Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Movement of the Pistons of Engines or Pumps and other Reciprocating Mechanism.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Lelt, 6th Jan., 1890-Accepted. 8th Feb. 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Registering the Movement of the
Pistons of Engines or Pumps and other Reciprocating Mechanism.
We, RICHARD HACK of Renelegh Cottage, Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, and RICHABD
ELLIS PLAISTOWE, of 34 Westfield Road, Surbiton, in the county of Surrey, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
Our invention consists of a simplified arrangement of our recorder described in
Patent No. 18364 of 1888, and relates to improvements in apparatus for registering
the movements of the pistons of engines or pumps and is specially applicable to those
direct-acting pumping engines which are without fly-wheels and have their valves
moved by pistons or tappets.
In pumping engines with fly-wheels the distance passed through by the piston at
each stroke is governed by the fly-wheel and remains constant but in engines without
fly-wheels the distance becomes variable some of the strokes being longer than
others.
The engine counters and other registering apparatus in general use only record the
number of strokes without showing their variable length. In our invention described
in Patent No. 18364 of 1888, cited, we register the absolute movement of the reci-
procating mechanism for both forward and backward strokes. It has however been
found that for pumping engines (to which this present invention especially applies)
it is for all practical purposes not absolutely necessary to register both forward and
backward strokes, because the combined sum of several consecutive forward strokes
must be equal to the sum of the corresponding backward strokes. By arranging the
mechanisin to register only one or the other and doubling the amount registered, or
registering twice the amount of the single stroke, we may get an accurate result with
a simpler mechanism.
In the form in which we preferably carry out our invention we mount a grooved or
flanged wheel loosely on a spindle and drive it by a cord or other flexible medium one
end of which is attached to some part of the reciprocating mechanism and the other
connected to a weight or spring to keep it taut. This sheave is provided with one or
more cam-pawls of convenient shape having springs to keep them against a disc inounted
ön and fixed to the said spindle. These cam-pawls are arranged to drive the disc in
one direction only and run idle when revolving in the other direction. A similar
cam-pawl or pawls is provided and fixed to some part of the framing to prevent the
disc slipping back when the cam-pawls on sheave are running idle. The spindle is
connected to any suitable form of continuously-registering counter by a worm and
wheel or other convenient 'device in such a manner that the distance passed through
by the reciprocating mechanism may be read off in a convenient manner.
We may instead of a cord or other flexible medium driving a sheave, use a system
of levers or rack and pinion or any other mechanism suitable for transmitting the
motion from the reciprocating part of the machine to the recording apparatus.
Dated this 5th day of April 1889.
G. E. HIGGINBOTHAM,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for-Registering the Movement of
the Pistons of Engines or Pumps, and other Reciprocating
Mechanism.
We RICHARD HACK of Ranelagh Cottage Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, and
RICHARD ELLIS PLAISTOWE, of 34 Westfield Road Surbiton in the county of Surrey,
Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our invention consists of a simplified arrangement of our recorder described in
patent No. 18364 of 1888 and relates to improvements in apparatus for registering the
movement of the pistons of engines or pumps and is specially applicable to those
direct-acting pumping engines which are without fly-wheels and have their valves.
moved by pistons or tappets.
In pumping engines with fly-wheels the distance passed through by the piston at
each stroke is governed by the fly-wheel and remains constant but in engines without
fly-wheels this distance becomes variable some of the strokes being longer than
others.
The engine counters and other registering apparatus in general use only record
the number of strokes without showing their variable length. In our invention
described in patent No. 18364 of 1888 cited, we registered the absolute movement of
the reciprocating mechanism for both forward and backward strokes. It has however
been found that for pumping engines, (to which this present invention especially
applies) it is for all practical purposes not absolutely necessary to register both
forward and backward strokes, because the combined sum of several consecutive
forward strokes must be equal to the sum of the corresponding backward strokes. By
arranging the mechanism to register only one or the other and doubling the amount
registered, or registering twice the amount of the single stroke we may get an
accurate result with a simpler mechanism.
In the form in which we preferably carry out our invention we mount a grooved or
flanged wheel loosely on a spindle and drive it by a cord or other flexible medium
one end of which is attached to some part of the reciprocating mechanism and the
other connected to a weight or spring to keep it taut. This wheel is provided with
one or more cam-pawls of convenient shape having springs to keep them against a
disc mounted on and fixed to the said spindle. These cam pawls are arranged to
drive the disc in one direction only, and run idle when revolving in the other
direction. A similar cam-pawl or pawls are provided and fixed to some part of the
framing to prevent the disc slipping back when the cam-pawls on sheave are running
idle. The spindle is connected to any suitable form of continuously registering
counter by a worm and wheel or other convenient device in such a manner that the
distance passed through by the reciprocating mechanism may be read off in a
convenient manner.
The accompanying drawing shows one form of our invention.
I is a sheave, running loose on spindle J, driven by the band one end of which is
attached to that part of the machine the reciprocating motion of which is required to
be registered, and the other end is provided with a weight or spring to keep the band
taut.
K is a grooved disc fixed to spindle J, it is driven from sheave I by the cam-
pawl L which is kept against the sides of groove k by springs l. A cam-pawl L' is
attached to the fixed frame and is kept against a second groove k² by spring to
prevent the disc slipping back when driving-pawl L is running idle.
F is an ordinary revolution counter operated by wheel M which is driven by
worm N fixed to spindle J. In some cases we replace the worm and wheel with an
ordinary wheel and pinion or drive direct on to counter.

page_text: We may instead of a cord or other flexible medium driving a sheave use a system
of levers or rack and pinion or any other mechanism for transmitting the motion
from the reciprocating part of the machine to the recording apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is,―
1. The combination and arrangement of registering apparatus substantially as
shown in the accompanying drawing and as hereintofore described.
2. In registering apparatus, a sheave or wheel driving a disc intermittently by
means of a cam-pawl together with a second cam-pawl for preventing said disc
running back, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 4th day of January 1890..
RICHARD HACK.
RICHARD ELLIS PLAISTOWE.