by inrush
of tidal or other water, as and for the purposes described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2.
3. In a chamber between the fall and outlet of a sewer or drain, a jointed pipe
arm with floats in combination with appliances for automatically closing a pen-
stock or valve on the rising of said pipe arm while the arm is lifted by the inrush
of tidal or storm water, and to automatically open while the pipe arm is lowering
to its normal position, as specified and substantially as shown at Figures 3, 4
and 5.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said F. G. S. Han and E. Beard.